December 31 A Day at Galilee

The word Galilee has always seemed to be a musical word to me, tripping lightly off the tongue and drawing up lovely images. Galilee is an area of the northern part of Israel. In the time of Jesus it was an area to the west of the sea of Galilee, extending both north and south. Some towns of Galilee include Nazareth, Nain, Cana, Capernaum, Magdala, Chorazin and Tiberius. Galilee was the site of much of Jesus’ early ministry. He actually lived in Capernaum for a time after he left Nazareth. The Sea of Galilee is actually a lake. It went by many names, including Lake Genessaret, which means something like harp shaped lake. Perhaps that is why Galilee seems to be a musical word to me.

After a fantastic breakfast we boarded the bus to our first destination – the Mount of Beatitudes. There we had Mass outside, with the Beatitudes as the gospel reading. Earlier we had read some other parts of the Sermon on the Mount. It is difficult to overstate the beauty of this place. You overlook the entire Sea of Galilee, which is surrounded by small mountains. The land is lush and fertile. The Church of the Beatitudes is an octagonal building, reflecting the eight beatitudes. The grounds are immaculately kept, and the colors of the flowers are vibrant. Even though the day started cloudy and there was some haze in the distance, it was a place of beauty. In the past few years a retreat place has been built there, and pilgrims can stay on site.
It was difficult to leave, but there were more treasures to see. We went to the church of the primacy of Peter, which commemorates John 21, one of the post-resurrectional appearances of Jesus. Here Jesus is instrumental in a great catch of fish, and asks Peter three times whether he loved him, each time telling him to feed his sheep. Pope John Paul II had visited there on his pilgrimage in 2000. The place goes right to the Sea of
Galilee. A church there contains a rock known as Mensa Christi, or the table of the Lord, where he prepared breakfast for the disciples who had attempted fishing with Jesus.
From there we went to Capernaum, once a thriving city in which Jesus lived. Peter and Andrew lived there as well. See Mark 1 for a busy day that Jesus spent there. He returned a number of times. In fact, it served as something of his base of operation. There is a church built over the home of St. Peter – over the site of a 4th century church that was built around the walls of Peter’s home. There is also an ancient synagogue that was built on the foundation of the synagogue they was there at the time of Jesus, and in which he taught. A significant area has been excavated.
Next we went on a boat for a cruise on the lake. The sky was becoming clearer by the hour. We had a glass-smooth surface and warm temperatures. The boat is constructed to look somewhat like the boats of the time of Jesus, although motor powered. The kibbutz that runs this service also has a building that houses the “Jesus Boat” which is a boat from the first century which had remained below the surface of the lake for over 1900 years.
We then visited Tabgha, where there is a church commemorating the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. It was restored in the 1980s to reflect the church that was there in 485, and destroyed in 614. The 485 church replaced one from the year 350. It contained extraordinary mosaic floors, found quite intact when unearthed in 1932 by a team led by, seriously, a Fr. Mader.
We had a late but excellent lunch at a kibbutz. Many of the people had St. Peter’s fish for lunch. This restaurant is along the Sea of Galilee as well, but on the east side. To get there we drove over the Jordan river, only about 8 feet wide on the north edge of the Sea of Galilee. We passed the ruins of Chorazin and Bethsaida as well. By this time the haze was almost completely gone and we had a fine view of the opposite shore and a mountain called the Horns of Hattin, where the Crusaders lost a decisive battle against Saladin in July of 1187, losing Jerusalem as a result.
Our final official stop of the day was to a place created for viewing and visiting the Jordan river. Many baptisms or renewal of vow ceremonies take place there. It is not the place where Jesus was baptized – that is somewhat farther south and in the wilderness of Judea. But this is a place where the Jordan is accessible – for all but one day a year the actual place of John the Baptist’s activity and Jesus’ baptism is a no-man’s land between Israel and Jordan. There we renewed our baptismal vows and received blessings with the water.
Some people also visited a diamond dealer, learning a bit about diamonds, diamond cutting and about Israel’s leading role in the diamond industry. There was, of course, also a sales pitch.
This evening we will have a special New Year’s Eve meal at the hotel, and are invited to a party at the hotel. Some of us might share a bottle of wine as well.
This is a very nice hotel, but there is no wifi here, so the posting of my entries have been delayed.