Galilee, Galilee, Galilee!

I completed my last blog by stating that I was going to visit the Museum at Yad VaShem and the Children’s Memorial. I have never been confronted with so much horror, sadness, disappointment, anger and understanding than I experienced at these places. We first entered the Children’s Memorial. The building is a masterpiece of light. You get the feeling that you are walking through a dark shroud after the death of a loved one and all you hear are the names and ages of the children who died during the Holocaust. One and a half hours were then spent in Yad VaShem Museum. How people can deny, denigrate or even minimise the complete magnitude of the Holocaust is beyond me! Our time there was not nearly enough to take in the various multi-media presentations available such as interviews with survivors, radio audios, archives of newspaper and propaganda, photographs, war video footage etc. I was moved to tears, had goosebumps the whole time, could understand the gravity of this unique episode in the history of humankind since time began. I am glad I went as I begin to understand the Zionist movement and the creation of an Israeli State. My personal opinions about the politics of the land of Israel and Palestine will be kept closely guarded. Our guide was a Jewish man whom we could ask any question of and he helped me gain a greater insight into the different Judaisms that are in existence today and the various agendas each pushes.

Last Thursday, we met our guide who would be travelling with us for 3 days through Galilee. He introduced us to the 3 different approaches taken to read the geography of an area. They are known as archaeological, topographical and traditional. That night a group of us went to experience Adoration on the Mount of Olives in the evening.

My faith has been revitalised because I have experienced both the beauty, serenity, tranquility and peace of Galilee and Jerusalem. Jerusalem is so loud, dirty and heartbreaking. It is not a place of rest or peace. I am becoming more acquinted with the human Jesus and seeing him more from this perspective makes me feel so close to him.

On Friday morning, we left Jerusalem for the district of Galilee. I can finally understand how Israel can be described as the land of ‘milk and honey’. Our first stop (after 3 hours travel) was Nazareth. We visited the Greek Orthodox Church of St Gabriel, where they believe, according to the Gospel of St James, that Mary was first visited by the angel Gabriel while she was fetching water from the well in the village and ran off from fright. The Church was full of iconography that were beautiful. After this, we walked through the old city of Nazareth that reminded me of the bazaars or souks in Jerusalem. There were 2 slaughtered cows hanging upside down outside the butcher’s shop dripping blood onto the street ground! We walked to the Basilica of the Annunciation. It is huge and is known to be one of the most beautiful Basilicas in the Middle East. Before entering the inside of the Basilica, we went to the Church of St Joseph which is traditionally believed to be the site of the home of Mary, Jesus and Joseph. We celebrated Mass in this Church then were taken under the Church to see the ruins of a home and workshop of a labourer such as a stonemason or carpenter. I learnt that Joseph would most likely have been a tradesman who used his hands in the local trades such as carving or cutting stones and building huge structures. Under the Basilica are the ruins of the home believed to be Mary’s when the angel Gabriel appeared to her. The grounds of the Basilica have massive images of Mary from different countries around the world. There is also a life –size statue of Mary in front of a fountain. The Basilica itself is 2 storeys. The first storey shows the ruins of the home of Mary that has been excavated. The ruins form part of the sacred space. There are ancient mosaics and railings blocking out crowds when necessary. The second storey looks like a modern Basilica with more images of Mary from around the world. Australia’s one is on the left side and is as long as the floor to wall. These 3 places are well worth visiting.

After entering the coach, the weather changed and it started to pour! I have never experienced rain in Israel. The streets were soon flooded and the locals drenched. I would hate to live on the bottom of the incline. Our next stop was Sepphoris, the largest city in Galilee when Jesus was a child and teenager. We visited the excavations of an ancient synagogue that Joseph and Jesus may well have assisted in building or other parts of the city when commissioned by Herod Antipas. It was getting close to sunset and the place needed to close due to the Sabbath so we did not get to see more than the synagogue.

We arrived at our place of rest, a place for pilgrims called Pilgerhaus Guest House Tabgha. It is a most relaxing and breathtaking place to stay. The place is right by the shore of the Sea of Galilee (more specifically known as Lake Kinneret). There is a balcony where guests can sit, eat and drink outdoors while enjoying the views of the sea and the date palm trees. Our rooms were more like hotel rooms on a tropical island.

The next morning, Saturday, my friend and I woke up early and swam in the Sea of Galilee. There is no sand and the pebbles/rocks are painful to walk on but the fresh-water was fantastic and refreshing to swim in. After breakfast, we arrived at the Museum of the Ancient Boat. I had no idea that this ancient boat even existed. In the 1980s an ancient boat, dating back to the 1^st Century CE, was found (by some local fishermen) at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee during a particularly dry season. It soon became known as the ‘Jesus Boat’ as Jesus would have been in a boat like it, if not this very same one! We watched a video about the discovery of the boat before going on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. It was truly a mesmerising experience, especially when the boat stopped in the middle of the Sea and no one spoke. The reflection time we had, of feeling the presence of Jesus, was profound. The shores of the lake have been kept in tact and still look the way they would have in Jesus’ time. The lake abviously has not changed either!

We then departed for Capernaum or as it is more correctly spelt and pronounced, ‘Kefar Nehum’. It is the most visual archaeological place I have seen so far. I could actually see where the local inhabitants lived, where the synagogue was located and how they moved about. The remains of the synagogue are built on a previous synagogue that is believed to be the very same one that Jesus read about his mission from Isaiah to bring about the reign of God. I was deeply touched by this thought. Also in Kefar Nehum is St Peter’s house where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law from her fever. It has archaeological significance due to the old plaster that was found within the room of the house. No other place in the whole town had special significance or homage shown to it since the early Byzantine times. The Church of St Peter is built directly above the excavations of his home. When you enter the Church, there is a heptagonal railing and clear glass in the centre that allows people to look directly into St Peter’s home. The rest of the pews are found around the glass with the altar in front of a window showing the view of the Sea of Galilee. The artwork in the Church are carved from wood and depict the important times that Peter shared with Jesus.

We then left for the Mount of Beatitudes restaurant where we had lunch which consisted of St Peter’s fish and semi dried dates. We then went to Tabgha (which means Heptapegon referring to the seven springs in the area. We entered the Church of the Loaves and Fishes where it is traditionally believed Jesus fed the crowd of 5000 from 2 fish and 5 loaves. The most famous Byzantine mosaic showing 2 fish and a loaf of bread is found here. The altar is built from the rock that it is believed Jesus put the bread and fish on. It is a lovely Church.

After leaving this place we arrived again at the Mount of Beatitudes to celebrate Mass outdoors together overlooking the lake. It was an amazing experience as imagining Jesus speaking the Beatitudes to a crowd in such a beautiful place suddenly seemed feasible. The Basilica of the Beatitudes is small and picturesque. The whole Mount is peaceful.

We then travelled to the place known as the Primacy of Peter. Here is a Church with a great big rock in front of the altar where it is believed Jesus appeared to his disciples before his Ascension and asked St Peter if he loved him 3 times. It is the place also, where they shared a meal. The shore of the lake is physically behind the Church and in ancient times, used surround the Church completely on one side. Sources such as Eusebius mention this place. There was a poster of all the Popes in 2000 years with Peter as the first. 2000 years do not seem so long when places and people associated with them are still around for everyone to see and touch.

On Sunday morning, the group celebrated Mass by the lake shore. It will truly be an experience I will never forget. Reading Scripture in its correct context makes such a huge difference. The imagination can be fertile as it has the necessary tools. We then left Pilgerhaus (to everyone’s deep disappointment!) and attended Banias or as it was known to the Roman world, Caesarea Philippi. Wow! I learnt so much here. This is the place where pagan gods were worshipped because of the lushness and beauty of the landscape and availability of the water. The god Pan was venerated here and that is where the Aramaic name comes from. The place was named after Herod’s son Phillip and it was believed to be the place where one could enter Hell through a special gateway in the mountain. Jesus visited this place with his disciples and where, our guide taught us, he had a crisis of vocation when he asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” This is also the place where it is believed Jesus said to Peter, “On this rock I will build my Church.” Streams from the Jordan River flow freely here. Goats were venerated here too as well as Zeus and other deities. The place was mostly destroyed during earthquakes.

From there we drove to a national park where we walked to different sources of the Jordan River. At one such place, we renewed our baptismal vows. We dipped our feet in and it was so cold! We drove to another side of the park and walked to a wonderful waterfall. We had no idea it was there as it was well concealed but the water could be heard. Near this area are several hills and mountains. One such mountain was Mt Herman which is believed to be one of the places where the Transfiguration took place. The other mountain, which was close by is Mt Tabor. The borders of Lebanon and Syria are on the other side of the chain of mountains. There is a large population of Druze living in the area. When driving to the next place, Dan Nature Reserve, we passed large areas of land with barbed wire and signs stating, “Danger: Land Mines”. I have not seen that before. After walking through beautiful forest, we came upon the ancient city of Dan. We were able to walk through the fortified city and it was amazing. They had a temple to Baal as well as a place to worship God. The place predates Jesus and was active around 10^th -8^th Century BC after the death of King Solomon. We ate a packed lunch here and looked at the ancient excavations before us while having the new contemporary city behind us. Soon after this, we boarded our coach and made the long trip back to Jerusalem. I have to admit to feeling that I can relate to the human Jesus so much more now after seeing where he spent two-thirds of his life. As someone in the group stated, Jesus must have truly responded to his calling and mission to die for us because he basically left paradise (Galilee) to enter Jerusalem which was so different. No wonder Jesus kept wanting to go by himself to pray and find quiet and solitude.

On Monday, a group of us went to the Holy Sepulchre early to experience the presence of Christ before the rush of the crowds and to celebrate Mass. It just so happened that Cardinal Hicky from Perth celebrated the Mass near the altar of Jesus’ being nailed to the cross before going on his way to the canonisation of Mary MacKillop in Rome.

In the afternoon we went to a few different places that are ver significant to the 3 Abrahamic faiths. We went to Bethphage, the Mount of Olives, the Mosque of the Ascension, Pater Noster, Dominus Flevit, Church of All Nations and Gethsemene. Bethphage is the area above the Kedron Valley that is between Bethphage and the walla of Jerusalem. I learned that Bethany is not too far from Bethphage. Bethphage is the name of the area where it is believed by Jews and Muslims that the Messiah will descend from Heaven before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem through the Golden Gates found on the Western Wall built by King Herod. Here are thousands of Jewish graves from King David’s time as well as those of early Christians (these are found in the Church called Dominus Flevit). The Mosque of the Ascension has had different eras affect it. It was built by the Byzantinians then Muslims converted it, the Crusaders converted it again to Catholicism before the place was once again converted to Islam. Inside is a stone that legend says shows the footprint of Jesus in the moment of his ascension. The other footprint can be found on the Temple Mount. Pater Noster was similar to the Church of the Visitation in that the grounds contained the prayer ‘Our Father’ in all the known languages of the world. The area of the Mount of Olives is extensive. It contains the Garden of Gethsemene, certain graves, different trees but especially olive ones, a variety of Churches and mosques as well as hermitages. The Dominus Flevit Church is the traditional site where Jesus wept for the people of Jerusalem on his descent from the Mount of Olives, to the Kedron Valley and on into Jerusalem. The Church of all Nations is absolutely beautiful! Finally, we went to the place where Greek Orthodox Christians believe to be the place of transit for Mary into Heaven after she died. They have the empty tomb open for veneration.

That night we listened to an inspiring Palestinian woman talking to us about her life experiences, her thoughts on peace in this land of Israel and findings from her research and experiences.

This morning we had a new and different guide take us to Temple Mount where the 3 Abrahamic faiths find their roots. For all 3 faiths, it marks the spot where Abraham was tested when he was about to sacrifice his son Isaac. For the Jews, it was also part of the Holy-of-Holies when the Temple was around. For Christians, it was the place where Jesus walked and prayed. For Muslims, it is where Mohammed ascended to Heaven. Since the 1967 war, Muslims have control of the area and do not allow people from other faiths to enter. The Al Aqsa Mosque also has these restrictions. These 2 form the oldest Islamic sites in the world. Jewish soldiers are allowed to patrol the outside perimeters for security risks. After this, we entered the Southern Excavation area where the shopping part of the Temple was found. We learnt that there were 3 walls that people get confused with. There were once 4 walls of the Temple. These are not to be found anymore since the destruction. The second walls were those built by Herod the Great to support the walls of the Temple. The third walls were those built during the Ottoman Empire period. The Western Wall Tunnel Tour was fun and interesting. We went far below ground level to rediscover the original Herodian blocks, the rest of the Western Wall, the quarry and how the city was lifted so that the steep incline of the mountain no longer felt like an intrusion, time and energy consuming and a chore.

I have been moved to tears in the Garden of Gethsemene. We have gone 3 times at night when everything is under lock and key and have been given a rare privilege. On Thursday, we plan to olive pick from the Mount of Olives and I plan to see the dawn of my 30th birthday from a hermitage on the Mount of Olives overlooking the walls of the city of Jerusalem. We will then walk the Way of the Cross and end up in the Holy Sepulchre, the place where Jesus died and when he rose from the dead.