Galilee: Part 2, Capernaum, and Cana

After we got off the boat, we had a delicious lunch of fish.  I ordered a whole baked fish and ate it with my hands (my mom would be so proud :D

Once lunch was finished, we got back on the bus and went to the Church of the Primacy of Peter.
From the Gospel of John:

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.[d] 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.”19 (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, “Follow me.”

This was the traditional spot of this event.  It was a surprisingly beautiful spot to pray and was relatively uncrowded and quiet.  There is a small chapel covering the rock where Jesus and Peter talked.

As I sat in the chapel praying, I imagined Jesus saying these same words to me..."Chris do you love me?" "Yes Lord, you know all things.  You know I love you."  "Then feed my sheep and follow me." After quite a beautiful and emotional time of prayer, we all went down and stuck our feet in the Sea of Galilee.   

Leaving the Sea of Galilee behind us, we went to Capernaum.  This is a very, very important site in the Gospels, because it is kind of Jesus' home base in Galilee.  

From the Gospel of Mark:

21 And they went into Caper′na-um; and immediately on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit;24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

 Here is that very synagogue...

From the Gospel of Mark:

29 And immediately he[e] left the synagogue, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him of her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her; and she served them.

And just across a way from the ruins of the synagogue is Peter's mother-in-law's house..

Mark's version of this story has always been my favorite.  If you compare it to Luke's and Matthew's, there is a small detail that (to me) makes a dramatic difference.  We believe Mark's was first, followed by Matthew and then Luke.  In Luke's version (the "newest" of the three) Jesus simply stands at the door and heals her with his word.  In Matthew's version, he touches her and she is healed.  But in Mark's, he GRASPS her and LIFTS her UP.  The Greek for this is actually the same word for his own Resurrection.  It has always been fascinating to me that as time went on, Jesus got further away and less personal.  When I was a hospital chaplain, I used this reading all the time, and loved pointing out this detail to the patients.  I always told them that this was how Jesus was with them now...not simply standing at the door...not simply touching them...but grasping them; holding them.  Seeing the place where this happened was simply amazing.

Over these ruins is a Catholic church.

I found the sanctuary of this church to be particularly beautiful...

And there were many ruins of houses between the synagogue and the church

To think that the people who saw Jesus...who heard his voice and were even maybe touched by him, lived in these houses.  Maybe he even visited them.  As I sit here and look at these pictures, I realize that I think I was so overwhelmed and tired from the experiences in the morning that I wasn't able to fully appreciate what it meant to walk in this place, where Jesus literally walked.  Even just trying to think about it is breathtaking.

From the Gospel of John:

2 On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples.3 When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”4 And Jesus said to her, “O woman, what have you to do with me?[a] My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

12 After this he went down to Caper′na-um, with his mother and his brethren[b]and his disciples; and there they stayed for a few days.

That's right...we went to Cana.  We aren't sure if this is the exact Cana from the Scriptures (apparently there have been multiple sites called Cana) but this is the one venerated now by pilgrims.  We stopped at a shop and tasted the Cana wine.  It was a very sweet, kosher wine (and quite delicious).  After doing some shopping, we went to the Wedding Church

While we visited this church, the couples who were with us had the opportunity to renew their wedding vows:

 It was so beautiful.  It got me thinking about what it is to have a vocation.  Several times during my seminary journey, people have said to me "It must be so nice to know that God is calling you to something."  Usually, this is said in a way to suggest that their lives lack such interest from God.  We have so exalted the priestly vocation, that the vocations of marriage and the single life are not even seen as callings from God.  Every vocation has its joys and challenges...but I believe the vocation to marriage is takes great dedication and sacrifice; more than people probably believe or acknowledge.  People often tell me how hard my life must be...compared with the lives of many married couples, my life is easy.  Many of my closest friends are now married and some are having children.  I can't believe how much it takes to not only be married, but to be a parent and have a family.  Every vocation is holy and sacred.  Every vocation is necessary to the well-being and life of the Church.  Every vocation is from God.  This day in Cana, I was especially reminded of this. 

Down in the crypt of the church, we saw a stone vessel that would have been similar to the ones in the Scripture:

It was HUGE!  Not at all what I had pictured.  We were told that six of these filled would have produced, roughly, 900 bottles of wine.  That's a lot of wine!

As we left Cana, I was struck by that last line from the miracle of the water into wine, where they returned to Capernaum.  I guess I had always imagined these places were fairly close by, just down the street.  It took at least 45 minutes to drive from Capernaum to Cana...I tried to imagine them all walking in the heat, with only sandals (and probably some of them barefoot). 

Simply incredible.  

Galilee: Part 1

Forgive my tardiness in writing…we have been on the move constantly and it has been hard to take the time to sit and type. 

Where to begin?  It has been a whirlwind!  On Saturday, we began our journey around Galilee.  We started by visiting the Basilica of the Beatitudes, the traditional site of the Sermon on the Mount.  I think it would be helpful to pause for a moment and explain why I keep saying the “traditional site.”  Some sites we can say for sure were where Jesus was or a particular event in the Scriptures took place.  But others, we aren’t so sure.  Was this mountain the exact site of the Sermon on the Mount?  We don’t know.  But from very early in the history of the Christian faith, pilgrims venerated these exact sites and built churches or shrines there to commemorate the Gospel stories.  As our tour guide said “tradition and the constant visit of the pilgrims made these sites holy.”  That’s good enough for me.

Anyhoo, we visited the traditional site of the Sermon on the Mount and celebrated Mass in one of the outdoor areas.  

From the Gospel of Matthew:

5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.

It was quite a beautiful Mass.  In his homily, Fr. Dan invited us to reflect on what it would have been like to be told all your life that you are worthless.  That you are ugly and unloved; That your very life means nothing to anyone.  And then what would it have been like to meet Jesus and hear him tell you the opposite?  To hear him say that you are beloved; that God knows you and loves you?  That was essentially what the Sermon on the Mount was.  Jesus turning the idea of blessedness on its head.  It was quite a beautiful homily.  After the Mass we had an opportunity to just walk around and take it all in.

After we left the Mountain of the Beatitudes, we visited a church called Tabgha, or the Church of the Multiplication.  This church was built to commemorate the traditional site of the feeding of the 5,000.  

From the Gospel of Mark:

30 The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves.33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them. 34 As he landed he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late; 36 send them away, to go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii[a] worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all.42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

This small chapel is famous for its mosaic at the altar depicting the 4 loaves and 2 fish (the 5^th loaf is the Eucharist consecrated on the altar at Mass).  This was quite moving for me.  As I sat in the chapel and recalled the story of the multiplication, one particular line struck me: “And they all were satisfied.”  We never seem to have enough in this life.  We never seem to be happy with what we have or with our present circumstance.  Tomorrow always seems to promise something better; something new that will be the answer to all our woes today.  But tomorrow never comes.  And so we are always despairing that life would only be better “if ________.”  And yet here are the multitudes satisfied by bread and fish.  Of course, there is more to this story:  the people are satisfied by God acting in Jesus.  As I contemplated this sitting in the chapel, the last line of St. Teresa of Avila’s prayer came to me: God, alone, fills us.  We spend our lives filling ourselves with junk: literally and metaphorically.  We feel empty, unsatisfied.  Instead of looking to God for bread, we settle for candy; for the fast food of this world which in the end, doesn’t sustain us.  I felt overwhelmed.  Even I am guilty of looking to other things or other people to give me in small measure what God offers in abundance.  As St. Augustine said (and sorry Tim if you are reading this hehe) “Our hearts were made for thee, O Lord.  And restless ever will they be, until they rest in thee.”

After we left the Church of the Multiplication, we headed to the Sea of Galilee.  It was a beautiful sight! (Of course, we had already been seeing it, but now we were actually heading for its shores!) 

We boarded a tour boat that was modeled on a first century fishing boat that had been discovered on the floor of the sea.  It was so beautiful to sail out onto the water, knowing WITH CERTAINTY that this was the site of so many stories about Jesus.  When we reached the middle, the engine of the boat was turned off, and the tour guide asked us to just listen to the silence of the sea.  It was so still and quiet, that you probably would have been able to hear a pin drop.  It was breathtaking.  We had some opportunity to pray and to contemplate our surroundings.  We also did a lot of singing and even some dancing!  One of the crew members on the boat taught us how to dance the Hava Nagila!  It was so much fun.  It was obvious that everyone was deeply moved by this boat ride.  It was incredible!

From the Gospel of Matthew: 

22 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land,[a]beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately he spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; 30 but when he saw the wind,[b] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

And here we were on that same sea, looking at the same hills that Jesus and his disciples saw...

To be continued....  

Entry into the Holy Land, Mt. Tabor and Nazareth

We left Jordan behind on Friday.  I have to say that Amman seems like a beautiful city.  My sister and I talked about even considering returning one day.  For any who are curious, I never felt unsafe or in danger...Jordan seems a safe and secure country.  No one ever treated us poorly because we were Christians, and on the contrary, were warm and welcoming.  I highly recommend making a trip to Jordan!  We only got to scratch the surface...

As we crossed from Jordan into the Holy Land, I couldn't help but think about the first time Israel passed into the Promised Land from Jordan.  From the Book of Joshua:

3 Early in the morning Joshua rose and set out from Shittim, with all the people of Israel; and they came to the Jordan, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp3 and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it, 4 that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before."  And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass on before the people.” And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.8 And you shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’"

14 So, when the people set out from their tents, to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap far off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zar′ethan, and those flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off; and the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 And while all Israel were passing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

To think, we basically did the same...obviously not with the river turning back and all haha, but we crossed into the Promised Land over the Jordan, just as they did.  It's hard to even process that.

We arrived into the West Bank and got through security...it was quite an experience.  In some respects, not as strenuous as I would have imagined it to be.  It was actually less intensive than airport security, although we had to go through several screenings instead of just one...but even so, I got to keep my shoes on and my laptop in my backpack.  I was the only one in the group that wasn't allowed to go through immediately.  The lady who issues the visas was suspicious of me from the moment I walked up.  (I guess I look like a troublemaker lol.)  She asked me a lot of questions about my family and where I was born, and finally told me I needed to wait while she checked on some things.  About 10 or 15 minutes later, a guy walked up to me, handed me my passport and walked away.  One thing I have noticed being here in Israel/the West Bank is that uniforms don't seem to be of much importance.  From security officers to hotel workers, people are dressed as if they walked off the street.  The guy who brought me my passport looked like another traveler, and the armed guard who checked our bus at one of the checkpoints in the West Bank looked like a college kid just walking around with a gun.  Even the hotel porter who delivered my luggage to my room was dressed in jeans and white under shirt.  Quite strange.

Anyhoo, after surviving all of that, we made our way to Mt. Tabor.  I was quite excited for this.  Mt. Tabor is traditionally believed to be the site of the Transfiguration, which is one of my favorite Gospel stories.  Of the three versions, I prefer Luke's:

28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli′jah,31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep but kept awake, and they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli′jah”—not knowing what he said. 34 As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen;[a] listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

Mt. Tabor is also mentioned in several passages in the Old Testament.  Mt. Tabor is in northern Israel, near Nazareth, in the Galilee.  Here it is:

I can't begin to describe how I felt seeing that mountain and driving up it.  Here was the (traditional) site of one of my favorite Gospel stories.  At the top was the Basilica of the Transfiguration.

We celebrated Mass in one of the outdoor Mass areas

It was quite beautiful.  I had told my sister that this story was one of my favorite in the Scriptures, and she asked me why.  I said I didn't really know...I had always been drawn to it.  During the Mass, I started thinking about why I liked this story so much, and a (supposedly) Irish proverb came to my mind: "Eaten bread is soon forgotten."  I think one reason I love this story so much is because it is so mysterious.  It isn't obvious why this event takes place.  One of the most common explanations is that Jesus had hoped to strengthen the faith of his disciples by showing them the truth of who he is, in hopes that when they saw him broken and bloody on the cross, they might remember that they had seen him in glory.  I love this interpretation.  In the story of Scripture, there are several themes.  One of them is the juxtaposition of remembrance and forgetfulness.  God remembers humanity; humanity tends to forget God.  In my life, God has revealed himself in many ways.  He has touched my heart and whispered to me.  I have never doubted these experiences.  Yet so often, I tend to forget that they have happened.  Many times in my spiritual life, I have felt alone and forgotten by God.  I have felt his absence.  While this is normal in the journey of faith, it is also the experience of my forgetfulness. My forgetting that God is always with me, always experiencing every step with me, even when I don't feel his presence or hear his voice.  Being on the mountain of the Transfiguration; being reminded of why I love this story so much has been a wake up call: to remember.

After we left Mt. Tabor, we made our way to Nazareth.  As we were driving, we passed the village of Nain, where Jesus raised the widow's son.  

From the Gospel of Luke:

11 Soon afterward[b] he went to a city called Na′in, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”17 And this report concerning him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.   

 This story has always moved me.  Thinking about it reminded me of a Buddhist parable:

Kisa Gotami had an only son, and he died. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her neighbors, asking them for medicine, and the people said: "She has lost her senses. The boy is dead. At length Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request: "I cannot give thee medicine for thy child, but I know a physician who can." The girl said: "Pray tell me, sir; who is it?" And the man replied: "Go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha."

Kisa Gotami repaired to the Buddha and cried: "Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy." The Buddha answered: "I want a handful of mustard-seed." And when the girl in her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added: "The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent, or friend." Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said: "Here is mustard-seed; take it!" But when she asked Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?" They answered her: "Alas the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief." And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.

Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside, watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished. And she thought to herself: "How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness."
Putting away the selfishness of her affection for her child, Kisa Gotami had the dead body buried in the forest. Returning to the Buddha, she took refuge in him and found comfort in the Dharma, which is a balm that will soothe all the pains of our troubled hearts.

Death is inevitable.  It is something we must all experience.  Even our faith as Christians invites us to embrace this part of life and see it not as an end, but as a new beginning.  But Jesus did not simply rationalize with the widow in Nain.  He could have, but instead, his heart was moved with compassion and he did something wonderful for her and for us, to give us hope that death does not have the final word on life.  Seeing this village for myself, I was reminded of this great truth, this ultimate question of faith.  Death is not the end; it is to experience life in a new way.

We finally arrived at our hotel, pretty tired and worn out.  As we were waiting for our bags to be unloaded, the guide pointed out that our hotel overlooks the Plains of Megiddo:

The plain of Megiddo is where the Armageddon takes place in the Book of Revelation.  As I was looking out over it, I couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful and peaceful it is.  Here is where the end takes place.  I believe even Islam cites this place as well.  Many Christians read the Book of Revelation literally: that the events there will happen as written.  Of course, Catholics don't read Revelation this way, but understand that there is a great of metaphor and analogy.  Many people fear Revelation.  For me, Scripture shouldn't bring fear, but peace.  After all, the most written phrase in all of Scripture is "Do not be afraid" or some variant.  Scripture is certainly challenging (it isn't a fairy tale) but it isn't meant to bring us fear.  Looking out on these plains of the end times, I felt a great sense of peace.  The end shouldn't be something we fear; it should be something we anticipate with great joy.  For it will be when we are made one with God and share in his life forever.  From the Book of Revelation:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.[a] 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; 3 and I heard a great voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,[b] and God himself will be with them;[c] 4 he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

Seeing Megiddo for myself reminds me of this.  

And so now we begin walking in the places Jesus himself walked, seeing the places Jesus saw.

Peace!