On Pilgrimage, Day 7, Capernaum and Galilee

The morning is cool and sunny after rain last evening. Pigeons nesting on the church across the lane. Souk shops setting up for a day, as we walk to the bus. We drive north through softly rolling green hills. An abundance of wild flowers. We first see the Sea of Galilee shrouded in mist, sun beaming through the clouds. Fruit trees of many types along the road: mango, date palm, pomegranate, avocado, orange, banana, and, of course, olive. The Golan Heights in the distance. Galilee is the primary water source for Israel, and this year it is 18 feet low because of drought. The water is pumped to the Negev Desert.
We walk to the Jordan River and renew our baptismal vows in the sacred and centuries old ritual. But for all of us, our awe at the places we are entering is palpable. Many of us will take home water for special baptisms.
Our next stop is at Capernaum. Again, awe at what we are witnessing. Stone dwellings from the time of Jesus. Many generations living in interlocking rooms that would have had grass roofs. We can imagine Jesus healing the paralytic man. Peter’s house is close to the sea with a church built over. There are also the remains of a synagogue a few centuries after Christ.
A peaceful ride in a boat, a replica of those used by the fishermen in Jesus’ time. A fish net was thrown, and though we read the Biblical passage, our fisherman’s net came up empty! We visited the Church of the Beatitudes where Mass was being celebrated in Italian for pilgrims. A "cousin" of Iyad’s prepared very fresh orange juice for many of us.
I think for all of us the most treasured part of the day, perhaps the journey, was the reading of the Beatitudes. A walk in silence through a beautiful spring pasture to an altar where Father Mike celebrated the Eucharist. All of the pilgrims walked down the hill, and Father Mike read the Beatitudes again from a cave high above us, just as when Jesus had done. The area has remarkable acoustics, and we were able to hear well despite traffic and wind.
Lunch was chicken, beef kabobs, or whole tilapia from the Sea of Galilee. Delicious. After lunch a visit to two churches in Tabgha. One where Christ feed the multitudes with five loaves and two fish. The rock on which Jesus placed the loaves became an altar by the 4th century. The second church, Church of the Primacy, is the location where Jesus appeared to the disciples after the Resurrection. Again they had gone fishing and hadn’t caught anything. Here was where Jesus said they should throw the net on the right side. Beautiful mosaics on the floor of the Church with birds of all kinds represented.
Karen stopped by the road side to get twigs from a Middle Eastern "Crown of Thorns" bush. A stop in Cana for a walk to two churches, browsing, and delicious nuts! I think the significance of where we have been and what we experienced this day will be with us always. Carol and Bob

Addendum: After dinner, we were treated to a true secret of the Holy Land. Beneath our guest house at the Sisters of Nazareth, is a 1st century cave-home and tomb. We saw the 1st century cave which was a house, and 4th century walls, possibly a church, which had been added on top of the cave. Descending below the original cave, we found a tomb, carved into stone with a large (3 feet in diameter) round stone rolled away from the enterance. Kip
Helpful web links: Today's photo album Pilgrimage website.