^~^DAILY GOSPEL REFLECTION^~^

November 17, 2010

At 2:30 pm, Mr. Sam Magalong, a friend and leader of the Filipino Apostolate, drove me to JFK airport in New York, for my flight to Tel Aviv. It took us about two hours to reach the airport due to the heavy traffic. Sam dropped me off  in terminal 3 at JFK at about 4:30 pm. I didn’t have any hassle checking in my bags as some people were worried about airport security these days. At the airport lounge, I met four members of our tour group, who checked in earlier. A couple flew in from Tampa, Florida, and another couple flew in from Arizona. The rest arrived much later. There were 35 of us in the tour group. We departed from JFK (thru Delta Airlines) at about 9:40 pm, for an overnight flight to Tel Aviv. It was a 10 hour flight. In the plane we were served complimentary beverages, in-flight movies, dinner and breakfast. I slept soundly through most of the flight.

November 18, 2010

We touched down at Tel Aviv International Airport at about 7:30 am (New York time). In Israel, the standard time was 2:30 pm, a 7-hour difference from New York. It took us about forty minutes before we were cleared up by the customs. At the airport, we were met by our Unitour guide, Mr. Isaac. From the airport, a rented bus took us to our Hotel in Tel Aviv. It was an hour’s ride from the airport to our hotel. The hotel’s name was Grand Beach Hotel situated at the heart of the city of Tel Aviv, the second largest city in Israel. After we arrived at the hotel, we had some time to change our clothes and rest a little. At 7 pm, a sumptuous dinner was served. No activity was scheduled after dinner.

November 19, 2010

I woke up at 2 am. I don’t why I woke up so early. Maybe it has something to do with jetlag, or simply because I was new to the place. Anyway, I took the time to open up my emails and email some of my friends. After an hour or so, I went back to sleep. Then I woke up again at 5:30 am, and from that time on I could no longer go back to sleep. At 6 am, we had a wake-up call from the reception. Subsequently, at 6:30 am, breakfast was served. We departed from our hotel in Tel Aviv exactly at 7:30 am as scheduled. We headed North towards the coast line of Israel to Caesarea Maritima, an important port city in Israel built by King Herod more than 2,000 years ago. The main reason why Herod wanted to build the port city was for economic reason. The cheapest and easiest way to transfer cargo from one place to the other was through the Mediterranean sea. That is why ports in those times were very important places. Herod took him at least 11 years to build the new city. He began in the year 20 BC, and completed it in the year 9 BC. He named the city after Augustus, his boss, and the Caesar of the Roman Empire. This port was the biggest port in the eastern side of the Mediterranean sea, and the third largest port in the world in those days. Along the way, Isaac, our tour guide, gave us a detailed lecture on the map and history of Israel. It took us about an hour ride to reach the port city from Tel Aviv. Our tour guide, Isaac, introduced us to the history and current excavation being done at Caesarea. First, he showed us about the theatre being uncovered, then the ruins of the house of King Herod, the Roman bath, the main road of Caesarea, then the other side of the wall built by the crusaders. The city of Caesarea was full of history and great significance. In terms of Christian significance, it was here where St. Paul stayed for some years before his missionary journey, and before and after his imprisonment. From Caesarea, we headed to Mt. Carmel. It took us about an hour to reach Carmel. The word Carmel is mentioned a number of times in the bible. The word Carmel is a combination of two Hebrew words –“Karem” or “kerim” (vineyard), and “El” (God) – which literally means, “the vineyard of God. Two thousand years ago, people used to grow here beautiful vineyards. At the top of Mt.Carmel, we saw the statue of the Prophet Elijah. More than 2,900 years ago, Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal and Ashara. The bible tells us that in those days, the Israelites began to do evil in the eyes of God. They started to follow and worship the prophets of Baal and ashara, which means “paganism.” The bible tells us that the prophet Elijah spoke against these phenomena. He came to the Israelites and offered them to make a test. He said to them, “You will build your altar, and I will build mine.” “You will call in the name of your god and I will call in the name of my God. And the first one who answers by fire, he is God.” They all agreed. One day, early morning, Elijah gathered the Israelites somewhere here on top of Mt. Carmel. At noon, when nothing happened, the prophet Elijah picked 12 stones at Mt. Carmel to symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. From the 12 stones, he built his altar. Then he called on God to bring fire on his burnt offering. The people believed on him. Meanwhile, the people brought the prophets of Baal down to the river of kishon where Elijah slaughtered them all. From Mt. Carmel we went down the valley of Jeyzebel, and headed towards the town of Nazareth in the city of Galilee. It took us about 45 minutes or so to reach Nazareth from Carmel. The town of Nazareth is situated on a mountain. This was the town of Jesus where he grew up. During the time of Jesus, this was just a small town composed of about 400 families. Now, it has grown into a big city. We visited first the place called “mountain of precipice,” the place where the people brought Jesus intending to throw him down the hill. Then we visited the Basilica of the Annunciation, situated at the heart of the city, where the angel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Mother. Inside the Basilica was a cave where the Annunciation supposedly took place. I celebrated mass at the basilica. From Nazareth, we headed towards Cana, where Jesus performed the first miracle of turning the water into wine. It was approximately 40 minutes ride from Carmel. The Church of Cana is not a big Church. But underneath the church, we saw the old ruins of the church built by the Byzantine as well as the Crusaders. We also witnessed an original stone, dating back to 2000 years, where Jesus possibly used to store the water and turned it into wine. At the crypt of the Church of Cana, I performed a renewal of marriage vows to some of our couples. From Cana, we proceeded to our hotel called Royal Plaza Hotel situated along the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight.

November 20, 2010

We woke up at 6 am. Shortly thereafter, we had breakfast. We left our hotel at 7:15am and headed to the port of Tiberias, where we took a 30- minute boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to the Kibbutz, a village near Magdala. During our boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, our tour guide explained the significance of the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is actually a lake. It was in the villages around the Sea of Galilee that Jesus spent most of his ministry preaching, healing and performing miracles. From the Sea of Galilee, you could see the Village of Tiberias (where we came from), the village of Magdala, the village of Gennesaret, Capernaum, and many others. We remember here in the Sea of Galilee about Jesus calling his first disciples, who were fishermen, casting their nets into the sea. It was in this lake that Jesus walked on the water. After crossing the Sea of Galilee, thru the Kibbutz, we proceeded to the region of Tabgha. Here we visited the church of the multiplication of the bread. Apparently, this was the place where Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, where he fed five thousand men with just three loaves of bread and two fish, according to the gospel. In this church, which is now owned by the Franciscans, we saw the rock at the bottom of the altar where Jesus supposedly sat on, while he performed the miracle of the multiplication of the bread. From the Church of the multiplication of the bread, we proceeded to visit the Church of Primacy of Peter, which was just about seven minutes away. The Church of the Primacy of Peter, a relatively small church, was supposed to be the site where Jesus gave Peter the second command to become the head of the Apostles. Remember the story in the scripture where Jesus appeared to the apostles near the sea of Galilee after his resurrection. It was at this instance when Jesus asked Peter if he loved him. He asked Peter three times if he loved him. After each question, Jesus said: “Feed my sheep.” From the Church of the Primacy of Peter, we proceeded to the northern side of the lake towards Capernaum. It was about 30 minutes ride from the Church of the Primacy of Peter. At Capernaum, we saw the old ruins of the town of Capernaum. It was important to remember that at Capernaum, Jesus stayed mostly in this town while ministering to the different villages around the lake of Galilee. Sometimes, this is also called the “Town of Jesus.” At Capernaum, we saw the old ruins of the Byzantine Church which was built above the house of the mother- in- law of Peter, where Jesus supposedly resided while at Capernaum, and the old ruins built by the Crusaders around it. Now there is a modern church built above this ruin. Around the town, you can still see the old ruins of houses which dates back to the time of Jesus. At the center of the town, you see this massive temple ruin. It was at this temple that Jesus most probably prayed while he was in Capernaum. A lot of miracles also happened in this town. From Capernaum, we visited the Mountain of Beatitudes. It took us about thirty minutes as well to travel from Capernaum to the mountain of Beatitudes. It was supposed to be in this mountain where Jesus taught his famous radical teaching – the eight beatitudes. From the mountain of beatitudes, you can have a nice eye view of the valley and Sea of Galilee down below. An octangular church is now built on this mountain of beatitudes. From the Mountain of beatitudes, we went down to the valley into the village of Magdala. We had lunch here at some local restaurant. For lunch, we were served with the known local food called “Peter’s fish,” or ‘Tilapia fish. We all had a good and sumptuous lunch. After lunch, we drove west to the region of Galilee to Mount Tabor. From Magdala, it took us about forty five minutes to an hour to reach Mt. Tabor. Going up to Mt. Tabor was very steep. No buses could go up there except what they call taxis. It was at Mt. Tabor where the transfiguration took place. Now there is a church called “Church of Transfiguration” built by the Franciscans on top of this mountain. Here, I celebrated mass with my group. After the mass at Mount Tabor, we went downhill towards the River Jordan, which was about forty minutes away. At the River Jordan, we had renewal of baptismal promises. Then we returned to our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

November 21, 2010

Wake up call at the hotel was at 5:45 am. By 6:30 am, we went down to have breakfast. By 7:15 am, we left our hotel in Tiberias and headed towards Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It was a three-hour journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, as we passed through the Jordan Valley, Judean desert and the hills of Samaria. During the time of Jesus, the Jordan Valley was the main road from Galilee to Jerusalem. Jesus and the first family took this same road when they travelled to Jerusalem to register for the census. It must have taken them eight to ten days to travel this road going to Jerusalem. Then, when they were in Jerusalem, they stayed there for another 10 days. During the time of Jesus, the road along the Jordan Valley, used to be a dangerous road. That is why, when the Jews travelled from Galilee to Jerusalem, they used to travel in big groups or in caravan, for security reason. And they only travelled during day light. In the scripture, we remember the story of Jesus when the first family went to Jerusalem for the census. Coming back home to Nazareth after the Census, Mary and Joseph thought that Jesus was with his relatives and neighbours. But, realizing that he was not with them, Joseph and Mary returned back to Jerusalem and saw Jesus in the midst of the wise men and leaders of the synagogue, teaching in their midst. When Jesus finished his ministry in Galilee, he went to Jerusalem after the feast of the Passover. Jesus surely walked in the Jordan valley, passed by Jericho, and went to Jerusalem. In the same manner, we also took the same route that Jesus walked more than 2,000 years ago. Along the Jordan valley, we passed by the village of what it used to be “Bet Shean,” which literally means “The House of Shean.” Three thousand one hundred before Christ, during the reign of King Saul in Israel, the so called “Philistines,” a tribe from Macedonia (which is Greece today) came here and landed at the port of Joppa and took the southern part of the coast line, and came to reside at “Bet Shean.” King Saul didn’t like the Philistines, so he decided to fight them. At the right side of the road along the Jordan Valley, we got a glimpse of a high mountain called “Mount Gilboa.” It was in this mountain that King Saul gathered his army to fight the Philistines. During this time, the bible tells us about a prophet named Samuel who prophesied that the 3 sons of King Saul will be killed. As he was so depressed about the prophecy, Saul could not lead his army into battle against the Philistines. In turn, the Philistines defeated the Israelites and injured King Saul in the battle, and as prophesied, his three sons were killed. Later, King Saul committed suicide in “Mt. Gilboa.” Then the Philistines brought the body of King Saul to “Bet Shean,” where they cut off this head and hanged it around the village. After the death of King Saul, David became the king of Israel. Now, Jonathan, one of King Saul’s sons who was killed by the Philistines was a friend of David. In his lamentation over the death of Jonathan, David gave a curse to “Mt. Gilboa. Because of this curse, nothing ever grows in this mountain, there is not even a rain drop seen in this place again. In the meantime, David succeeded in battle against the Philistines and took over “Bet Shean.” During the Roman Era, “Bet Shean” became a big Roman City, and it became a part of Decapolis, meaning “10 Roman Cities.” In 1930, “Bet Shean” was destroyed by an earthquake. So a new city was built here. As we continued our journey along the Jordan Valley, we also had a glimpse of the mountain of Samaria. People who settled in this mountain were called Samaritans. The Samaritans were pagans who converted to Judaism. In the bible, we remember the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Now, Samaria is part of the Palestinian community. It has now been called “Mt. Genezarin.” The Palestinians currently live on top of the mountains, on the right side of the road along the Jordan valley. The so called West Bank, one of the contested territories between the Palestinians and Israelis is situated on the west side of the Jordan River. In June 1967, after the six-day war between Israel and Palestine, the West Bank became under Israeli control. However, in 1993, with the Oslo A agreement, the big Palestinian cities like Sheckem, Ramalla, Jericho, Bethlehem, were given back to Palestinian control, while the Jordan Valley remained under Israeli control. In the year 2000, it was the beginning of the so called Palestinian Intifadah. As a result, no Israeli is allowed to enter into any of these Palestinian cities. As we proceeded along the Jordan valley, we came to see the city of Jericho at a distance. Now, Jericho is the oldest and lowest city in the world. It is 1100 feet below sea level. This city was established 8000 before the Christian era. It is about 2 miles from the River Jordan, and 5 miles north of the Dead Sea. Jericho is truly a beautiful city as described by historians. It has been referred to as a green oasis due to its fresh water. There was big spring flowing at the center of the city. This provided sweet water. The bible tells us that in the year 3200 AD, during the time of the Exodus, Moses brought the Israelites to Jericho. Jericho was first mentioned in the bible when Moses, at Mount Nebo, saw the valley of Jericho. Moses died on top of Mt. Nebo, and never had a chance to step into the promised land. When Moses died, Joshua took over. Joshua wanted to capture Jericho. So what he did was to send spies to Jericho. In the meantime, the kennonites who were living in Jericho were terrified. So Joshua led the Israelite army to River Jordan, and then to Gilgal. For 6 days, Joshua and Israelites surrounded the walls of Jericho. Later, they captured Jericho and set fire on the city. During the time of the first temple, some Israelites went back to Jericho and established a new city. Now, what is the significance of Jericho as mentioned in the bible? First, it was in Jericho that the Prophet Elijah was taken up into heaven. There is also a story about the prophet Elisha who went to Jericho and pour out a bowl of salt into the fountain water and turned the water very sweet. During Jesus’ time, the road going to Jerusalem from Galilee was through the Jordan valley, and passed through Jericho. Jesus on his way to Jerusalem passed by Jericho. There he healed the blind beggar. It was also in Jericho where we hear the story of Zacchaeus. Nowadays, Jericho is a big Palestinian city. A spring is located at the center of the city. The remains of the ancient Jericho is still visible. It is here where we have the mountain of temptation. On the way to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Jerusalem and Bethlehem are situated 2,100 feet above sea level. The distance from Jericho to Jerusalem/Bethlehem is about 20 miles. The area surrounding the city of Jerusalem is one big desert called Judean desert. It is the second biggest desert in Israel, next to Negeb desert. Also, it is the smallest desert in the world. As we were passing by the so called Jerusalem/Jericho road, I remembered immediately the story of the good Samaritan in the bible. The story of the good Samaritan happened in this place. This Jerusalem/Jericho road is steep and mountainous. On the side of the mountains, you could see the tents and shelters of Bedouins. The Bedouins are arab/muslim shepherds who live in the desert in tents. According to history, the Bedouins are kind and hospitable people. As we came nearer to Jerusalem, we saw a town on top of a mountain called “Maale Domim”, a border town between Jerusalem and the desert. At a distance, we also had a glimpse of “El Asaria,” a town built over the remains of Bethany and Bethpage. Here we remember the story of Lazarus in Bethany. After a while, as we came up into the mountain, then we saw the magnificent and shining city of Jerusalem. It was really overwhelming to see this magnificent city that was so often mentioned and described in the holy scripture. As we passed by the city of Jerusalem, we proceeded to Bethlehem, about 15 to 20 minutes away from Jerusalem. Bethlehem, as we know, was the birthplace of Jesus. The word Bethlehem comes from two Hebrew words: “Beth” (which means, the house of), and “lehem,” meaning “Bread.” During the time of Jesus, Bethlehem was surrounded by big fields. In these fields, farmers used to grow a lot of wheat. That is why, Bethlehem was used to be the bread basket of Jerusalem and Judea. In 1099, when the crusaders came to Bethlehem, the city was 100 % Christian city. In 2000, the population was: 70% Moslems, and 30% Christians. As of 2004, there were 95% Moslems, and 5 % Christians. We arrived in Bethlehem at about 10:30 am. The sad thing was, our tour guide, Isaac, had to leave the bus because as a Jew, he was not allowed to enter Bethlehem, since the city became under Palestinian control. So when we entered the city, another tour guide, Adel, a Christian who lived in the city, took over as tour guide. In most part of the morning, we did our shopping at a local store. We bought some rosaries and other religious items. Before 12 noon, we drove to a local restaurant and had lunch. In the afternoon, at about 1:30 pm, we drove to the Church of the Annunciation, where we saw and touched the birth place of Jesus (on a cave). And adjacent to the site of the Annunciation, we celebrated mass at the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria– at about 3 pm. From the church of the Annunciation, we proceeded to the Shepherd’s field, about 15 to 20 minutes away. At the shepherd’s field, we went inside one of the caves where the shepherds were taking rest when the angel appeared to them and announced to them the good news of Jesus’birth. Adjacent to the cave, was a church built by the Franciscans. At about 5 pm, we departed from Bethlehem and proceeded to our new hotel in Jerusalem. It took us about 30 minutes to reach our hotel. The name of our new hotel was “Grand Court Jerusalem.” We will be staying here in this hotel till Wednesday.

November 22, 2010

We left our hotel at 7:30 am. We headed towards the Mount of Olives and visited the “Church of Pater Noster” – a 15 minute drive from our hotel. The “Church of Pater Noster” commemorates the place where Jesus prayed the Lord’s Prayer. At the courtyard of the Church, the Our Father was inscribed in 130 different languages. Our tour guide recited the ‘Our Father’ in Hebrew, which most likely the language used by Jesus when he taught this prayer to his disciples. At the center of the courtyard was a cave. Tradition tells us that the cave was where Jesus used to teach his disciples this prayer. The group with me sang the Our Father in tagalog while we were at the cave. During the Byzantine Era, about 1600 years ago, they gave three reasons why they considered this place holy. First, it was in this cave that Jesus used to teach the secret of the Word, as you can read in Matthew 24:3. Second, the New Testament tells us that the Ascension of Jesus happened somewhere at the top of Mount of Olives. The Byzantine people believed that the ascension of Jesus really happened in this place. During this time, in 1600 AD, Queen Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, visited Jerusalem and went to the Mount of Olives. Because she knew the history of this place, she had a church built on top of Mount of Olives. However, in 1187 AD, when the moslems occupied Jerusalem, they destroyed the church of Pater Noster. In 1099 AD, when the Crusaders took over the city of Jerusalem , they built a new Church over the ruins of the Byzantine Church, and which they named “Pater Noster.” In the year 1866 AD, a Princess from Italy (Princess de la Tour d’Auvergne) visited the Mount of Olives. Because she knew the history and importance of the place, she donated money to build a new Church of Pater Noster. The construction of a new Church was finished in eight years. The Princess gave the church to the “Carmelite Nuns” from France with the request that when she dies, she would be buried here. So the Princess was entombed in the chapel of Pater Noster. From the Church of Pater Noster, we headed downhill towards the Church of “Dominus Flevit,” which means “the cry of the Lord.” This place is believed to mark the place where Jesus’mourning over Jerusalem occurred. It is situated at the hillside of the Kidron valley, or Jehoshaphat valley. I celebrated mass here. From the church of “Dominus Flevit’s” observation point, above and beyond the valley, you can readily see the “Golden Dome” or “Dome of the rock” in the old city of Jerusalem. This was built by the moslems in 1691 over the ruins of the first and second temple over Mount Mariah. Mount Mariah was the place where Isaac intended to sacrifice his son, as told us by the bible about 3000 years ago. On the left side of the Golden Dome, one could see the “Mosque of Al Aksa.” You can also get a glimpse of the “Dormition Abbey” which was built on top of Mount Sion. Behind the Golden Dome, we saw the “Church of the Holy Sepulchre,”where the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus took place. In the north west side of the temple mount was minaret. This was where the flagellation of Jesus took place. On the main center of the wall of the old city of Jerusalem, you can see the so called “Golden Gate,” or “Gate of Mercy.” Now they are closed. In front of the gate is the “Moslem Cemetery.” On the western Side of the Mount of Olives, we also saw the Jewish cemetery. Up the now, the Jewish people are still waiting for the Messiah to come. They believe that when the Messiah comes, he will first appear on top of Mt. Sion, then goes down on the western side of Mt. Sion. This explains why the Jewish people had their cemetery built at the western side of Mt. Sion. So when the Messiah comes, he will pass them  first , and then the Messiah will go down to the Kidron valley before he goes up and enters the Golden Gate. In the lower part of the mountain, one can find the tombs of Absalom and Zechariah. From the Church of “Dominus Flevit,”we proceeded down the valley towards the Garden of Getsemani. The Garden of Getsemani was the meeting point between the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley. The Garden of Getsemani literally means “Olive Press.” During the time of Jesus, the place was surrounded with Olive Trees. That is why, it came to be called the “Garden of Getsemani.” At the courtyard, you can still find some of the olive trees which dates back more than 2000 years ago. Today, it is only 10% of the original size of the garden is preserved. It was at the garden of Getsemani where Jesus was caught and arrested. From here, they brought him through the kidron valley uphill to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest. In 1919-1924, the Franciscans built a church over a rock called “Rock of Agony,” which you can still see at the foot of the altar. The Church was designed by the famous architect Antonio Berlucci. The church is peculiar and unique in the sense that it is dark inside. There are no windows. It gives you a feeling of night. In the ceiling are 12 domes covered by  dark blue mosaics of branches of olive trees and stars. On the floor in front of the altar, you will find the “rock of agony.” Behind the altar, you will find mosaic picture of the agony, Judas Kiss, and how they caught and arrested Jesus in the Garden. There were three names given to the Church here. It is called the Church of Agony, Church of the Garden of Getsemani, and Church of all Nations. From the Garden of Getsemani, we went down to the Kidron Valley and passed by the Church of the Tomb of Mary. The Church is nine hundred years old and built by the Crusaders. It is believed that the Virgin Mary was buried here. Passing by the Church of the Tomb of Mary, we went uphill towards the gate of the old city of Jerusalem. Before the Gate, we passed by the Church of St. Stephen, the first martyr in the Church (He was called a proto martyr). In 38 AD, St. Stephen was stoned to death here at the Kidron Valley, because of his faith. Our tour guide explained that there are eight gates to the old city of Jerusalem. As we entered into the old city of Jerusalem, we passed through one of these gates called St. Stephen’s Gate or Lion’s gate. It was called St. Stephen’s gate because it was near the place where St. Stephen was stoned to death. We entered into the city of Jerusalem in stride. We headed towards the “Pool of Bethsaida (or Bethesta).” The word ‘Bethesta’ comes from Aramaic word “Beith”which means “House of Mercy. In the place, you can see the old ruins and the pool itself. In the New Testament, in the gospel of St. John, we read about the miracle of Jesus curing a paralytic. That miracle healing happened in this place. We also remember the bible stories about people being healed in this pool. When the water is stirred, they brought the people to the pool to be healed. Near the pool of Bethsaida is the Church of St.Anne, the mother of the Blessed Mother. It is believed that the Blessed Mother was born here. We went inside the Church and climbed downstairs into a crypt and saw a cave where the Blessed Mother was born. The Church of St. Anne was built by the Crusaders. From the Church of St.Anne, we proceeded to the moslem side of the city where we followed and retraced the way of the cross, or via Dolorosa. We started the station of the cross in the Praetorium inthe Antonia Fortress, the headquarters of the Roman garrison stationed in Jerusalem. Today it is the Al Omariya School and the First Station. The second station is done at the Franciscan chapel of the Flagellation and Chapel of Condemnation. This commemorates the sites where Jesus was scourged and given the cross to bear. For the third station, it was done on El-wad street, at the entrance of the Police chapel, where a sculpture depicts Jesus falling under the cross. After we did the third station, it was almost 12 noon. We stopped for a while and had lunch at a nearby restaurant. After lunch, we continued the stations of the cross. For the fourth station, we had it at the Armenian-Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Spasm. This marks where the Blessed Mother encountered Jesus. For the fifth station, it is commemorated by a Franciscan chapel. Here the Way of the Cross begins the ascent to Golgotha. For the sixth station, we had it at the front of the Church of St. Veronica. For the seventh station, two chapels connected by a flight of steps mark the site where Jesus fell for the second time. For the eight station, it was done on the wall of the Greek monastery where a stone with a Latin cross and an inscription reading “Jesus Christ is victorious was observed. For the ninth station, a column built into the door of the Coptic church marks the site where Jesus fell for the third time. The last five stations of the Way of the Cross are in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we entered through a small door at the back door/roof top and down to a small stairway that led to a small chapel. With other pilgrims, we stood in line and passed thru the place where Jesus was crucified before the eyes of his mother. We had a chance to touch the original rock of Golgotha. As we went down from the place of crucifixion, we got a chance to touch the stone where Jesus was lain down after he had been taken down from the cross. This was called the “stone of Unction.” From there we proceeded to another corner at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and went to see the place where Jesus was entombed. We did not go inside the tomb itself but, on the backdoor, we got a chance to touch a part of the stone of the Holy Sepulchre. From the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we proceeded to the eastern side of the old city – at the Jewish settlement. The buildings in these area were relatively new as compared to the moslem and Christian side. We first visited the Upper room, or place of the Last Supper or Cenaculum. The place of the Upper Room is one of the most holy sites, for three reasons. First, we read in the New Testament that during the Feast of the Passover, Jesus, in this place, washed the feet of his disciples. Second, in the evening of the Passover, Jesus had the Last Supper with his disciples in this place. And third, ten days after the Ascension of Jesus, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the apostles happened here, or what is known as the “Pentecost.” The original Upper room does not exist anymore. It was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Since the 4th century, the Byzantine identified this place as the Upper Room. In the 15th Century, during the Ottoman era(Moslem era), they turned the Upper room into a Mosque. Not far from the Upper Room, we proceeded down below and visited the tomb of King David. In visiting the tomb of King David, the women had to go to another side, and the men on another side. After visiting the Tomb of King David, we also went to see the “Dormition Abbey.” According to one theory, the Blessed Mother fell asleep here forever. After which, the disciples brought her body to the kidron valley where we have now the church of the Tomb of Mary. From the Dormition Abbey, we proceeded down below outside the old city, and we visited the Church of Peter Gallicantu. This church commemorates Peter who denied Jesus three times. After the last supper, Jesus took the disciples to the Kidron Valley. There he was caught and arrested at the garden of Getsemani. From Gethsemani, Jesus was brought uphill to the house of Caiaphas, here at this place. In this house of Caiphas, Peter denied him three times; then he was made prisoner; And Caiaphas decided to hand him over to Pontius Pilate to be tried. About the Church of Peter Gallicantu, this was built in 1931-1934 by the French Assumption Order. They named the Church Peter in Gallicantu. Underneath the Church, there is a deep stairway that goes into an underground cave. Archaeologists have discovered that this was the dungeon of Jesus after he was arrested. The orange drawing of crosses on the side of the cave would attest to this fact. As we stood inside this dungeon, we recited psalm 88. On the west side of the Church of Peter Gallicantu, archaeologists have uncovered an ancient stairway that dates back 2200 years ago. They concluded that this was the stairway (the only way) that Jesus walked when from the Upper room on Mt. Sion, he went down to the Kidron Valley. From the Church of Peter Gallicantu, we went back to the Old City of Jerusalem, but passed by another gate called the “Dung Gate.” Why it was called the Dung Gate is because people during the time of Jesus used to pass this gate whenever they wanted to throw their garbage out from the city. As we entered the ‘Dung Gate’ towards the old city, we headed towards the place of the so called “Wailing Wall.” The “Wailing Wall”is a holy site for the Jewish people. The Wall is a part of the western side of the temple in Jerusalem. As history tells us, in 70 AD, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, including the holy temple. The wall, from the center and lower part, were the last and original remains of the temple, as it dates back more than 2000 years old stone. For the Jews, the wall reminds them of the temple that no longer exists, and that is why it makes them cry. So the term “Wailing Wall.” Anybody could go and pray in the wailing wall. The men are separated on the left and the women on the right. The Jews pray three times a day: morning, evening and night. The rhythmic bowing that the Jewish people do when praying is like a meditation form. So they can concentrate better in their prayer. And when going away from the wailing wall, they step back (facing the wall) three times and then turn their back. This is simply a sign of respect. From the wailing wall, we went back home to our hotel. It was almost 6 pm when we arrived at the hotel. Supper at the hotel was served at 7 pm.

November 23, 2010

We left our hotel at 7:00 am and we headed towards Masada, about an hour ride from Jerusalem. Masada was where some 960 Jewish zealots made their last desperate stand against the Romans in 73 AD. It was a village situated on top of a mountain, about 1300 ft. to the west side of the Dead sea. It is topped by a broad plateau 20 acres in size which carried Herod’s magnificent constructions and where the famous drama of the final revolt by the Jewish zealots against the Romans took place. From Jerusalem, we went down to Jerusalem/Jericho road towards the Judean desert. As we were going down into Jerusalem/Jericho road, we saw a town on the top of the mountain at the right hand side which is called ‘Maale Dummim,’ a border town from Jerusalem and the Judean desert. We saw this town the first time when we were going up to Jerusalem. Along the Jerusalem/Jericho road on the hill, we again saw some shelters of the bedouins, the so called itinerant Arab shepherds. Then after a while, we got a glimpse of the city of Jericho on the left side. Down below the valley, at the junction, we made a right hand turn towards the eastern side of the Dead Sea. In a moment we saw the Dead Sea on the left side of the road. After continuing our journey on the road near the Dead Sea, we got a glimpse of some villages along the way like the Kibbutz Engedi, Bet Shean, the Qidron valley, and some others. At about 8:15 am, we reached Masada. We took a cable car from the foot of the mountain to the top. To be able to go to the top of the mountain and see this used to be beautiful village/town built by King Herod, was indeed an overwhelming experience. We stayed about an hour in Masada, and our tour guide was kind enough to explain the history and drama that took place in this mountain, where the 960 Jewish zealots made their stand against the forces of the Romans. In the end, after four months of siege by the Romans on Masada, the Jewish zealots who were on the mountain took their own lives and committed suicide , rather than let the Romans plunder their city, rape their women and eventually kill them. From the top of the mountain of Masada, we went down the mountain and back to where we came from. Along the way, we stopped at a place called ‘Ahavah,’ a cosmetic factory owned and operated by the kibbutz, where they use minerals from the Dead Sea and make them into cosmetics. We did a little shopping there. After thirty minutes or so, we proceeded to Qumran, an ancient village where The Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Being at the ancient city of Qumran was such an experience. We saw the first and second caves where they discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. In December, 1947, a Shepherd boy found 7 scrolls in a cave written on sheepskin and goats. In 1952-1994, an excavation happened here and found all in all 800 scrolls. Now, what are the importance of the scrolls? First, the scrolls found in Qumran are the first, oldest, complete grouping of the Old Testament. Second, the original language it was written was in Hebrew. Third, some of the scrolls gave information of the Roman Era. And fourth, some of the scrolls gave information about the people and their way of life who lived in Qumran. We toured the ancient village of the Essenes, a sect, who most probably wrote the scrolls and hid them at the nearby caves, before they left their community at Qumran and went to help their brothers in Jerusalem who were fighting against the Romans at that time. The essenes were the inhabitants of the community of Qumran at that time. St. John the Baptist went to live in Qumran for sometime until he decided to leave the community. In touring the ancient village, we saw the place for their ritual bath, the scriptorium, where they used to transcribe the scriptures into goats skin, their dining room, cemetery, etc. What was interesting was that the essenes, in their original constitution, said that it was only for men. But archaeologists discovered that in their cemetery, there were also some bones of women and children. But in 1994, the last season of the excavation at Qumran, archaeologists found a new constitution by the essences in which they allowed to have women and children in their community. They needed women: to cook and to clean. And that solved the mystery where earlier archaeologists discovered bones of women and children in their cemetery. At 1 pm, we had lunch in Qumran. After lunch, we went to Kalia beach in the Dead Sea where some of us took a swim in the Dead Sea. At 3 pm, we went back towards Jerusalem through the Judean desert to Bethany to visit the Church of Marta and Mary. At 4 pm, I celebrated mass at the beautiful church of Martha and Mary. After Mass, we went back to our hotel in Jerusalem. We had dinner at 7 pm, and then retired for the night.

November 24, 2010

We had our wake-up call at 5:40 am. At 6 am, we had our breakfast. By 7 am, we left our hotel in Jerusalem and headed towards “Ein Karem,” a village “in the hill country of Judah” as described by St. Luke, and where John the Baptist was born. The place is situated at the western side of Jerusalem. It took us about thirty minutes from our hotel to Ein Karem. At Ein Karem, we saw the Church of St. John the Baptist which was built over the birthplace of St. John. The first Church on the site was erected in Byzantine times and rebuilt by the crusaders, but later destroyed. The present structure was completed in 1674. As we entered the Church, we went down a stairway at the left hand side of the church that led to a natural cave, the Grotto of the Birth of St. John. Each one of us had the chance to touch or kiss the spot where St. John was born. At the courtyard of the church, we saw the ceramic tiles bearing the “Magnificat” in 42 languages. From the village of Ein Karem, we headed towards the Israel Museum. The Israel museum has 5 important parts: the scale model of Jerusalem at the time of the second temple, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Sculptor section, the Jewish section and the Archaeology section. The first thing we saw in the museum was the model of Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple, in the grounds of Israel Museum. This was built before the reunification of the city. The scale model was supervised by Prof.Avi-Yonah and built according to the descriptions of Josephus Flavius, the well known Jewish Historian. Our tour guide, Isaac, gave a very proficient explanation of the model. From the grounds, we entered the museum and saw most of the original Dead Sea Scrolls that were gotten from Qumran. At about 10:30 am, we headed down towards the city of Jericho via Jerusalem/Jericho road. It took us maybe about 40 to 45 minutes to reach Jericho. As I already mentioned earlier, Jericho is called the “City of Palms,” and the oldest and lowest city in the world. It lies 1100 ft below sea level. It is 2 miles from the River Jordan and 5 miles from the Dead Sea. The old Jericho was established by the Kenonites, about 8000 years before the Christian era. So it is about 10,000 years ago. Since the Kenonites were farmers, the beginning of Agriculture in the world started here. To provide security, the people had to surround themselves by walls. Inside the walls, the people had to invent laws. So, the beginning of “urbanization” also took place here. In 3000 BC, Jericho was an important Canaanite town. In the Bible it gives many references to the city of Jericho. When Joshua took over the leadership, after the death of Moses, he came to Jericho (after sending a spies here), encircled the city, and the city fell to the blast of the priests’ trumpets in about 1250 BC, the first city to be taken by the Israelites. Afterwards, Joshua divided the land among the 12 Tribes of Israel. In the Old Testament Jericho, we also learned about the spring of Elisha, or Sultan’s Spring, situated at the heart of the city, where the prophet healed the spring of water by throwing salt in it (2 kings 2). During the time of Jesus, Jericho was a small but important town. Jesus passed by Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. We remember the healing of the Blind beggar, and the story of Zacchaeus. Actually, we saw the place where the sycamore tree was planted. Even at this time, a sycamore tree still grows in the area. From the top of the ruins of the old Jericho, to the south, we got a glimpse of the mountain of temptation – where Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days and forty nights. Near the mountain of temptation, we saw a big Orthodox monastery of the temptation erected there. At 12 noon, we had lunch in a local restaurant in Jericho. At about 3 pm, we headed to the east, towards the country of Jordan. At the Junction, we said goodbye to Isaac, our tour guide. After checking in our luggages and had our passports checked, we crossed over to Jordan. In Jordan we had a new tour guide. His name was James. With a new shuttle bus, we headed towards the capital of Jordan called Amman. Along the way, we stopped by at a local gift shop and did some shopping, then we continued our journey. It was about 6 pm when we reached our hotel in Amman, Jordan. Our hotel’s name was the Grand Palace Hotel. We would be staying here for at least two days. At 7 pm we had dinner, then we retired for the night.

November 25, 2010

We left our hotel at 8:30 am. We headed towards the mosque of King Abdul II. It was about a 20- minute ride from our hotel. During our ride, James, our tour guide, showed to us some of the prominent and well-known places in Amman that we passed by along the high way. He gave us a little background on the history of Jordan as well. In 1921 Abdullah bin Al Hussein bin Ali established the Emirate of Transjordan. He was succeeded in 1951 by his eldest son Talal (1902-1972). Unfortunately King Talal abdicated in 1952 due to ill health. The monarch King Hussein bin Talal was crowned King of Jordan on May 2, 1953, at the aged of eighteen. He died in 1999 of cancer. King Hussein had 4 wives: Dina (Egyptian), Mona (English), Queen Alia (Palestinian),and Queen Nor (Syrian). King Abdullah, who succeeded King Hussein, came from the second marriage of King Hussein to Mona. King Abdullah the second was crowned as King of Jordan on June 1999. 95% of the population in Jordan are Muslims. The rest of the population are Arab mainly Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Armenian Christians. About half of the Christian community follow the Eastern Orthodox rite, headed by the Patriarch in Jerusalem. Traditional handicrafts in Jordan include basket and rug weaving, embroidery and making their own earthen ware. Crafts produced on a smaller scale include sand bottles, sculpture and silver jewelry. The two most important sports in Jordan are: Soccer and Basketball. Under the current reign of King Abdullah II, a lot of constructions and renovations are going on today in Jordan. There is an ongoing airport expansion. An expansion and construction of settlements in Amman and many others. Anyone visiting Ammam, the capital city, for the first time will be surprised above all by the hills. Ammam lies on a high plateau of 850 m. Built originally on seven hills, the main areas of Amman gain their names from the hills on whose slopes they lie. The city is dotted with a number of historic sites from stone age to the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras. Each is considered interesting in each own way. In Amman, you see a modern city with limestone and concrete buildings. Amman’s population is close to one and a half million, swelled by refugees from the 1948 Palestinian conflict, the six day war in 1967, and the Gulf War in 1991. Nearly half the population of Jordan lives in Amman. Underneath its modern appearance, Amman origins go back a long way. Neolithic sites and villages were discovered in the 1980s in more than one area in Amman. One of the revealed sites is a village ten times the size of Jericho. During the Iron Age, Amman was the capital of the Ammonites, and it is referred to as Rabbath-Ammon in the Old Testament, an area thought to have been located, where the citadel now stands. Our first Stop from our hotel was to see the King Abdullah Mosque. Amman is home to some of the grandest Mosques in the Middle East. The newest of these is the enormous King Abdullah Mosque built between 1982 and 1989. It is located to the north-west of the Citadel. It is capped by a magnificent blue mosaic dome. From the King Abdulla Mosque, we headed towards the Citadel, which is located – as in ancient times – at the heart of the city, facing the Roman theatre in the valley below. On all sides but the north it is buffeted by valleys. Many of the most valuable relics from across the Jordan, can be found in the Archaeological Museum which we saw and visited – and is located also within the Citadel. Below the Citadel’s Southern rim is a stream known as Seil Amman. It is on its South bank that most of the Roman city of Philadelphia was situated. This included the main forum, Theatre, Odeon and various shop. From the Citadel, we headed towards the city of Jerash. It was about an hour ride from the city of Amman. We arrived in Jerash about half past twelve in the afternoon. Before touring the old city of Gerash, we had lunch at one of the local Restaurant in Jerash. They served a very sumptuous food. The city of Jerash is known for its fertile site that has been inhabited since Neolitic times. In the days of Alexander the Great in 332 BC, the city grew increasingly prosperous. In 63 BC, the Roman emperor Pompey conquered the region. The ancient Arabic name of Garsho was changed to Gerasa, and Jerash became part of the Roman Empire, and soon after a member of the Decapolis. Another interesting event that boosted Gerasa’s stature came with the visit of emperor Hadrian in 129 AD. To honor its guest, the city raised an imposing triumphal arch at the south of the city. The city became so rich till the beginning of the 3rd century. Gerasa had acquired the status of a Roman colony. Today, the city of Jerash has a population of as many as 20,000 people. After lunch, we toured the Old Roman City of Jerash. On the front of the city, you see the triumphal arch of Hadrian. As you enter in, on the southwestern hill, in the region between the Roman Theatre and the Oval Plaza, you see the towering Temple of Zeus. The foundation of the temple goes back to 22-69 AD. It is believed that the temple had been built on the remains of a more ancient one. Recent excavations have exposed the remains of this ancient temple, dating back from the Hellenistic period. Then we saw the South Theatre which is built on top of a hill dominating the whole antique city. It is located on the southwestern end. According to the Hellenistic inscriptions discovered at its entrance, the theatre has been built in the first century AD during the reign of emperor Domitian. It is Roman in style, which means it is closed building. The Cardo street (main street) of the city starts from the Oval Plaza and goes towards the southwest, alongside the water stream. Its floor is paved with huge, regularly placed stones. The traces left by the wheels of carriages are still visible on the pavement. In the northern part, and on both sides of the Cardo street, a huge number of columns were erected in 550 AD. The Southern columns have Corinthian capitals. Then we also saw the ruins of the cathedral in Jerash. The cathedral is the first Christian edifice in Jerash, and was built in 359 AD. At the Northwestern hill of Jerash, one can see the Artemis Temple. The Artemis Temple is one of the most important and most beautiful buildings in Jerash. When you look at it, you will be affected by the magnificence, the prestige of its location and by the impressive size of its huge columns. Thus, it dominated the city. There were many other things that we have seen in this city of Jerash that I was not able to capture and verbalize in words. To see an old city like this was simply awesome and overwhelming. We drove back home to our hotel in Amman at about 4 pm. We arrived at our hotel at about 10 past five. We had dinner at 7 pm. After dinner, we conducted a Thanksgiving service at one of the rooms at the lobby in the hotel. It was a very affirming and joyful service. After the service, we had some fun games. Then we retired for the night.

November 26, 2010

We left our hotel in Amman at 8 am. We headed south towards the city of Petra. From Amman to Petra, it took us about three hours and a half ride, with one stop in between. The city of Petra is located south-west of Jordan. It is about 255 kilometers away from Amman. It is dominated by the city of Wadi Mousa where some think that prophet Moses drew up water from the rocks. Petra is surrounded by many villages and sites that all had their impact on history. We arrived in Petra at about 11:30 am. We first had lunch at one local restaurant. After lunch, we headed to our hotel named “King’s Way Hotel,” to drop off our luggages. Then we headed towards the Nabataeans ruin city. At the beginning of the walk, to the right, are two rocky towers having the form of cubic pillars 9 meters high. At the top of their summit is a rock having the form of a tower which looks like a fort. It is said that they are tombs, but some assure that they represent the gods of the Nabataeans. After a short walk, to the left, lies the Obelisk Tom surmounted by four obelisks carved in the rock and stuck to it. It is supposed that the rock-carved monument under the obelisk Tomb was used to conduct mortuary rites. It is surrounded by stone seats. There is an inscription carved in Greek and Nabataean letters just in front of this temple indicating the presence of another temple built here. Before reaching the Siq, and to the right, are the remains of a dam that controls the rainwater floodings in the Siq’s gorge and drains it towards an ancient underground tunnel called the ‘tunnel of Muthilem.’ As for the road leading to the siq, it passes over a bridge across the same valley. A collection of rock carved obelisks was found in front of the Siq’s entrance with some inscriptions on them, belonging to the first century AD. The Siq is a natural narrow gorge among the rocks, 1200 meters long, the rocks could reach 100 meter high. The travelling across the Siq is very pleasant, and sound could be heard even by small pebbles. The sunlight cannot reach the bottom of the shaded valley; darkness surrounds this place in daytime. At the Siq’s entrance are the remains of an arch, one of its bases is still there. To the left, a channel, cut in the rock conveyed water to the inner city. Which is dated back to the second half of the first century BC, on both sides of the Siq, small niches sheltered the Nabataean idols. The ground flood of the Siq was originally paved, and one can see the remains of this pavement while passing through this Nabataean street. When you reach the end of the narrow Siq, you see the most beautiful monument of Petra: it is the Treasury – Al-Khazneh- You will see this pink-red pearl carved out of the rock. It is believed that the Ál-Khazneh’ was built as a tomb for the king Aretas III probably during the First century BC. Before reaching the Facades Street, at the right side, a tomb was recently excavated in this area. This building has a room with eight carved tombs in it; some of them have several floors while others are carved into the wall. At the left of the Facades Street there exists a big collection of Nabataean houses, all of them are carved in the rock. After the Facade Street, and at the left side, you can see the Petra Theatre that is different from those of Jerash. Its seats are carved in the rock and not built. After the Theatre, and at the right, we begin to see the Royal Tombs, and first of all the Urn Tomb. Pursuing the march eastward, and to the right, you can see the Silk Tomb, characterized by a rock-carved pink and white facade that has been widely affected by natural effects. Then comes the huge Corinthian Tomb. This leads to independent rooms having different size. There were many other sites that we were not able to see due to lack of time. All in all, we spent four and half hours (going and getting back) inside the place. We got back to our hotel at almost five pm. Dinner was served at 7 pm. Then we retired for the night.

November 27, 2010

We left our hotel in Petra at 8 am. We headed back to Amman, Jordan – which was about 3 and a half hour ride. Along the way, we stopped by a place to see an old castle which was built on top of a mountain. Our bus stopped by a rest area down below the castle, and from there, we had to walk up to the mountain where the castle was erected– which took us about thirty minutes or so. Down below the valley, we saw a number of caves along the side of the mountain where people used to live. Even now, there are still some people who live on those caves, according to our guide. When we got into the castle, we had a chance to tour the place. A part of the castle is a church on the eastern side, then we saw various kinds of rooms. A number of the rooms were places where the soldiers who were defending the castle used to stand and fight the enemy down below. We also saw a secret passage door where the people in the castle used to escape, if overrun by their enemy. The secret passage way goes from the castle down to an opening at the side of the mountain. From the castle, we went down the valley and stopped by to see a cave where a Bedouin used to live, but he now converted it into a small bazaar where he sells various items for tourists. From there, we headed straight to the city of Madaba , the only Christian city in Jordan, where we went up to Mount Nebo, and celebrated our farewell Mass there. The city of Madaba has a population of about 60,000. It is the fifth most populous city of Jordan. It is best known for its Byzantine and Mosaics, especially a large Byzantine-era Mosaic map of the Holy Land. Madaba is located 30 kilometers south-west of Amman. Mount Nebo is a holy site. This is the place where Moses stood up looking into the promised land, after he liberated the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. And according to tradition, Moses was also buried in this mountain. From Mount Nebo, we went down into the city of Madaba and stopped by a Mosaic store, where we had the chance to shop around for some original mosaic items. From there, we headed north towards a well known restaurant built on a hill (with a stable), not very far from Queen Alia airport, where we had our last dinner together. At about 7 pm, we headed towards the Airport in Amman, Jordan. Our plane took off from Jordan at 11:40 pm for New York City. This ended our pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Jordan.