A Visit to the Holy Land, part 2

Welcome back! In my last post I began telling you about my pilgrimage to the Holy Land in April 2018. We started in northern Israel, where we looked at many of the cities I visited surrounding the Sea of Galilee. We then traveled south, with a stop in Haifa along the way. And now, we have arrived in Bethlehem and will spend the next few days exploring this region, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, and beyond.

Bethlehem Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria—This 19th-century Catholic church adjoins the 6th-century Church of the Nativity, even sharing a common wall. The midnight Mass beamed from Bethlehem to television viewers worldwide on Christmas Eve is celebrated in the Church of St. Catherine.

Chapel of St. Joseph—Beneath the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria are a series of caves and rock-cut chambers, some of which are used as chapels. On this day, our group was able to celebrate our daily Mass in the Chapel of St. Joseph; a special treat as St. Joseph is the name of our church back home.

Church of the Nativity—Owned by the Greek Orthodox Church, the Church of the Nativity is the gateway to the Grotto of the Nativity. It is in this grotto that Christians believe Jesus was born. There is a 14-point star on the floor that commemorates the spot. We waited for over an hour for our chance to enter the grotto, say a quick prayer and move on so others could do the same.

Chapel of the Shepherd’s Field—This chapel marks the place where, according to Christian tradition, angels first announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds.

Ein Karem—Is a charming village situated on the western slopes of Jerusalem. It has special significance for Christians as the home town of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. We visited two churches in this village:

St. John ba-Harim (St. John in the Mountains in Hebrew)—Inside the church is a cave which is traditionally identified as the birthplace of John the Baptist.

Church of the Visitation—Christians believe Mary, the mother of Jesus, journeyed to Ein Karem to visit her cousin Elizabeth before John the Baptist’s birth. This church celebrates that visit.

Jifna—We traveled to Jifna for Sunday Mass and dinner with the parishioners of St. Joseph; it is the sister parish of our home parish, both named St. Joseph. Jifna is a Palestinian village of about 2,000 people in the West Bank, 14 miles north of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem—This evening we went out at night to avoid the heat and crowds of the day. First stop, a hill overlooking the city with a great view, where we took a group picture.

We next headed to the Knesset, which houses the country’s national legislature. The picture on the left is the Knesset Menorah. It weighs four tons and was a gift from the UK in 1956.

Our last stop of the night was to the Western Wall. Also called the Wailing Wall, it is in the Old City of Jerusalem, and is a place of prayer and pilgrimage sacred to the Jewish people. The wall dates from about the 2nd century BC, though its upper sections were added at a later date.

Bethany—Located on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives, Bethany is a small village where Jesus often stayed according to Christian belief. His close friends and followers, Martha, Mary and Lazarus lived in Bethany. Christians believe Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after arriving too late to save his life. This is the Church of Saint Lazarus.

Between Jerusalem and Jericho—We stopped for what was basically a photo-op on our way to Jericho. We were in the Judaean Desert and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. But, there in the distance was the St. George Monastery, where a small community of Greek Orthodox monks reside. The monastery is set in a deep and narrow gorge called Wadi Qelt, in a cliff face pocked with caves where monks and hermits lived for many centuries. Christians believe it was in this area that John the Baptist lived as a hermit.

The Judaean Desert is home to a small but visible nomadic Bedouin population who can be seen grazing animals on the hilltops. Or, in the case of the gentleman we met, they peddle trinkets to tourists. What an interesting experience some of our tour group had bartering with him. And he arrived by car, not camel.

Jordan River—Our next stop was along the Jordan River, at the Qasr el Yahud baptismal site. According to Christian beliefs, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, but the exact spot remains a mystery. A corresponding baptismal sight can be seen just across the river in the country of Jordan.

Jericho—Our daily Mass was celebrated today at Good Shepherd Church. Pictured is the largest sycamore tree in Jericho. It’s probably not old enough to be the tree, that according to Christian belief, Zacchaeus, a very short man, climbed to be able to see Jesus as he preached.

The Dead Sea Scrolls—Look closely to see the Qumran cave, one of 11, where these ancient Jewish religious manuscripts were found in the Judaean Desert, on the northern shore of the Dead Sea. Scholars believe these scrolls are from the last three centuries BC. The first of the scrolls discovered were found in 1946 by Bedouin shepherds.

Floating in the Dead Sea—With a salt concentration of about 34% it’s super easy for anyone to float in the Dead Sea. And folks love to spread the mud on their bodies. The high mineral content of the mud is supposed to be very good for your skin.

Jerusalem The Church of the Holy Sepulchre—This church is considered by many Christians to be the holiest of sites in the world. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, the church marks where it's believed that Jesus died on the cross, the tomb he was placed in, and where he rose from the dead three days later. The two pictures below on the right, mark the spot where Christians believe Jesus died on the cross, known as Golgotha.

Inside, there is a mixture of 30-plus chapels and worship spaces, with a mish-mash of architectural styles. In the center is a stone edicule (“little house”) that encloses the tomb (sepulchre) where it is believed Jesus Christ lay buried for three days — and where He rose from the dead. Once again, the wait to get into the edicule was lengthy, and no photos could be taken once inside.

A few more shots inside the church. Everywhere you looked there was something to see. Trying to take it all in and process it's significance was a challenge and a bit overwhelming.

Wandering the Old City of Jerusalem—We followed the path known as the Via Dolorosa as we walked through the Old City of Jerusalem. Christians believe this is the route Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion. As you walk the Via Dolorosa, the 14 Stations of the Cross are marked, each representing a specific event of Jesus’ last day, beginning with his condemnation. The streets are narrow and filled with tourists, so we did the best we could. The pictures that follow are parts of the 14 Stations of the Cross, in no specific order. All except the very last picture which shows the baked goods of one of the local merchants.

The Church of St Anne—This is the best-preserved Crusader church in Jerusalem. It marks the traditional site of the home of Jesus’ maternal grandparents, Anne and Joachim, and the birthplace of the Virgin Mary. The church is renowned for its remarkable acoustics. Listen to Father Mike and a few members of our group sing a tune or two.

Lunch—A quick lunch break in the Old City of Jerusalem. Before I left on my vacation, I’d been advised to eat as much falafel as I could, because it’s the best. And so, I did. And it never let me down; I loved it!

Gethsemane—The garden of Gethsemane, near the foot of the Mount of Olives, is named in the New Testament of the Bible as the place where Jesus went with his disciples to pray the night before he was crucified. The Grotto of Gethsemane is believed by Christians to be where the disciples slept while Jesus prayed, and where Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested.

Mary’s Tomb—Below the Church of the Assumption, 50 very steep steps down, is the empty tomb where Christians believe Mary, the mother of Jesus, was buried. The name, the Church of the Assumption, reflects the Christian belief that Mary’s body was assumed into heaven at some point. The dimly-lit church is at the foot of the Mount of Olives.

The Church of All Nations—This church also stands near the foot of the Mount of Olives. It is built over the rock on which Christians believe Jesus prayed in agony the night before he was crucified. Part of this rock is exposed in front of the alter.

The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu—This church was built on an almost sheer hillside on the eastern slope of Mount Zion. Christians believe it commemorates the apostle Peter’s triple denial of his Jesus. Gallicantu means cockcrow in Latin, recalling Jesus’ prophesy that Peter would deny him three times “before the cock crows”. There is a rooster on top of the cross on top of the church.

Church of the Dormition—The hill of Mount Zion, the highest point in ancient Jerusalem, is dominated by the Church of the Dormition. The location is identified in Christian tradition as the place where the Virgin Mary died — or “fell asleep”, as the name suggests.

Church of Pater Noster—Located on the Mount of Olives, at this church Christians recall Christ’s teaching of the Lord’s Prayer to his disciples. On walls around the church translations of the Lord’s Prayer in 140 languages are inscribed on colorful ceramic plaques.

Abu Gosh—On our last day in the Holy Land, we drove to this small village west of Jerusalem. We celebrated our last daily Mass together at the Church of Our Lord’s Resurrection, built by the Crusaders in the 12th century. We then wandered the lovely gardens of the Benedictine monastery.

Let me just finish with our official group photo, in the square in front of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. I thank you for reading my post on a trip that was very special to me for many reasons. This post got a little long, so thanks for hanging in with me till we finished the journey together.