Our trek along the Mediterranean Sea on our way to Tiberias

Israel ... Land of the Bible ... Land of Faith ... the Holy Land, revered throughout recorded history as the cradle of monotheistic religion. For people of faith whose beliefs are rooted in the Bible, there is no place on earth like the Holy Land.

"... and many peoples shall come, and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3-4).

We have come a long way to get a glimpse of what our faith has in store for us. It is amazing how much history we have as christian people in this country. To try and gather every thing there is to know would be a life time adventure. But today, we start by traveling along the Mediterranean coast traveling to Caesarea. This great Roman port city was visited by Peter and Paul. King Herod built a palace here to hide from his enemies. It was here too that Paul made his last appeal to the Romans explaining how they should repent and turn there gaze to God. (Acts 25:6-12). From there we continued on to Mt Carmel to tour the church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and say mass with the pilgrims. It is a beautiful church and to celebrate mass with everyone was a great blessing for me. We continued on to the top of Mount Carmel where the prophet Elijah had an encounter with the Phoenician princess Jezebel and the great sacrifice at Baal. (See 1 Kings 18).

The city of Nazareth was the pinnacle of this tour day. To visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, which stands over the cave that traditions holds to be the home of the Virgin Mary, was very moving for everyone. We were able to visit the ruins of the living quarters of the holy family. Amazingly, Nazareth was a very small town in comparison to the size it is today. Nazareth was not a noted town or a place anyone wanted to visit until Jesus' birth.

As night approached we had one more place to visit. That place being Cana - Jesus' first miracle of changing water into wine. (John 2: 1-11) Not only was this an important site in our faith history but it was also a special moment for me as I was able to celebrate  the renewing of marriage vows for the pilgrims. It was a brief ceremony but one filled with great emotion from those couples renewing their vows and to those in attendance. 

The day ended with us finding our hotel in Tiberias were we will stay a few days on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Peace,

Fr John.

Tel Aviv, Israel

Our journey began Monday bright and early. Meeting in the rectory parking lot, myself and the other pilgrims, loaded on a bus that would take us to the Minneapolis airport to begin our trek to the Holy Land and Rome.

This day reminded me of those who followed Moses into the desert in search of the promised land. Their travels were long and exhausting. Of course our travel cannot quite compare to their years of wondering the dessert, but it can give us a glimpse as to how it was for them. We were delayed at every airport we entered. We sat for many hours wondering if we were ever going to get to the Holy Land; we were to experience what the true virtue of patience would be about as our flights were delayed, changed, or altered enough to cause us discomfort and a bit of grumbling. 

The main flight was long as we traveled late into the night to finally reach our destination - Tel Aviv - by mid afternoon the following day. It was impressive, we spent about 12 hours in the air and at least 12 hours on the ground waiting or on a bus. Many did not sleep and we all are looking forward to that first night stay in our hotels.

But it is all part of the experience. We are pilgrims on a spiritual journey knowing that we must be patient and flexible in order to encounter God. And that day will come soon for all of us. Tomorrow - Wednesday - we venture into the Holy Land making stops at Mount Carmel, Cana, Nazareth, Mount Tabor, and Tiberias.

Peace,

Fr. John

staff christmas lunch

The parish council provided a great lunch for us today.

The Journey Begins

In 24 days I embark upon a journey to the Holy Land and Rome. But I do not journey alone. Accompanying me will be 25 co-journeyers. But we are not alone as you will journey with us. My intent is to bring you along by way of the Blog. I will send photos, inspirations, experiences, stories, and much, much, more. So join me by subscribing to my Blog and journey with us to the Holy Land and Rome.

Many blessings to you and your family,

Fr. John