Birthplace of St. John the Baptist

On Sunday we celebrated the chance to go to the birthplace of John the Baptist. As I knelt to touch the spot marked for his birth - I thought of all who are back at St. John the Baptist parish in Mankato; It made the distance melt away for an instant. We then went up the hill to the spot where Mary and Elizabeth met, which we call, The Visitation. We figured it was a 7 day journey for Mary to come to this spot from her home in Nazareth. A moment to ponder - It was our 7th day gone; the miles are piling up much quickly for us.

We also stopped at the Museum for the Dead Sea Scrolls. These were discovered here in 1947 and changed our understanding of some of the books of the Bible - very interesting to me. Next was a trip to Bethlehem and the site of the Nativity of Jesus. What a thrill to go to that spot. For the second time today I knelt to touch a spot for a birth. This one meant all the more and we were able to have Mass there in a side chapel. It felt like Christ Mass all over again.

Finally we ended with a stop at Lazarus' tomb. If you remember Jesus called him from his tomb to new life. It seems like the scripture becomes more alive each day as we journey along.

Peace,

Fr. John