The lady who fell and twisted her ankle yesterday was still in pain from it, with it visibly swollen and wrapped in an bandage. But people took turns pushing her around, and she was able to hobble on it whenever the wheelchair was not usable. Unfortunately, for all my lingering sense of guilt that I was talking with her and thus distracting her when she fell, with one arm out of commission I was not able to help out.
We
were on the bus by 09:00, headed to Cana, saying a Rosary – the five Luminous
Mysteries, two of which were most appropriate for our day: The Baptism of
Jesus; The Wedding at Cana; Preaching the Kingdom; The Transfiguration; and The
Eucharist.
Along the way we passed by the “Valley of the Pomegranates” – Rimmonim – and as we neared and entered
Cana Tony told us a sad fact. What was in 2000 a town of almost 100% Christian
is now overwhelmingly Muslim -- about 80%. Later he would explain why, and why that fact is
not just sad but frightening.
Cana is, of course, most commonly associated with the site of
Christ’s first known miracle, the beginning of his public ministry. The story
is told by John:
On the third day [after his arrival in Galilee and calling of Philip and Nathanael] there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So they took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” (John 2: 1-11).
Without getting into the full exegesis of this passage, note that the first emphasis is on the presence of Mary, then Jesus and his disciples – and that she instigates him to the performance of this first known “sign,” which “manifested his glory” such that “his disciples believed in him.” They are Mary’s last recorded words in scripture. Moreover, forget any idea that Jesus' addressing his mother as "woman" was a sign of disrespect; it was, on the contrary, a term of the very deepest respect. Finally, the Church holds this event to constitute Jesus’ sanctification of the covenant of marriage (CCC 1613), sacramentalizing it by transforming into wine the very element of water which he had previously sanctified at his own Baptism – the element by which we are likewise sacramentally reborn.
On the third day [after his arrival in Galilee and calling of Philip and Nathanael] there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So they took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” (John 2: 1-11).
Without getting into the full exegesis of this passage, note that the first emphasis is on the presence of Mary, then Jesus and his disciples – and that she instigates him to the performance of this first known “sign,” which “manifested his glory” such that “his disciples believed in him.” They are Mary’s last recorded words in scripture. Moreover, forget any idea that Jesus' addressing his mother as "woman" was a sign of disrespect; it was, on the contrary, a term of the very deepest respect. Finally, the Church holds this event to constitute Jesus’ sanctification of the covenant of marriage (CCC 1613), sacramentalizing it by transforming into wine the very element of water which he had previously sanctified at his own Baptism – the element by which we are likewise sacramentally reborn.
We
actually went into the small chapel set aside for what was the highlight of
that stop, our only married couple, Robert and Kathie with whom I rode from Pineville to Houston, renewing their marriage vows within a week
of the 54th anniversary of
their wedding.
Then
Tony took us down to the archaeological area after which he let us loose to take pictures. I think he said that a large stone jar-like object usually described as being one of those described in the scripture quoted above was not that, but rather an olive press; the stone water jugs were quite a bit smaller, what is called a "gallon" in this cased being more the volume of a liter or quart. |
| Photo from Kristal |
For
whatever reason, people dawdled when he called us to assemble to head for the
bus, and we started out for Nazareth late – and consequently almost missed
having Mass there. Some speculate, although I do not know for sure, that we may
have been relegated to a smaller, nondescript chapel rather than the main
Basilica because we arrived almost fifteen minutes late. Tony mildly – but firmly
and deservedly – rebuked the group later when he had a chance.
In
any case, we did have Mass at the
Basilica of the Annunciation, albeit in a chapel which we reached via a spiral staircase
that seemed to go up forever. It was still within mere yards of where God
entered history via a virgin’s womb. Padre Emilio’s homily focused on that as
the obvious theme – “here” is where
the Incarnation happened; “in this place” is
where Mary said “Yes,” “Fiat.” As the
first creation began with a fiat, so
did the new creation.
At that Mass, in the Basilica of the Annunciation, Padre let me lead the chanting of the Magnificat, and I began chanting the Responsorial Psalms as well. By the end of the pilgrimage I had even managed to introduce chanting the Kyrie in Greek, and the Sanctus, and Agnus Dei in Latin.... Give me an inch with regard to Latin in the liturgy, and I will happily take a mile!
The Basilica of the Annunciation is built on the site of the home
in which young Mary lived with her parents. Like many houses in the area in the
ancient world, the house was actually backed up to a hill, extending back into
a cave, either natural or hollowed out. The parts of the house backed up into
such a grotto enjoy somewhat ameliorated temperatures compared to the extremes
– generally hot, as it was today – out in the open.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a
city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to
her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly
troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this
might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have
found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a
son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called
the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his
father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his
kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall
this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold,
your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is
the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be
impossible." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be
to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:
26-39).
Inside the basilica, the altar backs up into the grotto where, on
the floor, there is a similar inscription – “VERBUM CARO HİC FACTUM EST,”
“THE WORD BECAME FLESH HERE” (I think the dot above the I in HIC
represents a macron, which I don't think I've ever seen in an inscription – but
it does lend emphasis – “here”).
Again, the fairly recent construction of the church stripped away a little of
the sense of antiquity even though intellectually I knew I was standing on two
thousand years of history going to the very beginning of our Faith. And it was overall quite magnificent, especially on the inside.
The
magnificence was amplified by something we barely finished Mass in time to witness
– the Franciscan friars Grotto Procession at Noon, built around the Angelus, sung in Latin. I said to
another pilgrim afterward, “Tell me
Latin is not better!”
Tony
explained the site, its archaeology and history, with his usual skill and insight. For instance, why was Mary so "greatly troubled" by the appearance of the angel? The encounter is believed to have taken place in the natural or man-made cave part of the house, one of the uses of which was to isolate women during times when they were considered ritually impure once a month. Suddenly, the angel -- not what we imagine as having wings and a halo, but rather in the form of a man. A strange man, in a culture when women, certainly young women, did not associate with men who were not related to them. What young woman, alone, suddenly confronted with a strange man where he should not have been -- in the most private part of her home -- would not be afraid?  |
| Photo kindly taken by Ingrid |
I passed on the other important site nearby, St. Joseph’s Church. The Church of St. Joseph the Carpenter
is built over a another grotto containing the ruins of what is said to be St. Joseph’s
workshop and/or house. Nothing I found in my pre-trip research said it, but I
wonder if this is where the angel appeared to Joseph:  |
| Basilica of the Annunciation |
This is probably where the Holy Family would have lived once they
returned from their extended journey to Jerusalem and thence into Egypt. That
is the ancient belief, in any case – a round plaque declares, “HIC ERAT
DOMUS ILLIS,” “HERE WAS THEIR HOME.”
I did not actually see this, however. When we finally figured out where we needed to go, and Padre
ended his directions with “Many steps!” – I bailed. I was just about stepped
out for a while. Instead, I and a couple of others sat and watched a docent
regulating entry into the Basilica. He took his job quite seriously, especially with
regard to women with uncovered shoulders or knees. We watched him turn several away, and others would have been turned away had they not been able to pull out
scarves they could drape strategically to do the job to his satisfaction.
We ate lunch almost next door to the Basilica -- wonderful, thick, and loaded gyros sandwiches.
Walking from and to the Basilica from where our bus parked, we did pass through the Old Market of Nazareth, containing plenty of open air shops and skads of souvenirs. Tony had, however, cautioned us against shopping indiscriminately, for several reasons. One, he said, was that most of the religious items we would find would be cheap "fakes," made in China, whereas he promised to take us to a shop in Bethlehem whose wares he guaranteed would be authentic, made by local Christians, and indeed would be an important way we could support them in a society becoming increasingly hostile to them. Along those same lines, secondly, he said most of these sellers would indeed be Muslims, buying from whom would in fact be supporting them -- against the local Christians. Thirdly, the prices would be inflated. Finally, especially, he warned us against using credit cards except where he advised. He promised -- and did, throughout the trip -- tell us beforehand of a legitimate, safe seller; but he also cautioned us never to ask him about one in their presence, which would put him in a bad spot.
On the way back to the bus, Tony did duck into a sweets shop and come out with a good-sized box of Israeli baklava, which was enjoyed by all once we got back on the bus. Tony is The Man.
 |
| Mount Tabor and Nain |
Leaving Nazareth, we headed out for Mount Tabor. Along the way we saw the Jezreel Valley, figuring prominently in several places in the Old Testament,
and Tony pointed out Nain, the home of the widow whose son Jesus raised from
the dead. But we did not go there. Tony says it is not safe – it is a case
study of the Muslim “Soft Jihad” by which that religion is spreading so
insidiously. It was 100% Christian in 2004 – when they allowed one family of
Islamic “refugees” from Iraq to move in. To be immediately followed by relatives, etc. – as soon
as their population reached critical mass, they took over, imposed shariah law, Christians fled, and the town is now 100%
Muslim. The church – which sponsored that original family – is now closed, a
garbage dump behind the newly constructed mosque. Tony related the story as a
warning – Europe, he says, is already far along the same road; The United States has pulled back, for now -- explaining why, for Donald Trump’s policies regarding Islamic “refugees” alone, he likes Trump (something he’s said
already several times, but not with such force as this time).
(A lot of Israelis like Trump; we saw "Trump make Israel great" signs on several occasion ... the Muslim Palestinians are not nearly so fond, however....)
 |
| Photo from Mary Bourgeois |
Mount Tabor is most famously the site of the Transfiguration: “And
after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and
led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his
face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold,
there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to
Jesus, ‘Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three
booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still
speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud
said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’
When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with
awe. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and have no fear.’ And
when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” (Matt. 17:
1-8).
Standing apart from the mountain range containing Carmel to the
west, between Nazareth to the nearer west and the Sea of Galilee to the east.
Mt. Tabor rises like a great dome above the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley
as only one possibility for the location of the Transfiguration – but since the
4th c. the tradition has been firm. Its relative isolation does make it a
suitable “high mountain apart”; perhaps that relative isolation – similar to
that of far-off Mount Sinai – helped inspire long before the time of Christ its
association with the one true God, El Shaddai, “God Most High.” At the summit
today, built on 4th-6th-c. Byzantine and 12th-c. Crusader foundations, the
Franciscan Roman Catholic Church of the Transfiguration (finished in 1924)
affords spectacular views both within and without.
Getting to the top, however, entailed a rather harrowing trip in a smaller van up a very windy road with a ton of switchbacks. I can’t imagine, however, being a pilgrim of old having to climb this mount on my own two feet (likely all fours, feet and hands). The ancient pilgrims’ path has almost five thousand steps cut into the bedrock of this mountain.
Videos going up then back down Mt. Tabor
I retreated up a ways and enjoyed the beach as I prayed the abbreviated version of Vespers in the St. Benedict's Prayer Book.
After dinner, after which I came up here to get my room and packing in order. We are to have our bags outside our doors at 08:00, have breakfast, and head out for the south tomorrow. I got a first draft of this post written, which I would later build on for the full account, making for another late night although I did shut it down a little before midnight.
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