Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity

They expect over 2000 people including the President of Palestine and many ambassadors

7:30 pm in Bethlehem - Singing Carols

We are having dinner with a group of priests from 8 countries.

Rebekah just led us to sing Silent Night. All priests joined her.

Our menu was vegetable chicken, white rice, mixed arabic vegetable and hummus plates.

At 10 we are leaving for midnight mass at the Basilica of the Nativity. The exact location where Jesus was born.

Let me tell you that Rebekah started something, since the singing continues around the tables in the restaurant. We are all now singing spanish and italian carols.....and Holy Night in everyone's mother tongue. Beautiful!!

Haifa Gardens

Nazareth

From a town of 300 people 2,000 years ago, to a congested mess today, Nazareth was a spiritual communion with Joseph, Mary and Jesus...The Holy Family.

+ Tiny Village. Joseph lived only 50 meters or so away from Mary at the time of the Annunciation! We saw the remains of the house where the Holy Family lived and worked...a cave comprising the ground floor was the carpentry work space, and the second floor was where the Family slept only.

+ Living in Nazareth. Every day Mary would walk about 200 meters one way, down a hill to the natural spring where she would fetch water for her family. Mary did this two times a day. She spent most of her day cooking and taking care of Jesus in this tiny village. Therefore, yet again, .....Mary had a strong influence in Jesus life!

+ Joachim and Ana's house. We Catholics believe that the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in the house of her parents. By the way, mary's parents were old for that time when they conceived Mary...leading us to believe in God's divine inspiration in her Immaculate Conception.
We saw the house and the room where we believe the Angel appeared. It was again the first floor of the house and was a cave. NOTE: The Greek Orthodox Church believes that the Angel Gabriel appeared twice to Mary, once at the Spring and then again at her house.

+ The look of the area. Nazareth is up in the hills with much limestone. Thus, the walls of the caves and houses are made of a light yellowish colored limestone! This stone looks just like the Texas Hill country stone in Boerne!

Cana

Some new ways for you to consider the miracle at Cana, based on old and traditional Jewish custom:

+ The wine. 2,000 years ago wine was stored in 4 foot high (1.3 meters) stone, not pottery, vats. In these large stone vats, only wine would be stored. Jesus asked the servants at the Cana wedding to put water in these vats....imagine how shocked the servants would have been!

+ Mary. How much about Jesus' Godliness did she know? How close to God was Mary? Remember that Mary asked Jesus to start his public life by creating more wine. She must have had intimate knowledge of His power. Jesus couldn't deny his mother!

+ Faith. Mary told the servants to do what this man (Jesus) tells them. Remember that Jesus ended up asking the servants to do something unheard of...putting water into the stone wine vats! Isn't this first miracle the foretelling of the Faith we need to just "do what He asks" of us? His is the message carried throughout all of Jesus' public life!

Christmas Eve

Happy Christmas eve to all.
Today it is raining for only the third day in the past 2 years here in the Galilee region.

We are on our way to Nazareth for the Annunciation and the life of Jesus as a child and young adult. On the way we will renew our wedding vows in Cana, the site of Jesus' first public miracle....the water....was made wine, the best for last.... John 1:1-9. We will be praying for you, our married family and friends and know that you will be in our hearts as we renew our vows.

And the Angel Gabriel was sent by God into a city of Galilee, named Nazareth. Luke 1: 26-31

Our walk will take us on to Haifa, a town from the days of Elijah where we will see Elijah's cave and compare this to the vision of Elijah on Mt. Tabor with the transfiguration of Jesus.

Jooin us later today abd check back in as we journey with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem where we will attend midnight mass.

Have a blessed day.

Jesus' Ministry around Sea of Galilee

Mont Tabor - The Transfiguration

Jesus' Ministry in The Galilee

It is a great eye and heart opener to be in Galilee as all of the geographical names and Jesus' minitry in the scriptures come to life such as:
+Tiberias: Where Jesus calmed the sea.
...Mark 4:37-39
+Mount of Beatitudes: Blessed are the poor in spirit.
...Matthew 5:1-12
+Tabgha: The Multiplication of the fish and loaves.
...Matthew 14:14-21
+ Capernaum: Peter's home and the place where Jesus lived after leaving Nazareth
+Mount Tabor: Where Jesus transfigured in front of Peter, James and John.
...Mark 9:2-4
+The Jordan River: Where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.
...Matthew 3:13-16

Capharnaum - the town of Jesus. St Peter's home

Feed My Sheep

Church of the Primacy

The Church of the Beatitudes

Mass at the Mount of Beatitudes - in Romanian!!

We had the option of a mass in Indonesian or Romanian, we pick the last due to its Roman\ Latin roots.

At the time of communion, we were not sure if there were going to be enough hosts for our communion, since we joined the Romanian mass at the last minute. God knows best. We had our own multiplication of the Body of Christ.

---If you trust God will take care of what needs to happen for our own good.---

Capharnaum - the town of Jesus. St Peter's home

The Sea of Galilee

Tuesday 23. We will pilgrim around the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret in Hebrew)it is Israel's largest fresh water lake providing one third of Israel's potable water. It is 208 meters below sea level.

The multiplication of the loaves, Jesus' question to Peter to lead the church, the Sermon on the Mount in the Mount of Beatitudes all hapenned in areas surrounding the Sea of Galilee.

It all comes to life.

Arriving in Israel

We arrived into Ben Guiron airport at 5:30 local time today. The airport is 3 years old and looks like a museum.

We had an easy time retrieving our luggage and leaving customs. Our guide and driver were waitibg for us with our name on a sign. What a surprise for the kids when they found out we have a guide, van, and driver just for our famiy! We can't believe that we are actually here, on Jesus' turf!

Gabriel commented how much the terrain looks like Spain. No wonder Santiago was at home traveling there!

We are drving to the Sea of Galilee now where we will stay right on it, in the town of Tiberias.

Love to all.

Itinerary

Monday, 22 December 

Madrid to Tel Aviv via Milan

Tel Aviv to Galilee (Night on Sea of Galilee)

Tuesday, 23 December

John's Baptism of Christ

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Peter, James and John's house

Walking on Water

Wednesday, 24 December

Wedding at Cana (renew wedding vows)

Announciation in Nazareth

Way to Bethlehem

Christmas Mass in Bethlehem

Thursday, 25 December

Nativity

Friday, 26 December

Pereira Christmas in the Holy Lands

Please join us this Christmas as we give thanks to our Savior, Jesus Christ, by remembering his life from inception through resurrection in a walk through the Holy Lands.