Fr. Phil's Holy Land Journey

2010-09-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

Today I am packing and getting ready to leave. I'll have to pack a lot of memories also. It has been a wonderful time here exploring places I never knew about or even thought I would visit. Let alone visit them numerous times to really appreciate them. I hope that you have enjoyed reading my blog. It was nice to think about the day's events and let you in on them. This is my last blog from Israel / Holy Land. The pictures are of the Ethiopian Church in Jerusalem. That was one of the few places that I didn't get to visit so I made a point of seeing it on Friday.

2010-09-02T05:12:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Holy Cross Monastery. It is down the hill from my apartment on Aza Street. It is in a valley with the Knesset atop the hill on one side and the Israeli Museum/ Shrine of the Book on the other side. This is the place they say the cross which Christ used was grown. The present building is from the 1100's and not much has been done to it since then which makes it interesting. Like a lot of the Greek Monasteries, they have birds in large cages, animals around.

After that we decided to go to a Mall to see the differences between ours and theirs. The only thing is that it is three stories instead of all one level, the stores are much smaller in size and there are a lot of bakeries there.

Then we went to Yad Vashem, the holocaust Museum. Every time there I seem to learn more about this tragedy. We walked around the outside memorials also.

We came back to the apartment and Steve and Judy prepared to leave this evening. I will be preparing to start packing myself as soon as they leave. The Pictures are from yesterday. They were taken from the top of the Mount of Temptation.

2010-09-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Bethany to visit the Tomb of Lazarus. The Wall now separates Bethany in half. Although it is still on the Mount of Olives, you can’t get there from the top of Mount. You have to go all the way around the city. The tourists no longer can get there easily. So there aren’t many that visit this beautiful sight. When we got back to Jerusalem, we went to St. Peter’s Church. That’s where St. Peter denied Jesus. It’s also a beautiful place to visit especially the view over East Jerusalem. Then in the evening we went to Mahane Yehuda, the local outdoor market for Jerusalem. It’s kind of like a perpetual Farmer’s Market except much larger. Then we went to Ben Yehuda Street to take in a little local flavor of the town. The first picture is of a sign showing that the USA is paying for the new road into the Palestinian Area of Bethany (or Al Eizariyah as it is now called because of the Wall being built right through the middle of the town. The second picture is of the congested Arab Bus Station in Jerusalem.

2010-08-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Jericho. It is in a Palestinian Area. So to play it safe, we used my friend Walid, a Palestinian taxi driver. He makes every trip enjoyable, memorable and fun. We drove through these narrow roads to get to the main highway from Bethlehem. The USA has paid for many of these roads in Palesine, since Israel has cut them off basically from the world. It would be much easier to go out of Jerusalem, but Walid cannot cross the border / checkpoint. What a shame. Maybe the talks that start on September 2 can remedy some of this. Anyways, first we went to swim in the Dead Sea. That is always an experience since you can float in about six inches of water. Then we went to Jericho. The USA paid for a huge training area and also train the Palestinian Police and some Military in this facility. With all the Mosque arguments going on in New York City, it's interesting that there is a new Mosque inside the walls of this USA paid facility. We went to the Mount of Temptation, Zachaeus' Sycamore Tree, a branch of the Jordan River, the spring that has fed the city of Jericho for 10,000 years. On the way back to Jerusalem, we stopped at The Mosque of Moses. On to Bethlehem and said a final goodbye to Walid. In the past month, he was a big part of my travels. So I willl miss him. Did I mention that he is huge. He has been Mr. Palestine for two years and also Mr. Egypt in the past years The pictures are of Walid, Steve and Judy. The other two pictures are of the Dead Sea. The water level has dropped so much that perhaps in 20 years, it might just be desert. By the way we did not go into the bar and it is 1371 feet below Sea Level or 418 meters.

2010-08-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today we did a lot of walking. We took a total of three buses to get to the Mount of Olives. Then we walked the Palm Sunday Walk. We left from Bethpage up the Mount of Olives, down to the Dominus Flevit Church, on to the Garden of Gethsemane and Gethsemane. Went to the Rock of Agony Church and the Tomb of Mary Church. Then we walked the Via Dolorosa or the Way of the Cross being able to have all the stops including the sites of Crucifixion and the Tomb. They was hardly a line especially at the Crucifixion. When we went by St. Ann's Church it was closed over the noon hours, so we went back. Got on a bus and came home. The pictures are of the inside of the Church of All Nations or the Rock of the Agony Church. The church is deliberately dark to imitate the night time when Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Instead of using glass, they used Alabaster.

2010-08-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

Today we spent time in the Old City. First we went to the Armenian Quarter to get a view of the whole Old City. We went to the rooftops and walked around seeing all of the Old City from a different view than from the ground. Then off to the Jewish Quarter which is all pretty new. The Jordanians bombed it in 1967 when they retreated in the War. After going to the Western Wall, we went to the Davidson Archaeology Center where we enjoyed movies describing the recent excavations and discoveries. Then we walked out into the area to see first hand the items described in the movies. It was very interesting especially the steps that they found that lead to the Second Temple. Of course we climbed them and looked at other ruins from the 1st century throught the 7th. Then we went to the Mt. Zion Area where the Upper Room, King David's Tomb and the Dormition Church are located. In the evening, we went to Mass at the Pontifical Biblical Institute. The picture above is of Mary "sleeping" before she was assumed into Heaven. In the background is the Chapel of the Pentecost. The Last Supper and all of these events took place in this area.

2010-08-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Nazareth Area. This is where Jesus grew in Adulthood and Middle Age. We went to Mt. Tabor where Jesus showed himself to be God. He was transfigured before the eyes of three of the Apostles. It is on top of a Mountain all by itself, up from the Jezreel Valley. Even with four busloads of people it did not seem crowded at all. It was hazy today, so you couldn't see as far as uusal, but it was still beuatiful. We took a shortcut to Nazareth, really a rock road from a small town to a divided highway leading into Nazareth. Went to the Church of the Annunciation and the Synagogue where Jesus studied and taught. Even went to the Precipice where the Leaders of the Synagogue wanted to throw Jesus over for blaspheming. But he walked through their midst. And then drove back to Jerusalem. Another wonderful day. I have named my project as "Praying the Path of Jesus". So I took a number of pictures today of paths from the Nazareth Village. I will probably use one of them as the cover of the Project. Here are a few samples.

2010-08-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

This blog is for August 27. Today we went to the Sea of Galilee area. We had a little more trouble than usual with the Car Rental & GPS. But got everthing worked out and off we went. After a two and half hour drive, we, we went first to the baptismal place of Jesus. Went through the city of Tiberias and stopped at the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish. After that we went to the Primacy of Peter and went to the Sea of Galilee. Afterwards we had Mass and was joined by a young man from Poland. His nickname was "Magic". He was a very nice person. Then on to Capernaum to see Peter's home and the synagogue where Jesus taught for many years. Our last stop was the Mount of Beatitudes. It was the most beautiful place of the day. We got to our guesthouse just in time for a swim in the Sea of Galilee before supper. The pictures today are of the view of the Sea of Galilee from my room's balcony.

2010-08-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Bethlehem and went first to the Basilica of the Birth of Christ. The last times I had gone there, the Armenians were having a very long service in the grotto. This time a Franciscan was there, saying that the Grotto would be closed for an hour. He said that a Mass was going to start. I asked if we could attend and he allowed us to join a very small Spainsh speaking group. It was really great to spend about 45 minutes in the place where Christ was born. I'll always remember that time. It was one of the highlights of the trip for me. When we were finished the Armenians were ready to start, so we were really lucky. We went to the other sights that I have mentioned before in Bethlehem. If all of you could meet my Taxi Driver, Walid, your minds would all change about Palestinians. He is the most gracious, kind person you could ever want to meet. He is Catholic, belongs to the Nativity Church, father of 4 children. His wife is Armenian and speaks very highly of her. I have met some of his family. These are not the Palestinians portrayed by the Government or the Media. I will see him for the last time on Tuesday, I'll get his picture for all of you.

In the Afternoon, we went to Ein Karem. This is the town where Mary visited Elizabeth while both of them were pregnant. Also we went to the birthplace of St. John the Baptist. It was a wonderful day. Tomoorrow morning we leave for the Sea of Galilee Area. They only have internet service in the lobby where we are staying, so I'm not taking my laptop. I won't have a blog tomorrow but will resume when I return.
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The pictures are of the market where the locals shop in Bethlehem. I concentrated on the Meat Section because it is so unusual from our stores. The meat hangs outside and people come and have certain cuts selected and cut while the animal hangs. We think the pictures are of goats. And the third picture is of some of the vegetables in the market. I only took one picture but there are over 30 fruit stands with wonderful fruits for sale. Bon Appetite!

2010-08-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to the Holy Sepulcher Church for Mass. The Franciscans have it before the pilgrims come into the church or while it is still on the calm side. They live within the Church. Since there is only one door in the whole church, they are literally locked in every day. One said that a Friar had an appendicitis attack one night and the heads from the three controlling religions of the church had to vote to see if the Church could be reopened so he could go to the hospital. None of the religions have the key, it is owned by a Muslim family who gets paid to open and lock the church every day. The lock is on the outside of the church. Like everything in Israel, it is all very complicated. No one wants to lose the little they have. After that I came back to the apartment to make arrangements to go to the airport to welcome my new guests, Steve and Judy for the next week. They arrived safely at the ariport and after a long taxi ride through Jerusalem we made it back to the apartment. We headed out for the late afternoon and evening. We went to the Holy Sepulcher for evening prayer and then waited around for the crowds to leave so we could go to the crucifixion site. Above are pictures of the landscape between Jerusalem and the airport. You have heard in Scripture, "Going Up To Jerusalem". They weren't kidding.

2010-08-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

Since my time is running short in the Holy Land, I decided to go to different places in the City that I have not as of yet explored. I went to some new developments. If you would just wake up in this area, you would think of Miami Beach or San Diego. The buildings are so similar. Perhaps the architects all have gone to the same school. I have pictures of two areas.

Then I got back on the bus and went to the Ultra, Ultra Orthodox neighborhoods and everything sort of changes into black and white and baby buggies. Even the stores are showing the latest in black and white. The men wear white shirts with a black suit/robe and hat even on the hottest days. The women wear a combination of black and white or all black. The women even wear something like snoods. A fabric hood that bunches in the back. Many of the women have to wear close cropped hair because of their Ultra Orthodox husbands and they wear wigs when outdoors. All the wigs are the same style, so they are easy to pick out. They have to be hot, hot, hot. The men wear a four cornered undershirt on the inside of their shirt which has a string on each corner, sometimes on the outside. These four strings flap in the wind when they get in a hurry. They also wear black big rimmed hats and even fur hats in the summer. What's up with that. Someone look up the reference in the first five books of the bible. It must be terribly important. Somthing we must have missed. See the pictures of the Present and the pictures of the people wearing the clothes of the Past.

2010-08-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the newer part of the City and just walked around looking at the differences between the old and the new. There are quite a lot of similarities between the two. The buildings are all made out of stone. The architecture is basically the same; a lot of arches and walls. But there is a suspension bridge by the Central Bus Station that sticks out like a sore thumb. It is bright white and is built on hill so it is visible from over half of the City. The pictures are of the Soccer Stadium and also a new Arena that they have just started excavating the foundation. They decided to build the arena next to the Stadium so they could share the parking areas. The pictures are of the Stadium and a rendering of the Arena.

2010-08-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

Today, we toured through the Armenian Section. There is a wonderful observation area right at the corners of the 4 areas of the city, We walked through the Jewish Section. Most of it was destroyed in the 1968 War and is now mostly rebuilt. The most famous synagogue in Jerusalem at that time was totally destroyed and now is rebuilt. It just opened a few months ago. The Western Wall was next and we also saw the Plaza of the Dome of the Rock. One of the most interesting parts of the day was exploring the ruins of the Southern Wall of the Temple. These Excavations started in the 1970's and are really very interesting. Since they were hidden for centuries, nothing was removed or disturbed. We saw the steps to the Temple from the Second Temple and the Arched walkway and the market stalls below. It was fun walking around amid the ruins. Then onto the City of David. There we walked the ramparts walk for a short piece. We went to Schindler’s Grave. The tomb is overflowing with rocks, the symbol that someone was there to pay their respects. Then up the hill to the Dormition Church, King David’s Tomb & the Upper Room. So it was a full day. We had a bit to eat and some last minute shopping and Alex is ready to catch a ride to the airport. It was great to have him here for a few days. The pictures are of the ruins of the Second Temple area. The First is of the Cardo Area. And the second picture is of the main entrance to the Temple. The steps closest are the ones that lead into the temple and the ones far were the exit from the temple. There was greenery in between. They already knew about traffic flow abck then. It was great to walk the steps of so many from the past, especially Jesus.

2010-08-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Bethlehem. Our taxi driver, Walid - the one I always use, took us to all the religious sites in Bethlehem. But this time I asked him to show us a few places within a politcal aspect. He took us to the Wall and showed some us of the graffiti. There are some very clever pieces. We saw the wall from a different angle. We went to two refugee camps in the city. One has been in existence since 1948. There are no longer tents but they have been replaced by very small homes all randomly placed in the area. The roads are very narrow and bumpy. A few terrorists have come out of these camps. The UN has separate schools there for the boys and the girls. We saw some buildings that were destroyed by the intifada of 2003/04. There are other signs saying America Aid has helped build an elementary school and a local government building. We had a wonderful lunch of about 14 different salads and then kebobs and lamb chops. We said goodbye to Walid. Of course, we had to go back through the checkpoint. You walk up long paths that look cattle ramps. And then go through a very large and strong turnstile to go through Palestinian Control. Then you cross no man's land to the Israeli checkpoint. Americans can basically just walk through but the Palestinians have to go through metal security gates, all bags have to be scanned. Then you go to the passport screening where we show our passports and walk through. But the Palestinians have to show their work permit, have their hands / fingerprints scanned. I think they even do a retina screen. The whole process takes about 30 minutes to get through the whole checkpoint. Sometimes 45 minutes. It is very degrading to the Palestinians. We heard that there are Talks scheduled in Sept. The Palestinians are hopeful that they will bring some relief but not planning on it, The first picture is of the New Wall between Israel & Bethlehem. The second is of a bombed building from the Intifada.

2010-08-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today we went on a massive sight seeing spree. We had our difficulties though. It is Friday of Ramadan, The afternoon starts the Sabbath preparations. and over all traffic. We had a late start and with it more difficulty than usual to get to Damascus Gate, the Churches were closing for at noon for their break. So we decided to go to Bethany, the home of Lazarus' Tomb. Of course, this is a Palestinian Area//We were there for the Friday Public Sermon and also went through the bus at the checkpoint with machine guns and looked at our passports. When we got back to Jerusalem our bus was diverted to where we wanted to go, so we got off a few blocks from The Ascension Site at the Russian Convent. Had a Shawma plate lunch on a rooftop over looking the Dome of the Rock. Then we set off visiting the Mosque of the Ascension, the Pater Noster Church, seeing the overlook of the Old City. Look above at the heading of the Blog. Then down the hill or the Palm Sunday Walk to Dominus Flevit, St. Mary Magdalene, Mt. of Olives Garden, Church of the Agony, the Gethsemane (place of the Olive Press) and Mary's tomb. Then we got on a bus to go the Mt. Zion Area. You know you have been here too long when Israeli's ask you for questions on the bus about different routes. Went to Oscar Schindler's Grave but the cemetery was locked because of preparations for Sabbath. So we ended our day with the Church where St. Peter denied Jesus three times. Our other few stops would have to wait until a later day. We hailed a cab. The driver happened to be formerly from the
New York area, specifically Patchogue, Long Island. We were very tired and hot so we called it a day. The first picture is of the outside of St. Mary Magdalene Church. The second is of the outside of Mary Tomb. And the last is of the outside of St. Peter's Church with Christ forgiving him.

2010-08-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

Today I started off for somewhere and ended up at a totally different place. This is a nice thing when you are not on a schedule or have to be at a certain place at a certain time. I ended up at the Bible Lands Museum. It was nice place. You have to remember that most of the Museum Quality items are all at other Museums throughout the World especially in the British Museums. Other countries had control of Israel almost forever. But they still have quit a few little pieces of antiquity and a few bigger pieces of Egyptian artifacts. They also have a whole section devoted to the One God, It is the God of Jews, the Christians and the Muslims. The best part was a video that showed some of the best items of the museum in the context of a time-line from The Creation Story to the Destruction of the First Temple. It was nice to have seen the pictures and then see how they relate to history

My nephew returned about 4:00 from Jordan and Petra. He looks pretty tired. So we will go out and get something to eat and it looks like it will be an early evening. The pictures were taken in the museum. The first is of a model of the residence of the Moon God when he came to earth. This was the god that Abraham worshiped before God spoke to him. The other picture is of an exhibit in the museum.

2010-08-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the Wohl Archaeological Museum. It gives you an idea of what may remain hidden under the Old City. It is located underground and preserves the remains of six houses from the Herodian period that were excavated in 1967. In Temple times, this part of the city was home to wealthy priestly families. Homes were built on the hill overlooking the Temple Mount, with the roof of each home at the basement level of the house above it, so that every house enjoyed a spectacular view of the Temple.

After that I went back to the Western Wall. It is day and night different from our concept of praying. We like silence for private prayer or unison in public prayer. There is basically chaos at The Wall. People reading out loud. People praying silently. People bowing in small motions all around you. Visitors like me walking around. People moving chairs and tables over the stone pavement. People discussing (or yelling about) the Torah or the commentaries or whatever. The men and women are separated for prayer at The Wall. I don’t know about the women’s side but the Men’s side has a tunnel that is air conditioned. That’s where a lot hang out or even take a little nap. Another strange item is that there is a covered ramp right over the Jewish area leading non-Muslims to the Temple Mount or the Dome of the Rock. But the Jewish people will not go the top because they are not sure where the Holy of Holies of the last temple was located and so they are afraid they might step on it and become impure. I have two pictures of the ramp shown today. Also a picture of the Dome of the Rock.

2010-08-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

   Today my nephew left around 9:00 for a few days with some friends to travel on their own. It should be an adventure for them. So I took this time to wrap up my Scripture Project. All I have to do now is to assemble the Package when I get back and I will be finished. And in a few months, you will be able to “Praying the Path of Jesus”. I already have volunteers to help with that. So I feel real good about ending it today.

   I went over to the Holy Sepulcher (really it should be called the Resurrection Church - because Jesus is no one in the tomb) for evening Prayer at 5:00 with the Franciscans. They are really a nice group of Friars from all over the world. I have made a real good Franciscan friend from Ghana. After that I went into the empty tomb for I don’t know how many times since I have been here. It always is an inspiring moment to be where Christ suffered, died and especially rose.

   I got a little bit to eat and waited around for the end of Ramadan at 7:30 PM. A cannon goes off to end the day and everyone starts drinking liquids (they are not allowed to drink alcohol unlike some friends of mine) and start eating. The food stands really get ready around 7:15 with food, drink and Hookahs. There are lights everywhere to celebrate the end of the day. I wish I was here for the end of Ramadan. It really should be an all nighter. I hear it is really a celebration. Maybe if Bishop Gettelfinger reads this, he’ll give me permission to stay longer. Just kidding! My staff will kill me if I stay any longer, especially Debbie. I’m going to post more pictures than usual today to show some of the old streets decorated and food being prepared for the end of the day. I don’t have any photos of their bakery goods, that will be a another segment.

The first picture is of a man and probably his son starting the kabobs for the evening. The second is of another wood fire being started for the evening. The third is of the lights decorating all the market places. The fourth picture is another booth getting ready. Personally, I think Resurrection's Steak Fryers should come over here and set up a booth. We could show them how it's really done! And the last one is of the market place and some of the young men glad that the day is over. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

2010-08-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Tel Aviv. The bus trip started off very strange. I had been to Tel Aviv before but this time we went to a different Bus Station . We went to the real Bus Station. Iit is huge, even bigger then Jerusalem’s. You had to exit on the 4th floor which was strange. First of all we went to the Old City of Joffa or in the bible it is Joppa. This is the site where Jonah tries to escape God's command to go the Nineveh and also where Peter saw the everything that God created is good to eat, even pork and shell fish or jewish unclean items. We walked around in the Old Market for awhile. After a few stops, we went to Downtown Tel Aviv. You have to remember that the city is built right on the Mediterranean Sea. So it really is a resort town. It was also very hot and humid because of the Sea. There is a beautiful beach there named Alma Beach. We had an wonderful Aunt name Alma who died the other year. So we went there and toasted her and our other departed aunts and uncles. After that we went tot he Arisraeli Building. We had a spectacular view of the city from the 49th floor and even further out. Then we headed back to the bus station that I was familiar with because it was much closer. On the way our bus started having mechaical problems and eventually broke down. This must happen often because in a matter of a minute or two, two busses were there to take us to Jerusalem. We saw at least a dozen trucks or vehicles having trouble along the way. But we made it home safe and sound. The pictures are of Old Jaffa with New Tel Aviv in the Background and the second picture is in the market at Joppa.

2010-08-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Even though today is Sunday, it doesn’t feel like it’s Sunday. Today is the first day of the work week for Israel, but the Christian shops, restaurants, etc. are closed today. It gets a little bit crazy. Last night Alex & I went exploring the Ben Yehuda District. Just walked around as the area began to come alive after Sabbath. Today we are going to the US Consulate. Today in the Jerusalem Post, there is an article about the Israeli’s wanting to take over an abandoned Muslim Cemetery to build a “Museum of Tolerance”. Quite ironic isn’t it? They say that they have discovered 30 fake graves. This controversy has been going on since 2004. Then visit the Protest over the kidnapped soldier by the Hamas & talk to his parents, go by Benjamin Netanyahu’s home and see if he’s taking visitors. Yeah right. Then we are on our way to The Knesset, the Senate building for Israel. Today is the last day for many weeks that they are giving tours. After that we are going to their Supreme Court building. Then we went to the Old City for the way of the Cross. So it looks like a busy day in store for us but an enjoyable one. The pictures are of the Supreme Court Building and The Knesset.

2010-08-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

What a difference a day makes here in Jerusalem. The streets are quiet. A few people out walking early this morning. No buses running except a few tour buses. People going and coming from the Synagogues. I’m sure that the Western Wall is busy. Didn’t check it out this morning. After all the hustle of yesterday, today is a relief. If only it would stay this way. But come Sunday, everything will be back to normal. It is still hard to get used to Sunday beginning the work week.

I also went back to Ben Gurion Airport to meet my nephew, Alex. He will be with me for a little over a week. Some families coming into the Greeting Area have banners, balloons, cheering and singing. Others run out to meet the incoming guest. Some look like they brought every possible thing that they have ever owned. It’s all great fun to watch. It is also interesting to take a Sherut (a shared taxi, more like a mini van) from the Airport to Jerusalem. They are all lined up outside the airport and when they have 9 or 10 passengers you leave. Sometimes you even have to switch taxis before you head out. You never seem to know what part of town you will explore as someone is dropped off either at their hotel, bus station or even just a bus stop. And each driver is different, some real friendly, others want to get to Jerusalem and back to the Airport for another a pickup as fast as possible. It all makes life very interesting.

2010-08-13T07:26:00.000-07:00

Ramadan started Wednesday. It goes on for 30 days. The Muslims can't eat or drink when the Sun is up. They can eat and drink before it gets light. They can eat & drink after 7:30 PM. But not in between. This will be especially difficult on them during August, when it so hot here. You get thirsty just standing around, let alone working, etc. They use a lunar calendar and Ramadan keeps moving forward. When Ramadan occurs during the winter months, it's easier to keep. But that won't happen for awhile.

I went to the Old City today, wanting to catch a bus from the Arab Bus Station. I forgot that this is the Friday Prayer Service of Ramandan. Friday is the Muslim Day where they have their main prayers at Noon. While we have our Main Day of prayer on Sunday. Israel deployed a whole lot more police officers for today. Even mounted Police. But the crowds were intense. It was just a mass of people moving toward the Dome of the Rock and their Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The Israelis are even letting in people from Palestine and Bethlehem through the Wall. But only to men older than 50 and women older than 45. The younger men and women still need their work permits to get through the wall. In Bethlehem, they have even put up security walk ways before the Checkpoint where there were usually taxis. One set for the men and another for the women. So it is not a good idea to go the Old City or Bethlehem on Fridays. Of course the Jews are getting ready for Sabbath, so they are all out buying groceries, etc. for the next two days. The traffic was even worse than on other days because the Arab buses were all waiting to pick up people from prayer and had roads blocked off. I took some pictures of the crowds going towards the Mosque and some of the Police. But tonight it will all be nice and quiet.

2010-08-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the Russian Compound in Jerusalem. It sounds a little strange, but it is right by the Old City. There is a huge, beautiful Orthodox Church right in the middle of the Compound. It is dedicated to the Trinity. But most of the Icons depict the Resurrection and Ascension. It was built in the 1870's but has been very well kept. Of course it is a destination for all the Russian Pilgrims that are here. And there are many of them. But there are people from all over the world here. You never know where the person next to you is from. I took the bus to the Western Wall and watched the Bar Mitzvahs taking place. Quite a few number of families where there. Then I went to Mahane Yehuda, the local bazaar in Jerusalem where on Thursday & Fridays, it's alive with all kind of activity. Men selling all kinds of food products to a huge crowd of people. There are many fish stalls selling fresh fish. I'm not sure where the fish come from, but they are all sizes. They have a lot of salmon. They have all kinds of vegetables, nuts, spices, fruits, clothes, household items. It's enjoyable watching the shoppers with their little, personal shopping cards being pulled behind them. But these little carts sure do get in the way on the bus and on the sidewalks. But that's all being part of Jerusalem.

2010-08-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

This evening the Jensens are leaving. But before they left, we went to the town of Bethany which is the site of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Right around the site is a Catholic Church, a Mosque and a Greek Orthodox Church. One of the problems getting there is that it is now separated from Jerusalem by the Wall. There are 2 Catholic sites in Bethany, one site is Lazarus' tomb and the other one is Martha's House. But they are now separated by the wall. You have to go around the outskirts of Jerusalem and come back through the Palestinian Area to get to Lazarus' Tomb. There is also a big checkpoint when you come back. The young Arab women and men have to get off the bus and have their papers checked. The older ones and tourists from other countries can stay on the bus but you have to show and have your passports checked as the armed soldiers come through the bus. They detained one person who had a mild handicap because he didn't get off the bus when he should have. We didn't have time to go to the Bethany on the Jerusalem side today. Then we went to the top of Mount of Olives and walked to Bethpage where Jesus began his Palm Sunday Ride into Jerusalem and walked his path to the Kidron Valley. We went to the Tomb of Mary and Gethsemane today because they were closed for repairs the day when we were there before. So thus ended a good day.

2010-08-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Jericho. It's one of the oldest cities continously occupied in the world. It is over 10,000 years old. We saw a branch of the Jordan River where Christ probably was baptized before going out into the desert. Then we went to the Place where Jesus was tempted by the Devil. There is an unique monastery hanging on the side of Temptation Mountain. We got there by cable car. Inside is a beautiful chapel that commemorates the Temptation. Also had some Al-Sultan water from the local spring which feeds most of Jericho. You can even but it on the internet. Then we went to Hiram's Palace. It's an unique place where you can find the famous Tree of Life Mosaic. It is protected from the elements and is in wonderful shape. The US government has funded part of the restoration of the ruins. During the day, we travelled on a few highways in Palestine that were also funded by our Government. One thing about the Arabs, they do not believe in signs of any kind. On the US funded roads are nice big signs of what to expect. On the other roads, there are no signs, not even the names of the towns you go through. After that we went with the taxi driver that I use in Palestinian Area, Walid, to a restaurant for a typical Palestine Lunch / Dinner. There were about 12 different salads on small plates, then we had lamb kabobs and beef, afterwards we had baklava for desert. Very, very good. Said goodbye to Walid and headed home for the evening.

2010-08-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

I tried to put the blog on the web the other night but it did not go through. We went to the Galilee / Nazareth area, saw all the sites in the area. Even went to the Mount of the Precipice where the people of Nazareth wanted to take Jesus and throw him over because, he said these statements in Isaiah are now fulfilled in your midst. The area is really very beautiful and so different than Jerusalem. Jerusalem is so hectic and always in a rush, whereas the Galilee area is more serene and peaceful. We wnt to Mt. Tabor (the site of the Transfiguration) where it seems to be the most peaceful of all. I'll write more about our journey later today.

2010-08-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

The past two days, we have been in the Old City. We walked the Way of the Cross. We went with the Franciscans on their way through the Holy Sepulcher. Then today we walked through the Armenian & Jewish Quarter, stopping at the Western Wall and walked a small portion of the Outer Wall. Then when we were leaving the Dormition German Abbey, one of the caretakers asked if we were staying for Mass? I didn't know that they had Mass at 12:00, only that they closed then. So we stayed, but they had Noon Prayer instead. It was a small group of Monks, but it was very beautiful. It was all in German. Afterwards, I spoke to a Monk and said I had gone to St. Meinrad. He seemed to brighten up and when he asked my name, Kreilein, he was really smiling to hear a German name in Jerusalem. Later that afternoon at 3:00 PM, the only time St. James Cathedral is open, we went for their midafternoon prayer. So it was a full day. Tomorrow, we leave for the Sea of Galillee Area. The place where we will stay only has internet in the lobby, so I'll see if I can get on to post a blog.

2010-08-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today the three of us went to Bethlehem. First we went to the Shepherd's Field where the angel announced the Birth of Christ. Then on to the Milk Grotto where Joseph had an angel speak in a dream to go to Egypt and hid from Herod. After seeing the new church building at the Milk Grotto, we went to the Manger Square for the Birth Site. The Armenians were still having Mass so we went to the Catholic section and they were busy. By the time we looked around and made it back, the Armenians were finished. Then after a few minutes we were able to go into the grotto where the birthplace and manger are. There are many pictures and icons around the walls and then we went back to the Catholic section to see where St. Jerome translated the Bible from many different languages into the one language of the people, Latin. Also saw the Holy Innocent's Chapel and the graves of St. Jerome and his helpers. Then we went to the outdoor market place for the locals. It was crazy as ever. Then we went back to the apartment for awhile and went to see the places of the Visitation and Birth of St. John the Baptist. The pictures are of angels in the Upper Church of the Visitation.

2010-08-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the Ben Gurion airport to pick up Tom & Sharral Jensen from Wisconsin. Their flight was 30 minutes early and as procedure I waited in the greeting area for them. They didn't show up and didn't show up. I thought either I had missed them or they missed a flight or something. The reason they came out late was the their luggage didn't arrive. They filled out some paper work before they came out of the luggage area for delayed luggage. Since they didn't have my address, they had to go back and add some more information to it. Finally, convinced that the luggage would not arrive in a short time, we boarded a sherut (shared taxi). We ended up with a wildman at the wheel. He even pawned us off on a regular taxi that took us to the apartment. He paid for the cab himself. He really was in a hurry to get back to the airport for another pickup. We didn't get back until after 6:00 PM. Tomorrow we have plans to go to Jerusalem. Hopefully, the luggage will show up and there won't be any unexpected occurences.

2010-08-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

Since it was Tuesday, I decided to go to St. Onuphrius' Monastery. They are open on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Wrong. They were closed. I'll try again. Maybe next time in the afternoon. This Monastery is built around the Potter's Field or where Judas hung himself. I have seen it from a distance and from the front door two times. Now next time, I might be able to enter. Then I walked back through the valley and went up to Mt. Zion. On the way, I remembered that Oscar Schindler was buried in that area. He is the man from movie fame & also saved 1,200 of his Jewish workers from execution. So I went to the Catholic / Christian cemetery on Mt Zion and found his grave. It's pretty obvious because of all the rocks & stones on the grave. That's the Jewish custom of visiting a grave, instead of our custom of placing flowers. There is an international art & crafts festival in town, so I stopped by there also. Had a great day. The pictures are of the Monasery's sign and Schindler's grave.

2010-08-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a work day for me. I reviewed my Scripture project. Made some changes and finalized both the video and reflection part. Backed up all my work on different flash drives. Also, thought of how to package the program. I have a few different ideas. But will have to wait until I get home to finalize those areas. Hopefully at the first Spiritual Life Meeting when I get back, I'll preview the program. This really took up most of the day. I did go to a Coffee Shop down the Street. That's really the name of the cafe. I keep forgetting about the Jewish Eating Rules. If you have dairy products, you can't have any meat. If you have meat, you can't have any dairy. You really can't mix much of anything. All clothes have to be of the same fabric. In other words, no blends like cotton & polyester. Anyways, the Cafe has meals such as salads, fish, deserts, eggs, deserts. The food was very good & I'll be back. I'm going to start on a student's version of my program right now.

2010-08-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Today I went to what the Jews call the Temple Mount because the temple was located on top of this base. But now the Moslems have their Dome of the Rock. The Dome is a shrine built over the rock on which Abraham was preparing to kill his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. This also the place where they say Mohhamed was taken up into heaven. So this site is sacred to Christians, Jews & Moslems. Also there is one of the largest Mosques next to the Shrine. The temple area had to be huge if it had all this space. Non-Moslems are not allowed in the Shrine becasue Ariel Sharon ( a former Prime Minister of Israel) stormed into it during prayer time. So they have limited times that we can visit. It was worth it to go and visit the site. Here are a few pictures of the Dome and the area around it.

2010-07-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Holy Cross Monastery to see the place where tradition says that the tree which became Christ's Cross grew. Then we went to the Israeli Museum. Because of Sabbath, there were a lot of people there. But we went to see the Shrine of the Book. That is where they have some of the Dead Sea Scrolls on exhibit. These are the scrolls that were found that contain most of the Old Testament Books. It was very interesting to see the history behind them and also the Codices. Then we went to see the Model of the Old City during the time of the second Temple. In other words the time of Christ. We went to eat at an Armenian Restaurant. Then went to a Russian Orthodox Chapel that celebrates the Death of Christ by having the Gate on their property that Jesus went through on the way to Calvary. And now Jim & Eileen are preparing to leave this evening. The pictures are of a map of the old city at the time of Jesus. And the second is of a picture of the Resurrection at the Russian Church.

2010-07-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Ein Karem, the site of Mary's Visit to Elizabeth. This town reminds you of most people's concept of a biblical town. It is really a beautiful town in the Judean hills. You have to climb a very steep hill to get to Elizabeth's & Zechariah's Summer Home where the visit took place. There are Churches on two different levels. The upper and the lower church are quite different. Both are unique. Then we walked down the hill to the Birthplace of John the Baptist (winter home). After that, we took a bus to the Western Wall. The only remains of the Second Temple. We went to the wall and watched all the people praying and getting ready for the Sabbath. Then we went to some ruins of the South Wall and saw the remains of the entrance and exit to the Temple at the time of Christ. These remains were just uncovered 20 or 30 years ago. Also you can see the Booths that merchants sold animals, etc. for sacrifice. After a Lunch of falafels, we went to the site where Jesus was imprisoned and Peter denied Jesus. There still are steps there that are thought to be have been the steps Jesus used to go the Upper Room, then to the Mount of Olives and then back to Caiphas & Pilate. It was a fery enjoyable and prayerful day. The first picture is of the Church of St. Peter and the second is a closeup of the mosaic where Jesus forgives Peter on the outside of the church.

2010-07-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day. Took a taxi to Damascus Gate and an Arab bus to the top of Mount of Olives. We went to the Ascension Church on top of Mount of Olives. Went to the Pater Noster Church where Jesus taught the Our Father. Walked down the path to the place where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Has a beautiful view of the city and the Golden Gate where Jesus went through for the Palm Sunday Entry. Now it is walled up and the Jews are waiting for the Messiah to come through there. Continued down to the Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene. Then on to the Church of the Agony but first walked through the very, very old Olive Trees by the Church. Then on to the Tomb of Mary. And finally found Gethsemane which means Olive Press. Then we went to Zion gate where the Upper Room and the Tomb of David is located. Next to this is the Church of the Dormition where Mary fell asleep. Had a little to eat and then went on our trip through the Via Dolorosa. Stopped at all the Stations and had prayers at each one. Some College students from Fance asked help at the Holy Sepulcher. Had a very nice visit with them. There was so much traffic today in Jerusalem. Everyone was complaining about it. It was a full day but very enjoyable and memorable. The pictures are of the outside of the Tomb of Mary. The second is a picture of the outside of Mary Magdalene.

2010-07-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

Missed yesterday because I didn't have internet service. Just got back from the Sea of Galilee Area. Went to the sites of the Baptism of Jesus, the Multiplication of the Loaves & Fish, Table of Christ / Primacy of Peter, Capernahum, Mt of Beatitudes on Tuesday. We stayed at a Catholic German Guest House on the Sea of Galilee. It was very simple and nice. On Wednesday, we went to the sites of the Transfiguration / Mt. Tabor, the Annunciation, St. Joseph's Church / Workshop, the Synagogue in Nazareth, St. Gabriel's Church, Mary's Well. That was a lot to visit in two days, but we survived and are ready to go tomorrow. WIll give another report tomorrow. The pictures are of the Basilica of the Annunciation and a picture in the Synagogue where Jesus taught. Both of these sites are in Nazareth.

2010-07-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

First of all today, we went to the Shepherd’s Field. There is a beautiful Church there that still overlooks the shepherds and their fields to this day. After that we went to Manger Church and got into the site of the Birth of Christ right before the Armenians had their Services. Then we looked around the Church which is governed by the Greek Orthodox & Armenians. The we went to the Catholic Church of St. Catherine. This Church lays up to the Nativity Church. In it is the site of St. Jerome Monastery where he translated the Bible from many as languages into Latin. Then we went to the Milk Grotto where Joseph was told to take his family to Egypt. Than we went to the Market area of the locals. So many fresh vegetables and other items iwere for sale. Then took a break for lunch. Went to a few shops and walked through the Checkpoint. During our stay, it was interesting to hear the Palestinian take on the Wall going around the Palestinan Area. Had a very strange taxi ride from the Checkpoint to the Apartment. After a little rest, we went to the Holy Sepulcher and had prayer with the Franciscans. Because there were still so many people in line for the tomb, we had supper nearby and then went back and only had to wait a few minutes to go into where Jesus was laid to rest. The picture is of Jim & Eileen in front of the Tomb of Jesus and the birth place of Jesus.

2010-07-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

Today I welcomed Jim & Eileen Will to Israel. They arrived about 5:30 in the afternoon. I met them at the airport and we took a shared taxi back to my apartment. The nice thing about the shared taxi with about 9 or 10 other people is that you get to see some of the different parts of Jerusalem as you drop off the other people. We were the last to be dropped off.. We had supper together at a little cafe down the street and talked about the Holy Land. And also made plans for tomorrow. I got a call from my Palestinian Taxi Driver tonight. He will take us around the city stopping at different sites in Bethlehem. It should be fun. Fill you in tomorrow.

2010-07-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

Today is the Sabbath. Seems like we just had it. But I was gone for a few days. That made the week go by fast. I see on the internet and hear on TV about the Heat Wave that you are having. Today was very pleasant in Jerusalem. Today it was 84 degrees and the low this evening will be 62. And that is with a breeze. There were even clouds. I hadn't seen a cloud since the middle of June. People this evening were wearing jackets and sweaters. It's really not the cold.

Today I walked the Old City Wall. I had done one part the last time I was here. This time I went the other way. You get a different perspective when you look down into the Old City rather than always looking ahead of you. I ended up at the Western or Wailing Wall. I thought there would be more Jewish people there since it was the Sabbath. It was pretty empty. They must come at the end of Sabbath for their prayers. It's interesting to see how calm and mellow people are on the Sabbath. But come Sunday it's back to the races. Everyone for themselves. It's such a contrast.

2010-07-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

I made it to Sinai. Wow what a spiritual experience. I have my pictures on Picasa again. Here is a link to them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/holyland08/MountSinaiStCatherineMonastery#

A little background on where I went. St. Catherine's Monastery is the site of the Burning Bush where God spoke to Moses and told him to free the Israelites from slavery by the Egyptians. And during the Exodus from the Egptians gave us the 10 Commandments on top of Mt. Sinai.

The Monastery is located right at the foot of Mount Sinai. St. Catherine's Monastery is more than the burning bush or the Mount. It was built in the 4th century, it is one of the world's oldest monasteries and houses the second largest (after the Vatican) collection of codices and manuscripts, most of which are written in Greek, Coptic, Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew, or Syriac. This is the smallest Diocese in the world and also one of the oldest continuous Christian Churches. The main church of the complex, was completed in 551 by Justinian, a Roman Emperor. It is now a Greek Orthodox Church and Monastery. I was not allowed to take pictures inside, so you will not be able to see any interior shots. In the year 628, Muhammad granted a Charter of Privileges to the monks. It consists of several clauses covering all aspects of human rights including such topics as the protection of Christians, freedom of worship and movement, freedom to appoint their own judges and to own and maintain their property, exemption from military service, and the right to protection in war. They still have the letter from Muhammad. And because of that, there is also a Mosque inside the walls. This helped it from being destroyed by different conquerors. Even Napoleon was here after he captured Egypt and assisted the Monks in their need with many gifts. The Ossuary or Skull House contains the skulls of 1400 years' worth of monks who have lived, prayed and died here. They are buried for two years and because of the desert there are only bones left after that. And they are taken into the house. Moses' Well is also here. This is where Moses met his wife for the first time and after the Exodus brought the Israelites here because there was water. It’s no longer used for drinking water but it is still used to water the Burning bush and other vegetation on the property. The roots of the plants stretch to the well. And this is also at the base of the Mt Sinai where people lost faith in God, created an idol to worship instead and then repented and followed the one God again.

After touring the Monastery and Museum, I climbed Mt. Sinai. 3.1 miles up and 3.1 miles down. I took the two different ways. Going up a steep path and then 750 steps straight up. Then I went down 3,750 Steps of Penitence. They are really not steps, but well places stones and boulders. What a spiritual journey. I can see why God picked this place to speak to his people again. It is breathtaking at the top. The top still gets covered by clouds.

So ends another adventure. Hope you enjoy the pictures. When you get to the page hit the slideshow and then F11 for full screen. You can change the time each picture is on the screen and also go backwards and forwards.

2010-07-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the Holy Cross Monastery. It is a Greek Orthodox Church built over where they say the tree grew that was used for the Crucifixion of Christ. It's an interesting story. The Holy Tree, according to the tradition and the local paintings in the Monastery, was based on a triplet seeding (olive + cypress + cedar) that the Abraham gave to Lot. The reason Lot got the tree follows alond with this coming Sunday's Readings. After the destruction of Sodom & Gommorah, there was only Lot and his daughters around. They got Lot drunk and had relations with him to have children because all the men had died. When he sobered up he was very sorry for what he had done. He went to Abraham and asked for forgiveness. That's when he was given the three branches to be planted. If they grew, it would be a sign that he was forgiven of his sin. So, Lot planted the trees together at this site and watered it with waters he fetched from the Jordan river. The trees grew together and became one. The tree was later used to create the Holy Cross on which Jesus was crucified. A room inside the Monastery marks the site of the tree. To keep with this theme, I went to the Botanical Garden which was close by. The first picture is with Lot and the tree. The second is the site where they say the tree grew. If you click on the picture you can see the engravings of the trees and other events.

I'm going to Mt. Sinai and St. Catherine's Monastery tomorrow. They are in Egypt. So I will be away from internet access for awhile. I'll resume my Blog when I get back later this week.

2010-07-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

One of the items that I wanted to do while in Israel is to go to Mt. Sinai where Moses received the 10 Commandments and also the Monastery of St. Catherine. The Monastery has been in existence since the 400's, 1600 years ago. While here, I have discovered that it is difficult to go there from Israel. Other countries it is a lot easier. Israel still considers this a hostile and dangerous country so the country does not allow them entrance there. Which is very strange since Moses gave them the Law, which is their entire religion. You can't rent a car and drive across the border. You can't even rent a car and drive in parts of Israel, because it is a Palestinian Territory. To make matters even more complicated, there is only one crossing that US Citizens can cross without a special visa. And because there are many peopel crossing there, there isn't any transportation on the other side. Anyways, I finally found a way to hopefully get there. It's a little complicated but I think it will work. That's basically what I did today. Since I have gotten so much work done on my project, I'm going to reward myself with a trip. I did go to Ben Yehuda Street today and did some walking. Have to stay in shape to climb Mt Sinai, etc. The picture is the entrance to the pedestrian mall.

2010-07-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

Since today is Sabbath, I decided to just relax a little bit. But I did go out for awhile. Almost everything is closed on my street and surrounding areas. It is very relaxed in an eerie sort of way. Becasue where there is conjestion, there is nothing. Where sidewalks are full of people, there are just a few. But it was nice. I went to the Russian Orthodox Church of the Judgement Gate. Jesus went through this gate out of the city on the way to Golgotha. They say next to this gate is the "eye of the needle". That's the gate that Jesus talked about as being so hard to enter. For some it will be this difficult for them to get into the Kingdom. They also have some of the old wall at the time of Christ. The pictures are of these two things. Tonight, I have Mass at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

2010-07-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight begins the Sabbath. Once again everything calms down. Most everything is closed and people are at home celebrating the evening meal together. Today as I was I out, I saw Hebrew University from a distance. The Rector at Tantur had mentioned that they had a cross on top of their tower. Sure enough. I guess it's a radio tower or something like that. You would think that they would see that it's a cross and have it changed. Also I don't think that I showed how the walls of Jerusalem are constructed. They are built right into the stones that stick out of the ground. They all become one piece of construction. The walls, that are around Jerusalem now, were built in the 1600's. They are constantly repairing them. Right now there is a big reconstruction effort at the Jaffa Gate. The pictures are of the tower from a distance and the wall.

2010-07-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is the largest city in Israel. It's right on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is so different from Jerusalem. It is calm. It has a lot of traffic but not the craziness here. There is an older section of town, Joppa or Yafo. This where Jonah set sail from trying to escape doing what God wanted. He didn't get very far and was returned by the whale. Didn't see any whales but it was beautiful city. It took about a hour by bus from Jerusalem. Coming back from the Bus Station, it took about an hour including waiting for the bus and the traffic. Tomorrow is Friday and thta means getting ready for the Sabbath. So it is even busier in the city. The pictures are of some of the buildings of Tel Aviv.

2010-07-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

Had a quiet day. Spent some of the day working on my Scripture Project again. Once again realized that I did not have the right photos for the segment that I'm working on. So off I went to take the right photos. You would think that with all the ones that I have taken, that I would have enough. Good thing that I can just walk out and take some more. I guess it's also a good thing that I can start & finish here and get everything that I need. This evening I went to the Pontifical Biblical Institute for evening Mass. I met Fr. Mark from Nigeria for dinner afterwards. I met him through Tantur. He was on a program from the University of Maryland that was at Tantur for 10 days. He also stayed over. But he is really studying. Right now he is studying Hebrew in an intensive program where else but Hebrew University. He will finish in early September and goes back to teach at a Seminary in Nigeria. Here are a few pictures of today's journey. These are from the 3rd Station. There is a small chapel with this statue of Jesus falling the first time. The second photo is of a closeup of the backgound of the same hsot.

2010-07-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

As I was working on my Scripture Study Program this morning, I discovered that I didn't have enough pictures of the Garden of Gethsemane. The Church is closed from 12:30 - 2:30. So I would get ready in the early afternoon and take a bus to the Church. Since there is no bus schedule. I got on the internet and found out the route to take. The one with the most buses is right in front of the apartment. One change, no problem. So I got on Bus #19 & went 8 stops like it said and got off. There was Bus Stop #1. So I got on Bus #1. Wrong. It went in the other direction. It went through the Ultra Orthodox Jewish section and ended up at the Central Bus Station. So I looked all around and found Bus #1 going the other way back to the Old City. All this travel for 6.2 sheckels or $1.30. Got off at the right stop & walked two blocks to the Church. It was empty. I had the Church of The Agony all to myself. So I took a bunch of pictures, said my prayers and started walking around a little bit and then a huge tour group came in. So I left. Walked the Way of the Cross and came back and started working on the program. The pictures are of the rock of the agony or where Jesus prayed that this cup would pass Him by. And second one is of the Olive Trees in the Garden. Some could be off shoots of the ones from the time of Christ

2010-07-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of just wandering around the Old City. Went into the Christian Quarter. Went by the Latin Patriarch or Bishop's Headquarters. Then went to a new Church for me, St. Savior. It is a very large Church. All the services there are in Italian or Latin. They also have a School and around the Corner there is a DeSalles High School. Walked down St. Francis Road and surprisingly came into the back of the Holy Sepulcher. Walked into the Moslem Quarter and came upon the Dome of the Rock. Non Muslims cannot go into that area since the Intifada (when Arabs declared a holy war on Israel in 2002). Ariel Sharon walked right into the Dome one day and that really made them mad. On certain days & times you can walk around the Shrine but you cannot go in anymore. This is the place where Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice him to the Lord. Also this is where Mohammed ascended into Heaven. So it is a holy place for Moslems, Jews and Christians. The Jews won't go there because that was also the Temple site. And since they don't know exactly where the Holy of Holies was, they won't step onto the site for fear of walking the place where only on person a year could go into. It's all very territorial. But then I was able to go the Cathredral of St. James. It is only open from 3:00 - 3:30 PM. That's when the Seminarians have their prayer. That's strange because all these tourists come in during that time. It is an Armenian Church. The Armenians have been persecuted almost all of their existence. It is very ornate. This supposedly is the burial place of St. James the Greater and the burial place of the head of St. James the Lesser, the Apostles. The first Church built on this spot was in the 300's. The pictures are of a stone marker in the wall next to the schools in the Christian Quarter. Issa is arabic for Jesus. Maybe we need that motto in Indiana. Notice the hoop attached on one side and the engraved basketball in the other corner. And it looks old. The next is the burial place of St. John the Lesser.

2010-07-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

Today, I went to the Jerusalem Mall to buy a few things that I needed for the apartment. Boy, was it crowded. Walked around, looked at all the stores, found what I needed . There are a few things different than our malls. The stores are smaller and more specialized. The other thing is that there is security at the entrances. You need to go through a metal detector & your bags, purse, etc. are searched. It's pretty large with 3 floors. Took my purchases to the apartment and decide I needed to get a better idea on how the buses run. That was a mistake. Took a bus to the Central Bus Station which is fairly new and big. It is one of the largest bus stations in the world. I had been there before but didn't go inside because my transfer was on the outside of the building. Again you have to through security to get in the building. To my surprise, the first two floors are a mall with lots & lots of shops. And people packed in it. It's kind of like Grand Central Station in New York. The busses come to the 3rd floor for arrival & departure which seems strange. I'll figure that out when I take a bus to Joppa and other places. There are about 30 platforms for arrivals & departures. But they didn't have any maps. Only individual bus lines with the stops in hebrew. So that didn't help at all. The bus ride there is always congested because they are building a light rail line through Jerusalem on the busiest street, Jaffa Road. This construction has been going on for 4 years and none of it has been open. The first part that was built is now rusted and grass growing over it. They say it will be open in the Fall, but that will never happen. They seem to be putting more time and money into the stations instead of finishing and opening the rail line in order to get rid of some of the traffic problems. Here are two pictures of the over pass built by the Bus Station. It really looks out of place in Jerusalem. In the second picture, you can see the gridlock, buses and cars all stopped.

2010-07-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

This is the Sabbath and it is still very quiet. Adult children come home for the evening and the day. There is a lot of family time. But on Sunday the work day begins and traffic is back to normal. I walked around today trying to figure out the bus system while there wasn't much traffic. You can go any where in Israel on a bus. You just have to figure out on how to do that. It is very difficult to find a map with bus routes. I have figured out a few routes. Tomorrow, I'll work harder on it. Even though it's the Sabbath, the Old City was full of people. I think that they were mostly Arabs. This evening I'm going to Ben Yehuda Street. They say it comes alive when Sabbath ends. I'll find out. The first picture is of a Wedding Car going through the narrow streets. Perhaps picking up the Bride for her wedding. The second is a shop in the market section of the Old City. Want some Sheep Heads or Hooves or stomach (tripe) for supper?

2010-07-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

Almost forgot to enter my blog. I was busy doing all kind of things today. I have spent a lot of time doing my Introductory to Scripture Series. But I also went out and did something new for me. I went to the Mahane Yehuda. It is a city block long and 2 streets wide of booths selling fruits, vegetables, meats, fish baked goods, etc. Today is a special day since more people than usual are there because they are getting ready to celebrate Sabbath (every Friday from Sundown to Saturday at Sundown) with a special meal. And then on Saturday, no cooking of anything, everything has to be done before Sabbath. Many take it so serious that they don't even boil water. They use large coffee urns to keep the water hot from Friday. It was amazing how many people were at the market and buying all fresh items. It is dark now and very quiet in Jerusalem. No buses run. Hardly any traffic tonight. Stores are closed. They have worked out a system though. Friday is the Islam Sabbath, Jews on Saturday, Christians on Sunday. So some places are open if needed. There is a Church 5 minute walk away from me that has an english mass, the Pontifical Biblical Institute. Went there this evening. Also, the Family of the soldier that is hostage, has set up their vigil at Benjamin Netanyahu's residence. They even keep Sabbath right there. The third picture shows the table set for them right on the sidewalk. You can also see a picture of the hostage, taken 4 years ago. The other pictures show the open air market at Mahane Yehuda.

2010-07-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

I'm settling in at my apartment. It's on a busy street but I'm in the back so I don't hear the street noise. It's in a very nice neighborhood. Four years ago, a young soldier was captured by Hamas. His family has been trying to get the government to get him back. Now there has been a 12 day march from his parent's home to the Prime Minister's Home. I didn't know what was in the gaurded area that I kept walking by. Well I must be two blocks from the Prime Minister's home because the soldiers have tripled in number and more barriers have been put up. Apparently the parents are going camp out in front of the home for awhile. Should be interesting. I know that I am close to the USA Consulate and the French Consulate on the next street. So this must be a beter neighborhood than I thought. I went to the Old City and the Jewish Quarter. It's fun to sit and watch people. There were more Bar Mitzvahs at the Wall. Utter Chaos, but I guess they like it that way. Had the best Falafel for lunch. Have to remember the spot. Went to the Holy Sepulcher for evening prayer. It was really nice today, not so many people there this evening. I'm going to work on my scripture study, this evening. In the first picture. notice the women behind the wall. They are not allowed in with men, so they stand on chairs looking over the fence.

2010-07-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

Today, I went back to Bethlehem. I went to the Nativity Church but the crowd was so large, I went to the Catholic Church, St. Catherine. But it was packed. Tuesday must be the day that the tours go to Bethlehem. So I went to the Peace Center of Bethlehem. One of the exhibits is a collection of Crib Scenes from around the world. All are quite unique and handmade. Then I decided to walk up Pope Paul VI Street and try to find the Local's market. It also was packed. Mostly local women buying food and other stuffs. And the men yelling their products. It was crazy. I loved the butcher shops, everything just hanging out in the open. This morning and evening, I started in earnest on my Intorductory to Scripture Series. There are still a few loose ends but I made progress on the first lesson. Tomorrow I will not have an entry because I am moving to my apartment from School. So I will be packing and moving my stuff to 18 Aza Street in Jerusalem. And then unpacking and setting up my new quarters. It is in a very nice neighborhood and close to the old city. When I get situated, I'll resume the blog.

2010-07-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

School is finished and today I just walked around. I really covered a lot of ground. I played "Palm Sunday". Took a bus to the Mount of Olives and walked to Bethpage where the Jesus' Procession started and followed it all the way through the Kidron Valley up to the Temple Mount. At the Western Wall, it must have been International Bar Mitzvah Day. There were Hundreds and Hundreds of people there. Processions bringing in the Young Boys for their big event. There were White Umbrellas lining the women's side and the back so the mothers and other women relatives could still watch. They are not allowed in the Men's section. They were throwing candy when they arrived to their site with the Torah. Then it was all professionally videotaped with the candidate microphoned to the video camera. The picture shows one young boy with the Torah inside a beautiful Silver Container. What a special day for them. Then I just walked around the rest of the day. Left at 8:00 AM & came back at 7:30 PM. Hope all had a good 4th of July. We had fireworks, but we have fireworks almost everynight. The Arabs love to set them off at any celebration, weddings, birthdays, whatever. The first picture is of the inside of the Church at Bethpage and the second is the Bar Mitzvah. See the women on the other side of the fence.

2010-07-04T07:12:00.001-07:00

I'm back from Petra. What a place. It is One of the New Seven Wonders of the World. And I can see why! Petra means Rock. The City is carved into this canyon. You might remember it from the second Indiana Jones Movie. Where he rides his horse through the canyon and comes upon the Treasury. It was hidden for ceturies until discovered in the 1800's. We walked through the border and joined a tour but went out on our own after arriving at Petra and was able to walk to all the sites before it was time to get back on the bus. The border closes at 8:00 PM. So it was a very full day. On Saturday, we went snorkeling in the Red Sea. Beautiful coral reefs teeming with fish. And then we came back very tired. Rested up on the 4th of July and wrote this part of my blog.
To see the pictures, click on the picture. Then there is a cartoon bubble at the bottom left where you can see the titles, click there. Click on the triangle or the II to play. Hit F11 for full screen, arrows for forward and back. Hope you enjoy. The pictures don't do Petra credit.

2010-07-04T07:08:00.001-07:00

Back From Petra.

http://picasaweb.google.com/holyland08/Petra?feat=directlink

2010-06-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

I am writing this on Thursday July 1, earlier than usual. I had been trying to make arrangements to go to Petra. It all finally fell into place last night. Sometimes the most simplest things here become really complicated. So right now, I'm getting ready to drive south to the very tip of Israel. The city is Eilat. Then on Friday, a professor from St. Joseph College, Maine and I will go to Petra. It's the city that is carved out of rock. If you remember the first Raiders of the Lost Ark, it's in the opening scene going through a canyon and coming upon this preserved ruins. It was lost until the mid 1800's. It now one of the Seven Wonders of the New World. Then on Saturday, we go to the Red Sea. And on Sunday we come back to Jerusalem. So it should be a great few days. I'm not sure if I will have internet service, so it might be a few days before I post again.

2010-06-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

Today is a day of saying goodbyes to people as they leave Tantur. They are either leaving by taxi or sherut (a shared van that picks up or delivers 10 people to or from the airport). The Sheruts have a good system. You tell them when your flight leaves and they tell you when you will be picked up. They are very reliable and very nice. So today, I went with a small group that is still here to have Mass at the Church of St. Anne - the mother of Mary. This was Joachim's and Anne's home and Mary was born here. A Priest received a new assignment while here & it is the Shrine of St. Anne in Scranton, PA. He arranged a Mass time to end his time here and start his new time in his new assignment. Five of us went along. The Church was built by the Crusaders, so it is quite old. Tonight, I have to vacate my room, so I'm starting to pack and get ready to move. Here are some pictures of the Church. The first one is the statue of St. Anne & Mary. The second is part of the cave/home that Anne & Joachim lived.

2010-06-29T05:19:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Ein Karem. This is the town of Zecharia, Elizabeth & John the Baptist. It is still a village. In this village are 2 major Churches that commenorate the time that Elizabeth and Mary met. They were both pregnant with children that had great promise. They both had miraculous conceptions. The one Church, The Visitation, is on top of a big hill. And the other, The Chuch of the Birth of John the Baptist, is in town. After touring the sites, we had a time for reflection of the month long program. After that was a closing prayer service. Everyone seems tired and starting to think about packing to go home. We have two more functions this afternoon and evening. The pictures are of The Church of the Visitation and the hill country of Judah.

2010-06-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

Had problems with the internet service here, so I am a little late in posting on the Blog. We had a class at a Russian Orthodox Church up the road from us. We all walked there. The Rector gave the talk on the Churches of Jerusalem in particular the Orthodox. It was interesting to see the comparisons of the Catholic and Protestant Churches in America to these. Then this afternoon, I took three others, who heard of my trip to Bethany, back to Bethany. The bus stop is not marked very well, but all the Palestinians on the bus, helped us to get off at the right place. We had lunch and had something comparable to an Arab “Subway”. Very good. It is wonderful at the tomb of Lazarus. The three were amazed how peaceful the site was in comparison to other sites that we had visited. And how much was there. There wasn’t any rush but it took over two hours to get back. Scripture says that Jesus walked to Bethany. He probably made it faster than we did because of the traffic congestion, construction and checkpoint. Here are some pictures of Lazarus’ tomb. The first one is the entrance to the tomb. The second is the tomb.

2010-06-27T02:20:00.000-07:00

Today is Sunday, so we are taking it easy. Three of us went to St. Catherine's Church in Bethlehem for Mass. After that we walked to The Milk Grotto for a visit. I had been there before but I didn't ever see the new Church that is behind the cave grotto. It is very beautiful. They also have a panorama of Bethlehem from their back door. Coming back, you have to go through the New Wall & Checkpoint. Usually U. S. Citizens can just walk through. Today, they wanted to see the stamp from the Airport. Something must be going on to have more security. This afternoon, a few of us are going to Mount Zion area to spend the afternoon. If you have ever watched the Mass on Christmas Eve from Bethlehem, the first picture is the statue that is carried in procession. The second is from the New Milk Grotto Church. The stain glass window depicts Jesus in red carrying his cross and the eclipse of the sun when He died.

2010-06-26T05:54:00.000-07:00

Today we went out into the Judean Desert to to experience the silence of the Desert. Also to give you a feel of why people went out to the Desert to pray. Then off to Jericho. Jericho is one of oldest continously inhabited cities in the world. Over 10,000 years old. It is in Palestine. It is mentioned in the Old Testament many times, but is also the site of the Three Temptations of Christ by the Devil. There is a Russian Orthodox Monastery built right into the side of the mountain to commenorate the site. It is high on the Mount of Temptation. We took the "longest cable car beneath sea level" to the top. It is a very unique place. They have a cave where Elijah spent some time and also they say that they have a stone where Jesus sat for the temptation. You can see the Dead Sea from the top and also the Countries of Jordan & Israel besides Palestine. Then we went to Hiram's Palace. This is where the Tree of Life Mosaic is located. I always thought it was a Christian symbol, but it is in the Bath House. Then we went to see a Sycamore Tree, because Zaccheaus lived in Jericho. That's the story of Jesus calling him down to eat supper with him. After that, we went to another Russian Orthodox Monastery called St. Geronimus. After the visit we returned to school. They were having roadblocks in front of school stopping cars and checking papers/passports. Since this is the Sabbath the vast majority of the people driving where Palestinians. The pictures are of the mosaic, The Tree of Life and the Temptation Monastery built into the side of the Mount.

2010-06-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Today we had a lecture on Desert Monasticism. This basically is about Monks who have gone out into the desert to be hermits for awhile and loved the desert so much that they set up monasteries. Most of them are very small places but seem to survive. These is to get us ready for a trip to Jericho on Saturday. In the afternoon the whole group went to Bethany where there is a Passionist Order House. One of our group is a Passionist Priest from Scranton PA.. We saw their place. They say that this was the site of Lazarus, Martha and Mary’s home. But now the new Wall separating Israel from Palestine runs right through their property and separates them from Bethany. It’s a real shame. It makes it very difficult for their ministry. There is also a convent of Comboni Missionary Sisters next door. They run a Pre-school for 3 - 5 year olds. The children have to walk through the New Wall to go to School. They put in a small door for them to get through but not their parents. The Israeli Police even showed up when we walked very close to the wall to get a better look. The pictures are of Martha & Jesus and a picture of the New Israeli wall dividing Bethany. The Vatican had to intervene so that they could keep their ruins of Bethany on their side of the Wall.

2010-06-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

Today was a day off. Nothing scheduled. 4 of us went to Yad Vashem which is the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Very moving. Especially the Children's Memorial. We spent all morning there. Then we went to the Armenian Section of the Old City. Had lunch and went to St. James Cathedral. But it was closed for repairs. Decided to go on the Way of the Cross again. Took our time, got into the chapel of the 7th Station, Jesus Falls the Second Time. Never has been opened before. Then I went back to the Franciscan's procession around the Holy Sepulcher. Very impressive. Ate in the Old City & went back for Mass in the Resurrection Chapel with the Mexican Seminarians From Holy Cross Seminary, Notre Dame.

After Mass started talking to a Franciscan who took us to their living quarters in the Holy Sepulcher. They actually live in the Church. Once it is locked at 8:00 PM, they cannot get out or in. A different perspective from their rooms. Took the bus back to School and am writing the Blog at 10:00 PM. Very full day. The pictures are from Yad Vashem. The first is of the Cattle Car that took the Jews to the Concentration Camps. It is built on a steel bridge that goes nowhere. Very Symbolic. The next is of some statuary on the grounds. You are not allowed to take pictures in the museum, so these are all outside.

2010-06-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

Today we had a lecture on the topic of Jesus and his Cultural Milieu. The main focus was on the Sacred and the Profane. Also about impurity both Ritual & Moral. It's amazing how many of the Scripture Stories deal with some sort of impurity. In the afternoon, I went into Bethlehem. I'm really beginning to like Bethlehem more and more. Even though it is a real hassle going through the Checkpoint and all the people trying to sell you things. There was a small group of Africans trying to maneuver through. They did not know English or Arabic, so they couldn't read the signs and were really. I helprd them through and they found their guide on the other side. Had a relaxing stroll through the town. Tonight we get to go to experience the evening prayer at a Mosque. Here are some pictures of the inside of St. Catherine's Church and a close up of the the stain glass window. It's a Franciscan Church, so I doubt if Sts. Francis & Anthony were there at Christ's birth.

2010-06-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today there was a lecture on the Jewish Perspective on the Scriptures (primarily the first 5 books). Basically they look at the covenant and law. The way they study or refelect on scripture is word by word and question each word as to the meaning. Where we look at the passage and see how we can either put ourself into that place or how that pasage is relevant to today. Now I can understand why the Jewish people question everything. This afternoon, I caught two buses and went to Bethany. This is the place where Lazarus, Jesus' friend, was raised from the dead. I use that passage a lot in funerals. Also the home of Martha and Mary where Jesus spent a lot of time. This is really one of my favorite spots in the Holy Land. The Church is meant to resemble a mausoleum but with the Easter Light of Christ streaming into the Church. You would not even know that you are in Palestine, this area is so removed from the city. The pictures are of the inside of the Church and the surrounding garden.

2010-06-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the desert. I’m glad I went but it wasn’t as interesting as the other trips we took. We took time to explore the area where Abraham lived and moved around. We actually walked about 20- 25 minutes into the desert. We read some scripture passages concerning the desert and water. Then we had silence and listened to the Desert. I had no idea how much you could hear. There were birds and small animals. No wonder Moses, Elijah, Jesus spent 40 days/years in the desert. Then we went to Beersheba.. This is the town where Abraham took Isaac to be sarificed. Isaac lived his whole life and this is where Jacob came to on the way to Egypt to be reunited with his son Joseph. This is also the place where God spoke to all of them and then not until Moses in the Desert at the burning bush. The pictures are of the Desert where we stopped to meditate and some camels along the way

2010-06-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Another interesting day. Spent the night locked in the Holy Sepulcher. Was very peaceful. I actually worked on the 7th part of my Intro into Scripture. It was peaceful until the doors were opened for the Greek Orthodox to begin their services. People swarmed in like it was the sales after Thanksgiving. Just chaos. And when we were leaving at 12:30 there were groups after groups filing into the corridors leading to the Church. Came back to the Church for Mass in the Resurrection Chapel. Our group was joined by other pilgrims. Nice Celebration. I remembered all the parishioners of Resurrection. But I especially remembered Matt Rexing at the mass. My deepest sympathy to his parents. Five of us went for coffee after the Mass and two hadn't done all the Stations, so we did a reverse order to all of them. In the afternoon, nine of us went to Hebron. This is the place where the Abraham, Sarah, Jacob and Joseph are buried or in a mausoleum type. This is a site that is holy to the Moslems, Jews and Christians. But the Israelis occupy it in the middle of a Palestinian Area. That causes great tension. There are guards everywhere. For years, tourists couldn't go there. But it is safe now. The Jews can't enter where the moslems enter, the Christians have to enter with the Jews. It is such a mess. Coming back the Israelis wouldn't allow us to enter Jerusalem through the Tunnel Checkpoint because we had been to Hebron. We had to go to the Bethlehem Checkpoint. It all worked out. The first picture is of me. I heard rumors saying that I was really in Vegas and just posting the blog from there because I wasn't in any of the pictures. Here is an Easter Candle Holder that wasn't being used, so I smuggled it out of the Church for Resurrection. Just kidding. With a candle in proportion, this would be taller than our Church. The other picture is the tomb of Abraham.

2010-06-19T04:07:00.000-07:00

Today we had another class on the Koran. It was conducted by a professor from Notre Dame who is here with his Graduate Students. He talked about how the Koran developed from just being spoken to a written book over the centuries. But it still has to be spoken out loud. An interesting fact was that they study the Koran in the public schools. And most have it memorized by the age of 11 or 12. Our group is resting up and doing laundry after the trip to Galilee. It was pretty intense. but tonight a few of us are going to be locked up in the Holy Sepulcher when it closes at 8:00 pm. I'm only staying till about 11:45pm. Apparently they trust us in there. Most probably there will be others there. it usually does not open until 6:00am. But the various Religions start around midnight getting their Sunday Prayers and Masses done before the tourists come. It should be interesting. Hope it's not too spooky. I'll let you know how it went tomorrow.

2010-06-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today was mostly a travel day. But first we went to Tel Dan. It is a nature preserve where the Jordan River begins. After all the desert we went through, all of a sudden here is this lush oasis. The water really does flow from the rocks. It becomes a pretty large stream as it goes down the hill. Then went to Banias or Caesarea Philippi. This the place that Jesus asked the apostles”Who do you think that I am? That’s because this is the place where many gods were worshiped, especially the god Pan. He is the god of nature. Then had a falafel for lunch at a Druze Restaurant and then went to the border of Syria. There is a DMZ area with an United Nations compound right in the middle. This is the Golan Heights. Also much fighting and arguing over this area, basically because of the water. Went by many large military camps, seemed to be all prepared for battle. Then back on the road all the way to Jerusalem. The picture is the start of the Jordan River and of the UN compound.

2010-06-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

Had another great day. First went to Caesarea by the Sea. What a great reconstruction of so many eras. Mostly Herod the Great. Saw the Hippodrome or the race track. Saw many other reconstructed sites all along the Med. Sea. Then we went to the Roman Aqueduct. An amazing site. Quite a feat of engineering by the Romans to bring water from the rivers and mountains to Caesarea. From there we went to Mt. Carmel. This is where Elijah defeated the god Baal by lighting his sacrifice without any help. Magnificent view from the top. Could see a huge Israeli military airport that isn’t on any map. The jets were screaming by while we were there. Had lunch at a Druze restaurant. Had Schwarma. Very good. Then on to Meggido. First, they uncovered a typical tomb of the 1st Century right by the highway. Typical of what Christ's tomb may have looked like. There have been 25 different eras of people over 7,000 years. Walked the tel. Went down to walls through a water tunnel dug by hand to get water to the people inside the walls when the city was undersiege. Amazing how they did this without modern technology. The first picture is of Mt. Carmel and then of the tomb by the road.

2010-06-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today was another busy day. We started in Tiberias with some ruins of a synagogue with Christian influences. Stopped at one of the Baptismal sites. There is another that just opened near Jericho which hopefully we will be able to see. We went by bus to Beit She'an. A remarkable reconstruction of ruins from the 4th century. The place was huge. The town was destroyed by a massive earthquake. This earthquake destroyed many other sites throughout Israel. But much has been excavated and restored, including a main shopping area and an amphitheater. At one time it could have sat 4,000 people. Just amazing to see what they could build out of stone with simple tools. It was at the crossroads of two important routes. Then we had the best lunch at a Circassian Village. They are kind of a Cossack tribe from Russia. They migrated to Israel years ago. The food was delicious and plenty of it. Then off to a little Church in Nain, where Jesus raised a young boy who died. His mother was a widow and she had no one else to support her.. Then nearby was Mt. Tabor where Christ showed himself as God to three apostles. Going up the Mount was a lot of fun in a special taxi with all the switchbacks. It was the most peaceful place. The pictures are of the Church at Nain and the second is the inside of the Church of the Transfiguration (Mt. Tabor). Write more tomorrow.

2010-06-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Had another great day. Started off with an Israeli Breakfast. All kinds of food and fresh fruits. We first went to the Mount of the Beatitudes. Spent an hour there learning about the site and then I spent a long time reading the teachings of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew. Got on the bus and went to a new site, Kursi. This where Jesus drove the legion of demons from the possessed man and drove them into wild pigs in the area. We also went to the site of the multiplication of the loaves. They are building a new Benedictine Monastery on the site of the old one. Then we went to the other site at Tabgha, The Primacy of Peter, where Jesus fixed breakfast for the Apostles after the Resurrection and named Peter as first Pope. We walked down to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Then we had lunch. We had St. Peter's Fish. It a whole fish fixed and served with all the extras. It's actually Talapia. After that we went to Capernaum and saw Peter's Home and the Church over it and the ruins of the site where Jesus taught in the synagogue. Then off to a Kibbutz and took a ride on the sea on what they call Jesus Boats. Saw a first Century Boat that they have discovered since the Sea is shrinking. Quite a memorable day. Above are pictures of the Site where Jesus used a rock for breakfast, the Table of the Lord. And a scene from the Mount of the Beatitudes.

2010-06-14T11:51:00.000-07:00

Today was an amazing day. We left Tantur at 7:00AM. As I said yesterday, there was a mixup with the schedule, so we went all day and barely got to the hotel for supper. We went to Cana, the place where Jesus had his first miracle. Also walked by Nathaniel Barthomew's Church over his home. Only opened one day a year, on his feast day. Then went to Nazareth for the rest of the day. Traffic was terrible. We went to the Nazareth Village first. I thought that it would be a real fake, but it was very interesting and extremely informative. We had a picnic lunch right there in the shade. Then we went to the Basilica of the Annunciation. Our tour guide for the week is fantastic. So knowlegable about Nazareth. She grew up here and seems to have a large family and a lot of friends. We went into the lower Church and walked right into the home of Mary where the Angel Gabriel asked her to be the Mother of God. Went to the Second floor and then went to St. Joseph' Church where it is beleived that the Holy Family lived there. Came down to the remains of the first churches that were built there. Then we went to the synagogue where Jesus proclaimed that He Is The One. Went to Mary's Spring & St. Gabriel Orthodox Church. Walked through the markets and went to a Roman Bath from the 1st Century. Then something very unique. Went to the Rosary Sister's convent. Under their property, was remains that belonged to a "Very Respectful" person. After year's of exploration, they have discovered among other things a tomb, with a stone that covers the opening. Nazareth is a city of caves. So many of the homes could have been connected. This site is very, very close to Mary's home, so it could possibly be St. Joseph's tomb. Had a wonderful dinner and now am getting ready to go to bed. The pictures are of basically the kitchen of Mary in the Churh of the Annunciation. And a picture of the tomb & the stone that covered the tomb at the Rosary Sisters.

2010-06-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

Today is Sunday. Went to Church at St. Mark Church. This is also one of the Last Supper sites. The other one is just a room. So this is nice to celebrate a Mass at the Site. Then I walked into the newer part of the City. It was just like going back to the States. Except when you went into the Mall, you had to empty your pockets and got through a metal detector. Walked around for quite awhile and just watched people. Very interesting, since this is the first day of the work week for them. They really observe Sabbath on Friday night and Sat. It is really quiet all over the place. The Pictures are of the Shopping Mall I found (Nautica is the second store) and also right next door is the Old City Walls. Quite a contrast. Tonight I pack for 5 days in the Sea of Galilee area. But first we go to the Mediterranean Sea and Caesarea and Haifa. But we just had a change of plans, so we go first to Nazareth. That's even better. See you tomorrow.

2010-06-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday. Believe it or not today was a full day. We had Class in the morning to filll out the discussion on Islam. Finally figured out some of the differences between their own groups. The presenter was an Arab who leaves in Jerusalem but teaches in Bethlehem. So he has to go through the checkpoint each day. He received his Masters and Doctorate degrees at Catholic Universities in the US. Had lunch and went to a Russian Orthodox Monastery just up the street. Very interesting! We saw 5 buses but no people. We thought they would be in Church. How foolish. That's because there is a very nice cafeteria next to the church, and they were all eating. Another reason, though. It even has a full bar. Here in the old Arab section, there is no alcohol for sale at the Arab stores because of the Moslem law. Then at 3:00 pm, we had a class on Jesus' Discourse of the Bread of Life at the Capernaum Synagogue. This is in preparation of our journey to Galilee. After that we had some nuts & bolts of what to get ready for the trip. At 5:30, there is evening prayer. Supper at 6:00. Eucharist for Sunday at 7:30, followed by a farewell party for one of the Scholars who has been here for 7 months. Tomorrow is free so I'll be able to do more exploring. Have more for you tomorrow and pictures.

2010-06-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

Today we had an introductory class on Islam. No converts but found it to be very interesting. Tomorrow we will have the second class. It should be interesting because we can ask all kind of questions, religious or political. After the class a few of us went on the Way of the Cross. I led our group. Going there on the bus, we were diverted around the city. The Israeli Police and Military were puttting up road blocks in one the Arab parts of town. It took us a lot longer to get there because of the road closings. I guess there was to be some sort of demostration. Most probably for the press, since it was all staged. The Way of the Cross was almost empty. Had our prayers and was able to make all of the 15 Stations. The 15th Stationis the resurrection. I remembered all of you at his station. It was very nice to walk the Way of Christ almost 2000 years ago. Here are some pictures along the way. The first is Jesus carrying his cross. The second is actual pavement from the First Century. Christ could have possibly used this pavement to carry his cross. Something else. More tomorrow.

2010-06-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

Today we had a very long day but really good. We went to Masada where a group of Jewish people fled when Rome destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70 AD. It is on top of a high flat top hill. King Herod used it first as a Summer Palace. Rome finally conquered it and the Jews committed suicide rather than become Roman slaves. The went to the Dead Sea and most of the group floated in it. Because of the high salt level, it is very strange to float. You can start floating in about 5 inches of water. Then we went to what is called "David's Stream" in Ein Gedi. King David used this hideaway. It is in the middle of the desert but there are perpetual springs that have enough water to have water falls and streams. It is quite a hike up a mountain. We swam in a few of the pools formed by the stream. Now I know the inspiration for the 23rd psalm. And then we went to Qumran. This is the place where they discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. Quite an eventful day. But I learned a lot. The Photos are: one of the waterfalls and myself ( you have to look at it sideways)and the second is facing the Dead Sea in the distance. You can see that it is still a desert even with a stream going through it.

2010-06-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

Today we spent most of the time in class. We had our morning lecture on Judaism in the morning. I celebrated Mass for the community at 11:45 AM. Had Lunch. They fixed falafels. They were really good. Then I met with one of the Directors for advise on how to get to St. Catherine's Monastery or Mt. Sinai, Egypt where Moses got the 10 Commandments. And also how to get to Petra, the city carved out of stone in Jordan. Then there was a lecture by a Scholar in Study from India on the history of the Early Church after the Apostle's death. We always have evening prayer at 5:30. Supper at 6:00. Then there was a talk on the politics of Bethlehem. But tomorrow we are away all day. I'll write more about that tomorrow when we get back. The first picture is of the Western or Wailing Wall. The is where the Jewish faithful go to pray. You can see them standing in front of the Wall at the bottom. You can see how immense the wall is. The Second picture is from the southern wall and a lot closer. I keep forgetting to mention that if a square shows up instead of a picture, click on it. And if a picture shows up, you can click on it and the picture will be full size.

2010-06-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

Today was another new adventure. We went to the Armenian & then Jewish Quarter. Learned about the history of Jerusalem. How small the town was for centuries. Year 1800 only 12,000 people. 1900 80,000, butt a lot of the Europeans. Saw how the the "old city" is divided into 4 areas. Walked into the Jewish Quarter. It was basically destroyed in the 1967 War and now is re-built. The Main Synagogue was just finished. Went through the Roman built area Cardo (heart of the City). Stopped at a promenade overlooking the City and just a few steps further was the Wailing or Western Wall of the Temple that was destroyed by the Romans in the Year 70 AD. This is the most sacred section to the Jewish people. But we went to an archaelogical dig to the south. This was even better than going to the Wall. Since 1970, they have been digging away at the temple. They have unearthed the steps that Jesus and the people of his time actually walked on leaving the temple , the walkway around the temple. Even the Money Changer's and Animal Seller's booths . I have added the pictures of the steps and the booths.

2010-06-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

Today, we met with a Jewish Professor who spoke about the Bible and the Talmud. She told about the difference between the order of our Old Testament and their Tanak. She went through how they interpret their scripture. Either line by line or word by word. And they have commentaries that are centuries old that they refer to. She used as an example Cain and Abel. I lead evening prayer again this evening. Then my duties are done for the month. We have another session this evening. The pictures today are of the city of Jerusalem.

2010-06-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

For Sunday Mass, we went to one of the sites of Emmaus. Along the way, Christ revealed all the scriptures and finally through the breaking of the bread, the 2 disciples recognized him. The church was a French Benedictine Monastery. There are two churches in Abu Gosh. We only went to the one. The other sits on a hill. Most probably it is the one in the Book of Samuel where the Philistines brought back the 10 Commandments and was kept there for 20 years until the Temple was built by King David. The Tabernacle in this Church is built on the dimensions of the Ark of the Covenant (the 10 Commandments). That is the first picture. This Church was built during the Crusades, in the 1300's. Left in ruins and eventually restored. The second picture is of the sanctuary.

2010-06-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday. Jerusalem is quiet. It's the sabbath. Traffic is down to almost nothing. Tomorrow everything will be back to normal. I went to the Church of the Dormition. The place were Mary fell asleep. Very Peaceful. Jus around the corner is the Upper Room. It's probably the most disappointing place in the Holy Land. Then went to King David's Tomb. One problem. David's body is not there. It has not been found yet in the City of David. But then I searched and searched for St. Mark's Church. It belongs the Syrian Orthodox Church and they claim it as the place of the Last Supper. It is a much more believeable site than the one that is visted by the tourists. It is also said to have been the home of Mary, the mother of James. The Pictures above are of Mary lying in sleep. The statue is made of red maghogany with ivory face and hands. This a German church so German Mary's are always dressed in red rather than our blue and white. The the next is a mosaic of Jesus holding the baby Mary as she is new into the Kingdom while laying asleep amidst the apostles. The opposite of when Mary held Jesus when he was new on earth.

2010-06-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the trip to Bethlehem. Wonderful. It was not as crowded as usual. First we went to the Herodium. The Summer home of Herod the Great. It almost looks like a volcano. They think that they have found the tomb of Herod. Very interesting. Then we went to the Shepherd's Field. So peaceful. Could see some caves and learned a little about shepherds. You have to wait for Good Shepherd Sunday. Then to Nativity Square. Went directly to the cave. Nobody in line. Spent a long time there. It was very inspiring. Tried to think of some new decorating scheme for Church next Christmas but didn't have any luck. Went to the cave where St. Jerome translated the bible from many languages into Latin, which was the main language of that time. Went to the Milk Grotto. One of my favorite spots. Went through the area where the Palestinians buy their regular market items. Very different. Got lost and eventually found the way back to the checkpoint.

One interesting event. I was walking along the Mosque area and a car pulls up and asks if I'm from Indiana. Of course, I was wearing the IU hat the faculty & students gave me. They also were from Evansville. The Duncans from the East Side. Small world.!

The picture with the star is the believed birth place of Christ. The second picture is a statue in the Milk Grotto. This is the place where Joseph had his dream to go to Egypt to escape Herod.

2010-06-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

Found out that the noise last night was fireworks from a wedding celebration. Had a great day. Our conference was on Honor & Shame as related to Gospel stories and even present time and the significance of meals to the Palestinian culture. I and Priest of the Passionist Order, Fr. Jim Price went on a trip in the afternoon to re-trace our steps of yesterday. Just to make sure that we can go from the Mount of Olives to the Via Dolorosa and get out to the the Jaffa Gate. We actually were able to see more today than we did yesterday. The pictures are an overview of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock is in the center. This is the place where Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed and where Mohammed ascended into Heaven. It is a Moslem Shrine. The second picture is the birthplace of Mary. Once again in a cave/home.

2010-06-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today our little group went on a bus trip to the Mount of Olives. We basically walked the Palm Sunday Route. We stopped at the Our Father Church which is built over caves that Jesus lived in when in Jerusalem. This is also where he taught the Apostles how to pray. Went to the place where Jesus wept over the city. Went to Gethsemane (means olive press) prayed over the Rock of the Agony. Then proceeded into the Old City and walked the Way of the Cross. A very spiritual day in every sense. We really did not have enough time to do the way of the Cross well so I'll come back. Above are pictures of the Pater Noster (Our Father) Church and Olives trees in the Garden of Gethsemane. Some trees are said to be off shoots of the trees that were there when Christ prayed. They live for a thousand years. Nor sure what is going on now but there was a lot of gun fire and a little while later there are all kinds of sirens. Probably a protest to the attacking of the supply boats to Gaza. I'm very, very far away from Gaza, but close to Bethlehem. Most probably nothing.

2010-06-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today was the first official day of school. First we had Orientation. Some of the History of Tantur was explained. We had an official tour of the building. Also a deeper explanation of the present day wall separating Israel & Palestine. In the afternoon we all took a bus/walking tour of the Old City. We had stops so we could see the Old City from a distance and then closer all the time. We eventually stopped at St. Peter's Church in Gallicantu. This site remembers the betrayal of Jesus by Peter. Also the place where Jesus was held after being captured. There are steps from the Roman Era where Jesus most probably made his way to the Last Supper, back to the Garden of Gethsemane, back to Caiaphas' House and then onto Pilate for Judgement. Had Supper and then immediately had an introduction session to the rest of the group. Many of the group have an interesting background. Today, we only had 15, 4 have not shown up or not coming. The pictures today show Peter denying Jesus and also the steps that Jesus walked.

2010-05-31T11:06:00.000-07:00

May 31st is the feast of the Visitation. Of course, I had to go to the site of the Visitation and the Birthplace of St. John the Baptist. Both are located in a town on the outskirts of Jerusalem name Ein Karem. I took 4 others along with me. The place to pick up the Israeli Bus is very complicated but after we found the right bus we were in business. You have to walk up a hill to the Church of the Visitation. There were many Franciscans celbrating the Feast there. It is very inspiring to see the Words that Mary spoke to Elizabeth printed on tile in so many languages. Two women with miraculous pregnancies greeting each other. Then we went back down the hill and up a little one to the Church of the Birthplace of John the Baptist. In the Scripture it says, Mary went into the hill Country. Boy, is that ever right. The school packed a lunch for us and we ate it in this quaint little town and returned late in the afternoon. We had evening prayer to start off the session and then a wonderful meal. Tomorrow starts the formal part of our program. So that means it will cut into my wandering around time. Above are pictures of the birth site of St. John the Baptist and the well where Mary & Elizabeth met each other.

2010-05-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Had another interesting day. Some of the group from Notre Dame decided to go to Mass at a Melkite Catholic Churchin Bethlehem. So I joined them. Haven't been to that rie since St. Meinrad. They are Greek Orthodox but in union with Rome. The schedule was wrong on the bulletin board. After going through the new wall separating the Israelis frome the Palestines and vice versa, we came in on the end of Mass. We had a tour through this very small church with exquisite paintings in the icon style. The painter was from Romania. Had a brief explanation and then walked 40 minutes to the Church of St. Catherine. This Mass was in Arabic. Very interesting. Amazing how many people were in attendance. This is the Church where the Christmas Eve Mass is televised around the World. So it is a very large size church. It was packed. Men, women and children were all in attendance and participated. Even sang one of "Jennifer's" Alleluias. There were 3 masses before this one. After lunch, went back to the old city and walked around through the Jaffa Gate and then went into the new shopping mall right by the Old City. What a contrast! The pictures are of the front of the School where I am, Tantur which means Hilltop. The next is the view of the new wall and checkpoint from the School. If you click on the picture, you will see the wall & checkpoint much clearer. Tomorrow is the Feast of the Visitation. I am orgainizing a little tour of three or four to go there. Hopefully I won't get everyone lost.

Congratulations to Coach Tracy Archuleta on winning the Division II NCAA Baseball Championship. You and your team had a great year.

2010-05-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

Just noticed that my blogs are downloaded in the USA and they show that I did these events as dated as yeaterday. So I will try to do the blog in the evening instead of the morning. I'm 8 hours ahead of you. Today I filled out registration papers, had lunch and started off for the Old City by myself. Took an Arab Bus instead of an Israeli bus. Less chance of being blown up. HA! Anyways, I went to the Damascus Gate and walked around for awhile and finally went to the Holy Sepulcher. It is a huge space where Golgotha and the Tomb of Christ are located. I spent most of the afternoon in the Church. When I got to the tomb, the line wasn't very long but it really filled up fast. I stayed for the prayers at 4:00 & 5:00. The Coptics started. The Greeks followed. At 5:00 the Franciscans had their procession with candles and a lot of incense to all the chapels. Then the Armenians finished. I left the Church and wandered around a little bit, got a Fallafel to eat for supper. Eventually found the bus station, even got the right bus and made it back to Tantur by 7:30. The one picture is the Crucifixion site and the other is a piece of the column they think that Jesus was scrouged upon.

2010-05-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

I ARRIVED SAFELY AND ON TIME. NO PROBLEMS WITH CONNECTIONS. THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS AT EVANSVILLE WITH MY RETURN TICKET. DELTA CANCELLED A FLIGHT FROM DETROIT TO EVANSVILLE. I WAS REROUTED; GOT A NEW RETURN TICKET IN ATLANTA. THE SECURITY GETTING ON EL AL AIRLINES WAS INCREDIBLE IN MUNICH. IT WAS WORTH THE TIME TO SEE HOW IMPORTANT SAFETY IS IN ISRAEL. I TOOK A SHARED TAXI TO THE SCHOOL, MET SOME OF THE STAFF; A FEW STUDENTS. THERE ARE 15 UNDERGRADS PLUS THEIR PROFESSORS HERE FROM NOTRE DAME. THEY WERE IN BETHLEHEM FOR THE EVENING. I'LL HAVE TO WEAR MY "IU" HAT TODAY. HAD A NICE MEAL AND TRIED TO CATCH UP ON SOME SLEEP AFTER THE 20 HOURS IT TOOK TO GET TO ISRAEL. (If you have trouble opening the picture, click on the small square)

Last day of School

2010-05-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Today was the Moving Up Ceremony for the Seventh Graders as the new Eighth Graders. Also today Haley gave me a picture of her 1st Grade Room. She was afraid that I would forget all of them while I'm gone. I know that I won't forget any of you. I had a difficult time in getting the picture of her class having fun at our new playground set scanned correctly. Sorry 1H First Grade. But I have to go pack for three months. If you have trouble seeing the picture, click on the box.

Getting Ready To Leave

2010-05-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

I am starting to get ready for my departure. The faculty at school had a "Fr. Phil Appreciation Day". At the all school mass this past Tuesday they gave me a "Holy Land Survival Kit". It is very much appreciated and will be used on the trip. Thank you all very much. If the photo does not appear, click the small square box.