8/09/11
An incredible day with our journey taking us from the Sea of Galilee, to Mount Carmel at the Mediterranean Sea, past Emmaus, down the coast and finally into the highlight of our pilgrimage – Jerusalem.
Mount Carmel at Muhraqa was our first stop and a spectacular look out over the Jezreel valley. Elijah is commemorated here and his battle against the prophets of Baal. We took some great pictures in different directions and some of us girls did a plank on the compass on the ground.
After mass we headed to lunch – chicken schnitzel in a pita bread pocket. Refreshed we continued south to Caesarea – a Mediterranean port created by the vision of one Herod the Great. Watched a movie about its creation and history through time. Was great to see how it developed – Herod wanted to create a trading port and gain favour with the Romans, eve built a big temple there. Ceasarea was a thriving port with a hippodrome and amputheatre. Over the years it was destroyed by earth quakes, changing rule- Byzantine, Crusaders and Muslims. This really painted a picture in my minid of all these people walking and fighting over this land and walking through the ruins all th more special. Most of the original buildings were the hippodrome and amphitheatre so they were the highlights. In the hippodrome we had one of highlights of the day – piggy back race with Craig and myself verse Geoff and Adalbert. Craig and I got off to a great start but Craig ended up falling over and we stacked it! Making memories – was fantastic. We also got to sit in the amphitheatre. Back on the bus to Jerusalem.
Arrived in the afternoon and stopped off at a museum with a scale model of the city – old and new walls. Our tour guide showed us where the temple was, the Gafa gate and the gate outside the walls where Jesus would have been crucified. It helped give us an overview of Jerusalem and some points to relate things to.
We are staying at the Notre Dame Centre in Jerusalem – literally across the road from the Old Jerusalem – the Christian quarters. Some of the more adventurous of us went into the old city and had a real sense of being transported into another world and back in time. The same cobble stoned streets Jesus and his disciples walked along and some of the actual path he took on his way to sacrificing himself for us. We walked right past the ‘via del arosa’ before someone saw the sign. I got goose bumps thinking about it and the fact that Jesus stumbled through there. A little like the rabbit warren of Venice we were getting a little lost and walked right past Golgotha too. A few tried haggling and some were more successful than others. After another smorgasboard dinner and delicious chocolate mousse dessert we were treated to a guided tour of the terrace 4 storeys above by an Irish Priest. He had some great humour and told us how the 80% of the gospel took place between the Mt Beatitudes and Magda (named after Mary Magdaline), I am so glad we spent 4 days there. Next he showed us the 4 corners of Old Jerusalem – the New Gate, a little over 100 years old, the tower near the upper room, the Muslim mosque near Golgotha and the tomb and Rockferfellared light corner. Within these 4 square kilometres and just outside at the Mount of Olives the whole passion took place. It started at the mount of Olives where Jesus travelled down and on the donkey entered the city on Palm Sunday. Then the last supper in the upper room where Jesus washed his disciples feet and initiated the eucharist, back towards the garden of Gethsemene, then Jesus getting scourged, the journey to the cross, Golgotha, the tomb and then back to the Upper Room and the ascension from the mount of olives. To see it all at once was incredible. Father reminded us that we are not here to be tourists or take photos but to encounter the living Christ, be his ambassadors, do his work, ask him to lead our lives and do exactly what he asks us to. It was a moving evening, many of us were welling up when we realised the places before us, this special time in this Holy place, how fortunate we are to stand in this place and we finished with the group singing Amazing Grace. It was a beautiful night and day. I must say of my trip these few days in Jerusalem following Jesus’ footsteps to his death and resurrection are the ones I am most looking forward too and I hope I am open to God’s presence and his message for me. Tomorrow we go to Bethlehem to celebrate his birth and tomorrow night we have a holy hour to spend in the garden of Gethsemene – I don’t want it to come and go but I also want to enjoy it to the max.
No comments:
Post a Comment