We left the Sea of Galilee behind. Our first stop was Mount Tabor, the most frequently cited location of the Transfiguration. Mt. Tabor rises from the plains of the Jezreel Valley, a wonderfully rich agricultural area. In addition to its connection with the Transfiguration, it was cited in the book of Judges, chapters 4 and 5, where Deborah and Barack defeated the Caananite chariots. It has been some time since I have been on top of it, since there are often long lines to get there. A bus cannot get up the mountain, so people are taken up in 13-passenger buses on a switchback road. The lines were not long this day. At the top of the mountain is a beautiful church and a wonderful view. The church has a large mosaic over the altar depicting the transfiguration. In the back of the church are two small chapels, one featuring Moses, the other Elijah.
Two towns are at the base of the mountain. One is a Bedouin village where each person is a member of the same clan, and thus has the same last name. The other is called Dabburiya (Deborah) after the female judge in the book of Judges.
After this we went We headed to Cana. This is of course the home of Jesus' first miracle, according to John. And we did have our five couples reaffirm their vows. It was an emotional event, and lovely to behold. We also prayed for couples who are preparing for marriage, and especially those couples at St. Joseph who are preparing to have their marriage blessed on February 22.
Cana is also the site of Jesus' second miracle in John, the healing of the official's servant. It is also the home of the apostle Nathaniel (aka Bartholomew.) There is a church with his name. The big tourist church, however, is the one that focusses on marriage. In it they display a "stone jar used for ceremonial purposes." Many pictures/paintings show small pottery jars; that is not what is described in the gospel. Stone jars don't absorb, while pottery ones do. That is why stone is used for this. Stone jars have very thick walls. No one claims the jar on display was from the time of Jesus. It is about 4 feet tall and at lest three across. But the common painting shows that we so often picture what Jesus does as smaller than it is.
We had a toast to marriage in a souvenir shop, where Cana wine is sold - much of it an inexpensive sweet wine.
From there we moved on to Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus, and where the Word became flesh. The Basilica of the Annunciation is a modern building rising over several smaller ancestors. The primary altar is near the home of Mary. Much of the city of Nazareth from the time of Jesus, with a population of less than 200, has been excavated. Today Nazareth is around 100,000 people. You can look through a grille at the home of Mary. All around the church, inside and out, are images of Mary donated by countries from around the world. You get a perspective of how Mary is seen, and that people relate to her from many cultural backgrounds. Also in the area is St. Joseph's Church and displays of 1st century Nazareth. We had Mass, celebrating the Annunciation in a small chapel.
After this we headed to Jerusalem, traveling south on hwy six to the area of the airport, and then turning west to Jerusalem. We checked into Grand Court Hotel and met at 7:00 for supper and cards following.
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