Our wakeup call was at 6:15am! I was afraid this might be a problem, but was pleasantly surprised at how easily I adjusted to the time change. As I entered the room for breakfast, I was treated with my first view of the Sea of Galilee (It was too dark last night to see much.). The waves were large and crashing violently against the shore. I went outside with Father Justin and was treated with a new appreciation of what the disciples endured crossing during a storm!
Our first stop was Cana, the sight of the first miracle of Jesus. Many of the tourist shops reminded us of this fact as we got closer to the Church! Our group had 10 married couples traveling together and they renewed their wedding vows. It was quite touching. The Church was super busy with Sunday Liturgy, but I was thankful to have visited. All in all, I really liked Cana and the small town feel of the community.
Next stop was an archeological sight. It was Zippori National Park. It was fascinating to see the ruins and to climb the tower and get a great view of the Holy Land. I would say I might have been a bit distracted by the fact that our next stop was in Nazareth...
Nazareth - If you had asked me this morning, I would have said that the Church of the Annunciation was going to be my favorite thing today. God had other plans. Our group took a detour off the plan and went to the mountain that Jesus was taken up to be thrown off by those in his hometown who were furious about His claims to being the Messiah. I had a deep inner sense of peace on this mountain and the views were incredible. I was standing the spot where Jesus had stood... My emotions got the best of me and I took a few minutes to be alone. I really had a sense God was close to me. I made a few very important life decisions on this mountain. Hint, Hint. Ashley, I hope you are reading this. The day only got better. The Mass was in the Church of the Annunciation. The Church was built on top of the house of Mary. It is the exact spot the Annunciation occurred. Words are not adequate in describing how much this touched me to be in this Church. God is blessing this trip! And me! Please continue to pray for us!
PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR THE DAY:
CANA - Joe and Elaine Hughes, Greg and Wendy Murphy, John and Carmen Bradley, Ashley Farris
NAZARETH - Joe and Mary Blick, Quinn and Carolyn Morris, Art and Susan Bane
CHURCH OF ST JOSEPH - Joe Blick, Joe Nelson, Joe Hughes, Joe Farris
I have also prayed at various times for all who are reading this blog.
Thank you for the prayers, Joe! We have been praying for you and your fellow pilgrims as well!
ReplyDeleteSpecial prayers for the life decisions you have made. It's hard to resist God's calling!
Peace!