Turning north again and just off the first section of the road leading from Route 1 to the Galilee, Qasr-el-Yehud, on the shores of the Dead Sea, at the Jordan River’s southern edge, has been upgraded and rehabilitated by the INPA. This historical site, considered to be the place where Jesus was baptized but which was only open intermittently, is now open to all at no charge throughout the week - as are all INPA religious sites. Recently, Israeli and foreign engineers sounded the all-clear around three churches on the western bank of the Jordan River at Qasr el-Yahud, after mines that had marooned the shrines for decades were cleared. THE GALILEE “And Jesus went about all Galilee….” (Matthew 4:23) The importance of the Galilee in the life and message of Jesus cannot be overestimated. It was in the Galilee that He spent most of His life. He walked along its paths, lived in its villages, prayed in its synagogues, collected His followers and preached and healed its people. His family and friends - the two Marys, Peter, et. al. - were all Galileans. Looking carefully at New Testament texts, shows that almost 83 percent of Jesus’ miracles recorded in the New Testament took place in the Galilee region. All of the spots where these mystical events are believed to have transpired have been commemorated and honored with houses of worship. Yet even for the visitor for whom man-made edifices are of little spiritual import, the sites themselves – their locations based on a word of mouth tradition that has been handed down by generations of Christians dwelling in the Galilee, from father to son – are imbued with the spiritual energy of faith that has given them meaning for century upon century. Jesus’ regular journeys involved long, scenic walks through the rugged and beautiful landscape of the Galilee, its green rolling hills and tranquil lakeside, and Jesus Himself often used the topography of the Galilee in the course of His ministry as a metaphor in His teachings.
in getting to the heart of the Holy Land pilgrimage experience. For the Catholic taking part in a Mass on the Mount of the Beatitudes and experiencing the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount, or the Protestant taking in the Galilee topography – hardly changed in many places, aside from the occasional road or electric pole – or feeling the waves and storms of the sea, there is an added dimension to the religious experience that is sure to leave an indelible mark. NAZARETH Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, the city whose name He bore throughout His life, where Mary received the Annunciation (Luke 1) and the Word was made flesh, is a good place to begin a Galilee pilgrimage tour. The
Franciscan Church of the Annunciation - the largest basilica in the Middle East - commemorates the visit to Mary of the archangel Gabriel. The Greek Orthodox Church of St. Gabriel stands not far away, constructed over Nazareth’s only spring, where the Holy Family surely drew its water. When Nazareth was preparing for millennium celebrations, an underground tunnel from the time of Jesus was discovered, the pathway the inhabitants of Nazareth would take to reach the source of the water at Mary’s Well. Though a bustling city of more than 65,000 inhabitants nowadays, and becoming more westernized all the time, Nazareth, nestling in a circle of hills, still has managed to retain a special timeless charm. The sound of church bells interlaced with the call of the Moslem muezzin to prayer echoes through the twisting lanes, intermingling with the aroma of exotic foods. For the locals, Nazareth is well known as a gastronomic as well as a religious
This meaningful methodology is no less valid today
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