THE ISRAEL PILGRIMAGE EXPERIENCE 2025

colleagues, who had been unsuccessful in their fishing endeavors, to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, where they immediately hauled in a catch of 153 fish. It was also at this same time that Jesus instructed Peter to “feed my sheep.” Not far from Capernaum, and also fronting the Sea of Galilee, the Magdala Center, the newest Sea of Galilee attraction, is of particular relevance to Catholic visitors, though of interest to the general public as well, serving as a crossroads of Jewish and Christian history. It is located at Migdal, on land where archeological excavations prior to the center’s development unearthed a first-century AD synagogue where Jesus probably preached, and is being developed to offer visitors an experience of first century Judaism and Christianity in the Holy Land. The archeological park is now open, as is the facility’s “Duc in Altum” spirituality center comprising the “Atrium of the Women of the New Testament” and four chapels, including one designed for ecumenical use and another with icons, for Orthodox pilgrims. The former houses a boat-shaped altar that overlooks Magdala’s ancient harbor and the Sea of Galilee, and all the chapels have been decorated with mosaics depicting scenes from Jesus’

ministry. The center will soon include accommodations, a restaurant and an expanded archeological park. Across the road from these significant Sea of Galilee religious sites, and up a hill, is the spot which commemorates Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, at a location we know as the Mount of the Beatitudes. With its octagonal church - one side for each of the beatitudes mentioned in the Book of Matthew (chapters 5-8) - built to take full advantage of the Sea of Galilee view, this is the most widely visited Sea of Galilee site, year after year. The hill is the reputed site of the Sermon on the Mount; nevertheless, the remains of a previous, fourth-century church Mt. of the Beatitudes church are evident on the lower edge of the ridge and much earlier traditions identified the Mount of the Beatitudes with nearby Mount Arbel. In any case, the current site is a wonderful spot for any Christian to experience the event as it might have been during Jesus’ time, a place to read the Sermon, meditate on it and reflect in tranquility. Continuing around the Sea of Galilee, the next spot of interest to the Christian visitor is Bethsaida, located within Jordan Park in the lower Golan Heights. Bethsaida is the city of Philip, Andrew and Peter (John 12:21); Jesus visited here and cured a blind man (Mark 8:22). It is

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