ADVENT Luke 1: 26-38
Our bus pulled up to the curb so we could all hop out. Nowhere to park that giant thing in this old section of Nazareth! I was amazed the entire time at the ability of our driver Mickey to negotiate the narrow streets and tight turns!
We had to walk up the hill to the Basilica of the Annunciation, which we could see rising over the buildings. The little street was bordered on both sides with neat little shops and markets and it was hard not to stop and spend time poking through them.
The array of delicious looking fruits and vegetables was always so colorful! It was hard not to buy a little of this and that - even though there were many which I couldn't even identify!
The spices in baskets smelled absolutely heavenly from out in the street! I wished we had time to explore and sample! I would have loved to have taken some of this back to my kids, who both cook way better than I do!
So many things to see and experience, but watch where you are going because the Israeli drivers will not stop for you to get out of the street while you gawk at the goodies on the sidewalks!
As happened multiple times on our trip, all of a sudden there would be a door or gate in a small alley or street, and wa-la! We'd be entering into a lovely courtyard before a famous church!
Each courtyard is unique, and this one was full of mosaics of the Virgin Mary donated from countries all over the world, as was the inside of the upper chapel. (I'll save those for another time!)
To the left of the entrance was a terraced hill which led up to a courtyard overlooking ruins of ancient Nazareth and going higher still was the Church of St. Joseph.
As we stood in the courtyard listening to Hillel give us information from his extensive knowledge of history, The White Mosque began it's mid-day "call to prayer". They were broadcasting their message quite loudly (due to the close proximity of so many Christian pilgrims?) and everyone was forced to stop wait as we couldn't hear the person next to us, much less poor Hillel! I looked up to see if I could spot the minaret and instead saw a lovely church up on the hill above us!
I looked it up when we returned and found out is the Salesian Church, which has a convent and orphanage built by the French. It was very pretty sitting so white against the gorgeous blue of the sky we had that day!
Hillel finished and we entered the front of the church through a gorgeously carved door and found ourselves in the lower level of the church which contains the Grotto of the Annunciation.
We came into the Grotto from the right side. Directly in front of us was an altar which is used for serving Mass in this holy place and was a 1/2 level below us. We walked around to the front on a balcony to get into line.
Above the altar the room had a beautiful hole in the ceiling which was directly in front of the altar in the upper church. The congregation must have been able to look down directly into the Grotto as they receive Holy Communion! How awesome!!
There was a long kneeler which ran most of the length of a rail above the altar with a view directly into the Grotto, perfect for meditation on the holy site.
Fr. T was at the kneeler - so deep in prayer. Others were there too; everyone looking so serene. They all seemed to be so spiritually connected to the site! I yearned to be like them! I new I was looking at a sacred site, but was having a hard time connecting.
Everyone was so respectful in the grotto, only whispering, except for the quiet rebukes from the brother posted beside the cave with his breathy "ssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh". I stood in the line and tried to pray, tried to connect, tried to center myself in the spirituality of our location.
The line circled behind the rail, around the altar and down a set of steps to a landing in front of an iron gate in which the sacred site was. When I reached the front of the line, I could look through the ornate iron gate into the sacred spot.
There was an altar there built over the spot venerated as the place where the Angel Gabriel appeared to little Mary.
But I found myself focusing on a set of ancient stairs which led up and out of the area from behind it. My imagination started running - This was a room in a cave. The ceiling was still rock and I could imagine this as maybe a bedroom? A storage area? A kitchen or work area? There is no description in the Bible of the location , it just says "he came to her". Had Mary been upstairs and run down those steps to retrieve some item in this room? Was she down here doing some mundane household chore when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her? Maybe she was sleeping and he woke her up? Wow.
Well, I was still a bit perplexed (a neat word I stole from Mary's response to Gabriel's words to her). I didn't understand why my heart wasn't just soaring to be in this place!!
I looked at the old stairway and the ancient ceiling. I tried to pray, "Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee". Wow. This is where those words were spoken. Words I have said a million times. But I was frustrated that it just wasn't connecting for me.
"Ave Ave Ave Maria..." popped into my head. Ahhhhh. If I couldn't pray, I could sing. And the old song drifted through my mind. I took a few pictures so I could capture my moment in this place and then I had to move on as it was another pilgrim's turn to stand before the site of announcement of the coming of the Messiah.
By this time we were headed up a giant circular staircase to the right of the Grotto exit. Pilgrims from my group and strangers alike joined right in and we all spontaneously sang the song that is one of my favorites. It was a precious moment!
I know, I know. Those aren't the words they sing nowadays. But those are the words I sang in 1966 at St. Mary's Catholic School in Sherman, Texas and those are the words I sang 46 years later as I finally made my spiritual connection in the Grotto of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel!
Thank You Lord for sending the Holy Spirit to me in song when my heart could not find a prayer! Amen.
2012 Pilgrimage to Israel - Day 4
Our bus pulled up to the curb so we could all hop out. Nowhere to park that giant thing in this old section of Nazareth! I was amazed the entire time at the ability of our driver Mickey to negotiate the narrow streets and tight turns!
 |
| Basilica of the Annunciation |
We had to walk up the hill to the Basilica of the Annunciation, which we could see rising over the buildings. The little street was bordered on both sides with neat little shops and markets and it was hard not to stop and spend time poking through them.
 |
| Streetside shop in Nazareth, Israel |
 |
| More shops along the road to the Basilica of the Annunciation |
The spices in baskets smelled absolutely heavenly from out in the street! I wished we had time to explore and sample! I would have loved to have taken some of this back to my kids, who both cook way better than I do!
So many things to see and experience, but watch where you are going because the Israeli drivers will not stop for you to get out of the street while you gawk at the goodies on the sidewalks!
 |
| The gate leading into the courtyard of the Basilica from the street |
 |
| The Basilica of the Annunciation |
As we stood in the courtyard listening to Hillel give us information from his extensive knowledge of history, The White Mosque began it's mid-day "call to prayer". They were broadcasting their message quite loudly (due to the close proximity of so many Christian pilgrims?) and everyone was forced to stop wait as we couldn't hear the person next to us, much less poor Hillel! I looked up to see if I could spot the minaret and instead saw a lovely church up on the hill above us!
 |
| the Salesian Church, Nazareth, Israel |
I looked it up when we returned and found out is the Salesian Church, which has a convent and orphanage built by the French. It was very pretty sitting so white against the gorgeous blue of the sky we had that day!
Hillel finished and we entered the front of the church through a gorgeously carved door and found ourselves in the lower level of the church which contains the Grotto of the Annunciation.
 |
| The Grotto of the Annunciation |
We came into the Grotto from the right side. Directly in front of us was an altar which is used for serving Mass in this holy place and was a 1/2 level below us. We walked around to the front on a balcony to get into line.
Above the altar the room had a beautiful hole in the ceiling which was directly in front of the altar in the upper church. The congregation must have been able to look down directly into the Grotto as they receive Holy Communion! How awesome!!
There was a long kneeler which ran most of the length of a rail above the altar with a view directly into the Grotto, perfect for meditation on the holy site.
 |
| Pilgrims praying before the Grotto of the Annunciation |
Fr. T was at the kneeler - so deep in prayer. Others were there too; everyone looking so serene. They all seemed to be so spiritually connected to the site! I yearned to be like them! I new I was looking at a sacred site, but was having a hard time connecting.
Everyone was so respectful in the grotto, only whispering, except for the quiet rebukes from the brother posted beside the cave with his breathy "ssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh". I stood in the line and tried to pray, tried to connect, tried to center myself in the spirituality of our location.
 |
| The Grotto of the Annunciation |
The line circled behind the rail, around the altar and down a set of steps to a landing in front of an iron gate in which the sacred site was. When I reached the front of the line, I could look through the ornate iron gate into the sacred spot.
"Here the Word was made flesh"
There was an altar there built over the spot venerated as the place where the Angel Gabriel appeared to little Mary.
 |
| The Grotto of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary |
But I found myself focusing on a set of ancient stairs which led up and out of the area from behind it. My imagination started running - This was a room in a cave. The ceiling was still rock and I could imagine this as maybe a bedroom? A storage area? A kitchen or work area? There is no description in the Bible of the location , it just says "he came to her". Had Mary been upstairs and run down those steps to retrieve some item in this room? Was she down here doing some mundane household chore when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her? Maybe she was sleeping and he woke her up? Wow.
Well, I was still a bit perplexed (a neat word I stole from Mary's response to Gabriel's words to her). I didn't understand why my heart wasn't just soaring to be in this place!!
I looked at the old stairway and the ancient ceiling. I tried to pray, "Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee". Wow. This is where those words were spoken. Words I have said a million times. But I was frustrated that it just wasn't connecting for me.
"Ave Ave Ave Maria..." popped into my head. Ahhhhh. If I couldn't pray, I could sing. And the old song drifted through my mind. I took a few pictures so I could capture my moment in this place and then I had to move on as it was another pilgrim's turn to stand before the site of announcement of the coming of the Messiah.
By this time we were headed up a giant circular staircase to the right of the Grotto exit. Pilgrims from my group and strangers alike joined right in and we all spontaneously sang the song that is one of my favorites. It was a precious moment!
Immaculate Mary, thy praises we sing;
Who reignest in splendor with Jesus our King.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!
In heaven, the blessed thy glory proclaim;
On earth we, thy children, invoke thy fair name.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!
We pray for our Mother, the Church upon earth,
And bless, dearest Lady, the land of our birth.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!
Thank You Lord for sending the Holy Spirit to me in song when my heart could not find a prayer! Amen.
Luke 1: 26-38
2012 Pilgrimage to Israel - Day 4
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