At every meal in the hotel in Jerusalem, our bread had a unique and interesting shape. (Nothing like those pop-n-fresh rolls I feed my poor family!)
For all I know, it was the same exact bread each meal in a different shape, but I enjoyed it as if it was a different type of bread each day!
A lot of times, even if it was round, it was in a different swirl or twist from the previous day.
Once it was even in a triangle!
It was all very good, very tasty.
The only down-side was the kosher rules that went with it. No milk products at night with meat. (So that meant no butter. No ranch dressing either! LOL!) Nothing creamy at all. (I did become a brand new lover of hummus, but that's another story!)
So as Lent was coming up and I was thinking about what I was going to do to enhance mine and try to make my life more holy, the idea of giving up bread came to me.
WHAT? Get real!
But as the Holy Spirit generally does with me, if He wants something, then he just keeps "poking" me with it.
Making toast? *Poke.
Eating a cheeseburger? *Poke.
See a doughnut? *Poke.
Offered a cookie? *Poke.
SERIOUSLY?
Then as I started to consider it for real...could I do such a thing?
What about Fridays, I can't eat meat, so could I give up bread too?
We shall see, because I'm attempting it. I decided that it would be awesome. The only bread I will consume during Lent will be the Bread of Life.
I'm excited to begin!!!! OMGosh Lord! You've asked me for a gift. Please help me to be up to the challenge and wrap it with a bow for you! Amen. btw - my most favorite "bread" was the toast at one of my morning meals in Nazareth!
Breakfast in the Land of "Milk & Honey"
I thought I was pretty cute having my meal of "milk and honey" as I sat in the 6th floor dinning room looking out over Nazareth's morning routine!
(hehehe) I enjoyed it very much! : )
2012 Pilgrimage to Israel -
***Update: So I made it through Lent. Wow, that was HARD! I knew it would be when I decided to give up bread, but it was actually much harder than I thought it would be....bread is EVERYWHERE! I won't say I did a perfect job, but I did try very hard. It was so meaningful each Sunday to take Communion. I know it's not bread any longer, and it certainly doesn't look or taste like bread. But I did find myself much more aware of the specialness of it each week. I also had such a yearning for bread, chips, cake, sandwiches, a hamburger, doughnuts....the list is unending. And I tried to align myself mentally to take that yearning for physical bread and make it a yearning for a deeper relationship with Jesus and his passion. It was definitely a different Lent and one I'm sure I will repeat.
Mt. Tabor finally gave me my first spiritual experience and turned my "trip" into a "pilgrimage"!
the Megiddo Valley
We had spent the day in Caesarea, Haifa, Mt. Carmel and Elijah's Cave. Now we drove through the Megiddo Valley, which Hillel explained was referred to in the New Testament as Armageddon, the Hebrew name for Mount Megiddo.
More Megiddo Valley
It's kinda weird looking out the bus windows at what is considered the future site of Armageddon, the final battle between good and evil. I looked out over the landscape and it felt surreal. It's one of those times when you have to change the subject in your own mind or little waves of panic might flutter up.
Although we rode our tour bus partway up Mount Tabor, we had to transfer to smaller taxi-vans to complete the trip to the top. The buses cannot make the hairpin turns of the road...
Talk about a zig-zag!!!
Perilous road up to the top of Mount Tabor
The taxi took off and it was like a thrill ride! Talk about a twisty, narrow road right on the edge of the mountain! Our driver knew the road well and would speed way up, then slow only as little as he needed to take the tight curves! I think he was making it as crazy as possible, and was loving the screams and laughter coming from all of us!!
My fellow pilgrims hanging on for dear life!
Look at my fellow pilgrims holding on as we raced up the mountain! Not even any seat belts!! LOL!
I'm normally apprehensive when I feel others drive too fast or wild but this ride was great fun to me!! I don't know why! I don't know why I wasn't terrified, it's not like we were on a fake thrill ride at Disney World! No hidden tracks holding us on that road!! The Guardian Angels must stay very busy watching over Pilgrims on that drive I can tell you!!! It wasn't long before our insane ride was over, and we arrived safely at the top of the mountain. Our driver deposited us at the end of a long gravel pathway bordered by a low wall and cypress trees.
the Entrance to the Basilica of the Transfiguration
At the end was a gate which gave us our first view of the lovely Basilica of the Transfiguration. It was GORGEOUS!
The Basilica of the Transfiguration
The church rose up at the end of the stone walkway, light rock
against that sapphire blue sky - it was breathtaking from the first
moment we saw it! The giant, puffy clouds were moving by quickly and gave the entire image a mystical quality, almost like time passing before my eyes.
To the left and right were multiple little courtyards with archeological gardens full of flowers, stone ruins and interesting-looking paths.
I did notice this particular cactus....what is wrong with people? Who scratches graffiti into a living plant???
The front of the church was designed to symbolize the suggestion by Peter to Jesus that the apostles should erect three tents on this spot, one for Jesus and one each for Moses and Elijah. The side towers, which represent the two prophets are actually shorter than the main nave which represents Jesus, and they all have roofs that are pointy to symbolize tents.
The Basilica of the Transfiguration
We crossed the courtyard and entered the massive church. Directly inside the door was a grate in the floor. Looking down, I could see the rocks of the mountain top. There were hundreds of tiny notes in there - prayers from pilgrims!
I quickly wrote my prayer request down on paper torn from my journal notebook, folded it and stuck it between the scrolled bars to mingle with the other prayers of the faithful.
The
church was immense-looking from the entrance, but once inside although it was tall, the giant pillars and dividing walls made it seem much smaller. On
either side of the main section of the church are side tabernacles
directly under the towers of Moses to the right and Elijah to the left,
which I never saw (I didn't even know about them until I returned home
and saw pictures of them on the internet!). Obviously Mom didn't
either, because she has no pictures of either one. Maybe they were in
the upper part of the church? I don't know, but on either side of the
Grotto of Christ were other side altars, one had a statue of Mary &
Baby Jesus, the other looks like maybe St. Francis, since this is a
Franciscan Church?
These altars look the same, but they are not, check out the symbol in the dome between the angels
On
further examination of my photographs, I notice that under the statue
of Mary, there is something peeking out of the tabernacle. I thought it
was a host? But no, maybe a relic?
(I know that's blurry! Sorry!) Not sure what it is, but I'm sorry I didn't find out. : (
In the middle was a glorious mosaic with a gold background depicting the Transfiguration of Jesus.
Later I read:
"In Christian teaching, the Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the
setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature
meets God: the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with
Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between
Heaven and Earth.Inside the church has a split level plan with open views down to the
barrel vaulted lower level, and upwards to the domed apse. The nave roof
is higher on heavy timber trusses with clerestory windows. The roof
tiles and the windows are made of alabaster to let in light. The
ornamentation of the central nave is simple, with two friezes, one of
stone engraving that follows the line of the arches and the other in a
straight line of mosaic under the windows. The interior has been described as “a striking vision, a wonderful
transfiguration of stone, marble and mosaic [by Umberto Noni]. The
central nave gives us a full view of the eastern apse. It has two
levels, the upper level commemorating the divine nature of Christ and
the lower recalling different manifestations of his humanity.”."
I thought that was a beautiful description of the visually-impressive church!
I was surprised
that directly in front of us, the altar we were led to was actually down
a set of stairs, under a balcony of some kind. At first I thought we were in a minor altar of some kind (I was actually disappointed), but Fr. N told me later that it was the main sanctuary, called The Grotto of Christ. The smallness of it seemed odd considering how massive the church was, but I quickly fell in love with it for it's intimacy during Mass.
The Grotto of Christ, Basilica of the Transfiguration, Mt. Tabor, Israel
I found out later that this altar is on the level of the Byzantine church and the arched ceiling is decorated with mosaics depicting
four moments of angelic intervention in the life of Jesus.
So we all settled into the Grotto of Christ, and I heard Fr. T's gorgeous voice coming from behind me....Mass had begun!
This was our first Mass in the Holy Land.
I was almost beside myself in anticipation of the holy aura I was expecting to decend upon me like the clouds which had decended on this exact place over 2000 years ago! Just think, to be part of the divine worship of the most Holy Mass, in this most holy of holy spots on earth...God SPOKE here!
Mass in the Basilica of the Transfiguration
Fr. N and Fr. T stood at that glorious altar and began the familar prayers. Behind them, the window's art features a set of peacocks, which are a symbol of mortality granted to the followers of Jesus. According to legend the peacock's flesh does not decay.
As the Gospel was read, I
tried to imprint the words on my heart so that I would always remember,
every time I heard these verses, what it was like to stand in this place
where Jesus, Moses, Elijah, Peter, James & John had all stood
together - and where God told us to listen to His Son.
Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John,
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
It was surreal and I was overwhelmed with it all!
This was the first time I had heard Fr. N speak, and his sermon was just excellent - so thought provoking; pulling us all back to earth!
He said that when Jesus was transformed, the apostles wanted to stay and bask in the feeling, the wonderousness of it. They wanted to set up tents and stay. But Jesus went back to his normal, his regular self. He knew he had a job to do, a mission to complete. He had to return to his life at the bottom of the mountain. And we too must enjoy and bask in the glorious sites and sounds of our pilgrimage, but we must also return to our normal lives to continue the work God has for us. So true!
When it was time for the consecration, I could just imagine the bread being transfigured into Jesus. (I know that isn't correct theology, but these are my thoughts on my journey, and that is what I was thinking!). As I went up to recieve communion, I knew I was not doing this holy place justice with my pitiful prayers, but as I turned to return to my seat, there was the glass-covered rock which is suppose to be where Jesus was standing when the transfiguration occurred, and I paused with the host in my mouth and stood still on that spot for a moment and my eyes just filled with tears and my heart seemed to swell.
Mom standing on the spot where Jesus Transfigured
I went back to my seat and knelt down and then cried all the way through the final blessing. It was an indescribable feeling, but definitely a good one. : ) When I emerged from mass (and it really felt like we were physically "emerging" as we climbed up out of the grotto into the sunlight streaming through the giant doors of the church and also spiritually "emerging" from the Prayer of Mass) I felt almost euphoric! Like that happy feeling after going to confession, but x 10!
We went to the balcony of the Franciscan hospice and looked out on the view of the Plain of Jezreel, which means "God sows". Looking out across the panoramic view, all the fields are a testament that the area is very fertile. No wonder it is called "the breadbasket of Israel".
You also can't help but think about the various battles which have taken place down there over the years, including the famous one led by Deborah from the Old Testament.
The
Basilica sits amongst the ruins of a Benedictine monastery.
There are
many old walls, stairs and crumbling buildings scattered around the
site.
It was out among these ruins that I found the perfect rock to take home to Morgan for his collection.
Then, unlike the early pilgrims who used the 4300 steps cut into the rocky slope to climb up and down this holy mountain, we jumped back into our roller-coaster-taxis-ride and hung on for the harrowing journey back down the crazy road to our bus.
At the taxi-stand we waited for the bus by looking at trinkets and drinking pomagranet juice!
The price of my cup of juice: 10 shekels, which was around $2.50. (btw, thank you very much JP for treating me!) We were actually getting the most for our money on this day @ 4 shekels for a dollar. After this, we only got 3 shekels for each $1 all the rest of the trip.
At the end of the day, I was lying on my bed in our hotel room pondering the day and writing notes about the events and my thoughts.
The windows were open to catch the breeze (I couldn't figure out how to work the thermostat in our room as it was written in Arabic or Hebrew or something! LOL!).
Right at sunset, I heard the Muslim "call to prayer" for the first time.
It's an erie song, with a chanting kind of cadence. I asked Hillel about it and he said they do it 5 times a day, summoning all the Muslims for mandatory prayers. The tower that the "call" comes out from is called a minaret. The main reason behind the loud pronouncements is to bring to mind the Islamic beliefs to all the believers and non-believers within earshot. Although it used to be done by the holy men in the past, now it's automated with loud PA systems.
View From My Window - Nazareth
Minaret of Mosque is lit up in green lights
Bell Tower of the Christian Church is lit up in golden lights
When the Call to Prayer was complete, I stayed at the window enjoying the lovely sunset and the sounds floating up from the street. While I was standing there, the bells of the Christian Church up the hill from the Mosque began to peal and ring out the time: 6:00 pm. Way off in the distance I could hear other church bells ringing also. It was much more lovely to listen to than the drone of the Call to Prayer, that's for sure!! I stood at the window until it was almost completely dark (as my dozen or so pictures of the sunset attest too! LOL!) and happily ended the first full day of my pilgrimage to Israel.
Dear Lord, Thank You for this day! I feel like Peter, I want to say "oh Lord, it is so good that we are here and everything is so wonderful and I never want it to end! Let us stay here like this forever! " But Iknow I cannot and must return to my normal life. Lord, help me to always keep my hands and mind on the work you have for me, but allow my heart to stay in touch with the wondrous feelings of this day! Amen.
2012 Pilgrimage to Israel - Day One Most of this blog entry is taken from one of the few actual journal notes I wrote while on my trip in Israel 2012
I don't like to fast. I'm not good at it. I don't do it well. I certainly don't feel good doing it.
When I abstain, I'm fine. I feel happy to do it. When faced with meat on a Friday during Lent, I am secretly happy to pass it up. I almost feel noble. I smile as I eat my cheese, eggs and fish.
The same with whatever I've "given up" for Lent. When faced with the item (99% of my life it has been a food item) I have all kinds of will-power to turn it down or walk away from it. Again, I feel honored to do it. The self-sacrificing is self-satisfying in a small way.
But real fasting on Ash Wednesday is tough. It even feels more difficult than fasting on Good Friday, because at least by then I've had 40 days of sacrificing and am in tune with the whole process. I'm accustomed to it. But Ash Wednesday? It's just hard.
How in the world did Jesus fast for 40 days? I can barely do 24 hours!
I don't feel like it's drawing me closer to the Holy Spirit when all I can do is look at the clock and think about my next meal and how much longer and how much can I have....measuring the portions, trying to keep within the fasting rules, obsessing about the amount so I don't eat too much.
It's stressful for me. No matter what kind of attitude I try to have, I find myself just wanting the day to be over. O.V.E.R.
I don't know how God takes my state-of-mind on this day and uses it for His glory.
Or do I?
I was reading someone else's reflection on today's Gospel and he states "Are you hungry for God and do you thirst for His holiness?".
Now, let me think about that.
My attitude towards giving up food all day, and trying to make meal meager. Yes, I hunger all day. I want something more than water. Food is boring, my favorite flavors are missing, I want something more satisfying.
If I think of that as hungering for God, then the longing for the next meal, the unhappiness of the small portions, the dissatisfaction of the menu options - it feels like a yearning for more.
A yearning for more God.
More time with God, less time between visits. Longer and more meaningful, more fulfilling devotions to Him.
Yes, I can see a correlation in this line of thinking.
It makes the yearning more seem more virtuous. It makes the longing in-between seem more honorable. It makes the wanting it to be over seem almost right and decent.
Ah Ash Wednesday. Thanks for making me feel whiny and wimpy all day long. Thanks for reminding me with ashes on my forehead that this is not my home. Someday my body will return to ashes and my soul will get all the God it wants with zero fasting. Amen ps. no pictures in this post - it's Ash Wednesday, we are fasting from pictures today!
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the
boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short
distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the
boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their
partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled
both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and
John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to
Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
Sea of Galilee
Sea of Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, Lake Tiberias, in Hebrew: יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, in Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא
דטבריא, in Arabic: بحيرة طبرية)
...no matter what you call it, the Sea of Galilee was one of my most favorite places in Israel.
Me tossing stones into the Sea of Galilee
I was privileged to be on the shore at sunrise, and sunset and to ride a boat to the middle. Privileged!
Sunset on the Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and the lowest in the world (the Dead Sea is lower, but it's salt water).
On our tour, we got to go out on a boat similar to something the men would have used in Jesus' day for fishing (or so they said, I really I didn't get the comparison at all, maybe it was about the size?) It was a wonderful experience that I would suggest everyone who visits Israel do.
As the tour of the lake began, the "crew" raised a flag - American!
What a surprise! They were trying to honor us, which was just the
sweetest thing ever. (little did we know, that due to the "escalated
hostilities" going on at that time, our flag could have been protection
for our little boat, or an unknowing target). It was surprising and
precious. We sang!
We were all chattering happily and taking pictures and Fr. T centered us all with a reading from the Gospel and a request that we not speak for 10 minutes.
It was amazing.
I found myself on the side of the boat that faced the very spot I had been sitting on the bank at daybreak, looking out to sea exactly where I was now. That's not dejavu, but it's something cool!
From the middle of the Sea of Galilee looking back at the Primacy of St. Peter, Tabgha and the Mount of Beatitudes
I could see the Primacy of St. Peter and it's small bank where I had sat just this morning, looking out to the middle of the sea where I now sat. (I would say "what a coincidence", but one time I read: a coincidence is a miracle that God doesn't take credit for. Something to think about!)
I could look up the hill from my cherished spot and see the mountain where Jesus gave us the Beatitudes!! Where we had just come from! Where we had just celebrated mass!
Jesus, Peter, James, John....when they were out fishing in this very sea, they could look back at the shore and see that same mountain, that same landscape.
This very sea was where Jesus spectacularly walked on this very water.
The captain of our boat explained how the terrain around the sea - the shape of the mountain and the proximity of the valley which allows for wind to funnel through - it is the perfect setup for sudden, violent storms.
Such as the night that Jesus slept in the bow as his Disciples worried that they would perish.
Brooklyn Museum - James Tissot
Brooklyn Museum - James Tissot
This is the sea that obeyed his commands.
Sigh. It was awesome to be there, thinking of all these things.
After we all finished our meditation time, (which was over too soon for me...I was so lost in thought!) the crew of the boat had a surprise for us. They were going to demonstrate how the disciples and men of Jesus' time would fish with nets.
The story of Jesus gathering his disciplines is in 3 of 4 Gospels. So I
was happy to get a chance to see how they fished in those days so I
could align my mind with the stories when I listen to them for the rest
of my life! It was not what I expected though!
Being from South Carolina, I am used to seeing fishing and shrimping boats at the coast. I have even been out as a guest on a small non-commercial shrimp boat which utilized a cast net. But I always thought the Apostles used large nets which would be manned by multiple people. So i was surprised to see the captain pull out a cast net.
AmericanCatholic.org says: "The cast net is circular, about 20 feet in diameter, with weights of
lead attached to the border. One man usually flings the net in a round
circle from the shore but it is also done from boats. It required great
skill since it had to open completely when it landed on the water
trapping the fish underneath it. Peter and Andrew were occupied with
this type of fishing when Jesus— summons came to them. The weights come
together as the nets sink and encircle the fish. Sometimes, the
fishermen on a boat had to jump into the water to retrieve the net and
so they often fished naked. They were probably fishing with cast nets
when they spied Jesus standing on the shore (Jn 21:7)."
The captain jumped up on the front of the boat...
...folded the long net accordion-style over his arm...
...wound himself by
twisting his upper torso and then twirled and launched the net out over
the water!
The net opened up into a perfect circle and landed in the water with a terrific splash!
The weights spaced around the edges work together to close it up so the "catch" can be hauled in.....but our demo didn't "net" anything. heeheehee
The captain cast out a second time and again...nothing. We all tried to talk him into "casting his net on the other side", but he just laughed and put the net away!
I guess it would have been awfully disappointing if he would have come up with nothing again, so it's probably best not to test our faith! LOL!
Simon had experienced a long, non-productive night on the water. No
catch meant what? No fish for him to sell? Or did it actually mean no
breakfast? He returned to the shore and still had all the drudgery of
cleanup to do. While he's washing his nets Jesus asks him to take him
out in the boat.
Did Simon initially want to say no? Was he exhausted? Dirty? Hungry?
But he said yes to the Lord.
Brooklyn Museum - James Tissot
So
out they go. Out a little into the lake. Simon probably anchors the boat for
Jesus to teach and then settles down to rest after his long night. I
can imagine him, lying back in the shade near the rudder. Is he dozing?
Slipping in and out of sleep as he listens to Jesus speak to the crowd
on the shore? Did the words begin to penetrate his dreamy state? Did
the words begin to penetrate his heart? Did he sit up, did he begin to
pay attention? Did he feel a fire start within him? Did he become
enthralled with the message? Does he move towards Jesus, did he forget
his weariness? Did he sit t the feet of Jesus and find himself perched
on each and every word?
Jesus asks more of him, to cast
his nets out into the water. Did Simon's weariness return with the
thought? Or maybe he thought Jesus was hungry? Simon warns him that
they have fished all night and caught nothing.
But again he complies. Was Jesus so charismatic? Was he so sincere that Simon could not refuse him?
So
again, he does what Jesus asked. And Simon is rewarded with nets so
overloaded with fish that he needed help pulling them in. Plenty for
everyone, maybe a bigger catch than Simon had ever seen before!
And
Simon immediately knew he was unworthy! He didn't care about the fish
now, he was thinking of his soul - his sinfulness and his unworthiness
to even be near Jesus.
But Jesus just tells him, "You think this is something? Wait till you see what you will catch if you stick with me!"
And Simon leaves everything sitting where it is and goes with Jesus.
Wow. The nets, the boat, and all those fish too! He just - again - does what the Lord asks.
I want to be like that!!!
My time on the Sea of Galilee was my favorite part of my trip to Israel. And the boat ride out into the middle was priceless to my spirituality as I listen to the Gospels in church or when I read the Bible.
Dear Lord, Thank You so much for allowing me to experience you on the Sea where your precious Son spent so much time. Please continue to remind me and allow me to re-live the wonder and the touch of the Holy Spirit though my trip. Amen.
