Kursi National Park and the "Miracle of the Swine"

MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

On the east bank of the Sea of Galilee is Kursi National Park.

Kursi National Park, Israel

The highway to get there is interesting in itself, if you know why there are so many tall trees planted along it's edges - to protect vehicles from view of the Golan Heights! 

Looking over the protective trees along the highway at the Golan Heights

Our guide, Hillel, said that as a boy he would come with his family to this area to vacation.  Spending time in bomb shelters was part of life in this area since it directly beneath the Golan Heights.   Unimaginable to my American mind!

We began our tour of the area with a Bible reading by Fr. T.  This was always such a wonderful way to start any visit to a site in Israel, it helped me so much to try to understand where I was and what had happened in this place.

Gospel mk 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea,
to the territory of the Gerasenes.
When he got out of the boat,
at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.
The man had been dwelling among the tombs,
and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.
In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,
but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,
and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides
he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.
Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,
he ran up and prostrated himself before him,
crying out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, do not torment me!”
(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”)
He asked him, “What is your name?”
He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”
And he pleaded earnestly with him
not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.
And they pleaded with him,
“Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.”
And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.
The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,
where they were drowned.
The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town
and throughout the countryside.
And people came out to see what had happened.
As they approached Jesus,
they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,
sitting there clothed and in his right mind.
And they were seized with fear.
Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened
to the possessed man and to the swine.
Then they began to beg him to leave their district.
As he was getting into the boat,
the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.
But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,
“Go home to your family and announce to them
all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”
Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis
what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

As we stood and listened to Father read, it dawned on us all where we were, and we all turned and looked up at the hill above the ruins.  It only took a few more minutes for us to realize that there was some sort of structure and a path to the top of the hill where the miracle took place!

Path to the "Miracle of the Swine" site in the foothills of the Golan Heights

About 1/2 our group took off up the hill to see the site.  I would not suggest this hike to everyone, I would call it a moderate climb.  Although the path is well-marked and starts out wide, it does get slimmer and more rocky towards the top. I thought it was a steep climb.  One website said the elevation was 900 feet but after lots and lots of searching, I can't find anything at all giving any information regarding this little hike.

"Miracle of the Swine" Hill

I made it to the top!

Byzantine Ruins on top the "Miracle of the Swine" Hill, Kursi National Park, Israel

Up on the hill of the "Miracle of the Swine" are the ruins of a chapel which has 3 layers of mosaics uncovered. This area was originally in a cave, but they excavated it - for the tourists?  Or maybe the monks did it centuries ago?  I don't know. 

Closeup of the Byzantine ruins

There are other ruins here also, including a stone bench for looking out over the Sea of Galilee.  

Looking out over the sea and knowing what happened here is amazing.  The weather was warm and so the climb had heated me up, but the breeze off the lake was refreshing.  Thinking about what it must have been like to see the entire herd of swine all of a sudden stampede down into the lake and drown must have been quite a sight!

This incident is mentioned in three Gospels:  Matthew 8:28-34,  Mark 5:1-14, and Luke 8:26-37.

We didn't have much time as this was an unscheduled stop on our tour, so we headed back down after a short reflection and visited the Byzantine Monastery which is built at the bottom of the hill.

Archaeological investigators identify this site as ancient "Kurshi", a center of idol worship in ancient times.  The ruins are of the Byzantine Monastery build in here in the fifth century AD to honor the miracle that happened at this site.

Prayer Hall of the Church in the Byzantine Monastery at Kursi

The ruins were only accidentally discovered in 1970 when they were doing road construction after the Six Day War!  Kursi only opened to the public in 1982.  It's hard to believe this marvelous site was hidden from pilgrims for all those years!

The floors used to contain beautiful mosaics of birds, fish and fruit, but previous visitors (hundreds of years ago, not modern tourists) have pulled them up.  Now you can see the plain tile outlining the holes in the floor where the pictures used to be.

Vandalized mosaic floors at Kursi

These remains are significant in that this is the largest known Byzantine Monastery in the Holy Land. 

The ruins include the anterior courtyard of the church, which originally had a 2-story tower in it.

The church has a Prayer Hall with an Apse at the front and long skinny auxiliary rooms running on either side.

One side had a Chapel with a Baptistery in it.  I had to borrow a picture of it from BibleWalks.com as neither Mom nor I got a picture of this.  I wanted to include it as they found a crypt below this floor with 30 skeletons of the monks inside!

BibleWalks.com photo of the Chapel at Kursi

The other side had an oil press in it, and another room behind which had shelves set up for candles.

Lastly, the entrance walk has a very cool old wall which fascinated me.

There are lots of benches and picnic tables under shady trees scattered throughout this site, I guess because it is a National Park?  It is definitely a great place to stop and take a rest or even have a picnic if you have snacks/food with you!

(***if you should journey to the top of the hill, be sure to read my post about the vine of thorns growing from the rock above the site)

2012 Pilgrimage to Israel - Day 5

Listening to the Prophets

ORDINARY TIME

Gospel Mt 4:12-17

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The Prophet Isaiah

Throughout the Gospels and New Testament, they are constantly referring to passages from the Old Testament: words of the prophets.  They point out that Jesus is fulfilling the prophecies, the prophecies that the Jewish people had been told for hundreds of years.

I never really got that until today.

I would hear them say it and quote some ancient scripture, but I never really understood.

The Prophet Amos

But now it occurs to me - they new these words.  They had them memorized.  Most Israelites couldn't read, didn't have reading material even if they could.  They would gather each Sabbath and a priest would read the stories of their ancestors and the words of the prophets.  They would savor the stories, repeat them to their children, discuss them and dream on them and pass them on and on.  They discussed the scriptures as they worked and as they rested.  They were not distracted by tv, video games, cell phone, radios, internet, computers or even books and magazines.  There minds were not occupied and distracted like ours are today.

Today, there isn't a person I know of almost any age from my 21-month-old granddaughter to my 80 year old mother who could not join in and sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with me.  Almost anyone can recite nursery rhymes like Humpty Dumpty or Mary Had a Little Lamb, or tell the story of the Three Little Pigs. 

So if all of a sudden you heard of a wolf in another town who was blowing houses down...would ping on your memories?  Wouldn't you think "hey, this sounds familiar" or  "hmmmmmm.  I remember something about this"  or  "could this be the wolf from the stories?"

Now, what if all my life I had heard the stories from my parents and elders, talked about them with my friends and family, dreamed about a Deliverer with every horror that the Romans subjected me to, told my children to keep the hope and faith and remember what the prophets foretold.....would I recognize my Lord when he came?

Prophet Malachi                                           Prophet Habakkuk

Would I have the ears to hear and the eyes to see?

I can understand them talking themselves out of it (curse that Satan at work!), "who is this Jesus?"   "Is he the One?"   After hundreds of years, really?  Is this Him?

I can imagine a people being so patient and loyal for so long that they are unable to accept that it has happened!  They just can't wrap their brains around the idea that God has answered their prayers!

    Prophet Obadiah                                            Prophet Micah        

God gave words to the Prophets, he allowed them to tell us the signs and conditions to recognize the Messiah by.  We were told what to watch for so we'd know Him.  Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies of the Old Testament - how could they not see who he was?

Prophet Hosea                                         Prophet Ezekiel   

Lord, please open my eyes and my ears to you.  Help me to see you everyday, to know you and your will for me.  Give me grace to understand and live for you each and every day!  Amen!

Prophet Elijah

o

Between the Altar and the Door

I heard a sentence in a song on the radio this morning and it really stuck with me, causing me to think back on it multiple times throughout the day.  I usually attribute that to an urging by the Holy Spirit to dwell on a subject...

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

It was just part of a lyric actually and I didn’t catch what was before or after, but just that one partial phrase,

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

And what is between the Altar and the Door?  The Middle.  The Church.  The People.  The World. 

So where am I?  (Metaphorically speaking).  Am I closer to the Altar or am I closer to the Door?

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

The World has a lot to offer, a lot of pleasures, a lot of sorrow, a lot of excitement, a lot of boredom, a lot of fun, a lot of work. We are all in the World, we are all milling about, ever- moving, ever-changing places.

The World has a lot to say about what we should be doing or feeling, how we should act.  It filters in from the Door and the Altar.  The World takes what it hears and sees and feels and passes it around to each other.

By the Door, the World is told that individuals are most important.  Feeling good and being happy are to be coveted.  It says “you need success, money, power and material goods” and it tells us without these things we can’t be happy.  Try to achieve these things with as little work as possible, even at the expense of others, and you will be even happier!  Anyone who attains these things is looked upon favorably in the World. 

The Door doesn't want you to see what is beyond it.

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

By the Altar, we hear a different message.  Relationships are most important, first to God, then to Family, then to the others in the World.  Humility, sacrifice, honor, and humbleness, integrity and morality – these are the qualities that the Altar speaks highly of.  The message from the Altar is that attaining earthly wealth and power and influence and materials may not lead to happiness in the World.  But remaining true to the message of the Altar will allow you to cross-over into perfect happiness beyond the Altar.

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

Beyond the Altar is Heaven. 

Beyond the Door is Hell.

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

As I mill about, moving with the ebb and flow of the World, I feel the pull of the Door, I feel the pull of the Altar. 

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

The Door has a wide, easy path to it.  I ease down there to take a look, I am intrigued by the noises and bright lights I can see coming from there.  The World looks like they are having a good time near the Door.

I venture down the spacious route towards the Door.  It is dazzling  and murky there at the same time.  It is confusing – but yet I continue to be drawn there. It seems so thrilling and pleasurable.  Now I notice there are deep shadows on the peripheral of the World near the Door, it is not pretty around the edges – but I don’t dwell on it because there are so many shiny things to look at.  Through the Door comes the sounds of rude laughter and unidentifiable noises.   It is loud and rowdy.  The Path gets shabbier and shabbier along the edges, I can’t really identify what it is as my senses keep being pulled away from the fringes  towards the middle of the Door where it is full of stimulating lights and intense  noise.   It is tantalizing and enticing. 

I don’t quite feel right, it is dizzying here to me.

I turn to go the other direction.  The World calls to me, tells me I’m confused and to turn back around.  It tells me I’m missing all the fun, I’m old fashioned, I’m a stick-in-the-mud.  The World laughs at me they continue towards the noise near the Door.

Walking towards the Altar, the Path begins to get narrower.  Sometimes it is hard to travel.  It has mountains to climb and deserts to traverse.  Worst of all, the Path has many shiny Stumbling Blocks along  the way.  The Stumbling Blocks are like mirrors, they reflect the spectacle near the Door.   They are a constant reminder of the ease of the Path behind me.  They allow the sights and sounds to rebound down the Path towards the World that is traveling towards the Altar.

The Mountains are high and numerous (but the view from them is lovely), the deserts are wide and lonely (but there are restful oasis on the other side).  Others on  the Path reach out to me sometimes, hold my hand, share their water, lift me up.  I assist others too, and receive  peace and contentment in doing so. 

The Altar ahead looks so peaceful.  I hear laughter, but it’s more gentle.  There is lovely music and the murmuring of voices, pleasant and soft  I am sensing extraordinary smells and colors and lights and sounds, all unidentifiable and just beyond the Altar.

There are lovely curtains around the Altar, they are iridescent and  shimmering.  They have the quality of smoke or a butterflies wing.  They wave in a gentle breeze which carries the aroma of an unknown fragrance and gives fleeting glimpses of what is behind the Altar.

Just as I trip over a particularly sharp Stumbling Block glinting ominously on the Path, I feel a sweet breath of air on my face.  I look up to the Altar just as the curtain reveals a momentary glance at what is behind it:  Pure Love!

 It is exquisite and magnificent!

I can feel the blissful happiness resonating from the World around the Altar, I am pulled towards it.  There is Hope here!  I can feel the beautiful-ness of the World around me when I am near the Altar. 

If the Altar is so nice and the Door is so unpleasant, why are more people standing in the back near the Exit?  Why do they strain to see over the crowd at the Door, what is the call to that place?

Are you Godly or Worldly?

They Were Astounded

ORDINARY TIME

Mark 6: 45-51

"Then he made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.  And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray.  When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.  Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea.  He meant to pass by them.  But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out.   They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were [completely] astounded."

 "They were completely astounded"

I understand.  Sometimes, even though you are looking directly at something, your mind is so surprised that you just can't make sense of it all.  You really can't "wrap your brain around it". 

One time my son was stationed in Sudan, Africa for a year.  His wife and baby were staying with my family until his return in July.   One evening in March I was standing at the kitchen sink with my daughter-in-law when I saw the UPS man enter my garage through the window.  I was surprised when he continued right into my kitchen, grabbed my daughter-in-law in a huge hug and said "Hi Mom!".  I was completely astounded!  It was my son, Mitch!

But my brain couldn't make sense of Mitch being in my garage (since he was suppose to be thousands and thousands of miles away) so my mind told me is was the UPS man, who resembled my son.  I even had a lightening-quick thought that the UPS man sure was tall like Mitch as he was coming through the garage.  My brain was having a hard time grasping what it was actually seeing!

How surprised must the Apostles have been when Jesus walked up to them - across the water!  And not only that, through the rough waters of a storm.

After the initial shock of seeing Mitch wore off (which took a minute let me tell you!), I couldn't wipe the sappy smile from my face!  My heart was bursting with happiness and bubbling over with joy!

Surely Peter reacted the same way!  And in the excitement of the moment and while his mind was dealing with the intense confusion of what he was witnessing, he leaped joyfully from the boat and strode out to meet Jesus!

Yet as he stepped further away from the comfort, safety - normalcy - of the boat, he began to falter.  His mind told him this couldn't be possible.  Satan cast doubt into his mind and Peter began to sink.

Sometimes we believe without seeing and sometimes we can't believe even when we are actually seeing.

But with a wonderful God like we have, we should always be willing to accept miracles!!!

My Favorite Prayer

OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS


As everyone is celebrating the incoming of the New Year, I find I am thoughtful.

I want to be a better person this year.  I want to work harder to discern God's Will and His Path for me.  I want to follow that Path....if I can figure out what it is.....

My Lord God.

I have no idea where I am going.

 

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.  

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,

 though I may know nothing about it.

 

Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. 

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,

and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

 my most favorite prayer, written by Thomas Merton

Mary of Nazareth

I am privileged to be a member of a church that sponsored a showing of the new movie "Mary of Nazareth" in our town.  It was one of only two showings in our entire state!  What a great Christmas gift for the people in my area!  The theater was sold out and I sat in joyful anticipation with my family.

May of Nazareth did not disappoint!  If you have a chance to view it, I would highly suggest it!

I try to never miss a chance to see a movie version of any of the stories from the Bible.  Even if I don't agree with the way the director and actors have depicted various events or people, I can almost always glean something spiritual from watching.  Sometimes a lot, sometimes just one little nugget, but I believe God is pleased with this attempt to tell the story of the Mother of His Son. 

The actress who played Mary (Alissa Jung) did a fantastic job!

Mary's faithful "yes" throughout the entire movie is spectacular!  At various different times she will frown in confusion, and then smile the most lovely and peaceful smile!  She trusts God to take care of things however He wishes and she just accepts whatever is happening as His will!!  It is beautiful!!!


I was overjoyed to see the Annunciation scene was set having Mary in a downstairs room making bread when the Angel Gabriel arrives. She stands and backs up in surprise - right into a small stairway!  A lot like the one I was fascinated with when I visited the Grotto of the Annunciation!  I have to say it really made my heart sing as I sat in the theater!!!  It made both the movie and my visit and the real event all connect for me!

Grotto of the Annunciation - Nazareth, Israel

When Mary is perplexed at the Angels' news, she leans back into the staircase for support for a moment before smiling that serene smile and telling the Angel that she is the "Handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to God's Will" - I loved it!

Mary never waivers in her faith from that moment on.  She might be puzzled a moment, but she trusts God completely and continually assures others that all will work out according to Gods' Will.

One scene that really stands out in my mind is the way they portrayed Mary's Magnificat.  All the movies I have ever seen have Mary standing and mono-logging the prayer to Elizabeth.  But in this depiction, when she arrives in Ain Karim (or Ein Karem) to see Elizabeth and begins to share her news, she is very happy and goes joyfully from one person to another - all around the room with excitement and smiles - happily delivering her news!

For the first time ever, I understood why it's called the "Song of Mary"!! 


One scene which really opened my mind was when Jesus is preaching and someone in the crowd says that his mother and brothers are outside.  

While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him.

(Someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.")

But he said in reply to the one who told him, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"

And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.

 Matthew 12:46-49

Jesus barely hesitates before announcing that "who are my brothers?  Who is my mother?".  I never understood that, but after watching it in the movie, it made total sense to me!!  Yes - no one is more special to Jesus/God than anyone else!  He loves us all equally!  He wants salvation for us all equally!

Although the others in the scene get upset, Mary totally gets it.  She looks hurt at first, but then she understands.  She tells the others that he is correct.  Of course, the other family members are all scandalized and want to leave, but Mary insists on going in and sitting amongst the followers and listening to Jesus talk.  Jesus shares a look with her, and she smiles her understanding and he smiles back. 

The others try to talk her into leaving (Jesus has just disowned her in front of everyone!) and she says she's going to him because he is "My Lord"...WOW!!  So powerful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another scene I identified with was the evening of the Last Supper, right before they began.  Mary and Jesus have a conversation in the courtyard outside the Upper Room and it is very much like the   Cenacle which I visited on Mt. Zion.

The Upper Room (Cenacle) - Mt. Zion outside Jerusalem, Israel

I know that there is no Biblical reference to this scene, but I enjoyed it thinking that Jesus and Mary did enjoy many private moments together as Mother and Son, despite His public ministry (above).  As the mother of a grown son with his own life, I know these are precious times to be cherished, which I'm sure Mary did.

I personally only have one scene I did not like, and that was during the scourging of Jesus.  Although Mary was not present at the beating, in this movie she experienced each lash - falling to the ground in physical pain.

This is also not Biblical and I don't agree with the poetic license in this case.  I felt like it took away from the suffering Jesus did for us to have Mary experience his pain physically!  Our Mother would never want us to turn our eyes away from what Jesus did for us!  In fact, I believe she is mortified if anyone aligns her grief and heartbreak at His death with any of the suffering He did to save us.   It was just an unnecessary addition to the movie in my opinion.

The movie ends when Mary sees her risen Son and that smile, that grace-filled look of understanding and joy.  A perfect way to end such a wonderful movie experience!!

I thoroughly enjoyed Mary of Nazareth and would recommend it to anyone, of any faith!