Virtual Pilgrimage for the Feast of the Visitation

It's the Feast of the Visitation!  You want to make a pilgrimage to Hill Country of Judea, but can't afford the plan fare to Israel.

Ah, you are having Feast of Visitation day blues.  But fear not!  The miracle of modern technology makes it possible to take a virtual pilgrimage to the very spot of Mary and Elizabeth's embrace.

Seriously, in honor of the Feast Day, I thought I'd post some video of our trip to Ein Karem, the site of the Church of the Visitation, from Day 4 of our May pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Luke is vague about the location of the Visitation, only describing it as "the hill country of Judea."  Ein Karem (lit. "the spring of the vineyard") is the hilly area associated with the Visitation since ancient times.

The first video shows the walk up the mountainside from the modern town to the Church of the Visitation, which is mildly tiring.   The surrounding countryside is beautiful.












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Structure and Spirit are Not Opposed: The Sixth Sunday of Easter

The Readings for this Sunday’s Mass are here.

Throughout this Easter Season, we follow the growth of the early Church through the Acts of the Apostles.

The key points of development of the life the early Church remain paradigmatic and instructive for the Church today, because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8).

So we see in this Sunday’s First Reading pivotal point in the Book of Acts and in the growth of the Church, as Philip, one of the first deacons, goes down to Samaria to preach the Gospel to them.

What is the Mount of Beatitudes Like?

Where did Jesus actually deliver the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7)?

On the third day of our pilgrimage, we visited the traditional Mount of the Beatitudes, a high hill on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee between Magdala (to the south) and Caphernaum (to the north).  Although 100% certainty is not possible, this mount is a likely candidate for the location of Jesus' sermon, and has been venerated as such since at least the fourth century.  Even if it is not the exact location, it has to be close.

Many outdoor sanctuaries are available at the site for Mass, as the peaceful and beautiful location is very conducive to prayer.  The Sea of Galilee is clearly visible to the west.  The area is well-watered and verdant, and swarming with birds, especially different varieties of swallows and sparrows.  On the accompanying video, the bird calls are clearly audible.  Being there certainly added a certain tangible impact to the following words from the Sermon:

The Priesthood of the New Covenant: Fifth Sunday of Easter

By a happy coincidence, we in the Diocese of Steubenville were blessed with a pair of ordinations (one to the diaconate and one to the priesthood) on this weekend in which the readings for Mass are filled with motifs of priesthood and temple.

The First Reading (Acts 6:1-7) records the appointing of seven men to assist the Apostles.  These men have always been understood by the Church as the first deacons.  One of the things that strikes me about this passage is the clear top-down authority structure of the Church.  Although the congregation is consulted in the selection of these men, they are ultimately “appointed” by the Apostles when they lay hands on them and pray for them, a rite later called “ordination.”  As a Protestant I was always wondering what the biblical form of Church government was.  In hindsight, it’s not hard to see.

Touring Galilee: Taghba, Caesarea Philippi, Caphernaum

We got back safely from Israel on Wednesday morning. 

I had been "off the grid" for several days because, shortly after my last post, we moved to a hotel in Jerusalem where the WIFI rates were exhorbitant.  I'm going to pick up where I left off and just post about some of the places we visited on each day of the pilgrimage.

On Day 3 of the pilgrimage:

Today was a whirlwind tour of sites in Galilee: Tabgha, the location of the Feeding of the 5,000; Peter’s Primacy, the site associated with the events of John 21; Mass at the Mount of Beatitudes, a two-hour round trip to Caesarea Philippi  (site of Peter’s confession of faith, Matt 16:13-20), followed by a visit to Caphernaum.

Our group along the shores of the Sea of Galilee

Close up of the famous mosaic in the Church of the Multiplication

The time at Caphernaum was one of the day’s highlights.  Although the synagogue where Jesus preached the Bread of Life Discourse is no longer standing, its foundations are still clearly visible.  A more recent, largely-intact 4-5^th century synagogue is built over it.

Perhaps fifty feet away one finds the remains of Peter’s house in Caphernaum, the base for so much of Jesus’ Galilean ministry.

The Sea of Galilee itself is only a stone’s throw away.

The famous synagogue of Caphernaum

On the bus ride back to Nazareth, we re-read the Bread of Life discourse, in light of just having been at the location where it was first preached. 

The Basilica of the Annunciation

Today, among other things, we visited the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

It is built over a cave in Nazareth which, from the fourth century on, was a pilgrimage site associated with the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38).  The picture at right is a close up of grotto itself.  Our tour guide is a parishioner of the Basilica, and was able to get our little group of Domers and Steubies permission to celebrate mass just outside the grotto.  The experience was stunning, to say the least.

Not far away is the Church of St. Joseph, built 

Safe Arrival in Tel-Aviv, Now in Nazareth

We had a smooth flight from Atlanta to Tel-Aviv, got through security, and then took a 1.5 hour bus ride to Nazareth.  The accompanying photo is the Golden Crown Hotel viewed from my balcony window.

Amer, our guide, comes from a Roman Catholic family in Nazareth that has been Roman Catholic back at least to the era of the crusades (!).  Most of the Christians here are Greek Orthodox, or Melkite Catholics.  The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has the pastoral care of 56,000 Roman Catholics in Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus.  It is a small minority.

We were fortunate to be able to procure the Church of the Grotto of the Annunciation for our Mass tomorrow.  I will be remembering the intentions of TSP readers and, of course, co-bloggers Michael and Brant and their families.

Leaving for Israel!

I leave for Israel tomorrow (Monday) afternoon.  If I have internet access in Israel, I'll post some updates from the pilgrimage.  God bless, one and all!  I'll pray for readers of The Sacred Page at the holy sites.

Baptism in the New Testament: Another Good One

I'd like to highlight another contribution from our Lutheran friends.  Judging by the high-church theology, I suspect our brothers are Missouri Synod Lutherans.  The Missouri Synod bishop in northern Indiana once told my much beloved Bishop D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend that his (the Missouri Synod) was the "real Catholic Church."  This incident occurred during an ecumenical prayer service.  I can't remember the exact circumstances, but it must have been unusual, because the MSL's often don't participate in ecumenical events. 

Be that as it may, the points made in this video pertain directly to biblical interpretation, and Catholics can directly appropriate the underlying apologetic.

Christianity, the Made-Up Fake Religion (Video)

This clip really made me laugh--even though it was produced by Lutherans ; )   It made me think: perhaps the force of some arguments are best expressed through humor. Enjoy!