January 25, 2010 – Day Nine

ISRAEL

Mount Tabor ( Mount of Transfiguration) Strategic location for the Israeli army. Uses ruins of churches for toilets. Where the Lord brought St Peter, St James and St John. In the Jezreel Valley.

Midst of the Jezreel Valley. Main junction in country reaching any highway. Food basket of the country. To the right of the mountain is the Hill of Moreh. Jesus raises the dead son – the only child – of an old woman ( Luke 7 11-15.

2 kings 4 Elisha

Many battles in the Jezreel valley. Israelites fought the Philistines, Canaanites, Persians, Greeks, Romans.

Fertile red soil. Say its mixed with blood.

Megiddo – established to control trade at the foothill to the Mediterranean Sea. the hill overlooking the valley where the current kibbutz is located, is identified as the site of the final battle between the forces of good and evil at the end of time, known as Armageddon.

Mt Tabor crossing point of all nations. Temples of the Canaanites. God of fertility. Every general who fought a battle took up a position on Mt Tabor. Jeremiah refers to this location. Nebacanazur one of the generals who took up a position on this mountain. St Matthew brings the good news focus on God’s divine nature. Jesus came to say I am the God whom you should worship. The Lamb of God.

7 pillars are mountains of the church

Mt of Temptations

Mt of Beatitudes

Mt Hermon – established the church

Mt of Transfiguration

Mt Zion – established the Eucharist

Mt Calvary

Mt. of Ascensions was the Mt of Olives

Cana – Marriage is a sacrament. We are connected spiritually in heaven. Widow can renew vows as well. Cana beginning of the public ministry of our Lord. The wine of Cana is new blood of the covenant. There are no vineyards in Cana. Jesus was wondering why Mary wants to rush the sword piercing her heart. The speeding up of his death. Weddings took place in the center of towns. Marriage is a whole week of celebrations.

Here there is no divorce. It is a family affair. Stay in the home till you are married.

Homily of Church of the Wedding

Via Maris the Way of the Sea or costal highway.

Sepphoris is where St Joseph worked. Excavation of a single building found in 100 BC. Jesus would not have called St Joseph father. Joseph was a tough man. Walked distances.

The town was known as deo Caesarea. The home town of the Jewish Talmud. Mt 16. Spoke of this place as Caesarea Philippi. St Luke when he spoke called Bethlehem of Judea.

Four temples on the same sight in Jerusalem

1 st Solomon 964 BC destroyed in 587BC by Nebuchadnezzar. 2 nd temple built in 515 by Zerubbabel. 3 rd 168BC rebuilt by the Hasmonean. Destroyed by an earthquake. 4 th temple built by Herod the Great. Nero burned/destroyed it .

66AD Jews revolted. 36,000 soldiers besieged Jerusalem. No food, no water. Referenced the station of the cross where Jesus said don’t weep for me, but for your sons and daughters.

Read Maccabeus and the miracle of Hanukkah.

When Herod built the temple they made an agreement that the Jews would train the priests. When Nero came into power, the temple was taken by the zelds. If anyone leaves the temple, they would be killed. Johanan ben Zacai, head of the temple pretended death. They put him in a coffin and came before Titus. Titus allowed them to take the coffin outside of Jerusalem and the Jews to leave the area. Then Titus destroyed the temple because the leadership left.

The Jews began to organize worship services. It was a new time. Because the temple was not there, they have to pray in a new way, they cannot continue sacrifices. Charity was the way. Head of the school was Judah the prince in Sepphoris. He interpreted Moses’ laws – codification of law. There were 613 laws. 32 volumes called the Talmud. What we see in Jewish worship today if far different from what they used today.

Mt Carmel means Holy Headland. Even the romans decided that the whole mountain was holy. Any name with El in it means God. It’s a ridge of limestone 15 miles long between the Jezreel and Shalom Valley. Megiddo is at the foothill of Mt. Carmel.

Elijah killed the prophets of Baal at the Kishon river. Judges 4 Debra and Barak would go up on Mt Tabor waiting for army of Hazor lead by Ciscera. As the army came they waited until it rained. The chariots got stuck in the mud. They killed the men.

In 875 BC – Elijah the prophet. King Ahab and Jezebel’s time.

Elijah was sent to reform the Israelites. Elijah imposed a drought on the land of Samaria. They wanted to take the agricultural land. Drought lasted 3 years.

El means God, and Car mean vineyard. ( vineyard of God)

Kishon River is at the foot of Mt Carmel. The brooks in the bible are called rivers. But they are really brooks.

The Bible proves things we find. We don’t prove things by the Bible.

At transfiguration: Elijah – head of the prophets, Moses- received the Word of God, Jesus- I am the word of God and head of the prophets.

Haifa – large harbor in Haifa. Haifa- chemical, refinery, high tech industry. Most western city in Israel

Stella Maris – Star of the Sea. Pyramid is of the martyr

The scapular was given to St Simon stock here at Mt Carmel in 1251. Our Lady said come back to the monastery.

July 19 th Feast of St Elijah.

Caesarea- Spiritual birthplace of non-jews who became Christians. St Peter moved to Capernaum was a fisherman. Only way to preserve fish was to take it to Magdala. Crossing the border, one had to pay. The Lord told St. Peter to fish, found a coin in the mouth of fish to pay the tax. St. Peter married a lady where he could go to Capernaum so he could smoke fish and not pay tax. St Peter knew Greek ( Hebrew) proof was the house of Caiaphas. They knew he was Greek. Witnessed every move of the Lord. I better observe the law carefully. Peter was afraid even when the Lord said, Feed my lambs. After Pentecost, peter was no longer afraid. Baptized 3000 people. Went to the Beautiful Gate of the temple. Only high priest could enter. There peter challenged authority and cured the lame. He ended up in jail. Went to Samaria, enemy territory. Baptized people there. Then went to Lydia ( Acts 8) cured a tanner. St Simon worked in Lydia. Peter raised Tabitha from the dead ( Acts 9). Went tanners home to pray on the roof, and had the dream of the clean animals. The meaning was that St Peter would bring Gentiles to Christianity. He left and went to Cornelius in Caesarea. Baptized Cornelius and his whole household, including children. Infant baptism is there! It was a turning point for Christian history ( Acts 10). He was a gentile. If not for this Christianity would just be limited to Israel.

Eastern gate – was the trash gate where the scapegoat was let thru.

South Gate – where you changed Denarius to shekels. There are no carved images on shekels, even today. Blessed Virgin Mary did this with pigeons at Presentation.

Kurkar – sandstone ridges – stones which border the Mediterranean – created swamps by blocking water in the area. They have hardened over the years.

Phoenicians invented glass in 5bc using sand from river near here.

Herod the great. Nothing to do with Judism. Forced to deal with the Jews. Found a way to drain the swamps. Built a temple to Augustus Caesar, made an economy, made ruler of Emmanuel ( also known as Israel) . After death, Pontius Pilate became governor. Freshwater from Mt Carmel fed the 10 mile long aqueduct that lead to Caesarea. The aqueduct ran from 22BC, supplied 50,000 people with water. St Louis 9 of France in 1251 came to liberate the Christians.

Jonah the prophet born in Gath hepher in Galilee. Went to Joppa in Egypt, then to Nineveh which is now Mousel in Iraq. Swallowed by a whale in Medeaterrian sea. Sign of Jonah is the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Caesarea capital of country and port of entry. Herod the Great created man made hills, built 50 foot high vaults, where ships unloaded their goods. On top was a temple to the godess of Rome and a statue to Caesar Augustus. Here Cornelius baptized, Paul was in prison. (Acts 23 – 25). St Paul left here to go to Rome. There was a drying moat around the harbor.

Barabbas - Bar mean son of, Abba means father = son of the father.

Paul came to praetorium (Acts 25). Herod of Agrippa, son of Phillip and grandson of Herod the Great. Brother of Salome who had St John the Baptist beheaded. At Caesarea Herod Agrippa stood up and proclaimed he was god. Was stuck dead instantly.

The tabula ensata was a Pontius Pilate stone marker above the door to the temple. Christian came and took it down put it on the floor to be stepped on.

Hippodrome was used for horse racing. In the 2AD used to feed Christians to the beasts. It is holy ground.

Driving on Highway 6,the Via Maris. It is in a valley between lowlands of Samaria. Is an ancient trade route to Mesopotamia. Has been used for 5,000 years. Camels travelled on this main connection thru the country. This is the coastal highway used by the patriarchs. Joseph of Jacob was taken to Egypt on this Highway.

The King’s Highway connects Damascus with the border of Egypt thru Jordan.

Samarian foothills – when travelling one would travel at the foot hills for safety and water. It leads to the Jezereal valley.

Palestine – Philistines in Bible are sea people who came from Greece and Cyprus. Herodotus refers to area of coast as Palestina. They were always known as enemies of Israel. At the time Joshua came to the promised land, Philistines wanted to stay there also. Judges did battle against them. King Saul fought against the Philistines. (1 Sam 4) They won and brought the ark to their camp and then got rid of it. Roman authorities in 135AD named the area Palestine as an attempt to punish the Jews by bringing it up to them. We passed the field where King Saul fought the Philistines for the ark. Valley of Rafim.

Since 2002, 9,000 families have emigrated from Bethlehem. Palestinian Christians are surrounded by walls in cities. The Israelis say it is to limit the suicide bombings. But it is really limiting the natural growth of a city and imprisoning Christians. Towns captured in 1967 are surrounded with walls. It is easier to journey from USA to Bethlehem and Jerusalem which are 6 miles apart, than to go from Bethlehem to Jerusalem.

Pope Urban in 1 st crusade won the crusade and they wanted to make him a king. He said no.

Read about the walls surrounding the cities at betslem.org.il Kande? store in Bethlehem -where the Dead Sea scrolls were brought by shepherd boy.