Shepherd's Field, the port city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and Caesaria Maritima - July 29, 2011 - (Matthew Mac Donald)

In the early morning, we left Bethlehem and we celebrated mass at Shepherd's Field where in Luke 2:8-18 the Angels announced to the Shepherds of Bethlehem the Birth of Christ:

"And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!" When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them."

After celebrating mass, we went to the port city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa on the Mediterranean Sea. In ancient times, Jaffa (known then as Joppa). It is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 2:15 as the port of entry from where the cedars of Lebanon were brought to Jerusalem to build King Solomon's Temple and later the Second Temple (Ezra 3:7). It is also citied in Jonah 1:3 as the place where the prophet Jonah embarked for the city of Tarshish. This city was also under Canaanite, Philistine, Phoenician, and Greek Control. It is mentioned also in Greek mythology in relation to the story "Clash of the Titans" in relation to where Perseus rescued Princess Andromeda.

One of the sites that we visited in the city was the Church of Saint Peter which commemorates the place in Acts 9:36-42 where Saint Peter resurrects the widow Tabitha and has a vision of various animals that were clean and unclean and God telling him to take and eat them.

We then went to the ancient port city of Caesaria Maritima, which was built by King Herod the Great between 25-13BC. It was one of the governing seats that the Roman Procurator had to govern Jude a during Roman Times, and there is a fragment that is displayed there that mentions Pontius Pilate and the Emperor Tibereas. This city is also where Saint Peter baptized Cornelius the Centurion, His household and soldiers. It would later become a major center for Christian Evangelization and would be a place where later theologians and historians such as Origen and Eusebius of Caesaria stayed. It would later be taken by the Muslims in 638AD, reclaimed by crusader King Baldwin I, and finally destroyed by the Mamluks in 1265. Today it is a National Park of the State of Israel.

Fabritzio explaining the history of the city

Some of the Ancient Ruins of the City as well as a replica of the original Roman Amphitheater

Statues discovered from Roman times

A replica of the original Roman Amphitheater now used for concerts 

More Roman Ruins

The Harbor Line which touches the Mediterranean Sea

Ruins of the Circus Maximus where chariot races were held and Christians were fed to the lions

A sculpture of Medusa

Inside a crusader gate

Some of us exploring the Ancient Roman Aqueduct that gave water to the city

The Roman Aqueduct

Hanging Arches from Crusader Times

The Crusader Gate

The Judean Wilderness and Mar Saba (The Orthodox Monastery of Saint Sabbas) - July 28, 2011 - (Matthew Mac Donald

On Thursday, we went out and explored the Judean Wilderness amidst the desert heat. Here are some pictures of the desert areas outside of Bethlehem:

After travelling about a half hour, we reached the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Sabbas (Mar Saba), which was the birthplace of Monasticism in Palestine. (For more on Saint Sabbas, who was a defender against the Monophysite heresy that held that Christ only had one divine nature and not two natures, one human and one divine, please click here). Saint John Damascene (also known as Saint John of Damascus), who is a Doctor of the Church that is revered both in the Eastern and Western Churches was buried at this monastery. He also was a refuter of the Iconoclast heresy, which considered all religious statues and imagery to be idolatry, and was a great theologian on matters concerning the person of Christ and the Assumption of Our Lady. Saint John Damascene's tomb is not available for public viewing at the monastery.

The Monastery of Mar Saba is known for their strict rules, outside of major feasts of the liturgical year it is opened from 9AM (or 10AM Israeli Time) until sunset every day. No women or meat is allowed in the monastery and men must wear pants while visiting the monastery (This was unfortunate since most of our company wore shorts that day and was not made aware of this rule until we were at the gate of the monastery). While we were at the monastery, I had a friendly conversation with one of the gatekeepers despite not letting all of us in because many of us were wearing shorts. In looking at some of the literature from the Monastery, one got a certain sense of some anti-Catholic tensions that have been present between the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. Some of the Seminarians who were allowed into the Monastery were challenged by one of the monks on the legitimacy of certain Catholic beliefs that we Latin Rite Catholics emphasize such as the issue of the filioque (An insertion within the Nicene Creed that states the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son, not just the Father) as well as the importance of the papacy. Despite these occurrences, Mar Saba did offer great scenic views of the Kidron Valley and provided insight of what Eremitic Monasticism (Living the Monastic life as a hermit), and Cenobitic Monasticism (Living the Monastic Life within a community setting) is like. Let us pray also that both the Greek Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches may come to a deeper appreciation and understanding of their own theological and Apostolic roots that they hold in common together.

One of the Towers at the Entrance to the Monastery (It is believed that the Tomb of Saint John Damascene is contained in one of these towers)

The gateway into the Monastery

The Main Church of the Monastery

The view of the Monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley

The Hermitages of the Monks of the Monastery in the cliffs of the Kidron Valley

Group Shot overlooking the Kidron Valley

Last Day in Bethlehem - (Kevin Lonergan)

It is truly amazing when one ponders the notion that here in Bethlehem the God who created heaven and earth became flesh and lived among us. Last night as some of the men and I stood on the rooftop of our building and gazed at the darkened city, I couldn't help but imagine the journey that The Holy Family had to undertake over 2000 years ago. On that first Christmas night, Mary and Joseph's long journey had ended about 50 feet from where I was standing, and there the greatest gift that man would ever know entered the world. As we end our time here in Bethlehem I pray in a particular way for my family and for all families, that through the intercession of the Holy Family they may always trust in God and be open to his divine plan for them.   

O dear Jesus, I humbly implore You to grant Your special graces to our family.May our home be the shrine of peace, purity, love, labor and faith. I beg You, dear Jesus, to protect and bless all of us, absent and present, living and dead. Amen

The Church of the Nativity and the City of Bethlehem - July 27, 2011 - (Matthew Mac Donald)

Today, we spent time touring the city of Bethlehem after arriving at the Casa Nova Pilgrimage house last night. The two major sites we looked at was the Church of the Nativity, which is divided into two churches - the Church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (this is the Latin Rite Church under the custodianship of the Franciscans of the Holy Land) which is adjoined to the Main Basilica of the Nativity (which is under the custodianship of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem). During Crusader times, this Church used to be where the King of Jerusalem was crowned. The current church was never completely destroyed by invading forces.

Fabritzio leading us into the Church

The Church of Saint Catherine, Virgin and Martyr (This is the Roman Catholic Church)

Stained Glass Window depicting the Nativity

Main altar of the Church of Saint Catherine

Marian Altar restored by donations given by various Polish Catholic Churches from the Archdiocese of Chicago

The Tomb of Saint Jerome, Doctor of the Church in the crypt of the Church of Saint Catherine

Fr. Fabian Lopez celebrating the Votive Mass for Christmas in the crypt of the church

The Main Altar and Iconostasis of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Nativity

Part of the Floor from the Original Constantinian Church of the Nativity

A Mosaic in the Church dating back to Crusader/Byzantine times

An Altar used in the Church of the Nativity by the Armenian Church

The Entrance into the Crypt of the Church where the Manger is

The Altar of the Nativity

The Actual Birthplace of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ indicated by the silver star

After visiting the Church of the Nativity, we went to the Church of the Milk Grotto. This Church is believed to be the site where the Holy Family briefly lived in Bethlehem in between the Birth of Christ and the flight into Egypt. It is also held by scholars to be a possible site where the Epiphany Took place, when the Infant Jesus, the Blessed Mother, and Saint Joseph were visited by the three wise men (Mt. 2:1-15). The Church is under the custodianship of the Franciscans of the Holy Land. It also has a beautiful chapel of perpetual adoration where the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration pray before our Eucharistic Lord and pilgrims are given the opportunity to submit their own intentions for the sisters to pray for. It also contains the Milk Rock, where it is believed that Our Lady fed the Infant Jesus. Powder from this rock has been grounded up and distributed to married couples who have had medical problems conceiving children and there have been 1,900 documented miracles where such couples have been able to have children after using the powder and praying for Our Lady's intercession. There are also documented cases where people who have suffered with serious illnesses and diseases receiving miraculous cures from the powder. However, one should not look at the powder as a magic but rather as a devotion that Our Lady has given to the Church to draw souls closer to Her son through the light of Faith.

Statue of St. Elias (the Prophet Elijah)

Statue of King David

A Franciscan Priest explaining to us the history of the Church

The main altar of the Church of the Milk Grotto

The Flight into Egypt

Our Lady of the Milk Grotto

We ended the tour with lunch at a local Palestinian Restaurant, where we all had an opportunity to try hummus, felafel, pita and the regional cuisine:

Robert, Nick, Tyler, and Michael enjoying the Palestinian Cuisine