"I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin' about half past dead. . . "

  Today was a long day but surely ended in a very nice way.  It began at 7:30 a.m. with a drive to Caesarea, a coastal "city" built by Herod the Great to honor himself.  Herod was a Jew placed in control of this area to ensure that the population was managed without incident, and apparently he did a fine job of this as he drove zero unemployment through his building program, and Rome was happy with his efforts.   

Originally constructed as a magnificent harbor to ship and receive goods to and from Rome, it suffered gradual destruction from earthquakes and many different civilizations who attacked it and destroyed it a number of times (as evidenced by the photo of our guide holding up the various entities who conquered it through the ages). 

An interesting footnote for the visit was the unearthing of a stone dedicated to a Roman prefect who assumed leadership of Judaea in 1 AD (following Herod) - one Pontious Pilate, offering proof that he was, indeed, an important figure in the era of Christ and presided over his "trial" as we all know.



My sister, Mary, Father Schalk, and Cheryl



From Caesarea we journeyed to Mount Carmel, a place in the Mount Carmel range of mountains where, on the site of a monastery, reportedly, the profit Elijah challenged the followers of the pagan god Baal to prove that their god was the real god.  After their fruitless attempts imploring Baal to bring down fire from heaven, Elijah successfully did so and convinced them that his God was, in fact, the one real god. 

Following a wonderful and moving Mass celebrated by Father Schalk, we moved to the roof of the monastery for a magnificent view of the valley below, with our guide (Itai) pointing out where we'd be going later that afternoon - Nazareth, the home of Jesus.  Although born in Bethlehem, Jesus was always referred to as "the Nazarean", and it was clearly prophesied in the Old Testament that the Messiah would be a Nazarean and that is exactly how it worked out.

Fortified by a falafel lunch, we rolled into Nazareth, whose name is derived from one of the Hebrew words for 'branch', namely ne·ṣer  as relating to the branches of the ubiquitous but very sturdy olive tree.  These trees, which are everywhere, can survive disease, fire, and even transplantation and live for hundreds (even thousands) of years.  And, from the olive tree comes medicine, makeup, lighting oil, and a near endless list of uses.

Our first visit was to the Nazareth Village which is operated by the Christian minority in this predominantly Arab town.  Somewhat like a Jesus-era version of Williamsburg, Virginia, our French guide Paul took us to a number of "stations" to show us how sheep were tended, oil made, wool spun, and wine made. 

Because it was so close to the center of Nazareth, he suggested that it was very likely that Jesus knew of the place because of the wine press found in its preparation for public viewing.  The connections to biblical references were many and very powerful, e.g., the three stages of manufacturing olive oil were tied to the three times Christ left his prayer in Gethsemane (Aramic for "oil press") to return to the sleeping disciples in Jerusalem on the eve of his crucifixion.

Jesus wasn't universally identified as the Messiah.  Some anticipated that he'd be  a warrior to rid the land of the influence, and correspondingly he was very careful in his responses to the people to separate that role out.  Some of the locals wanted to kill him as a pretender, but he walked right through them because, as we all know, it wasn't yet his time.  The whole experience at Nazareth Village featured ties like this to the Bible and Jesus, the "local boy made good!".

Still in Nazareth, we next visited the Basilica of the Annunciation.  It was established over the site where

Catholic tradition says was the house dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  Here, the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus - an event known as the Annunciation.

Engraved into the altar of an empty crypt is the statement, "The Word was made Flesh here!", making this a very moving experience.  Father Schalk reminded us that those words are alive at every Mass where receiving Holy Communion means it is the Word made flesh.  The tears shed at this weren't the last tears shed on this wonderful day, however.

Our final stop was nearby Cana.  The transformation of water into wine at the Wedding at Cana is the first miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John.  Much to our surprise, Father Schalk led a marriage vow renewal for several couples including yours truly at the church which was very likely the site where Jesus performed this miracle. Much like when Cheryl and I did this on our tenth anniversary (18 years ago), I found myself deeply touched and both of us were looking at each other with tears welling up in our eyes.  Geez, it has been a great ride together.

A wine shop next door feted all of the tour participants with a small glass of wine or grape juice, and we toasted collectively to a longer and deeper relationship.  It was really a wonderful ending to a long but equally beautiful day. 

And, finally, for those wondering what the title of this particular post represents, it was the opening line to "The Weight" by The Band from 1968.  I'm guessing you'll hear it eventually on the Vimeo soundtrack for this Israel experience.  More tomorrow evening following our latest adventures from the heartland of Christianity.