10 Days of Religious and Cultural Fulfillment

“Elizabeth spoke out with a loud voice and said: Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord come to me” (Luke 1:42).
Upon arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, you will meet our representative after passport control and and board our bus and drive towards Jerusalem and Bethlehem .If time permits, we will stop at picturesque Ein Karem village located approximately 8 km southwest of Jerusalem It is the birthplace of John the Baptist . We will visit the church of visitation also known as the Church of the Magnificat (Mary’s song in Luke 1:46-55), and St. John’s Church. If time still permits, we can celebrate Mass there. We then continue south passing by Rachel’s Tomb on the outskirts of Bethlehem and drive to our hotel in Bethlehem for dinner and overnight.

“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Luke 2:15).
After Breakfast ,we will drive to a hilltop for a view of Bethlehem, noting its relation to the rest of the central mountain range, including Jerusalem, as well as to the desert and the area of ancient Moab. Then we will drive down to visit Solomon’s Pools, Jerusalem’s main source of water for almost 2,000 years. Passing the monastery of Hortus Conclusus (“the sealed garden”) in Artas, we continue to one of the traditional sites of the “Shepherds’ Fields.” Experience the contrast between shepherds and kings by visiting King Herod’s Summer Palace (Herodium). According to the historian Josephus Flavius, Herod wanted to be buried in Herodion, the place which bore his name. Continue into Bethlehem itself, walking through the restored old town to the Church of the Nativity and visiting the manger and Jerome’s Grotto where he lived and translated the Vulgate Bible. Celebrate Mass at the Nativity Church before we return back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

“So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord “. (Genesis 13:18)
This morning we drive south to Mamre and then to Hebron to visit Il Ibrahimi Mosque (where the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs are buried). The cave was purchased by Abraham as a burial place for his wife Sarah. Here we shall study, from outside, a completely preserved Herodian structure. We will then Spend time with the Christian Peacemaker Team (11:00 a.m.) to hear of their efforts towards peace and reconciliation in the region. We will then visit a glass factory in Hebron. We then drive back to Bethlehem to get close to the Separation Wall from the Bethlehem side; possible visit to a Palestinian refugee camp. In the late afternoon we go to Bethlehem University and meet some of the students and have a talk with a faculty member at Bethlehem University. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, we will drive north trough the Biblical heartland to Nablus and visit the mound of the ancient city where Joshua renewed the covenant. We will stop at nearby Jacob’s Well, site of Jesus’ conversation with a Samaritan woman and drive up to Mt. Gerizim to visit with the local Samaritans still practicing their faith today. Continuing north for a stop at Sebastia. Sebastia, as the city is known today, means ‘Augustus’ in Greek. This name comes from the year 27 BC, when Augustus bestowed the city to Herod the great. In Sebaste, he celebrated one of his many marriages and saw the birth of two of his sons.
After the death of Christ, Philip the Deacon was the first to preach the gospel there with such success that soon Peter and John joined him in the field. In the 4th century, Sebaste had a Christian community that boasted the fact that it possessed the tombs of St. John the Baptist and the prophets Abdias and Elisens. Although Julian the Apostate (331-63) scattered the prophets’ ashes to the winds, Christians continued to venerate the tombs. The tombs were enclosed in a basilica which was destroyed by the Persians in 614, but rebuilt by the Crusaders, who placed a bishop there.We will then stop by an Olive Oil soap factory ,roam around and taste the infamous Nabulsi Knafeh. We will then drive past Ein Harod. Judges 7 describes Gideon’s actions in thinning his army out. He brought the men to the spring and sorted them on the basis of how they drank from the water. We drive through the Jezreel Valley East to Beth Shean aka Scythapolis. Here we shall climb the tal and view the setting for the death of Saul (I Samuel 28 – II Samuel 1). We shall then survey the magnificent Roman and Byzantine ruins: theatre, bathhouses, ancient rest rooms, market areas, colonnaded streets. Driving north the the Jordan Valley we get to the Sea of Galilee where we check inot a guest house located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee for the next two nights.

“…He gave the power to become the children of God…”(Matt. 5:1-12).
After breakfast, celebrate Mass at the Church of the Multiplication (Tabgha): Sacraments of Initiation. At Tagha, Jesus challenged his disciples to feed a crowd of 5,000 in the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes. Then, we will enjoy a morning boat ride on the Sea of Galilee guaranteed to be among your favorite memories. Arrive at the ancient city of Capernaum, where Jesus started His ministry. It was here that Jesus found Matthew and called him to discipleship. Jesus worked many of His miracles in Capernaum. Here, the excellent condition of a 2nd century synagogue undoubtedly, enclosed the sacred sanctuary in which Jesus taught and preached. Here we will celebrate the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Most Scripture scholars recognize the home of Peter’s mother-in-law in the remains of a church near the shore, dedicated to his honor. Visit the Mount of the Beatitudes, where Jesus offered His ‘Sermon on the Mount’ and visit the Church of the Primacy.
“…When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit…”(Mt 5:1-12).
By now it will be lunch time, so we suggest youthe try delicious St. Peter’s Fish.
This afternoon we visit Chorazin and Bethsaida. There were condemned by Jesus for their lack of faith (Matt. 11:20-4). This site appears to be the one mentioned by Eusebius and Jerome in the 4th century, but from the 8th century Chorazin was identified with Kursi on the far side of the lake. Then, we continue north to explore the upper regions of the Holy Land to the foot of Mount Hermon, overlooking Syria and the Road to Damascus, where Jesus appeared to Paul. We will travel to Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked his disciples and each one of us, “who do you say that I am?” Here Jesus acknowledges Peter’s act of faith in his true identity (Mt. 16:13-20). The day will climax at the River Jordan. (Mark 1:9-11). Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Tiberias.

We drive up to Nazareth. On the way we stop at Cana of the Galilee where Jesus performed his first sign (John 2), commemorating Jesus’ transformation of water into wine. We proceed towards Nazareth and drive up to the Mt. of Precipi for a panoramic view of the Jezreel and see the connection with Mt. Tabor in the distance and the Carmel Range in the west and the connections to the town of Nazareth down the hill. It is also. We will drive down to Nazareth and spend the rest of the morning getting acquainted with Jesus’ home town, visiting its spring, where Mary would have done her family’s laundry, and walking through the present-day bazaar, over the site of the ancient village, to the Church of the Annunciation. We will celebrate site here. We then ascend Mt. Carmel, site of Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal. From there we drive towards the Mediterranean coast to Stella Maris with a panoramc view of the Haifa Harbor. Driving south, we can see the Bahai Temple and its beautiful gardens. Continuing south along the coastal highway we get to Caesarea- by – the Sea. We enter Caesarea Maritima to explore this Roman bridgehead to the East, which became the Christian springboard to the West. After the visit this ancient harbor, we board our bus and  we head up the historic Beth Horon road (Joshua 10:10) to the Benjamin Plateau, passing ancient Gibeon and continuing on to Jerusalem. Finally, atop Mt. Scopus, we behold majestic Jerusalem.

“If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace” (Luke 19:42)
Today we will start on the Mt. of Olives with the Old City tilted toward us. After an orientation, we descend the traditional Palm Sunday road to Dominus Flevit (“The Lord weeps”), remembering Jesus’ entry (Luke 19). We continue down to Gethsemane (Matthew 26) with a visit to the garden and the church where we will have some quiet time and a possibility to celebrate mass at the Gethsemane. We then drive through the Kidron called the Valley of Jehosafat, where God will judge the nations of the world (Joel 3:12). Then we continue through the Kidron Valley and head towards Mt. Zion. Visit the Church of St. Peter-in-Gallicantu. This church is built on the site of the Palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest. Here, Jesus was imprisoned and Peter denied the Lord three times. Next we visit the Upper Room, site of the Last Supper and descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. Then, visit the Dormition Abbey, built to honor the Assumption of Our Lady. The rest of the day is free to wander through the Old City markets.

“ While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at table, a woman having came with an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard very costly, and she broke the jar, and poured it over his head. ( Mark 14:3 )
After breakfast, drive to Bethany, where Martha, Mary and Lazarus welcomed Jesus in their home. Bethany is also the house of Simon the leper. Here, Jesus was anointed, as if for burial, by a very special woman. We can celebrate Mass here before we continue into the Rift Valley and drive south along the western shores of the Dead Sea to Masada, where you will take a cable car ride to the ruins of Herod’s palace-fortress atop Masada. Here, the Zealots chose mass suicide rather than surrender to the Romans at the time of the fall of Jerusalem. Visit the ruins of the fortifications, reservoirs for water, Herodian palaces, Roman temples and baths. After lunch, we visit the Dead Sea, and you will have a panoramic view of Ein Gedi. Later, visit Qumran, where the hidden library of the Essenes, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947. Explore the relationship of their teachings to those of John the Baptist and Jesus. On your return to Jerusalem, we pass by the “Inn of the Good Samaritan.” Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Jerusalem .

Today we explore Jerusalem.We will visit the Western Wall,the walk upto the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.We will be walking through the narrow alleyways and streets of Jerusalem seeing the Pinnacle of the Temple (Gate of Hulda – after Pentecost, it was here where the disciples preached and baptized). Just to the north we find the Pools of Bethesda (John 5) and St. Anne’s Church, which has remarkable acoustics and which has been perfectly preserved from the Crusader period. We walk the Via Delarosa to the convent of the Sisters of Zion to see the Lithostrotos in the chapel of the Flagellation, where Jesus was tried and condemned by Pilate. We will walk and pray along the Station of the Cross as we retrace Jesus’ last steps before His Crucifixion down the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Celebrate Mass at the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in the Holy Sepulchre. We get together for our farewell dinner before we transfer to the airport for our late flight back home.