Finally Home - wherever that is! (Friday 4th Oct)

It has been an amazing few days since arriving back into Tasmania on Wednesday morning.

We arrived into Australia on time but because Libby, Peter and I were near the back of the plane it took us forever, or so it seemed, to get off. We headed towards the Duty Free area and I stopped to get some Gin and so lost track of the other two as they continued on through passport control to get their baggage.

When I got to the baggage area I waited for some time for my case to appear and even after nothing came through I waited and then my case appeared - I don't know what happened but I got it and headed off through customs. I had a small wooden Nativity Piece which I declared but that was ok and when I got out I couldn't see any of the others so headed off to the Qantas desk to book through to Hobart.

Sent a text to Libby and Peter then waited for Gay to arrive in the departure lounge. She and Libby arrived a little later and we chatted for a time before boarding and heading to Hobart.

It was coldish when we got off the plane and after getting our bags we were picked up by Majella Kelly, a Presentation sister, who dropped me off at the Royal Hobart Hospital where Mary Murray was waiting to pick me up.

She dropped our friend Sandy, who originally was to pick me up at the airport, at the hospital a little earlier. After putting my bags n the car I headed off to say hello to Sandy who was waiting to have some tests but I was so tired I could only stay a short time before heading to New Norfolk.

After a long shower I started to feel a little normal so I did a few things but by mid afternoon I hit the sack and had a good long sleep.

On Thursday I did a few things but still went fairly slow. I phoned a number of people and caught up with the news and dropped fund to see how Sandy had got on yesterday but she will be waiting a few days for the results. I also started putting titles on some of my photos so I know where they are from but by late afternoon I was ready for bed.

Sadly I didn't get too much sleep so today has been a long day. 

I heade out on my Communion round this morning and caught up with everyone and added a few more to the list - quite a number of Ne Norfolk people have been in hospital these past few weeks so catching up was good.

The trip back to Queenstown was ok - managed to catch up with all the crew at Derwent Bridge so that was good too.

My drivers Licence expires this weekend so called into Service Tasmania when I arrived in Queenstown but had forgotten that because it was Burnie Show Day everything was closed so will have to do it on Minday.

Did a few things round the house, had a meal and now time for bed - hopefully to get a decent sleep which after last nights effort shouldn't be too hard.

And so the journey ends.  I'll go back to blogging on my Daily Lving Blog which can be found at mikeadelaney.blogspot.com.au

Thanks for being part if this incredible journey and especial thanks to all who made it possible.

Traveling Home - Day 2 (Tuesday 1st)

After our long stay in Dubai we managed to find a Qantas desk in a part of the Emirates section of the airport so we got our boarding passes - joe is staying over in Melbourne for a few days but Peter, Libby and I got passes throug to our final destination (Peter & Libby to Launceston and me to Hobart). Gay is going on to Honart but here was some difficulty with her seat so she said for the rest of us to head off and we didn't really see her until we were about to board the flight.

Peter, Libby and I have sat together in 3 seats all the way from Tel Aviv with a slight change of order depending on circumstances.

On the flight I managed to watch 3 movies - The Heat with Sandra Bullock, Man of Steel with Henry Caville and Russell Crowe and The Sapphires with Jessica Mauboy - so it was an interesting flight back.

As I am writing this part of the blog we are over the Great Australian Bight with just over 90 minutes flying time to Melbourne arriving just a little ahead of schedule at 5.20am.

Then it is through the Duty Free area to get some things before getting our bags and heading to customs and then onto have our bags checked through to our final destinations and then I'll update the blog later in the day when everything is all 'over'.

Traveling Home - Day 1 (Monday, 30th)

Today has been a really long day.

I woke early and finished packing before heading down to breakfast and then started the long process of goodbyes. Even after I'd said goodbye upstairs it seemed that people came down to the Reception area in case they'd missed somebody.

We headed down to Lion's Gate to catch the taxi which was due to arrive at 8.30 to get us to the airport at Tel Aviv in good time for our flight but things got a little dicey as we waited and waited. My patience when that sort of thing happens starts to get a little frazzled so by 9.10 I was getting a big bit worried and then when the taxi/people mover arrived he couldn't turn in the tight lane so we reversed all the way back down the hill which took quite some time because, of course, there was traffic coming  up the hill and down the hill as well.

The driver told us that he'd been stopped a number of times and his papers checked - just another example, sadly, of what many Palestinians go through each day.  Anyway, after all that we managed to get to the airport in time to get into line to have a big bags x-rayed and all 5 of us managed to have something in our bags that needed to be explained. The system is good because they put a barcode on your bag then if it needs further exploring they check the barcode and it brings up the item/s that need checking and exactly where it is in the bag.

Then It was time for a drink before heading through passport control and thankfully none of us needed to do too much explaining about where we had been nor what we had been doing. The flight to Amman was a little late leaving, which after the late taxi, made me wonder if we were going to have a repeat of the trip over with everything being late.

We had an 6 hour wait in Amman before the flight to Dubai so after wandering around the shopping mall and then getting something to eat Libby, Joe and I joined Gay and Peter in a little cafe where they had ordered a meal. There was wifi available and so we basically stayed there for the afternoon with purchases of tea, coffee and biscuits at various times to keep the 'business' satisfied.

Then it was off to Dubai and the plane left almost on time so that was ok. It was a 4 hour flight and I was able to watch one movie and still have a chance to doze but although I was getting worried because I now had an upset stomach and was desperately needing to get to a Pharmacy in Dubai to get something to make life a little easier.

We had quite a deal of wandering round in Dubai before we actually got to the lounge we were booked into for 4 hours but in the end we got to the right place and we settled in for a slightly better place to relax during our stay of over 9 hours.  I got some tablets and didn't eat anything in the lounge or afterwards to give my stomach a time to settle.

A long day and an even longer flight back to Australia leaving at 9.50am (Dubai) time to look forward to.

Jerusalem Day 28 (Sunday 29th)

Today had a slightly slower and quieter start than the past few days.  Breeakfast was later and we headed down to reception to leave by 9.00am.

Today we headed to Abu Gosh - one of four places that have been considered the Emmaus of the Gospel. It is not considered (today) to be the site of the exchange between Jesus and the two disciples for many reasons but like every other holy site which is disputed it still has  something special about it.

The Church we visited is in the midst of a village/suburb outside of Jerusalem but is really an oasis - quiet, peaceful and peace filled. There is a community of Benedictines who have a public Solemn Mass on Sundays which attracts people from all over, pilgrims, tourists and locals. The liturgy is in French, the singing of the Mass is briliiant helped tremendously by the acoustics of the Church and the Mass was a real celebration of how a Sung Mass might be celebrated in a place where the Liturgy is important to the life style of the people.

After Mass we met a Sister of Sion who now lives the life of a Hermit. She told us of how she came to her decision ot leave the Apostolic Community but did not feel called to become a Contemplative. She told us of her journey and her life today and when we left quietly returned to her apartment close by where she lives within the grounds of another religious community - she told us their name but I didn't write it down.

Then it was back to Ecce Homo for lunch - as usual on Sunday was a picnic lunch. There were several of us around so we ate on the terrace before people wandered off to do things before we were to gather again at 6.00pm.

This afternoon and evening has been a really joyous but also sad time which began in Salle de Sion for Prayer and a Sending forth. Again, this was something that was done well with the opportunity to remember people who had touched our live during these 28 days at Ecce Homo and throughout the Holy Land.

 

Tony Mullins (Ireland) thanking Sr Bernadette Lynch on behalf of the group. 

After Prayer we went in to the dining room for our Celebratory Dinner and enjoyed a lovely meal. Tonight I sat with jacinta Forde (Ireland), Gay Morgan (Hobart), Rosemary O'Brien (Launceston), Sr Bernadette Lynch (Ecce Homo), Bernadette Fleming (Queensland) and myself.  It was a lovely meal with great craic and great food once again.

 

Five of the young people who work at Ecce Homo and help serve the meals and wash-up (with the 'assistance' of some members of the program) after meals.

Then it was back to the terrace for some singing, laughter and farewells. Tony Brennan provided the music and for some of with our iPad's provided the words for quite a number of songs.

Tony Brennan (Hobart) and his trusty (mini) guitar

A couple of people are leaving during the night - Mark Garnsey (Ulverstone) and Chris Utri (Melbourne) at the end we said goodbye to them and we've quietly wandered off to bed, happy for our time together but also aware that it is likely we will not see many of our group again.

These are some of our group from the terrace last evening. 

Peter Santamaria (Launceston) and Maria Karajovanova (Toronto, Canada)

Rosemary O'Brien (Launceston), Sr Carmel Street (Townsville) and Bernadette Fleming (Brisbane)

Our three Irish friends - Sr Carmel Solon (working in London), Sr Jacinta Forde (Dublin) and Fr Tony Mullins (Limerick)

Patricia & Rodney Dearing and Chris Utri (all Melbourne)

Sr. Gerri Boylan (Mt Magnet, (Western Australia), Fr Edward Linton (USA) and Sr Bernadette Lynch (Ecce Homo)

Sr Bernadette, Fr Frank Hanley (USA), Gay Morgan (Hobart) and Peter Santamaria (Launceston)

During the program to assist in knowing where people were especially when we were heading out on an excursion, the bus leaving from anywhere or heading back to Ecce Homo we had a buddy to check with - Fr Frank Hanley was my buddy and we managed not to get lost or lose each other during the entire 28 days - well done team.

Now bed. We have an 8.30am taxi trip to Tel Aviv in the morning. Our first flight is to Amman and there we have a number of hours waiting for our flight to Dubai with quite a number of hours there (thankfully in a lounge for part of it) before the 14 hour flight to Australia arriving at 5.30am on Wednesday morning. 

Will tell you then what happened on the way and whether we managed to meet Jesus who opened our eyes to more of the story of being a disciple.

Jerusalem Day 27 (Saturday 28th - AFL Grand Final Day)

Well the Grand Final has been run and won by Hawthorn so there will be quite a few people who will be walking tall for a day or two - in some ways I'm glad I'm not around as I'm sure there would be a few people who would be only too pleased to remind me that they beat Geelong last weekend.

Anyway, back to Israel.

This morning we headed off early to go to Jericho. Not long after leaving Jerusalem we picked up Elias, our guide who had been with us on our trip to Bethlehem and Hebron earlier in our time. Because he is a Palestinian he is not allowed to guide in Jerusalem and in fact is not allowed into Jerusalem at all.

We went first to Wadi Kelt, a little site above a valley which was quite desolate, and there we reflected on Psalm 63. It is part of the story of this land, especially whenever people travel into the Palestinian areas, that as soon as a bus or tourist vehicle of any kind stops, then people are there trying to sell trinkets or scarves of some sort or other.  We were to have 25 minutes of quiet time but it was a little difficult as the young children especially tried to get into the best position so that as soon as omeone moved they could be there to offer their wares. The scenery was so desolate that it almost defied belief that people could travel through these hills and not get lost.

 

From there we travelled to a Monastery of St George on the way from Wadi Kelt to Jericho. It was also in a desolate place, built on the side of a hill but there was a water course that ran along the valley floor so there was some form of support of life available. Apparently there are only 4 or 5 monks living there so it would be interesting to know how they manage - it would only be with the support of some outside benefactors as there didn't seem to be any space for anything to grow.

As we headed back up the hill we were almost involved in an accident as an off-road vehicle came round the corner at speed and only just missed collecting the bus who had nowhere to go to avoid him. A few seconds later 4 more vehicles came round the next corner but we had a little more time to get ready for them - our bus driver gave them a little bit of a talking at - but we were safe from there.

Our next stop was the Mt of Temptation. When we arrived at the Centre below the Mt we found a sign saying that Jericho was the oldest city in the world - not necessarily continuously lived in - but it's been around for 10,000 years anyway.

To get to the top of the mountain, thankfully, we caught a cable car system. as we travelled up we saw below us some buses and a line of people making their way up the hill. When we got to the end of the cable care ride we still had quite a serious climb in front of us so we then became doubly glad that Ecce Homo had paid for us to get that far. There were three gondolas in each pod and their were 4 pods so that there were two up and two down which made life easier.

The little chapel of the Temptation is run by the Greek Orthodox and it seems that there are only two or three monks there - we saw two - and much of the building is unused. Sadly it had been redeveloped in the period just before the 1st Intafada and travel to the Palestine territories was restricted and not as many pilgrims come to the Holy Land anymore.

The iconography within the Chapel was impressive and we were able to go up to a little room where Jesus is reputed to have sat after his sojourn in the desert and where he was tempted by Satan to change the stones into bread. Sadly the picture isn't as clear as I would have liked but it shows the stone seat.

Back to the gondolas and the ride back down to the bottom of the Mt and then we walked to Elisha's spring - one of the reasons that Jericho has been a place where peole have lived for so long.

We had two more stops before lunch. The first was a Romanian Church which also has some amazing iconagraphy both in the church and in the crypt below. I've included a couple of photos here because the work was so amazing.

The icon in the cupola upstairs was brilliant.

    Daniel in the Lion's Den

   Ananias, Azariah and Mizael saved from the burning furnace.

Before we got to lunch there was a short stop at the Sycamore that Zaccheus was reputed to have climbed in order to see Jesus. After having used the story so many times with Children and for Reconciliation services all I could think off was that Zaccheus would never have been seen by Jesus today as the tree is so tall.

Lunch was a meal of pita bread, salads and chips and was a pleasant little conclusion to out time in Jericho. The photos show that we weren't missing out on anything.

After getting off the bus I managed to find a money changer so that I could get some Shequels - I was almost broke - and I was able to add some to the Sisters of Sion Education Fund so that was good.

There is Mass tonight for the French Course who finish their program tomorrow so quite a few of us are going to be there in the background. Then after tea we are heading out to a Light and Sound Show up at the Tower of David so will add something about that later.

Jerusalem Day 26 - Concert (Friday 27th)

Well did we do good tonight.

The Salle de Sion was set up (initially) as a cabaret style lounge but it wasn't too long before people started to move things around and all the space we had created us changed. In lot's of ways that was ok too because people felt more comfortable moving from place to place.

The evening started with the cutting of Carmel Street's birthday cake (her birthday is on Sunday) then, of course, the party began.

Tony Brennan sang his song about Jerusalem and then we had more songs, jokes, stories, poems, skits and laughter and everyone seemed to enjoy the craic immensely.

Some of the group, including the Sisters of Sion and some of the volunteers, didn't always understand the nuance of some of the stories or words but joined in the laughter.

Again, my camera didn't work all that well or maybe it was my skill (or lack of it) behind the camera but none of the photos were really in focus.

So that's the report on the concert - suffice to say there are some extremely talented people in our group and it is going to be difficult to say goodbyes one Sunday night and Monday morning.

Jerusalem Day 26 (Friday 27th)

Today is the anniversary of my parents wedding and so it has been a day of reflection for me.   It started early because one of my brothers managed to send at text acknowledging the fact that there is a 7 hour time difference between Jerusalem and Australia for a shared remembrance at 8pm Australian time (1pm here) but he sent the text at about 3am here so I was well aware of what was going on. As it happened the best I could do was to have an ice-coffee just before 1pm so I hope that was good enough.

As I mentioned yesterday we started with the Stations at 5.55am this morning in the Listostrophos - and we were all on time.  It was quite amazing walking the streets and stopping at the stations at a time when most shops were shut and not too many people were about. Over the weeks we have been here we have passed many groups walking the stations and almost all of them have caused all sorts of difficulties for everyone else as they clog the narrow alley ways.

After breakfast I headed back to my room for a short time and then headed off to walk to the Garden of Olives. As I was walking down towards the Lions Gate (the way out) there were Police and Army everywhere. After negotiating the exit point I headed up towards the Garden and managed to visit the Church whilst Mass was being celebrated.

 

An ancient Olive tree in the Garden.

From there I headed up the hill and came to the place of the Ascension. Elio Passeto had mentioned it on our 2nd day but I hadn't had a chance to visit it - it is a tiny place with almost nothing to tell people how important it is.

 The Building.

 The top of the hill of the Ascension.

From there I travelled back down the hill a wee way to vsiit the Pater Noster Church and found the English Translation amidst all the others that are placed on every wall and space in the area.

There is a photo of the Lord's Prayer supposed to go here but I can't get it in

Not sure what happened to the Our Father but it is big and that just the way it should be. As Pino shared with us in class the Lord's Prayer is central to Chapters 5-7 of the Gospel and all aspects of these three chapters can be found there.

Whilst I was there I met Jacinta (Forde from Ireland) and she said that she was going to Bethany - a walk of about 4 kilometres. So I decided that I would go with her and so we headed off down the hill and got as far as Bethfage where we found the little Church which we learnt is the starting point of the Palm Sunday Procession.

From there we were told that we would need to go back up the hill and then turn down the hill to get to the checkpoint which we walked through without anyone looking at anything at all. Immediately we got through the gate we were approached by a Taxi Driver who would get us to Lazarus' tomb for 10 shequels each and since we'd already walked some distance that seemed ok. 

The Church was beautiful and well appointed and from there we headed for Lazarus' tomb - unfortunately just as we were about to have a photo taken the lights went out and so the photo didn't work. The photo below is the mosaic on the wall of the Church and looks good.

The streets of Bethany are not as bad as we saw in Hebron last Saturday but there was almost no activity (then I realised that it was Friday and all the Muslim shopowners were at prayer). 

We travelled back on the bus and got to the checkpoint and I think I almost caused a stir as all the men got off and I sat there and the soldier checking the papers kept looking at me but when he'd checked our papers he got off the bus  and all seemed well.

When we got into the city we had to get out before the bus terminus because the soldiers had closed the roads because they thought there was going to be some problems. I haven't heard whether anything has happened but I'm sure we'll hear later on.

From there we headed round to the Centacle which was good because I didn't think that it was likely to be closed. Luckily I was able to get a photo taken without too many people crowding round.

 

From there we headed round to the Dormition Abbey and arrived whilst it was closed for prayer so that's when I had my drink for Dad & Mum's anniversary. After our ice coffee we visited the Church (I have a report on my visit to the abbey on Saturday 14th) and then we headed off down the hill to visit Oskar Schindler's grave - a remarkable man who saved the lives of many Jewish people during the Nazi reign of terror.  His grave (like so many we've seen) was covered with rocks to indicate that many people have visited the site.

From there we headed off to visit the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu - where Peter was when he denied Jesus 3 times. The Church is beautiful and there is more than enough there in the Church to keep anyone occupied for hours.

From there we walked back to Ecce Homo and although there were plenty of soldiers and police around we had no problem getting back into the Old City.

Before tea we joined the Community of Sion and the Chemin Neuf Community for their Friday night Peace Prayer time. It is almost time for the evening meal and then we're heading off to Salle de Sion for a party/concert/entertainment - so I'll add something about that tomorrow morning.  

 

Jerusalem Day 25 (Thursday, 26th)

Today was our last day with Pino di Luccio and his walking with us through the Gospel of Matthew. Again, he led us through some chapters quickly but always showing us how the various parts of the story link back to the Hebrew Scriptures and how the work of Jewish Rabbi's shed light on our Scriptures as well.

We had a short break after lunch before heading back to the classroom for a session with Pol Vonck who gave us some background to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre before we went off to look at the Church.  It is really facinating to view something with an expert walking with you and so we were able to see lots of aspects of the Church we might have missed. Here are a couple of photos of the Church and surrounding places.

When we got back to Ecce Homo we only had a short time before we headed down to the Listostrophos for Mass with Tony Mullins (Irish Tony). It was a great way to finish what has been (effectively) our last day of classes.

After a great meal and some good craic it is now time for bed - we need to be back in the Listostrophos at 5.55am in the morning for the Stations of the Cross.

Jerusalem Day 24 (Wednesday, 25th)

We had a slower start this morning - partly because of the uncertainty that was in the air last night when we went to bed. It seems that any real problems had eased overnight and most things seemed to be 'normal' whatever that is.

We headed out to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City to meet with Dr Marcie Lenk whom we have enjoyed listening too over these past three weeks. Today she had invited us to come to a Sukkah as she talked about the Feast of Succot and explained how it all came together. Again her presentation was excellent - made even more so by the fact that we enjoyed some Jewish sweet biscuits and fruit juice.

After lunch I lay on my bed to do some reading for the session this afternoon with Elio Passeto as he continued his explanation of the re-understanding (or perhaps better described as 'remembering') the Jewish foundation of our Christian Faith.  I was asked to express our thanks for his contribution to our stay here in Jerusalem and I mentioned the fact that 'I' was ignorant of so much of the recent statements made by the Holy Fathers and others on Jewish-Christian relationships. Luckily, Mark (who lives opposite) made a noise coming out of his room at 2.55pm otherwise I might have been very embarrassed because I was dead to the world and would have missed the whole presentation.

just before the evening meal a large group of German students arrived and they made us look like novices. No sooner had they put bags into their rooms than they were onto the WiFi - at least most of us needed until later the first day or even the next morning. We noticed that it slowed down remarkably because of the extra usage.

A few people headed down to the Western Wall after Supper to watch the Dance of the Torah's (Simchat Torah) - an activity to mark the end of Succot. The Feast ended last night but there is a day of celebration tomorrow, Shemini Atzeret, which is a day of rest - Marcie said this morning that it is needed because most religious Jews are all 'celebrated out'.

Now bed. 

Jerusalem Day 23 (Tuesday, 24th)

Another bright and sunny day in Jerusalem - well it was for some of the day because later on there were clouds in the sky, some rain in the afternoon and a chill in the air as evening approached.

Today we had three more sessions with Pino di Luccio on Matthew's Gospel as we explored more of Chapters 13-20 and 'discovered' how the Parables in Ch 13 were being expanded in the folowing chapters. We had done some of the work on Monday but today was further exploration.

Then we headed into the next Chapters and found that the 7 parables listed there also expand on what we have done already. It is facinating as we see the Hebrew Scriptures being expanded in these passages and how the early community would have understood so much of what was being presented with the simple phrases which Matthew's Gospel uses to lead them into a deeper understanding of what was being told. So sad that I have not been as aware of all of this as I ought over the years.

I was able to do a little job for Sr Bernadette after lunch and managed to add some songs to her little MP3 player - it took me a time to work out what to do but I managed to work it out. I now have to type up the instructions so that she is able to access the songs and add them herself.

Then it was time for our afternoon session with Elio Passeto, a brother of Sion we had met on almost our first day -  he had been our guide to Mt Scopus and the Mt of Olives. Today he started to provide a background to the Jewish origins of our faith and tomorrow will continue to lead us through some of the material from the Second vatican Council and how that material will help us further deepen our understanding of who we are as Church.

I know that sounds a little simple but his style and the style of all of our lecturers has been challenging because they are inviting us to look at another aspect of our faith.

Now bed - I've downloaded the update for iOS7 and will await what the new pages/screens will look like

Galilee Reflection

As mentioned in my blog my contribution to the Reflection was a poem which I have included here.

Galilee Reflection

As we travelled down to Galilee

a place we knew of but did not understand

I wondered what we'd find there

in this restless desert land.

I found a place where there was life

on land as in the sea

a place where Jesus once did walk

in this land of Galilee

The little town of Nazareth

and the cave beneath the hill

a place where the Righteous man was buried

and the town where Jesus lived.

The home of the little brothers of Jesus

a quiet and peace filled space

with Mass amongst the trees and shade

in the town where Mary was filled with grace.

To Sepphoris and Tiberias, places new and old

but places where Jesus once walked

and reminding us that we are also told

to prepare for the Kingdom of God

Like Peter and James and John we got into the boat

and moved across the ancient sea

so calm that day but not always

like our lives, our work, our dreams

For like the three and all the others

we now walk with the Risen Christ

down from the Mount with a new vision of life

to bring Good News to all

The Sermon on the Mountain

brings hope to all the world

but also reminds us to go much deeper

than simply living the letter of the law.

and so we came to the waters of Dan

to the source of the living stream

to the Jordan where once our Saviour was baptised

so that we could renew our own baptism and also start again

In our journey onward we met again

the face of Palestine

the face of our sisters and brothers

who have no peace at this time

Whose lives are lived in poverty

and who live the words of the beatitude

blessed are the poor in spirit

but wonder when the kingdom will be theirs

And finally we climbed to Mt Tabor

the holy place of God

with Moses, Elijah and the three

we knew the face of God

Our drive back to Jerusalem

our thoughts were many and varied

we'd seen the places where Jesus walked

with others by his side

But we also saw within our day

there are many who still have not seen

that with the Christ there is new life

but our words can start the change

For in that place we also knew

the gift from God above

that if we trust and truly believe

the kingdom will come and filled with love

all people will be set free

Mike Delaney

September 2013

Jerusalem Day 22 (Monday, 23rd)

Today was a long day.  

We had 3 sessions with Pino di Luccio on Matthew's Gospel (we have 2 x 3 sessions remaining) and we are only up to Ch 13 - it will need a real speed up to get through to the end.

He has given us a very different vision for how to read this Gospel and his material has been challenging and thought provoking.  Today he was looking at the Parables in Ch 13 and he spent quite a deal of time on the Parable of the Sower - not to explain it away but to highlight the incredible linkages in the Hebrew Bible which would have been understood and known by the first hearers of the Gospel and how they relate to the Jewish Feast of Sukkot (which is happening around us at this time).

He then started to take the other 6 Parables and showed how they could be seen as being expanded on by Chapters 14-20 but he has promised more about that tomorrow.

After lunch (and a brief nap) we had an opportunity to reflect on our 4 days in Galilee. The invitation was to say something, sing a song, write a poem, do a dance or use some audio visual presentation reflecting your story.

We started in the classroom for two audio visual presentations and then move into the room next door (the Salle de Sion) where we were 'entertained' by people making their responses.  Some were in the form of simply telling their story, others were in song or poem but all were filled with a passion about what we had seen and been part of.  Mine was a poem (with apologies to any poet - it might best have been called doggerel) and I've included that as an extra blog today.

Shortly after we had finished there we headed off into the new City to visit the Hebrew Catholic Community but along the way we met many Jewish families celebrating Sukkot. There was a real sense of joyous celebration with street performances but always with families. We had the opportunity to have a light meal before heading off to Mass.

The Mass was in Hebrew but the singing, once again, was beautiful and we were invited to participate as much as we could using books which provided a transliteration of the Hebrew.  After Mass we were able to listen to Rev Dr David Neuhaus on the topic of The Complex Reality of Israel - Palestine.  After last nights presentation by Dr Samah Jabr I wasn't sure what to expect but what we got was great.

David didn't deny that there were many mistakes but reminded us that condemning the people did not achieve anything - we need to work to acknowledge the mistakes and then help to find new ways of changing attitudes into the future. The message from Samah was the same - their methodology might differ but they are both passionate about seeking a new future.

From there we walked back to Ecce Homo via still busy streets as the people started to disperse and return to their homes.

Now bed.

Jerusalem Day 21 (Sunday, 22nd)

This morning was a washing morning. After our trip to Galilee and the mad scramble for machines on Friday afternoon and yesterday I was patient and got in early this morning to get my washing done and on the line by 8.30am - hoping that the weather would stay fine to get it all dry by this afternoon. Even though there were storm clouds overhead most of the day it was fine and warm and everything is dry, folded and put away.

After breakfast 7 of us, and Sr Bernadette, headed off to catch the bus to the control point to get access to Bethlehem. We got through the checkpoints and then headed for the taxis to take us into the town, to Manger Square. Immediately there were several people offering prices and Sr Bernadette spoke to several until finally she got one man who arranged with his friend to transport for 10 shekels each.

As we headed up the road he told us that he had been working since 5am and we were his first customers (almost 5 hours sitting and waiting). He arranged to be back to take Sr Bernadette back to the checkpoint in 45 minutes and then would be back to collect us at 2pm which we were happy about.

We headed up one of the side streets to visit a shop owned by the grandson of one of the women who work at Ecce Homo and most of us purchased something there.  as walked along we saw men unloading more Olive wood to be worked.

 The we headed off to Mass in the Catholic section of the Church of the Nativity. As I think I mentioned previously there are three groups which claim authority over the space and so we were in St Catherine's chapel for the Mass in Arabic. The singing was beautiful and although I couldn't understand a word it was possible to follow what was happening.

After mass we headed off to get some lunch at the Bethlehem Peace Co-operative. The meal was ok rather than great but we were all well fed if nothing else.

After that we split into smaller groups and headed off to look at different parts of the town. Joe and I headed up a lane towards the old city and found a money changer whose eyes lit up when he saw us and promised us a good deal - well it was for him at least. When I asked our taxi driver later what the exchange rate between Jordanian Dinah and the Israeli Shekel he said it was almost 1 to 5 and when I said I'd got 1 to  4 he was really angry and called one of the local Palestinian policeman over and he went up with us and asked the money changer how come he had charged us 20% commission. The man had all the answers but eventually handed back half the amount so when it came time to pay our driver at the checkpoint on the way out I gave 50 shekels for a 10 shekel fare in thanks for his going to bat for us.

Whilst in Bethlehem I also looked at some Nativity scene pieces which I hope to talk to people back in Queenstown about assisting the Parish to purchase. They are beautifully carved in olive wood and would look great in the space under the altar and would also help the Palestinian family whose income is totally dependent on tourism.

We got back through the checkpoint easily but the Palestinian family in front of us spent some time whilst their papers were checked and rechecked and each of the three members of the family went through the same process.

The bus trip back was slow because of road works and there was some pushing and shoving (figuratively speaking) between buses and cars as we travelled along.  Then the walk back to Ecce Homo was through busy streets as Jewish families walked through the old city on their way home after being at the Western Wall as part of the Sukkoth celebrations.

After the confronting day in Hebron yesterday it was an easier day but to listen to our taxi driver saying that he could never travel to Jerusalem, only 7 kilometers, reminded us that many of the Palestinians are in fact people within a prison even though they live freely within their own space.

This evening we have a Palestinian speaking to us about The complex reality of Palestine Israel and tomorrow night we have a session on The complex reality of Israel Palestine - it should be interesting to see how everyone responds.

  

Jerusalem Day 20 (Saturday, 21st)

Today we headed off early to Hebron, the ancient city, now part of the Palestinian Territory. The trip lasted about 40 minutes and the entry into the zone went without any difficulty.

Once there we struck a little bit of a problem as the road we needed to travel was so narrow that our driver, Samir, had to perform another little miracle as he guided the bus to our destination - the Ibrahimi Mosque, or the Cave of the Patriarchs.

Sadly this place was the site of a massacre when an US born Israeli walked into the Mosque in February 1994 and killed 29 worshippers and injured 125 others. This led to riots and the deaths of many others and is another occasion when the two peoples who live in this country struggle to live together without conflict.

Inside the Cave of the Patriarchs (Muslim section) there are the sarcophagi of Isaac, Jacob and Sarah and we were able to see the sarcophagi of Abraham (in the Jewish section through a opening in the wall). There is some proof that under the present structure caves had been discovered that indicated that these ancients had truly been buried there.

 Sarah's sarcophagi

 Abraham's sarcophagi

Following the massacre in 1994 local religious leaders worked together and now the Cave of the Patriarchs is used by both Muslim and Jewish Communities with access being given to both halves of the complex for major feastdays/celebrations.

From there we wandered down the hill to see if we might be able to access to Jewish part of the Cave but were prevented by Israeli soldiers. In the meantime people were able to buy souvenirs etc from a little Palestinian shopkeeper. We learnt that he didn't normally open his store because there were no longer many tourists who came to this part of the town and it was only because our guide had rung to say that we would be there that he had opened.

This was the same story as we walked along what once would have been a busy souk but now had few shops open. There were stories regarding shopkeepers who owned buildings with several levels who were now able to access only the shop front level and who had their upper floors taken over by Jewish settlers and who had had to place chicken wire above the walkway of the souk to prevent people being bombarded by rubbish etc being thrown on them.

From there we traveled to a Glass Blowing and Ceramics factory where we able to watch artisans at work. The two guys blowing glass were amazing as they worked in quite incredible heat and perform little miracles with the glass.

From there we came back to Ecce Homo for lunch and then I had a brief nap before we headed back to the classroom for two sessions with Dr Frans Bouwen on the Eastern and Oriental Churches in Jerusalem, some background and history. Just as he was last week with his introduction to Islamic Spirituality he was able to provide us with heaps of information.

There was a short break before the evening meal and it was interrupted by the power going out because of a storm which also produced quite a deal of rain - something quite unusual for September so hopefully it will mean good winter rains for Israel.

Now bed.

 

Jerusalem Day 19 (Friday, 20th)

Thanks to the fact that we had Mass last night we were able to start a few minutes later today than normal.

After breakfast and checking out of the hotel we headed off to Mt Tabor with Ghada guiding us again. We eventually arrived at the base of mountain and traveled to the top via taxis - 10+ seats driven up the mountain by excitable Palestinians who got us there in a hurry.

Again, Ghada led us through both the background and history of the site. It is amazing to learn the facts and figures regarding when and how the various nations held control of the site from the early Christians after the Romans to the Muslims and then the Crusaders and then the Muslims and with the Franciscans maintaining, at least at some stages, a presence so that today they are there as custodians of the site, as they are of many of the Holy Land sites.

After an interesting trip down from the top of Mt Tabor we arrived at the place where we left the bus in order to have lunch. After fare welling Ghada and her sister Noura we headed off down the mountain with our bus driver and immediately ran into a major problem. Just after we got round a corner there was a roundabout and parked all around the space were cars of people who were attending the local Mosque. 

The only problem was that there was no room for the bus to get round the corner or anywhere else for that matter. After some extremely difficult maneuvering, Samir, our driver, managed to reverse 100 metres back up the hill and he got us back on the road again.

Safely back in Ecce Homo it was time to have a short break before the evening meal, washing some clothes and now bed.

Jerusalem Day 18 (Thursday, 19th)

This morning I woke early and headed over to the Reception area to be there to catch the sun rise - which I managed to do and as the photo below shows.

Our Pilgrimage today took us to the source of the Jordan River and the ancient city of Dan. We followed the river along until we found a pool where we renewed our Baptismal promises was one of those special moments.

From there we continued until we found the ancient city with all its excavations. It was the 'alternate' Temple for the Northern Kingdom and so the building was substantial.

After Dan we travelled to a National Park where there is a waterfall which forms part of the second source of the Jordan.

The journey continued to Banyas and the ancient Temple of Pan. 

The other reason for visiting the place was that here was the third of the three sources of the Jordan which at this time was just a minor stream. Part of the stream flowed through the Lebanese Restaurant where we had lunch - another lovely meal, the only downside of the meal was that I ended up wearing some of it.

The next stops on our journey were the Golan Heights. First stop was near a Druze village and we were able to see how the people have managed to create an agricultural area out of what is essentially hilly country using terraces.

From there we continued towards the Syria-Israel border and viewed the area near the UN monitoring station and the wall which acts as the border control.

Then it was back to Pilgerhaus to get ready for Mass. Originally I was scheduled to celebrate Mass tomorrow morning but it has been decided to complete today with the Mass and have a slightly slower start tomorrow morning. We are going to Dalmanutha, one of the places mentioned as Jesus walked the shores of the Lake of Kinneret.