Today was all about the family. Beginning at the beginning we woke up early and went to the church set above the site of the birth of Christ. As with many sites in the area, there are multiple "protectors" of the area. For this site there is the Roman Catholics, the Greek Orthodox and the Armenian Christians. The Roman Catholics have their own church attached to the original Crusader church which is where they hold the big Christmas service that is televised all over the world. I thought it would be bigger! We were unable to go below and see the manger and the spot where Jesus was supposed to have been born because there were processions beginning shortly but the altars and fanfare above were quite spectacular. Also connected with this place is the cavelike room where St Jerome translated the bible from Greek to Latin, which is the version that was spread throughout the world for 1000 years. St Jerome's tomb is in a connecting cave where we had a moment of "meditation" in the midst of a very busy pilgrimage area. Can you guess the word I'm going to use to describe the place? Nice try, I was going to say powerful. Next time you'll get it!
Then we prepared to travel up through Israel to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. In preparation we stopped at the Bethlehem Christian Coop where they have every possible souvenir you could need and complimentary coffee! I got some great postcards and a Bethlehem t-shirt to support this challenged group. The unemployment rate in Bethlehem is said to be around 40% and climbing and most young people leave their home town in there 20's for better opportunities so to try and support this group of Christians felt good, though I know that $19 is not going to change lives, it can't hurt. Then we were off to Nazareth.
On the way into Nazareth we stopped at a place that neither my father nor our intellectual leader Fr Andrew had been before, Sepphoris (pronounced like Severus for you Harry Potter fans!), a place near Nazareth that was home to affluent Romans. In Sepphoris, or Zippori in Hebrew, there were ancient ruins that are still amazingly intact and very well restored. The mosaics on the floors of these palatial estates were unbelievable! There was one floor that contained 1.5 million tiles and has a picture of a woman who is referred to as "The Mona Lisa of the Middle East." (see picture)
As Najati lead us down interesting paths from one ruin to the next (and possibly paths Jesus and Joseph walked down, see picture), Fr Andrew lead us down some interesting mental paths. He challenged us to think about our ideas of Joseph, Jesus' earthly father as well as Jesus Himself. Imagine your wife tells you she is pregnant with the Son of God, better yet, imagine an angel tells you that you are about to be the father of the Son of God. I think I'd probably tell a few folks. Yet Joseph remains humble and accepts his duty like a true man and father. Fr then suggested to us that our idea of what Jesus did for work may have a different translation, that instead of "carpenter" could be "craftsman" and what's more likely in an area without much lumber is that Jesus was a stoneworker, like his father. So as we gazed out over the verdant plains of the valleys of Galilee and looked across to see the hills of Nazareth just a few miles away, it begins to illuminate a very real picture of the man Jesus.
Waking up in the caves that were home to the Nazarenes, Jesus and His father Joseph could have walked the four miles to Sipphoris where the affluent Romans were taking advantage of the local indigenous people who would work for very little wages to build their palatial estates. While there are obvious social connections with today's world (think about the groups of day laborers you see at the local Home Depot), we focused mainly on the day to day relationship between father and son.
Walking for an hour or two to work, mentoring Jesus in his craft, teaching Him the value of service and hardwork, explaining the politics and social structure of their world and that Caesar is their earthly ruler and ultimately their earthly employer (e.g. "Give Caesar what is due Caesar.") these are the years where God truly was human. During this time Jesus was just a boy learning what it meant to be a man. He learned these things from a father that was fully present in His life and took his responsibility seriously. Humble Joseph took on a new image for me at Sepphoris and made me once again thankful for both of my Fathers and their very intentional role in my life.
Always on the move, like JC, we continued to Nazareth to see the Church of the Annunciation and the place where Mary received the Spirit to become the Mother of Christ. Giovanni Muzio's design of the Basillica of the Virgin Mary is simply breathtaking. It was finished in 1969 but still feels modern. Immediately upon entering the courtyard pilgrims are greeted by elaborate mosaics depicting the Virgin. Each one represents a different country so it was a great reminder of the limitless compassion and understanding of Christ and how He is the Savior of all peoples to see depictions of Mary as Japanese, Spanish, Ethiopian, Scottish and many others. Along with these phenomenal presentations of the Holy Mother, the building itself is breathtaking. Walking in the front door you are struck by the openness of it, yet you are aware of the level above you.
In the center of the first floor there is a depression with an altar and a gate that reveals a cave with another altar within. It is said that this was Mary's home where she was visited by the Angel. Powerful. On the top level there is a more typical church with rows of pews and a magnificent altar at the front but there is an open space that allows one to see down into the first level. And then you look up to an unbelievable ceiling (pictured). As Mary was humbled by the Spirit I felt humbled by the majesty of this place.
After a time of meditation and reflection we once again were on the move as we traveled up to the Mt of the Beatitudes where we would stay at a convent. See you when we get there!
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