Day 6

Day 6: Jan 16, Jerusalem: Temple Model - Ein Karem - Bethlehem
Theme: The Visitation and Nativity
Begin the day with a visit to the Second Temple scale model for an overview of Jerusalem as it was at the time of Jesus. A short drive takes us to the village of Ein Karem, birthplace of John the Baptist, to visit the church that commemorates his memory. Pray the Mystery of the Rosary on the walk up the hill to the Church of the Visitation. In the afternoon visit Bethlehem to see the cave at the Shepherds’ Field. The caves have soot marks of the fires that shepherd’s lit to keep warm while watching over their flocks. In the afternoon we will depart to Bethlehem, beginning at Manger Square, which stands in front of one of the oldest of Christian churches, the Church of the Nativity. Enter the Church and down to the Grotto of the Nativity which marks the spot of Jesus’ birth. Beneath the Altar, there is a silver star with the Latin inscription: HIC DE VIRGINE MARIA JESUS CHRISTUS NATUS (Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary.) After Mass we will return to the hotel in Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight.

We started our day driving to the church commemorating the birthplace of St. John the Baptist.  We prayed the decade of the rosary for the Visitation as we drove there.  Very beautiful church.  It has a definite Spanish influence in the decorations.  Throughout the courtyard we could read mosaics of the Canticle of Zechariah (see Luke 1:68-79) in many, many languages, so we prayed that together as a group. Very powerful.  

Next, we walked to the Church of the Anunciation.  Located up on the side of a hill, there were quite a few steps to take  We saw the chapel under the church, and then went up to the main church.  Beautiful paintings, so colorful  In the courtyard, there were mosaics in every language of the Canticle of Mary (see Luke 1:46-55).  Again, I had the opportunity to light a candle for all of the prayer intentions.  

Israeli Museum - wow.  Such an interesting place.  There was infinitely more to see, but our focus was on only two aspects of the museum.  First was the model of Jerusalem.  It is a giant replica, built to scale of the Old City.  Amazing to see and study.  Second was the exhibit on the Dead Sea Scrolls.  This was also in preparation for our visit to the area where the scrolls were discovered, which we will do tomorrow.  Such a fascinating, complex history story on both.  

Shepherd's Field - exciting to see.  This was the site of the Angel's appearing to the Shepherds.  Some of the mosaics in the cave date back to the 1st century.  It was also a great example of what the nativty site would have looked like in Jesus' day.  The roof was sooty, from fires that had been lit.  Nearby were ruins from an old monastery.  I lit another candle here as well.

Another delicious lunch and then on to Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity.  It is undergoing renovations currently, so there was a lot of scaffolding and construction happening.  We briefly visited the Church of St. Catherine, which houses the figure of Baby Jesus which is placed on the exact spot of the Nativity at Christmas.  It is also the church where the official Christmas Mass is celebrated.  Mass was celebrated in the chapel of St. Jerome, which is located underneath the Church of the Nativity.  Very small space, but impactful.  St. Jerome lived in that room while he was translating the Bible.   Mass was phenomenal.  Celebrating in that space, in proximity to the actual place where Jesus was born - wow!  I got to help lead the psalm, which was amazing.  We sang Christmas hymns, and our voices echoed and resounded all over.  I got choked up when we sang, 'O Little Town of Bethlehem" while in Bethlehem.  Mind-blowing.

The spot of the Nativity was beyond words.  We had a long line, although I would venture to guess that it was much shorter than usual.  Slowly, we descended several steps into the cave area.  As soon as you reach the bottom, you can see a space with a silver star that marks the place of Jesus' birth.  You have to kneel down and lean in to touch or venerate the spot.  Beautiful.

Back to the hotel, for more excellent food, and now it's definitely time for bed!