Deepak George’s Web Area

The title for this diary is well named with good thought gone behind it. This is written by Jose & Lissy about their recent tour. I will update photos soon.

 

The People from God’s Own Country visits The Country of God’s Own People 

 

INTRODUCTION 

This is our first attempt in writing a book, and we dedicate this book to our parents, Late Mr. Abraham V. I. & Mrs. Annamma Abraham, Vaniapura and Mr. Mathew P. P. & Late Mrs. Theyamma Mathew, Thazhathel and to our dear sister late Sr. Josita.

 

We had been to Holy Land through along with a trip organized by Cochin Diocese to commemorate the 450^th Anniversary of their Diocese. We visited the Holy places in Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Egypt. It was a memorable journey and enriched our experience as well as our faith.  When, back at home, the beautiful memories revisited us, we thought of penning it down to share our experience with our friends and relatives, especially the growing ones, our children, grandchild, nieces and nephews.

 

We are grateful to God Almighty and the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph for the opportunity given to us for visiting the places that they lived in, over 2000 years ago.

 

We take this opportunity to convey our sincere thanks to the Cochin Diocese, especially Rev. Dr. John Thattumkal, Bishop of Cochin, in giving us a chance to join them in the Holy Land Pilgrimage. Interaction with each one in the group was a pleasure in itself and each person in the group gave us an opportunity to learn something or other.

 

We also thank Mr. Abraham A. J. of the Travel Corporation of India and Mr. Ariel Gabay, our Guide, in Israel. Most of the history written down is as told by our guides. Shortcomings, if any, may please be brought to our notice so that we can improve.

  

Mumbai,                                       JOSE  V. A.  &  LISSY JOSE

 

 

For a long time, we were planning a trip to the Holy land.  We joined the pilgrimage lead by Rev. Dr. John Thattumkal, Bishop of Cochin, form 22/09/07 to 01/10/07,  and it was a dream come true.  The group consisted of 152 persons, including the Bishop, 10 priests, 8 nuns and two representatives from TCI.

Our flight to Amman on Air-Arabia started at 7.30PM from Kochi, and reached Sharjah at 9.30 PM (IST 11AM). The flight from there left at 12.30(IST.2AM) and reached Amman by 2.30AM (IST 5AM). By 5.30 A M we finished Visa stamping and all other formalities at the Airport.

 JORDAN, NEBO MOUNTAIN 

By 9AM, we were on the buses for visiting our first destination of the tour “Nebo Mountain”. One local guide joined us to explain all the importance of places visited. At 10 am, we reached Nebo Mountain at Jordan. Holy Mass was celebrated by the Bishop and the priests at the church at Nebo, which is in remembrance of Moses. Our guide told that exact the place where Moses was buried is not known, but it may be somewhere there.

 

 Nebo Mountain is the place where God showed the Canaan region to Moses, History says that Moses never entered Canaan, as God punished him. (Deuteronomy 34: 1-8)

 

Jordan has a water problem .They do not have oil. They do have neither agriculture nor many industries. Their main income is from the service sector.  Jordanians are hardworking and honest. 20% of their people work abroad and remit foreign exchange. One of their main incomes is from mining.They export phosphorous they mine as well as the potassium and sulphate extracted from the Dead Sea.

DEAD SEA 

From Nebo, we left for Israel by 12 AM, and after a few photo stops and reached Israel border by12.30AM. We could finish all visa formalities only by 4.30PM, and went to the Dead Sea, after food and had a great feeling of floating on the water. One cannot drown there, as the density of the water is very high; it is about 10 times heavier than other seawater.The Dead Sea is called so because there are no creatures in it due to its high salt content. The sea is famous for its medicinal content. It is rich in minerals and is exploited by both Israel and Jordan. They extract its minerals for its use and export. It is the lowest spot on  the earth and is 411 Meters below sea level.  It is also called Sea of Sodom. It is also called ‘dying sea’ as the sea level is fast receding, as it is exploited for its mineral content.

 AIN KAREM 

Next day we were ready to continue our holy land pilgrimage .The bus started at 8 AM, a new a guide Mr. Ariel Gabay joined us. We reached the village Ain Karem, signifying “spring vineyard”, It is the famous hill country of Biblical times where many of the priests like Zechariah resided. It is here that St. John the Baptist was born and brought up. It is also the place where mother Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was bearing John the Baptist and during this visit, Mother Mary vocalized the famous prayer  The MAGNIFICAT(St. Luke 1:46-56).

 

We alighted at St: John the Baptist church and walked up towards the “Church of Visitation”. Down the Hill was Mary’s spring, from where Mother Mary used to take water when she was with Elizabeth. The church, represents the place where Mary visited Elizabeth, and is at present owned by the Franciscans .The first church was built by the crusaders and one can see many stones reflecting that period. The new church was built in 1945. The 45 mosaic tablets, in 45 languages including Malayalam, on the inner wall of the courtyard depict the MAGNIFICAT prayer (Luke 1:46-56) Mary prayed. Inside the church there are several beautiful murals of Mother Mary, depicting her titles and her intercessory involvement in Salvation History.

 

Then we went down and entered “St. John the Baptist Church. The church was built in 1800 and much of its interior decorations were from Spain, Until the war of 1948, the place was well populated by Christians and after the war most of the Christians fled from there. Inside the church was the traditional spot where St, John the Baptist was born and the grotto dates back to the First century.

 JERUSALEM, MOUNT ZION, CHURCH OF ST. PETER 

After lunch, we went to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is holy to Judaism and Christianity and then later on, to Islam in the 7^th century AD. Its ancient walls measure two and half miles and has nine gates, eight of which are open to the public. The closed gate is called “the Golden Gate”. For Jews its importance lies within its ancient temple first built by Solomon (Kings 6: 1-14) and then rebuilt by Herod the Great. For Christians, it is within this wall that Jesus Christ was Crucified and then Resurrected from his tomb. For Muslims the Dome of the Rock is the place where Prophet Mohammed made his night journey to Heaven. In 1967 the Parliament passed a law allowing entry to people of all faiths to the Holy Places, and making it mandatory for the present custodians to maintain the Holy places without any damage.

 

First place we visited was Mount Zion, where the Tomb of David is situated. It is also the place of the Last Supper and the birthplace of Christianity after Pentecost. Here we saw a beautiful sculpture depicting the ‘tree of life’.

 

The rounded chapel we entered depicts Mary asleep symbolizing her death. The recling statue of Mary is made of ebony wood and her face and hands are made of marble. It is from here Mother Mary was assumed to Heaven.

 

Then we went to the church of St. Peter en Gallicantu (St. Peter of the cock crowing), the place where St. Peter denied Jesus three times before dawn, (St. Luke 22: 54-62), built on top of the house of Caiaphas. The shrine houses the dungeons and pits used by the high priests for offenders and it was in one of these pits that Jesus was kept a prisoner after his arrest.

 CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY AT BETHLEHEM

Then we moved to Bethlehem to visit the church of the Nativity. We entered the Palestinian border at 12.30 PM. Our guide got out at the border, as Israelites are not allowed to enter Palestine. After lunch at Palestine, we went to the Church of the Nativity. It is the oldest Christian church in the world. During the Persian invasion in 614 AD while all the churches were being razed to the ground this church was spared, because there was the picture of the three kings in Persian dress. The church was renovated by Emperor Justinian in the early part of the 6th century, and then once again restored by the crusaders. The church of the Nativity together with the Holy Sepulcher church are regarded as Status Quo churches and are jointly administered by the Roman Catholics, the Greeks and the Armenian Orthodox communities

As we enter the church some parts of the flooring are covered by wooden panels. Beneath them lies what is left of the original flooring of the Church built by Constantine in 335 AD. It is built over the actual cave or grotto where the birth of Jesus took place. The main alter belongs to the Greek Orthodox community. Right next to the grotto is the Roman Catholic chapel where Jesus was adored by the three Kings. The star of Bethlehem is shown in the exact place where Jesus was born. We had Holy Mass celebrated at “The church of St. Catherine of Alexandria”, owned by the Franciscans. On the way back, we had a glimpse of the Shepherd’s field where the Good news of Jesus’ birth was announced to the Shepherds by the Angel. (Luke2:8-11). We left Bethlehem by 5.30PM, and returned to Jerusalem. Before dinner and retiring to bed we were shown a beautiful movie depicting the History of Jerusalem, and Israel.

GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE

Next day we went to the church at Gethsemane. Here in the grotto was where Jesus and his disciples would stay when they were in Jerusalem. It was from this small grotto that Jesus took Peter James and John from among his disciples to experience his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. This church is called the Church of Agony; it is also called the church of “All Nations” as several catholic nations, donated for the construction of the church. We see the statues of the apostles in front. It houses the actual rock where Jesus asked his Father to “take this cup of suffering”. (Mathew 26:36-39). He was agonizing over the sufferings that he was going to endure for the sins of mankind. We had our Holy Mass celebrated here. Outside is the garden of Gethsemane, which houses the oldest olive trees of the Holy land and are believed to be from the time of Jesus. Here we see all the branches of the trees twisted and it is told that the trees here were twisted on seeing the agony of Our Lord.

Further we went to the Dome of Ascension on Mount Olive. The first Christian church that was built on the top of Mount Olive was in 390 AD commemorating the Ascension of Jesus. It was destroyed by the Persians and later the crusaders built a three dome Octagonal church in 1110AD. A footprint of Jesus is imprinted on a stone, at the time of Ascension (Acts I: 10). This footprint was discovered, as the slab at that place moved after the labourers laid them, while building the church. We venerated and kissed the stone. Presently this place is administered by the Muslims. Christians are permitted to hold liturgical service once a year.

CHURCH OF THE PATER NOSTER

Then we went to the place where Jesus taught the prayer “Our Father”. The church there is called Church of the Pater Noster. There are over 80 plaques depicting various languages and dialects of the prayer of the Our Father including Malayalam.(Mathew6:7-13) We saw the caves and the stones where Jesus used to sit and teach his disciples.

CHURCH OF  DOMINUS FLEVIT

Then we moved to the church of  Dominus Flevit marking the place where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Behind the altar of Dominus Flavit, Jerusalem is seen, as Jesus saw it and predicted its imminent fall (Luke 19:41-44). This happened in the first century when the Romans captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Second temple built by King Herod.

WAILING WALL

After lunch, we went to the Western wall, which is, also called the Wailing Wall which is Judaism’s holiest site. It is the only remaining section of the   original temple built by King Solomon. This temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. The remembrance of its destruction brought sorrow for the Jews. Second temple built by King Herod the Great was destroyed by the Romans in the first century AD.  Now they do not have any temple. They pray in the Synagogue. We saw Jews praying there at the wall. When the Jews pray, they pray in full, ie. with mind, body and tongue.

BIRTH PLACE OF MOTHER MARY

Then we moved to the church of St. Ann. The church was built by the crusaders in 1140 to commemorate the place of the birth of Mother Mary. Nearby is the pool of Bethesda, where Jesus cured the paralytic man.(John 5:1-9)

WAY OF THE CROSS, CHURCH OF HOLY SEPULCHER

We had the Way of the Cross through the Via Dolorosa, which marks the traditional route where Jesus carried the cross to Calvary. There are 14 stations along the route, with the last five located inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of the holiest shrines in Christendom and is built over the place of Crucifixion of Jesus on Golgotha as well as the tomb of Jesus where he resurrected. We can see the 12^th station where Jesus was crucified, and the curtain of the temple was torn into two. (Luke 23:44-46).The 13^th Station where the Body of Jesus was given to mother Mary, ie. the altar of Our Lady of Sorrows. Just inside the entrance of the church was “The Stone of Unction”, the rock upon which The Body of Jesus was placed, anointed with ointments and (Luke24: 53) wrapped in a linen shroud in preparation for burial. The Holy Sepulcher is the 14^th Station. Under this slab of marble, the body of the crucified Jesus was buried and he resurrected on the third day.

HISTORY OF ISRAEL/JERUSALEM 

Next day we went to Haifa, Jaffa and Nazareth. We traveled on Road No.1, which connects Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. On the way, we saw Tel Aviv Airport. The guide gave us a brief history of Israel/Jerusalem. The small (densely populated) State of Israel occupies about 75% of an area long known as Canaan. This historic, volatile spot is significant for Christians, Muslims and Jews alike, as Jerusalem is recognized as a holy city by all three religious faiths. The Old Testament of the Bible (the Jewish Torah), describes how after being led out of Egypt by Moses into this land of Canaan, Hebrew tribes, descendants of the 12 sons of Jacob, settled, and later formed the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Israelites settled and judges ruled until a monarchy was more appealing to the people. Saul was the first king and after him King David and then Solomon, who built the first temple. Later Babylon conquered Israel and destroyed Jerusalem Temple. After the Babylonian captivity, the Jews returned to Judah. In BC 63 Romans captured the land .King Herod the Great, who ruled under the Roman Emperor, rebuilt the temple. This was the temple, which Jesus visited. Emperor Titus destroyed this temple. In the 3^rd century AD, Emperor Constantine became a Christian and his mother St. Helena came to Jerusalem, found the Holy places, and built churches. In the 7^th century Mohammedan people conquered the holy land and destroyed the churches.  In the 11^th   century, the crusaders captured the Holy land from the Mohammedans and rebuilt the churches. In the 16^th century the Ottomans captured Jerusalem and Sultan Sulaiman rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. In the early 20^th century, this area was part of the British Empire. As recommended by a special committee of the United Nations in 1947, by an agreement, to partition of Palestine between the Jews and Arabs, the official State of Israel was formed, on May 14, 1948.  That agreement was later summarily rejected by the Arabs, as it conflicted with their long-held historical ties to Palestine. In 1967 with the Six Day War Israel recaptured the west bank and Jerusalem.

Today the West Bank is partially Israeli occupied, but in September, 2005, Israel withdrew all Israeli settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip. Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. The country of Israel and Hezbollah forces within Lebanon are fighting a bloody war; one with thousands of civilians caught in the middle. On Monday, August 14, 2006, a ceasefire took effect, and hopefully, it will prevail until an international peace-keeping force is put in place. Now they are under peace with Jordan & Egypt, but under tension with Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and other Muslim countries. They have a parliamentarian system of Government. 80% of the population are Jews, 20% are Arabs and Armenians.

People are very hard working and honest and are true patriots. They place their country above self and are ready to do anything for the country. Their population is 7.5 million with the capital city, Jerusalem. Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages. They speak English also. New Israeli Shekel is the currency. $ 1 is about 4.4 NIS. The Sea of Galilee is the only sweet water source. Desalinated water from the Mediterranean Sea is used for all other purposes. They produce electricity with coal. They have a kind of joint family system named Kibbutz, where about 100 to 200 families live together. All the income is pooled into one account, and all their expenses are met from this.  They cultivate, and the Kibbutz markets all the products. All Children are brought up together, under the care of experts, similar also for aged and invalid people. All who can work have to work and there is no difference in salary. This helps them to have equality, and a good sense of Nationality. Education is cheap and is compulsory. Military service is compulsory from the age of 18 to 25. This helps them to have good discipline.

JAFFA, CAESAREA PHILIPPE

We reached Jaffa by 8.30 AM. It is a Port city on the Mediterranean Sea. In Biblical times, it was the Seaport of Jerusalem through which the cedars were imported for the construction of the temple by Solomon. We visited St. Peter’s church. Here St Peter stayed in the house of Simon before he went to Caesarea to baptize Cornelius. It was from here that Peter got a vision (Acts10:11-16) and Christianity spread to all four sides. It was also the place where Peter made the old lady Tabitha to rise from death (Acts9: 36-43). Jaffa is the financial and cultural centre of Israel.

Caesarea Philippe was  built in 20 BC by Herod the great. The city was once an excellent port. During the time of Jesus Pontius Pilate ruled from this city in the name of Rome, and at the time of judgment of Jesus he had gone to Jerusalem for the Passover feast.

Passing through Caesarea Philippe, we reached Haifa, by 10.30AM. It signifies a beautiful coast and is the home of the Israeli navy as well as the port for the US Navy Sixth fleet. We saw the Bahai garden here. Haifa is the world centre for the Bahai religion.

MOUNT CARMEL, MOUNT TABOR

We visited the Carmelite Monastery here and the church of Stella Maris, on Mount Carmel. The origin of the Carmelite order of monks started from here. The place was a temporary refuge for the Prophet Elijah. The statue of Elijah here commemorates the great battle that took place between Elijah and the priests of Baal as described in (1Kings 18:21-39).We had Holy Mass celebrated here on the grounds. After lunch, we went to Mount Tabor. It is the place where Jesus was transfigured in front of his Disciples, Peter, James and John, as he appeared with Moses and Elijah. (Mathew 17:5-11) The church is maintained by the Franciscans. There are two chapels one in the name of Elijah and the other Moses. The new church was finished in 1924 and the Architect was Antonio Barluzzi.

NAZARETH, GALILEE

Next day we went to the Church of Annunciation. Holy mass was at 6.30 AM. We went walking to the church. The Basilica of Annunciation designed by Giovanni Muzio and consecrated in 1909 is owned by the Franciscans. The present church is the fifth church built over the site where Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary announcing that she was to be the mother of Jesus, the son of God (Luke 1:26-38). The great dome of the Basilica is designed like an inverted lily with 16 petals inscribed inside with the letter M for Mary. Its root is  facing towards God and its opening shadows the Grotto below where the incarnation took place, symbolizing God’s graces coming down upon Mankind. The Grotto located on the ground floor is the exact spot where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. Then we moved to St. Joseph’s church, the place where Mary and Joseph lived and the workshop of St. Joseph. It was here Jesus spent his childhood helping his foster father in the workshop. Here two beautifully executed stained glass windows which attracted our special attention was that of Mother Mary’s engagement and the death bed of St. Joseph with Mother Mary and Jesus on both sides. It reminded us why St. Joseph is called the Saint for a Happy Death.

Next we moved to Cana of Galilee , where Jesus performed his first public miracle, changing water into wine for the wedding party at Cana.(John:2:1-11). The bishop and the priests had a special prayer for all the couples there and   we renewed our marriage vows at the church there and we were given certificates. Everybody bought wine from Cana. Then we moved to the Church of the Beatitudes. The Dome houses eight stained glass windows depicting the Beatitudes and provides a lovely panorama of the lake. Next we saw The Church of the Multiplication of the loaves and fishes, A mosaic is found in the Benedictine Church of the Multiplication of the five loaves and two fishes at Tabgha, traditional site of this miracle. The church is called Church of Heptapegon. Next to see was “The Church of The Primacy”. It was here that Jesus gave primacy to Peter. Here after the resurrection Jesus appeared to his disciples and asked Peter specifically about his love for Jesus. (John 21:15-17). The extended rock found in the church is an extension of a large rock formation outside. At the Sea of Galilee, we refreshed ourselves and collected water. The northern shoreline is where Jesus first called his disciples Peter, Andrew, James and John. It was on this lake he calmed the storm and walked on its waters.

 After lunch near the Hotel at The Sea of Galilee, (St. Peter’s Fish was the special menu for the lunch) we went to  Capernaum, also referred as the City Of Jesus. This is a small fishing village where Jesus first called his disciples after leaving Nazareth. Scriptures say that Jesus lived with St. Peter and his family here. Inside the Church are the remnants of St. Peter’s house. Remains of the old Synagogue where Jesus used to interact with the High priests could also be seen.  In the evening we went on a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee.

JORDAN RIVER SINAI MOUNTAINS

Today we were to leave Israel on our trip to the Sinai Mountains. The Bishop was with us and the journey was very lively. In the morning we went to the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized by St. John the Baptist (Luke 3: 21-22) and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of  a dove. Jordan is the largest river of Israel

We collected water from the river. The bishop renewed our baptism vows here, and we continued our journey and halted for lunch at Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found.  On the way we saw the Judean desert, Negev, the place where Sodom and Gomorah was situated and the rock called Lot’s wife in the shape of a woman (Genesis 19:26).

We continued our journey and at Taba, border of Egypt, our guide left us, and after the formalities entered Egypt. Here new buses were awaiting us with new guides. We continued our journey to Hotel Morgan Land at Sinai. We have seen the Red Sea and the Sinai Peninsula. The Red Sea is a diver’s paradise due to the large quantity of fish and corals that are there. It is called the Red Sea because some time the water looks red due to the reflection of the red and yellow mountains. The deep blue sea and the red and yellow mountains make the sea unique.

 In the morning we went to Mount Sinai. A peninsula between Africa and Asia. The Sinai is a wild desert of biblical importance. The people of Israel wandered here for 40 years after leaving Egypt. We visited the Monastery of St. Catherine of Alexandria, located 1600m above sea level, in which the remains of the Martyr, St Catherine are preserved. St Catherine was a beautiful lady, rich and scholastic who lived in the 2^nd century. At the age of 18, she met a monk from Syria and got attracted to Christianity. The then Roman Emperor sent 50 learned men to reconvert her. She argued with them all and the 50 got converted to Christianity. The Emperor got wild and executed her leaving her body and head apart. After 100 years a monk from the monastery had a vision and got the body from the mountain and brought the remnants here.

We also saw the Burning Bush where God appeared to Moses, and Moses’ well where he met his wife, (Exodus2:15-20) after leaving Egypt,  when he was caught while murdering an Egyptian.

At 5 PM we halted at Mara and saw the pond where at the time of the Exodus water turned drinkable after Moses put the piece of wood into the water, as instructed by God. (Exodus15:22) Passing through the tunnel under the Suez Canal, we reached the African side of Egypt by 5.45.  We stayed at Cairo for the night.

CAIRO, PYRAMIDS, SPHINX

It was Sunday. We went to see the church where Jesus, Mother Mary &Joseph and lived in exile in Egypt (Mathew2:13-14). In one of the pillars at the church we saw the picture of Mother Mary which appeared as a sign when the then Bishop prayed for a sign to show the Sacred family lived here in exile. Two churches were there both Coptic churches.. From the beautiful paintings inside, we get the History of the church. Coptic churches are of three shapes, Circle, Arc or Cross. Each church will be having 12 pillars representing the 12 Apostles. The pulpit will have 10 pillars representing the 10 commandments. The Coptic Church does not accept the supremacy of Pope. Then we had Holy Mass at a chapel run by the Carmelite sisters. After lunch, we continued our journey and halted at the famous Pyramids.

The three big Pyramids were of the father, son and grandson. We also saw the famous Sphinx having the Head of the king and body of a lion. The Sphinx was to tell mankind that Egypt will always be ruled by that king. Then we went to Alexandria. After dinner, we were to board our flight from Alexandria Airport to Sharjah and to Kochi.

 

The next day, by 6.30 PM, we were at Nedumbasery Airport, Kochi, with beautiful memories of the Holy land.