Oxleys' Adventures

   
  My college roommate touching the slab in which Jesus was laid.  
 This morning was personally the most moving of all. My ‘true confession’ is a traveler’s possible worst nightmare. The ‘mini nightmare’ …I fell on our second night here. It was a bad blow to my left knee and has left me significantly  impaired regarding mobility. Since that moment of time ….Bud, Monsignor Hogan and my fellow pilgrims have stepped up with unbelievable support!!! They have carried this lame pilgrim physically, by wheel ‘chariot’ (our new nickname for the wheel chair-:) and prayed abundantly for a miraculous healing!! I share this NOT for sympathy as I remain VERY blessed to be here. I share it because one just never knows what lies ahead and one has to really trust in God that it will all work out. One has to learn to gratefully and graciously accept help–thank you Monsignor!! Little did I know that God would have me participating in this journey as a ‘physically handicapped pilgrim’. What a learning opportunity now exists for my personal growth!!! The experience has been filled with intense humility—as it is not easy for this independent soul to be at the mercy of everyone else’s care. I can not even begin to thank Bud and my fellow pilgrims for all they are doing to allow me to travel into tombs, across layers of archaic steps, over thresholds 5 plus inches high, across cobblestones that are centuries old, physically loading me on and off busses ….not many handicap accessible spots over here-:)!!! All of this immense, unselfish assistance has been given so that this humble pilgrim might share in the shared joy of seeing the mystery of His presence!! And to boot, all this in the midst of yet another tragic terrorist attack in the exact city in which we are staying… In God We Trust….

This morning we arose at 3:45 so that we could head to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Bud and my fellow charioteers immediately kicked into action to get me down back alleys unimaginable to the likes of a wheelchair!! Today’s journey all lead to where Christ died on Calvary, was then laid on the stone slab and then taken to his tomb–all now housed in the huge Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Tears flowed abundantly as Monsignor said Mass right over Jesus’s burial tomb!! Unfortunately, the pictures could never even begin to adequately capture this sacred moment.

The group then walked to visit the Latin Patriarch. An extremely impactful moment for all….I passed on this opportunity, as I wanted to give my ‘charioteers’ and ‘back pack carriers’  ( thank you, Roomie!!)  a needed break-:)!! 

  Then we were all off to Bethlehem and the site where the shepherds heralded Jesus!! Here are a few pics of our day’s journey…with the first picture being the Threshhold of Humility ( how ironic) with the entrance into the Nativity being the absolute smallest entrance I have ever seen…imagine this and it is the actual spot where it is believed Jesus was born!!! 

  Threshold (Door) of Humility…entrance into the Nativity…..  
  Actual spot of veneration for Jesus’s birth.
  And of course, we turned around and there was St. Anthony of Padua…a family favorite!!  And look who Bud spotted headed in for Mass…..a young MC–those wonderful Missionaries of Charity serving all over the world!!! 

 
 

   

 The laughs of the day were watching our fellow pilgrims and dear Bud ‘parking the camel’ after their rides!!! We were actually suppose to be contemplating the overcoming of temptations by Jesus on the Mountain of Temptations but it was a lot more laughs to see if Bud was actually going to bring his camel in for a landing😄!!

    
    

  This was a very moving moment when the Pilrimage was able to celebrate Mass over the Rock of St. Peter.  We then were able to walk right to the spot where Jesus actually cooked breakfast for His apostles on the Shores of the Sea of Galilee-:)!!

 We then journeyed on to the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes. Here we learned that just this June 18th, 2015, this religious site was hit by terrorist. The smell of the fire still remained and shook one’s soul to the core as you reflected on the need for peace in the Middle East.
We are now headed to the West Bank area of Palestine. Clearing the check point going in was relatively easy. I noticed that those traveling out of Palestine weren’t as fortunate.

We now were surprised by our tour guide to be headed to Jericho. Jericho is claimed as the oldest city in the world!! It is 8,000 years old-:)!! It is also located at 1300 feet BELOW sea level.

   
   We then had the thrill of a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We sat in silence as we each listened to Monsignor Higan’s inspiring message and then meditated on all that Jesus had experienced in this very sacred space. Jedus was exhausted from all his travels and preaching and had fallen asleep. He awoke to disciples not trusting enough that He could calm the seas or the storms of even our personal lives. I believe each Pilgram took away s different experience of His desire for our internal peace and happiness. It was a very moving float experience across the waters of Galilee. 

   
   Today we drove through the  countryside of Israel to Caesarea Philippe. We drove through the Golan Heights region to reach our destination which was very close to the Lebanon / Syrian border.  The pilgrim discussion was very interesting as we learned of the compulsory Army service for all Isralean Jewish 18 year olds. Women  serve for 2 years and the men for 3 years. For all Isralean Arabs the service is optional, even though they are also Isralean citizens. It is an eerie feeling to watch the passing of signs along the journey indicating “Danger”. This particular sign indicates that there are mine fields along the way. However, this days destination was well worth the effort. Arriving at Caesera Phillippi took your breath away. There we stood where it is believed Jesus said to Peter, James and John: “Who do YOU say that I am?” This is where Jesus named Peter as ‘the Great Bridge Builder’!!
Next we stopped at Bethsaida. This is the spot where Jesus is believed to have worked two miracles. One was the multiplication of the loaves and the fushes to feed the people. The second was the healing of the blind man. In this city, now in ruins, it is believed that Peter, Andrew, Philipp and James and John, the sons of Zebedee  were born. 

  We then went to ‘Capharnaum’where Jesus spent most of his life teaching-:)!! It was from here that Jesus walked to attempt to convert the people of the region to people of faith.

    
 Our last stop of the day was the location of the Mount of Beatitudes. They were beautiful grounds high above the surrounding lands. You could visibly envision Jesus preaching to the flocks of people and sharing with them His messages of the Beatitudes. Monsignor Hogan always reads at our daily Masses the gospel corresponding to the current religious location. It was a an intense feeling to be sitting on the Mount of the Beatitudes listening to the following messages:

   
 The Mount of Beatitude Gardens are pictured below….

Tomorrow off to the Jordan River!! 

 

   
This is the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. It is here where it is believed that Mary learned that she was to give birth to a child to be named Jesus. We also saw the Church dedicated to St. Joseph. We saw elaborate layerings of over 50 underground homes where Mary was taken to Jesus who then cared for her. There have been many layers of churches erected over these original dwellings. You can see the beauty of the current Basilica of the Annunciation. All of these historical sites are all within about 130 miles of each other with Galilee and Nazareth located to the north. 

We then traveled on to the north of the Sea of Galilee and enjoyed a delightful meal at the Auberge Shulamit Restaurant-:)!! 

Here is a glimpse of the underground layering of homes….  
 

   
    
   Can you see my sheer delight when Bud said YES to renewing our marriage vows…after 43 years ….he is still ‘in’-:)!! Monsignor Hogan offered to renew the couples’ marriage vows right on the spot of Jesus’s first miracle at the Wedding Feast of Cana. It was a very powerful experience for all of us. We were treated to wedding cake and wine as we departed😄. After viewing the wine vats and some special prayers being offered for all couples and families close to us, we headed on to Nazareth.

   
   We are very blessed to be traveling with my college roommate and her husband, Dick and Molly Daly. We deeply appreciate them making us aware of Monsignor Hogan’s Pilgrimage. This is the site of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration located on top of Mount Tabor. The road up has 17 switchbacks for breath taking views-:)!! This was our first stop of our first day in the Holy Land. So much to learn and experience. From here we traveled on to Cana and Nazareth. 

 Thank goodness for those wonderful little pictures that show you where to get your luggage-:)!!                                            We have arrived safely in Tel Aviv to temperatures of 82F. The flight from New York was approximately 10 hours.  We are now making our way by motor coach another two hours across the Israelisn countryside towards Tiberia. 

If you would like to virtually join us on our nine day pilgrimage  of the Holy Land –Welcome Aboard!! We know it is a far cry from freighter life but to trace His footsteps entices us as a potentially impactful experience. There will be about 27 of us soon leaving for Tel Aviv under the guidance of Monsignor Hogan.  We just cleared an intensive security check for EL AL Israelean Airline. Here we go…