Holy Land Pilgrimage Part 2 – The Sea of Galilee

by | Aug 25, 2022 | FSSP, Holy Land, Pilgrimage, written by Captain | 2 comments

Here is part 2 of James’ series of posts all about his pilgrimage to the Holy Land this Summer! You can find part 1 here. He actually left early this morning to make the long drive back to college… He has to be back a week early since he’ll be working as an RA this year. Please say a prayer for his safety! 

Day 3: Sunday, July 10
After breakfast, our bus will take us to the Sea of Galilee to visit the Mount of Beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-12) where Our Lord gave His longest and most important sermon—the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). We’ll descend to the shores of Galilee to visit the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter where Our Lord appeared to the disciples after His Resurrection and asked St. Peter three times, “Do you love me?” (John 21), to undo the three times he denied Him and to confirm his faith. Then we’ll drive north to the Golan Heights to visit Caesarea Philippi, where St. Peter proclaimed to our Lord, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God”, and was given the primacy of the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:13-20). Then we’ll drive further up the mountains for a special lunch in a Druze village. That afternoon, we’ll visit Capernaum, the “home base” of our Lord’s ministry in Galilee (Matt. 4:13ff.; Mark 1:21ff.; Luke 4:31ff.), and see the remains of the house of St. Peter’s mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39) and the exceptionally large synagogue where our Lord gave His discourse on the Bread of Life (John 6). We will have a chance to reflect on our Lord’s Galilean ministry as we enjoy a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, and if there is time on our return, we can visit the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes (Matt. 14; Mark 6; Luke 9) at Tabgha. Dinner and overnight in Nazareth.

Happy Sunday! Up and at it bright and early! Woke up at 5am 😭

The Sea of Galilee
This was on the way to…  —>

The Mount of Beatitudes…

 
… which is where our group had Mass and I was able to serve again.

 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Our next stop was where Jesus said to Peter, “I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the kets of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 
This is one of my dad’s favorite quotes from the Bible and is something he refers to all the time. Was thinking of ya Dad when I was there. 

Lots of interesting and gruesome history with this spot which you should look up if you have some free time. Better than me trying to explain it. 
(This isn’t perfect but you could start here)

Our next stop… 

This is the site of the 4th century synagogue in the town of Capernaum which was built on the top of the ruins of the original synagogue where Jesus was walked and talked. 
Here are the ruins of the original synagogue. 

Always loved Father Gordon’s insightful additions and comments and connections from the Old and New Testament.

This is an original Roman mile marker. 
You can kinda see the some of the Roman Numerals. 
Pictured above is the house of Peter.
The Sea of Galilee
Where Jesus not only calmed the seas but also walked on water!
Definitely one of my favorite spots!

This is a 1st century boat that was discovered and excavated in 1986. The discovery was made possible due to the fact that the area had been under a severe drought. Though there isn’t any evidence to conclude that this boat was used by Jesus and the apostles, one can imagine what it was like for all of them to be out on the sea of Galilee.

“Constructed primarily of cedar planks joined together by pegged mortise and tenon joints and nails, the boat is shallow drafted with a flat bottom, allowing it to get very close to the shore while fishing. However, the boat is composed of ten different wood types, suggesting either a wood shortage or that the boat was made of scrap wood and had undergone extensive and repeated fixes. The boat was row-able, with four staggered rowers, and also had a mast allowing the fishermen to sail the boat.”Source 

WE ACTUALLY GOT TO GO OUT ONTO THE WATER FOR A LITTLE BIT!!!

Absolutely love being on the water!!! 
Such an AWESOME day!!!
Looking forward to sharing another day of exploring God’s path on earth. 

This place has WITHOUT a DOUBT made it on my list of favorite places and considering how much time Jesus spent in Galilee I think it’s safe to say that it was on His list too! ;D 


Stay tuned for part three…

2 Comments

  1. Karen H

    This is SO exciting! Seeing these wonderful photos of the actual places we’ve known through the scriptures brings it so up close and personal. Thank you very much, James, for sharing your journey, it’s a wonderful testimony to your vibrant faith. I’ll be poring over these photos again and again, thinking “So THIS is where He walked and what He saw”. Can’t wait for Part 3 – bless you for this and welcome back!

    Reply
  2. James Gordon

    Hey Karen! Sorry it's taken so long for me to respond to your comment! I had a great time documenting/ sharing the pilgrimage for everyone! I feel like it would be selfish of me if I didn't share! It's in some way spreading Christ's message by showing the physical/historical things that are easier to understand.

    Reply

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