24-25 Feb 2020 HOLY LAND TLM PILGRIMAGE – Day 4-5: Carmel and Caesarea, Bethlehem and Baptist

Zuhlsdorf’s Law has kept me from posting.

On the way… a view from a distance of the place where Mary was probably born.

Above Haifa is the Stella Maris convent, built around the cave in which Elijah stayed.

We had Mass there.

Here’s the church.   Sorry this is a little thin and disjointed, but I’m tired and I’ve been fighting with me tech and frustration has taken control.

Some men in the group are on fire to serve Mass and to sing chant.  They set up and lay things out.

The cave.

Along the sea coast, at Caesarea Maritima, Peter baptized a centurion and Paul was shipped off to Rome.  A Roman aquaduct.

THE NEXT DAY…

Mass at the Field of the Shepherds and then a visit to the Church of the Nativity.   Thanks be to God there were very few people waiting.

The wall around Bethlehem.  80% of the 1.8% of Christians in Israel live in here.  70% unemployment.

Jerome was here.

Lunch at a place run by Christians.  It is important to help their businesses.

Some of my little videos were, I see, corrupted.   Sigh.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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10 Comments

  1. JustaSinner says:

    FALAFALS AND HUMUS FOR LUNCH!!! OH YEAH! Just need my yummy Oasis Falafal special sauce…

  2. capchoirgirl says:

    Love these videos and photos! Praying that the pilgrimage is bearing great fruit for all of you!

  3. acardnal says:

    Fr. Z, for what it’s worth, I watched all the videos and no problems were encountered. They looked fine.

  4. Kathleen10 says:

    Maybe somebody got inspired by Schonborn’s big shirt and thought an ironing board might be nice. Why not.
    Fr. Z the videos, photos, and info’s, are all terrific! I didn’t see any video corruption, it all looked and sounded great. At some point I’d like to know why the Christian unemployment rate is so high. I’ve heard that before but nobody will talk about why.
    God bless all of you during the entirety of your amazing journey. Memories to last a lifetime.

  5. Diana says:

    mmmm shawarma!

  6. Mariana2 says:

    Thank you for all the sights, sounds and insights! Not thin and disjointed at all; amazing, rather.

    All videos are fine, too, no corruption.

  7. kimberley jean says:

    The Christians are treated badly by both the Israelis and the Arabs. Every Christian from the Holy Land the I’ve met over the years say that the situation is bad. Its really embarrassing that American Catholics don’t help them more.

  8. Father, one look at what you had for lunch, and I’m actually jealous. Imagine an earthly feast to complement the heavenly feast. Kneeling at the altars where saints stood, and are interred. It doesn’t get better than that.

  9. Fr_Sotelo says:

    I am thoroughly enjoying these photos and videos. Prayers for you Fr. Z and all the pilgrims during these days.

  10. Semper Gumby says:

    Bethlehem, the Wall, Christians… it’s complex. A few thoughts.

    In 2005 after five years of hundreds of suicide bombers and terrorist attacks the Israeli government built a security wall. Good for them. It works. Recall, under the Oslo Accords the PA (Palestinian Authority) pledged to dismantle terrorist networks- that did not happen.

    In Bethlehem the Christian population had been declining before 1967, particularly due to decreasing birthrates and better opportunities in Europe and the U.S. Same familiar story. Some Christians in Bethlehem are determined to stay- God bless ’em.

    That said, some Christians in Bethlehem, quite frankly, are jerks- ’nuff said about that. And could Israeli security take it down a notch sometimes? You bet. Though, Bethlehem is governed by the PA, and beset by multi-layered politics. Political parties are generally leftist (probably exclusively leftist) and with roots in terrorist organizations. Not a recipe for good governance, economic success or individual flourishing.

    Sometimes Israel and the PA can cooperate (occasionally against Hamas, for example). Sometimes they don’t.

    As for Bethlehem, anecdotes abound. Sometimes Christian Arab businesses are threatened by Muslim Arab protection rackets; the first female mayor of Bethlehem was the target of an Islamist intimidation campaign as she was perceived as being pro-Christian; a popular Palestinian chef in Bethlehem gripes that Israelis have appropriated Palestinian cuisine; many Christian leaders often find it easier to blame Israel for their problems rather than publicly adopting a wider and more accurate view of events; a Bethlehem hotel runs daily “tours” of refugee camps; the current mayor of Bethlehem was “involved” in the 2002 attack (or “siege” or “occupation” or whatever, depending on who you ask) on the Church of the Nativity…

    Ah yes, another day with our fellow humans in the vineyards of the Lord.

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