Day 9 - Oct 7 Wednesday

7:30 am we leave for Mt. Tabor.

At the Midnight Liturgy on the feast of Transfiguration celebrated by the Patriarch, when he starts Holy Communion, a cloud comes through people. In his speech, the Patriarch told us that a pilgrimage to Holy Land offers each pilgrim a possiblity of the transfiguration of our own hearts and lives....

There is a Greek Orthodox monastery on Mt. Tabor, and also a catholic church. The Greek church has a miracoulous icon of the Mother of God (black and white, from a man in Greece who sent it in a bottle).

We took small buses to the top.

The cloud was covering the mountain when we arrived, and then slowly lifted over the time we were there. We had a procession around the church, and in the gardens, saw the three "sukots" (tabernacles) mentioned (by Peter) in the account of Transfiguration.

As we drive down from Mt. Tabor, it starts to rain. Even if it seems like just a sprinkle, the rain causes flush flooding in the town of Nazareth, and we run into much traffic. But Joseph knows how to get to where we are going by altternate routes.

In Nazareth, we first visited the site of the House of the Holy Family, where now a Catholic basilica stands. There are many "icons" from all around the world in the courtyard of this Basilica. The two most unusual are from China and Thailand and the MOST BEAUTIFUL is the Greek icon, most Orthodox in its style.

Inside the church is the site of the house of the Holy Family:

The other Announciation site is the well where the Mother of God went to get water. Sister Natalia told us that the Announciation happened in 2 stages, first the Archangel appeared to Mary at the well, she wondered about it all the way home, and then he reassured her at home.

Next was Cana of Galilei:
The site of the first miracle. Jesus, his disciples and His family were invited to the wedding. At the wedding, they ran out of wine. The Mother of God simply said to her Son: "they have no wine", and to the servants "do what He tells you".  There are beautiful icons in that church.

Lunch: restaurant on the lake where we eat the fish of St. Peter.

 Before

After :-)

Boat ride on the lake - so beautiful.....

St. Mary Magdalene church - Russian mission daughter house. There are 3 springs in which we swim. Here there is also a cave dedicated to Prophet Eliaja.

We return to the hotel for dinner and more swimming in the lake (in the dark). These photos are from the night before, the sunset was spectacular.... And water at perfect temperature.

And at night, the lights on the other shore sparkled as we sat on the beach and visited this last night of our pilgrimage....