Day 8 - Oct 6 Tuesday

We leave Gorninsky Monastery at 9 am after nice breakfast in the trapeza, and drive to Galilei.

First stop is Monastery of St. Gerasimos, where the Holy Family stopped on the way to Egypt. There are three altars there: Main on dedicated to St. Gerasimos, Right one to St. Euphemios and the Left one to St. Mary of Egypt. On the walls of the church are many Saint of the Desert. This is also an area where St. Mary of Egypt crossed the Jordan river.

On the left is an icon of St. Mary the Egyptian and Zossima

(St. Gerasimos's lion was also named Jordan. When St. Gerasimos befriended the lion, the lion lived in the monastery and had an obedience to watch over the donkey which fetched the water from the river. Once the lion lost the donkey when a passing caravan took him. When the lion came back to the monastery without the donkey, St. Gerasimos told him that now he has to fetch the water).

The monastery of St. Gerasimos is famous for their mosaics.

The drive from Jerusalem to Galilei is a drive from the South to the North. Jesus was the Northerner. People in the North were simple (fishermen), less educated, more open-hearted (also spoke with a different accent). They were more ready to receive the teaching of Jesus and this is why He chose his disciples from there. (in the South, people were more educated and stuck closer to the Law).

From Jerusalem to Tiberia is ~ 150 km.
First views of the Sea of Galilei.....

He spent most of His life in Galilei (in Nazareth and later in Capernum).

Taghba:
place of the feeding of 5000

Church of the Beatitudes:
We read the Gospel and heard Fr. Meletios speak on the new law which Christ gave us in the Beatitudes. We sat in Jesus Prayer at a site with a beautiful view of the Sea of Galilei.

Capernum:
Church of the 12 Apostles. This is a site of the miracle of healing of the paralytic who was brought in by the 4 friends and lowered into the house through the roof. There is a beautiful Greek monastery there.