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| Sunday, 7 November 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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In the footsteps of Christ by Carol Aloysius
Jordan. Our first destination in a tour that criss-crossed three countries venerated by three different faiths which they called, the Holy Land. Upto now this land, sanctified by the presence of Jesus, Prophet Mohammed and the old testament prophets and sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews alike, had been only a collage of blurred images and impressions culled from books and pictures. Now here we are, over a hundred pilgrims about to walk in the footsteps of Christ. Thanks to meticulous arrangements madeby our super efficient and thoughtful tour leader, Rodney Koelmeyer, Chairman of Superlink Travels, a national and international award winning and one of the largest outbound tour operators in Sri Lanka, it would turn out to be a truly memorable journey for us; a journey of discovery, of enlightenment and most of all, of spiritual re-awakening.
We arrive in Amman, the capital of Jordan on a late sunlit afternoon. Piling into two luxury coaches awaiting us along with a very knowledgeable and award winning Jewish guide, Moshe, we are soon on our way to the river Jordan. Here we take a dip in the same waters and spot where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist 2500 years ago. We come out refreshed, rejuvenated and before long we begin our journey to Israel. Mount Nebo. A bleak mountain where Moses is said to have climbed in order to die, now dotted with buildings and monuments overlooks the Dead Sea. In the beautiful church that stands there, our tour leader Koelmeyer had arranged for all the married couples in our groups to renew their marriage vows in a memorable trilingual service conducted by our accompanying local priest and nun. Then to Cana, four miles from Nazareth, where Jesus performed His first miracle of changing water into wine. Two churches now stand here at the exact spot to commemorate His first miracle. Souvenir shops at the site sell what they call 'original Cana wine' made from the same recipe that the wine of Cana was made during the time of Christ.
Travelling through the great Judean Desert, we traverse across hundreds of miles of vast stretches of sand and rocks. Garden of Eden Entering the Jordan Valley an unexpected riot of colours greet us. For there in the middle of the desert is a veritable garden of Eden, where multi coloured bougainvillaeas in bright Mediterranean colours vie for attention with Flaming (similar to our Flamboyant trees.) Called the` Fruit Bowl of Jordan', the luscious green valley is filled with fruit trees, orange orchards, tomato fields, olive trees and date palms. Passing the Jordan valley border manned by a few soldiers, we arrive at Tiberius, an ancient city which lies 682 feet below sea level (most of the cites in the holy land we found are below sea level) on the west side of the Sea of Galilea. Founded in the year 26 AD by Herod Antipas, it was named Tiberius after the Emperor Tiberius and had once been a beautiful city gleaming with palaces, theatres, temples shining with gold and marble, and public baths famed for their hot healing springs. Today however very little remains of that ancient splendour and grandeur. For us, its greatest significance, is its proximity to the Sea of Galilea to where we are heading. Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee. Variously called Tiberius, Sea of Galilea and Kinnet, the name being derived from the fact that the lake is harp shaped. It is in reality a large lake. Thirteen miles long and seven miles wide, it is 686 feet below sea level. Once surrounded by important cities, it was the centre of roads crossing in all directions in the time of Jesus. Sailing along the sea of Galilea, on the route which Jesus and His disciples must have taken many times is an awesome, heart stopping experience.
For it is on this lake and on the shores on either side of the lake that Jesus had preached his sermons, called His disciples many of them fishermen who fished in the lake. Even today it is full of carp, sardine, and mullet. He also performed many of his miracles. Gazing at the azure-blue tranquil waters which scarcely seemed to move, it was difficult for us to even imagine the sea could suddenly transform itself into a furious demon during a storm, as it did in the violent storm that nearly capsized the boat of the disciples and caused Jesus to walk on its waters and still the storm. From Tiberius, a ride on a cable car takes us to Mount Carmel, 1800 feet above sea level whose name is derived from the Hebrew Karem El which means ' Vineyards of God' for, in ancient times it was red with vineyards. At its foot, is the sacred cave believed to be where prophet Elijah hid from the wrath of King Ahab. Over it is now a beautiful church with images of the prophet sketched on the walls. This cave is venerated by both Christians and Muslims who revere Elijah as the hero of the triumph of monotheism. Here too the Carmelite monastic order established themselves in the 13th century with the prophet Elijah as their patron saint. At Haifa, now the third largest city in Israel we visit the world centre of the Bahai faith and view the uniquely beautiful garden laid out in 19 different layers with 700 steps leading to the beautiful shrine with a golden dome that stands out among the other buildings. Mount Tabor rises abruptly before us, 16,000 feet above the surrounding plain. It is the most picturesque and striking mountain in Galilea,sacred to Christians because it was the site Christ chose for His transfiguration. The summit of the mountain is surrounded by the remains of a fortress wall built in the 13th century by the Muslems, and a beautiful church called the Church of Transfiguration was built by the Franciscans for Christian pilgrims to worship. The Dead Sea, 47 miles long and ten miles wide, described as the lowest place in the world and the world's saltiest sea- so dense that you cannot sink but will float on the surface. It is so called due to the absence of any animal life in its waters. Due to its low altitude (1300 feet below sea level), its extremely rich natural minerals containing 20 times as much bromine, 15 times as much magnesium and ten times as much iodine as normal water, the water has a uniquely beneficial effects on one's body. The experience of being able to stay afloat on the salty sea, even when you don't know to swim, prove to be one of the highlights of our tour. Second home of Jesus From Galilea we leave for Caperneum, the second home of Jesus. About two and a half miles from here the Jordan river enters the sea of Galilea. Here Jesus had preached and performed many miracles. We see Peter the disciple's home, still preserved in its original form and over which a beautiful church has been built. Nearby is the church of Multiplication (the place where Jesus blessed the loaves and fishes multiplied them) and the Mount Beatitudes, the traditional site where Jesus preached his most famous sermon on the mount. Today the church of the Beatitudes built by the Franciscans offers a superb view of the Sea of Galilea. Nazareth. One of the main holy cities in the Holy Land. The city is encircled by hills and was the place chosen by God for the ascension of His Son and where He grew to manhood. Here we visit the magnificent Church of Annunciation built by the Italian Architect Muzio, where angel Gabriel is said to have appeared to the Virgin Mary, and the church of St. Joseph. Here Joseph had his carpentry shop. We also visit Mary's Well described as one of the most authentic sites in the Holy land. It was, and still is, the city's only water supply which comes from a spring that gushes out of the mountain and runs through a conduit to a public fountain. Women still come here to draw water all day long, as Mary did. The Greek Orthodox church which believes that the Annunciation took place while the Virgin Mary was drawing water from the fountain, has built its own church here. Bethlehem (House of Bread in Hebrew and House of Meat in Arabic) at last. The place where Jesus was born. Five miles south of Jerusalem, the city lies on a hill, 2600 feet above sea level, boasting of a population of around 30,000 people. Here, the central focus is of course the birth of Christ, and all the streets which remain cobbled and narrow as they did 2500 years ago, bear names that are linked to that wonderful event. Manger Square is at the centre of the town and the Church of the Nativity on the southern side. As we go through the tiny town taking in the sights and sounds of a period that seemed to belong to the past, where men and women still wear the traditional dress as they did in Jesus's time, our guide points out Shepherd's Field where the shepherds first spotted the bright star that showed them the way to the stable where the baby Jesus lay. On our way to the Church of Nativity, built over the site where Jesus was born, we pass Solomon's Bazaar where pavement hawkers, men, women and children surround you with souvenirs. Tourism is the main income of the people in Bethlehem, our guide informs us. Most of them earn money making religious objects out of olive wood and mother of pearl. The exterior of the Church of Nativity is austere and resembles a medieval fortress. We enter the church through the remaining middle narrow entrance which had been purposely built in this manner to prevent marauders in the past from entering the church with their horses. Present church The present church is actually built over three churches that existed before. The church we see today is the Justinian church. Fragments of the mosaic floor of the Constantine church recently discovered, can still be seen. From the entrance we walk along a narrow corridor leading to a rectangular shaped cave 35 feet by ten feet lit up by 48 lamps. A silver star with the Latin inscription which translated means ("Here christ was born") marks the spot where Christ was born. The Holy manger lies to the right. The primitive rock blackened by smoke of candles and lamps can be seen above the manger. The original roof of the cave, our guide informs us, was replaced by masonry in the 4th century. A cave. We had no idea that Jesus's manger would be housed in a cave until we were shown the original walls that are still retained in tact. Even today, there are many old houses in Bethlehem that are built over caves in the limestone as the cave of the nativity. Next Jerusalem, and site of christ's crucifixion and tomb. |
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