Day 11: Blessed and sobering

Today was a blessed and sobering day. We awoke to beautiful sunrise, the Sea of Galilee at peace. As I ran my early run, past the Church of the Multiplication, it was ablaze. Luckily, the fire was in the office and store ... This was an act of violence - some radical Jews who think Christians worship idols. Sad. 

This was counter-balanced by the intimate renewal of wedding vows by Greg and Alison Hout. Each person offered to them suggestions for 30 more years, and then we shared Eucharist. The nuns lets us use a small chapel. It was beautiful. 

Well where Mary met St. Gabriel

It was then off to where Mary meet Gabriel (and she said "yes") at the well. We literally stood at the well she did. Wondering what God would ask of us? And would we say yes?

St. Mary's Shrine

Icon at St. Mary's Shrine

A song at the shrine to Mary:

Next door was a shrine for Joseph. How quickly we forget his role in the story of Jesus and the House of David. Here's a video of the bells that played at noon between the shrines.

The day seemed to flow between the holiness of the shrines and the violence of news updates locally and from the horrendous murder of the pastor and his bible study class at the AME church in South Carolina.

We realized now, more than ever the need for God's love to be proclaimed and the breaking down of fear and bigotry here and in our own country.

St. Bartholomew Shrine

St. Bartholomew

I fly home tonight. The group flies home tomorrow night. Please pray for our safe travels, as we continue to pray for you.

Mark+