Holy Family of Nazareth I cannot wait to get to Galilee again. Today we began our pilgrimage to the region where Jesus spent most of his public ministry. As we travelled North from Jerusalem we stopped in Nazareth. In the Gospel there isn’t much about the town. There is no doubt that it was a little, sleepy place at the time of Jesus. Most likely Joseph chose to go there as there was plenty of work in the neighboring city called Sepphoris. The city was located a few kilometers away from Nazareth. Today one can only admire the ruins of what used to be a flourishing city. The city that was being rebuilt extensively around the time of Jesus teenage years gave great opportunities for workers. I cannot imagine Jesus staying at Nazareth all the time and being lazy as Joseph was working hard to provide for the family but Out Saviour was probably walking the distance every day to help his family as well. Nazareth has changed since Jesus time but the excavated ruins of Sepphoris provide the visitors with a great opportunity to feel the closeness to the ordinary way of the life of Jesus who walked the streets and saw the luxurious mansions. However Nazareth still attracts big crowds as it is the place of crucial importance for out Salvation Story. It was the home town of Mary and Joseph. Here Mary received Gabriel who announced to her that she would have a son. Here Mary said yes and here Jesus’ life as God and man in one person began. Jesus descended on earth no when he was born in Bethlehem but when he was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit here in Nazareth. After the Holy Family returned from Egypt they moved back to Nazareth where Jesus spent 30 years of his hidden life. The first time when I came here I was planning to spend some time praying. However a girl from the course who wasn’t catholic “bombarded” me with so many questions about the Catholic Faith that instead of my personal, quite prayer I spent an hour explaining her what the Mass is about, what we do when we go to confession, why the red light is on in front of the “golden box”, why we kneel in the church, why we have so many statues and pictures, whether Mary is like a god for us etc. I must honestly confess that when the time came to leave Nazareth I was a bit upset that I missed my personal time for prayer but then I realized that what happened to me in Nazareth was similar to Mary. She accepted to be at service to God and his plans not her own. In the place where Mary agreed to be a handmaid of God I was given a chance to imitate her by being a servant of God too. When I got this thought I found deep joy and peace in my heart. My time in the Holy Land isn’t about me it is about allowing God to guide me in his ways. This time as I went with Ecce Homo group I was given time to immerse myself in the mystery of Nazareth. If I have a chance to come here again I will come to Nazareth for some time to pray and live where Jesus spend most of his time on Earth.
After praying at the Basilica of Nativity we visited the monastery of the Little Brothers of Jesus. They as a congregation that came to be from the inspiration of Blessed Charles de Foucauld. He spend a couple of years here in Nazareth as a humble worker before he was ordained a priest. During his time at Nazareth he worked for some little food and a place to sleep. The prayer you can find on
my website was written by him. He really leant the lesson of Nazareth, of the
importance of copying the humble and hidden way of life of Jesus.
In terms of the Basilica, it is a new building that was blessed by Pope Paul VI who came to the Holy Land in 1964. The church has got two levels the first one is where the Grotto of the annunciation is located. Here the Archangel Gabriel came to Mary. The second floor is designed for big Masses. Outside the church there are dozens of images of Mary from various countries.
After praying at the Basilica of Nativity we visited the monastery of the Little Brothers of Jesus. They as a congregation that came to be from the inspiration of Blessed Charles de Foucauld. He spend a couple of years here in Nazareth as a humble worker before he was ordained a priest. During his time at Nazareth he worked for some little food and a place to sleep. The prayer you can find on
my website was written by him. He really leant the lesson of Nazareth, of the
importance of copying the humble and hidden way of life of Jesus.
In terms of the Basilica, it is a new building that was blessed by Pope Paul VI who came to the Holy Land in 1964. The church has got two levels the first one is where the Grotto of the annunciation is located. Here the Archangel Gabriel came to Mary. The second floor is designed for big Masses. Outside the church there are dozens of images of Mary from various countries.
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