Holy Land pilgrimage - Day Five

Another gloriously warm day. As we drove into Jerusalem our guide explained the history of the Western Wall also called the Wailing Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem. This a place of prayer and pilgrimage especially sacred to the Jewish people. It is the only remains of the wall surrounding the Temple Mount, the site of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem. The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587-586 BC, and the second was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

Our guide also explained the meaning of the 613 tassels on the Jewish prayer shawls - they are a reminder of the 613 Hassidic rules - and he spoke a bit about the distinction between the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews.

As there have just been the Passover holidays, many Jewish families were visiting. In March 2000, Pope John Paul II prayed here at the Wall. An historic ceremony was also held in the Hall of Remembrance in Yad Vashem, expressing the wish for reconciliation between the Catholic Church and Jewish people.

Our next destination was a place on the River Jordan - where we had the chance to renew our Baptismal vows. Some people went for total emersion. Most of us opted to get a bit less wet. I've been here before when the water was very clear with fish swimming about our feet, but today the water was very muddy - I guess stirred up by the recent deluges.

Fr Charles and Deacon Patrick blessed each of us as we renewed our vows.

We had lunch in Jericho - the oldest city in the world. We were told Jericho is probably named the god Yareakh - the moon god worshipped by the Canaanites.

We prayed the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary as we drove on to Magdala - the town where Jesus chose his first disciples. The archaeological site includes some stunning mosaics, the women's atrium dedicated to women of the Bible, the remains of a first century synagogue and the beautiful Duc In Altum ecumenical centre with the altar set in a Galilee-style boat (See Deacon Patrick's homily here: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/46963 )

This evening we checked into into our hotel - the Golan Hotel in Tiberius which overlooks the Sea of Galilee.