The Sixth Day

I know, I know... I'm missing 5 days worth of blogging. It will come, trust me.

Our day started as it has become routine, with a 6:00 AM wake up call. Today, we headed to Bethany, the town of Lazarus, Martha and Mary. Fr. Russ celebrated Mass at the Church marking the tomb where Lazarus was buried, and where Jesus called him out from the dead.

All our liturgies for daily Mass are related to the place where we are, so today's liturgy was the Gospel where Martha meets Jesus and tells him her brother has died. Mary runs to meet the Teacher, and Jesus wept. And Jesus wept is the shortest verse in the Bible. Fr. Russ' homily was based on those three words.

This location is marked by a Catholic Church, a mosque and a Byzantine church. Three religions splitting up a piece of real estate and claiming it as its own. You can imagine that getting to the actual tomb is not as easy as you might. After mass, we walked a few hundred sets and were able to access the tomb. I walked into it, and came out but not resurrected.

For me, the story of Martha, Mary and Lazarus remind me of Jesus' humanity. He had his BFF, two sisters that adored him as the Lord and as a best friend, and Jesus weeping when confronted with the sadness of the sisters. More human couldn't be.

Jesus knows that his final destination is death in Jerusalem, Even still, he made his way to Bethany to comfort his friends, and to resurrect his BFF.

Masada

We left Bethany and descended to the Dead Sea region, stopping first at Masada.

I remember watching the movie not too long ago, and reading the story as a kid. For me, this visit to Masada was a key highlight of the trip. Not only the opulence of this yet another palace constructed by Herod the Great, but the story of the Sicarii that held siege to this fortress. Sadly the archaeological proof of mass suicide does not exist. Whatever it was, the Sicarii fought to death.

Qumran

We visited the caves of Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. Qumran served as a location for a sect, thought to be the Essenes that lived communally, bathed (ritual cleansing), ate, copied religious texts, worked and were celibate. Must have been a true barrel of fun to hang out with these guys.

Dead Sea

Many of our fellow pilgrims enjoyed floating in the Dead Sea and getting the supposedly medicinal mud on them. I decided that I had played with mud as a child, and had no interest in getting in salty water. In all seriousness, an interesting place in the world. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on planet Earth. I enjoyed the multiple nationalities present, and seeing the faces of those with all kinds of ailments as they came out.

My reflection for the day is the Humanity of Jesus. Jesus is 100% true man and 100% true God. Knowing his human side give comfort.

Jesus, thank you for showing us the love that you showed Lazarus. Continue to call us to eternal life and bring peace to this part of the world.