CAPERNAUM - Having been rejected by the people of his hometown of Nazareth, Jesus resided for a while in this village on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee.

WHERE JESUS WAS TRANSFIGURED - A church built in the 1920s is on the site accepted as the location of the transfiguration of Christ. Approaching the entrance, one sees the remains of a Crusader-era church that was later destroyed by the conquering Muslims
But He spread the message of salvation throughout the region of Galilee, often using the Sea, actually a lake measuring 13 miles wide by 6 miles long, as a way of getting from one town to another.

He performed many of His miracles at seaside locations, including the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and used the hills rising from it to dispense such divine wisdom as the beatitudes.

Galilee, from the Hebrew words for "surrounded by the Goyem," or Gentiles, is in the northern part of modern Israel. The area is lushly green because it receives the lion's share of the country's precipitation (40 inches annually). On the surface it seems untouched by the ongoing warfare between Jews and Arabs in other parts of Israel. Yet its people know full well what is going on in the disputed territories and are deeply affected by it emotionally and spiritually.

The Bible tells us that Jesus used Galilee for spreading the Good News so that the prediction of the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled:

Jesus, at the beginning of His public ministry, also had some important reasons for choosing to take the message of salvation to Galilee, believes Father Peter Vasko, OFM, an 18-year resident of the Holy Land and a veteran tour guide of Catholic pilgrims.

"Jesus' human and divine natures decided this place was better for the Church at that time," said Father Vasko. "The people of Galilee were more open to new ideas than were those in Jerusalem at the time, where everything was black or white," he said. He added that the residents of Jerusalem at the time of Christ would have considered those in Capernaum to be the equivalent of today's redneck.

Capernaum was home to Peter and his brother, Andrew, the first fishermen called instead to follow Christ and become "fishers of men" (Mt. 4:19). Many of the other apostles, all Jews, came from that city, too.

A stark, drab, gray, modern memorial, built in 1991, sits on stilts over the home of St. Peter, one of several interlocking stone residences just off the shore.

The Jesuits bought the site in 1896 and had it excavated. The names "Jesus" and "Peter" were found carved into those walls 131 times, said Father Vasko, adding that for security purposes, those sections were removed and stored elsewhere.

One room in particular has been singled out as that in which Jesus cured Peter's mother-in-law and where He cured a paralytic who was lowered on his stretcher through an opening made in the roof because the entrance was blocked by so many people wanting to see Our Lord. Father Vasko said the roof may not have been damaged, as is often the Scriptural interpretation, but tiles may have been pushed aside to allow for the lowering of the stretcher.

Those who venture to the shoreline, especially as the afternoon sun nears the horizon, should absorb the tranquility about them and remember that Christ with His apostles appreciated the very same sight after a long, hard day of either catching fish or spreading the news of salvation - or both.

Many events, many churches

The Gospels list several towns in Galilee that Jesus visited and numerous things that He did there. He often used a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, now also know as Lake Tiberias, as the way of getting to those locales.

Old and new churches sit on just about every spot tied to a major event in the New Testament. Commercialism at times attaches itself, though for the most part, the numbers of hawkers of religious goods are down, as have been the number of tourists in the two-and-a-half years since the latest Palestinian uprising began against the Israeli government.

Cana, for example, where Jesus performed His first miracle by turning water into wine at a wedding feast (John 2:1-11), features shops selling bottles of "Cana Wedding Wine," which is made by Trappist monks near the Israeli capital city of Tel Aviv.

Father Vasko noted that Cana is a favorite spot among married Catholic pilgrims. They stop at the simple Cana Wedding Church, a white stone structure from 1881, where they renew their wedding vows.

"We have a group picture taken, and each receives a certificate," he said of those who attend a Franciscan-led tour.

Father Simon Herro, OFM, a native of Jerusalem, has been pastor there for about a year and a half. He said his parish has 103 Palestinian families and that about 15 percent of the town is Catholic.

A kind man, his features nevertheless can't hide his concern over the mood of his flock, some of whom are leaving for safer areas in which they'll more easily find jobs.

"If there is no peace, there are no jobs," Father Herro said.
Blessed are the poor

One of the smaller churches that pilgrims will encounter is just north of the site where Jesus proclaimed the beatitudes, part of the Sermon on the Mount. It is a church in the round, with the beatitudes written in Latin in a large book just to the right of the entrance to the sanctuary. Large posted notices remind visitors that the area is a sacred place for prayer and not for talking.

"When He saw the crowds, He went up the mountain ... (and) began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 5:1-10).

Again, the pilgrim who walks out on the back deck of the church and looks down the hill will be better able to visualize what the people, many of them downtrodden, experienced as they listened to those words.
'His face shone like the sun'

The trip up to the top of Mount Tabor, a little less than halfway between Nazareth and the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee, can be breathtaking for those who stop and look down. It overlooks the Jezreel Valley, quiet now, but historically the site of many Old Testament battles. In the distance is Megiddo, often associated with Armageddon, the place of the cosmic battle between good and evil (Rev. 16:16).

The top of the mount contains a 1924 church dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ. Before getting to it, though, one passes through the remains of a Crusader-era church. The Augustinians who took care of it were either driven off or killed by their Muslim attackers in 1189.

"Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with Him ... then from the cloud came a voice that said, 'This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.' ... Jesus came and touched them (apostles), saying, 'Rise, and do not be afraid' (Mt 17:1-7).

A mural depicts the transfiguration above the main altar. The architect designed the church so that the late-afternoon sunlight brilliantly illuminates that indoor scene, giving one just a glimmer of how magnificent that view must have been to the three apostles.

Father Vasko noted that the three Jesus chose to witness the transfiguration were the same He chose to accompany Him to the Garden of Gethsemane on Holy Thursday.

"He wanted them to experience the heightened sense of His glory at the Transfiguration along with the realization of His suffering on Holy Thursday," Father Vasko said. "The two go together. Along with joy we need to bear our crosses. You need both to be a Christian. Mount Tabor reminds us of this."

The journey to the Holy Land by a Review writer and photographer was sponsored by members of the St. Louis Council/Northern Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.