Sabbath

Today was a day of rest; nothing planned for us. I walked back to Capernaum with Ray McGhee, a fellow pilgrim, and visited the Greek Orthodox church that we were not able to see during our official trip to Capernaum. It is fascinating how different people can experience Christ, and respond to their experiences in such completely different ways. The Greek Orthodox church was absolutely nothing like the Roman Catholic churches - and neither look like what Protestants would offer if the Protestants had a chance! I found the Orthodox church to be stunning. It was full of icons, and the monks were chanting as we visited.

We had a great treat at evening prayer today. I have been attending the Lauds service at 6:00 AM all week long, but tonight I was invited to go to the Vespers service at 6:00 PM. The person who invited me, Jay Vorhees, attended last night and liked it very much. He knew how much I enjoyed the morning, and invited me to go with him. Two others (CeCe Nickolich and Nancy Anderson) also joined us. It was a beautiful service, as always - and in German, as always! After the service was over, and we were heading out, the abbot (who leads the service) approached us and thanked us for our regular attendance. He was a genuine and caring man. He told us about how the land on which the church stood was sold to the Emperor of Germany by a Sultan in the Ottoman Empire in the late 1800's. Bedouins were living on the site at the time. The German Benedictines were granted stewardship of the land, and they excavated to find the site of the Feeding of the 5000. Now, the brothers are dedicated to peace and reconciliation for the people of Israel. He told us that he feels an extra responsibility for this work, given Germany's poor history in relation to the Jews. Then he asked us to pray for his order and their work. It was an amazing conversation. He also told us that he lives in Jerusalem, and is here in Galilee for a one-year term as abbot to this particular community of Benedictine brothers. I hope to greet the Jerusalem brothers once we arrive there (we leave tomorrow!).