Five days in Nazareth

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Dear Friends,
In the past I spent three months in Israel and most of the time I was in Jerusalem where I attended a month-long course on the New Testament and where I made a 30 day retreat. However, during my stay, I was able to go with the group to Nazareth for five days. Here below is what I wrote about my stay in this religious city:

Five days in Nazareth

On 2nd April 1990, at 7:30 a.m., our group set out by bus from Jerusalem to Nazareth in Israel. As we were piling into our bus to leave, large snowflakes were falling, a rather unfamiliar scene in this part of the world. It snowed all the way.

We made our first stop on the Mediterranean Sea at Caesarea Maritima, at 9:15. There, preserved in the amphitheater, I saw the ancient slab of stone on which is written the name of Pontius Pilatus, who had his headquarters in this town in his day.

We continued to the summit of Mount Carmel where the Prophet Elijah defeated the 450 priests of Baal. We visited the chapel there. It is here on Mount Carmel that we had our picnic which we did not enjoy because of the cold weather. After visiting some ruins in the valley we made our way to Nazareth, passing through the modern town of Afula.

Nazareth is a town of 60,000 people, nestled in the hills of Galilee. However, in the time of Jesus it was much smaller, less than 1,000 people. About 30% of the population today is Christian while the majority are Moslems. We drove through town and up a hill to the place that would be our home for the next five days.

It was a large building owned by a French group of priests called the Berthram Fathers. After unpacking, we made our way down the hill to the beautiful modern church called the Basilica of the Annunciation. This is the building that makes this town so famous.

The Church of the Annunciation is built over the earthly home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the Holy Family. Not much is left of the house except a part of the wall and the foundations. The Church commemorates the visit of the Angel Gabriel to Mary when He announced to her that God had chosen her to be the Mother of God. The Bible records that she gave her consent in these words, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38. At that moment Mary conceived and the “Word became flesh.” (John 1:14)

Nazareth is the town where Jesus grew up. As I walked the streets in the old part of town, I was conscious that Jesus had walked there. I went to the spring and drank water there, the place where Mary came every day to draw water. Jesus must have drunk from that very spring too, when He was thirsty.

I entered the small synagogue beautifully restored to the way it was at the time of Jesus. I looked around at the seats facing each other and I wondered where Jesus sat when he came to pray each Sabbath. Here, in this synagogue, we read Luke 4:16-30. It was a strange feeling to know that the passage had been read by Jesus Himself in the very building I was in. Jesus had proclaimed to the people that He was the Messiah, the anointed one. He had come to proclaim liberty to captives, to give sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. The people, however, had not believed him. They turned against him and drove him out of town and wanted to kill him. However, they were not able to touch him.

I walked down the “suk” (the open marketplace), and I saw all the delicious fruit and vegetables everywhere. They say it has hardly changed since the time of Jesus. I looked at the faces of the people of Nazareth and there I saw reflected the face of Jesus. These, I thought, are His relatives, His descendants, and He must have looked like them. Most of them dressed simply as humble people, and were of dark complexion with black hair, and of medium height. Some were just sitting around while others were rushing to their work.

There were always many people at the “suk” looking for a bargain or just admiring the display.

I spent much time in the Church of the Annunciation praying and reading Luke’s account of what happened here. I was struck at the realization of how Christianity has such a geographical and historical aspect to it. This is understandable as Jesus lived on earth, had a family, walked its roads, and all His actions and teachings took place in time and space. I was amazed and deeply aware that it was here in Nazareth that the drama of our salvation began with the Incarnation of the Son of God. God stooped down to become one of us. He became a human being because he loves you and me. I knelt there in this beautiful church to thank Jesus for being the Saviour of the world and my Saviour. I prayed that all the people of the world would come to know and believe in Him. I asked Him for the grace that all may commit themselves to Him especially the people of Prince Edward Island. Lord, give us your hand that we may follow You always.

One day Fr. Mathias from Ghana, and I, took a walk through the “suk” and along a street with many garages where we met a Moslem man who had been in the last war with the British. He spoke English well. We asked him about life in Nazareth. He told us he was happy living there and that the Christians and Moslems got along well together. We also visited the Anglican Church in Nazareth. We went to the office and greeted the priest, an Arab, and asked him if we could visit his church. He was very kind and was delighted to show us around.

My stay in Nazareth left me with great joy. I lived five days in the town where Jesus spent most of his life on earth. On the last day I composed a poem, which I want to share with you.

O little Nazareth, well nestled in the hills,
Give praise and thanks to God. Your salvation he fulfills.

With Mary, my heavenly mother, I come to Jesus, her only Son,
Please guide us all I pray, until life’s prize is won.

Father Melvin