HOLYLAND PILGRIMAGE

Breakfast at the hotel. Proceed to YARDENIT for renewal of water baptism. Yardenit offers modern comforts to pilgrims and tourists in the biblical setting of the Holy Land, as well as a serene and spiritual setting for those wishing to be baptized in the Jordan River. Then proceed to the CHURCH OF THE MULTIPLICATION, located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in the Tabgha area. The Church stands on the site where Jesus performed the loaves and fish miracle. This was also the location of Jesus' fourth appearance after his resurrection. Transfer to the CHURCH OF THE PRIMACY OF ST PETER, where Jesus is believed to have made his third appearance to his disciples after his resurrection. The rock embedded in the church floor is thought to be the location where Jesus prepared breakfast. MENSA CHRIST was the name given to it by medieval pilgrims (the table of Christ). Pilgrims honor the occasion at the CHURCH OF THE BEATITUDES, built on the mount's slope. The Mount of Beatitudes considered the location of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount," is one of the most serene places in the Holy Land. Drive to Mt. Tabor and ascend by taxi to the CHURCH OF TRANSFIGURATION. It is traditionally thought to be the location of Jesus' Transfiguration, an event described in the Gospels in which Jesus is transfigured and speaks with Moses and Elijah. Mount Tabor's elevation allows the view from the Franciscan hospice's balcony of the JEZREEL PLAIN, bounded by the Carmel range and the Samarian mountains. Late afternoon, continue for a boat ride at the SEA OF GALILEE. You will take this special cruise to discover more about this well-known lake's spiritual and historical significance. Cruising on the Sea of Galilee will allow you to reminisce about Jesus' miracles. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Check-out from the hotel after breakfast. Morning drive to Cana for a visit to the CHURCH OF THE FIRST MIRACLE, also known as the Marriage Church; here, couples can renew their marriage vows. The town of Cana in Galilee is remembered as the site of Jesus' first miracle. It is the site of his first two public miracles in Galilee, the transformation of water into wine, and the remote healing of an official's son 32 kilometers away in Capernaum. Then on to Nazareth to see THE CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION, also known as the Basilica of the Annunciation. It was built on the site where, according to Catholic tradition, the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus - an event known as the Annunciation. The next stop is MT PRECIPICE. With views of the Jezreel Valley, Mount Tabor, the Sea of Galilee, and the Golan Heights, it is a mountain in Nazareth just 2 kilometers from the modern city center. According to the New Testament, Jesus was talking to the worshipers of the synagogue in Nazareth. In doing so, he implicitly declares himself as the Messiah. This sermon infuriates the listeners, who drag him to a cliff on Mount Precipice to throw him over, but he walks through the crowd and leaves: "he passed through the midst of them and went away."

OPTIONAL: if time permits, visit the Synagogue Church, a tiny Christian church in the center of Nazareth, which is typically considered the site of the village synagogue that stood in the time of Jesus. An embedded sign that reads "Synagogue" in Arabic and English is located over the doorway. Transfer to Haifa and visit MOUNT CARMEL. On Mount Carmel's southern summit, the prophet Elijah engaged in one of the most dramatic battles in the Old Testament between Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, and a pagan god. Then, make a photo stop at the BAHA'I SHRINE in Haifa, a strikingly colored tourist destination thanks to its golden dome, marble walls, granite pillars, and well-kept gardens that cascade down a slope of Mount Carmel. Proceed to AQUEDUCT OF CAESAREA, a fantastic reserve with a beautiful water aqueduct at its heart. A modest museum describes its construction and development since the Byzantine era. Caesarea received water via the aqueduct from the Ein Tzabarin springs. Proceed to Bethlehem for dinner and overnight.
 

After breakfast, we visit Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and the CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY, where we find the Grotto of Nativity, the Altar of Christ's Birth, and Manger's Square. In the sixth century, the emperor Justinian built today's basilica, the oldest complete Church in the Christian world. It replaced Constantine the Great's original Church, built over the cave revered as Christ's birthplace and dedicated in AD 339. The grotto was widened to accommodate visitors when the original Church of the Nativity was constructed, and a silver manger was added. Then onto SHEPHERDS' FIELD, a site called Siyar el-Ghanam is located on the north ridge of Beit Sahur (Place for Keeping Sheep). It is believed that this is where the shepherds paid homage to Jesus and the shepherds celebrated the birth of the Messiah. Then, proceed to Jerusalem's Mount of Olives. It is a significant landmark located near Jerusalem's Old City. This is a reference to the ridge east of the Old City. First to visit is the DOME OF THE ASCENSION, the shrine commemorating the location where Jesus is said to have ascended to heaven. The plain and unadorned Dome of the Ascension stands in a walled compound east of the main road that runs along the top of Jerusalem's Mount of Olives. The site is just north of the Church of Pater Noster, which was built over a cave used by the early Christians as a more secluded place to commemorate the Ascension. Christians remember Christ's teaching of the Lord's Prayer to his disciples at the CHURCH OF PATER NOSTER. Translations of the Lord's Prayer in 140 languages are inscribed on colorful ceramic plaques on the walls surrounding the Church and its vaulted cloister. The CHURCH OF DOMINUS FLEVIT, located halfway down the western slope of the Mount of Olives, commemorates the Gospel occurrence in which Jesus grieved over the impending destruction of Jerusalem. Then walk along PALM SUNDAY ROAD. It is the biblical path that Jesus took as he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. It begins on the Mount of Olives and passes through several holy sites, including the Garden of Gethsemane. In the New Testament, THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE is mentioned as where Jesus went with his disciples to pray the night before he was crucified. It is believed that the disciples slept while Jesus prayed in this natural grotto. Beside the garden is THE CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS, built on the rock where Jesus is said to have prayed in agony before being betrayed and arrested by Judas Iscariot. This place is believed to be where Jesus "threw himself on the ground" (Matthew 26:39), and in his anguish, "his sweat became like great drops of blood falling on the ground" (Luke 22:44). Proceed to the Old City of Mount Zion, the highest point in ancient Jerusalem. Its name was a symbolic emblem for the entire city and the Promised Land in Old Testament times. On Mount Zion, several significant occasions in the early Christian Church are believed to have occurred. Walk through the City to see THE LAST SUPPER ROOM.

The Holy Spirit's descent onto the disciples and the Last Supper between Jesus and his disciples are thought to have occurred on the Cenacle's site. The Cenacle is located on the upper floor of a two-story building near the Church of the Dormition in Jerusalem's Old City, south of the Zion Gate. The Jewish shrine known as THE TOMB OF KING DAVID is located right beneath it. The Tomb of King David — the celebrated Old Testament warrior king of Israel who is traditionally credited with writing many of the Psalms — is one of the holiest sites for Jews. Near the Cenacle is THE CHURCH OF THE DORMITION, where the Virgin Mary passed away, or as the name says, "fell asleep.“ Then, transfer to the eastern slope of Mount Zion, to THE CHURCH OF ST. PETER IN GALLICANTU. All four Gospels record Peter's denial of Christ (most succinctly in Matthew 26:69-75). Three of the Gospels also mention his remorseful tears. The courtyard of the high priest Caiaphas was the setting for Peter's denial of Christ. A dungeon beneath the Church is thought to be the cell where Jesus was detained for the night following his arrest. 
 

Every day, hundreds of Christians walk through Jerusalem's Old City, stopping at 14 Stations of the Cross to identify with Jesus' suffering on the way to crucifixion. After an early breakfast, head to Jerusalem's Old City, starting at ST. STEPHEN'S GATE (the Lion's Gate) and making stops at ST ANNE'S CHURCH – which is thought to be the Virgin Mary's birthplace and THE POOL OF BETHESDA. Reflect while following the WAY OF THE CROSS (VIA DOLOROSA) ending at the Church of The Holy Sepulcher. Along the way, you will pass through THE CHAPEL OF THE FLAGELLATION. It depicts Pilate washing his hands, Jesus being scourged, and Barabbas celebrating his release. THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE in Jerusalem's Old City commemorates what Christians believe to be the site of the most significant event in human history: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Ascend a steep flight of stairs that curves to the right of the Holy Sepulchre's entrance. This is known as ascending THE "HILL" OF CALVARY (from Latin) or Golgotha (from Aramaic), both of which mean "place of the skull." The floor where the stairs open is at the same elevation as the rocky outcrop where Christ was crucified. THE ANOINTING STONE, a slab of reddish stone flanked by candlesticks and topped by a row of eight lamps, is located to the left of the entryway of the Church. A stone Edicule (or "small home") in the center of the Church has rows of enormous candles flanking its door. The fourteenth Station of THE CROSS IS THE TOMB OF CHRIST. Afterward, walk into THE JEWISH QUARTER, next to the Western Wall. This neighborhood has more up-to-date shopping centers. Museums and public spaces display archaeological artifacts. THE WESTERN WALL (some call it "The Wailing Wall") in Jerusalem's Old City is the holiest site for Jews. It is revered as the only piece of the Temple still standing. It was a portion of the retaining wall Herod the Great built in 20 BC to sustain the enormous plaza on which he rebuilt the Temple. In the afternoon, visit Zion, the eastern fortress King David took from the Jebusites during the Old Testament era and is now called THE CITY OF DAVID (2 Samuel 5:6-9). The City of David National Park invites you to take a 2,000-year journey beneath the massive stones of the Western Wall. Additionally, pilgrims can travel 530 meters through HEZEKIAH'S TUNNEL on foot from the Gihon Spring. To provide water to THE POOL OF SILOAM inside his city in anticipation of an upcoming Assyrian siege, King Hezekiah's laborers excavated this in the seventh century BC.