Duc in Altum

After departing from the Sisters of Nazareth, near the Basilica of the Annunciation, we made our way to Tiberias. The town was dead, as if humanity had disappeared and left the place preserved. Turns out it was the Sabbath so the observant Jews kept quiet, and we had free roam of the shore. No one rolled on the Shabbas in Tiberias!

The Sea of Galilee was impressive. It was sad to see this lake polluted where Jesus had walked, but there was a deep sense of history as we were surrounded by the remnants of a Crusader wall. We had Mass at the Church of Saint Peter. It was a beautiful, if not unadorned, worship space. After Mass, we had a boat ride around the Sea. Despite the rain we had no Gilligan moments. We had ample time for pictures, and the brief quiet provided a reflective space to contemplate how Jesus and his Apostles knew these waters. It has been said, in the movie A River Runs Through It, that "we are haunted by waters." Indeed, these waters of the Sea of Galilee do haunt the human heart and run through the imagination forming an image of Jesus calling to each of us to duc in altum (put out into the deep). After this wooden boat put us back to shore we had lunch, including an unusual presentation of un-filleted fish complete with cooked eyes (the group was split on "yum" and "yuck").

With full stomachs and happy hearts we drove into Pilgerhaus on the sea and were quickly impressed by the spectacular beauty of our lodgings. Some of us hiked up the Mountain of the Beatitudes while others slept and rested. We gathered together for prayer and greeted the happy arrival of Frs. Rodriguez and Lodge with Dr. Nagel. All in all, life was good today as the sun gave way to a beautiful starry sky over Israel, the promised and beloved land of God.

**Editor's Note: The internet has been a litte spotty at our place in Galilee. We hope to have a special photo edition post when we arrive in Jerusalem and presumably have better bandwidth. Stay tuned!