IF   YOU   EVER  GET  TO  ISRAEL

The title of my thoughts for this morning is: “If  You  Ever  Get To Israel.”

If you ever get to Israel,  it probably will be on a Christian tour.

And one of the spots you’ll go to is Capernaum.

It’s featured big time in the Gospels – but it hasn’t been that big a deal down through the centuries after Christ.

In Jesus’ time it was a tiny town – with about 1500 people – on the northwest shore of the Lake of Galilee.

You get off the bus and walk a short distance to go through the gate into city.

Today it’s a tour spot that only has basically  2 spots to look at: the synagogue and Peter’s house  - both of which are mentioned in today’s gospel.

The Franciscans bought property there – above the Lake – and in and around 1867 there was excavations there – as well as  after 1967.

I was in Israel for 10 days in the year 2000 - January.

We were in Capernaum for about 2 hours in a morning.

We went into the Synagogue remains. It’s a small rectangular building with sides, but no roof. It was very clean. You can sit on the hard stone steps along the side. It has a large open space in whole center of the former synagogue – like a small church without seats.

Our tour was a retreat, so we had an hour of quiet. Father Steven Doyle was giving the tour and the retreat.  He read a gospel like today’s – made some comments – and then  gave us time to reflect.  The 22 of us priests making the tour and the retreat  became quiet. Hey, we were in a sacred place.  My prayer was the prayer of the man with demons in yesterday’s gospel and the people with demons in today’s gospel: “Jesus you are the Son of God.”

Archaeologists say the present structure is from the 4^th century. They say it’s a synagogue built upon a synagogue.  They date it - based on coins in the mortar holding together the big stones of the synagogue.

After the hour of prayer, we went about 40 to 50 yards  to what archaeologists   said was Peter’s mother-in-law house.  They figure an octagonal church was built on top of an older building.  In 1990 they finished a hexagonal church – with steps up into the building – with glass floors – so you can see the ruins of an older church below – which was built on what some think was Peter’s house.

After that we went outside before heading out the gate to the bus.  Father Steven Doyle pointed to a red roofed church about a mile away. He said it’s a Byzantine church. He pointing to small clumps of earth or  small bumpy hills all around it. He said, “Under those small hills is a lot of rubble and ruin to excavate in the future.”

When in Israel, there is plenty of time.

We were on Franciscan property and they had done most of the work where we had just visited. Amen.