THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER 1985.
Yet another good sleep - to 5.45am! Perhaps, at last, I had learned how to sleep in the Holy Land. Fr Brendan and I concelebrated Mass at 7.00am in the Basilica of the Annunciation at an altar overlooking the grotto.
After breakfast, I visited St Joseph's Church, built over the home of the Holy Family and the Greek Church of St Gabriel. The spring which provided the water for the Nazarenes still bubbles in the deep crypt. Just imagine - Mary walked down to that well to collect water in carrying our her loving family duties!
After a few brief moments of reflection, the 'verger' said, 'I go now.' and locked the church. As I sat in the courtyard I conveyed the sad news to a coach of American tourists that the church was locked. With a look of determination, one of them set off in search of the keys.
I had planned another day of discovery and wondered what the next few hours had in store for me as I boarded the 9.50am bus to Tiberias. The bus passed through Cana and I could see clearly the dome of the church which commemorates Our Lord's first miracle - the changing of water into wine at a wedding. A few miles to the South is the bowl-shaped (Beacon Fell-like) Mount Tabor with the Church of the Transfiguration clearly visible on the top.
As we entered Tiberias, after a 30 minute journey, the driver shouted something to us, which I took to be the equivalent of 'Last stop, everybody off'. But I wasn't aware that his shout was directed at one particular passenger and so I got off half a mile too soon! But who cared, the sun was shining and the walk was downhill all the way to the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
I had thought of taking a boat to the other side of the lake but I had missed them all - the Capharnaum boat is at 8.00am; the Ein Gev at 10.30am. I was slightly disappointed but not for long because I enjoyed my picnic in a quiet peaceful place on the West bank of the lake.
First on my new agenda was a six mile walk Southwards along the Western shore. At certain areas, bathers are warned of 'sweepings by Western wind'. Even now, the storm which Jesus calmed, can blow up suddenly.
After an hour and 40 minutes of steady walking, I arrived at the River Jordan. The actual place of the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist is much further South near Jericho. It is a military zone and entry by pilgrims is forbidden. Pilgrims may now renew their baptismal promises a few hundred metres from the place where the River Jordan leaves the Sea of Galilee. There are steps and rails for Baptism by immersion.
I had walked the last four miles in my shorts and could hardly wait to go plunging into the waters. But then, a shock - 'No swimming' declared the first notice, and every other notice I saw.
I desperately needed a dip, as much for physical as spiritual reasons, and crossed the road to the lake, past other notices near a boating area. As they weren't written in English, I hoped that if entry were prohibited, I could claim ignorance. Surely, they didn't say, 'Swimmers will be shot!' Despite some apprehension, I really enjoyed my refreshing swim in the lake.
When I emerged from the water, I walked a short distance further South down the lake, and there, before my eyes, was that very special place where the Jordan flowed out of the Sea of Galilee. This called for a second swim, which was so delightfully refreshing - physically and spiritually!
There is nothing like a swim for sharpening the appetite and I enjoyed my second picnic with dozens of little fish nibbling the leftovers.
By now, it was just after 3.00pm and time to catch the bus. As I made my way along the river towards the road, I came on a sight that filled me with great alarm. I saw a large sign, prohibiting anyone going to the place where I had been, but worse still, there, on the ground was a large rotund soldier, flat on his back, with a gun across his chest, fast asleep and snoring loudly! I crept past him as quietly as I could, and was relieved to reach the road without being spotted, shot or arrested!
I soon recovered my composure and watched the flashing blue of the Kingfishers swooping over the river. It was one time when I wished the bus would be late, but it came around the corner in a few minutes. The driver played his own 'easy listening' Western music - it was quite a change to all the Middle Eastern music I had heard in other buses.
Tiberias is a sophisticated tourist lakeside town with a relaxed holiday atmosphere. I had heard there was a little Catholic Church in the town and found it on the sea-front. I had to ring the doorbell to get in. The Crusaders built the front of the church like a boat and dedicated it to St Peter. In those days, before the promenade was built, the water came right up to the wall of the Church. It is somewhat run-down, but has great potential; it also provides good basic accommodation at very low prices. I made a quick call at the Scottish Hospice where I had spent four days in 1980. I remembered waking at 3.00am on my first morning and sitting in the garden as the sun rose over the Golan Heights. Some things never change - the sunrise and my early mornings!
On the journey back to Nazareth, the beautiful crescent of the new moon was low over the Galilean Hills. All natural sights like that assumed a special beauty in the biblical lands. As on the outward journey, there was another 'stop' hitch again. As we approached Nazareth, a soldier-passenger told me that the next stop was mine. I rang the bell and the bus stopped in the middle of the dark countryside - a very dark countryside! All the might of the army wouldn't have pushed me off there!
The soldier then said, 'I meant the first stop at the next town' and rang the bell when we arrived in Nazareth - at a stop too soon. I daren't stay on a second time and look foolish in front of the staring eyes of the assembled commuters, and so I got off and walked in the direction of the light on top of the Basilica.
I was thinking of the miles the Holy Family and the followers of Our Lord had walked, and was recalling how I had often said, 'The only way to get to know a place is to walk it!' It had been very much a 'walking day'. As a result, I was sound asleep by 9.45pm.