Tuesday got off to an early start as pilgrims departed the hotel at 8am for Cana. We visited the Church in Cana, believed to be the site where Jesus worked his first sign by turning water into wine.
Renewal of Marriage Vows
Married couples in the group reaffirmed their Marriage vows to each other. Fr David Reilly who led the service said: "When we were baptised we all received the call from God to be a Christian. A Christian lives out life in generosity. That is part of the fundamental call of being a Christan. no one becomes a Christian to live a life for or by themselves. The manner in which we live out this generosity can be very different for each person. A fundamentally generous way of shared life is in marriage; in the Sacrament of Matrimony."
The Transfiguration
After this very joyous start to the morning we then made our way to visit and pray on Mount Tabour; the site of the Transfiguration of Christ. It is 4,340 steps to the top of Mount Tabour. Thankfully some minibuses were on hand to help with the ascent, although a number of pilgrims did descend on foot when it was time to leave.
We prayed to thank God for the blessing and gifts of creation and remembered that during the Transfiguration Christ have his disciples a glimpse of His true glory.
The Annunciation
In the afternoon we visited the Basilica of the Annunciation. This is an impressive building with mosaics and icons of Our Lady which decorate the area around and inside the Church. the Church is built over the site of the cave where the Annunciation is said to have happened. The site has been a place of pilgrimage since the first century with excavations from the first century finding inscriptions on the walls relating to the Annunciation. these inscriptions are in Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew and Armenian.
The church is rich in symbols, in particular the roof of the Basilica is in the shape of an upturned Lilly. the Lilly is the symbol of purity and upturned it has its roots in Heaven.
After looking around the Basilica with many pilgrims carrying out private devotions we celebrated Mass in the nearby Church of St Joseph. During this Mass of the Annunciation, celebrated by Fr David, we reflected on Mary's joyful 'yes' to God's plan for her life and were encouraged to be as generous as possible when dealing with God.
