Trip to Galilee in the wake of the Resurrected Jesus

When we had concluded the children’s Easter camp, where ten members of Desert Flower served as counselors, we made our way to Tiberias and from there to Tabgha, a site on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Before arriving in Tabgha, we were invited to dinner by the Nimer family in Tiberias (it was an excellent meal) and then travelled to Tabgha. We slept there until the cock crowed and woke us up at three in the morning. We got up, got ourselves ready, ate breakfast and then prayed, reading together the Gospel passage where Jesus says to his disciples: “Go to the Galilee and there you will see me”. For this reason, we had come to the Galilee in the hope of seeing him.

We began our trail on the Golan Heights and walked until Wadi Hamam, a total of 21 km.

When we returned to Tabgha, we showered and prepared dinner and this time we invited the parents of the Nimer family to eat with us. We ate, chatted, laughed and after dinner went to bed in anticipation of another full and beautiful day. On Friday morning, after breakfast, there was time for prayer during which we read the Gospel passage where Jesus appears to his disciples as they are in the boat trying to fish and identify him when he tells them what to do. This event happened, according to tradition, in Tabgha, the place where we were. After the prayer, we looked around, observing everything and then went on our way on the trail, this time a short distance to Capernaum, to the Orthodox church. We arrived, visited the site and took photos but as we were ready to leave, a heavy downpour kept us in the church. We waited inside the church until it stopped and then returned to Tabgha and went by car to Hamat Gader. There, we put on bathing suits and entered the water that was 42 degrees, very warm as it surges out of the earth. We continued swimming in water that was cooler and it was very relaxing. While we swam, Father Piotr enjoyed a massage on the hot black stones. Father Apolinary fell asleep for a siesta, while Father Roman departed on his way back home to Haifa. Before leaving the place, we prayed a prayer of thanksgiving, thanking the Lord Jesus for everything. We left each other at 20.00, each one going on his way home.

I propose this trip to everyone as it is a beautiful spiritual and physical experience. All those who could have come but chose to stay at home: you really missed something!