2: Graces in Galilee

by Gunther Simmermacher · Published September 29, 2006 · Updated September 29, 2008

The area around the Sea of Galilee (or Sea of Gennesaret, as the evangelist Luke called it) is my favourite part in a Holy Land itinerary. Here, around the lowest freshwater lake in the world, Jesus performed much of his public ministry. And this is also the area where eleven of the Twelve hailed from. Indeed, it was Peter�s Galilean accent that drew the suspicion of the bystanders at the high priest�s palace on Jerusalem�s Mount Zion the night Jesus was betrayed (by, of course, the one non-Galilean disciple).

The disciples Peter, Andrew, John, James and Matthew all lived in Capernaum, a hub of commerce in the area at the time. So the town was an obvious choice as the HQ for Jesus, who came from remote and insignificant Nazareth (today Our Lord�s hometown is a bustling city, and Capernaum a ruin). Luke tells us that Jesus taught in a synagogue there. The ruins of a 4th century synagogue still stand in Capernaum. The foundations of that synagogue date from the 1st century. Located just metres away from Peter�s residence, one may presume that this was the apostle�s parish synagogue, and reasonably assume that Jesus would have visited his friend�s local place of worship.

I love Capernaum. I also love the church of St Peter�s Primacy, where Jesus cooked breakfast for the fishing disciples, and where he entrusted his nascent church to Simon Peter, the Rock. Here, our group celebrated an outdoor Mass in the circular amphitheatre just a stone�s throw from the Sea of Galilee, its gentle waves creating a soothing rhythm to the drama of the Mass.

Nearby is Tabgha, the reputed site of the feeding of the multitudes (the one in Mark 6; there are two such miracles reported in the Gospel). A 5th century basilica marked the spot. It was destroyed, probably during the Persian invasion of 614 in which all churches in the Holy Land � except the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem � were smashed.

The place fell into obscurity over the next 13 centuries. Then, in 1932, two German archaeologists uncovered walls and mosaics from the basilica. The church was finally rebuilt, an exact replica of the original basilica, in the 1980s � incorporating the ancient floor mosaics.

The Mount of Beatitudes overlooks all these places, as well as the Sea of Galilee. The church there, built by the genius architect Antonio Barluzzi in the 1939, commemorates the Sermon on the Mount (which most likely was delivered on the slopes of the bluff). Its shape is octagonal, representing the eight beatitudes. Alas, I did not see any of these wonderful places this year.

In the morning, we were picked up at our Tiberias hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee by a replica of a 1st century fishing boat. These boat rides are always a pilgrimage highlight, combining prayer with the joy of fellowship on the same body of water where Jesus and the disciples worked, prayed and doubtlessly partied.

Still following St Peter, one reflects on his lack of trust when called by Jesus to have faith in him. Simon Peter � truly one of us!

On a more temporal note, our boat crew evidently was not used to South African pilgrims, notwithstanding the fact that when the rest of the world stayed away from the Holy Land after troubles broke out in September 2000, South Africans were among the very few nations whose pilgrims continued to come. First they hoisted South Africa�s flag upside down, then they played Die Stem instead of our full national anthem. Our group of 45 proud South Africans took this in good spirits � as we did the appearance of old South African flags in our hotel�s dining room to mark our tables � knowing that no offence was intended.

The boat anchored at Kibbutz Ginnosar, on the lake�s northern shore. Disembarking, one member of our group � let�s call her Sue � fell and sustained a deep gash (12 stitches worth, one for each Apostle) on her leg. Having seen all the sites on our programme on previous occasions, I took Sue in a taxi to the local hospital (the ambulance would have taken too long to get there). It is said that in Cape Town, where I live, one is never more than ten minutes away from a hospital. In the entire eastern Galilee, there is only one hospital. It took us 20 minutes to get there, Sue�s heavily bleeding and only rudimentarily bandaged leg wrapped in a black binliner.

Before the pilgrimage I sent a letter containing all manner of advice to the pilgrims. My final counsel was: �� should for some of the 45 of us things go wrong in some way � lost luggage, a logistic problem, a snoring roommate � we must remember that we are pilgrims, and reflect at such times: �What is God telling me here?�� What was God trying to tell Sue? What was he telling me? It was not immediately evident that through the accident, God was imparting graces � on Sue, on me, even on others. His graces manifest themselves in different, often totally surprising ways. Sometimes, especially when faced by adversity, we are not open to discerning these graces.

It is in listening to God that the pilgrim transcends just being a traveller.