holy Land Pilgrimage day 3 - mount of beattitudes

morning prayer in eremos cave as the sun rose, the sky lightened and the darkness fled. no colors, a much different sunrise. my neck is hurt and i can't turn it. come to God humbly, with fear of the Lord.

mount of beattitudes-

where Jesus preached the sermon on the mount we celebrated Mass and got a moment to pray looking over the lake from the top of the hill. i prayed for intentions here today that we might listen to Jesus' Word and be convinced, that we receive Him in His word. Fr. Lally read the sermon on the mount after hiking across the hill, we listened like the crowds of old. i prayed for the men of beattitudes, a group of men trying to live lives of faith and honor, here. its difficult to pray today, to focus. i just want to be.

Church of loaves and fishes-

the place where Jesus had pity on the crowds. will You have pity on me Lord? He fed the 5,000 and they wanted to make Him king, "you only seek Me because you ate and were filled". shortly afterwards He goes to Capernaum (a 20min walk away) and preaches in the synagogue "I am the Bread of Life" and many stop following Him. Lord, how often i just seek that mountain top experience, just to have some experience of grace, seeking the gift more than the Giver. thank You for the grace to truly say: Jesus, i want You more than Your gifts, to love You and encounter You and not just revel in blessings received. You are Jesus Emanuel Who has come to be with us, come to be with me. prayer is not the result of my work or efforts, God has His part. it is noticing You, how You want to reveal Yourself to me and following You. to follow You into the meadow and there be fed by You from your miraculous pity.

watching the crowds enter the church, snap a picture and leave: a simple encounter with You is so good. pray and let Jesus' pity run to your heart for them. they too want to meet Jesus, to encounter Him. perhaps they don't know how. pray for them, love them, be joyful. each person we encounter in our day is a moment where God entrusts us with the care of their soul for that moment. do not cling to them as though it all depends on you, but how do you treat that person in that moment? love them. we are entrusted with love.

Adoration at Mensa Christi at night-

we see Jesus appear where Jesus appeared. encounter with Jesus.