Nazareth, and Two Traditional Sites of the Annunciation

Nazareth is not on the Sea of Galilee, but in the hill country. I found it very moving, I think because the Gospels don't tell us so much about what Jesus' life was like there growing up but it's easy to imagine him running the streets and walking to the well and so forth. This is at the Latin/Roman Catholic site of the Annunciation. At each site we stop and read the Bible, and it really does come to life. Marty was our reader here.



The Church is on two levels, the lower level focused on the humanity of Jesus and very simple, the upper level focused on his divinity and more ornate and traditional. I really liked this lower level however. A Roman priest from the U.S. was celebrating the mass and we gathered above around the rail to pray, or at least several of us did. After the consecration he offered the sacrament to us; don't tell anyone but we were happy to receive.

Mary's house? Perhaps. But either way, a typical first century cave/home, where perhaps Gabriel came to pay a visit.

There are actually two sites for the Annunciation in Nazareth: the site above and this site at the Greek Orthodox Church a few blocks away. The difference? This is built over the site of Nazareth's well, and the Greeks say that Mary wasn't home but at the well when Gabriel came to deliver his message.

Fresh squeezed juice! Chris got some O.J. After snapping this photo I got a 50:50 of grapefruit and pomegranate juice.