Day 14: Masada - The "Dead Sea" - Ein Gedi "Spring of David" 1 Sam 24:1-2

Day 14 - Tuesday Jan. 13

4 to 7:30 AM:  Many of the men visited the Holy Sepulchre Church for prayer.

STATION 13:  Holy Sepulchre Church - Mosaic just beyond the stone in which the body of Jesus was laid and anointed upon.

STATION 14:  The Tomb.

STATION 12:  Calvary - location of the Crucifixion. 

7:30 to 9 AM:  Breakfast and getting ready for day.

9 AM:  Nice sunny day in Jerusalem.  Also pretty warm!  Got on coach to head into the JUDEAN WILDERNESS - Southeast of Jerusalem along the coast of the Dead Sea.

CHRISTIAN BACKGROUND:  Monasteries where everywhere in the Judean Wilderness in the 4th c.  WHY?  What attracted the Monks?  The complete silence.  They went to the Wilderness seeking to hear the voice of God.

WEATHER:  Difference between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea is about 8* C warmer.  It was a nice, warm, clear, sunny day.

GEOGRAPHY:  The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth.

10 AM:  Arrived to Masada.  It is a high mount in the barren wilderness.  In 1st century AD it was occupied by Jewish Zealots.  About 1000 men lived on this mount to escape the Jewish persecution of the Romans.  It is an astonishingly impressive fortified city on the top of the Mount.  It took the Romans 3 long years of camping at the base of the Mount, getting rocks tumbled upon them, lack of water and resources, and numerous failed attempts to eventually reach the mount - only to find that all but 10 inhabitants had chose to kill themselves rather than give into surrendering into slavery into the Roman hands.  For those more interested - there was a Mini-TV series Movie filmed portraying this story - filmed in the actual location - in 1981 - called Masada.

This location nowadays is one of the most significant sites for the Jewish people - mainly as a sort of emblem of their unwillingness to give themselves into the hands of others.

Group photo.  Taken atop Mount Masada.  About a 1.5 hour hike up the Mount - we took the 80 passenger cable car up and down.

1 PM:  National Park - Ein Gedi "Spring of David."  Took a really nice hike along the "Spring of David" in the "Valley of David."  Preserved area.  No smoking, eating, or gum allowed inside.  Very nice.  Saw a number of goat looking animals, ground hog looking animals, and birds.  Relevant Scripture is 1 SAMUEL 23:7 through 24.

Group photo.  Waterfall of the "Spring of David" - Ein Gedi - right behind.

6:30 PM:  Holy Mass at Notre Dame - Local Parish.