26 October 2017, by Jerry Gray

After seeing the Basilica of the Annunciation this afternoon, we went deep underground to the level of homes at the time that Jesus lived on earth.  Our guide at the Sisters of Nazareth Monastery was a nun from Ireland.  Sister Mary Marguerite took us down at least three flights to a home cut out of rock during the period when Jesus would have lived in this neighborhood.

Sister Mary Marguerite

She made the connection between two very important churches that were built, first in Byzantine times and again later during the Crusader years, directly over this first century home. She let us draw the conclusion that we might well be looking into the very home where Jesus was raised—the word she used was “nourished”—by Mary and Joseph.

Below the level where Crusader Church steps were found, Sister showed us an opening in the stone which led to a cavity that exuded odors that seemed like those that may be the result of perfumes used in the preparation of a body for burial – showing that this might have been the burial place of family members from the adjacent home. (A location made possible by the solid rock wall between the home and the downhill tomb.)

Descending deeper we saw rooms that may have been used for preparation and others for burial of bodies.  She showed us a round stone, one of the 9 to 12 known round stones that once sealed tombs in Israel/Palestine.  She demonstrated how one could try to roll the stone away from an opening.  She told us that she is 87 and I could be her baby brother at 83.

Jerry Gray and Sister Mary Marguerite

The International Center of Mary is maintained a religious community, the Chemin Neuf, from France.  Sister Mary Beatrice was our tour guide; she also showed us early homes hewn from rock.  She showed us one of the International Center for Mary’s educational videos explaining how the Quran reveres Mary – the only woman in the Quran whose first name is given. After the video, Sister Beatrice took us to the beautiful Sky Chapel with paintings of Jesus, the Holy Family, and Disciples. She explained the icons that emphasize how in Jesus, God made the ordinary holy.

Jerry and Sister Beatrice