Ministry in Galilee

Capernaum owes its fame to Jesus, who made it the center of his activities in Galilee, and to the numerous references in the gospels to things that happened there. When Jesus left Nazareth he made Capernaum his home-town (Matt. 4: 12-17; 9,1). Here Jesus paid the temple-tax for himself and for Peter (Matt. 17: 24-27). He called his first disciples (Matt. 4: 18-22; 9: 9-13). He healed a possessed man (Mark 1: 21-28), Peter's mother-in-law (Matt. 8: 14-15), a paralysed man (Matt. 9: 2-8) and the centurion's servant (Matt. 8: 5-13). He taught many times in the synagogue at Capernaum and it was here he proclaimed himself to be "the living bread that came down from heaven" (John 6: 26-59). The episode of Jairus daughter and the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5: 21-43) and of the man with a paralyzed hand (Mark 3: 1-6), probably happened at Capernaum. The gospels also speak of Jesus Mother having been in Capernaum (John 2: 12).

The gospels give us a clear picture of Jesus activity at Capernaum, what he did on the lakeshore and in particular in the synagogue and in the house of "Peter and Andrew" (Mark 1: 29). The evangelist Mark sheds more light on Peter's house. After proclaiming the parables and other teachings to the crowds nearby at Tabgha, place of the "public teaching", Jesus would give the "private teaching" back at Peter's house: "To you has been given to know the mystery of God's kingdom; but to those outside everything is told in parables" (Mark 4: 11).

They are the walls of this very house which divided those who were outside from those inside who sat at Jesus feet and listened, and in particular the walls of the principle room in the house, who separated it from the ordinary life of Peter's family and made it a church, a meeting place for proclaiming the Gospel and for prayer and adoration. Again in Mark's gospel, chapter 3, we watch as it is acted out the early formation of the Church. Jesus own people come from Nazareth, his mother and his brothers. Those who have come to listen to him are crowded together in the main room and courtyards of the house while his family are outside trying to find him. Jesus says: "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?" Looking around at those inside listening he adds: "Those who do the Father's will are brothers, sisters and mother to me". The guests in Peter's house are already part of his family and members of the new family belonging to God the Father.

When in 1968 the excavations at Capernaum began again, an area was noted "sacred" because it included the house of Peter. The remains of an octagonal, fifth-century church had been uncovered in 1921. Once the mosaic floor had been removed and the entire area excavated, the team of archaeologists identified three principal strata along with many other, intermediary levels indicating periods of habitation: the first stratum was of private houses built during the second century B. C. and in use until the fourth century A. D.; the second stratum was the "house of the chuch" (Domus-ecclesia) with adaptations for cultic use; the third stratum was the octagonal church form the fith century A. D. Peter's house was close to the lake-shore and flanked to the east by the principle, north-south road of the village. It was built just like the other houses - little rooms with roofing grouped around largish, open courtyards. The archaeologists naturally focused their attention on this house of particular interest. They were able to find overlaying levels of habitation dating from the late-hellenistic period. From the second half of the second century B. C. up until towards the end of the first half of the first century A. D. these levels are made up of layers of beaten earth mixed with household, ceramic objects (fragments of jars, pots, plates and lamps). Over the top of these older layers they uncovered something exceptional. Covering an area of roughly 12 square metres along the north-east side of the room which had been venerated was the flooring of at least six layers of white plaster. As well as this find, they gathered up various fragments of colored plaster which had certainly been used to decorate the walls of the room. At the same time it was remarked the almost complete absence of household-pottery fragments. Finally one should note that in all of the village of Capernaum, of which a great part has been excavated, this is the only room which has plaster on the walls and floor. All this points to the conclusion that Peter's house, containing the room which was venerated, had already been set apart as a meeting-place for the community by the second-half of the first century A. D.

Concerning the transformation of Peter's house into a Domus-ecclesia, has come down to us the precious testimony attributed to an already well-known pilgrim to the Holy Land, Egeria, writing towards the end of the fourth century: "And in Capernaum, what is more, the house of the prince of the apostles (Peter) has been turned into a church, leaving its original walls however quite unchanged". The archaeological diggings are proof of the accuracy and faithfulness of the above description.

Towards the second half of the fifth century the "insula sacra" was totally covered over by Byzantine builders who put up a church on an octagonal design. It is interesting to note that they must have had in mind to keep alive the memory of Peter's house, because they built the centre octagon of their church right over the venerated room. The anonymous pilgrim of Piacenza passing through Capernaum around 560-570 A. D. writes about this final transformation: "And so we came on to Capernaum to the house of Saint Peter, which is now a basilica".

During the centuries which followed, Capernaum was abandoned and in time forgotten so that even the memory of where it stood was lost. But Capernaum was reborn a century ago with the arrival at the spot in 1894 of the Franciscans of the

Custody of the Holy Land. The Memorial which stands today aims to conserve and protect the venerable ruins of the place where Peter opened his home to the Teacher from Nazareth. At the same time it seeks to offer to the many Christian pilgrims visiting Capernaum the chance to celebrate the communion there at Peter's house in the town where Jesus declared: "I am the bread which has come down from heaven" (Jn 6: 41).

Feeding of the 5,000

Matthew 14:13-21New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount (anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: Sermo in monte) is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5, 6 and 7).[1] It is the first of the Five Discourses of Matthew and takes place relatively early in the Ministry of Jesus after he has been baptized byJohn the Baptist and preached in Galilee.

The Sermon is the longest piece of teaching from Jesus in the New Testament, and has been one of the most widely quoted elements of the Canonical Gospels.[2] It includes some of the best known teachings of Jesus, such as the Beatitudes, and the widely recited Lord's Prayer. To most believers in Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount contains the central tenets of Christian discipleship.[2]

The last verse of chapter 5 is considered to be a focal point that summarizes the teaching of the sermon: "be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect", advising his disciples and followers to seek the path towards perfection and the Kingdom of God.[3]

Transfiguration

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The Transfiguration of Christ is the culminating point of His public life, as His Baptism is its starting point, and HisAscension its end. Moreover, this glorious event has been related in detail by St. Matthew (17:1-6), St. Mark(9:1-8), and St. Luke (9:28-36), while St. Peter (2 Peter 1:16-18) and St. John (1:14), two of the privileged witnesses, make allusion to it.

About a week after His sojourn in Cæsarea Philippi, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them to a high mountain apart, where He was transfigured before their ravished eyes. St. Matthew and St. Markexpress this phenomenon by the word metemorphothe, which the Vulgate renders transfiguratus est. TheSynoptics explain the true meaning of the word by adding "his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow," according to the Vulgate, or "as light," according to the Greek text.

This dazzling brightness which emanated from His whole Body was produced by an interior shining of His Divinity. False Judaism had rejected the Messias, and now true Judaism, represented by Moses and Elias, the Law and theProphets, recognized and adored Him, while for the second time God the Father proclaimed Him His only-begotten

and well-loved Son. By this glorious manifestation the Divine Master, who had just foretold His Passionto the Apostles (Matthew 16:21), and who spoke with Moses and Elias of the trials which awaited Him atJerusalem, strengthened the faith of his three friends and prepared them for the terrible struggle of which they were to be witnesses in Gethsemani, by giving them a foretaste of the glory and heavenly delights to which we attain by suffering.

Location of the TransfigurationAlready in Apostolic times the mount of the Transfiguration had become the "holy mount" (2 Peter 1:18). It seems to have been known by the faithful of the country, and tradition identified it with Mount Thabor. Origensaid (A.D. 231-54) "Thabor is the mountain of Galilee on which Christ was transfigured" (Comm. in Ps. lxxxviii, 13). In the next century St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Catechetical Lectures   II.16) and St. Jerome (Epistles 46, 53 and108) likewise declare it categorically. Later St. Proculus, Patriarch of Constantinople (d. 447; Orat. viii, in Transfig.), Agathangelus (Hist. of Armenia, II, xvii), and Arnobius the Younger (d. 460; Comm. in Ps. lxxxviii, 13) say the same thing. The testimonies increase from century to century without a single dissentient note, and in 553 the Fifth Council of Constantinople erected a see at Mount Thabor (Notitif. Antioch. . . . patriarch.).

Some modern writers claim that the Transfiguration could not have taken place on Mount Thabor, which, according to Josephus, was then surmounted by a city. This is incorrect; the Jewish historian speaks neither of a city nor a village; he simply fortified, as he repeats three times, "the mount called Itabyrion" ("Bell. Jud.", II, xx, 6; IV, i, 8; Vita, 37). The town of Atabyrion of Polybius, the Thabor or Celeseth Thabor, the "flank of Thabor" of the Bible, is situated at the foot of Mount Thabor. In any case the presence of houses on a wooded height would not have made it impossible to find a place apart.

It is again objected that Our Lord was transfigured on Mount Hermon, since He was at that time in its vicinity. But the Synoptics are all explicit concerning the lapse of time, six days, or about eight days including those of departure and arrival, between the discourse in Cæsarea and the Transfiguration, which would infer a somewhat lengthy journey. Moreover the summits of Hermon are covered with snow as late as June, and even the lesser peaks of 4000 or 5000 feet are likewise snow-covered in February and March, the period of the Transfiguration. Finally, the ancients judged of the height of mountains by their appearance, and Thabor especially was considered a "high mountain", if not by David and Jeremias, at least by Origen and St. Jerome and the pilgrimswho made the ascent.