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In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of...

After the Psalms, the Book of Isaiah is the Old Testament book most frequently in the New Testament. Its prophecies are explicitly mentioned ninety times, and implicit references exceed four hundred. This means that the early Christian preaching regarded this book as...

Christmas is approaching and we will once again relive the birth of Jesus. Looking back at the accounts of Saint Matthew and Saint Luke, one particular question proves difficult to understand: Why do the genealogies of Jesus presented by the two evangelists not match?...

Hanukkah, in Hebrew, means "dedication" or "inauguration." The expression "hanukkat-bayt" is used, for example, to refer to a housewarming celebration. For over 2,000 years, Jews have celebrated Hanukkah on the 25th of Kislev a month in the Jewish calendar that...

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you became known as Santa Claus the ambassador in the Ho Ho Holy Land? Issa Anis Kassissieh: My father used to be our Santa Claus at home every Christmas season to make us happy.   I grew up in the Old City of...

The word "prophet" comes from the Greek profetes, derived from the verb pro-femi, meaning "to speak forth" or "to speak on behalf of another," especially on behalf of the divine. This is a faithful translation of the Hebrew term nabí (plural nebiim), likely connected...

With the week of Sukkot—the Festival of Booths, Cabanas, or Tabernacles—the cycle of holidays for the month of Tishrei (September/October) in the Jewish lunar calendar comes to an end. In Jesus' time, as well as today, this was one of the major festivals, attracting...

What is the Via Crucis? Fr. Juan David Rodríguez: The Via Crucis, also known as the Way of the Cross, is a Christian devotion that commemorates the events of Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified. This practice has deep roots in Jerusalem, where pilgrims follow the...

I had heard that a trip to the Holy Land changes your life, and it truly is an inner and outer experience that leaves no one indifferent. This summer, I participated in a pilgrimage, which someone describes as a journey "for the brave" due to the instability reigning...

Before becoming king, David had entered the service of King Saul. In the palace, David would play the lyre to calm the king’s anxiety attacks. There, he became friends with Jonathan, Saul’s son. But David, due to his victories against the Philistines—particularly...

When David died, his son Solomon succeeded him on the throne. At the beginning of his reign, Solomon went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices to God, and there he asked for wisdom. The Lord granted it him to such an extraordinary degree that Solomon became the biblical...

Can you tell us a bit about your family history and how you got started in the Armenian ceramics business? Mr. George Sandrouni: My father became an orphan when he was 9 years old and began to work for his grandmother, he taught me how to work hard. The beautiful work...

A public bus rides from the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem to a neighborhood called al-Tur located at the summit of the Mount of Olives, also known as Jabal al-Tur. It is with this term that the Samaritans of Mount Gerizim, the Arabs of the villages at the foot of Mount...

After Saul's death, the elders of Judah proclaimed David king in Hebron, and subsequently, the northern tribes also recognized him as king of Israel. The second book of Samuel describes the capture of the city of Jerusalem by David's troops: “Then the king and his men...

¿What inspired you to launch "The Way to Jerusalem"? This initiative, devised in 2023, aims to reconstruct the ancient pilgrimage routes to Jerusalem. It aims to allow people from all over the world to experience a process of personal development during their journey....

 Scripture presents David as a man of passionate character, brave and daring, with unwavering loyalty to King Saul, the Lord's Anointed, despite the trials he had to endure. This rich human personality is inseparable from his exceptional religious sentiment: his...

Interviewer: We have the honor of speaking with members of the Husseini family, who have been entrusted with the custody of the key to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem for centuries. We are in the Old City of Jerusalem to learn more about this unique tradition. The...

In the Old City of Jerusalem, there is a street called, in Arabic, the street of the Virgin Mary. It passes through the Lion's Gate, also called, in Arabic, "Gate of the Virgin Mary." If the street and the gate are named so, it is probably because they are on the road...

In March 2023, the Aponte family gifted Pope Francis a faithful reconstruction of what could have been Peter's boat. Since June of this year, it has been displayed at the entrance of the Vatican Museums as a symbol of our Church, an image used by the first Christians...

The Saxum Visitor Center is located in the surroundings of Kiryat Yearim (in Hebrew: קִרְיַת יְעָרִים), also currently known as Telz-Stone. Kiryat-Yearim ("village of forests") is about 15 km from Jerusalem, among lush woods of conifers and Mediterranean pines, as its...

I am Marián López, from Monterrey, Mexico. I recently experienced one of the greatest gifts of my life by being a trainee for one year in the Training Program of the Saxum Visitor Center, from August 2022 to August 2023. This experience impacted me in many ways:...

Historical studies of the books of Samuel, along with archaeological findings, allow us to approach the time period in which the biblical narratives about the origins of the monarchy are situated. The book of Judges, in chapters six through nine, alludes to a series...

The name Zion dates back to the times of David. The city of David was called Zion for its fortress, referenced in the second book of Samuel: "David nevertheless captured the fortress of Zion, which is the City of David." (2 Samuel 5:7, USCCB). This name later referred...

In the 12th and 11th centuries BC, there was great instability in the land of Israel. The Israelite tribes fought to conquer and control their own valleys and towns against the powerful inhabitants of the area, while facing sporadic invasions by peoples from faraway...

There exists a deeply rooted tradition surrounding the events that occurred nearly 2000 years ago, though its current form has only been established for a few years: the Road to Emmaus. On Easter Monday, before dawn, a group of friends and pilgrims from around the...

A frequently employed narrative technique is the flashback: the writer or screenwriter begins by introducing the theme in its current context. But suddenly, the viewer or reader is catapulted into a jump back in time, illustrating the narrative with a series of highly...

The Gospels record the words of Jesus in Greek, the common language of the area, although he mostly spoke Aramaic. There are very few exceptions, and the most notable is this phrase from the cross: “‘Eloi Eloi lema sabachthani?’ (which means: ‘My God, my God, why have...

As a devout Israelite, Jesus would celebrate the Jewish Passover (Pesach) every year. In his early years, he did so with his father Joseph and his mother Mary; and later, with his disciples. In Nazareth, Jesus learned from his father Joseph how to preside over the...

The armies of the Philistines and Israel stare at each other sternly. The Valley of Elah separates them. From the Philistine ranks, a gigantic soldier steps forward. He advances towards the front lines of the Israelite army to issue a challenge. A heavy silence falls...

Dear friends, As many of you know, in mid-October 2023 we decided to close the Visitor Center. With the onset of the war, the uncertainty in the development of events was great, and part of the staff left the country. During this painful time, we have received...

The two shores of the Jordan River receive flows of pilgrims who come to commemorate the baptism of Jesus and to renew the promises of their own baptism (Henri Gourinard, 2017).In our times, Christians from the regions surrounding the Jordan River - Israel and...

Jesus often referenced various fishing techniques in his preaching, using comparisons that his audience could understand, because many of them were familiar with the fishing tasks at the Sea of Galilee. He performed many miracles on the lake related to these fishing...

Among all the buildings in the Holy Land, the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem is perhaps the structure that has best withstood the test of time. The first basilica was erected by Constantine and Helena in the early 4th century over the cave where Jesus was born....

The commotion in Heaven is tremendous! The day of the Child's birth arrives, and here "Child" is capitalized because it is the Word, "all things came to be through Him, and without Him nothing came to be" (John 1:3). God the Father had this Child in mind when He...

  Andrew, like his brother Simon, hailed from Bethesda and resided in Capernaum, a village on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where he worked as a fisherman. After the miraculous first catch of fish, he, along with the other three fishermen who became...

This prayer addressed to the Virgin Mary is the oldest hymn in which her role as Mother of God is proclaimed. It appears in a Greek document from the year 250, so it is highly likely that this prayer was already being recited prior to that date. The Greek word Θεοτόκε...

Olive trees in December, the road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Photo: Reed Miller.The spectacular expansion of Jerusalem's urban fabric in recent decades has led to the disappearance of farmland around the city, particularly olive groves. These now exist only as...

We sincerely appreciate your expressions of affection, messages, and prayers in this painful situation. It is always a valuable help to have your support and prayers for peace in this Holy Land. We will keep in touch and, God-willing, will be able to welcome your...

The clock and the daily rush. We live in a fast-paced world, and at the end of every school year, I find that we all need a break that aligns with what Pope Benedict XVI once described as the ideal vacation: "a time to relax the body and strengthen the spirit." So, I...

On the last Sunday of October, the invocation "Mary Queen of the Holy Land" is venerated in Jerusalem, which this year is celebrated on October 29th.  This feast was confirmed by St. John Paul II on January 24, 1994. Mary has been venerated as the Queen of Heaven...

Among the parables of the Kingdom of Heaven, preached from the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus explains one easily understandable to the lake's fishermen: " The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it...

Approximately three and a half years ago, participants in the third edition of Holy Land Dialogues (HLD) were flying back to their respective countries just days before borders around the world closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Historically, neither distances,...

Saxum International Foundation and Claret Publications (Hong Kong) have reached an agreement to distribute a special edition of 'In the Footprints of Our Faith' (the English translation of 'Huellas de nuestra fe') throughout various countries in Asia and Africa. The...

Mount Carmel, being the only promontory on the coast, is the first visual contact with the Holy Land for anyone arriving by sea. The books of the Old Testament mention Mount Carmel several times, always emphasizing its prominent position or fertility. In the Song of...

The people of Israel viewed wisdom as a means of communicating with Yahweh. Devout Jews used not only the Torah but also the Psalms, the Book of Proverbs, and the other wisdom writings in their prayers. Unlike the objective culture of Greece and Rome, they addressed...

Shalom!   Shalom! Let me tell you there’s no better way to experience the Holy Land than during the weeks I have spent at the Saxum Visitor Center. I arrived at the start of Holy Week and was able to join the crowds on Palm Sunday and witness thousands of locals and...

The most important building in Jerusalem during the times of Jesus was its temple. The building, having been expanded by Herod, was built on an elevated surface, of near rectangular shape, more than five hundred meters in length and three hundred meters in width. That...

We continue with the series of articles about the Sea of Galilee. In the first article, we analyzed "The Sea of Galilee and its Climate" and in the second "The Winds at the Sea of Galilee". The strongest winds often bring storms, and as the Gospel points out, on at...

One wonders why John the Baptist's clothing would interest Matthew so that he takes time to describe it. "Now John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey" (3:4). Returning to the historical...

By the end of the Middle Ages, illuminations in the books of hours depicted the Visitation scene following very conventional models. The Virgin Mary is cloaked in a sky-blue mantle; her cousin Elizabeth in a purple robe or mantle, with a white veil. The encounter...

My trip to the Holy Land came as an unexpected but welcome blessing. Fortunately, we Filipinos don't need a visa to enter Israel. Most importantly, I entrusted my trip and mission to God. One goal I had at the top of my mind was to help the pilgrims coming from the...

Tel Aviv airport, the gateway for every pilgrim that arrives in the Holy Land, is located in the neighboring municipality of Lod – formerly Lydda or Diospolis. In this city, St. Peter stopped to cure Aeneas, a sick disciple (Acts 9:32-35), while traveling from...

This article is a continuation of my previous article, “The Sea of Galilee and Its Climate.” Jesus was well aware of the weather conditions at the Sea of Galilee because he lived for three years in the shore town of Capernaum. As narrated by Saint Luke (12:54-59),...

Pilgrims to the Holy Land might be unaware of the fact that their devotion to the Virgin Mary is shared by numerous Muslims. Starting with the sacred book of Quran, many Islamic writings praise our Lady, presenting her as an example of virtues and obedience to God,...

More than one pilgrim who has visited the Holy Sepulcher is perplexed by the complexity of that church, enclosed within a group of connected buildings and in which the multiple chapels appear to displace the importance of the two main places in the history of...

As recounted by Saint Matthew, “when [Jesus] heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali” (Mt 4, 12-13). Jesus begins his public life in Capernaum, a small...

Three cultures coexist in Israel at the time Jesus is born in Bethlehem of Judea. On the one hand, are the people of Israel, a civilization that has existed for 1,800 years. It originates with a group of nomads beginning with Abraham and which, guided by Jehovah, is...

Many treasures are hidden inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. On the fringes of the classic walk that takes the pilgrim from Calvary to the Tomb of Our Lord, with a stop at the Stone of Unction, there are a good number of chapels that commemorate the events of...

Saint Jerome lived many years in Bethlehem, where he translated the Bible into Latin.  To him, this land was a sort of “fifth Gospel,” because if each of the four Gospels provides us with additional insight about Jesus, getting to know the geography of the land where...

"Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida!...”(Mt 11:21). With these harsh words, Jesus condemns the hardness of heart and lack of faith of two cities in which he undertook the first phase of his public ministry. Returning to Galilee with his disciples after...

The Bible tells a great story starring God and man, which is the story of salvation. It is not a conventional story about ancient Israel, but neither is it an imaginary fiction about an ancestral time. Its pages speak of relevant people and events of the past that can...

After the circumcision, the Law of Moses established that the firstborn son was to be presented to the Lord and then ransomed; in addition, the mother had to purify herself of the legal impurity contracted (cf. Ex 13:2; 12-13. Lev 12:2-8). This offering of every...

During pilgrimages, guides habitually ask the accompanying priest to read a Gospel passage related to the place the pilgrims are visiting. At the basilica of the Annunciation, the Grotto of the Nativity, or the Church of the Transfiguration, to cite three examples, it...

Saul marches towards Damascus to round up as prisoners the Christians that had fled the persecution in Jerusalem, when suddenly a light appears, he falls to the ground and hears a voice from heaven that says to him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” At that...

Christmas stories In the Middle Ages, Catholic pilgrims would visit the main sites of Jerusalem, and then set out on a multi-day pilgrimage to Bethlehem and the mountains of Judah. They were accompanied by a guide and interpreter (the dragoman) and by some Franciscan...

Most probably, the Holy Family traveled to Bethlehem along the pilgrim’s way.  It wasn’t the shortest, but it was the safest and most cost-effective for a poor and pious family. Upon leaving Nazareth, Joseph and Mary went across Cana.  Before reaching the Lake of...

A covenant is a bilateral agreement in which each of the contracting parties makes some sort of serious commitment. In the ancient Near East, covenant treaties between heads of nomadic clans, or also between nations and kingdoms, established agreements between peoples...

The legacy of Isaiah in the Bible is grandiose. In the fourth century, Saint Jerome, with his passion for Scripture, calls him "not just prophet, but evangelist and apostle" (PL XXIV, 18). As evangelist, he draws a portrait of the Messiah -700 years before his coming-...

Until the thirteenth century, many theologians thought that Mary was conceived with the stain of original sin and subsequently, the same as John the Baptist and others, was cured of it in the maternal womb.  Even Thomas Aquinas describes it that way, saying that “if...

"As he was passing by the Sea of Galilee,” one day, Jesus “saw Simon and Andrew, Simon's brother, casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen" (Mk 1,16). Later, under very similar circumstances, Jesus called the sons of Zebedee. "And they left their father...

“The sultan's tent: where is it, please?” a man dressed in rags asks politely but firmly. The Muslim guards, overwhelmed by so much candor and daring, escort the poor man to the presence of Al-Kamil, nephew of Saladin the sultan of Egypt. The scene took place in 1219...

God's call to Abram, in the eighteenth century before Christ, is God's entry into human history. God makes himself known to Abram as the only true God and asks him to leave his land and set out for a country to which He will guide him. To encourage him to obey, God...

The Golden Gate and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross From the front of the Church of “Dominus Flevit” in Jerusalem, a tour guide calls his pilgrims attention to the eastern wall of the Esplanade of Mosques. Just below the Dome of the Rock, the double arch of an...

A gateway to the Bible Saxum International Foundation publishes Bible Portico, a book that helps to better understand the Sacred Scripture, with timelines, maps and graphics for each of the books. For centuries, pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela have seen their faith...

Msgr.Fernando Ocáriz visited Saxum Visitor Center during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This past August, we had the joy of receiving the visit of the Prelate of Opus Dei, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz, who has been a great promoter of the Saxum project since its...

Yesterday morning, Wednesday June 9, a forest fire broke out in Mount Har Haruah, an area close to Saxum.

“Things, as they have been running until today, shall remain as at present, pending a final agreement.” This was the declaration made in 1852 that established what was shortly after called the Status Quo.

One year ago, when we first started to hear about the coronavirus spreading from China, we were immersed in preparations for the third Holy Land Dialogues (HLD).  HLD is a pilgrimage to the Holy Land that combines spiritual and academic elements with participants from around the world.