Tuesday morning we were up bright and early to pack our bags and head out the door, leaving Amman behind and heading into the wilderness: Bethany, where Jesus was baptized. But first: breakfast. We departed the Sheraton a little before 9 and headed up the road to Bethany, about an hour away. Along the way, we hit a traffic jam. Evidently, it was rush hour. We arrived at the site of Jesus’s baptism and stretched our legs. We were greeted... Read more
Monday took us to two remarkable sites: a hilltop adjoining the village where Elijah was born, and a parish church that has become a popular shrine devoted to Mary. Atop a hill, overlooking Elijah’s birthplace, we visited the ruins of a 6th century church. Below, you can see the nave and the center aisle, where ushers would stroll the pews and rattle their baskets and scold parents for bringing juice boxes and cookies to church. Okay, maybe not. Actually, churches... Read more
Here’s a testimony you don’t hear every day, from CNN’s Carol Costello: I remember the day I stopped praying. It was the day after my little brother, Jimmy, died of cancer. He was 25. I was so angry at God. I was 27 at the time, and, like most young people I had stopped going to church. But, on that day — that terrible day — I desperately needed to understand why God took my brother. I called the nearest... Read more
One of the more intriguing parts of this adventure in Jordan has been discovering an array of exotic foods. Monday night, for example, we visited a restaurant in Amman called Don Quixote, to sample authentic Jordanian cuisine—and I do mean authentic. This led me to come up with five important things to know about dining in the Middle East—or, at least, in Jordan. 1. People smoke. A lot. Indoors. This is now unheard-of in the United States. But it’s not... Read more
From today’s homily: The Church is a place of “openness” where people should say things with frankness. That’s what Pope Francis said at the morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican on Monday. The Pontiff added that only the Holy Spirit is able to change our attitude, the story of our lives, and to give us courage – just as the Apostles were inspired by Christ’s Resurrection. “We cannot keep silent [about] what we have seen and heard,”... Read more
Here’s a testimony you don’t hear every day, from CNN’s Carol Costello: I remember the day I stopped praying. It was the day after my little brother, Jimmy, died of cancer. He was 25. I was so angry at God. I was 27 at the time, and, like most young people I had stopped going to church. But, on that day — that terrible day — I desperately needed to understand why God took my brother. I called the nearest... Read more
[img attachment=”75331″ align=”alignnone” size=”medium” alt=”IMG_0569-575×384″ /] Monday took us to two remarkable sites: a hilltop adjoining the village where Elijah was born, and a parish church that has become a popular shrine devoted to Mary. Atop a hill, overlooking Elijah’s birthplace, we visited the ruins of a 6th century church. Below, you can see the nave and the center aisle, where ushers would stroll the pews and rattle their baskets and scold parents for bringing juice boxes and cookies to... Read more
From today’s homily: The Church is a place of “openness” where people should say things with frankness. That’s what Pope Francis said at the morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican on Monday. The Pontiff added that only the Holy Spirit is able to change our attitude, the story of our lives, and to give us courage – just as the Apostles were inspired by Christ’s Resurrection. “We cannot keep silent [about] what we have seen and heard,”... Read more
One of the more intriguing parts of this adventure in Jordan has been discovering an array of exotic foods. Monday night, for example, we visited a restaurant in Amman called Don Quixote, to sample authentic Jordanian cuisine—and I do mean authentic. [img attachment=”74444″ align=”alignnone” size=”medium” alt=”IMG_0715-575×383″ /] This led me to come up with five important things to know about dining in the Middle East—or, at least, in Jordan. 1. People smoke. A lot. Indoors. This is now unheard-of in... Read more
We spent the afternoon visiting a souk (open air marketplace) in downtown Amman. Amid the blocks and blocks of winding streets, meandering alleys and open storefronts, you can buy anything and everything. The shopkeepers were uniformly friendly and helpful (and, it should be noted, willing to barter). It gave us a chance to sample a little local culture, and wander around some of old downtown Amman—seeing, among other things, a famous citadel and an ancient amphitheater, now located in a... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In