Following is the second installment from Everest Collegiate student Megan Luttinen from the Holy Land. She had the unique privilege of turning 18 years on this second day of their pilgrimage.
April 14, 2014
You would never have thought that Cana of Galilee was just six miles away from our hotel in Nazareth. This city itself is very small, and we got there in about 20 minutes.
After getting off the bus and walking along the winding stone paths, we reached the Church of Marriage, built over where the Wedding at Cana took place. It was so beautiful! And such a testimony to marriage itself. Amer (our guide) described to us that weddings in Israel are quite different from American weddings. On average, they normally last about 10 days. (My classmate) Owen thought it was awesome that the families extended the fun for such a long period of time.
The story of the Wedding at Cana is important to our faith because it displayed Jesus’ first miracle and the beginning of his public ministry, but it was also His way of showing us the importance, the value, and the real meaning of marriage in a world where the image and ideals of marriage have become so distorted.
Amer led us below the Church, down a staircase to the actual ruins of the cave where the wedding took place. (My classmate) Chris told me he was very impacted by seeing the real stone cave where they would have celebrated, and it made the whole story seem more real. At the end, we prayed in the Church. As far as I know, many of us were inclined to pray for our future spouses and our parents’ marriages. The next stop on our tour will be Mount Tabor and the Church of the Transfiguration!
