Today is Tuesday! You know what that means? We’re gonna have a special guest! Today’s special guest star is Habib Karam, a dear friend whom I was blessed to meet online, and then in person this past May, when we journeyed back to the Holy Land to film a new production on Pope Francis’ pilgrimage. Habib is a native Nazarene who grew up in that Biblical land, left for the US where he lived for a while, then returned home to raise his family in his native land. I blogged about him earlier. 
Habib would like to tell us about a place that is very dear to his heart, and to mine: the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth (see my photos of this amazing site). 
This historic building is Habib’s parish church, if you can imagine that. He was baptized here, received his First Holy Communion here, was an altar boy here, and he married his beautiful wife, Gosayna here. 
This is where the beautiful Karam family celebrates Mass, prays the Rosary, and attends all sorts of amazing spiritual events. Take it away, Habib! …
Imagine you are a little kid and you go to visit your best friend at his house. He receives you with open arms and a big smile. You spend the time talking with him at times, and just sharing your thoughts of others. Just behind him, his mother is standing and looking at both of you with a big smile. She is very happy to see you come and visit her son…
Now that is what it feels like to me when I spend an Hour of Adoration at the Grotto of Annunciation in Nazareth. It is an hour of conversation with Jesus, in front of His Mother’s House. Although I attend this Hour almost every week, it gives me the chills every time I kneel in front of Jesus and silently pray the rosary. Every Hail Mary comes alive at the same spot where the Angel Gabriel greeted Her with the opening words of that prayer.
Many pilgrims come and share this Hour. The prayers and readings are done in different languages. However, no matter where you are from or what language you speak, the whole Grotto shakes when everyone joins in singing the Tantum Ergo Sacramentum.
The Hour of Adoration is every Thursday at 8:30 PM. On Tuesday nights, the Rosary is prayed at 8:30 PM in the Grotto. On Saturdays, at 8:30 PM, there is a candlelight procession from the upper Basilica to the lower Grotto, through the street, holding candles and carrying the Virgin, each decade is prayed in different languages. However, the best feeling for me is when the procession enters into the Grotto with everyone singing the Salve Regina.
…
Amen! Hail Holy Queen, indeed! Thank you Habib for sharing your experience at this holy place with us, and thank you for giving me such an amazing tour of Nazareth during my last visit!
I hope to bring a pilgrimage group to one of these events, someday. If you’d like to join us, we’re planning a pilgrimage in April 2015! Come with us and you might just get to meet Habib! (And have some amazing Nazarene iced cream! YUM!) The Franciscan Media Center has 24/7 live streaming video of the Basilica at Nazareth! Click here to see it! I’m watching the light stream through the windows right now and it is AWESOME!
(Someday, Habib, we’re going to have to organize it so that you can say hi to us from the Grotto!)
I believe my friend, Denise Bossert, is spending today in Nazareth, too! Be sure to check out her website for updates and her Facebook page for photos.
And in case you missed it, you can watch the episode of The Faithful Traveler in the Holy Land, in which we visit Nazareth, right here. Watch the whole series online, or buy a DVD or two! They make great gifts!
[vimeo width=”550″ height=”309″]http://vimeo.com/81233718[/vimeo]