6/24/2017 Sat           THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST.

Back home, this is wet or bathday- San Juan. Water just flow in every corner of the land. All accept it with pride and joy as this happens only once a year.

This Saturday (06/24/2017) will be St. Timothy Parish's Feast of the Novena of the Mother of Perpetual Help. Note of appreciation and thanks to the pastor, Fr. Peter Fernandes,sfx and to the devotees.

Where was Jesus Baptized ?

If you are a pilgrim traveling to the Holy Land, you will be taken to the spot where John the baptist was said to have baptized Jesus.

But is that an accurate location ?  Not even tour guides necessarily agree

All four evangelists note that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river. John narrows the area to "Bethany beyond the Jordan." Mark and Matthews's description of the event has lead to a tradition that the baptism occurred at a spot near the river, just east of Jericho. Even then , no one knows if the baptism, took place near the east or the west of the river.

Adding to the difficulty of determining the exact place of Jesus' baptism, the Jordan River itself has altered course over the past 2,000 years.In order to meet Israel's and Jordan's growing need for water, the river has also gotten smaller in modern times.

In May 2012, a site close to the border between Israel and Jordan was reopened  to pilgrims as the place where Jesus was baptized.It had been closed to tourists because the location in only 330 feet across the river from Jordan, and because of the danger of land mines that may have been left by terrorists.

Three Popes

Three Popes have visited the eastern bank of the Jordan River: POPE JOHN PAUL 11 in March 2000, POPE BENEDICT XV1 in May 2009, and POPE FRANCIS in May 2014.