Sehion Holy Land Tour

13/05/2024

02/05/2024

Embracing the Holy Thursday Mass at a nearby Orthodox church in Beit Sahour, situated east of Bethlehem.
Photos: Tamer Samir Photography

22/04/2024

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09/03/2024

📢*IMPORTANT ADVISORY FOR INDIAN NATIONALS IN ISRAEL* today 9 March 2024

02/02/2024

Journey of Christ
A 1 0 D A Y P I L G R I M A G E | T H E H O L Y L A N D
Experience the very land where Jesus lived and worked His ministry
and gain a privileged insight into His life as the child of Nazareth,
healer of Galilee and our Saviour on Calvary. Sehion Holy Land Tour

31/12/2023

Dear Valuable Customer,

Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed New Year 2024!

We would like to take this opportunity to express our Gratitude for your continuous Support and Loyalty.

As we move forward to the New Year-2024, we would like to say Thank you for Believing and Staying with us in the past years.

Sehion Tours and Travels has a massive growth with the grace of Jesus Christ and your help. We have extended our operations in many countries, and we could help almost 12000 people last year.

We thank you heaps for promoting us to be one of the most recognizing travel agencies around the world.

Once again, wishing you and your family a very happy new year!

God bless you all!

“Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing”

Psalm 34:10

*Team Sehion Tours and Travels*❤️🎉✨🙏

17/12/2023

Prayers for the Tomb of Jesus 🙏🏼

08/10/2023

The message of the israel minister of tourism regarding the situation in israel
🙏

30/09/2023

Experience the ultimate pilgrimage tour to the Holy Land with Sehion Holy Land Tour! Whether you're seeking a religious journey, leisure trip, or a professional tour, we've got you covered. Our ground arrangements will ensure the best experience possible. Our 3-in-1 package covers Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, providing a mix of cultural, holy, and leisure sites, including breathtaking beaches. Choose from 9 to 15-day itineraries and explore the wonders of the Holy Land. All your travel solutions in one place. Contact us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.sehiontours.com. Book now and get ready for an unforgettable journey! Sehion Holy Land Tour

27/09/2023

, Israel 🇮🇱
Capernaum. Its name originates from two Hebrew words, kfar (village) and Nachum (an unknown man's name). In the Greek language, it means village of comfort. Founded in the second century BC, during the Greek Hellenistic Period, and fishing served as its main occupation.
Capernaum is next to the Sea of Galilee in the beautiful Galilee region of northern Israel.

23/09/2023

Prayers for you 🙏💐🙏

20/09/2023

Book your next Europe trip Sehion Tours and Travels Sehion Holy Land Tour

13/09/2023

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2023
THE MOUNT OF BEATITUDES

The Mount of Beatitudes, believed to be the setting for Jesus’ most famous discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, is one of the most beautifully serene places in the Holy Land.

Overlooking the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, it offers an enchanting vista of the northern part of the lake and across to the cliffs of the Golan Heights on the other side.

Within sight are the scenes of many of the events of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, including the town of Capernaum 3km away, where he made his home. Just below is Sower’s Cove, where it is believed Jesus taught the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9) from a boat moored in the bay.

The exact site of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:28) is unknown. Pilgrims commemorate the event at the eight-sided Church of the Beatitudes, built on the slope of the mount and accessible by a side road branching off the Tiberias-Rosh Pina highway.

The Mount of Beatitudes is also understood to be the place where Jesus met his apostles after his Resurrection and commissioned them to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:16-20).

The spacious slope of the Mount of Beatitudes (also known as Mount Eremos, a Greek word meaning solitary or uninhabited) would have provided ample space for a large crowd to gather to hear Jesus.
The 4th-century pilgrim Egeria records a tradition that may go back to the Jewish-Christians of Capernaum. She tells of a cave in the hillside at the Seven Springs, near Tabgha, “upon which the Lord ascended when he taught the Beatitudes”.

Archaeologist Bargil Pixner says: “The terrace above this still existing cave, called Mughara Ayub, must be considered the traditional place of the Sermon on the Mount. The hillcrest of Eremos indeed offers a magnificent view over the entire lake and the surrounding villages. The cragginess of this hill meant it was left uncultivated and enabled Jesus to gather large crowds around him without causing damage to the farmers.”

The Church of the Beatitudes, an elegant octagonal building with colonnaded cloisters, blends into the slope rather than dominating it. It was built in 1938 for a Franciscan order of nuns, to a design by Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi — and partly financed by the Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
The eight sides of the light and airy church represent the eight beatitudes, and these are also shown in Latin in the upper windows.

The centrally placed altar is surmounted by a slender arch of alabaster and onyx. Around it, the seven virtues (justice, charity, prudence, faith, fortitude, hope and temperance) are depicted by symbols in the mosaic floor. In the landscaped garden, three altars are provided for group worship.

The Sermon on the Mount, a powerful summary of the fundamental teachings of Jesus, opens with his proclamation of the eight beatitudes, beginning with “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven . . . .” (Matthew 5:3)
Jesus taught orally, rather than by writing. Matthew notes that he sat down before speaking, a typical Jewish position for teaching.

Scholars suggest that Matthew’s account is not a report of one, uninterrupted sermon given on one occasion. Rather, it is believed, Matthew took a core sermon and added various teachings given at different times.

The sermon indicated how Jesus’ followers, described as “the salt of the earth”, should live so that they would be in right relationship with God and with others. “For I tell you,” he said, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

Biblical scholar Peter Walker comments: “The serenity of this beautiful place, however, may be slightly unhelpful here, suggesting that Jesus’ words were calm and soothing when in fact they were radical, demanding, authoritative, revolutionary and countercultural. Jesus was calling Israel to a new way of life . . . .” www.sehiontours.com

13/09/2023

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2023
CHURCH OF THE PRIMACY OF SAINT PETER
MENSA CHRISTI

Nearby, on the Tabgha beach, stands the Church of the Primacy of St Peter. This squat building of black basalt, built in 1934, is where Jesus is believed to have made his third appearance to his disciples after his Resurrection.

As the event is described in the 21st chapter of St John, Peter and six other disciples had been fishing all night without catching anything. Just after daybreak Jesus stood on the beach, though they did not recognise him.

Jesus told the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat and the net filled with 153 fish. When the disciples dragged the net ashore, they found that Jesus had cooked them breakfast on a charcoal fire.

The rock incorporated in the church floor is traditionally believed to be the place where Jesus prepared breakfast. It was known to medieval pilgrims as Mensa Christi (the table of Christ).

After breakfast, Jesus challenged Peter three times with the question: “Do you love me?” Peter’s positive response to this three-fold challenge cancelled out his three-fold denial of Jesus the night before his crucifixion.

Then Jesus gave Peter a three-fold commission: “Feed my lambs . . . . Tend my sheep . . . Feed my sheep.” And he also indicated that Peter would die by martyrdom. After this event Peter’s primacy as head of the apostles was recognised.

Beside the church, in a garden setting, is an area designed for group worship. Between this and the lake stands a modern bronze statue of Jesus symbolically commissioning Peter with his shepherd’s crook.

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13/09/2023

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2023
TAGHBA
THE CHURCH OF THE MULTIPLICATION
OF LOAVES AND FISHES

Tranquil Tabgha, on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee, is best known for Christ’s miraculous multiplication of loaves and fish to feed a multitude.
But it is also remembered for Jesus’ third appearance to his disciples after his Resurrection, when he tested and commissioned St Peter as leader of his Church.

Two churches commemorate these events, and pilgrims find the place a serene location for meditation, prayer and study.

Tabgha is at the foot of the Mount of Beatitudes, about 3km south-west of Capernaum. The name is an Arab mispronunciation of the Greek Heptapegon (meaning “seven springs”). Several warm sulphurous springs enter the lake here, attracting fish especially in winter.

This was a favourite spot for fishermen from nearby Capernaum, and its beach was familiar to Jesus and his disciples. It is easy to imagine Jesus speaking from a boat in one of the little bays, with crowds sitting around on the shore.

According to chapter 14 of Matthew’s Gospel, the miraculous feeding came after Jesus learnt that Herod Antipas had beheaded his cousin, John the Baptist.

Jesus “withdrew in a boat . . . to a deserted place by himself”. Crowds followed and he had compassion on them, curing their sick.

In the evening he told the multitude — 5000 men, plus women and children — to sit on the grass. Then he took five loaves and two fish, “looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves . . . and the disciples gave them to the crowds”. After they had eaten, the leftovers filled 12 baskets.

The modern Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes at Tabgha stands on the site of a 4th-century church, displaying Byzantine mosaic decorations that are among the most elegantly executed in the Holy Land.

The whole floor depicts flora and fauna of the area in vibrant colours — peacocks, cranes, cormorants, herons, doves, geese, ducks, a flamingo and a swan, as well as snakes, lotus flowers and oleanders.

But the best-known mosaic, on the floor near the altar, refers to the miracle the church commemorates. It shows a basket of loaves flanked by two Galilee mullet.

Beneath the altar is the rock on which it is believed Jesus placed the loaves and fish when he blessed them. www.sehiontours.com

12/09/2023

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2023

THE BASILICA OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
The evangelist Luke begins his account of the Transfiguration with a simple line: “Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28). Only a short time later, those three apostles would witness Christ appearing to them in glory, joined by Moses and Elijah. This event is recounted in the three Synoptic Gospels as well as countless works of Christian art.

The mountain on which the Transfiguration occurred is not identified by name in the Gospels. A momentous event in which Peter, James and John were introduced to the divine incarnation of Christ, the God-Man, do not specify the place. They simply say it was a “high mountain” in Galilee.

In the Old Testament, Mount Tabor is described as a sacred mountain and a place for worship. However, it's not mentioned by name in the New Testament. Throughout its history, it has been a place where mankind has sought contact with the divine. It also served as an important fortress during the Old Testament, Greek, Roman, and Crusader times.

Although ancient tradition has favored Mount Hermon and Mount Tabor as likely candidates, numerous mountains throughout the Holy Land have been offered as potential locations.

Christian tradition in the early centuries named Mount Tabor as the place of the transfiguration of Christ. This location is cited in early apocryphal writings and was accepted by the Syriac and Byzantine churches. The earliest identification of the Mount of Transfiguration as Tabor is by Origen in the 3rd century.

In the middle of the fourth century, Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem indicated that he believed Mount Tabor to be the most likely location due to its relative proximity to center of Jesus’ ministry. (For reference, Mount Tabor is only 4.5 miles from Nazareth.) Mount Tabor, which has a prominence of nearly 1,100 feet, rises alone above the expansive and fertile Jezreel Valley, which forms a natural border between the hills of Galilee and the mountains of Samaria.

Within the tradition endorsed by Cyril, multiple churches commemorating the Transfiguration have been built atop Mount Tabor. While a Byzantine church was constructed in the fourth century and another church was constructed by the Crusaders in the twelfth century, a Turkish army destroyed all religious buildings on Tabor in the middle of the thirteenth century.

A new series of buildings was begun on Tabor in the late nineteenth century, with both Catholic and Greek Orthodox structures divided into separate complexes. The present Catholic and Greek Orthodox buildings (separated by a wall) were constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The prominent Catholic Church of the Transfiguration, designed by the Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi, stands among ruins of a Benedictine monastery. A bas-relief of the architect, who designed many of the Holy Land’s churches, is set into a wall on the right of the entrance.

As pilgrims enter the church, they pass between two towers: one dedicated to Moses and the other to Elijah. The simply-decorated church itself is relatively narrow, long, and tall, inspiring pilgrims with a sense of upward motion.

Walking down the central aisle, you’ll end up in front of a huge staircase leading to the byzatine crypt. Here, under the altar, there is the exact point where, according to the tradition, the event took place. There is a tradition that the rock floor of the crypt is where Jesus stood during the Transfiguration.

The two lateral chapels, dedicated to Elijah and Moses, are decorated with marvellous frescoes while the heart of the basilica is embellished with mosaics. Milions of micro gilded tiles are creating, once again, a sublime luminous effect.

A golden mosaic of the Transfiguration is centered high above the altar, and a glass panel was placed to reflect the light of the sun, illuminating the mosaic. The crypts beneath the church contain the remains of three small grottoes, one dedicated to each Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.

Today countless pilgrims include Mount Tabor in their visits to the Holy Land, ascending Mount Tabor in the footsteps of the Christ, Peter, James, and John, standing where the three apostles stood as they witnessed Christ transfigured with their own waking eyes.

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12/09/2023

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2023

THE BASILICA OF THE ANNUNCIATION
The Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth commemorates the place where the angel Gabriel visited the young Mary, aged about 14, and delivered the invitation for her to bear God’s Son. And here Mary uttered her consent: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

The outcome of Mary’s consent is carved in Latin across the façade over the triple-doorway entrance: Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis, which means, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14)

A similar phrase is inscribed below the altar inside the grotto that was excavated in the bottom of the church, the place that is believed to be Mary’s home where the angel Gabriel visited her. The phrase in that inner room states, Verbum caro HIC factum est - “the Word was made flesh HERE.”

The façade tells the whole story. A statue of Jesus stands at the top and under him one can see the angel Gabriel handing Mary the white lily, the symbol of the virgin of Mary. “The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.” Under it are the four Gospels. Left of the Gospels, it says, “So the Lord said to the serpent… he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:14–15), which refers to the original sin.

On the other side, the quote reads, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14), which is the solution to the sin. The quote above the door describes what happened here – “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14), here in the house of Mary, God became human flesh and blood.

This massive two storey basilica was constructed over the course of a decade in the 1950s and 60s and was finished after Vatican II concluded. It is located in the center of the City of Nazareth, on Casa Nova Street and it stands over the site that was believed to be the site of Mary’s house.

There have been four earlier churches built here to mark this Biblical site, the earliest being a 4th century Byzantine church followed by a Crusader church; a 14th century Franciscan church and the present church, designed by Giovanni Muzio and completed in 1969.

Considered to be the largest in the Middle East, the Church has two levels and reaches a height of 59.5 meters. The upper one being the parish church for Nazareth’s Catholic community.

The giant cupola, which dominates modern-day Nazareth, is surmounted by a lantern symbolising the Light of the World. It represents an inverted lily opening its petals to the shrine below. The symbolism combines the lily, as an image of Mary’s purity, with one of the Semitic meanings of the name Nazareth, a flower.

The architectural style of the church is called “Italian brutalist” and uses exposed, unfinished concrete to highlight naked natural elements. The architecture emphasizes vertical spaces and calls to mind the way God descended to take on human form as Mary’s Son. And the further one descends, the closer one gets to the actual space where this event took place. The white cupola reminds visitors of the petals of a lily - a traditional symbol of purity associated with Mary.

At the heart of the lower level of the Church is centered around sunken Holy cave or grotto which, according to the tradition, was the home of Mary and the site of the Annunciation. The remnants of churches from the Crusader and Byzantine eras are seen around the grotto.

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11/09/2023

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2023

THE DEAD SEA
A large body of salt water on the southern end of the Jordan River. Located 16 miles directly east of Jerusalem. A long and narrow oblong, and measured a little over 50 miles from north to south and about 11 miles wide at its broadest point. This inland body of water is appropriately named because its high mineral content allows nothing to live in its waters.

Known in the Bible as the “Salt Sea” (Genesis 14:3); (Numbers 34:3,12); (Deuteronomy 3:17); (Joshua 3:16;12:12); the Sea of Arabah (Deuteronomy 3:17;4:49); (Joshua 3:16); (2 Kings 14:25) and the Eastern Sea (Ezekiel 47:18); (Zechariah 14:8).

Other post-biblical names for the Dead Sea include the “Sea of S***m,” the “Sea of Lot,” the “Sea of Asphalt” and the “Stinking Sea.” In the Crusader period, it was sometimes called the “Devil’s Sea.” All of these names reflect something of the nature of this lake.

The Dead Sea has been associated with biblical history since the time of Abraham, and the remarkable discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls was made near its northwestern shore in the mid-20th century. The Dead Sea is mentioned in the Bible primarily to describe the borders of the Promised Land.

Some of the most famous times that the Dead Sea mentioned in the bible: the destruction of the wicked cities of S***m and Gomorrah by God with “sulphur and fire.” Some believe that S***m and Gomorrah lie underneath the Dead Sea.

Another very well-known Biblical story that took place in the vicinity of the Dead Sea is the story of Lot’s wife. According to the biblical narrative, Lot’s wife decided not to heed the angel’s warning, and when she turned back to survey the city’s destruction, God turned her into a pillar of salt. To this day, a tall pillar standing near the Mount of S***m is known as “Lot’s Wife”. (Genesis 19:26)

The Dead Sea is mentioned in the prophecy of the Seer Ezekiel. The Book of Ezekiel recalls how he foresaw a time when the Dead Sea would be transformed from saline waters that cannot host life into freshwaters teeming with sea life. He prophesized that ‘’Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish because this water flows there and makes the saltwater fresh… Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail.” (Ezekiel 47:9-12) copied Fr Alfred

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10/09/2023

Dead Sea

10/09/2023

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2023

THE BAPTISM SITE
“Bethany beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) is considered by the majority of the Christian Churches to be the location where John the Baptist baptised Jesus. Located in the Jordan Valley, north of the Dead Sea.

The Baptism Site is where John the Baptist began his public ministry and is believed to have regularly performed various baptism ceremonies throughout history. “All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:28)

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10/09/2023

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2023

MADABA
An ancient town in Jordan, southwest of the capital Amman. It’s known for its 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. The Madaba Archaeological Park preserves the mosaic-rich Church of the Virgin Mary and artifacts from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras. Northwest, the biblical hill of Mount Nebo overlooks the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. Copied Fr Alfred

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09/09/2023

Jordan Petra

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2023

THE ANCIENT CITY OF PETRA
Located 240 km in the south capital Amman, Jordan and 120 km north of the red sea town of Aqaba.

Initially built in the 6th century BC as a capital city for the Nabataean people. The city was lost for almost two centuries until Swiss explorer John Lewis Burckhardt rediscovered it in 1812.

Petra also goes by the name the “Red Rose City” because of the the pink color of the stone that the Nabateans carved to build the city.

Named as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World by UNESCO in 2007 and described as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage.”

Petra is a biblically significant place as it was part of the route that Moses took on his Exodus journey. It also consists of ancient references to Moses’ brother, Aaron. The city is located near Mount Hor which is the location in scripture, where the brother of Moses Aaron passed away. During the Exodus, Moses and the Israelites passed through the Petra area in Edom.

“At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Aaron will be gathered to his people…They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community…and Aaron died their on top of the mountain” (Numbers 20:23, 27, 28b).

Local tradition says that the spring at Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses), just outside Petra, is the place where Moses struck the rock and brought forth water (Numbers 20:10-11). In the Bible, it has been stated that Moses was not allowed to enter the Holy Land but could only glimpse it from Mount Nebo, because he struck the rock with his rod to bring forth water, instead of speaking to it as God had commanded him (Numbers 20:12-24).

In biblical times, Petra was a city of the Edomites, whose ancestor Esau settled there after he was tricked out of his rightful inheritance by his twin brother Jacob.

By the middle of the second century BC, the Edomites had been displaced by the Nabataeans and made Petra their multicoloured sandstone capital city, transforming it into a desert oasis by using ingenious aqueducts and cisterns to conserve water from flash floods. The Nabataeans also controlled trade routes from Arabia to Mesopotamia and Syria, exacting high tolls from caravans which passed their way.

The greatest Nabataean king was Aretas IV (9 BC to AD 40), whose rule extended as far north as Damascus. His daughter Phasaelis was married to Herod Antipas, who divorced her to marry Herodias, his brother’s wife. Aretas IV then marched on Herod’s army, defeated it and captured territories along the West Bank of the Jordan River.

It is believed that Petra was the last staging post of the three kings, (Three Wise Men) who took frankincense, gold and myrrh to honor the baby Jesus in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-12).

After his conversion, St Paul stays and spent time in “Arabia” (Galatians 1:17) — the name then given to the territory of the Nabateans where he probably began his commission to preach the Gospel to pagans. It was Aretas IV who was pursuing him when Paul later escaped Damascus by being lowered in a basket from the city wall.

In AD 106 Petra was annexed by the Roman empire. Rome’s diversion of the caravan trade and some devastating earthquakes in subsequent centuries put the city into decline.

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09/09/2023

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2023

MOUNT NEBO
Mount Nebo is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land before his death. (Deuteronomy 32:48–52). Rising more than 4,000 feet above the Dead Sea, Mount Nebo is situated on the east side of the Jordan River opposite the city of Jericho.

Standing on Mt. Nebo, overlooking the Plains of Canaan, it’s hard to imagine how Moses could have reached so close to the Promise Land, to observe from the Mountain what had been promised him and the Israelites. But Moses does not move beyond Mt. Nebo. He could only again stretch out his arm, but this time to designate the land to which God had directed him and the tribes of Israel. Moses died without setting foot in the land of Canaan
(Deuteronomy 34:6).

The church dedicated to Moses reminds the pilgrim travelling through Jordan, Moses walked these hills. A Byzantine Church from the 4th century along with a monastery, serves to commemorate the life, mission and death of Moses. The mosaic covered floor remains.

​Honouring God’s prophet who saves the slaves from drowning in the Red Sea, Moses points to someone far greater, the Son of God, who saves us from sin, by offering his Blood. And the Promised land is more than Canaan; the land Christ promises us is Paradise.

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07/09/2023

SEHION HOLYLAND PILGRIMAGE

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