My Response: Defending the Assumption & Queenship of Mary

February 16, 2020

Reposting a blog on Assumption I wrote ten years ago. Link to my long defense is here. The Assumption of Mary always ruffles the feathers of anti-Catholics. I understand why. I used to be in their camp — I joined them in lockstep chanting the same slogans and mantras against “Catholic Tradition” and “man-made dogmas.” But […]

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Our Dinner at Amer Shehadeh‘s Home and the Story of the Syrian Coffee Pot

February 16, 2020

We had an incredible dinner at Amer Shehadeh‘s house in Nazareth. He invited all 53 of our group to enjoy his wife’s fantastic cooking and the beautiful ambience of their home and family. Enjoy! Oh, by the way we also got him to tell the story of the Syrian coffee pot!

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Mount Carmel, Mount Muhraka and Fire from Heaven, Akko, Nazareth and Dinner at Amer’s House

February 15, 2020

Last night was reminiscent of the gospel story when the disciples got into the boat and Jesus joined them and the waves arose and the winds blew and they were afraid for their lives. They woke Jesus and he calmed the storm. There was no rain or storm last night but the winds were howling […]

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What Number Replaces the ?

February 15, 2020
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Around the Sea All Day: Mass at Kursi, 2nd Multiplication, Bethsaida, Wine-tasting, St. Peter Fish, Chorazin and Primacy

February 14, 2020

Lots accomplished today around the Sea of Galilee. I loved giving my talks at all these sites that we visit so infrequently. Mass at Kursi where the demons were cast into the pigs (homily here), Bethsaida the home of Peter, Andrew and Philip and where Jesus healed the blind man. A tour and wine tasting […]

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Funniest Camel Ride I’ve Ever Seen

February 14, 2020

We’ve arranged for thousands of people to ride camels during our pilgrimages. But we’ve never had this happened. It’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. But I’m sure it wasn’t funny at the time.

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First Day in Israel: Sepphoris, Caesarea Maritime & Megiddo

February 13, 2020

Tremendous day with gorgeous weather, perfect for a pilgrimage! After a delicious breakfast we started the day at Sepphoris where Jesus and Joseph went to work every day building this Roman capital city. We had Mass in the ruins of Saints Joachim and Anna Church where many believed they lived before moving to Jerusalem and […]

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How Did the Israelites Find their Way without a Compass?

February 13, 2020

How did the Israelites think of north, south, east and west without a compass, GPS or even a map? Since I am in the heart of Israel today with our Holy Land Part II pilgrimage, I thought this would be an interesting topic. Here is a short article written by Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg. We read in […]

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Mass at Authentic Baptismal Site of Jesus; Crossing into Israel

February 12, 2020

A relaxing morning at the Marriott Hotel Resort on the Dead Sea. People enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, floating in the Dead Sea and enjoying the well-maintained pools and gardens. We boarded our bus and drove a few miles to the Hill of Elijah where the Father of the Prophets was assumed into heaven. Then to […]

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Steve Ray Uses Verbum Catholic Bible Software

February 12, 2020

All of my books, DVD’s, pilgrimages, talks – all of it was researched using Verbum Bible Software. To check it out visit www.Verbum.com/steveray. Pick your package and the library of your choice and use Promo Code STEVERAY8 for a 10% discount.

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PETRA! Check it off your Bucket List…

February 11, 2020

For many people, today is the BIG day! We arrived in the snow last night to Petra where we settled in to our comfortable Marriott Hotel. We could see Aaron‘s tomb on top of Mount Hor as we ate breakfast (Numbers 20:27-28). Then we took off for the exciting hour walk back through the deep […]

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The Birth of the Catholic Church

February 11, 2020

 “That they may become perfectly one.” Christ’s prayer for unity resonates clearly with us. He prayed not only for our union with him and his Father but for the unity of all mankind. Teach your customers about early Church history. In his stirring talk “The Birth of the Catholic Church,” biblical expert and former Protestant […]

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Day 3 in Jordan: Madaba, Mosaics, Mount Nebo, Fortress of Machaerus, to Petra

February 10, 2020

Everyone got a good nights sleep last night with some free time yesterday afternoon so they’re fresh and ready to go today. We start the day with Mass at Mount Nebo (homily here) which is a brand new church built over the ruins of ancient churches. It’s run by the Franciscans and it marks the […]

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A Family’s Amazing Response to our Holy Land Pilgrimage!

February 10, 2020

Dear Steve and Janet, Teresa and Brian and Tom and I would like to thank you for creating a Holy Land pilgrimage of a lifetime. Our hearts are still ablaze from our experiences. On Mount Tabor, we heard Peter speak to us, “Lord it is good that we are here.” This became our prayer upon […]

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Jordan, 1st Full Day! What a Biblical Country!

February 9, 2020

Today is our first full day here in Jordan. We woke up and had breakfast at the beautiful Hotel Marriott here in Amman. Our first stop was a little more than an hour away in an area called Ajlun for one of the five specially designated pilgrimage sites designated by Pope John Paul II in […]

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Me Getting into Line! Funny!

February 9, 2020

You may have seen this already but it’s funny every time I watch it. My wife said this is definitely ME! I have to agree, but a bit of jocularity is a good thing, as it laughing at myself.

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