Closed for Renovation On the Road to Emmaus

A spiritual guide of the Holy Land towards a permanent pilgrimage

Christian - Devotion/Study
277 Pages
Reviewed on 12/04/2022
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Peter E. Sabella has a Master's Degree in Peace and Development Studies from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Out of the many things he learned, one became a motto for his life, "think globally, act locally." If people saw the world in global terms and acted locally, respecting peace, justice, mercy, truth, and hope, our world would become a better place.
Growing up in Jerusalem as a Palestinian Christian, Sabella witnesses how peace is within arms reach. But, he also understands how far peace is because of two main obstacles: the lack of committed leadership toward genuine peace and the loss of meaningful hope for both Palestinians and Israelis.
Countries rise and develop all the time. Some of them fall due to conflict. What makes every nation unique is its government's and society's capability to deal with them and ultimately solve them.
In December 2015, Sabella published "Closed For Renovation, On The Road To Emmaus - a spiritual guide of the Holy Land towards a permanent pilgrimage-" now in the fourth edition. After the success of the English version, the book was translated into French and published in 2019. In 2001, he contributed some fifty articles to the Jerusalem Times Weekly Newspaper covering religion, theology, society, and politics within Israel and the West Bank & Gaza.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Nino Lobiladze for Readers' Favorite

Christians of every denomination dream of visiting the Holy Land, the place where the Bible comes to life. Before planning a visit we should prepare ourselves for this pilgrimage spiritually. Closed for Renovation On the Road to Emmaus: A Spiritual Guide of the Holy Land Towards a Permanent Pilgrimage by Peter E. Sabella will help readers become real pilgrims and not passers-by greedy for new impressions. From the Church of the Nativity to every station of Via Dolorosa, this book will show, narrate, and explain the events described in the scriptures, adding a well-researched historical background and lovingly recreating the earthly life of Our Lord Jesus.

Closed for Renovation On the Road to Emmaus is not only an enlightening and educational read, but it is also an honest and well-balanced book. Peter E. Sabella shows us sights of the Holy Land from different angles and even provides an alternative opinion regarding the possible tomb for the body of Jesus. I liked the reflections on the excerpts from the scriptures, allowing us to understand these holy texts better. I found the reconstruction of the possible events of the Annunciation, Visitation, and early years of Jesus touching and uplifting. Sabella manages to demonstrate the depths of the love of the Holy Mother of God, the meaning of true friendship as exemplified by Josef of Arimathea, and the striking tragedy of St. Peter denying Jesus three times.

As a history lover, I especially appreciated the historical facts concerning the Holy Land given in chronological order. This book would be a helpful guide not only for those planning their trip to the Holy Land but also for readers who have not yet had the opportunity. It is comprehensive and richly illustrated. Readers seeking a personal encounter with Our Lord Jesus will find many beautiful and simple prayers in its chapters.