Pilgrim’s
Return to the Holy Land
”Welcome back – it’s been a long four years!” These words were
repeated continuously as twenty-seven of us from different states made a
pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Israel for twelve days in February. Since late
in 2000, when Ariel Sharon took soldiers up on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem,
the violence of the 2nd Intifada (Resistance in Arabic) has kept tourists and
pilgrims away, and many communities there have felt the economic effects. A
fervent desire for peace now paves the way for a return to some normalcy which
the people we met have been praying for.
Since 1984, I have been coordinating and
leading pilgrim groups on request. The Give Thanks and Remember
ministry has evolved into customized group travel to holy shrines where I lead
pilgrims to slow down and take time for prayer, celebration and meditation, as
well as picture taking and shopping for gifts to take home. Now in its 20th
year, the website was created so people can keep up with what I’ve been asked
to do. This last journey was the 49th visit to the Holy Land.
Changes in the last four years start right
from the new airport terminal, opened just six months ago. It’s much larger and
more efficient than the old terminal and the walk through to Baggage is
longer, but we got through Passport Control to retrieve our luggage in record
time.
Our guide Hussam and driver Karim are both
Christians who were born in Nazareth. After loading the bus, we went north
along the coast to see where St. Peter baptized the Roman Centurion Cornelius
and the first Gentiles at Caesarea Maritime. The 2000+ year old amphitheater is
still in use today for concerts and other stage productions. After visiting the
Crusader fort built on top of the ancient port city where St. Paul was
imprisoned for two years, we continued north to Haifa for lunch at Stella Maris,
the Carmelite Monastery.
As half our group, including the two priests,
had been delayed a day by weather in Mobile, Alabama, Father Antonio, a visiting
Mexican Carmelite priest celebrated Mass for us near the Cave of Elijah which we
visited later. We then continued on to Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth where we
stayed in the Franciscan Pilgrim House, Casa Nova, for three nights. This is
across the street from the Church of the Annunciation and many of us had the
privilege of praying The Rosary inside the Grotto of Mary’s House the first
night where “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”
The next morning, Father Marius, a French
Canadian Franciscan priest celebrated Mass for us in front
of
the Grotto and then we had a wonderful tour of the upper church with many
symbols from around the world of Mary’s “Fiat” resulting in God’s Presence Among
Us. Hussam’s brother, Edward is the curator of the museum and his explanation
of the many churches that have been built on the property of the original
village of cave dwellings, and the 2000 year old graffiti found in Mary’s House,
plus St. Joseph’s home and carpenter shop, brought to light how “Authentic
Sites” are recognized, versus High or Low Tradition Sites.
As there are only six ‘authentic’ sites in the
holy land – places that have historical, biblical, archeological information
plus an unbroken line of veneration from the beginning, it was interesting for
us to see how they made the distinction. These “authentic” sites are: Mary’s
House in Nazareth, Capernaum, the Nativity Site in Bethlehem, the area of the
Upper Room on Mt. Zion, Calvary and the Tomb in the Holy Sepulchre, and the
Sheep Pools of Bethesda. During our meditations, it became clear that it’s not
important if you’re at the exact spot something happened, it’s important that it
happened and we are today’s witnesses of the Grace of God’s Presence among us.
I walked the group up to the Synagogue Church
to remember how Jesus was rejected by his own people, and then through the
market to the ancient well under the Greek Orthodox church. The water still
flows and tastes wonderful. We enjoyed a local lunch of lamb shwarma, falafels
and humus while waiting for the Mobile pilgrims to arrive and then we all drove
west to Mount Tabor for the “spiritual experience” of a taxi ride to the top
where we remembered Jesus’ Transfiguration. Antonio Barluzzi has recreated the
“three tents” that Peter, James and John wanted to build to remain here with Our
Lord. The Chapels of Elijah and Moses remind us that Peter, James and John saw
these two Old Testament Prophets walking with Our Lord. After our delight in
the mosaic of Jesus’ transfigured in the Upper Chapel, we descend to the lower
chapel where Hussam explained the wonderful mosaics which portray Jesus’
different “transfigurations.” A trap door in the floor of the sanctuary
afforded us the opportunity to touch the top of the special place.
The continuing good weather provided a
wonderful view of the New Testament village of Naim on the side of a low hill
which has the Old Testament village of the Shuminite woman on the other – both
biblical stories give life back to a widow’s son.
On the return to our hotel, we stopped in Cana
to renew wedding vows for our two couples on the pilgrimage, and to buy some
special wedding wine.
A blue sky and calm breeze the next morning
blessed us as we started first at Yardenit, the place of baptismal renewals at
the mouth of the Jordan River where it leaves the Sea of Galilee (about 600 feet
below sea level). As we went to the water to renew our baptismal promises, a
Pakistani group of pilgrims was entering the water for full immersion baptism as
many groups do.
We continued through the ancient pagan city of
Tiberias to Nof Gennosaur, where we all got onto a “Jesus Boat” – a wooden boat
built in the style of boats at Jesus’ time. A gentle roll of the boat as we
made our way to Capernaum kept us all alert to the stories of Jesus and the
disciples on boats around the Sea of Galilee. From the boat, we could easily
see the Mount of Beatitudes, and other areas that Our Lord actually walked and
taught. On the M
ount
of Beatitudes we celebrated Mass in one of the peaceful garden chapels
overlooking the Sea of Galilee, after visiting the beautiful chapel built by
Italian soldier/architect, Antonio Barluzzi, who built 8 chapels in the Holy
Land. His attention to scripture before building is reflected in the eight
beatitudes in this lovely setting. The Italian Sisters then provided a
sumptuous St. Peter’s Fish lunch in their newly renovated convent just next to
the shrine, and one of the pilgrims got a coin in the mouth of her fish –
remembering the story of Jesus telling the disciples to find a coin for the tax
in the mouth of a fish!
Coming down from the mountain to the water, we stopped at
The Primacy Church on the shores of Sea of Galilee where we remembered Jesus
challenged Peter three times with His question, “Do you love me?” His
instruction to “Feed My Lambs” confirmed the Primacy of Peter as leader of The
Church after Jesus had previously told Peter, “You are Rock on whom I will build
my church.” The Mensa Christi or Table of the Lord remembers that Jesus was
cooking fish on the shore when the fishermen disciples recognized him after the
Resurrection.
We left there and continued north to Capernaum,
second hometown of Jesus and hometown
of Peter. Excavations have unearthed a large town at the time of Our Lord which
had many industries and collected taxes for the Roman governor. St. Matthew was
a tax collector before following Jesus as a disciple. A 3rd
century white marble synagogue sits on the foundations of an older black basalt
stone synagogue. We read about the healings Jesus performed there and how He
left and immediately entered Peter’s house to heal his mother-in-law. The
newest Franciscan church covers the house of Peter now and its glass floor
allows a view into the house and first century ‘domus ecclesia’ (house church)
built around it.
Leaving the property, Hussam pointed out the
white marble capitals taken from the 3rd century synagogue which have
carvings of the Arc of the Covenant on wheels, the Star of Solomon and Star of
David beautifully preserved.
Our last stop for the day was a peaceful
reflection on the Feeding of the Five Thousand which has been venerated in the
German Benedictine Monastery and Basilica of the 4th century. Under
the altar is a Byzantine mosaic showing 2 fish and 4 loaves which is recreated
in t-shirts, cups, plates and postcards throughout the Holy Land. Hussam
explained that Jesus is the 5th loaf. The floor of the basilica is
covered by mosaics which bring to life the fullness of God’s bounty in animals
and flowers.
While we packed up the bus and prepared to
depart the Galilee the next morning, our late-arrival pilgrims got to visit the
Grotto of Annunciation, the original village of Nazareth and museum and St.
Joseph’s. With ‘catching up’ completed, we headed south through the Jordan Rift
to Jericho. The desert is blooming as irrigation has produced large farms in
this once arid land. Moving into the West Bank, we slowed for the Israeli
Check-point and continued on our way. The Israelis use modern technology to
provide crops from grapes to tomatoes, eggplants and more, while the local Arab
villages still use the old methods to farm their land along this route. We also
begin to see sheep and goats being herded in the area near Jericho.
In order to enter Jericho today, you leave the
by-pass road and pass through the one available checkpoint. As notification had
previously been sent ahead that we were coming, there was no difficulty here and
we entered into a garden oasis in the desert which is Jericho. We passed
several dusty, tired looking buildings on our way to the Rest Stop at the
archeological excavation of the world’s oldest city. Juice and
fresh
fruit was offered, as were clean restrooms and a shopping bonanza, especially
for specialty products from the Dead Sea which is quite close. Great squeals of
delight and surprise were heard as everyone had a chance to ride the local camel
around the parking lot. “Hands Up” was the cry for riders if they wanted to get
off and lots of photos were taken of these fearless souls.
Before leaving the city, we drove up closer to
the base of the Mount of Temptations. We read scripture here and remembered how
Jesus had been tempted by the Devil after his forty-days in the desert. The
Greek Orthodox monastery built into the walls of the mountain and the Russian
Orthodox with their ancient monastery on top have a path leading up for pilgrims
to ascend and there’s also new cable car to the top. More photos, a few
insistent sellers of local crafts and then we were off again. This time we went
into Jericho and stopped at the Old Sycamore Tree, again reading the bible story
of Zaccheus and how he climbed the sycamore tree to see Jesus. I’m sure his
life changed that day! We were told that this is the only sycamore left in
Jericho now. Too bad, it’s a lovely big tree. Before exiting the city, we
made our way slowly through the traffic, noting the different license plates and
the people going about their normal daily activities. No one bothered us. They
were just busy with market day. Children and old people were around the central
mosque with its blue painted domes and across the street in the Catholic Terra
Santa church courtyard and school. Small children waved as we left to go back
through the checkpoint and continue up towards Jerusalem.
Jericho is also one of the lowest cities in the
world at 1100 feet below sea level. Jerusalem is 2400 feet above sea level. We
gradually made our way up the modern road in the Judean Desert, passing the Inn
of the Good Samaritan and again remembering the story of the man who had been
robbed on this same road over two thousand years ago and how Jesus taught us how
we too should be ‘good Samaritans’ to those in need instead of passing them by.
We passed Bedouin Camps on both sides of the
road which are filled with low tents made of tarps, tin,
carpet,
plastic and other coverings, and shepherds leading sheep and goat herds to graze
back and forth on the hills around the camps. From a distance we could see the
three towers of Jerusalem: The Russian Tower of the Ascension, the Lutheran
Tower and the Tower of Hebrew University on Mt. Scopus. A few settlements with
barbed wire fences and lookouts are also seen on top of hills and as we come
closer, the massive settlement of Adumim covers several hills. It’s grown a
lot larger in the four years I’ve been gone. A new road leads up the backside
of the Mount of Olives and away from the Arab villages which the new thirty-six
foot high wall is enclosing.
Through the check-point and we’re now in Israel
again. A new tunnel takes us under Mt. Scopus. As we come out into the light
again, the city lays before us. The Old City with the golden Dome of the Rock
gleams in the mid-day sun and we make our way through remembered streets and
around the Old City to the Bethlehem Road. We’ll have lunch there today and
visit Christ’s birthplace before coming back to check into our hotel.
Other than new tunnels under the Old City, and
completed roads which were just starting to be modernized when last I was there,
and lots more buildings, not much has changed. The presence of Israeli military
doesn’t seem to be as prevalent as it used to be, just a few soldiers here and
there.
Near Tantur, the ecumenical study center on the
Bethlehem Road, the Har Homa settlement which caused problems four years ago is
now completed. The border crossing back into the West Bank at Bethlehem is
arduous as the young soldier is not sure if he wants to let us enter. He warns
Hussam and Karim that it might be dangerous and they tell him that we’re
expected and it’s okay. In the end, a phone call to The Responsible of the
Check Point clears up any misunderstanding and we’re on our way again. A new
blockade around Rachel’s Tomb has changed the traffic pattern, and paying the
entry to a new parking garage is now mandatory for everyone, even if we’re not
going to use it.
Familiar faces welcome us to Casa Nova for our
lunch in their new building next to the Nativity Church. As always, the food is
plentiful and good, and the hospitality overwhelming. I take the time to see
the modernization that they’re doing to the old part of the pilgrim house where
I’ve stayed before, and talk about the possibility of staying there once again.
Hussam now leads the group to ‘lower their
heads’ and enter into the Church of the Nativity, the oldest
church
in the world. Built by Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine in the 4th
century, this church has never been destroyed through the various invaders of
the Holy Land. A large mosaic of the nativity, complete with the three magi,
used to be in the apse. When invaders came in the 5th century, they
were from Persia and kept this place for a market since one of their own was
immortalized on the walls. The original flooring has been carefully preserved
under floorboards which are open for you to look down on the beautiful mosaics.
Under the ornate Greek Orthodox altar, is the
Grotto, venerated as the place of Jesus’ birth. We’re alone there and each
pilgrim has an opportunity to kneel and touch the star which marks this precious
place. One of the pilgrims reads the bible story of the nativity and we softly
sing Away In the Manger before having time for personal reflection. Hussam
points out the Franciscan Manger Altar which is the down a few steps to the
side, and a small door at the back of the cave which leads back through a tunnel
system to caves under the Franciscan Chapel. The whole complex is quite ornate
in nature and Hussam takes time in the Armenian Chapel to explain Status Quo to
us.
This is the 17th century document
signed by the three major Christian denominations who were here at the time,
which lays out the rules for getting along. The Persian Ruler at the time was
tired of the haggling that was going on and made up these rules for where and
when each of them could celebrate and have altars. It is still the basis for
timing of every prayer and celebration in this church and the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
In the Franciscan Chapel of St. Catherine of
Alexandria, we see the porcelain baby which is carried in procession on
Christmas Eve through the tunnels and into the Grotto and laid in the Manger.
This goes every day for 8 days and then it’s returned back here until the next
year. We descend into the Cave of the Holy Innocents and since there’s a large
German group celebrating Mass, we turn into the Cave of St. Jerome and learn
from Father Stephen Brett, about St. Jerome’s difficult life as he translated
the scriptures from Greek and Aramaic into Latin for the Vulgate. Before
leaving, we have a moment of silence and prayer to remember the Holy Innocent
children who were slaughtered by King Herod when he heard of Jesus’ birth. At
the top of the stairs, we enter again into St. Catherine’s and think about the
Christmas Eve Midnight Mass which is televised from here each year and then head
to Shepherd’s Field for our own Mass.
A Palestinian Tourist Police accompanies us on
the bus to Beit Sahor where the Franciscan property is. The normal bevy of
street vendors are hawking their wares as we enter into the property. We
promise to see what they have on our return and go into the peaceful sanctuary
to celebrate in a cave much like the one where Our Lord was born so long ago.
This space doesn’t have the adornment of years of different cultures, but simple
displays to remind us of how the Holy Family had to find shelter with the
animals. During this Lente
n
pilgrimage we celebrate the joy of the Christmas Mass and are gifted by carols
beautifully sung for us
by Father Michael, a local French Franciscan who lives here
and has done most of the excavations on the property. His magnificent tenor
voice and the perfect acoustics fill the Canadian Chapel. It’s wonderful to
know that he is still here after all the years I’ve been coming. He dreams of
coming to America on tour sometime to raise money for more excavation. We
return to the bus ready to bargain for a few souvenirs and then head to one of
the big stores that Bethlehem is known for.
We’re welcomed at the Three Arches and given
tea or juice before a demonstration on the different grades of olive wood and
types of carving which determine the value and price of a piece. They also
describe and show us the many different things that are available in the Holy
Land. From gold and silver jewelry to antique icons and specialty items,
religious articles, t-shirts, plaques, pictures, trinkets, cards and more,
there’s something for everyone. It’s one stop shopping and they will take
credit cards, cash or personal check. It’s a shopper’s paradise and we think
of the special people at home to take a memento to. With all engraving and
sizing completed, packages wrapped and everyone exhausted from the experience,
we wade through the vendors still trying to sell us five bags for ten dollars,
or four camels for five, or twenty bookmarks for a dollar, and collapse in the
bus, ready to get to the hotel in Jerusalem.
Our return through the Check-Point is not
delayed and in short order, we arrive at Notre Dame, the Vatican Hotel across
the street from the New Gate of the Old City. Old friends are there to greet
us as we drag all our precious purchases into the lobby, drink the obligatory
glass of orange juice before getting room keys and directions for dinner. The
group disburses to their rooms and I get to work sorting out luggage with my
Italian friend Connie so that it can be taken up to the rooms. When all is
completed, we find our room and are welcomed by flowers and fruit. After a
lovely dinner, some quiet reflection time in the hotel’s chapel is a lovely
place for all we’ve experienced today.
On our sixth day, we drive up to the Kenneset,
the Israeli Parliament building and learn about their system of government. We
also have a chance to take pictures of the Great Menorah which is a reminder of
how God has led the Jews to this Promised Land. A small rose garden is an area
of protest but today there’s no one protesting, just a few raindrops which are
the only sprinkles we’ll experience on our trip. We pass by the “Second Wailing
Wall” (Israel’s IRS) and the Israeli Museum where the top of the Book of the
Shrine is visible, and on to Ein Karim.
This little artist colony was originally a
small Christian village which has excavations of Zaccahria and Elizabeth’s
winter and summer residences. We walk down to Mary’s Well, where she would come
when she lived here for three months, and then start up the hill to the
Visitation Church where we’ll celebrate our Mass. P
raying
the Rosary as we walk helps our tired legs on the long journey to the top but we
make it up there and are delighted with the many ceramic plaques which proclaim
Mary’s Magnificat in many languages. A new bronze statue of Elizabeth greeting
Mary is now at the entrance to the sanctuary but the quiet gardens and serene
atmosphere of the place has not changed. We sit in the lower chapel while
Hussam explains the frescoes which outline the stories of this place and then we
head up the stairs to celebrate how Mary’s Fiat was confirmed through her cousin
Elizabeth. Many women of the bible are remembered in the paintings around the
church, as are the important times in history when The Church has recognized
Mary’s intercession with Her Son on our behalf . Our friend, Antonio Barluzzi
is among the paintings here in one of the churches he designed. The floor is
covered in mosaics of nature and in the garden is a very large statue of the
priest, Zaccahria. We leave the silence of the property and head down the
valley, cross over the road and come up the other side to the Sanctuary of St.
John the Baptist. Here we remember the Baptist’s birth and take time for
meditation of all it means to bring The Word of Repentance for the Day of the
Lord.
On the way out of the valley, we stop at Yad
Yashem, the Jewish Holocaust Museum and visit the Children’s Memorial, the
Eternal Flame and the Garden of the Righteous. A prayer for those who lost
their lives and those who lived to remember it brings us into the many wars that
are still going on this day, and we hope for peace to come not only to this
land, but to all.
The Holy Land Hotel has given space for a
wonderful model of Jerusalem at the Second Temple Period which is when Our Lord
was there, and we stop to be amazed at it. This is truly a wo
ndrous
work. As excavations are made in the Holy City, the model is changed to
reflect new findings. I can remember when I first saw it in 1989. It has now
doubled in what is there and is truly a work of art. It is a 1/50th
scale model, complete with houses, palaces, walls, the hippodrome, the theatre,
pools and The Temple. It is easy for Hussam to lead us through the history of
the city, and to compare what we will see when we enter it with what it used to
be.
This has been another full day, but we are
resting up for tomorrow when we walk down the Mount of Olives and up into the
Old City!
We begin our seventh day of pilgrimage on top
of the Mount of Olives at the Ascension Mosque. Another group waits in the
courtyard while we enter into the small mosque which was a church built by St.
Helena in the 4th century, but converted later to a mosque by adding
a dome. Through the Status Quo Agreement, Christians are allowed to celebrate
here only one day a year, but can come and visit any day and read the scripture
stories of how Jesus’ was taken up into the heavens while His disciples
watched. A vague footprint in a stone is said to be Christ’s footprint but is
only a reminder for the faithful.
A short walk down to the French Carmelite
Monastery brings us to the place which where we remember Our Lord teaching the
disciples to pray the Our Father. Ceramic plaques of the Lord’s Prayer in 140
different languages are placed around the walls and chapel. In a cave under an
outside altar, Father Campion gives a short devotion before we all pray as Our
Lord instructed us. The Sisters have a small gift shop with many lovely items
and we have a moment to spend there before continuing on down the hill. We
don’t stop for photos of the fantastic vista of Jerusalem Old City which comes
into view, but wait until we enter the Franciscan property of Dominus Flevit
where it’s peaceful and we’re not bothered by vendors.
Everyone has a seat to rest and gaze over the
Old City while I take them on Our Lord’s journey during His last week. From
here it is easy to imagine Him sending Peter, James and John across the Kidron
Valley from the Garden of Gethsamane to Mount Zion area to “find a man carrying
a water jar” who will lead them to
the
room where the Seder can be celebrated. It’s easy to imagine Jesus and the
disciples walking across and up the road to where we see Dormition Abbey today,
and then back to the Garden later. It’s easy to see the house of Caiphus, the
high priest the year our Lord was arrested. This is where Jesus was kept
overnight, and we can see the Minaret which is now in the place where Pilate’s
Antonio Fortress used to be, where He was taken later. We can also see David’s
Tower which was Herod’s Palace, that Jesus was taken to before being returned to
Pilate to begin his Via Dolorosa. We can see the gray domes of Calvary and the
Holy Sepulchre from here too. After some time for meditation and prayer, Hussam
takes over to describe what we’re looking at in the Old City.
He takes us from the City of David which runs
down into the Kidron Valley, up to Temple Mount where we see the El Aska
Mosque’s Black Dome and the Dome of the Rock with it’s gold shining in the sun.
We see Herod’s heavy foundation stones and succeeding conquerors stones which
mark the layers of the retaining walls. At the corner, we see the Pinnacle
mentioned in scripture where Jesus was told by Satan to cast himself down from
so the angels could pick Him up. From here we begin to distinguish the four
different quarters of the Old City by landmarks Hussam points out. The Lutheran
Tower is the dividing line between the Christian and Moslem Quarters. New
construction in the Jewish Quarter stands out clean against the aging stones of
the Armenian Quarter. Later today we’ll enter into the Old City for the first
time!
Time for pictures, both of the city, the
hundreds of tombs on the Mount, Antonio Barluzzi’s “Tear Drop” Chapel which
reminds us that Jesus wept over the city here, and the Russian church of St.
Mary Magdalen with its gold onion domes glistening in the morning sun. We
continue on down the mountain between the walls of the different property and
reflect on Palm Sunday as this is the road that pilgrims will fill in just a few
weeks.
We’ve arrived at Gethsamane. Under one of the
oldest olive trees in the Holy Land, Hussam explains how an olive press squeezes
the juice from the fruit and he equates that the weight of o
ur
sins being the rock which crushed “the juice” from Jesus – the juice being His
blood. Fr. William, an American Franciscan who is stationed there, opens the
gate for us to enter into the sanctuary around the Rock of Agony. Here, where
Jesus’ agonized, wept, sweat blood and accepted The Father’s Will for Him, we
celebrate the Mass. Our friend, Antonio Barluzzi designed the chapel with dark
purple glass to reflect that it was night and the mosaics tell the stories of
the agony, Jesus’ arrest and His last miracle of restoring the soldier’s ear
that Peter had caught off.
Crossing the street, we enter into another cave
on the mountain which now has a Franciscan chapel in it to remember the times
that Jesus and the disciples would often come to the Holy City and stay in one
of these places. As there’s a Polish group celebrating, we quietly leave and
enter into the Church of Mary’s Tomb which is administered by the Greek Orthodox
and Armenians. Walking down many stairs we find a chapel within a chapel. By
their tradition, this is Mary’s tomb, however both denominations believe as the
Latin’s do, that Mary has been assumed into heaven, body and soul, so she is not
here but awaits us with Jesus.
It’s time to go to lunch and since the bus is
heading east, we drive along the retaining wall of the cemetery, realizing that
there are thousands of Jewish graves on this mountain, all facing Jerusalem.
The road which we used to take to the village of Bethany has been blocked by the
wall that Israel is building between the West Bank and Jerusalem and so we are
forced to turn around. Many have sprayed messages of contempt on the wall,
liking it to the Berlin Wall.
Our lunch is in a Kibbutz off the Bethlehem
Road. A variety of different foods gives everyone a chance to eat what they
want. I like the salads so that I have room for one of the sumptuous
desserts. With a little rest and sustenance, we’re ready to enter The Old City
for the first time. We drive back around the walls and everyone’s starting to
recognize where they are now. By the time we have a free day, it will be easy
to find our way around.
Karim takes us down along the north wall and we
see the New Gate across from our hotel, and the decorative Damascus Gate with
people going in and out. We look past the many shops and the bus stop to see
the “face rock” which is next to the Garden Tomb. Found in 1881 by General
Gordon and maintained by the Church of England, this quiet place has been kept
in its pristine state so that Christians can enjoy the peace and quiet of a
beautiful garden and cisterns, remembering Calvary and Golgatha. There is a
first century tomb with a large stone to remember that “He is not here” and many
areas set aside for groups to have communion services.
We’re reminded entering through Herod’s Gate
that this is the scriptural ‘Eye of the Needle’ gate. In order for camels to
pass through the gate, they had to unload all their worldly goods, as we must do
if we are to ‘pass through’ into Our Lord’s presence.
Sights and senses wake us to a different
culture as we enter into the Moslem Quarter of the Old City. Women selling
herbs and vegetables line one side, old men smoking hookahs and playing
Backgammon cluster around a small coffee shop, mothers with babies in strollers
and other youngsters tagging along move along with us, as do school children and
others out shopping for the day. Small market stores selling everything from
household items to furniture and food are crammed next to each other. As we
continue through the narrow street, I note the number of new paintings on the
walls of houses which indicate that someone has made “the Haj” to Mecca
recently. White painted walls with symbols of the Kabala and Dome of the Rock
are plentiful, and we continue on to the Franciscan property where we’ll begin
the Via Dolorosa – the Way of the Cross.
In the courtyard of the Studium Biblicum
Franciscan property, there is a model of Jerusalem at the time of Christ.
Hussam takes the time to trace the route that we will take, as well as to
explain how the city walls have changed since then. At the time of Christ, Mt.
Zion and the City of David were inside the city and where the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre is now was outside the city. Today that’s reversed and so we find
Calvary and the Tomb inside the city today. We enter into the Chapel of the
Flagellation an
d
begin the Stations. Each pilgrim will have a turn at reading scripture as we
trace the path of Our Lord on Good Friday, and each will share in the burden of
carrying a cross. After we leave the Crowning of Thorns Chapel, Father Brett
and Father Campion take the first turn at carrying the cross and we set out
along the street.
We sing “Were You There?” as we go along and
try to stay focused amongst the cars and people who are sharing the road with
us. Turning into the city, a small chapel at the 3rd Station opens
for us and we can escape into the quiet for a moment of meditation of the First
Fall of Jesus and how difficult it must have been. Then it’s out onto the
street again, changing pilgrims with the cross and walking up to remember that
Mary was probably there for her Son to greet her along the tortured way. A
small chapel at the 5th Station again gives us some quiet relief as
we remember that Simon of Cyrenian gave Jesus relief when he was pressed to take
the cross.
The cross bearing changes hands again, and we
start up through the narrow street to the 6th Station, passing the
open shops where vendors call out to us or ignore us – just as they did to Our
Lord. We like to think that we would have wiped your face on that day Lord, and
continue on up to the 7th Station where a small chapel of the Second
Fall of Jesus affords us the luxury of a few moments rest. The dichotomy of His
arduous journey and ours today is event as we begin again and take the cross up
a small side street to the 8th Station and remember the women of
Jerusalem who were paid to lament. Two of our young men from Mobile take the
cross now as we enter into the Suq (Bazaar) and must juggle space with many
others who are not interested in our prayer passage but are only going through
their daily routines. We break free of this tide of people at a stairway
leading up to the roof of the Holy Sepulchre and find the 9th Station
where Jesus fell for the third time here.
On the roof we find a group who are walking the
Stations around and around, and a group of young Israeli soldiers who come to
learn about the Christian holy shrines. We leave our cross here and enter
through a low roof into the Ethiopian Chapel. These ‘poorest of the poor’ live
with their families on the roof of the Holy Sepulchre in small stone huts that
only had water and electricity installed about five years ago. One of their
monks invites us to sit and listen to the proclamation of The Word which he
reads from a hand-written bible shaped like a cross. At the end we see the
Universal Church in his words as he gives us his blessing through the words,
“Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison.” We leave a generous offering to his
community as we leave and enter the courtyard of the Holy Sepulchure.
A moment to remember our pilgrimage is captured
by the official photographer at the shrine. As countless other groups do, we
dutifully line up on the steps outside the church and smile for the camera. A
moment to regroup and discuss the building that we’re about to enter. The Holy
Sepulchre, originally built by St. Helena and rebuilt by the Crusaders, covers
the quarry where The True Cross fragments were found, were a fissure in the
rocks of Calvary can be found, where a large Russian mausoleum covers the Tomb,
where St. Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb can be found and where six different
denominations have altars, chapels and sanctuaries. Here the Status Quo
Agreement is carefully fulfilled so that each may pray and celebrate in their
own way and decorate in their own style. In order to protect the rights of
each, for centuries a Muslim family has held the keys to the door. Each day
they come to unlock the church, and each evening they come to lock it.
We enter and immediately climb up the steep
stairs to the top of Calvary. The Franciscan Chapel mosaics remind us that
Jesus was nailed to the cross here, and a small altar statue shows Mary, the
Mother of Sorrows, with her heart pierced as Simeon has forecast long ago at the
Temple. Since we are th
e
only group up here, we line up so that each pilgrim will have an opportunity to
kneel under the Greek Orthodox altar on Calvary and touch the rock on which the
cross was placed. Directly under is the Chapel of Adam where we find the
fissure from the earthquake which happened on Good Friday, and think of Jesus’
blood dripping down to take away our Original Sin.
Coming down from Calvary, we pass the recently
completed mosaic of the Passion of Our Lord on the Greek Orthodox chapel wall
and the Stone of Anointing which is placed at the entrance to the church. Very
near, around the corner, is the Tomb. Countless pilgrims have come here over
the centuries to venerate where Jesus was laid and where he rose from. We are
in luck again as there is only a few pilgrims inside and each of us will be able
to enter for a few moments of prayer on the altar built directly over where His
body lay. We gather again in the Chapel of Magdalene and I get a highly
polished wooden model of the Tomb from the Franciscans to better explain what
the area and Tomb looked like at the time of Jesus. We then enter into the
Franciscan Chapel and rest for awhile, taking the time to bring all that we’ve
experienced this day back into memory and prayer. The Franciscans have a daily
Stations of the Cross procession around the church each day, ending in their
chapel with Benediction. It is a wonderful closure for our Via Dolorosa.
Before leaving the church, we go around to see
the oldest column (from the 5th century) and climb down the many
stairs to St. Helena’s chapel where the True Cross fragments were found.
On the way back up through the Old City, we
were hosted by Nasser, one of the shop keepers, who gave us clean bathrooms, tea
or juice and the opportunity to shop again. Bargins galore were available and
we were able to find more souvenirs to bring home to family and friends. Many
of the other stores were still open as we made our way through the darkening
streets of the Christian Quarter and out the New Gate to see our hotel across
the street. The fullness of the day was overwhelming as we discussed all we’d
seen and experienced over a delicious soup and dinner. Some of us needed to
walk off dinner so I took a group back into the Old City, stopping to say hello
to friends I encountered, seeing what was new (an internet café) and what hasn’t
changed. There is a wonderful peaceful feeling in the Old City as the day winds
down. Some vendors are still trying to get us to shop and stop for a coffee,
but we press onto Jaffa Gate and stop to see all the new construction in the
Gehenna Valley between the King David Hotel and Jaffa Valley. A late dessert in
the Notre Dame’s Café completes the day!
A very early wakeup call gets us all going. We walk down through the quiet
streets of the Old City, back to the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Mass at the
Tomb of Our Lord. Father Brett will be the principle celebrant of the Latin
High Mass and Father Campion will concelebrate with him. The Franciscan’s are
there ready to start when we arrive. It’s such a pleasure to see old friends
among some new ones. The Cantor is still there, the Organist and others. Music
fills every crack as the organ roars to life at the beginning of the Mass and
the two Fathers enter The Tomb. We are sitting on benches outside which are
provided for this special occasion. The readings are proclaimed, Father Brett
has a word of wisdom for us as a reflection on the gospel stories, prayers are
offered and we all are lifted up by the experience that happens each day here.
It’s a very special time for each of us before we march through the streets
again and return to the hotel.
This will be a day of relaxation and fun as
well as learning. We are going to Massada, Qumran and the Dead Sea. On the way
down through the Judean Desert, we stop at a Bedouin Camp and give candy and
money to the children who run out in bare feet to greet us. Smiles for the
camera are spread around before it’s time to continue down below Sea Level to
the lowest place on earth. We will follow the road around the arid sea until we
find Massada, a separate mountain rising up out of the desert floor. Few
changes on this part of the trip. The road is still like a roller coaster
somewhat, but the sea has continued to shrink. With evaporation and mining the
minerals, the Dead Sea is losing and the Israelis are trying to find a way to
funnel more water into this precious place. We pass Ein Gedi on the way south
and finally arrive at The Mountain.
A new cable car station has been constructed
and all is very modern and efficient now. We have a
movie
about the history and excavation before going up and are again lucky that there
are few people on this day. We’re able to go up right away, before those who
have a problem with heights can change their mind! The new cable car is very
smooth and fast and we’re up in record time. While we sit in one of the places
provided with shade for tourists, Hussam describes the story again and where we
are. Several metal sculptures of Massada have been made and placed around so
that you can see what it’s like.
Climbing paths through the rubble of the
mountain, we find the excavations of the massive city that Herod built on top of
this mountain. Much has been reconstructed in the past four years and it’s
really good to be able to see how ‘civilized’ the ancients were with cisterns
for water, store rooms for food, plastered walls with paintings on them, a
marvelous bath house complete with sauna – all tiled and painted with frescoes,
and a three storied palace for Herod and his family.
A young American boy has just celebrated his
Bar Mitzvah in the old synagogue when we arrive. He and his father still have
their phylacteries and leather bands around their arms and are praying facing
Jerusalem. It’s a touching moment and we pass on to look down on the ramp which
the Romans built to finally capture the place. They found that the 952 Jews who
had been fighting them had killed their families and committed suicide instead
of becoming Roman slaves again. We can clearly see the Roman camps outlined in
the desert floor far below us. A moment of scripture and reflection in the
Byzantium chapel before we descend on the cable car and head north to Qumran.
Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found
in 1947 by a shepherd boy lookin
g
for a lost sheep. When he threw a stone into a cave, the ‘plink’ sound was the
beginning of unearthing all the books of the Old Testament, except the book of
Esther, which would be found over the next several years. We visited the
excavations of the original site of Qumran where the Essenes lived, worked and
wrote the scrolls before they hid them for fear of the Romans. The movie and
museum was a good teaching tool for us to learn more about them and the scrolls.
After lunch we drove down to the shores of the
Dead Sea where some members of the group changed
into
bathing suits and headed into the waters to ‘float’ around and cover themselves
with black mud. It’s suppose to make you look younger when you wash it off.
A good time was had by all – those who went in and those who watched. It was
then time to wash it all off and head back. On the way, we drove onto the old
road to Jericho and into the desert for a little way. We used to take this road
up from Jericho but it’s closed now. Too bad, the narrow two-way road which
looks like a one-way road, is always exciting. When we got to the turn around
point, we parked the bus and walked out to the area where we could look down on
the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. George which clings to the sides of the
ravine and meditated on the 23rd Psalm, especially about walking in
‘the Valley of the Shadow of Death’ which this area is often referred to because
of the harshness of the terrain. After a quick fresh squeezed orange juice made
by a young man who had a stand by the roadside, we continued to Jerusalem for
dinner. In the evening, we walked around the Old City again, enjoying the
weather and local sites. A stop at the ice cream shop was the topping of
another enjoyable day.
In the morning, we head around the Old City
again, stopping on Mount Zion at the Upper Room.
Since
we’re alone, Hussam takes time to explain where we are in relationship to what
else is in the area and that this is one of the six authentic sites. Father
Campion reads the gospel story of the Last Supper and we recall Jesus’ call for
us to ‘do this in remembrance of me.’ A golden olive tree sculpture has been
left here which reminds us of the peace that the three faiths struggle for.
In the lower part of this building, the Tomb of
David has been installed in the apse of an old Crusader chapel and the area is
well venerated at all times. Our men must cover their heads as we enter into
the room to see the Torah scrolls and other relics.
Surrounding the top of Mt. Zion is Dormition
Abbey, run by the Benedictines. The beautiful church is a reminder of Mary’s
‘sleeping’ and is filled with mosaics and paintings representing the gift she
has been to the world. In the crypt we pray one decade of the Rosary near a
statue of the Virgin which lays in the center. On the way out of this area, we
stop by the Franciscan Chapel of the Cenacle for quiet prayer before the
beautiful Last Supper altar.
Some of us decide to walk back through the Old
City and enter through Zion Gate with its many bullet holes left over from
1967. This takes us through the Armenian Quarter where we stop at the Church of
St. James and see the frescoes over the basilica doorway. We also learn about
the millions of Armenians who were killed in the 1920s and say a prayer for
peace again. As we come through a narrow tunnel, we’re back at David’s Tower
and Jaffa Gate so many of us know where we are and head off towards New Gate and
our hotel.
In the afternoon, we drive around the Old City
again and recognize the gates as we go this time. As we come around the corner
of the Pinnacle, there’s the steps of the Temple that Jesus would have walked up
and the Dung Gate into the Jewish Quarter. We continue to the White Father’s
Monastery of St. Peter of Gallicantu. On their lookout platform, we can see
the Mount of Olives, the Old City on the south side which would lead down into
the Kidron Valley. We can also see the Monastery of Potter’s Field where
tradition says Judas went to hang himself for betraying Jesus.
As we come to the church, the mosaic of a man
hanging from a rope under his arms is a stark reminder of where we are. This is
the place that most affected me years ago. Here is where Jesus wa
s
taken by the high priest’s guards the night he was arrested. Here is where Peter
denied Jesus three times, standing within feet of him. Here he was held
overnight. It sounded bad when I first read it in scripture, but when I
realized how ‘political prisoners’ were treated, and hear Psalm 88 recited in
the dim light of the cistern that He was lowered into by ropes under his arms,
once again I am reduced to quiet tears for the cruelty inflicted. After prayers
for all prisoners and forgiveness for the pain and suffering Our Lord endured,
we softly sing, “Amazing Grace” in the darkened cell. Another group is
waiting, so it’s time to leave. We walk up on the same stone road that Jesus
would have walked going and coming from the Mount of Olives to Mt. Zion and
back. We return to the hotel for quiet meditation before dinner and a restful
evening.
After breakfast of this last full day in
the Holy City, we walk down to Damascus Gate and enter the Old City through the
local market. Crossing the city with many different people who are going about
their day’s activities, we eventually come into the Jewish Quarter and pass
through their security gate. Once inside, we’re in front of The Western Wall.
At one time when Jews were not allowed to come here, it was called the Wailing
Wall but now that it’s open to all, it retains its original name as the Western
Wall of the Temple Mount.
Many Hassidic Jews in tradition garb are scurrying towards
the men’s section for prayer while the women move gently towards their side.
Here thousands of prayers are said daily for peace and prosperity for family and
friends. Tourists, pilgrims and local folks all crowd to the wall to place
petitions and prayers between the cracks of the stones.
We assemble again and now go up onto the Temple Mount.
It’s again open to all to enter onto the Mount, but now only Muslims may enter
the Dome of the Rock or the El Aska Mosque. Several of the ladies want their
pictures taken with some of the Palestinian soldiers who are lounging against
the rocks as we enter. Hussam takes us all to the center and explains
Mohammed’s Night Ride and why this place is the third holiest shrines in Islam.
Using the gates which surround the Dome of the Rock as a frame,
we
take a group picture on the steps leading up there, and then meet at the top.
The view of the Mount of Olives from here is very good so it’s another picture
stop, along with a lesson on where we are and what we’re looking at. Everyone
recognizes the Church of All Nations at the Garden of Gethsemane across the
Kidron Valley, the tear shaped Domus Flevit and gold domes of St. Mary
Magdalene. We’re now walking along the inside of the wall with the closed
Golden Gate in the middle and we head out of the Temple Mount area into the
street on which we’ll find St. Ann’s.
The White Fathers maintain their monastery, a
beautifully kept Crusader Church with perfect acoustics, and the Pools of
Bethesda. Hussam explains the historical background of the pools and after we
read the bible story of the man who laid there for 38 years waiting before
Jesus’ healed him. A quick reflection on asking Jesus ‘the right question’
about healing and we head into the church to try out our singing before going to
Mass. This place is special because the parents of Mary lived here. Many
believe that the young women who would become the Mother of God was born here.
There is a lovely statue of St. Anne and a young Mary just inside the church
door. We leave the serenity of the property and head out through the Sheep
Gate, also called the Lion’s Gate or St. Stephen’s Gate, to find Karim waiting
patiently to take us to a great lunch in East Jerusalem.
We have some free time now so people disperse
in different directions to pursue their own interests. Some go to the Israeli
Museum to see the Shrine of the Book, some go back to the Old City to finish up
shopping, some go to pray and some go to sleep. We’ll gather for our last
dinner at the hotel tonight, then pack up our suitcases and prepare for
departure in the morning.
A last Mass in the chapel of Notre Dame sends
us on our way to Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport. Not everything has changed
since I’ve been gone. The arduous task of Israeli security is an
exercise in patience as we all put our suitcases through the high intensity xray
and then have to open them for inspection as well. We’re finally through,
checked in and saying last goodbyes to Hussam and Connie who will fly later.
It’s been a wonderful return to my favorite place – a place I learned to Give
Thanks and Remember.
Written February
2005
of
the Grotto and then we had a wonderful tour of the upper church with many
symbols from around the world of Mary’s “Fiat” resulting in God’s Presence Among
Us. Hussam’s brother, Edward is the curator of the museum and his explanation
of the many churches that have been built on the property of the original
village of cave dwellings, and the 2000 year old graffiti found in Mary’s House,
plus St. Joseph’s home and carpenter shop, brought to light how “Authentic
Sites” are recognized, versus High or Low Tradition Sites. 
