Very early in the morning...

The tomb of Jesus

Being wide awake at 4 AM I concluded that this must be the morning I should go to the Holy Sepulcher.  The church is unlocked every morning at 4. The crowds are not there and it has been reported that this is an excellent time to visit the Tomb. 

Trusting myself to find the way, I struck out. It was a little eerie walking the deserted streets of Jerusalem usually teeming with traffic. Once in the Old City I passed the street leading to the church once, but backtracking found it. The church had only a few people praying and waiting.

Calvary
 

It was evidently the Franciscans’ turn to use the Sepulcher. They were celebrating one Mass after another. I didn’t realize what was going on until I entered the Sepulcher with a few others. The doors closed behind us and I got to be present while Mass was celebrated in Spanish. That was a treat to be in that place during that time. The priest and about four to five others are all that will fit in the enclosure. 

Following the Mass, I quickly made my reverence before the next group moved in. Sitting outside the Tomb I read Morning Prayer which was another spiritual experience. I visited Calvary again and some of the other chapels.  Just as I was leaving a group of 20 or so were coming in the door. The peace and quiet of this early hour were a pleasant contrast to the previous visits which were more like mob scenes. 

As I walked back to the College, traffic on foot and vehicular-wise was beginning to pick up. The street crew installing new pipe down the center of Nablus Road was working when I went to the Old City. Perhaps, as in other urban areas, they work 24 hours each day. I can’t imagine what a task it was to install the infrastructure necessary in a city this ancient, nor can I envision what a job it is to maintain same. I’m told that nearly every time there is a repair to be made some antiquities are found which delays the repair project but delights the archeologists.

Following breakfast and farewells to our Canadian friends Rodney met with us to summarize what we would do today. We would 

The choir in the crypt at
Abu Gosh

celebrate the resurrection by going to one of sites that might be Emmaus (Luke 24).  There is a Crusader church there from the 12th century that has some validity as being the place called Emmaus. There are at least four places with that name so there is some uncertainty. He asked us to reflect on using all five senses throughout the morning. 

The church at Abu Gosh

The Church at Abu Gosh is a French Benedictine foundation and is serene and lovely. There is a garden there and a church beautiful in its simplicity. The crypt beneath is also a place of prayer and serenity. It is easy to imagine Jesus sharing the table with his hosts.

We then drove up the hill to Kyriat Ye’arim to the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant. The view is spectacular looking over the hills towards Jerusalem. At this place may be a resting place for the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant hence the dedication. There is a beautiful icon of this mystery in the church. 

Statue of Our Lady atop
the church at Kyriat Ye'arim

The outdoor altar at
Kyriat Ye'arim

The sisters graciously allowed us the use of their outdoor altar which is at the edge of the mountain. They also provided the vessels, bread and wine. We celebrated our final Mass as a community there and completed our remembrance of Easter in the same fashion as those in the story from Luke. 

The journey back to Jerusalem was mostly in silence as we all contemplated what had taken place. 

Following lunch our afternoon was free. The Hawaiians and Fr. Andy from Madison, WI, and I 

walked to Zion’s Gate and then to the Catholic Cemetery to visit Schindler’s grave. As with most cemeteries here it is on a hillside with a lovely view. His grave has stones which have been laid upon it.

The grave of Oskar Schindler

 The Jews have a custom of remembering the departed by placing a stone on the grave. One can pick his out easily from above by looking for the stones. He is also commemorated at the Holocaust memorial as a righteous gentile for his kindness in saving several hundred Jews from the death camps.

Just up the hill from the cemetery and right next to the “Upper Room” is the Abbey of 

The apsidal mosaic
in the Abbey of the Dormition

the Dormition. It is a monumental structure and has an exceedingly beautiful interior. It is a German Benedictine foundation run by the same order as the guest house in which we stayed at the Sea of Galilee. The church contains beautiful mosaics both in the main church and in the crypt. There is a statue of Mary in repose in the crypt and several altars remembering some of the national celebrations of the Blessed Mother. This Abbey is built on the site where, by tradition, Mary died.

View from the roof of the Austrian Hospice

On our way back to the College we stopped at the Austrian Hospice for coffee and a 

little strudel along with some cake. From the roof of the Hospice there is a spectacular view of the roof tops of Jerusalem.

Upon returning to the Cathedral Close I had to make a detour to take a picture of a car rental agency which has a most telling name.

Our class is completed. I have a free day tomorrow until the car comes to collect me at 6 PM and we head for the airport and home.

I am grateful beyond words to the lovely people of St. Michael and All Angels parish in Denver for providing this opportunity for me. It is something I’ve longed to do and will never forget this experience. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you have enjoyed the blog. Pray for St. George’s College. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Icon of Our Lady
Ark of the Covenant

On the Lord's Day

Today, Sunday, was a very light day compared to most of our days.  We had the morning free and could attend any of the three Masses at the Cathedral.  I went to the 9:30 Mass which is bilingual (English and Arabic). The hymns are sung simultaneously in both languages. Thank heavens the dean announced the numbers because I could not read those posted on the hymn board.  It turned out that they referred to the Arabic hymnal and not the English Hymnal we, who spoke English, were using. The bishop was the celebrant assisted by four priests. The dean of the cathedral was preacher who first spoke in Arabic and then in English. At times it seemed as if we were speaking in tongues. It was a great experience. The organist was quite superb. The Widor toccata as the postlude was uplifting. 

Several of us went to the coffee hour and met a group from Missouri who were staying at the Pilgrim Guest House, also on the Cathedral Close. One of the ladies was originally from Alexandria, Minnesota, and knew Sioux Falls fairly well. You’ve heard the saying “it’s a small world.” It does apply. Our chaplain is recently retired from a parish in the Diocese of Massachusetts. His dean there was Fr. Tony Buquor who is from South Dakota and was Canon to the Ordinary for a period of time. Fr. Tony as a seminarian worked under the dean of St. George’s College in the Diocese of Illinois.

The Descent from the Cross.
A portion of the mosaic behind
the Stone of Anointing
where tradition says the Lord's
body was prepared for burial.

Following lunch we began our revised schedule. The four Canadian bishops and their archbishop have to leave following breakfast tomorrow so some of our activities were shifted to this afternoon so they could participate. We walked the Way of the Cross on the actual Via Dolorosa. We took turns carrying a sizable wooden cross and read the passages from scripture and the litanies at the close of each station in turn. It is a moving experience to actually do the stations at the actual stations.  I will never participate in Stations of the Cross again without visualizing  those places.

Our Way of the Cross ended appropriately at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The 

The Anointing from the same mosaic.

Canadian contingent had not been there previously. Those of us who had treasured a little more time in that place.  The queue for the Tomb was very long so it was not possible to enter there.  I reverenced the Egyptian Coptic site of the resurrection and visited some of the chapels I missed the first time we visited. 

The burial of the Lord from the same mosaic.

We walked back to the College in pouring rain. It had rained sporadically during the Stations, but now the heavens really opened. All of those stones in the passageway of the old city and even the sidewalks in the rest of the city get pretty slick when wet.

We had a lecture covering an introduction to Judaism following our return. The speaker is a lecturer and researcher at Hebrew University. She was most delightful and shared some valuable insights into the Jewish faith.

Then it was time for our graduation ceremony. Our certificates were presented by the dean of the college. This was preceded by remarks by the staff and suggestions for packing up and leaving the college. Then came the entertainment. We were informed at the beginning that participants were expected to provide entertainment at this solemn ceremony. The “Teaks,” my “family” group presented a variation on the Jets’ song from West Side Story.  The Canadians had a parody on a song we learned on the bus yesterday with some added verses applying principally to the Maritime Provinces. The Hawaiians regaled us with a sing-a-long using our teacher Rodney’s fine aria with which he redeemed himself for being last on the bus one day. The lyrics are moving: “Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut. MacDonalds, MacDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut.”  Admittedly it looses something without the choreography.  Ask me sometime and I will demonstrate so you can experience the full effect.  It is quite “moving!”   They also sang one of the traditional Hawaiian songs.

We adjourned to the Deanery for a reception and then to dinner where Chef Joseph had prepared his speciality, lamb shanks. Delicious. 

Photography during the Stations of the Cross was not appropriate. I’ll post a few photos from the Holy Sepulcher. It was a Sunday to be remembered.

The complete mosaic and the galleries above
with just a bit of the main dome of the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

By Another Sea

Cable car landing at Masada.
Part of the fortress can be seen at the top.

Today, Saturday, was an optional excursion to Masada, Qumran and the Dead Sea. All of our course participants opted to go along. Throughout most of our journey the Dead Sea was in view.

A model of Masada

The fortress of Masada is an incredible place and an equally incredible story.  On a mountain top near the Dead Sea Herod built a palace and a fortress. There is a quarry atop the mountain which provided building materials. A system of cisterns was developed so that any rain water would run off into them. The closest spring is about 20 kilometers away so spring water was not an option. 

Fresco at Masada.
Line separates new from old construction.

Massive storage facilities were built to store the food necessary for a city atop a hill.

Today one ascends by cable car or by the “snake path” which literally winds itself up the mountain. Only the strong of heart and legs or those overcome with youth would attempt it. Each cable car holds 80 persons plus the operator. Masada is the second most important place for Jewish pilgrims to visit after Jerusalem.

Part of Herod's palace.

You’ve perhaps seen the movie or read the story. In summary, about 73 CE the Romans laid siege to Masada. They built a siege wall on the plain surrounding the mountain and a ramp so they could push their siege tower up against the wall. Once you’ve seen this you wonder how on earth this could be accomplished. They attacked the walls and breached them. The Jews numbered over 900. Rather than submit 

Lots drawn by the men.

themselves to Roman servitude each man killed his wife and children and then 10 men were chosen by lot to kill the other men. One of the ten was then to kill the other nine and then commit suicide. The lots they drew were found in the deserted fortress. 

The siege ramp built by the Romans.

The site is unique archeologically since no other city was built on top of it. There was a Byzantine monastery established there but that was built in an open area. Part of the fortress has been rebuilt. A line was drawn where the original walls stood so one can easily see what was reconstructed from what was standing. There are frescos and mosaic tiles that still exist. Herod was known for his buildings and this is certainly one of the most remarkable.

We journeyed to Qumran for lunch and then viewed the video and visited the site. This 

Looking across toward the Dead Sea.

is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the late 1940s. The whole of the Old Testament except for the book of Easter was discovered on scrolls hidden in the caves. In one of the last of the caves to be explored there were thousands and thousands of fragments of scrolls. It is surmised that this last cave could have been the library of the community which lived there.

Ritual bath at Qumran

The community had a rule and was deeply ascetic. They were constantly purifying themselves by ritual baths. There are considerable remains that give evidence of their life together.

The cave at Qumran
where thousand of fragments were born

Our last stop of the day was at a resort on the shore of the Dead Sea. The sea is far below sea level, I believe the lowest point on earth. The sea is at the bottom of the Jordan River. It is very salty and has numerous other minerals in the water which the river collected on its journey south. Those who go in the water are warned not to stay more than 20 minutes, not to get the water in their eyes or swallow any water, and if that happens seek out the first aid provider. Many coat themselves in the mud on the shore before going into the water. 

By the time we reached the Dead Sea the sky was overcast. The day had not been exceedingly warm even up to that point. I opted not to go all the way in but to go wading. The water did not smell as badly as I remember from being at the sea on the Jordanian side. Several of the group did go in and floated on their backs, all you can do while in the sea. 

It was an interesting day and pleasant to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a change. I could not believe the number of tour buses and tourists. I can’t imagine what crowds there must be during the high season.          

In the Dead Sea

On the Night He Was Betrayed

The Trial of Jesus

Today we begin to visit the places associated with Holy Week. We needed to be aboard the bus by 7:45 this morning which eliminated the possibility of attending Mass. The sites we are visiting today are very popular with pilgrims so we need to arrive early to avoid the crush of the crowd.

Our bus took us to the Mount of Olives to the site of the ascension of Jesus. This does not enter into 

The place of the Ascension

the scheme of Holy Week but it is near the other sites which are important to this time so we visited it today. There is a stone there which appears to have foot prints on it which have been revered as the last place Jesus stood on earth. It is in a little stone structure with a dome which used not to be there. It was originally open to the skies. The crusaders built an octagonal church around it from which the walls still stand.  Later the Moslems built a mosque. Now it is back in Christian hands. There is a simple moment of great solemnity when one can kneel and touch what may be the last evidence of the Incarnation. 

The Cistercian Church at Eleona
Pater Noster

The Our Father in Cherokee

Our next visit was to the Church of Pater Noster which commemorates the place where our Lord taught his disciples to pray the Lord’s Prayer. It is a Cistercian monastery and church, very plain. Throughout the courtyard and the church is the Our Father in many languages, some of which I had never heard. The church was originally supposed to be 
much larger but the money ran out and the building never completed. It happens all over the world!

The bus then took us to the Church of Bethpage, the traditional place for the start of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This is a fairly new structure. The artwork, murals, and even the windows which appear to have trees in them reflect the remembrances recalled here. In Jerusalem, the faithful gather here on Palm/Passion Sunday and reenact the entry of Jesus.

The Apsel of the Church at Bethpage

It is easy to see how all these events are related to one another when you view the proximity of the sites. I’m too used to South Dakota where 30 miles is a close distance. Here we are talking about a couple of blocks.

Our group descended the hill to a tear drop shaped church call Dominus Flevit, the Lord wept.  We are, geographically, just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. We are on the slope of 

Dominus Flevit

The view of Jerusalem from Dominus Flevit

the Mount of Olives which faces the city. The view from here is spectacular. The Temple is in plain sight. There was a Mass in the church so we could not enter.

From this place we descended a bit further to the Garden of Gethsemane. Rodney took us first to a grotto which is a place where the disciples could have gone following the Last Supper. There is discrepancy in the Gospels about some of the events. One version has Jesus leaving most of the disciples behind and taking Peter, James and John, and then leaving them and going farther by himself. Another version has no mention of this. 

We also briefly visited a grotto referred to as the Tomb of Mary. It is an Orthodox Church where Mary’s body was laid to rest following her dormition. This is at odds with the western concept of her assumption. 

Crossing the street we went to the Basilica of Agony, another structure from the 1920’s built upon 

The Rock in the Basilica of Agony

The Dome of the Basilica of Agony

earlier structures of the Byzantine and Crusader eras. It was designed by an Italian architect who designed many of the churches we’ve visited. It is very dark inside so one is reminded of the night of Jesus betrayal. The rock where Jesus prayed is exposed before the altar so one can kneel and touch it. It is a moving experience to place one’s hands on that stone where the Savior agonized before his death. There are beautiful mosaics in the ceiling domes and in the apse and side chapels.

Following lunch back at the College, Ashraf, our driver, took us to the hill whereon the Dormition 

Entrance to the Cenaculum

Abbey is built. This is in the hands of the German Benedictines, the same as our guest house on the Sea of Galilee. It is next to this church that we continued our Holy Week reflections as we visited the Cenaculum, the 

In the Cenaculum

Upper Room where the Last Supper and Pentecost are both commemorated. The interior of the space is gothic in style so it is obviously not the same place that Jesus knew. It is constructed upon archeological evidence which indicates that the site well could be the place of those two events. 

I found it interesting to ponder the Institution of the Eucharist and the establishment of the priesthood, the “real” birthday of the church, and the popular “birthday of the Church” at Pentecost occurred in the same place. 

We walked down the hill to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, which could be constructed on the 

St. Peter in Gallicantu

ruins of the house of Caiaphas, and there we remembered Peter’s denial of Jesus, his trial, and his imprisonment.

The mosaics in the church commemorate Peter’s denial, his 

The Dome of St. Peter in Gallicantu

repentance, and his the charge he accepted from Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Galilee to feed Jesus’ sheep. There are both upper and lower churches and then a cavern or cistern beneath that. Even lower is a pit which is venerated as the place where Jesus was

The pit where the Lord was jailed

 kept in prison the night before his crucifixion. We sang “Ah, Holy Jesus” in that place.

There were so many things to reflect on this day. It will be some time before it all comes together. I do know that Holy Week will not be the same after I’ve seen these holy places.

The Valley of Hinnom

If You Had Been Here

Above the high altar in the Church of Lazarus

The day began with Mass and breakfast, the usual pattern. Rodney then presented a lecture on the places we would visit today to give us some background and acquaint us with the directions we would be traveling.

We boarded the bus and headed towards Jericho, one of the most ancient cities still in existence. I know it does not look like it did when Joshua fought the battle thereof. It is on the West Bank so we had to go through a check-point. 

We didn’t stop there but we did travel by the traditional site of the story of the Good Samaritan.
Instead we went directly to the Jordan River to the place where, by tradition, Jesus was baptized by his cousin John. At the headwaters the Jordan is clear. Here it is brown and muddy. In a short distance it will enter the Dead Sea.

There are platforms on both sides of the river so groups can gather as we did and hold their liturgies.  There was a sizable group of Chinese pilgrims who were entering the water. It was hard to tell if they were actually baptizing or just entering the water as a remembrance. The other side is in Jordan. The river is not nearly as wide as one would think.

Warren in the Jordan

We claimed our place, sang “On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist Cry,” and held the service of Renewal of 
Baptismal Vows. All those who wished then removed their footwear and could stand in the water while our chaplain blessed us with a sign of the cross using the water from the Jordan. It was a moving ceremony  in which to participate. We then had time for reflection and meditation. (Matthew 3:1-17)

The three flags

Looking around the area the reality of the present day is brought home.  There is a lot of barbed wire. There are signs warning of the mine field which surrounds the area. Three flags fly: that of Israel, that of the government agency which oversees some of the monuments, and that of the park service. There are signs of armed 

Watch out for the mines!

conflict. Thankfully nothing occurred while we were present. We’ve only heard gunshots at one time and that was on one of the first days. There are lots of guns around but we’ve seen no violence and it feels safe in the city of Jerusalem. 

Following our visit to the Jordan we stopped in Jericho to see the sycamore tree which is purported to be the one which Zacheus climbed to see Jesus.  There is no real way of dating it. We were told that sycamores do not have a ring structure which would help date it. (Luke 19:1-11)

As Jesus did following his baptism we went directly to the Mount of Temptation (Luke 4:1-13). This marks the sight of Jesus’ first temptation, to turn stones into bread. There is a monastery high up on 

Jackie giving Warren a ride

the hill. A restaurant has also been established on the mountainside which is reached by cable car. Following the reading of the Temptation story we had the opportunity to meditate and then to ride an alternative method of transportation.  Jackie the camel provided rides for all those who wanted. I took my second camel ride. It was not as long as the first in Egypt but the getting up and down was the same and brought back memories.

Our lunch stop was in Jericho and then we proceded to the Judean 

The Judean wilderness

Wilderness where Jesus traditionally went after his baptism. It is truly desolate and awesomely quiet (except for a few vendors with fine products to sell!). We spent 30 minutes in meditation which was a powerful experience.

Our final stop of the day was in Bethany, just a few miles from Jerusalem, at the church which commemorates the raising of Lazarus. It is a fairly recent structure built again on the ruins of a  Crusader church. It has no windows, the only light entering is from the dome. It is supposed to remind one of being in a tomb. 

The entrance to Lazarus's tomb

We had the opportunity to go up the hill and descend into the traditional tomb of Lazarus which one does by descending some very uneven and steep steps carved by the Crusaders, ducking under a stone lintel and finally standing upright in a small space where one can view the actual resting place of 

The stairs to the tomb of Lazarus

Lazarus. It brought home rather vividly the words of Martha, Lazarus’s sister, when Jesus finally appeared upon the scene: “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” It was an overwhelming experience.

The tomb of Lazarus

Back to Jerusalem for some rest before Evensong and a special dinner to celebrate Jane’s birthday. She is one of our course participants from Ohio and got to ride a camel for a birthday treat!

Give Me a Drink

The day began with Mass in St. Michael’s Chapel at the Cathedral celebrated by the Bishop of Jerusalem followed by breakfast and then boarding the bus for our day’s trip.

The Church of Jacob's Well

We headed into Palestinian country for Nablus directly north of Jerusalem which is the site of Jacob’s well. It was here in Samaria that Jesus encountered the woman and asked her for a drink of water (John 4:1-42). The conversation that ensued caused her to become a believer.

The mosaic in the courtyard
 before the main door of the church.

The Church of Jacob’s Well is a Greek Orthodox Church now. As with most of the holy places the church is built upon the foundations of a previous church which was built upon the foundations of a previous church, etc., which was built upon the site of a generally acknowledged holy place. 

The church is filled with wonderful iconography mostly written by one the priests there. 

Interior of the Church of Jacob's Well

On either side of the bema one can descend to the crypt where the actual well is. The bucket and winch are there so water can be drawn from the well.  One of our Canadian bishops obliged and we all  shared the water from this well as the Samaritan woman did with Jesus. Several original icons are there for purchase as well as small jugs of holy water from the well. The church is beautifully kept and is a fairly recent structure <100 years old. The courtyard surrounding the church is pleasant. The day is beautiful with the bright blue sky and warm temperatures.

Our next journey was to drive up and up to Mount Gerizim. This is the ancient mountain atop which the Samaritans worshipped. I am continually amazed at the vertical distance between the valleys and mountains here. 

The Samaritan Priest

A Samaritan priest met us at their synagogue and spoke to us. He was quite delightful but it was obvious he had difficulty with English. When he finished speaking he told us he had “used up all his words.”

As in Jesus’ day, the Jews and Samaritans do not have anything to do with one another. He explained that the Samaritans accept only Torah, the first five books of the Bible. They use a language related to Hebrew but distinctively different with an alphabet not like the Hebrew alphabet. They are a small sect numbering only about 750 in two locations in Israel. He is a Levite from the priestly tribe. When asked if one could convert to this sect he basically said “why would one want to do that?” They live together. The women do not come to synagogue but stay home, care for the children and their husband. The men come to pray and listen to Torah. 

The ditch over which the
Passover lambs are slaughtered.

They celebrate the three great festivals. On Passover they have a 
ceremonial plaza where each family brings its lamb, the high priest reads from Exodus, all the lambs are slaughtered over a ditch, they are cleaned, the offal and wool is burned and the lambs roasted in six large pits. At midnight each father takes the lamb home to his family and they eat the passover meal. Our leader, Rodney, had been to observe this ceremony a few years ago so he could fill in the details.

One of the roasting pits for the lambs.

We traveled back to Nablus for lunch and then back to Jerusalem arriving mid-afternoon. Tonight, following dinner we have a lecture on Islam.