More Old City excursions

After a light breakfast, I took a walk with Fr. Jose Maria to the Old City. He is a very nice guy. He's a Basque who is the Rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He spent most of his Jesuit life in Bilbao at the Jesuit University as Rector, Dean, and professor. He came for the graduation of the students who are at the PBI in Jerusalem, where they study Hebrew and archeology.

Our sojourn led us directly to the Western Wall of the Temple. At the wall, men and women were separated - a common tradition in both Judaism and Islam. I guess it is the same in the Western world. The women worship in churches; the men must go somewhere else.

Heads must be covered when at the Western Wall. At the end of prayer, strict Jews will walk backwards so they do not turn away from the face of the wall. Prayers are recited according to a formula and personal prayers are written on paper and stuffed into the walls. As we were there early, the place was not mobbed with pilgrims or Jews. Mostly, the stricter Jews are the ones who come to the  Wall.

A courtyard now exists where Arab houses once stood. Wealthy families, mostly from Canada and the U.S., have purchased property facing the wall to provide for philanthropic services. Jose Maria and I talked about the wonder and mess of having three religions very close in common origin finding themselves irreconcilably separated because of more than religious issues. We also chuckled at some of the practices of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

From there, we peered at the southern courtyard that leads to the Dung Gate. It is now being spruced up and maintained. It will be a nice park system when it is finished. We then overlooked the City of David, which is to the south. The pool is Siloam and the Kidron Valley are there. Once the place was only occupied by Arab houses, but now large scale buildings are erected overlooking the city. Some Arab houses have been torn down and they will not be rebuilt. It is easy to see that the land around the Old City will be developed in the next twenty years.

Arabs and Jews have little interaction. They do not acknowledge one another.

We passed by Peter in Gallicantu church. We thought about excavating the grounds to see if we can find relics of the rooster that crowed before Peter denied Jesus. It is a beautiful church.

Some of the claims by the locals are incredulous, but they make for good local lore.

We climbed Mount Zion and then went to Dormition Abbey. Well, first we were obliged to see the tomb of King David, which was not extraordinary. It is in the same building as the Cenacle where Jesus had his Passover Supper. The whole place is surrounded by Jewish images and the Cenacle is downplayed.

The Abbey was beautiful. From its artistic entrance to the crypt chapel, we were impressed. It was a serene place to prayer. The upper chapel had many famous images, but the floor was impressive. It listed the 12 months of the year, the 12 disciples, the major prophets, and the four most important ones. All of history was meant to testify to Mary's Queenship. For all its brilliance, it remained understated.

The lower chapel has a place of repose for Mary. The side altars were eclectic in style as Mary was represented in many images. It was quiet and was a place of prayer. Even the leaders of the Ivory Coast dedicated a side altar to Mary.

Later in the day, we saw the place of the Virgin's birth at the place where St. Anne lived.

After passing through the Armenian Quarter, Jose Maria departed and I continued on towards Damascus Gate. I passed through the Muslim section and wanted to eat a falafel. Later I had a tasty coffee at the new Mamilla Mall. Very nice.

I went to Ecce Homo and walked the Via Dolorosa. I saw the place of imprisonment of Jesus and the various stations of the cross. A man from New Jersey was lost so I showed him to the Holy Sepulcher church that he was trying to find.

During lunch, professors joined us for a graduation ceremony and buffet for the semester. Exams are next week, but the graduation precedes the exams. The salmon was refreshing to eat. Dessert was the condensed milk dessert that is popular in Jordan. It is called something like Saklem.

Jose Maria and I then took an afternoon walk to the place of the Flagellation that is run by the Franciscans. He wanted to meet up with a friend. After walking to the Lion's Gate and viewing the Arab cemetery, we headed back towards Damascus Gate and then down through town.

We supped and then had a nice scotch. He invited me to Rome and I am willing to spend some time there.

Another Jesuit invited me to help out with a formation program in mid-April. That will be fun to do. It was a good day. I must have walked 12 miles though. I'll catch up on some emails and then retire.


To see photos of snow, click on the link below:

1. Pics of the Western Wall
2. Pics of King David's City
3. Pics of Peter in Gallicantu
4. Pics of the Cenacle and King David's Tomb
5. Pics of The Dormition Abbey.
6. Pics of The Old City.
7. Pics of The Grounds of the Jesuit Residence.