As we drove to the Mount of Olives, we first passed by the place of the Ascension. According to legend, the footsteps of Jesus are encapsulated in cement, but the exact placement of the feet is hard to detect because the footsteps are not neatly marked. The spot of the ascension is now enclosed by a mosque. The Muslim caretakers charge a small fee to see the spot. This place is on interest to Jesuits because Ignatius wrote about his experience of visiting this place. When he left the spot, we wanted to go back and get clarity on which direction Jesus faced, but the Franciscan administrators would not allow him to stay. In fact, Ignatius was ordered to leave Jerusalem and to return home.
We stopped at the Church of Pater Noster, which is the church that contains the Lord's prayer from many nations in their native language. We had great views of Jerusalem and the Church of the Rock (or Al Aqsa mosque, or the Temple Mount.) This place was not the location where Jesus taught the people to pray, but is one in which all people do pray when they gather on pilgrimage. The significance is that the prayer belongs to everyone and each person can find comfort there in some way.
We walked down to the Church of Dominus Flevit, which is the hill that looks out over Jerusalem. This is the place where Jesus lamented the fate of the Holy City. He shed tears once he looked out at the Temple and the people who missed the mark in hearing God's message. Behind him lay the tombs of the prophets and all around him were the graves of the deceased who were awaiting the Day of Judgment. To his southwest was the Dung Valley, or Gehenna, where fires burned the garbage and sewage of the populace. He was filled with sadness as the people were busy about all the wrong things.
We then traveled down the Kedron Valley and up the south and west side of the Old City. The church of Peter in Gallicantu was to our left. This church, located on Mount Zion, contains the courtyard where Peter denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed. To our left we could see the King David Hotel and the Jesuit Residence, and then we got off the bus at the Jaffa Gate.
We went straight-away to the Latin Patriarchate for an audience with Father Emile Salayta, a canon lawyer for the Archdiocese. He talked about Jerusalem being "Mother Church" and the significance of their efforts to maintain a healthy faith life for the Christians living in Jerusalem, Amman, and Cyprus.
Fr. Emile mentioned the many cultural and political challenges that beset the archdiocese, and the many blessings and benefits of pilgrimages. He wants people to bring the message of peace back to their churches so that the work of the kingdom can be advanced. We walked away with eyes, minds, and hearts opened to the magnificent work among diverse challenges of the Archdiocese.
We lunched at Jerusalem Hotel in East Jerusalem. We sat in an outdoor patio covered by many types of trees, bushes, and flowers. The restaurant brought us an upside down dish called "macluba," which is meat (beef) cooked with vegetables, topped with yellow-spiced rice, and covered with a mild yogurt. Sounds of delight emanated from the pilgrims mouths and we devoured every morsel that was fed to us. Dessert was a delicately layered roll of pistachio, flaky pastry crust, and honey.
Satisfied, we then moved to the Church of All Nations, which is the church at the Garden of Gethsemane. We first spent time in the Oil Tree grove where olive trees that are over 2,000 years old still bear fruit. The main church was darkened and right in front of the altar was the stone where Jesus prayed and wept before he accepted God's will that his death was immanent. After spending some time in prayer, we moved to a nearby stone cave to celebrate mass.
Each mass in the Holy Land is prescribed for each particular place. For instance, a priest celebrates the Mass at Dawn at the Church of the Nativity. In the Church of All Nations, we prayed the scripture passage in which Jesus tells three of his disciples, "Stay here and wait with me. Watch and pray."
Since we were unable to get to the exact Nativity spot the day before, we tried again - unsuccessfully. We were fairly tired at the end of the day, so we retired early, had supper at seven p.m., and then went to our rooms for extended rest.
To see photos of our pilgrimage to the Holy Land, click on the link
below:
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