Friday 22 November
Today we awoke to the sounds of Jerusalem; the call to prayer from the Imam, the bells of the Holy Sepulcher, the noises of the Old City. It was a stark contrast to the sleepy and quiet Galilee – we are definitely in a busy and bustling city now!
Mount Zion
"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering." (Hebrews 12:22)
Our day started at 8.00am with a walk to Mount Zion. We walked through the Old City passing alongside the Armenian Quarter and out through Zion Gate. Our first stop here was at the Abby of the Dormition. This is a Church which remembers and celebrates the ‘falling asleep’ of Our Lady. We remember her life and ponder her as an old woman, towards the later years of her life, and all she and seen and ‘pondered in her heart’. The exact location of Mary’s assumption is not known, so it is here, in this quiet church off the main pilgrim routes where we stop to reflect and celebrate the life of the Lady whose ‘soul glorified the Lord’. The church itself is basic and it is in the crypt below the main church that the life size statue of Our Lady rests. Around here are mosaics of the other important women in the bible; Eve, Miriam, Judith, Ruth and Esther. We sang ‘Ave Maria’ to our Mother before moving on.
Next in the area around Mount Zion was the Cenacle, or the room remembered for the Last Supper. This is one of the points along the pilgrim route where it can be said with almost total certainty that this is not the original upper chamber. However the room set aside is at first floor level and is Gothic style, very plain and basic with little decoration on the walls. Fr John Farrell led us in a prayerful reflection, reminding us that this is where Jesus taught us to serve each other. He also reminded us of the importance of this Passover night with the Institution of the Eucharist, but also of what was to come. Fr John pointed out the exchange of Jesus and Peter “I have prayed for you that your own strength may not fail, so when you have recovered you may strengthen your brothers.” This is a personal and intimate exchange, and Jesus knows that Peter will deny him. We are asked to ponder on the point that Peter does not deny Jesus is Lord, but only that he is a disciple of Jesus. How many times in our life do we decide being a disciple is too hard and deny our relationship to God?
Caiaphas’ House
"Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas." (Matthew 26:2-4)
From the Cenacle we walked the short distance toward the church of St Peter in Gillicantu which is also known as the house of Ciaphas. As we walked we saw some beautiful views of this historic city and our guide pointed out more of the landscape to help put the scenery in context. Again the exact location of Ciaphas house is unknown, however archaeological excavations have suggested that this is a likely spot. We could not go into the church itself, called ‘Gallicantu’ or ‘Cock crow’, but we did go down to the dungeon complex that has been recovered and it is likely that in this place or somewhere similar Jesus spent the night of his imprisonment before being crucified. Here we prayed Psalm 88, while contemplating Our Lords sufferings, and unifying our own sufferings with that of our Lord:
The Western Wall
Our next stop was the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall as it is also known. As a Jewish Holy site it is a fascinating place to visit. The Wall is a construction of massive foundation stones of the Jewish temple which, following the temple’s destruction, have become the main focus of Jewish Pilgrimage. It is a place full of energy and vibrancy and we were able to spend some time praying at the Wall and adding our own written petitions into the cracks as so many more have done before. It was a lovely moment to watch our Jewish brothers and sisters (the prayer space is split into gender sections) at prayer and also to reflect on how the Temple was an important space for Jesus. Yet we also remember how Jesus said that he would tear the Temple down and re-build it in three days: meaning of course his death and resurrection. We recognise the Holy of Holies to be present within us, and to see the reverence of our Jewish counterparts for the remains of the building that once contained the Holy of Holies.
Mount of Olives
"When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." (Matthew 26:29-31)
After our lunch stop we journeyed to the Mount of Olives. This is east of the Old City of Jerusalem and is separated by the Kidron Valley, which means it allows for some beautiful views of the city. We started at the Chapel of the Ascension on top. This is a small octagonal, domed shrine in a walled enclosure a little back form the main street. Here Fr John led us in pondering the words of Jesus at his ascension: we are witnesses to Christ and that He is with us until the end of the age. Jesus’ ascension is not Him leaving us, but actually his creating a way to continually be present in our hearts. Near to the Chapel of the Ascension of the Church of the Pater Noster; a place that commemorates the Lord teaching his disciples how to pray. This is a beautiful church and courtyard which has around it the ‘Our Father’ written in over 60 languages. It is a lovely place to meditate on the prayer that we were taught, but also the universality of the church.
Dominus Flevit
A little further down the Mount is the small modern church, Dominus Flevit. Shaped like a teardrop, it marks the place where Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke19:41). Set in beautiful grounds, the church offers a stunning view over Jerusalem framed by a chalice and host window which sits behind the altar. We had our daily Mass here, celebrated by Fr John. In the homily he reminded us of the humanity of Jesus’ suffering here on the Mount of Olives and particularly in the garden of Gethsemane. He preached about God entering into the paralysing loneliness and the fear of ‘tomorrow’. Christ enters it all with us. And at every Mass we repeatedly re-enter into the freedom that Christ bought for us on Calvary.
The Church of all Nations
Our final stop today was the Garden of Gethsemane. The ancient looking olive trees are set within well maintained looking gardens which was not the original image I had in my head. There are some trees in the garden which are thought to be over 2000 years old but at the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD the Romans cut down all the trees around Jerusalem. It was here in the Garden of Gethsemane that Christ suffered his agony before being betrayed. The Church of All Nations deliberately conveys the atmosphere of that night with a dark and sombre looking interior. Behind the altar is a large mosaic depicting Jesus in his agony; a small, lonely, solitary figure slumped in despair. High above him is an angel, watching and praying over him. In front of the altar, is the bedrock which, according to tradition, Jesus prayed on during his agony. Encircling the rock is an iron wreath, a crown of thorns. The place evoked a prayer of thanks giving for a Saviour willing to come and endure all this for us. One feels very small in the large expanse of the church.
Today has been busy, and we have seen so much. It is difficult to really grasp the full gravity of the sites and what has happened here, it would take more than a life time to fully understand them but I know that I will continue to contemplate and pray about what I have seen and experienced and prayed about while here for many more years to come. That is one of the great joys; there is always more to come. And as we finish our day with our Lord in his suffering it is important to remember, the story has does not finish here, there is still more to come!
