We have had another busy day in Jerusalem. As well as continuing to take in the historical sites, we have absorbed a lot of theology, dogma and Church teaching along the way. Our morning started early with a visit to the Church of all Nations which is close to the Garden of Gethsemane. The Church stands over the rock where Jesus fell to the ground and prayed "if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it." (Matthew 26:39)
To pray on the same spot where Jesus has was a theme that was to be repeated throughout the day and was an experience deeply appreciated by all pilgrims. 
A top tip for anyone visiting the Church of All Nations- go early. We celebrated Mass at 9am and it was getting very busy by the time we left, so much so that I think at one point we became the tourist attraction as pilgrims and visitors came and surrounded the area where we we celebrating Mass and took lots of photos. It was quite difficult to stay focused with an increasing surrounding noise level and flashes from many camera.
The Mass however was made very special as it was the first Mass that the Holy Land Pilgrimage Choir sang at. This impromptu choir has been formed by pilgrims who wish to contribute to the liturgy, and they are really, really good. They sang 'Stay and Watch with me' as well as guiding us through other site-appropriate hymns such as 'The Servant King'.
Despite the surrounding noise the choir managed to bring an atmosphere of reverence and calm as we contemplated the prayers of Our Lord.
During the Mass the priests present renewed their Ordination promises. Before this took place Archbishop Nichols said: "As priests we are surrounded by the faithful and we depend on your for support. You support us with your prayers and your loyalty. So please pray for us here today, but also pray for all the priests at home, for those that you know and ask that God will bless us all."
After the Mass, in a solemn mood, we made our way by coach to the Mount of Olives and the Church of the Ascension. We gathered to read the account of the Ascension in Acts (1:11). Fr John Hemer also explained that after the Ascension the apostles were to go and announce the news that Christ is now enthroned in Heaven- in much the same way as in the ancient world heralds would have announced the news of a new king.
Fr John said: "The Ascension means that Jesus is now in heaven and is not tied to any particular place. Christ is therefore made available to all in the same way. While Christianity has sacred places, they are not necessary to find Jesus. The Ascension is not just about Jesus' spirit ascending to heaven, but his body too It means that a human being is now part of the Godhead. Now there is one of us at the side of the God, we no longer treat God as a rival (like Adam and Eve). We focus on this particularly during Mass when the priest says 'lift up your hearts'. And so we did!
We then made our way on foot to Pater Noster Church; a site built over the cave where Jesus is thought to have taught the disciples the Our Father prayer. The remains above the cave are from the time of the Crusades, but there are later Byzantine remains and a Cloister from the 1880s. One of the beautiful things about this site, apart from the roses and pine trees which filled the air with a beautiful scent, is the fact that on large tiles, in many, many languages is the Our Father prayer. You can read it in almost any language including Aramaic and Hebrew, the languages Christ would have spoken. I also noticed that you can read it in Welsh, Cornish and Braille amongst the many, many others. 
"To spend some time contemplating a prayer that we pray so frequently was a simple but powerful act" said one pilgrim to me as we walked to our next destination. Another pilgrim said that "it was good to spend time really thinking about a prayer that I have prayed since childhood, it is most peoples first prayer, but it can easily just become a habit. The visit today has made me think carefully about what I am praying when I pray the Our Father."
Our final destination before lunch was The Church of Dominus Flevit which overlooks Jerusalem. We walked from the Pater Noster Church to the next Church descending the Mount of Olives. Dominus Flevit is said to be the site where Jesus looked over Jerusalem and wept. Together we looked over the City and prayed Psalm 122 and 125 and prayed for City.
