Israel, July 16, 2013

Today was an absolutely packed day of sightseeing. Before breakfast, and getting an early start, we walked through the Damascus Gate as a few booths were opening and the city was awakening. We were on our way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. It may not be the most beautiful church in the city architecturally, and it may be cut up between several Christian sects laying claim to it, plus a Muslim family has charge of keys to open it every morning, a bizarre concession, but it is second to none in its significance and history. Known to locals as the Church of the Resurrection, it has been venerated for more than 1600 years as the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. The first consecrated church was on this spot in 335 A.D., after Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, visited the Holy Land. Her mission was to identify all the sites associated with the life and ministry of Jesus. It is best to think of the church not as a single structure, but as several smaller chapels or churches under one roof. Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthdox maintain a presence here, as do the Coptic Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Stations 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of the Via Dolorosa commemorate the Stations of the Cross, with Station 14 requiring the visitor to stoop to enter the tomb, a very moving experience. We will return to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Friday to be able to see more of it. While there, we heard Mass said and music sung, all of which was very moving, even though not everyone agrees that Christ was crucified, buried and was resurrected there. Location, I feel in this matter, is exceeded in importance by simple acceptance of the symbolic grandeur and compassion of this event. Afterwards we walked back to the hotel, had breakfast, and then took the bus to the Mount of Olives, outside the city walls on Jerusalem's E side. This high hill rises more than 200 ft. above the city, with the Kidron Valley between it and the city walls. The Mount of Olives is mentioned several times in the New Testament, always in connection with the visits of Jesus to Jerusalem. Our first stop was at Ascension Place, where Christ ascended into heaven following His Ressurection. It was a very simple octagonal chapel. From there we went to the Church of the Pater Noster, the church built on a cave where Jesus is believed to have taught His disciples the prayer known as the "Our Father." The tiles on the walls of this cave and the church feature the prayer rendered in more than 50 different languages. Almost all known languages appear on these tiles, including German and Plattdeutsch (Low German). Two versions of the prayer exist, but the Luke version appears in the Pater Noster church because it is believed that Jesus taught His disciples this prayer on the Mount of Olives. Our next church was the Dominus Flevit Church. This little Roman Catholic Church is one of the newest of the city. Built in 1954 in the shape of a teardrop, it commemorates Jesus' weeping over Jerusalem during the closing of His earthly ministry. He knew the city would be destroyed in the years to come, and in 70 A.D. the Roman army sacked and burned the city. Also, He wept because the citizenry of Jerusalem refused to heed His teaching. In front of the altar of the church is a mosaic that illustrates the words of Jesus, and shows a mother hen gathering her chicks under her wings. The church also has a huge picture window that allows visitors to look out over the Old City below. This view is similar to what Christ would have seen from the Mount of Olives when He entered Jerusalem for the last time, just a few days before His death. The next stop was at the Church of All Nations. Contributions came from several countries of the world to enable the Framciscans to build the church in 1924. It is also known as the Church of the Agony. This name commemorates Jesus' agonizing prayer in the nearby Garden of Gethsemane as He faced His impending death. Above the painting of the fresco of the church are the Alpha and Omega letters symbolizing Jesus as The Lord of all creation, the beginning and the end. Next was the Garden of Gethsemane, a tranquil place which occupies a section of the courtyard of the Church of All Nations. Most pilgrims to the Holy Land visit both these sites at the same time. The garden, with its ancient olive trees, is reputed to be the site where Jesus agonized in prayer on the night when Judas betrayed Him and the Jewish Sanhedrin arrested Him. After lunch, we were off to more sites: the Upper Room and the Tomb of King David. The building complex has something to offer Christians, Jews, and Muslims. David's Tomb is considered a Jewish shrine, since he is one of Israel's great heroes. But his tomb sits in the lower floor of a Christian church that was built several centuries ago. Go up one floor from the Tomb, and the visitor finds himself at the traditional site of the Upper Room, where Jesus celebrated the Memorial supper with His disciples. One floor higher is a Muslim mosque! The Upper Room was built in the 12th C., during the Crusades. We also stopped at the Dormition Abbey next door, commemorating Mary's death. And finally, our last stop for the day was the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu. The present church by this name has existed since 1931. It is the third church on this site, so the church of St. Peter has been here on the same site for more than 1500 years. It claims to occupy the site where Peter denied Jesus on the night He was arrested. Underneath the church are caves that were carved into the rock beneath the streets of the houses of Roman-era Jerusalem. These caverns were used as cisterns and storage compartments. On the north side of the church is the ancient stone stairway that leads down to the Kidron Valley and which is the stairway most likely walked by Christ during His period of agony. It was heartbreaking to think of what had happened here! After the St. Peter church, we went to Bethlehem to see the workshops of olive woodcarvers I did not buy any pieces, but it was a treat to look at them nevertheless. I did buy something interesting, however--2 vials of Spicenard, mentioned in my favorite New Testament story. Mary Magdalene once poured this ointment over Christ. It was expensive and precious. The disciples chided her for her act, but Christ admonished them, saying that she had done a good thing, and had prepared His body for burial. It smells divine, and has special meaning for me. Have just eaten dinner, and will soon call it a day, since I am very tired. What a day! As ever, Sylvia