For Catholics, Easter is our most important event of the
year because are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A week before
Easter, we begin Holy Week with Palm Sunday, and today we walked down from the
Mount of Olives as Jesus and disciples did thousands of years ago when they
headed down to the Temple.
"1. As they approached Jerusalem and
came to the Bethpage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples. 2.
Saying to them:" Go into the village in front of you and immediately you
will find a tied donkey and foal. Loosen them and bring them to me. 3. And if
anyone says anything to you, tell them "The master needs them", and
immediately send them. 4. All this happened so that the prophesy might be
fulfilled. 5. "They said to Bat-Zion: Here, your king is coming to you,
lowly and riding a donkey and its foal". 6. The disciples went and did as
Jesus commanded. 7. They brought the mare and the foal and placed their clothes
on them and he sat on them. 8. Many of the crowd spread their garments on the
road, and others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9. And the multitudes who went before and after read: hozana hozan (mening Hosha Na = Please save (us), the son of David! Welcome in the name of the
Lord! Hosanna in the highest! "(Mathew, 1- 9).
On the way down the road we passed an enormous Jewish
cemetery prominent Jewish rabbis, cultural figures and politicians (including
former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin) are buried. Then we reached the
Dominum Flevit Church. Dominum Flevit means “The Lord Wept,” and the church has
been designed in the shape of a teardrop.
After moving carefully down the rest of the way, we hopped
on our bus for another visit behind the wall in Bethlehem. This time we visited
the school and church at Our Lady of Fatima at Beit Sahour. I have personally
always held a special place in my heart for Our Lady of Fatima thanks to my
second grade teacher, Sister Joseph Mary, and a 2000 visit to Fatima, so this
visit was a delight. Monsignor Al and Father Rich celebrated Mass at Our Lady
of Fatima, and then we met with the pastor there, Father Iyad Twal. Their
school educates Christians and Muslims, and they do not turn anyone away.
Because so many of the Palestinians in the area struggle to make ends meet,
many of them cannot pay tuition, so they receive enormous financial support
from the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher (Monsignor Al is a Knight, by the way.)
They also work to provide medical care for many of their parishioners, but
their resources are limited. Most all of us purchased what we could from the
parish bookstore to do our small part to help contribute something to the
cause. Among my purchases were rubber bracelets – one has Psalm 23 written in
Arabic, and the other has the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom,
understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord) also
written in Arabic.
If you have ever heard the story about how the Dead Sea Scrolls
were discovered then you know that around 1946 a Bedouin shepherd threw a rock
into a cave and heard a jar break. These shepherds believed these caves were
haunted, and this particular shepherd was afraid, but he eventually retrieved
some of the scrolls. He could not read them, but they were written on animal
skins, which had value so he took them to a man he knew who made shoes and
dealt in antiquities. Fortunately, the man to whom he took the scrolls, Khalil
Eskander Shahin “Kando,” knew Aramaic, the language of Jesus, and he recognized
what these scrolls where, and arranged to have them examined. After that, some
were sold to the U.S., and archeologists soon began excavating the cave. We
were lucky enough to visit Kando’s grandson at his antiquities shop, and see
the largest of the jars in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
After returning to Jerusalem, we visited the Cenacle, which
a room built on Mount Zion on the spot where Jesus held the Last Supper. Below
it is the Tomb of King David, and men visit King David on one side, and women
on the other. There is a continuing struggle over control of Cenacle.
Obviously, the Cenacle is important to Catholics because it is where Jesus
first shared His Body and Blood with his Apostles – the Holy Eucharist. But
Jewish Israelis say because it the Tomb of David, it should be theirs.
Currently, Catholics may pray there, but we cannot have Mass there. In an
effort further dialog, Pope Francis came to meet Jewish leaders there and
donated an Olive Tree to be part of the Cenacle. The debate will continue.
After the Cenacle and the Tomb of King David, we visited the
Church of Domition, where tradition says that the Virgin Mary “fell asleep”
before she was assumed into Heaven. Year ago, Tony and I visited Mary’s house
in Ephesus where she lived out here last years. Some believer she went to sleep
in Ephesus, but many believe she asked John to bring her back to Jerusalem to “fall
asleep” here.
As if we had not done enough already today, moved on to the Western
Wall (also known as the “Wailing Wall.”) The wall was originally erected as
part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple by Herod the Great, which resulted in the encasement of the natural, steep hill
known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount,
in a large rectangular structure topped by a huge flat platform, thus creating
more space for the Temple itself and its auxiliary buildings. The Western Wall
is considered holy due to its connection to the Temple Mount. Because of the status quo policy, the
Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray, though it is not
the holiest site in the Jewish faith, which lies behind it. What is the status
quo policy? Jewish prayer on Temple Mount is completely restricted. Jews may enter only to visit the
place, and only at limited times. Muslims are free to pray on Temple Mount,
however, Christians
and Jews may only visit the site as tourists. They are forbidden from singing,
praying, or making any kind of "religious displays". During times of
political tension, entry is limited on Fridays and some Jewish or Muslim Holy
Days; entry is restricted to only allow Muslim men over a certain varying age
and Muslim women of any age to enter.
After some prayers at the Western Wall (during which men and
women had to pray separately), we toured the Rabbinical Tunnel (also known as
the Western Wall Tunnel) which is an underground tunnel that exposes the full
length of the Western Wall.
As we walked back that night, the only danger we encountered was the crazy drivers. One of the other ladies and were very nearly mowed down by an SUV who insisted on driving on the sidewalk. Yes, there are shooting and stabbings here everyday, mostly at the Damascus Gate very near to us. The Israeli Military presence is very visible and everywhere. It is not uncommon to be anywhere and see several soldiers with Uzis right next to you. Imagine going to Disney World and seeing well-armed soldiers nearby. That is the reality here. That said, I have never felt unsafe. Our guides know what they are doing, and they take care of us. If you have any desire to come over here, DO IT! The Christians, Muslims and Jews and have all been lovely to us. Tony and I have yet to encounter anyone who has been unfriendly.
I loved the picture of Monsignor Al.
ReplyDeleteIt must be quite meaningful being there during Holy Week.