King David’s Tomb Interestingly, holy places for the Jews still require men and

women to be separated and men had to cover their heads with paper Yamakas.

St. Peter in Galicantu (Crowing Rooster) This is the place where Peter denied knowing Jesus for the third

time. 

This was also the place where Jesus was led up to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, who held Jesus in a pit/cave overnight after interrogating him.  We were led down a long path of stairs to enter the pit area.  While the pit is a clean and well lit place now, it was very easy to imagine how dark, dirty and scary it must have been for our Lord.  

As we ascended, out of the pit into the garden area of Caiaphas house, we could see the original set of stairs, which are over 2,000 years old.  Jesus took these very steps down from the Upper Room to get to the Garden of Gethsemane and then was led up the same steps after being arrested to get to the High Priest’s palace.

Mount Olives and Patre Noster Shrine Next we went to the Patre Noster Shrine which

commemorates the “Our Father” in languages from around the world. 

Mount of Olives along the Palm Sunday Path We then walked down the Mount of Olives along the Palm

Sunday path, stopping once at the Church of Dominus Flevit which means “The Lord Wept” and came to the bottom of the path right at the Garden of Gethsemane.  Along the path, there was a panoramic view of Jerusalem which gave us a wide perspective on Jesus’s movements during that last week of his life.

(Luke 19:41)

When Jesus wept over Jerusalem this was what he saw. From this vista point we could easily locate Antonia Palace, Upper Room, and Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of Agony This is the site where Jesus spent His last few moments

before He was taken to be crucified

We arrived in the evening after dinner for a special opportunity which was only afforded to our group.  We had some private time to sit and meditate in the garden during twilight, right among the same olive trees that were there 2000 years ago.  This was a deeply privileged and moving time which continued as we entered the church for adoration at the Church of Agony there at the Garden, which surrounds the rock Jesus prayed at.  

Via Dolorosa This morning we had to get up very early, at 5:00 am, to begin our

journey through the maze of walkways in old Jerusalem to the Via Dolorosa.  At the beginning of this path is Pilate’s Fortress where Jesus was condemned to death.  From there, Jesus was forced to carry his own cross to Golgotha, where he was to be crucified.  We journeyed along the same path.  The walkways were made of uneven cobblestones, periodic stairs and open market places and shops. 

This is not unlike the experience Jesus had.  Our group carried a large cross that took up to six people to carry at a time through the Via Dolorosa where we sang and observed the Stations of the Cross.  Talk about bringing a yearly event during the Easter season to life!  One could not help but think about Jesus’ suffering and how Mary must have felt knowing her son was walking towards his death. 

Holy Sepulchre We ended our journey at the Holy Sepulchre, which is the

Basilica that was built surrounding the place of crucifixion and the tomb.  We had Mass at the closest physically possible location to the place of crucifixion inside the Roman sanctuary which is where he was nailed to the cross. 

Less than 250 feet away, was the tomb that held Jesus’ body.  We were allowed to go through both rooms of the cave, four at a time and say a quick prayer.  As a side note, Tom and I carried a photo of Jessica throughout our journey in the Holy Land and placed it upon the place of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.  We held hands and said a prayer of healing and comfort for our sweet, little girl.    

Interesting fact:

The Church is shared by six different dominations, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Assyrian, Armenian, Ethiopian, and Coptic.  The division of these factions is great.  For example, the Roman Catholics control the entrance to the tomb from 8-10:00 am and then the Greek Orthodoxes take over from 10:00-noon and so on.  Another example is that on the outside of the church, way up high, is a ladder.  This ladder is leaning against the building on a landing going towards a window.  This ladder has been in this location since 1886.  The problem?  The ladder is located between two governing areas of the church i.e.  one leg is on the Roman Catholic side and the other on the Armenian side – thereby not allowing either side to remove the ladder! 

After leaving the Basilica, we took a group picture and this marked the highlight and pinnacle of the pilgrimage.

Western Wall (Wailing Wall) Before ending the day’s formal events, we visited the

Western Wall (Wailing Wall) and were given the opportunity to offer personal prayers.  This is done at the wall, with men divided from women.  The wall is the only remaining piece of the Temple which was destroyed in 70AD.

Church of Saint Martha, Mary and Lazarus

 Today, we went to the Church at the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, and celebrated Mass.  The gardens surrounding the church were very lush and beautiful.  The acoustics in the church were great for hymns but for some made it hard to hear the liturgy.  This is another church built by Antonio Berlucci last century.  There were frescoes depicting the visit Jesus made to Lazarus’ house with Martha and Mary, and the raising of Lazarus. After Mass, those who wished to see the tomb of Lazarus were able to actually go down into it briefly.

Qumran and Dead Sea Scrolls  After lunch, we visited Qumran to hear about the Dead Sea

scrolls. It was scorching hot.  Less than half an hour from Jerusalem, this is smack dab in the middle of the desert and it was 104◦ F.  It was hard to believe that anyone would choose to live in such an environment, but the Essenes did.  In 1947, a shepherd accidentally found the cisterns which contained the scrolls – a truly remarkable find which contained fragments from each of the Old Testament books (except Esther) and many other documents.

Dead Sea  The Dead Sea marks the lowest point on the planet.  The water

is so salty that no living thing can survive.  Ok, Tom is making this sound boring!  The Dead Sea was super fun!  We walked through a rocky, muddy shore out into the water.  Yes, I even went in!  There were warning signs everywhere saying you could only float on your back and not to submerge your head, accidently swallow water or get the water into your eyes.  If you did you need to seek medical attention immediately.  They were not kidding; the life guard continually called out to warn people.  Tom and I got into the water and got about out to our knees.  Being as cautious as we are, we immediately sat down and our legs shot out from underneath us and we began to float.  It was the weirdest thing.  You could barely bring your legs back underneath you!  Father Brendan had a group of us floating at the same time and decided that it would be fun to do synchronized swimming by sticking our legs all up in the air at the same time – right then left - Super fun and light hearted! 

Jericho Our last visit of the day was a drive through Jericho.  We

stopped at place that was thought to be the area where the Sycamore tree that Zacchaeus climbed was located.  I was a bit bummed that we didn’t get a chance to get out of the bus for my picture since Zacchaeus has been one of favorite people in the Bible.  Why?  I cannot tell you but I remember the song well and actually sang it for the whole bus! 

Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he;He climbed up in the Sycamore treefor the Lord he wanted to see .And Jesus said “Zacchaeus, you come down!”For I am going to your house today;I am going to your house today

Emmaus

The final stop of the pilgrimage portion of our trip was in Emmaus, where we stopped at a monastery and church.  Emmaus is at the end of the road along which the risen Christ was encountered, but not immediately identified, by two disciples within a week after the resurrection.  It was in the breaking of the bread that they recognized Jesus. 

 Father Brendan’s words at the church added a poignant and powerful punctuation to our spiritual journey during our pilgrimage.  He left us with words to remember about Christ meeting the two disciples right where they were and the importance for us to do the same as we share the recollections and lessons from our journey with our friends and acquaintances back home.

A particular painting, in the church which was clearly aging and in need of restoration, caught my attention as the image of Christ was clearly obscured, offering a visible metaphor for the two disciples’ lack of recognition on the Emmaus road.

Other Interesting Points

Our hotel view and food in Galilee

Our hotel in Jerusalem

Israeli/Palestinian The history that our tour guide, Johnny, gave us explained in ways that we

could relate to about the factors that led to and are going on between Israel and the Palestinian state.  In order to complete this journey, we had to drive in and out of the West Bank, through checkpoints, and into the region where you can actually see a massive wall erected by the Israeli government which is reminiscent of pictures we’ve seen of the Berlin wall. These walls surround Palestinian areas that have been known for their anti-Israeli actions and the holy city of Bethlehem falls under this category. 

Our guide described it as “Swiss Cheese.”  Israel has declared the West Bank as Israeli territory and therefore currently has control of this recognized Palestinian area.  Due to the walls, the Israeli government completely controls who can leave the area.  Many students have not been granted permission to continue to attend school in the nearby city of Jerusalem.  Also, Jerusalem is the location of medical services for which these people also have to ask permission from the government to exit Bethlehem. 

I think we were all intrigued as we crossed over into the West Bank and into Bethlehem this morning; however, there was a lot more tension this evening as we returned and had to cross over the border.  The Israeli soldiers entered our bus with automatic weapons checking for Bethlehem citizens.

Sadly, this situation has caused many of the Christian families to flee the Holy Land of Bethlehem.  There is no industry for these people and we were strongly encouraged not to buy souvenirs from the Arab people. 

The Israeli police are abundant and well armed. 

Common signage outside of Holy places

Mediterranean Sea Port of Joppa, city of Jaffa our last night before heading

home. Must return to the Mediterranean Sea!

The People of Israel

Families sitting next to the walls surrounding Jerusalem

The Muslim entrance into Jerusalem

The Friar in-charge of the Garden of Gethsemane

Corner market places

Laurie’s quirks –Doors, Gates and Plants of Israel

Thank you for sharing in our pilgrimage to the Holy Land!