Our first visit outside of Jerusalem

After the incredible celebration of Mass at the Edicule of Christ's Tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we did our first road trip. Our first stop was Caesarea Maratima. The fact that so many of the ruins survive testifies to the fact that the city was built by Herod the Great (who built for eternity). It was apparently a splendid city (e.g. Josephus Wars 1:408-15 & Antiquities 15: 331-41), which is easy to see from the ruins and the beautiful location on the Mediterranean.

We stayed at a Carmelite Guesthouse in Haifa. The sisters were most gracious hosts. It was also a lovely luxury to have air conditioned rooms, especially since the temperature was in the low 90's and the humidity was very high! Our next stop was Acre (modern Akko). Acre was the major port city before Caesarea was built. In medival times it was shaped by the Crusaders and the maritime powers of Europe. There is a large ruin of a fortress of the Knights of the Hospital of St. John that is most impressive. The el-Jazzar mosque is also very beautiful. This part of the trip, while not directly related to the Gospels, helps to contextualize the world at the time of Jesus through the 1st century.

Our first stop yesterday was to the Carmel on southern edge of Mt. Carmel at Muhraqa. This cite is traditionally identified with where the Prophet Elijah challenged and slew the prophets of Baal (1Kings 18:19-40). There is a statue of Elijah slaying a prophet in the courtyard of the monastery. This the chapel; the brass relief on the wall to the right is Elijah receiving food from the angel prior to his journey. It is a very simple and pretty chapel.

Our last stop was the famed ruins of Megiddo. The city was important because of it's location along the plain of the Valley of Jezreel at the head of a pass through the Carmel range along the ancient route between Mesopotamia and Egypt. King Solomon's city here was the 16th! There were a total of 24 cities built one on top of the other, making it an extraordinarily rich archeological site. Many, many battles have been fought there throughout history. In fact, the visionary St. John places the Last Great Battle (Rev. 16:16) here (har is mountain, so har-megedon is the Mountain of Megiddo).

He is not here...Come and see the place where he lay

As I mentioned in my last entry, we spent the night in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Tuesday night in preparation for celebrating Mass at 6:30 on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, we tried to begin our day with Mass at the Cenacle (or at the Franciscan house directly attached), which we were told was at 7:00. When we arrived, we found workmen in Cenacle replacing light fixtures who were not happy to see us; they closed and locked the doors as soon as we left! The door to the convent was locked with no doorbell. We knocked but to no avail. That is how we ended up at nearby Dormition Abbey with the German Benedictines for Mass that morning. I was very edified that my classmates suggested we fast that day. I find it a challenging and rewarding practice that I do regularly, but it was not something we were encouraged to do while we were in formation. (Our novices now do a modified fast of bread and water one or two days per week.) We did drink water. The picture is from the Grotto of the Betrayal in Gethsemane; it reads: Stay here and watch with me.

At 9:00 PM sharp, a group of three Dominican friars, a large group of Philipina (I think) Carmelite Missionary sisters and a few others were locked in. The entourage in front of the church included representatives of the Franciscans, the Greek, Armenian and Coptic Orthodox, as well as two members of the Israeli police and the young Muslim Arab (in a white T-shirt and jeans!) with the actual key. You can see me next to a ladder used to lock the exterior of the church, then passed through a small hatch (the handle is just to your left of my arm on the ladder). There was quit a crowd outside the Church to see us locked in; we waved to each other as the door was actually closing.

Walking around to visit and pray at the holy sites in the Church without throngs and throngs of people was a very different experience! Some of the lights were kept on so that we could move around. The quiet was profound. Singing (outside of liturgy) is forbidden by the Status Quo, the complex set of rules governing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the various churches' rights and responsibilities. The first place I was drawn to was the Chapel of Adam, directly below Golgotha. My reflections revolved around the Fall, my sins and how placing ourselves rather than God at the center continues to this day to mar humanity and all creation. It was also here that I first feel asleep. (Remember, we had been walking all day and crossed the Kidron Valley twice in the heat of the day.) It was very moving to pray my favorite variant of the Jesus Prayer here: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, the sinner. (emphasis mine to show the variation.) It is a strong identification with both Adam and Christ, "For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life." (1Cor. 15:22)

At midnight, the solemn silence was broken with exaltation: Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen! For about 30 minutes the various Orthodox communities go around to all of the holy places within the Church and incense them. At 12:40 prayer begins with the Franciscans praying solemn Office of Reading and Lauds; that day we celebrated the solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist. The incensing during magnificat (Canticle of Mary) includes not only the altar of the Franciscan chapel and the portion of the Pillar of the Flagellation in the chapel, but the Tomb as well. After the Franciscans finish Office, the Greek Orthodox begin Divine Liturgy (the Mass) within the Edicule of the Tomb. After the Greeks finish, the Armenians have their Divine Liturgy at the Edicule. So needless to say, the Church is not silent, but filled with chanting and praising God for the glory of the Resurrection!

At around 5:00, groups of Latin pilgrims begin arriving for Masses at either the Stabat Mater Altar (the Latin chapel next to Golgotha) for larger groups or within the Tomb itself. Fr. Gregory and Brs. Matthew Augustine & Ambrose arrived around 6:00. Fr Steven was chosen to be the main celebrant of the Mass. I cannot begin to describe what it was like to celebrate the Eucharist there! At every other tomb, the Mass is offered because the person's remains are there; at Christ's Tomb, you celebrate the fact that His body is not there, yet is most intimately and universally present.

Clean up to go to a tomb or Good Friday on Tuesday

Today we had what Fr. Steven called "Jesus' Last Day" tour. We started at the Cenacle. We were told there was Mass at 7:00 there, but couldn't find a soul, so we went to Mass with the German Benedictines at Dormition Abbey. After Mass, we found a spot and read the Institution Narratives. We then crossed the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations to commemorated Our Lord's agony in the garden. Next, we prayed at the Grotto of the Betrayal. Then, we went to St. Peter in Gallicantu to remember His trial and Peter's betrayal. The Via Dolorosa was our next stop (actually our next 14 stops!), ending in the Church of the Holy Supulcher. There we found out that we could actually spend the night; we had been previously told this was only possible on Saturday nights. So we "reserved" our spots and high-tailed it home to shower, maybe take a nap and then head back to be locked in for the night. That's where we're off to now. We will celebrate Mass at 6:30 tomorrow morning in the edicule, or the little room inside the tomb structure. A perfect way to end the day.

This is the dome at the chapel in Bethany; I like the angle. That's the only reason I put it up. Today was a free day. We celebrated Mass late, so everyone could sleep in. Bart and Steve went off to see a movie, but I decided not to go with them. They even found a mall that had a multiplex: the only one in the city!

Today is the 10th anniversary of my father's death. I thought of it a bit when we were at Lazarus' tomb yesterday. I remember being concerned at times (as many were) that he would not live to see me ordained, yet he made it just past my first anniversary. I am grateful to God for that unexpected gift. Jesus wept at Lazarus' tomb, just as you and I weep at the death of a loved one or other deep sorrow; he shared the grief of Martha and Mary, just as we have sat with others. It is the Incarnation that allows this intimacy on a human level. Jesus came to redeem the world not like some kind of Superman (a visitor from outside) but from within. He is not a stranger to our pain and suffering, nor to our joys. Likewise Mary, freed from sin from the moment of her conception, had a more fully human (not less) human experience than you and I. (I think that is one of the main things we celebrate today in the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.)

In these days of seeing and experiencing the places where the events of our salvation took place, I feel like I am getting to know Jesus better. I am gaining familiarity with where he walked, where he taught, healed and exorcised. I'm getting to know someone I've "known" all of my life (as well as His friends) all of a sudden in a new way, coming to a deeper appreciation and understanding of where He is coming from, as it were. And coming to know a friend better is always a joy for both!