On this Saturday morning, some seminarians woke up early and attended High Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The Mass was in Latin and all the music was Gregorian chant, chanted by the friars and sisters. The majestic sound echoed through the cavernous Church. The Mass was at the Tomb. Since the tomb is small, no one was inside except the priest and acolyte. The zenith of this experience was the priest bringing out the Eucharist to the people gathered outside. Christ once again left the tomb and came to His people.
The rest of the morning was breakfast followed by classes. The afternoon on Saturday was free. Many pilgrims used the time to catch up on study, prayer and rest. Some ventured into the city again to explore.
Today we started our journey with a prayer for Christian unity as we were going to Ramah which means high place; it is really a high place where you can have the view of Jerusalem and The West Bank. The place we visited is the place where Samuel was buried.
We went to Emmaus where we participated in their Eucharistic celebration. The celebration was presided over by the Abbott of the Benedictines; the Mass was in French and Latin. I was struck by the following question from the homily: “How many times do we really follow Jesus radically?”
We went to a place called Bet Guvrin which means the house of the free man. The origin of this name is unknown. It was there that we were able to visit some very large and amazing chalk caves.
Today we started our journey early in the morning: at 5:45 am we went to the Holy Sepulcher, where we participated in the Eucharist meditated on the Way of the Cross, Father Coady led the Stations of the Cross. We walked on the way called Via Dolorosa; this experience invites the faithful to contemplate Jesus suffering. This was also an opportunity to bring the suffering of the people who we have met in Chicago and other places so that Jesus’ suffering can give sense to their lives in the midst of their pain.
We had our class on the Gospel of Mark with Fr. Lodge: he shared with us how Jesus’ life invites us to live in diakonia = service.
Then we had our class with Sr. Kathleen where we talked about pilgrimage and identity. Our main focus was on the identity of the church as pilgrimage people. We had a group discussion on the Church.
In the afternoon we had time to pray and study for our exam this Thursday.
Today we divided our community into two groups because we had Mass at the place where Jesus was buried and rose to new life. The place is very small and people have very few minutes to be at the place. We participated in the Eucharist celebration at 6:00 am. Then we had our class with Fr. Lodge in which he shared with us the exegesis of the passage of the healing of the paralytic’s sins. We also discussed the meaning of the fact that Jesus are with sinners and even went out to look for them; as he did, so we are called to seek for people who are lost so that they will find life in Jesus.
This afternoon we went to the west side of Jerusalem where we visited Yad Vashem. It is there that Israel remembers the Holocaust. I was struck by an inscription which says: “Remember only that I was innocent and, just like you, mortal on that day, I, too, had a face marked by rage, by pity and joy, quite simply, a human face.” Auschwitz 1944.
Today we divided our community into two groups because we had Mass at the place where Jesus was buried and rose to new life. The place is very small and people have very few minutes to be at the place. We participated in the Eucharist celebration at 6:00 am. Then we had our class with Fr. Lodge in which he shared with us the exegesis of the passage of the healing of the paralytic’s sins. We also discussed the meaning of the fact that Jesus are with sinners and even went out to look for them; as he did, so we are called to seek for people who are lost so that they will find life in Jesus.
This afternoon we went to the west side of Jerusalem where we visited Yad Vashem. It is there that Israel remembers the Holocaust. I was struck by an inscription which says: “Remember only that I was innocent and, just like you, mortal on that day, I, too, had a face marked by rage, by pity and joy, quite simply, a human face.” Auschwitz 1944.
Today we started our day with the celebration of the Eucharist at St. Peter in Gallicantu, the place where Peter denied Jesus and where Jesus was kept overnight in the cistern. Father Coady shared in his homily about the personality of Peter; he said, “Peter was so enthusiastic, even ready to give his life for Jesus. However, at the end he denied Jesus, but Peter repented then. When we went into the cistern below the house of Caiaphas the High Priest where Jesus was kept, Dr. Nagel read Psalm 22. I was struck by the verse “They divided my garments among them.” After the psalm was read we remained in silence so that we could feel how Jesus felt when he was there in the darkness praying to his Father.
We started our day with Morning Prayer at the Notre Dame chapel. Then we had our class with Fr. Lodge. He talked to us about the parables of Jesus. After this we had our class with Sr. Kathleen where we shared our reflections on the Pilgrim Church. Then we participated in the Eucharistic Celebration at Notre Dame Chapel. After lunch we went the visit the Cultural Museum of the Notre Dame Center to see the copy of the Shroud of Turin. This shroud is a mystery still, but I was struck by the words written on the wall that John Paul II said when visiting Turin: “For the believer what counts above all is that the shroud is a mirror of the Gospel. The shroud is a challenge to our intelligence.” Father Eamon Kelley showed us the image (a statue) taken from the figure of the Shroud of Turin: the image shows a peaceful Jesus in his suffering. We asked ourselves, “Do we really experience peace in the midst of suffering?” We finished our visit to the museum, singing, “Jesus, remember me when we come into your kingdom.”
Today we started our long journey towards Jordan. After crossing the border between Israel and Jordan we prayed for the unity of Christians. We stopped on the Mount Nebo; it was in this place that God showed Moses the promised land. We participated in the Eucharistic Celebration and Fr. Lodge mentioned in his homily that we should be open to God’s plan in our lives. Just like Moses, we are going to be leaders but our tendency could be that we trust in our power and our plans: we forget that in whatever we do, God is the author of our work.
Our guide had promised us the night before that today would entail a fair amount of walking: he was right! After breakfast we set out to explore the ancient ruins of Petra. Petra is a popular sight for many reasons, not the least of which is that it is an ancient archeological site. Much of its popularity, however, appears to have arisen as the result of its role in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” For this reason – immediately outside the preserve – it is possible to stop at the “Indiana Jones Café” and to buy various memorabilia.
Petra, considered today to be a wonder of the world, was first settled by the Nabataeans at least a century before the time of Christ. What remain to the present day are the tombs of the inhabitants of Petra; these massive structures were carved out of rose-colored stone and vary in design and shape. Undoubtedly, the most well-know is the “treasury.” It is this tomb that Hollywood used as a backdrop in the “Indiana Jones” movie. Based on popular myth and legend it was believed that the large Roman urn present at the very top of the facade contained gold and jewelry of a monarch that had ruled the people there. After testing this hypothesis, it was discovered that it was simply a stone urn, yet the structure retained the name “the treasury.” As a result of several earthquakes, the most significant taking place in the 749 AD, Petra was abandoned for several hundred years until it came to be inhabited by the Bedouins. It became known to the world when it was “rediscovered” by a Swiss archaeologist in the 19th century.
We walked outside the tourist area itself towards the ruins of a Roman settlement that previously existed there. Nearby, in the remains of a church from the 6th century, we celebrated Mass as a community. Also, close to this site, yet not so close for it was up the mountain, is believed to be the final resting place of Aaron, the brother of Moses. Because of the shortage of time we were not able to visit that particular site. However, after the long walk into the canyon and back, some were grateful that we didn’t.
After Mass we began our trek back; some chose to do it by foot, others by taxi. In this area, however, taxi means horse, mule, or camel. The choice of the day appears to have been the camel. We returned to our hotel for lunch and then set out on our four-hour bus ride back to the Dead Sea where we would spend the night. After a day in the desert, the hotel we found ourselves staying in appeared too good to be true. There was the option of the Dead Sea pool and spa which many members of the community took advantage of. It was a wonderful conclusion to an interesting day.
After such a pleasant night it was with great reluctance that we checked out of our hotel. There was but one sight on the schedule today and that was the River Jordan. Though we had seen the Jordan before, this was particularly interesting because the site we were visiting was Bethany across the Jordan, the actual place where Jesus was baptized by John. There are remains of several churches in the area that point to the fact that the site we were visiting on the River was the place where John was baptizing, and most likely the place of the Baptism of Jesus. One of the churches, of which there are only remains, was dedicated to John the Baptist. With the exception of foundation stones and a portion of the tile floor, nothing else remains. At one point, this church had a long staircase that descended down to a channel of the river. It was the place where Baptism would be administered. It was rather impressive! It was also possible to see from this Church what was believed to be the cave in which John the Baptist lived.
Presently speaking, there is not a functioning church building in the area. There are several building projects of different churches taking place, but none have actually been completed. Thus our group celebrated Mass on the banks of the river itself.
After Mass we bade Jordan farewell and begin our trek back to Israel. Upon returning to our current home we discovered that the electricity had been turned off because of necessary construction, so after lunch many took the opportunity to take a nap. The power came back on not long after dark thus resulting in a rather uneventful evening.
Today was a rather quiet day. Because of size it was necessary to divide the group into two and the second half of the community had an early morning Mass at the Holy Sepulcher. The rest of the day was free for exploring, homework, rest, and catching up.
This morning, we again visited the Garden of Gethsemane, only this time we were able to celebrate Mass in the basilica. After having done so, we were given several hours to remain and pray in the basilica itself, in the vicinity of the garden, or in one of the several other Churches that are nearby including the churches of Pater Noster and Dominus Flevit, which commemorates Christ weeping over Jerusalem. The Basilica of Gethsemane, designed by the ever-popular Antonio Barluzzi, is relatively new in comparison to many of the Churches commemorating the various sacred sites. In the garden itself however, several of the olive trees are estimated to date back to the time of Christ. The rest of the day consisted of classes and the ordinary routine of life.
We were promised that today would be a rather strenuous day and so it was. Today was our tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. Shortly after breakfast our guide arrived and we began on the roof of the Notre Dame Center in order that the city might be explained from an aerial view. After a brief explanation we set out. With brief stops and explanations along the way, we made our way to the Western Wall which is also known as the Wailing Wall. Our guide pointed out that the latter was a misnomer because the wall, of course, does not wail! The name Wailing Wall comes from the fact that it is the remaining structure that is closest to where the Temple stood until its destruction in 70 AD; pious Jews still come and wail at this place, remembering the loss of the most important place in their religion. It is believed that God is present in a very special way and will remain so forever at this wall. Today was one of the two days of the week in which the Bar Mitzvah is celebrated at the wall, so it was bustling with activity. Being a sacred site to the Jews since it is the remnants of the second Temple, it is considered a privilege that a Jewish boy of thirteen is able to celebrate his coming of age at this spot. However, this also now requires him to observe all the laws that pertain to following the Torah.
We then visited ruins that were excavated from second century Jerusalem. These ruins give one a very vivid picture of exactly how high the wall surrounding the Temple actually was. Furthermore, one is able to walk the street that was present at the time of Christ but was damaged in the destruction of the city. It is here that the famous Robinson’s Arch is located and it was stones from this arch as well as those from the wall that destroyed the street. Interestingly, some of the stones are still present exactly as they fell to this very day.
After this we made our way to the Temple Mount itself, stopping for brief explanations of where different areas were perhaps located. The site is not in the possession of the Jewish people, so no excavations have taken place. We were not allowed to visit the Dome of the Rock. It is currently under the possession of the Muslims and is no longer open to the public. We were only able to visit the outer courtyard, which perhaps would have been the court of the Gentiles as well as the inner court during the Temple period. The actual location of the Holy of Holies is uncertain; however, various reasons are given for probable locations. It should be mentioned that the Temple mount is also believed to be Mt. Moriah, the place where Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac. For the Muslims this has become a sacred site on account that it is believed that it was here that the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven to receive his revelation. Our time was cut short because the call to prayer was fast approaching, so we left the Temple Mount and went for lunch.
After lunch we visited the City of David. There we saw ruins of what was believed to be David’s palace. These were built over the ruins of yet another palace which belonged to Melchizedek, king of Salem. We then went underground and first visited Warren’s shaft, and then King Hezekiah’s tunnel. This was an intricate tunnel that carried the water from a spring into the city itself. It was a rather narrow walk but one that was not to be missed. In the time of Jesus this spring then flowed into the pool of Siloam. Though the water continues to flow, there is only a small portion of the pool that remains. After reflecting for a few moments both on the life of David and also John 9 – it was this pool that Jesus told the blind man to go and wash – our day was complete. Most of the community was exhausted and rather than make the trek back we had our bus waiting for us that took us back home. The remainder of the evening was to rest and recover.
In comparison, today was a rather quiet and restful day. Our Mass this morning was at the convent of the Sisters of Zion, also known as the Church of the Ecce Homo. Since the time of the Crusader period, the Via Dolorosa has been located in this area and it is believed that this particular convent is built just north of the Antonia Fortress, the fortress built by Herod the Great. In the archeological findings, among several other things, several games were discovered engraved in the pavement. These games are recognized as games that would have been played by the Roman soldiers. Because of these findings this place is venerated as the place in which Pilate allowed Jesus to be made sport of by the soldiers, who upon completing their mockery and beatings led him back to Pilate who came out to the stone pavement declaring, “Ecce homo!” ( which means “Behold, the man!).
In the afternoon the community had a presentation on current Catholic-Jewish relations. This was of great interest to many of us and the presenter, Father David Neuhaus, was exceptional. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa and now a citizen of Israel, brought up Jewish and now a Jesuit priest, the presenter was extremely knowledgeable of the several different understandings that make up this complicated field.
Two days before, we welcomed Father Lyle, our Rector, as well as a group of donors and supporters of the seminary from home. Tonight, however, was our first opportunity to more fully enjoy each other’s company. After having supper together we had an evening of reflection and entertainment.
Today we had only one scheduled event and that was a visit, along with our donors, to Bethany, where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. Father Lyle celebrated Mass for the entire group and then many of us went to visit the tomb of Lazarus. In order to reach the tomb itself, we had to walk down a narrow stairway and, upon reaching the bottom of the flight of stairs, we had to crawl on hands and knees in order to enter the inner chamber. After the visit we parted company for the day. The donors embarked on full day of visiting different sites and the seminarians returned to the Notre Dame Center and had the rest of the day entirely free.