“They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.” Matthew 27:28-31
Our first stop today was the Church of St. Anne and the pools of Bethesda, which means the house of grace. St. Anne’s Church is the birth place of Mary, and therefore, the house of Anne and Joachim, her parents. The pools of Bethesda are mentioned in John 5:1-9, when Jesus heals a paralyzed man who had been ill for 38 years. Shuki explained to us, that the animals used to be washed in the pools. But every day, first thing in the morning, the waters were stirred by the angels, and the first one to go in was cured. This man did not have anyone to help him get into the pool, so someone would always beat him, and would go in before him.
Father Willie said a few words before we entered the church. He explained that Mary’s Immaculate Conception meant that she was conceived without sin so she was not stained at all for Jesus. He said that if you drink a glass of milk, and then pour water directly into the glass without washing it first, the water would become blurry because it would have been stained by the milk residue that remained in the glass. It was the same for Mary. If she had been born with the original sin that we are all stained with, Jesus would have been stained as well. Even though Mary was conceived without sin, and she was chosen by God to be the mother of His Son, she still had a choice. She could have said no. So when the angel appears to Mary, the whole world, including God, held a collective breath. Mary plays such an important role in our lives because she takes us to Jesus. Even though she is the mother of the Son of God, she is still dependent on Jesus. Jesus died for all of mankind, even Mary. She asked Him to perform the first miracle, but it had to come from Him. She could not perform the miracle. She is our link to Jesus Christ, and she was born in this very spot. The reason why the Annunciation did not take place in this house, it’s because it is believed that Anne and Joachim, with Mary as a little girl, moved to Nazareth shortly after she was born.
When Jesus cured the lame in the pools of Bethesda, Jesus empowered him. Jesus had the power to cure him without him having get into the pool. After he is cured, the man goes to the temple. It is the same for us. We need to go to Church because it is there that we are empowered by Jesus to continue spreading His message. When we sin, we become separated from the community of God. We begin the mass by confessing our sins so we can be healed to receive communion. This reunites us to the community of God. Our sins paralyze us, but when we go to confession, we are once again empowered to rejoin our community of faith.
We then entered the church which was beautiful in a simple way.
And then we made our way downstairs where portions of the original house can still be seen. We signed a book with our prayer requests, took a few pictures, and walked out.
Afterwards, we gathered at the courtyard outside the Chapels of Flagellation and Condemnation to begin our Via Crucis on Via Dolorosa. These two chapels mark the spot of the brutal beating of Jesus prior to his crucifixion, and also the spot from where Pilate gives his order of execution. It’s also the location of the second station of the Via Crucis. As we stood there on that courtyard, we closed our eyes to attempt to contemplate the moment. We could almost hear the verbal abuse delivered by the soldiers, and the whir of the slashing whip as it cut through the air. We could almost feel Jesus’ pain as the blows found their mark.
In that state of mind, we began our way of sorrows with the rest of the pilgrims. We divided the stations so four pilgrims would carry the cross from station to station. Unfortunately, we were too many so not everyone got an opportunity to carry it, but just walking through the path that Jesus took made the moment very touching. In each station, Father Willie would read the Scripture that represented that particular station. Rafael and I, together with another couple, Ani and Robert, we carried the heavy wooden cross from station 5 to station 6. Station 5 is when Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross. I couldn’t help but think how heavy that cross must have been for Jesus to carry it by himself, especially after He had been beaten to an inch of His death. Even between the four of us, it was a heavy cross, and I’m sure, we were carrying a much lighter version than the real cross. Station 6 represents the moment when Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
As we were walking through the streets of Jerusalem, filled with stores, people, and cats, we tried to imagine how it must have been 2,000 years ago. Yes, probably there were less stores, and the floors were not of stone but unpaved, but most likely it was not that much different. As we were carrying our cross, people were passing us by, in a hurry to get to their destination, oblivious to what we were doing. Just like pilgrims carrying a cross today are a common occurrence in Jerusalem, crucifixions were common 2,000 years ago. As Jesus was carrying His cross, people were probably hurrying past Him without a second look. Others mocked Him and screamed insults at Him. And yet, there was Veronica, who was moved with compassion to wipe His bloody face. And there was Simon who helped Him carry His cross. And there was His Mama Mary, who accompanied Him all the way to His crucifixion. We are also called to help our family members, our friends, and even complete strangers, carry their cross, just like Jesus helps us carry ours every single day. Sometimes He sends us an angel, but many times, He’s the one carrying it for us.
Our first stop was a slab of marble just inside the main entrance. This is the Stone of Anointing, or the traditional location for the preparation of Jesus’ body for burial. There were people kneeling all around the stone. Some were touching it, others were kissing it. We found an empty spot to touch it and say a prayer.
We then took the stairs and went to the upper balcony. This is the location where it’s believed Jesus’ cross stood. It was overcrowded because the Armenians were having a private service in the Greek Orthodox chapel. Shuki and Ana told us that it would be best if we returned later. We went back downstairs and we visited a first-century Jewish tomb. Even though this was not Jesus’ tomb, it resembled what His tomb must have looked like.
We then made our way to a private chapel which had been reserved for us to have our daily mass. Father Frank was the one that celebrated this mass, and in his usual spiritual way, he asked us to close our eyes, and he took us to that moment in time when Christ was crucified. He asked us to think how we felt at the time of Jesus’ death. Did we feel scared? Did we feel sad? Did we feel hopeless? I felt very sad to realize that Jesus had died because of me.
After mass, we got in line to enter the Tomb of Jesus. This was quite an experience that threatened to destroy the sanctity of the site. Our group was mostly together. Behind us there was a large group of Armenians. They were a little rough around the edges, and little by little, they started to push, shove, and shoulder their way into our group, attempting to get ahead of us. It got so bad, that unfortunately, some of our senior pilgrims had to step out of the line because they were afraid that they would get hurt. Even Father Willie tried to calm them down by telling them that this was a holy place, and we were all going to be able to visit the Tomb. They did not listen. They kept pushing and pushing, until we heard a scream from one of our members because she had had enough. At this point, the men pushed all the seniors and the women from our group in front of them, and they created a barricade by standing shoulder to shoulder in the back. My poor hubby who was having back issues experienced a miracle. The Armenians pushed and hit his back so hard, that his pain went away. Eventually, the police had to intervene and remove their tour guide who turned out to be the instigator.
Finally, after two hours in this madness, we reached the tiny entrance that would give us access to the Tomb of Jesus. Only three of us were allowed to enter at a time. We were there for less than five seconds, but we got to touch the rock that covered His tomb, and I removed the chain that I was wearing with a cross, an angel, and two medals of St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Calcutta, and I placed them upon the rock for a special blessing. I then stepped out with tears in my eyes, to allow the rest of our group to experience that same sacred moment. Yes, the church was packed. Some people were a bit rough. But wasn’t it the same when our Lord was crucified? The people that put Him on the cross also pushed Him, and shoved Him, and hit Him, and did much worst things than what we experienced. It was loud, it was uncomfortable, but it was also an experience worth having. Even though we were surrounded by people whose dress and language were different than our own, people who acted very differently than us, we were reminded that our Christian Church is just like that, made up of people who look very different than the person that we see in the mirror every day.
After we visited Jesus’ Tomb, we once again attempted to visit the site of His Crucifixion. It was much less crowded this time around. Ana gave us an explanation of what we were about to see. We were about to enter a chapel with an altar. Beneath the altar, we would be able to see and even touch a portion of the rock where Jesus’ cross stood. Just as our turn came to enter the chapel, which we could only enter one by one, the Armenians arrived, and all of a sudden, they were next to us, ready to enter in front of us. But this time, we stood our ground and we told them to go to the back of the line.
We knelt in front of the rock, and asked forgiveness for our part in the crucifixion. We also thanked Jesus for offering the ultimate sacrifice in order to save us from our sins, and open the doors of heaven so we could have access to everlasting life.
After leaving the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we had some free time in Old Jerusalem to have lunch and to shop. We joined some old friends and some new friends, and ate a delicious Mediterranean lunch... Of course, after this week, we will not want to eat Mediterranean food for at least a year. We then hit the stores to purchase some souvenirs to bring back home, and some gifts for our family and friends.
Our next stop in the afternoon was the Upper Room. This is the traditional location that commemorates the place where Jesus ate His last meal with the disciples. The Passover meal that took place in this room became our Eucharist. How amazing to be standing in the room where the Eucharist was instituted.
We read the Last Supper scripture from Luke 22:8-23. Father Willie said a few words where he connected the priesthood to the Last Supper. On that night, not only the Eucharist was established, but also the priesthood was instituted. He explained that the priest lineage can be traced back all the way to Jesus Christ. Both him and Father Frank were ordained by bishops. Those bishops were also ordained by bishops. And if we could trace it all the way to the beginning, we would get to the bishop that was ordained by Peter who was ordained by Jesus. How awesome to belong to a faith whose roots can be traced all the way back to Jesus.
We then placed our hands over Father Frank and Father Willie, and we said a prayer for their priesthood.
In addition to the Last Supper, the Upper Room was also the place where Jesus made his post-resurrection appearances to the disciples (Mark 14: 14–15; John 20: 19, 26). This was the very room in which the disciples sat with Mama Mary on the day of Pentecost when they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 1: 13; 2: 1–2).
The tomb of King David is in the same building, but unfortunately a group of Orthodox Jews were having a private service so we were not able to visit it. Instead, we made our way to the Church of the Dormition. On our way there, we met a group from Spain, and coincidentally, we ended up at the Church at the same time. It was a beautiful experience. We prayed together. We sang together. Two communities from two different places all praising God together. This totally made up from our earlier experience with the Armenians.
The most beautiful part of the Church is in the bottom floor. In the center, under a rotunda, there’s a life-size statue of Mary, fallen asleep in death. The statue is made of cherry wood and ivory. The dome above the statue is adorned with mosaic pictures of six women from the Old Testament: Eve, Miriam, Jael, Judith, Ruth and Esther. We sat around the rotunda, and first, we prayed in silence. We then prayed a Hail Mary together, and we then began to sing. The group from Spain joined us, and then, we joined them. It was very special.
Afterwards, Father Willie gave us an explanation of what the dormition of Mary meant. Mary had a natural death, and afterwards, she was assumed into heaven, just like we will one day. He explained the difference between the Ascension of Jesus and the Assumption of Mary. Mary was bodily assumed into heaven by Jesus. Jesus raised himself up.
After this amazing day, we returned to the hotel exhausted but filled with joy. We went out to have dinner at a nearby restaurant called Satya. The meal was delicious.
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