Home Slider Holy Land day 6: Holy Sepulcher, Dormition of the Virgin, Mount of Olives and the Western Wall

Holy Land day 6: Holy Sepulcher, Dormition of the Virgin, Mount of Olives and the Western Wall

by Horacio Espinosa
muro-de-los-lamentos

Very early, well before the rest of the pilgrims begin their day, we decided with Andrea to go again to the Holy Sepulcher. In the two visits of the previous day we had been unable to devote time to Golgotha.

When climbing the stairs as always there are some people waiting to touch the place where the cross of the Lord was nailed. Almost at the same time they enter the altar that is attached to the main two priests who begin to celebrate the mass. I started to follow the mass immediately, I was standing just two meters from the altar where it was celebrated. I followed the mass and at the same time I remained in the line that the rock where the cross would let me feel.

The minutes passed and my turn came, exactly at the moment of consecration. That is, I was touching the stone where the cross was, and Jesus alive was one meter away from me. It was a moment of great emotion, to feel that he was no longer where I was (on the cross) but I live on the altar. Then we spent a great time of reflection while Andrea finished praying a Rosary. We returned to the meeting with the rest of the group and headed to San Pedro in Gallicantus.

This place by name does not say much, but it was the House of the High Priest and the place where Peter denied Jesus three times before the Rooster crowed and where Jesus was imprisoned. We were able to go down to the cell where our Lord was and the priest who accompanies us on the pilgrimage read the word and made a reflection that led many pilgrims to tears, many comparing their “cells” with that of the Lord that we were knowing. Moment of much reflection, much prayer, much healing.

This house is on Mount Zion, where Jesus also celebrated his last supper and washed the feet of his disciples. This place is known as the Cenacle, and went from being a Catholic temple to a Mosque. Here the Lord established the Priesthood and the Eucharist by saying “do this in remembrance of me”. It is a fairly small place where many people enter, although silence is requested many times is not achieved. But an interesting look at this exact point is that as we said there are many people and from different parts of the world with different languages, just as it must have happened on that Pentecost.

Click to enlarge the images

We walk a few meters and arrive at the temple that remembers the Dormition of the Virgin. Remember that Mary being Immaculate does not die, since death is caused by sin. In the case of Jesus He died but for our sins. It should also be clarified that the Virgin was Asuntan to Heaven and not Ascended, that is, she was taken to Heaven. Unfortunately we could not see the place of Maria’s last rest since it was under repair, but we could visit the Church. Already on the Mount of Olives we met the so-called Cave of the Teachings where Jesus among other things taught them to pray to the apostles.

The place is inside a convent of Carmelitas de Clausura but you can meet. It is beautiful to read this prayer in many languages ​​and we were lucky that our guide prayed it in Aramaic, which is the language that Jesus used to teach them.

A little higher in the same Mount of Olives is the Church that remembers the place where Jesus wept blood for Jerusalem, it is called Dominus Flevit, here, almost by chance we met Father Lucho, a Franciscan from the North of Argentina who told us things very interesting, some signs that he received in his life, and he taught us to be pilgrims in the Holy Land.

The altar of the Church has the view that the Lord surely had when he cried for the Holy City, and the cupola of the temple has the shape of an eye with tears, a very interesting detail of the architect.

We went down the Mount of Olives to Gethsemane.

This place is where the Lord was delivered by Judas, but beyond this, many things happened here. We must say that Getsemaní means olive press, therefore it is an olive grove. There are plants over 2000 years old that are living witnesses of what happened here.

We had the grace to celebrate mass here, the altar is behind the rock on which the Lord retired to pray and he asked his disciples to pray with Him, but they could not and they fell asleep, this happened more than one time. This fact left us reflecting on how much the Lord gives us and how little he asks of us, and on the occasions when we fall asleep and abandon him like those disciples.

To close a day full of emotions and knowing that it was Sabbath for our Jewish brothers we went to the Western Wall of the Temple or as we call it “Wall of the laments”.

The Sabbath is observed from the sunset on Friday until the appearance of three stars on Saturday night. This celebration is among the Commandments received by Moses as a weekly feast. Here we had the opportunity to pray with them to God, who is unique.

Until next time!

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1 comment

Paula November 17, 2018 - 6:06 pm

Que bonitas relato de la Tierra Santa. Emociona. Gracias

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