This morning we drove to the Mount of Olives. (We always have the same bus driver - Abed - who is amazing at driving that bus down narrow streets.). First we went to the Chapel of the Ascension. We were the first group to arrive there. A man came and opened the gate. Then he went inside the chapel and brought out a cart with things for sale. The chapel is at the highest point in Jerusalem. At one time it was open with just a small rail around it. In the center there is what they say is the footprint of Jesus. When it was open, you could contemplate the sky and Jesus's ascension. A few minutes after we got there, other groups came, too. The chapel is quite small and can't fit more than our group. We read a bible passage about the ascension. Rodney had to keep telling the new group to wait a minute for us to come out. In the outer area, there's an open space with a large wall around it. There are hooks on it and Rodney said that churches come there and hang things for their services. There is also an altar area.
Next, we went down the road a little to the Pater Noster. It's a sacred cave. This is where Jesus did a lot of teaching to his disciples. Because we know that one of the things Jesus taught his disciples is the Lord's Prayer, the church and grounds (run by French Carmelite nuns) has tiles with the Lord's Prayer in many languages.
Our third place to visit this morning, was Bethpage. As we drove, Rodney was telling us that the road we were on would have huge Palm Sunday processions. The neighborhood is mostly Muslims and they all come out and take pictures of the pilgrims walking the road as the pilgrims are taking photos of the neighbors. He said it's a very warm, friendly feeling with all the people. We arrived (by bus) at the Church of Bethphage, where the Palm Sunday processions begin. It is said that this where Jesus sent his disciples to get a donkey for him. The church has a painting of Jesus riding on a donkey into Jerusalem. Reed read the story from Mark. Then we sang All Glory, Laud and Honor.
The next location was the Church of Dominus Flevit (Jeusu wept). This is the location where Jeusu looked out over Jerusalem and wept. We continue on down the hill from there to the Garden of Gethsamani. There are some huge ancient (a few hundred years old) olive trees there. Gethsamani means olive press. From the garden, you can easily see the wall of the temple (now destroyed, but you see the retaining wall today). There was a Catholic mass going on inside the church.
Across the street, is Mary's tomb. The story is that she lay down on the Mount of Olives and died. Then the disciples carried her down to where her tomb is. You have to go down many steps to get there. Then you're in a basement type area with another little area that you stoop to go through the archway and Mary's tomb is in there. There are lots of candles on top. I guess you can buy one to put it there. While I was I there, a priest came and blew out about half of them and took them away.
We returned to the college for lunch and then went to the place where some people think the Last Supper took place. Jon, Annette, Debbie, Joanne and I were there on Wednesdat and we were practically the only ones there. Today the place was packed with lots of different church groups. Both the Last Supper and Pentecost are believed to have happened in this area. It felt very exciting today - on the day before our Pentecost - to hear many groups speaking in many languages.
The bus then drove us to the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu. This is at the site of the House of Caiaphas. The church is in commemoration of St Peter's rejection of Jesus.
There are caves under the church that many believe may have been placed under the home of Caiaphas where Jesus and his disciples were imprisoned. We read psalm 88 in one of the crypts. We had copies of it for all of us, but there was a lectern in there with a book that had psalm 88 in different languages in it.
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