Immaculate Conception, Three Organs, Via Dolorosa and others

Time is running short! Only a few more days left of my sabbatical here in Israel! I spent most of these past days writing some reflections for a publication connected with the Year of the Faith. However, I did manage also to visit some places of interest. Here is a brief account of I experienced.

First I would like to share with you a very beautiful sunset I saw on Sunday evening. The setting was not the best possible (electric poles and all!), but the sky was just fantastic. I don’t remember ever seeing the sky that red! God our Creator is so majestic!

O Lord our God how majestic is your name in all the earth!
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers!

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

I had the opportunity to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at Nazareth. It is certainly a most appropriate place for such a celebration. The Custodian of the Holy Land presided the Eucharist which, as it is usual here in the Holy Land, was in Latin and in Arabic. The homily, unfortunately for me, was in Arabic and thus I could not understand anything!

The Immaculate Conception venerated in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth

At the beginning of the Mass, something very special happened: there was the blessing of three (yes three!) organs financed mainly by the people of Austria through the Commissariat of the Holy Land there. The three organs were installed in the Church of St Joseph (which is the Parish Church of Nazareth), the Lower Basilica of the Annunciation (where the annunciation grotto is found) and the Upper Basilica. The ceremony was quite simple: the Franciscan Provincial of Austria said the prayer of blessing in German and then, together with two deacons, went to bless each organ. Once the organs were blessed, they were played. The sound of the biggest of these organs (found in the Upper Basilica) was amazing. May these organs glorify the Lord and lead people in praising God.

The Organ in the Church of St Joseph (Nazareth)

These are not the first organs donated by the Austrian People. In previous years organs were installed at the Holy Sepulcher, Bethlehem and the Monastery of St Saviour in Jerusalem. They have plans to install more organs on other sanctuaries of the Holy Land.

The Organ in the Lower Basilica of the Annunciation - Nazareth

In the afternoon there was a concert played on each of these organs, beginning with that in the Church of St Joseph, then moving on to the Lower Basilica and finally, to the Upper Basilica where several pieces were played. Unfortunately I could not be present for this concert as I had to return to Jerusalem.

The Organ in the Upper Basilica of the Annunciation - Nazareth

If you would like to read more on this occasion (and see some more photos), you can go to:

http://www.custodia.org/default.asp?id=779&id_n=22322.

Mea She’arim

On Sunday afternoon, together with Fr Joseph Ha OFM, I went to visit the Mea She’arim neighbourhood in New Jerusalem. The guide describes this part of Jerusalem in this way: “neighbourhood with squat, stone-fronted buildings, balconies adorned with drying laundry, bearded figures in black, and long-skirted mums pushing shopping carts trailed by a gaggle of smartly dressed children”. It is so very true! This neighbourhood was developed by ultra-Orthodox Eastern European immigrant Jews who modeled their Jerusalem home on the ones they remembered back in Poland, Germany and Hungary. They still maintain their customs, habits and dress of 18^th century Eastern Europe.

One of the streets of the Mea She'arim, Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon

The people seem to be quite poor and families are typically large. We saw so many people on the road, especially young people and children. The days of these people are often spent in prayer and business is a secondary pursuit – religious study is frequently subsidized by fellow ultra-Orthodox communities abroad.

There are signs fixed on the walls as you are entering this neighbourhood saying that tourists going through their streets to observe them are considered to be an offense. Other posters ask passers-by to be decently dressed and to observe a conservative mode of behavior.

The Via Crucis

On Monday, with Prof. Eugenio Alliatta OFM, we went to visit the way of the Via Crucis. He said that in Medieval times pilgrims would do the so-called Santo Circolo (Holy Circle), since they used to leave from the Ospizio dei Pellegrini, at the Muristan, close to the Holy Sepulchre and return back to it, after they had visited several places including the Gethsemane and the pool of Siloah. This devotion had to be done very early in the morning before the rising of the sun, because once there was light Muslim children could begin throwing stones at them.

The first station was right in the square adjacent to the Holy Sepulchre. In the middle of the square there was a slab which stated that there was a station there, just before entering the Holy Sepulchre. Prof. Alliatta told us that on that stone, at least two Christians were burned to death: a Portuguese woman and a Franciscan Friar.

The House of Dives (the Rich Man)
of the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

An English Pilgrim, William Way, wrote a poem (in Latin) which was mnemonic, in order to help remember the different places visited during this procession in 1458. He mentions, among others: lapis: the stone referred to above upon which fell with his cross; strata dives: the street which Jesus walked upon, going past the house of the rich man (Dives) and that of the poor man (spoken of in the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man in Luke 16,19-31); the Trium, where the three roads meet and where Simon of Cyrene was called to help Jesus; the Flent, where the women were crying for Jesus; Sudar – where the widow Veronica put the veil upon the face of Jesus; sincopizavit – where the Mother of Jesus, Mary, saw Jesus and wept; and others. As one could see, there are references which do not form part of the traditional way of the cross. Thus the memory made in the Santo Circolo was a more complex memory. This helped pilgrims come closer to the whole Gospel.

Today, archaeologists are discussing where the Pretorium would have been. While some 30 years ago it was generally accepted that it was where the Antonia Fortress is said to be, today this is highly put into question. There are several hypotheses as to where the process before Pilate would have taken place. If a conclusion is someday found, it would influence from where the Via Crucis passes.

Procession at Holy Sepulchre

On Tuesday evening I participated again in the daily procession at the Holy Sepulchre. I have already spoken about this procession in my earlier blogs; it reminds us of the liturgical processions of the Ancient Church of Jerusalem, which are referred to by the pilgrim Egeria (392-394). In 1431, the pilgrim Mariano of Siena says that the Franciscans did this procession following more or less the same path of the procession as it is done today, although somewhat shorter.

A woman lighting a candle on Calvary.

There are fourteen stations are:

1. Altar of the Most Blessed Sacrament

2. Pillar of Scourging of the Lord

3. At the Prison

4. Dividing of Christ’s Garments

5. Crypt where the Cross was found

6. Chapel of St Helen

7. Pillar: Crowning with Thorns and Reproaches

8. Calvary: Where our Lord Jesus was crucified

9. Calvary: Where our Lord Jesus died on the Cross

10. Calvary: Altar of Mary, Mother of Sorrows

11. Site of the Anointing of the Body of Christ

12. Glorious Sepulchre of Our Lord Jesus Christ

13. Where the Risen Christ appeared to Mary Magdalen

14. Where the Risen Christ appeared to Mary, his Mother

The Chapel of the Franciscans at the Holy Sepulchre
Here the First and the Last Station of the Daily Procession
are celebrated

Every station has a hymn, an antiphon, and a prayer. Between each station an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory be are chanted. The procession ends with the Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament.

Some of the prayers said are truly beautiful. Let me just give some few examples. One of the stanzas of the hymn “at the prison” says (translation is by Fr Mitch Pacwa SJ):

Free your servants by your word,

Bind the demons who plague us still

Give us, then, O Jesus Lord

Your tender all-embracing love.

The Station of the Crowning with Thorns and Reproaches

And a stanza of the fourth station:

Here we beg for inner power

You, of worlds the master builder,

Were stripped of plain homespun robes

Cover us now, form us in virtue.

The Place of the Anointing before being buried

This is the prayer said at the end of the eighth station:

Lord Jesus Christ, son of the living God, who at the sixth hour of the day mounted the throne of the Cross for the redemption of the world, and poured forth your precious blood for the forgiveness of our sins, we humbly pray you that after our death the gates of heaven will open and you will joyfully welcome us.

There are others, but I do not want to make it too long!

Lutheran Church of the Redeemer

Just a few weeks ago the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer opened to the public some new excavations made beneath the Church and an adjacent Museum. These excavations are very well presented – German style! The importance of these excavations are linked particularly with the Second Wall built by Herod the Great. This wall has so far eluded archaeologists. It is important in order to establish that the site of the Golgotha was truly outside of the City Walls. Up to now, although archaeologists have not found a trace of the wall, it is commonly agreed that it passed somewhere close to the Muristan region. These excavations included a new shaft all the way to the natural stone. This has confirmed that the area, where the Holy Sepulchre is, lies outside the city wall in the time of Jesus.

The Dome of the Rock with its esplanade
and the Mt of Olives from the Bell Tower of the Redeemer's Church

Afterwards we had the opportunity to climb the Bell Tower which gives you a great view of Jerusalem. Unfortunately, yesterday was a rainy day so the view – although marvelous – was somehow dampened.

The Domes of the Holy Sepulchre
and the Church of San Salvatore in the background

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Latin American community is celebrating today (December 12) the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patron Saint of the Americas. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe - Patron of the Americas

A Solemn Mass was celebrated this afternoon at San Salvatore by the Custodian of the Holy Land with the special participation of Latin Americans, and Mexicans in particular. The Mass was celebrated in Spanish with beautiful Spanish songs. Oh how I love them! 

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrated in Jerusalem

There followed a small procession to the Curia of the Custody where a small reception was held with Mexican food! Delicious!

Mexican ... any doubt!

Titbits

Smells – Passing through the narrow streets of Jerusalem one is able to smell so many different smells: from the perfume of incense to the smell of spices to the stench of rubbish still yearning to be picked up.

Faces – beautiful, ugly, smooth, rugged, young, old, smiling, angry, welcoming, suspective …

Invitation (most shops): Welcome! From where are you? Come in. Just look! We speak English, Italian, Polish, Russian … even Maltese sometimes!

Crosses – the person who rents crosses to pilgrims so that they can use them for the Way of the Cross is a Muslim. Probably few persons in the world have carried crosses as much as he did! But ... he does it for at least US$50 each cross!!

14-pointed star of Bethlehem: it is suggested that refers to the three-fold “fourteen generations” of Jesus’ genealogy given in the Gospel of Matthew (1,1-17). The last verse puts emphasis on the “fourteen generations”. The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew has three sections with fourteen generations each.  The place where the breaks are located is significant.  The first break is with David.  Matthew’s Gospel makes the point that Jesus is the “Son of David,” the expected Messiah described in the Old Testament.  The second break is at the exile.  Jesus, as the Saviour, would be born to bring his people out of the exile.

The 14-pointed Star of Bethlehem, where Jesus, the Son of David, was born

Nazareth Mysteries of the Rosary: On Tuesdays, as I said in an earlier blog, Rosary is said in the Basilica of the Annunciation at Nazareth. The following Mysteries especially linked to Nazareth are meditated upon:

 The Annunciation of Mary

The Annunciation of Joseph

Return of the Holy Family to Nazareth

Obedience of Jesus to his Parents

Growth of Jesus in Grace and in Years before God and Man.

Hannukkah: The Jews are celebrating at the moment the Festival of the Hannukkah. It is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights. In Hebrew, the word "hanukkah" means "dedication". The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem in 165 B.C. during the time of the Maccabees. Every year it is customary to commemorate the miracle of the Hanukkah oil by lighting candles on a hanukkiyah (different from the Menorah, which has 7 candles). The hanukkiyah is lit every night for eight nights.

Some streets in Jerusalem are decorated with Hannukkah lights.

According to Jewish law, Hanukkah is one of the less important Jewish holidays. However, Hanukkah has become much more popular in modern practice because of its proximity to Christmas.