Triduum

Thousands stuck at the 2nd Station
of the Cross due to police block

Holy Thursday and Good Friday saw utter chaos in the Old City. The police decided to close off the City Gates and all streets leading to the Holy Sepulchre. Entry by tickets only. You can imagine the thousands of orthodox "pilgrims" fuming and getting testing as they cannot enter the Church. The police also closed off our house entrance. Groups could not proceed from the 2nd Station to the 3rd Station of the Cross because of the road block. Tempers were high. I was caught there for half an hour, unable to move forward or back. Finally after yelling for help, my security friends came to my rescue ... plus our doorman Majed. It was hell just trying to move 5 feet back into our courtyard without getting crushed by the human wave.

Veneration of the Cross
at St. Anthony's

I went to my other community in Jaffa for the liturgy. Mass of the Lord's Supper was with the Indian community - celebrated in Konkani which I don't understand. A good 600 people showed up. It ended around 9pm and I had to rush back to Jerusalem because in the morning I have chores to do - water the plants, feed the birds, clean the courtyard. Then on Good Friday, after surviving the great crush at our door (see above),  I was at St. Anthony's parish for the Veneration of the Cross. A small crowd there though. But it was good to be with a congregation.

Being the jewish Passover holidays, there was a special bazaar at the piazza in front of St. Peter's Church, and open-air tango classes. Didn't quite fit the solemn Good Friday mood ... but they're not christians, so they won't know.

We still have the Easter Vigil to celebrate ... then the Triduum is complete. We'll see whether there'll be road blocks tonight.