Holy Saturday

Priests and prelates around the Stone
of the Unction 

Christ is Risen! Christos anesti!! That's the greek greeting for Easter but it's said by everyone even if you're not greek. It's Holy Sepulchre and here in the Holy Land the Easter Vigil is celebrated in the morning. Fire is blessed in front of the Stone of the Unction and then the Paschal Candle is lit and brought in front of the Empty Tomb. It's a beautiful liturgy especially when you realise it all happened right here ... in the Empty Tomb 2000 years ago. You can't get as real as that.

The Archbishop with the Gospel and
the Paschal Candle in front of the
Empty Tomb

Roads were closed inside the Old City as early as 5am ... that is, roads leading to the Holy Sepulchre. Hundreds of Ethiopians and Copts were waiting at the barriers at Damascus Gate to enter the Old City, while Catholics waited at New Gate. Many were turned away by the police because the Holy Sepulchre cannot host so many people. I however was going the opposite direction ... out of the City and the police allowed that. I had to go to Jaffa because I had to help with the Indian (Konkani) Mass. A capuchin priest was invited from India to preach the Masses and services throughout Lent and Holy Week. Today Fr Joce and I helped though both of us don't speak konkani. Joe is Tamil and belongs to the Betarram congregation. 7 seminarians from the Salesians were asked to come and help with communion. There were 3000 indians gathered at the indoor stadium in Tel Aviv for this Easter Vigil. The Mass took over 2 and a half hours .... communion itself took 15 minutes. But it was very fulfilling to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ with a community.

Over 2000 indians came for the
Easter Vigil

I was exhausted at the end of the Mass ... and I had hurt my right knee twice during the Mass. After Mass, Charlotte one of the parishioners I know well for many years brought dinner for us priests and seminarians. It was very good ... chicken nasi biryani. Charlotte is a good cook and I like her lamb curry most. Then I still had to return to Jaffa to gather my backpack and then went home by shurut (minibus) which I dislike but I had no choice as there was no other transport available. It was very uncomfortable and there was an ethiopic baby crying all the way.

Anyway it's Easter. Christos anesti! Let's pray that the Resurrected Christ will triumph in Syria and Iraq and Yemen and Egypt. May the christians there no longer suffer persecution.