Towards the end ...

We've reached the last 2 days of the Jewish Passover. Today the City was packed with Jews from all sects ... all coming to the Wailing Wall to pray. Security was super tight.

Swarths of wild mustard

It's also the beginning of the Orthodox Christian Easter Triduum. The streets are packed ... but not with the annual Greek crowd. Rather it's the Copts from Egypt who're coming by the droves. That's because their pope Shenouda, just died. He had banned pilgrimages to Jerusalem in opposition to the State of Israel but now that he's dead, Copts have taken advantage of this interim and headed for Jerusalem. The Greek economy has dealt a harsh blow to those who would have normally made this journey to Jerusalem for Easter.

Wild wheat & mustard jostling

Spring is giving one last push before the relentless Summer takes over. In every plot of land or crack in the pavement, a fight for survival has reached it's peak. Massive clumps of wild mustard smother everything in sight, while wild wheat ride high above them. Anemones are losing out ... being choked; and the cyclamen have called defeat once the heat came on a few weeks back. The clash of colours can be violent to the eyes ... but then, it only reflects the violent struggle for survival by the peoples of this region. It ultimately is a fight between life and death - as in the words of the Easter sequence Victimae Pascalis Laudes : "Mors et vita duello, conflixere mirando; dux vitae mortuus regnat vivuus".

Maamoul cookies

Homemade maamoul

Easter time means eating kaik maamoul. It's an arabic pastry made of semolina, dashed with rose water, orange blossom water, and filled with pistachios or dates. And they represent the crown of thorns (round with a hole in the centre) and the sponge with which vinegar was dipped and given to Jesus on the cross (the oval shaped one). Pretty significant cookies.

I've been having severe asthma attacks for the past 3 nights - mainly because of the broken septum in the left nostril. I realised I can't breathe at all with the left nostril ... and the blood and mucuous that flow down my windpipe cause the asthma. I need to sit up if I must breathe. Now I dread going to bed every night - it's a nightmare.

Maamoul at Rossini's

But this evening I had a good laugh with my friend Firas from Bethlehem ... we chatted on the phone as usual every evening. He also can't breathe with his left nostril and needs a surgery to correct it ... like me. But he wants a total makeover - to correct his flat feet, his problematic stomach ... I realised he's got the same health problems as I. No wonder we're such good friends ... we suffer from the same illnesses!! Anyway we're competing to see which of us would get our nose surgery done first.

Well it makes eating maamoul more significant these days, I guess .... like every night it's my crown of thorns and sponge of vinegar.

Easter Monday

Today solemn Mass is celebrated in Emmaus (also known as Qubeibeh) ... amd we recall the two disciples meeting the resurrected Christ along their way home. After Mass the Custos would distribute bread among the faithful. Well I hope you'll meet Christ along your way home too - if you just stay put, you'll never get to meet him.

Musicians at Jaffa Gate

Pesach (Passover) is in its 3rd day - and this means the Priestly blessing at the Wailing Wall. Traffic was halted for several hours, police and soldiers everywhere, thousands of Jews descended on the Wailing Wall to receive the blessing by Jewish priests. The Old City was packed to the brim ... jews for the blessing and Christians for Easter / Holy Week in the case of the Orthodox churches. In the afternoon, festivities were organised at Jaffa Gate - musicians, choirs ... lots of stuff.

Yummy shaqshuqa with Pesach bread

Yesterday I had a brunch that I did not intend. Had just returned from the usual Sunday 5km walk with Buscemi ... it's practically me accompanying him. But just about 1km away from home, received a call from a friend who needed help to transfer some money home in Latin America. As he's absolutely new and speaks no english or any other language other than spanish, he wanted me to help him. So rushed home, left my knapsack and returned to find him and accompanied him about 2 km to get his job down. I was utterly exhausted, knees were aching and it was a boiling 28 degrees. As luck would have it, he being a total greeny here, he brought no documents - nothing - so Western Union couldn't do the transfer for him. I was quite furious with him for making me walk all the way, and even after telling him to bring all the documents, he did not. Anyway in all the disappointment, I decided to cool down and make peace ... the poor chap was almost crying, and sweating lots and his hands were shaking. It was traumatic for him in an Israeli bureaucratic machine that doesn't understand his language. So I brought him to Cafe Hillel on Hillel Street and ordered a shaqshuqa to share. It was nice ... poached eggs in tomato sauce and spices, with Passover bread (bread without leaven). And it was good that he calmed down too.

Shar Pei joy

On the way home, I saw the most adorable sight in all these years. No, I didn't meet the resurrected Christ. But I came across the cutest Shar Pei puppy in Jerusalem. It kept right on sleeping even though we moved it around and pulled its cheeks. Well if meeting the resurrected Christ like in the story of Emmaus, is meant to bring joy and hope, then the Shar Pei puppy certainly did .... God works in mysterious ways.

El Masih qam!!

Easter morning ... the Christian Quarter is stirring with excitement. Shuffling feet along the streets, hushed whispers, shadows drifting ... almost like the furtive Christians of the first centuries in the catacombs. Something was happening ... a public conspiracy ... everyone seemed to know something was happening somewhere; everyone was heading for the same place. But no one was saying word.

From the 5th Station ....

At 3.15am I woke up and prepared to go to the Holy Sepulchre. The muezzin had begun singing the first call to prayer. At 3.30am I was opening the gates of our courtyard ... the muezzin began the second call to prayer with the recitation of the Koran; very very loud, piercing the silence of the City ... but we know that the silence of this Easter Morning is even more powerful than this muslim call. It's the silence of Eternal Life. A warm and strong wind was blowing ... and outside two Israeli security men were checking the exit of their tunnel to the Wailing Wall.

Walked down the Way of the Cross to the 5th Station ... dark, quiet, no one in sight. Went further up till the 7th Station and then I saw people moving quietly towards the Holy Sepulchre like me. I had to reach the Tomb ... for you. In the entire world at that moment, I was probably the only person you know who can do this. And I had to do this for you ... to rush to the Tomb before sunrise and find it empty.

At the Empty Tomb this morning

Reached the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre around 3.50am ... went up Mt. Calvary to say a prayer. Several people were there in silent prayer. The atmosphere was electrifying. Silence is so powerful.

I prepared to celebrate Mass at 4am sharp - the first Mass of Easter Sunday in the Holy Sepulchre basilica. I was practically alone, yet I could feel the world was present here in the very place where it actually took place. Yes the Tomb is Empty ... he is truly risen. I offered the Mass using the 1st Eucharistic Canon, and remembered each and everyone of you, living and dead ... for here in the place of the Resurrection there are no more living and dead, Jew or pagan, man or woman - all are one in the Resurrected Lord.

After Mass I went to the Altar of Mary Madalene where she clung to Jesus when he appeared to her. Recited Lauds there. It was about 4.40am by then. The first rays of sunlight had broken the darkness. Jews were hurrying to the Wailing Wall for their Passover prayers, muslims walk towards the Al Aqsa mosque. Yes the silence of the Empty Tomb is powerful ... it roars louder than all the calls to prayer or all the sacrifices of lambs. I can tell you because I've been to the Tomb at 4am ... it's empty and silent. He's risen, he's truly risen. Christos anesti! Alethos anesti! El messih qam! Hakan qam!!!!

Harrowing of Hell

Today is Holy Saturday which is traditionally the Harrowing of Hell. That's when Christ descended into Sheol to release all the souls of the past, awaiting the redemption of the messiah. It's in the Apostles' Creed. Orthodox icons show Christ stomping on the gates of hell while raising up Adam and Eve.

The Easter Vigil, strangely enough, is celebrated not at night as with the rest of the world, but in the morning today in the Holy Sepulchre. So Easter has already started for us here on Holy Saturday morning.

Coptic Orthodox procession

For the Orthodox churches, it's the beginning of Palm Sunday - the Saturday liturgy being Lazarus Day and the Palm procession in the Holy Sepulchre taking place in the afternoon. There was a crowd but much smaller than the Roman liturgy last week.

The difference of one week between our Easter and the Orthodox is a relief, as the crush of devotees is much more controllable and the confusion and babble of liturgies taking place at the same time is much lessened.

My Easter hot cocoa

I have not been feeling well the past 2 days. That's because I forgot to close the windows when I slept on Thursday night. We're having a hamsin (heatwave) here with temperatures going up to 28 degrees. But then I caught a dreadful cold with fever the next morning. Then I had the diarrhea as well. So I had to avoid long liturgies. Then this morning I hurt my back while cleaning my room. Painful. Anyway being stuck in my room all this time in the heatwave is awful while everyone else was out in the Holy Sepulchre celebrating. So I went out for a short walk to the Holy Sepulchre in the afternoon and had a hot cocoa at the pizzeria in Latin Patriarchate street. The guy did up a cross on the froth because it was Easter.

Good Friday

Basilica of the Agony in background

The ancient olive grove in Getsemani

Yesterday night I went down to the Garden of Gethsemane at 9pm. Prayers in several languages were said with psalms and readings from the gospels. It was very very crowded. Local Christians from the Territories had come along as well, so most of the readings were in arabic. Unfortunately hoards of tourists also came, not to pray but to take photos, laugh and chat at the top of their voices, spoiling the whole solemn prayer atmosphere. And I'm not afraid to say it: they're americans. There were many of us seated on the ground, out around the ancient olive grove listening to the prayers inside the basilica and praying but these pagan tourists had simply no respect. Walked all over us, laughing, eating. One utterly unbearable couple of girls actually sat in the middle of a praying group and laughed for a whole 20 minutes. Everyone kept glaring at them but being so thick-skinned, they continued with their disrespectful behaviour. I finally got up and told them to keep quiet. And they did. Otherwise I would have no qualms in kicking them out.

Immense crowds outside the basilica

Otherwise it was a deeply profound experience. Much more so as I was with a couple of my students, some who will be graduating this year so it's their last occasion to spend Maundy Thursday in the Garden.

Full moon above

I prayed for each and everyone of you there among the ancient olive trees.

Early this morning, I made the Way of the Cross, in order to avoid the huge crowds that will come later in the morning. Walked the whole 800 metres, remembering you all and praying for each of you. Started at 6am but already many many people had begun the Way of the Cross. The street was quite crowded. Ended at the Holy Sepulchre whre crowds were waiting for the doors to open.

At the 5th and 6th Stations, I prayed especially for all of you, helpers and benefactors of our poor in the Holyland, just like Simon of Cyrene and Veronica.

Crowds waiting at the Holy Sepulchre

Bridgettine nuns at Way of Cross

Indonesian group at 2nd Station

I'm not going to the Funeral Service this evening, where a statue of Christ is taken down form the cross on Mt. Calvary and carried in procession to the Tomb - all within the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. It will be very very crowded and the doors of the Basilica will be closed. I'm afraid my diarrhea might get the better of me and I'd be in big trouble, caught in the middle of the liturgy with the doors locked from the outside.

Egg/veggie submarine

Meanwhile I had to control the crowds back at the Condemnation Chapel as too many people were coming in to start the Way of the Cross at 8am onwards. Then at 11am I made some sandwiches for some volunteers who had no lunch. Did 4 submarines - vegetarian and egg/tuna which I think the guys liked. It'll be their only meal for the day while they work hard in crowd control under the very hot sun. They cannot attend the liturgies because by sacrificing their time, they help make the visits of others more profitable and memorable. I think I did a good deed today by caring for the carers.

Pesach eve

Pesach scrubbing at a restaurant

Tomorrow evening is the start of Pesach or the Jewish Passover. Somehow I feel it's a lot more subdued than previous years. Perhaps it's because of the recent bombings and violence throughout the country; perhaps it's also because of the tensions within Jewish society between seculars and ultra-orthodox.

The only signs of Pesach is the big time scrubbing of restaurants throughout the City. Chairs and tables are brought out into the streets, sprayed down and scrubbed of all leaven. In some stricter restaurants, they would even use a handheld burner to burn down the surface of furniture, walls and floor so that all traces of leaven are burnt off.

Coincidentally the Jewish Pesach and our Catholic Pesach falls one day apart - we call it Maundy Thursday of course.

Crowns of thorns

The Mass of the Lord's Supper was presided by the Patriarch at the Holy Sepulchre this morning. It combines the blessing of Chrism. Tonight at 9pm, there will be prayers in the garden of Gethsemani. Will go there to say a prayer for all of you.

Tomorrow begins the Way of the Cross and the Tenebrae service on Mt. Calvary to the Tomb. Wondrously all the cacti are blooming this week ... the flowers grow in a ring, resembling a crown of thorns. So apt for Good Friday.