Easter Tuesday

Coptic christians lighting candles
at the Holy Sepulchre

It's Easter Tuesday and celebrations continue. But it's also the Orthodox Holy Week and so there was a sense of solemnity and sobriety. The Orthodox fast by eating only vegetables for 40 days. This year there is a marked increase in Egyptian pilgrims. Eastern european orthodox came in second. Markedly missing are the greek groups.

Yesterday's visit to the Holy Sepulchre verified that the Coptic egyptian pilgrims are the largest group this year.

Anglican cathedral in Jerusalem

I also visited the Anglican cathedral and was surprised to find them exactly like any catholic church ... with Easter Candle and other things. The female pastor was very kind and turned on all the lights so we could see the cathedral in detail.

Today I went to Bethlehem for Mass and now I am very tired from the journey and work. Hope tomorrow I can get some rest.

Emmaus

Easter full moon over Damascus Gate

Easter Sunday was quiet. Many communities especially the protestants had sunrise services. These usually take place on the roofs and terraces of their buildings where the sunrise can be seen over the Mt. of Olives. Those people who did not attend the Easter Vigil went to the Holy Sepulchre for the morning Mass where the resurrection was announced. Very touching.

Mass in Emmaus

Today being Easter Monday, we go to Emmaus to commemorate the Risen Christ's meeting with his 2 disciples. Solemn Mass was celebrated by the Custos and after Mass he distributed blessed bread to everyone. Hundreds of locals went to join in. It's very difficult to enter Emmaus today as it's surrounded by a jewish settlement. Entry is allowed after an appeal is made to the police and they grant permission. On Easter Monday they allow busloads to enter so many people who otherwise have no opportunity to see Emmaus, join in. There are no more christians in Emmaus except 2 convents of german nuns. One convent runs a clinic and the other a home for the aged. Everyone in the village is a muslim.

I am proud to say I was once the parish priest of Emmaus. Not many priests can say that. Back in 1995 the superior of Emmaus had suddenly died and the vicar had a heart attack. The Custos back then asked me to go to Emmaus and help out till they could find a permanent substitute. Those were the best moments in my life in the Holy Land. Though it was the Intifada and Emmaus was a hotbed of rebellion, I found it a wonderful experience and actually that was when I learned arabic. Had no choice. Everyone else spoke only arabic.

The basilica in Emmaus is Crusader and there was a bishop there. Today the See is titular and the auxiliary bishop of Jerusalem is usually the titular bishop of Emmaus.

This morning ten thousand jews gathered at the Wailing Wall to receive the blessing of the jewish priests. Security was tight. Police helicopters flew overheard all morning while police were numerous in the streets.  http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/in-israel/local/100000-gather-for-priestly-blessing-35312

While for us the Paschal Triduum is over, the Orthodox churches are just starting Holy Week. Thousands of russians and egyptian copts are gathering in the City .... crowding our courtyard and chapels. The police don't seem to care to control the traffic like what they did for us Catholics. Our street and the rest of the Via Dolorosa is totally congested and extremely unpleasant.

Holy Saturday

Removing the Crown of Thorns on
Mt. Calvary

The very cold weather continued all night as many people gathered into the Holy Sepulchre at 8pm to  celebrate the Funeral Service. It's a very long service ... over 2 hours. It's dotted with readings from the Scriptures at various junctions in the Holy Sepulchre ... read in different languages, and a very long sermon on arabic for the local christians. This service used to be the ancient Mystagogy where the bishop instructed the candidates of baptism with catechism.

Custos anointing the body of Christ

Then the statue of the Crucified is brought up to Mt. Calvary where each instrument of the crucifixion is removed and carried by acolytes away. The body is then brought down from the cross and carries in a shroud to the Stone of Unction where the Custos anoints it with myrrh, nard and frankincense. These were blessed in Bethany on Holy Tuesday. The body is then carried into the Tomb and laid inside together with a ciborium of the Eucharist. Then silent adoration starts all night outside the Tomb till this morning when the Easter Vigil was celebrated.

Easter Candle is blessed

Yes it sounds strange but only in Jerusalem is the Easter Vigil celebrated in the morning. The Apostolic Administrator (we don't have a Patriarch) presided the solemn liturgy. The fire, Easter Candle and Water were blessed in front of the Tomb. The resurrection was then announced in front of the Tomb. It was very significant ... in fact it can only happen here. Everything in the liturgy takes on a deeper meaning when performed here in front of the Tomb where the Resurrection actually happened 2000 years ago.

Holy Water is blessed

Well we've been hearing one comment throughout this week's liturgies ... there was not enough space. Too many clergy have participated so the laity have no place. The benefit of course is for the laity to experience the fullness of the liturgy. Unfortunately this week, most of the laity could not see much of it because the clergy surrounded the altar and blocked the view.

The rest of us who didn't join in the Holy Sepulchre liturgy will be celebrating it in our own communities in the various languages.

On a national level, with the enormous boom of christian tourists in the Holy Land, a jewish right wing minister was perturbed that the country's jewish character was being shadowed so he's pushing for the State to "jewify" the country with jewish signs and symbols in all public places. His sene of security or lack of ... is very deep seated.   https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/upset-with-israel-s-muslim-christian-look-minister-aims-for-change-1.5962107

The deaths of 16 gazans during yesterday's protests against Israel is turning into an international affair. Well videos showing arab rioters shot in the back is not going to help Israel. But to be fair, the Gazans were not ""peaceful" and sending children to the frontline is against all rules of warfare. Hamas must be condemned for that.

Good Friday

Hollywood on Via Dolorosa

It's Good Friday and the weather was as suitable as it could get: grey skies, drizzle, cold gusty winds. It was miserable weather. But that did not deter the crowds. By 7am hundreds of pilgrims and tourists were crowding into our courtyard. By 8am the police moved in to block off the street with metal barriers. I had to quickly get out of the Old City to the Garden of Gethsemane because I had an appointment there. I was only worried I couldn't come home if the entire road is closed off. All the alleys in our Quarter have been blocked off. Car entry is limited tor residents of the Quarter only.

Flagellation chapel
on Good Friday

I spent 2 hours in the hermitage of Gethsemane and then at 10am I came home. It was very cold and wet and walk uphill to St. Stephan's Gate was very slippery. The street had many police blockades. I managed to pass the first 2 but the further ones became very restrictive. Groups were stopped at the blockades but luckily the police allowed individuals to pass. The groups were stopped at each blocked in order to stagger the groups entry into the Way of the Cross so that overcrowding could be avoided. When a group left our church, the police allowed the next group to enter and the group in the blockade further down moved up in turn.

As usual Hollywood had to creep into the solemn feast of the Lord's Passion. Characters dressed up and re-enacting the carrying of the Cross. Only problem was the police were not impressed. These characters (all american) had to stop at all the blockades and wait their turn.

Well the Jewish Passover also began today. That's why security is so tight. It;s also the start of the March of Return. The palestinians are marching to all the Israeli borders demanding a right to return to their properties and land that are being occupied by Israelis since the 1948 and 1968 wars. The Israeli army was on high alert at all the border checkpoints. Thousands of arabs swarmed the border. 8 arabs were shot dead at the Gaza border and many injured when the Israeli army fired. This is just the beginning ... the protest will continue for a month, confronting Israel's 70th year of founding, Independence Day and the arab Nakba (catastrophe) Day. It'll only get worse.   https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5210347,00.html

After the Chief Rabbi of Israel compared africans to monkeys, there were protests from many quarters of Judaism. Now the Justice Ministry is considering action against the Chief Rabbi. Well we all know it's just talk ... no one dares act against the Chief Rabbi. It's a publicity stunt to satisfy the rest of society who were outraged by the remarks.  http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Watchdog-considers-action-after-chief-rabbi-compares-black-people-to-monkeys-547427

Maundy Thursday

Archbishop washes the feet of others

It's Maundy Thursday. Early in the morning int he Holy Sepulchre, the clergy gather with the bishops in front of the Empty Tomb to celebrate the blessing of the Chrism Oils. The priests will renew their promises to the Archbishop and express their common priesthood shared with the bishop. Then unlike all other churches around the world, here in the Holy Sepulchre, the Lord's Supper is also celebrated in the same liturgy. The Archbishop washed the feet of 12 priests. The rest of the world celebrates this in the evening.

I stayed at home instead of going to the liturgy. There are only a limited amount of places for the clergy so we usually let those visiting priests and students to participate. We celebrated the Lord's Supper at 5.30pm as many other chapels do. That's because at 7pm we have to go to the Garden of Gethsemani to spend time in adoration until midnight.

The Custos washes the feet of boys

At 3pm the Custos and the friars gathered in the Last Supper Room to perform the Washing of Feet and pay Vespers.

But one strange event disrupted all our plans ... a storm brought out. Temperatures dropped drastically to 9 degrees and a very strong shower fell on Jerusalem. The wind was very gusty. Luckily I did not go to Gethsemani. I would have been sick by the drench and cold. The adoration is covered by live telecast so you can watch it on live broadcast.

Tomorrow we will be fasting the whole day. Rain is again predicted in the morning so the Way of the Cross will be a wet affair. Couple this with the start of the Jewish Passover and you can imagine what our street will look like. I dread it. My dream of escaping to Jaffa has been burned. I had to stay back home to work. Utter dread.

In a bizarre twist, Israeli police arrested a 3 yr old toddler for throwing stones. Read all about it.   https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-border-police-briefly-detain-three-year-old-palestinian-in-hebron-1.5957776

Then yesterday an extreme jewish group performed the slaughter of the Passover lamb along the staircase that once led to the Temple Mount. This is forbidden by jewish Law because there is no altar nor Temple for this sacrifice. The police are disturbed but they will not arrest anyone. The group even posted leaflets in arabic warning muslims not to come near this group or it's "sacrifice".  https://www.janglo.net/index.php?option=com_adsmanager&page=display&catid=99&tid=441492

On a really good note, the Bar Ilan university has created an app to save allergy sufferers like me. It locates similar sufferers around you so when you get an attack but do not have an EpiPen available, the person closest will be alerted to share his//her EpiPen to save your life. I like this.   https://www.janglo.net/index.php?option=com_adsmanager&page=display&catid=99&tid=441540

Holy Wednesday

The purple column in
the middle of flowers

As with tradition on Holy Wednesday, the column of the flagellation was venerated in the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in the Holy Sepulchre Basilica. The purple "porphora" column is believed to be the place where Jesus was tied and flogged. It is now in 2 pieces ... one here in Jerusalem and the other half in Malta. Today's ritual followed the daily procession in the Holy Sepulchre, and there were specific hymns and prayers said in front of the column. Then people were allowed to climb up a 4 step ladder to reach the column and kiss it. Today the niche where the column is kept was filled with flowers.

Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday so there is no morning Mass. The clergy will join the bishops at the Holy Sepulchre for the Chrism Mass which is combined with the Lord's Supper in the morning. The other churches and chapels will conduct the Lord's Supper in the evening.

The Catholic Church has applied for 600 permits for catholics in Gaza to come out to Jerusalem to celebrate Easter but none have been granted because Israel has tightened the access. It's sad that christians have to pay the price of muslim violence in Israel.  https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5202025,00.html  and   https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-age-limits-bar-gazan-christians-from-entering-israel-on-easter-1.5956171

The column

Tourists have continued to come ... a lot of americans. Germans and french tend to come as families and individuals instead of groups. Eastern cahotlccs have also been coming a lot ... ukrainians and romanian byzantine catholics. Soon the orthodox churches will also send pilgrims for their Holy Week next week. The jews have already arrived from overseas to celebrate the Passover. So you can imagine how crowded the Old City has become. One good thing this year is the Catholic and Orthodox calendars don't coincide so we have separate dates for Easter. That will ease the congestion in the Holy Sepulchre.

We've been getting news from the streets that Friday will be a violent day. Security is noticeably stepped up today when groups of military police walked up and down our street. Army chiefs have warned of an explosive situation.   https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-idf-chief-of-staff-warns-there-s-a-risk-of-an-escalation-this-year-1.5956331

And in a bizarre case, a jewish settler not only built an airstrip but also landed a private helicopter in an Israeli checkpoint in order to claim the piece of land at the Qalandya crossing with Palestine. He was arrested not because he was a danger and breaking military and security airspace but because the military was  afraid the arabs might stone him. Imagine if an arab flown a helicopter into the checkpoint ... he would ave been shot down immediately, no questions asked.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israeli-settler-lands-helicopter-at-checkpoint-in-attempt-to-seize-it-1.5956163

Rain in the morning

Meantime this morning we all woke up to a surprise ... quite a heavy shower covered the country. It's the last rain for the year and we expect the drought to begin. It's a dreadful prospect and we hope some solution is found to solve the water shortage.

Holy Tuesday

The Custos blessing the myrrh

According to Mark's Gospel, Holy Tuesday is marked by Jesus' testy confrontation with the Sadduccees, scribes and Chief Priests of the Temple. After the final challenge regarding the paying of taxes, his opponents kept silence and planned to kill him. Today our pilgrimage Mass is at Gethsemani ... recalling the passion in the garden.

Yesterday in the Custody, we celebrated the Mass of the raising of Lazarus in Bethany. The Roman Church commemorates the miracle of raising Lazarus from the Dead on Holy Monday and Mass is celebrated next to his tomb. The Orthodox churches celebrate this feast on the Saturday before Palm Sunday. Lazarus continued to live after that miracle and went to Cyprus where he became the first bishop there, and his 2nd tomb is found there. Myrrh, nard and frankincense were blessed during our Mass and these will be used to anoint the statue of the dead Christ on Mt. Calvary on Good Friday.

Mounted Police at the tram tracks

Military police have stepped up its presence in and around the Old City. Mounted police have been policing the streets yesterday and will continue to be around till after Pesach. The jewish Passover (Pesach) falls on the same day as Good Friday ... a rare occurrence ... and therefore security is super tight. I really do hope not to be here during the Triduum because the stress of being blocked at every street and corner, and the noise will be too much for me. The Chinese restaurants will all be closed for the jewish Passover so I won't be able to go there and pass some time away from the Old City. Let's see if there's a way to get out and celebrate the Triduum in peace.

One good news for the Triduum / Pesach ... public buses to Tel Aviv will be cut by 40%. Now that is fantastic. Except now I have to figure out if I have the time to go to Tel Aviv.  https://rejerusalem.com/cost-of-public-transport-from-jerusalem-to-tel-aviv-set-to-decrease/

Right now most jewish houses, restaurants and public places are cleaning out leaven. Blow-torches are used to burn out any trace of yeast on furniture and walls. Let's hope they'll have a good celebration this weekend  as we hope ours will too.