Holy Wednesday

Chapel with the Flagellation
column

 It's Holy Wednesday today and there was the traditional veneration of the Column of the Flagellation. That's a purple column believed to be the one Jesus was tied to when he was scourged. Half of it is now in Malta and the other half is here in the Holy Sepulchre basilica. The Crusaders when retreating from Saladin's army in the 13th century,  carried one half to Malta.

The ceremony begins with mid-morning prayer, a procession around the Empty Tomb and then a procession to the Blessed Sacrament chapel to venerate the Column. It's a nice tradition that takes place nowhere else in the world.

The Column

Veneration

I'm still replacing my librarian who's undergoing an operation in hospital. So I can't join in the Chrism Mass and the Lord's Supper at the Holy Sepulchre tomorrow morning. Not that I want to anyway ... I'm not vaccinated. Nowadays you need to show your green pass in order to enter a church and join in the celebrations.

Tomorrow will be another tiring day at work. I'll sleep early tonight. Will pray for you all herre in Jerusalem.

Holy Tuesday

5th Station Mass

Yesterday ... Holy Monday ... is the only day in the year when Masses are allowed in the 5th Station of the Cross "Simon helps Jesus carry the Cross." I booked for the 7am slot ... each Mass is given 30 minutes before the next Mass. A nice crowd of english speakers came ... an american layman, 7 MC sisters, 2 PDDM sisters, 2 chinese sisters, 1 Teresian sister, 2 Maria Bambina sisters and another layman. The chapel was crowded. It was a good celebration and everyone felt privileged to be able to celebrate Mass in the little chapel. Since there was no one who booked the 7.30am slot, I celebrated a 2nd Mass for another group of sisters who came later.

Today my librarian at the other library had gone to the doctor's. With no other workers, I had to stay at work till closing time. It was exhausting. I managed also to deal with payments for book orders at the Finance Dept., then went to book a room at our hostel for a student from Haifa University who wants to come and join in the Triduum celebrations, planted some geraniums in the library garden and dug up lots of flowering bulb from a broken pot and gave them to 2 accountants at our Finance Dept. 

After closing the library at 5pm, I went to Mian restaurant to buy fried rice. I was famished. A box of fried rice costs US$20. It's expensive ... but that's life here. No other restaurant was open because it"s the Jewish Passover and no leaven is allowed, so restaurants close for 8 days. After eating the takeaway in my office, I walked the 1km home. It's freezing cold. Forecast says 5 degrees but it feels like 1 degree. I wasn't dressed enough and my only help was my scarf to keep my neck warm. 

Well tomorrow is Holy Wednesday and I have more work. Early bedtime for me.

Palm Sunday

 

Palm Procession yesterday

Yesterday was Palm Sunday. But because I'm not vaccinated, I cannot join in public celebrations. So I celebrated Mass on my own at 4.30am and stayed mostly in my room all day except to throw out the garbage at 6am. It was very heavy and consisted of a huge trash bag with 3 boxes of stuff. 

Everybody in the house however were busy preparing to go for the Palm Procession from the village of Bethpage up on the Mt of Olives down to the Old City. It's a little over 1km and roads are blocked by police to stop traffic from disrupting the procession. And this year it was packed with people ... since last year the procession was cancelled due to the pandemic lockdown. This year there were no tourists but local christians came in droves from all over the country to make up for it.

Patriarch enters the Old City

Though in my room, I could hear the singing and banging of drums from the Mt of Olives. It must have been very festive and joyous and I was tempted more than once to go down to Gethsemani and watch it as it passed by the basilica. But without vaccination, I risked catching the virus in such a huge crowd. So I stayed in my room.

Here are some photos taken by others of the procession.

Patriarch blesses
Jerusalem

Franciscans

At Bethpage before the start

Lazarus day

Spring flowers on Bible Hill

It's chilly today. It didn't go beyond 10 degrees today but it actually feels much colder because the wind is very strong and extremely cold. I had a woollen pullover under a woollen hoodie and I was still freezing. I hope it won't last too long. Holy Week in the cold is not very inspiring.

Today is Lazarus Day. It recalls the revival of Lazarus - which should be a week ago - which provoked the Jewish Priests to decide to kill Jesus. In the meantime Jesus went to hide in the village of Taybe till Palm Sunday when he came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey. There was solemn Mass today at the tomb of Lazarus this morning.

Snail crossing the path

Meantime I'll have to figure out what to do during the Triduum. I can't join in the main celebrations so maybe I'll have to participate online. 

The cold is giving me a headache. My nose is no longer black-and-blue though the pain is still there. It\s crooked at the upper bridge and feels uncomfortable. But it's not hampering my breathing ... so thank God for that. 

Recollection

Recollection Day

Rain, blustery winds and daytime temp, as low as 8 degrees. What a weather we're having. Last week hot humid sandstorm with temp. up to 26 degrees. This massive swings play havoc with your health. I'm just glad I had my flu shots in winter. I haven't had the sniffles all winter unlike most of the guys in my house.

Today I organised a half day Lenten recollection and afternoon excursion to some unknown spots around the Capuchin Friary where we met. It was good ... a small group of religious living in Jerusalem came. It was a trial run to see if it worked. 13 of us met up and we had a good time. The talk was appreciated and the excursion included St. Modestus monastery (ruins), Bible hill and the Herodian tombs. The rain and winds didn't dampen the group which insisted on continuing the trip. Bible hill was full of mustard shrubs in flower, wild barley and St. Anne's lace. I guess it's too early for the stunning red anemones as only a dozen were in blossom. usually the dot the entire hillside. The Herodian Tombs date to them time of Christ and still are intact with a large rolling stone over its entrance. 

Bible hill in the rain

The sisters and priests were pleased with a day out ... after 1 year of lockdown ... it was good to get some fresh air in the large grounds of the Capuchin Friars, even in the rain. A good stretch of the legs. We walked almost 5km back home. I was so exhausted I fell asleep and woke up late for our house meeting to decide on the timetable for Holy Week celebrations.

Holy Week starts in 48 hours. I'll not be able to join in many celebrations as I'm not vaccinated. A certificate of vaccination is requires for entering churches. I'm practically still under lockdown.

Feast eve

Annunciation feast

Fooled by the weather again. It looked so promising with the hot weather the past 2 days ... and then today it dropped by 10 degrees. The wind is blustery and extremely cold ... and it should rain tonight. Winter clothes are back ... blankets are back ... woollen beanies are back. The worst part is the sandstorm is still blowing so it's a double pronged attack. Many people are sniffling and coughing because of this strange mixture of weather.

This afternoon I went to the Holy Sepulchre and joined in chanting solemn vespers for the feast of the Annunciation. There was incensing in the Empty Tomb as well because of the solemnity. And the organ was played. Very grand.

Solemn procession to the Tomb

It just occurred to me that Holy Week starts in 3 days! Wow ... I'm hardly prepared for it. The Jewish Passover coincides with Palm Sunday and the last day of the jewish feast coincides with Holy Saturday. I hope there'll be no lockdown. Anyway it won't bother me as I'm not inoculated so I can't join in church celebrations with more than 20 people.

Anyway I prayed for you all inside the Empty Tomb. May Easter bring a new beginning for everyone ... beginning with the end of the pandemic. We pray for it everyday at vespers.

Elections

At the Holy Sepulchre

The sandstorm is worse today. Though it rained for a couple of minutes this morning, it hardly washed away the dust from the air. I think it's 27 degrees at its peak, but the humidity is oppressive ... and the sand!!! I went to make the Way fo the Cross but when I reached the Holy Sepulchre, I had sand in my eyes, nose, ears, mouth. You can literally rub the sand off your lips. My specs had a film of sand and I couldn't see what I was reading. And forecasters say it'll continue for the rest of week unless it rains on Friday.

Almost everyone I know has a green pass now ... that means they can go to shopping malls, concerts, churches, gyms etc. And therefore they can join in the Holy Week services in church. I'll be left out. I'm still considering getting the vaccination .... but something deep inside says I may not survive it.

Mounted police on the watch

Today is election day. All citizens get a day off and the Old City is packed with local israelis on group tours. Tour guides are shouting out their explanations even though there's no one disturbing them or drowning them out. They must have lost getting used to hearing their own voices after a year's lockdown. Muslims are also flocking into the Old City to offset the Israeli presence. It's tense.

Anyway for the past week I've been getting lots of messages telling me to vote and which party to choose. Big choices ... except I can't vote. Anyway police are out in force today just in case there'd be clashes between rival parties. I'll watch the outcome tonight ... probably in the night at 3am. Bracing for no surprises.