We arose to a breakfast of cereal, toast, fruit and cheese. We were told to pack a lunch that frankly didn't look all that much different from my breakfast, especially since I opted to refrain from the cereal for "personal" reasons. I engaged the flatbread we were provided for lunch as a suitable alternative. Who knew that all those cheese sandwiches with grandma would pay off. Additionally, tomatoes (good ones too), more cheese, fruit (apples, oranges, and bananas - some of us were missing the Papaya so prevalent during our Mexico trip two years ago.) Water, potato chips, and a wafer cookie bar that reminded me of a take-off of a kit-kat rounded out the meal.
So off we went. This time to the Jaffa Gate. Spirits were high, especially after a full night's sleep in a bed. Modern construction was clearly evident on the drive to the Old City.
So into the city we went. Streets were, as we experienced yesterday, cramped and lined with shopkeepers, many of whom are selling the same wares as the next. Personally, i was surprised with the amount of "western" clothing available in the midst of what is otherwise an area dedicated to the "needs" of tourists. The butcher shop and pastry shop caught my attention each time we passed too.
Our first stop was the pool of Bethesda. John 5:1-9 speaks of this location. Around 150BC - 70AD, it was a popular healing center used for medicinal by those who were "unclean" and therefore barred from the temple. Jesus visited there, asking, "Do you want to be well?" (John 5:6) Don't we all? I considered how many don't even know how, who, or what to ask to become well. I couldn't shake Tori Amos' song Baker Baker, "...make me whole again..."
The site itself has, like many other sites in the holy land, a colored history. First, a Jewish tradition as mentioned above. Then, between 200-400AD, a pagan temple was located on the site. Post Edict of Milan, ~422-458, a large Byzantine church, dedicated to "St. Mary of the Probatic" was built on the site - like over the pools themselves. The ruins can been seen still today, over the ruins of the pools. You can climb down some precarious stairs and look out into the pools. Water still collects there after rain. The church was damaged, repaird, and then completely destroyed around 1100AD.
Around 1130, a romanesque church was built; it fell into disrepair; it was entrusted to the French by the Ottoman Turks as a "thank you" for help in the Crimean War. This current church, St. Ann, commemorates the BVM's parents, Sts Ann and Joachim (memorial July 26th), and is the site where the memory of the birth of the BVM is kept - the site has had the caracter of this double memorial since the Christians built the aforementioned St. Mary church in the 5th century. Frs. Trapp and Byrnes offered Mass at the main altar and we had time to pray without the distraction of other pilgrims. We ate our aforementioned and verbosely described lunch in the courtyard. Both were thanks to the hospitality of the priests who maintain the site. The cats at the site were likewise hospitable, seeking to make friends with us, and investigate the nature of our foodstuffs.
We left and exited the city by the nearby Lion's Gate. From there, it was a short walk down the hill to see the Kidron Valley and the Mount of Olives.
We ascended the hill and re-entered the city through the Lion's gate and made our way to the Holy Sepulcher. Fr. Trapp read some of the history of the site. I noticed the disrepair. The facade has certainly seen better days. On the inside, we can compare the areas maintained by the various churches. The latter was simply depressing, as you can see. However, it did have a highlight for me: a tomb, which according to Assyrian tradition could be the tomb of Christ. Granted, archaeological evidence suggests that the tomb area would have been in another area of the site. These tombs are granite, not limestone. I was happy to investigate the tomb. No angels or wrappings through.
We had some free time, and many of us went looking at the aforementioned tourist catering souvenir shops. "Tourist traps" or "chotch shops" are other names for these heavens for bargain-hunters. For instance, our commercial business-wise Anthony negotiated 36 rosaries for 100 shekels (~$35). And they weren't plastic specials, but rather a simple wooden rosary I would be happy to own. Jewish, Islamic, and Christian religious items are often juxtaposed and intermingled. Potential chalices line the cupboards forlorn among the printed icons and hot glued Jerusalem crosses. Rosaries and crucifixes advertising dirt or rocks from the holy land attract the eye's attention, and perhaps the occasional cynical remark, "if the holy land is a quarry 1000 miles from here." This extravaganza reminds me of the oft attributed to P.T. Barnum quote, "There's a sucker born every minute, and two to take him." Nevertheless, there are diamonds in the rough - and certainly something for every brand, style, and preference. While Barnum may never have uttered the quote above, he did say "there's a customer born every minute," and these shopkeepers are keenly aware of that. So venture in, you'll find what you are looking for. Just don't forget to bargain. Fiercely.
To finish the day's visit: A group photo outside the Jaffa Gate with the Old City in the background, starkly contrasted with the 14 construction cranes visible at first glace in the other directions. An uneventful return to "the compound," prayer, and dinner completed the day. Dinner was a carrot-squash soup, potatoes, peas and carrots, and some processed beef or chicken product. I was really missing the coke machine.
Our men with lost luggage have yet to receive their belongings. That makes for the completion of day 4 with the same clothes. But, recalling that at some points in history, 90% of the pilgrims to the Holy Land did not make it home due to the rigors of travel have steeled these men against the expected and usual complaints. Thanks be to God for showers and other niceties of modern life that we are more than happy to share with our brethren. But we all welcome St. Anthony's work on this one, and hope it doesn't come to St. Jude.
No comments:
Post a Comment