Garden of Gethsemane

After our welcome to the city, we made our first pilgrim stop in Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane. There are olive trees there estimated to be about 1000 years old but whose roots are likely those of the trees there at the time of Jesus. So, yes, this is what the garden would have looked like. The place where Jesus left Peter, James and John (a stones throw away) was just across the street. Inside the Church of All Nations we celebrated Mass on the altar just behind the stone on which Jesus sweated blood and where the angels ministered to him. This is where he faced a temptation like that of Adam and Eve and stood faithful - he crushed the head of Satan. Here on this spot... Amazing!

Overview:
There are two shrines to consider the Agony of Christ at the Garden of Gethsemane. The first is the cave called the Grotto of Betrayal next to the Tomb of the Blessed Mother. This is the cave where the eight apostles remained while Jesus, Peter, James and John went a “stone’s throw away” (Luke 21:42) to pray as well as the scene of Jesus’ arrest
The second is Garden of Gethsemane, an enclosed grove of olive trees and the Basilica of the Agony or Church of All Nations. A Byzantine church was built in the 4th century with beautiful mosaics but destroyed by the Persians in 614. The Crusaders built another church in 1170. The present church was rebuilt over the Byzantine church in 1925.

THE AGONY (Luke 22:39-53)
Then going out he went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he arrived at the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not undergo the test." After withdrawing about a stone's throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done." (And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.)

After Mass we headed for our Hotel, The Jerusalem Gate, our home for the rest of the trip. It is a Jewish section of the modern city so we encountered the celebration of the end of the Sabbath when we arrived on Saturday evening.

Welcome to Jerusalem

View of the Old City and ceremonial welcome.

Jericho

Entry into Jericho required that we leave our bus and tour guide and get a replacement for a few hours as we passed the check-point into the West Bank. Our first stop was the tree of Zaccheaus. It was not very impressive and the merchants hounded us. Nevertheless, it was a tree like this which Zaccheaus climbed to see Jesus and it was somewhere in this city where he turned his life over to God and followed Jesus.

Next we went to the restaurant for a large buffet meal. From the top of this restaurant we could view remains of the the old city of Jericho. Many of us also enjoyed a short ride on a camel.

Historical background:
JERICHO is some 7,000 years old, one of the oldest cities in the world. It is certainly the oldest in Israel. There are two sites or tels in the city. The ancient tel is tel-el-Sultan and the modern tel is the one that Herod built across the Wadi Kelt and west of the present modern Jericho. Jericho was a city built by nomads and was a fortified city by 7000B.C.E. One of the modern meanings given for Jericho is a “Place of fragrance”. Probably because that many of the perfumes used in the temple came from Jericho.

Beit Shean

We visited the largest excavation in Israel, with the Roman hot baths and Theater. This city was built during the Greek era of the Polis in which security was not an issue. Therefore, it did not have any city walls. However, on the hilltop there were ruins of several cities through the ages, allegedly over 20 layers of ruins. A few of the younger ones ran up the hill to view them.

Jesus may have visited this city on his way from Galilee in the north to the south, Jericho and Jerusalem.

Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan

Not the real location...

Cana of Galilee

We got an early start, prayed Morning Prayer on the bus, and arrived in Cana when the Church opened at 8am. We visited the crypt where the miracle of the changing of the water to wine happened and were surprised to see a typical jar for purification waters made of stone rather than clay. Then the married couples renewed their wedding vows and we prayed for them, for those who are widowed, divorced and struggling in marriage. Afterwards, we tasted Cana wine and did a little shopping.


Wedding: First Sign
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." (And) Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.