Exploring the Holy Land, to celebrate Christmas in Israel
DATELINE: ISRAEL. We are here now on a pilgrimage and today, we shall explore the Jewish Quarter. As we all know, the Old City is divided into four quadrants, namely, the ARMENIAN QUARTER in the south, the CHRISTIAN QUARTER in the west, the MUSLIM QUARTER in the north, and the JEWISH QUARTER in the east. This last one is perhaps the most important. It is located on a hill that is higher than the Temple Mount. We have to climb up to it but it's worth the effort because it gives us, pilgrims from the Philippines, a vantage point from which we can see a good portion of the many areas surrounding the Old City.
Here in the Jewish Quarter, we see the HOLY SEPULCRE CHURCH and the NEA, two of Jerusalem's largest churches built during the Byzantine era. The CARDO Maximus is a very important road inside the Jewish Quarter. We also see the CHURCH OF ST MARY OF THE TEUTONIC KNIGHTS along Misgac Ladach Street. We also proceed to the RAMBAN SYNAGOGUE of the famous Rabbi Moshe Ben Nachman. The most beautiful is the complex of the FOUR SEPHARDIC SYNAGOGUES named for Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zacchai. One of the four synagogues is named after the prophet Elijah. Then we proceeded to the Western Wall.
The Western Wall is more popularly known as the Wailing Wall. Jews come here to mourn for the loss of their temples. It is the holiest among all Jewish sites and is the most important remnant of the monumental Herodian retaining wall that encloses and still supports the Temple Mount. The lower cracks of the wall contain pieces of paper that contain the prayers of the Jews. Visitors of all religions are welcome to pray. Even Pope St John Paul II and the Dalai Lama prayed before the Wailing Wall. Today, we, the members of our pilgrimage group are joining all other pilgrims from all the corners of the world to pray in such a holy place. This wall was built by King Herod before the birth of Jesus Christ.
Here also, we are visiting the Temple Mount or the Dome of the Rock. This is one of the most historic and most sublime religious sites in the world. In the Islamic world, this is the Haram es Sharif and is claimed as Islam's most amazing architectural achievements. In the heart of the Jewish world, the Islamic people have achieved one of the crowing glories of their architectural geniuses. Here, the AL AQSA MOSQUE is located. It is the third most important mosques in the whole world, after Mecca and Medina. The exterior walls of the dazzling Dome of The Rock are covered by a fantastic facade of Persian blue tiles. This was originally installed by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman in the mid sixteenth century.
From the courtyard of the two adjoining mosques, we can see the beautiful valley of Jehishapat, the UN Government House, the biblical Mount of Olives, the Russian Magdalene Church, the Tomb of the virgin and the Mormon Center. On the crest of Mt Olives, is located the Church of Mary Magdalene and the Dome of the Ascension. We are also admitted to enter the ISLAMIC MUSEUM. We are truly amazed how one small country like Israel can continue to survive and host the three most important and perhaps most powerful religions, namely: Christianity, Islam, and the Jewish faith of most of the Israelis.
As we exit through the Dung Gate and proceed to the Silwan or the City of David, and Jerusalem archaeological Park, we feel very blessed as we walk along the path where our Redeemer Jesus Christ used to tread some 2015 years ago. We are very fortunate to be given this opportunity to celebrate Christmas in the Holy Land. There are twenty two couples and two priests among us. We hear mass every day as our two chaplains take turn in celebrating the Eucharist every day. This is our way of preparing for the birth of our Lord and saviour here in the very land where we are as pilgrims. Away from the nasty politics and the horrendous traffic in our country, we are here privileged to visit the land where it all started. What matters most is that we shall be going home truly filled with graces and blessings from above.
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