4:30 a.m. we rose and walked the Way of the Cross- the road where the Roman soldiers led Jesus to His death on Mt. Calvary. Still dark and we made due with a few flashlights. Walking the narrow way we could make out a strip of sky high above between buildings and arches, past overhanging shop-awnings and signs. It was raining for most the time however, and our eyes were mostly watching our footing on the uneven stone pavement for unpredictable steps and puddles. Each station is indicated in stone on the walls and we stopped briefly at each spot. Where Jesus fell. Where he was tortured and scourged. Where Veronica wiped his face. Where he met his mother.
Across a courtyard and through a door we entered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre- to the right is a steep irregular stairway which brings one to the top of Mount Calvary (which isn't a mountain at all,
and fits entirely within the massive structure of the Church.) The crucifixion would have been immediately outside the city gates and close enough to be quite visible to anyone going in or out; as a policy the Romans sought to strike terror and demonstrate what happened to anyone who rebelled their occupation. We each in turn kissed the spot where Jesus' cross had stood, marked underneath an altar. The floor and step of the sanctuary surrounding the altar are made of glass, so you can see the bare rock there and the shape of the cliff's edge. Together with this and a life-size painting of Christ crucified where He actually was, one can easily imagine the scene as it happened: stripping away like a transparent overlay the hanging oil lamps, the mosaics and burning candles, the designs on the marble floors, the crumbling forest of pillars and balcony railings, oneself. Under Calvary is a chapel with a window, and the rock is lit up so one can see the split in the earth directly beneath the cross, caused by the earthquake which immediately followed Jesus' death. It is said that Adam's skull lay there (hence "Golgotha"; Place of the Skull)
Through our feet we felt an organ somewhere yawn open, and a single voiced choir began a chant which sounded far-away and everywhere. The stone where Jesus' body was hastily prepared and anointed for burial lies there. Here was where it really hit me, this detail one doesn't think of. Here Nicodemus had carried one hundred pounds of spices. Here Mary Magdalene and John remained. Here Mary held the corpse of her dead son. They could still see the two thieves struggling and gasping on the crag- they'd all been shaken by the earthquake and the sun was hiding. A blur of duty with shaking hands before full darkness came and the Sabbath began.
Tomorrow morning (in four and a half hours) we go back to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate mass in the Tomb where Jesus rose.
-Mike
Across a courtyard and through a door we entered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre- to the right is a steep irregular stairway which brings one to the top of Mount Calvary (which isn't a mountain at all,
and fits entirely within the massive structure of the Church.) The crucifixion would have been immediately outside the city gates and close enough to be quite visible to anyone going in or out; as a policy the Romans sought to strike terror and demonstrate what happened to anyone who rebelled their occupation. We each in turn kissed the spot where Jesus' cross had stood, marked underneath an altar. The floor and step of the sanctuary surrounding the altar are made of glass, so you can see the bare rock there and the shape of the cliff's edge. Together with this and a life-size painting of Christ crucified where He actually was, one can easily imagine the scene as it happened: stripping away like a transparent overlay the hanging oil lamps, the mosaics and burning candles, the designs on the marble floors, the crumbling forest of pillars and balcony railings, oneself. Under Calvary is a chapel with a window, and the rock is lit up so one can see the split in the earth directly beneath the cross, caused by the earthquake which immediately followed Jesus' death. It is said that Adam's skull lay there (hence "Golgotha"; Place of the Skull) Through our feet we felt an organ somewhere yawn open, and a single voiced choir began a chant which sounded far-away and everywhere. The stone where Jesus' body was hastily prepared and anointed for burial lies there. Here was where it really hit me, this detail one doesn't think of. Here Nicodemus had carried one hundred pounds of spices. Here Mary Magdalene and John remained. Here Mary held the corpse of her dead son. They could still see the two thieves struggling and gasping on the crag- they'd all been shaken by the earthquake and the sun was hiding. A blur of duty with shaking hands before full darkness came and the Sabbath began.
Tomorrow morning (in four and a half hours) we go back to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate mass in the Tomb where Jesus rose.
-Mike
3 comments:
sounds deeply spiritual. What an amazing experience. I never thought of what it would feel like to prepare Jesus's dead body, knowing that he was the son of God... I would have been in despair, yet curious as to what would happen next. I guess that is still what people experience spirituallu even today. Even in our darkest hours, God will show his immense love to us in his time.
-Ms. Mariin, MCC 8th Grade
I hear what the story about the
time of Jesus's death on Golgotha
was interesting. Jesus's death on
the cross was a day called Good
Friday. It was cool!
wow! that sounds like a Great Adventure!!!
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