Day 13: Jerusalem - Via Dolorosa "The Way of the Cross" - The Holy Sepulchre

DAY 13:  Monday Jan. 12 - The Holy City, Jerusalem.

Yesterday, on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we arrived back into Israel by crossing the Jordan River.  We arrived to Jerusalem sometime after 5 PM.  We then walked to attend the Sunday Mass of the Baptism of the Lord at a local parish at 6:30 PM.

We are staying at an accommodation called the Knights Palace.  It is located in the Christian Quarter within the city walls of Jerusalem.  Just a 7 min walk from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre!

THE CITY:  Jerusalem is divided into 4 quarters; (1) The Christian; (2) The Armenian (Christian); (3) The Jewish; and (4) The Muslim.  Christians, Armenians, and Muslims live in each others quarters.  In the Jewish Quarter - only Jewish people live.

LOOK AT TODAY:

5:30 AM:  A group of men woke to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to pray.  It opens for prayer at 4 AM and closes at 7 PM.  It is the most densely visited Christian pilgrimage site in Jerusalem.  Stations X (Jesus is stripped of His Garments); XI (Jesus is nailed to the Cross); XII (Jesus is raised upon the cross and dies), XIII (Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in the Arms of His Mother), and XIV (Jesus is laid in the Sepulchre) are in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

7:30 to 9 AM:  Breakfast at the Knights Palace.  Tons of English speaking pilgrims here - all of the Latin rite - the Church of Rome (California, Australia, etc...).

9 AM:  Sun is out! We are on foot in Jerusalem!

First site, the Pools of Bet Hesda.  LOOK-UP:  JOHN 5 "Jesus heals on the Sabbath."  At this location Jesus healed a man "who had been ill for thirty-eight years" as he said to him "Rise, take up your pallet, and walk."

A Church had been built on the site in the 4th c. AD.

JOHN 5:2 "Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Beth-za'tha, which has five porticoes."

10:30 AM:  Began walking on the Via Dolorosa - the Way of the Cross.  Visited Churches at Station I (Church of Condemnation and Church of Flaglation -or- Scourging) and Station II (Jesus is made to carry his Cross).

Station I, Church of Condemnation, LOOK-UP:  JOHN 18:28-19:16.

NEXT:  Visited the Church called ECCE HOMO - or - "Behold, the man" as spoken by Pontius Pilate (LOOK-UP:  JOHN 19:4).

NEXT:  Visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Walking the Via Dolorosa - many street vendors.

Walking Via Dolorosa - incline to Mount Calvary - the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

2 PM:  Lunch.

4 PM:  Holy Mass at the Church of Flaglation.

6:30 PM:  Evening Prayer and Practice Homily.

7 PM:  Dinner

Some past photos from yesterday on the bus in JORDAN.

Sunday - Rainbow - JORDAN.

Some guy who looked a lot like Charlie Friebohle - JORDAN.