We Continue to Explore Jerusalem!

Mount of Olives

Can you believe that we are actually going to be following in Jesus’ footsteps today especially the part of his life leading up to his crucifixion? Since it’s Lent and these events are on our minds, these places are more real to us. Today we begin our day by visiting the Mount of Olives or Mt. Olivet. The top of the Mount of Olives gives us a panoramic view of the old city. You’ll notice that the Mount of Olives is a centuries old burial ground with thousands of graves. According to Jewish tradition, the Messiah will appear here and bring the dead back to life.

The Mount of Olives was very important in Jesus’ life. There are several churches built here to commemorate events in His Life. Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s prayer here and he wept over the future destruction of Jerusalem here. Jesus was betrayed here in the Garden of Gethsemane by Judas as well.

Sample of Our Father plaques in 62 different languages

We are visiting the Church of Pater Noster (Our Father in Latin).  In the Church, there are plaques of the Our Father in 62 different languages.

The Church of the Ascension is both a Christian and a Muslim holy site. Just as the name implies, this is where Jesus is thought to have ascended into heaven.

Church of Dominus Flevit

We will then walk down to the Church of Dominus Flevit. Dominus Flevit means “the cry of the Lord”. This Church commemorates when Jesus “approached the city of Jerusalem, and saw the city, he wept over it” (Luke 19: 41) because he knew it would be destroyed in the future. Biblical scholars believed this is just what happened in 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. This Church was commissioned by the Franciscans in 1954 building upon the ruins of a 7th century church. The church is in the shape of a teardrop to symbolize the Lord’s tears.

At the foot of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane and there is also a Church of All Nations which is also known as Church of the Agony. This is where it is said that Jesus prayed on

Garden of Gethsemane

the night before he was betrayed by Judas.  We will walk through St. Stephen’s Gate into the Old City and follow the Ecce Hommo Arch and Walk the Via Dolorosa which is to retrace Jesus’ steps after he was condemned by Pilate and led to his crucifixion and later, his burial. We will return to the Holy Sepulchre Church and board our bus to drive to Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. This is the oldest Church in the Holy Land and the sight of Jesus’ birth.

You can see we have many sights to see and very busy days! God bless you!

The Grotto - Jesus' birthplace on the left

Advertisement