The Western or Wailing Wall!

St. Peter in Gallicantu

This is Day 4 of our Pilgrimage and the time is passing so quickly. Thank you for your interest in our blog! Israel is most impressive. It’s a very humbling experience! If you have been checking our link to the time and weather, our afternoon temperatures are reaching over 80 degrees.

Today our bus will take us to Caiphas House at the Church of Peter Gallicantu on the eastern slope of Mt. Zion where we will celebrate Mass at 9:00 AM (our time) – you’ll still be sleeping (or you should be). It will be 2:00 AM your time. This Church is named for St. Peter and the word “galli-cantu” means “cock-crow” in Latin. You’ll remember on the night he was arrested that Jesus prophesied that before the rooster crowed the next morning, Peter would have denied he knew Him three times. Peter protested but we know that he did deny Jesus and later was very, very remorseful. If you look closely at the Church steeple, you’ll see a rooster prominently on the roof.

Many believe that this Church is on the site of the home of the High Priest Caiaphas. When Jesus was arrested he was brought to Caiaphas. Caiaphas, along with many of the Sanhedrin (a council of elders), believed that Jesus was a threat to their power. Trumping up charges of blasphemy, Caiaphas kept him here overnight before he was taken to Pontius Pilate for final sentencing.

Nearby there is a Franciscan cemetery. If you ever saw the movie, Schindler’s List, you’ll remember it was about Oskar Schindler who saved many Jews from death during World

Grave of Oskar Schindler

War II. He is buried here. You’ll notice that there are many stones on his grave. When Jewish visitors come, they lay the stones on the grave because stones last longer than flowers and are a sign of great respect.

Last Supper Room

Later we visit King David’s Tomb and the Last Supper Room. King David was a great warrior and prophet. He is written about in many psalms. His tomb is thought to be on the ground floor of the Upper Room where Jesus and the Apostles celebrated the Last Supper.

Today, we’ll also go the Jewish Quarter for a walking tour. If possible, we will also visit the Western or Wailing Wall. This is a live web cam and you can see and hear the people praying. Remember, when I asked you to write down your intentions and I would bring them here and place them in the small spaces in the wall for you. I hope to do that but sometimes the plaza can be closed to visitors. This is the holiest site in Judaism because this western wall (hence it’s name) is all that remains of the Temple of Jerusalem. The Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD yet this wall still stands.