It is 4.00 p.m. and dusk is falling on Jerusalem. The second Lenten pilgrimage begins now at Gethsemane. Last week we went to Dominus Flevit. This Wednesday, this celebration traditionally takes place at Gethsemane.
Many of the tourists who come in do not know what is happening and ask for explanations. Unfortunately, sometimes the guides have difficulty explaining and you can hear the friar whispering a brief explanation of what is being celebrated. This is also part of the welcome that the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land give.
The pews in the Sanctuary are full. There are religious from various orders, local faithful and pilgrims who have come especially to spend Lent in Jerusalem. The Gospel of Matthew is read, relating Jesus’ moments of anguish as he waited for the men who were to arrest him: "Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, ...". The words of the Gospel take us back to those dramatic hours and the holiness of the place where we are celebrating. "Jesus feels the human fear of death ...", says Father Vittorio Bosello, who presides at the celebration, "...the crowd that only a few days earlier had acclaimed him has disappeared ... all the disciples will flee, Peter will was to deny him... he will find only his mother and John at the foot of the cross." Father Vittorio continues, "The disciples he had invited to keep vigil with him here are asleep."
Jesus entered the ordeal on his own, the only one near him is the Father!" Father Vittorio concludes his homily saying, "Jesus teaches us that being afraid of pain and death is not a sin. These are emotions that he also felt and he also asked to avoid them. But Jesus also teaches us to abandon ourselves to our Father and to His will.” In the meantime the sun has set and the rays of light entering the Church create magical effects.
Not even the best lighting in the world could create such a warm atmosphere. At the end of the celebration Father Garcia Luis, Guardian of Gethsemane, invites everybody for hot chocolate.
Article and photos by Marco Gavasso
Many of the tourists who come in do not know what is happening and ask for explanations. Unfortunately, sometimes the guides have difficulty explaining and you can hear the friar whispering a brief explanation of what is being celebrated. This is also part of the welcome that the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land give.
The pews in the Sanctuary are full. There are religious from various orders, local faithful and pilgrims who have come especially to spend Lent in Jerusalem. The Gospel of Matthew is read, relating Jesus’ moments of anguish as he waited for the men who were to arrest him: "Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, ...". The words of the Gospel take us back to those dramatic hours and the holiness of the place where we are celebrating. "Jesus feels the human fear of death ...", says Father Vittorio Bosello, who presides at the celebration, "...the crowd that only a few days earlier had acclaimed him has disappeared ... all the disciples will flee, Peter will was to deny him... he will find only his mother and John at the foot of the cross." Father Vittorio continues, "The disciples he had invited to keep vigil with him here are asleep."
Jesus entered the ordeal on his own, the only one near him is the Father!" Father Vittorio concludes his homily saying, "Jesus teaches us that being afraid of pain and death is not a sin. These are emotions that he also felt and he also asked to avoid them. But Jesus also teaches us to abandon ourselves to our Father and to His will.” In the meantime the sun has set and the rays of light entering the Church create magical effects.
Not even the best lighting in the world could create such a warm atmosphere. At the end of the celebration Father Garcia Luis, Guardian of Gethsemane, invites everybody for hot chocolate.
Article and photos by Marco Gavasso