We are certainly not better believers in Jerusalem, but we do have the good fortune, and the grace, to live our daily lives on the soil of the Holy Land and to be able to celebrate the liturgical feasts in the very places where the events of our Salvation unfolded.
The veracity of these places is sometimes brought in to question, of course. For the Feast of the Ascension, the Gospel of Saint Luke (24:50) and the Acts of the Apostles (1:12)allow us to situate it on the Mount of Olives. The distance of 2,000 cubits (1,392 meters) that was the permitted distance for Sabbath travel, leads to the summit of the Mount. It is there that in the fourth century a church in the form of a rotunda was built, called, according to account of the pilgrim Egeria, Imbonon, “on the hill”.
Destroyed by the Persians in 614, the sanctuary was rebuilt by the Crusaders, but its arches were walled up by the Muslims who turned it into a mosque in 1187. The tradition of a Christian presence in these cites allowed the believers to continue to come to this holy place. The Franciscans, assiduously observing pilgrimage of this feast day, received a series of Firmans from the Muslim rulers, guaranteeing not only access, but also setting the conditions for the observance of the pilgrimage to the very site of the Ascension, which became a part of the status quo documents.
So it is that from the Wednesday afternoon before First Vespers – because in Jerusalem the feast of the Ascension is always celebrated on the Thursday that is 40 days after Easter – the Custody’s kawas come and raise three tents around the building. At the Office of First Vespers (4:30 p.m.), the Franciscans and pilgrims can enter the site. As at the Holy Sepulcher, the entry – traditionally presided over by the Custodial Vicar, Father Artemio Vitores – is accompanied by the chant of the Te Deum and is followed by Vespers, which conclude with a procession around the aedicule.
Until the next morning after the Solemn Mass, the sites remain open to the faithful, and the Franciscans remain there, holding a prayer vigil and welcoming pilgrims. This year, the Office of Readings at 11:00 p.m. was well attended. All night long, from midnight to 8:00 a.m., Mass after Mass was celebrated. Four busloads of parishioners from Nazareth and the surrounding areas had made the trip. At 8:00 a.m. the parish Mass was celebrated in Arabic, then at 9:30 a.m., Father Artemio Vitores was the principal concelebrant of the Custody’s Solemn Mass, served by Franciscan students. At the conclusion of the Mass, the Custodial Vicar departed and the sites were “restored” to the Muslims who guard them.
Many pilgrims climbed to the Chapel of the Ascension throughout the afternoon, night and early morning hours, finding there, along with a spirit of prayer, true joy. A wonderful way to enter into the waiting for Pentecost.
MAB
The veracity of these places is sometimes brought in to question, of course. For the Feast of the Ascension, the Gospel of Saint Luke (24:50) and the Acts of the Apostles (1:12)allow us to situate it on the Mount of Olives. The distance of 2,000 cubits (1,392 meters) that was the permitted distance for Sabbath travel, leads to the summit of the Mount. It is there that in the fourth century a church in the form of a rotunda was built, called, according to account of the pilgrim Egeria, Imbonon, “on the hill”.
Destroyed by the Persians in 614, the sanctuary was rebuilt by the Crusaders, but its arches were walled up by the Muslims who turned it into a mosque in 1187. The tradition of a Christian presence in these cites allowed the believers to continue to come to this holy place. The Franciscans, assiduously observing pilgrimage of this feast day, received a series of Firmans from the Muslim rulers, guaranteeing not only access, but also setting the conditions for the observance of the pilgrimage to the very site of the Ascension, which became a part of the status quo documents.
So it is that from the Wednesday afternoon before First Vespers – because in Jerusalem the feast of the Ascension is always celebrated on the Thursday that is 40 days after Easter – the Custody’s kawas come and raise three tents around the building. At the Office of First Vespers (4:30 p.m.), the Franciscans and pilgrims can enter the site. As at the Holy Sepulcher, the entry – traditionally presided over by the Custodial Vicar, Father Artemio Vitores – is accompanied by the chant of the Te Deum and is followed by Vespers, which conclude with a procession around the aedicule.
Until the next morning after the Solemn Mass, the sites remain open to the faithful, and the Franciscans remain there, holding a prayer vigil and welcoming pilgrims. This year, the Office of Readings at 11:00 p.m. was well attended. All night long, from midnight to 8:00 a.m., Mass after Mass was celebrated. Four busloads of parishioners from Nazareth and the surrounding areas had made the trip. At 8:00 a.m. the parish Mass was celebrated in Arabic, then at 9:30 a.m., Father Artemio Vitores was the principal concelebrant of the Custody’s Solemn Mass, served by Franciscan students. At the conclusion of the Mass, the Custodial Vicar departed and the sites were “restored” to the Muslims who guard them.
Many pilgrims climbed to the Chapel of the Ascension throughout the afternoon, night and early morning hours, finding there, along with a spirit of prayer, true joy. A wonderful way to enter into the waiting for Pentecost.
MAB