The Garden of Gethsemane

One of many ancient olive trees in Gethsemane

St. John writes in chapter 18:1 that Jesus, went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Judas, his betrayer, had already gone to inform the  pharisees and scribes who would bring a band of soldiers to arrest Jesus.  This is the most poignant and sorrowful moment in Jesus' life before his crucifixion.  The Gospel of St. Matthew records, Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, 'Sit here, while I go over there and pray.'  And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Then he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death, remain here, and watch with me.' Mt.26: 36-38  Going further, the gospel records,  Jesus fell on his face and prayed, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.' Mt.26:39.  Jesus returned to find his disciples sleeping through his agony.  But the Father would not leave the Son alone, for as Luke records, And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. Luke says, And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground. Luke 22:43-45.

The word, "Gethsemane" means oil press, and it was  obvious from the moment we entered the garden; for we saw the area covered with very ancient olive trees.  Our guide informed us that many are believed to be old enough to have witnessed Jesus' agony and heard his plaintiff prayer.  There is a legend that says that when Jesus was crucified, the trees of all the world shed their leaves, except for the Olives.  When the other trees asked why they did not shed their leaves, the olives replied, "you shed your leaves in sadness, but in the spring you will grow new ones.  We were pierced to the heart, and there is in us now, a sorrow that will never heal."  And so the legend says, the olive tree dies from the inside outward.

The Garden of Gethsemane was full of tourists, but it was so silent there among the olives that you could have heard a pin drop.  After we strolled around and each of us prayed our silent heartfelt prayers, we went inside the Church of the Agony where Father said Mass.  The original building is reputed to have been built in the 4th century.  It was enlarged 800 years later by the Crusaders and it was renamed St. Saviors.  The present Church of the Agony was completed in 1924 and is considered one of Jerusalem's most beautiful.  It is also known as The Church of All Nations.

A rose grows in the garden among the olive trees.

The Stone of Agony

The Church of St. Mary of Zion

The Cenacle

On the eve of the Passover, Jesus and his disciples went up to the upper room of a building on Mount Zion, later a chapel, where they were to celebrate the traditional Passover meal.  To the astonishment of his disciples, Jesus washed their feet, and he foretold that one among them would betray him on that night.  But something more momentous and sacred happened on that night.  Jesus transformed the bread and the wine into the first Eucharist or Holy Communion, his own body and blood.  He gave humankind the blood of the new covenant, his own blood which would be shed for all.  All four Gospels record this event, and it is the Source and Summit of the Christian life.

In the late afternoon, we climbed up a flight of 30 steps to the Room of the Last Supper in the Church of St. Mary of Zion as it is known today.  This site has undergone many changes since the time of Jesus.  In the first centuries after the death and Resurrection of Our Lord, it was a meeting place for the early Christians.  According to our guide, the actual structure that stands today was built by the Franciscans in the 14th century over earlier Byzantine and Crusader structures. Like so many of the places we see in Old Jerusalem, it is not as it was in Jesus' time.  But there is no mistaking the awe which we felt when we entered the room. As we had become accustomed, we read from Scripture the words of Jesus. This time they were the words he spoke on the night before he died when he gave us the precious gift of himself in the Eucharist. Standing there that evening, we went back in time and through his words, we witnessed as Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, fulfilled the Covenant which would mark the end of Salvation History. This is my blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many.  Mark14:24

The Church of the Visitation

And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elizabeth.  And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; and she spoke out in a loud voice and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.  Luke 1:39-42

When we arrived at the village of Ein Karem on the outskirts of Jerusalem, we began the climb up the hill to the Church of the Visitation.  It was a steep climb, and although we started out enthusiastically it did not take long for us to begin to slow down and feel winded. Mary was a young girl when she made the ascent.  Still the phrase, "with haste"makes a vivid picture in my mind.  I can see her as she makes the journey, eager to see her cousin and breathless when she arrives.  The angel Gabriel had told her the news.  Elizabeth was expecting a child in her old age.  Mary hurried to share in her cousin's happiness and perhaps  to be of some help while she was there, and as Elizabeth was already six months along, Mary would not have long to be there.

It was here in this place at Elizabeth's that Mary spoke the immortal words of the Magnificat, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.  For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden; for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.Luke 1:46-48.

The Church of the Visitation, like so many other monuments in the Holy Land, is a beautiful almost modern structure. On the walls of the courtyard that surround it are plaques engraved with Mary's immortal words in many languages.  There is a stone close to grotto where some say that the infant John was hidden behind when Herod sent troops to slaughter the newborn infants of Bethlehem.  We looked around and took pictures before entering the church for Mass.  It is now so long ago that I made that trip, but it remains fresh in my mind even now.  Looking up at the mural of Mary cradling the new-born Jesus in her arms, I took a picture and said a prayer for unborn children before Mass began.

After Mass we began our descent down the hill, renewed and refreshed.  In the center of the village, close to the church our guide directed us to a well that is called the Spring of Our Lady Mary.  She is said to have rested there before making her final climb to Elizabeth's house.  Now we stopped there to refresh ourselves also, marveling at the cool water, still flowing today.