Posted on October 25, 2009 in 2009 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land - 0 COMMENTS
Day Four
by Rev Fr Chris Flesoras
We departed the hotel at 7AM and arrived at the Monastery of Gerasimos of the Jordan. The bells of the monastery rang joyously as we arrived to celebrate the Liturgy. In the courtyard a censor burned incense in front of an icon of St. Gerasimos. To the side of the courtyard was a beautiful parrot, which greeted our group with Kali Meda (Good morning!) – this was definitely a first.
After greeting the nun Eulogia and lighting a candle, Father Demetri and I went into the altar to prepare for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. We said our prayers and vested; Fr. Demetri offered a greeting to the faithful who had gathered, the fathers of the monastery, pilgrims from the US, pilgrims from Cyprus and local faithful, as I prepared the Eucharistic gifts, commemorating the faithful of our community as well as for those whom we were asked to pray.
What great hospitality we received! The brothers of the monastery basically turned the church over to us for services. Although there were other clergy present, including an elderly bishop, Fr. Demetri and I were the only celebrants of the Liturgy while some of our faithful led the singing. A beautiful tradition of the Monastery is to ring the bells following the consecration of the gifts. Whether in the Church proper or in the desert around the Monastery, everyone was reminded through the joyous sound that a miracle had just taken place, bread and wine was turned into the Body and Blood of Christ by the Grace of the Holy Spirit. At the close of Liturgy, a middle-aged monk, Fr. Chrysostom, came into the altar to thank us for serving Liturgy. He presented Fr. Demetri an icon of St. Stylianos and presented me with an icon of St. Iakovos; Fr. Chrysostom painted the icons.
We concluded breakfast and departed for Jerusalem, which is about 850 meters above sea level. The Judean desert is vast, scattered with hills, as well as great planes. It’s amazing to think that people in the days of old would trek across this wilderness venturing from place to place. Our first stop will be Bethany.
It was in Bethany that the Lord spent time with his friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary. On the Saturday before the Great and Holy Week of the Church we commemorate the Raising of Lazarus, four days dead, by Jesus. Holy Tradition tells us that following the Lord’s Resurrection, Lazarus departed the Holy Land for fear of the Jews who sought to kill him because Jesus had raised him from the dead. He lived out his remaining years on the island of Cyprus, where Sts Paul and Barnabas made him the first Bishop. We were blessed at our Parish this past year to venerate a Holy Relic of St. Lazarus on his Feast. God-willing at the close of our trip to the Holy Land, I will travel to Cyprus to venerate his Holy Relics and tomb in the city of Larnica, Cyprus.
We stopped at the tomb of Lazarus. The cave is approximately 25 steps down from street level, above which is the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Lazarus (there were 300 nuns that were killed by the Crusaders that are buried under this church). A section of what I would consider to be the original cave is found to the left. Over the centuries, the city has built up around and over the cave, which is reinforced with large blocks. A small chapel is found above the cave, with an altar, a prothesis, and a diakonikon. Icons are not found within the cave.
The Holy Monastery of St. Lazarus is down the street from tomb. It is a walled and fortified compound that contains a beautiful church (the icon have been influenced by the West). The courtyard, the gardens, the cells and buildings were all recently constructed by the Archimandrite Theodosius, of blessed memory. Sister Xeni who has been at the Convent for the past three years, having spent five years at a Convent in Greece prior to attachment to this sisterhood shared much about the Monastery. We also negotiated a deal; I would send her a book on Fr. Seraphim Rose – with whose story she was fascinated, specifically his acceptance of the Orthodox Faith – and she would keep us in her prayers!
We then visited two Monasteries on the Mount of Olives. The first Monastery was dedicated to the Twelve Disciples of the Galilean. As you enter the Church, there is an immediate place for veneration. It is believed that the spot below the Altar for veneration is the place that the Lord first appeared to His Disciples following His Resurrection (the marker smells of Myrrh). Within the Church are found Holy Relics that were discovered on the grounds of the Monastery. To the sides of the main church are two stairwells that descend to a lower chapel dedicated to the Feast of the Ascension. There are three sarcophagi – two of which are the tombs of two patriarchs of Jerusalem.
The next Church was dedicated to the Feast of the Ascension, the side chapels being dedicated to St. Melania and St. Pelagia. The Israeli government in 1992 destroyed the Church that was standing above the chapel. It is situated across the street from the original the original Church of the Ascension that possesses an impression in a stone, which was considered to be the footprint of the Lord at the time of His Ascension. This property was seized by the Muslims and no longer functions as an Orthodox Church.
The Roman Catholic Church of the Agony of Christ was our next stop. It is situated next to the Garden of Gesemene. The basilica contains the rock on which Christ shed tears of sweat and blood. The rock is found in front of the altar table; it was opened for us to venerate by the Catholic monk who was tending to the Church.
As we departed, two women from Cyprus who were at the Monastery of St. Gerasimos with us this morning for Liturgy greeted me. When I explained that I was going to visit Cyprus, specifically Kykkos Monastery after my visit in the Holy Land, I was informed that the brother of one of the women is a policeman at the Monastery. If I am not mistaken, Leonidas, her brother, is the kind man that brought Fr. Luke and me dinner one evening at the Monastery in February!
Our next stop is the Upper Room. Currently, the upper room is in the care of the Israeli government. Prior to this it was a mosque, a Crusaders Church, a Byzantine Church…When we entered, there were three groups inside. The group from Kenya sang a beautiful Eucharistic hymn. When then sung “Receive me today…” and “Blessed are You…” as this was the site of the washing of the Feat, the Mystical Supper, the post Resurrection appearance of the Lord to His disciples and the event of Pentecost.
Below the upper room is a small synagogue with what are believed the remains of King David. Men and women are separated in this space, all being able to offer a prayer and venerate his relics. It’s important to remember that David was responsible for the Book of Psalms, and a Kingship that was admirable, especially his repentance. He is depicted in the icon of the Resurrection along with his son, Solomon.
The population of the settlement of Bethany is approximately 60,000 settlers. The majority of the population is Muslim. The population of Jerusalem is 750,000 of which approximately 9,000 are Christians.
