"Holy ceremony" underway

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Six Israeli Border Guard policemen were there at the entrance to the tiny room which contains the tomb of Jesus.  To keep order. 
Hundreds of eager pilgrims and tourists were in line, waiting for their one minute inside. 
Hundreds more were there on that Easter in 2012 when I took this picture, filling every space in the huge Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 

Just recently I was surprised and happy to find something new in the ancient church--this police barricade or small fence which now says 

"Holy ceremony"! 

On the sides are the insignia of the Jerusalem District Police. 

I must admit, it is a big improvement over the older ones in the first photo, which say in Hebrew "Mishtarah," which means Police. 
I think it shows more sensitivity.  Slowly slowly we are learning.  It has only been 50 years since Israel got responsibility for the security and safety inside this holiest of Christian holy places.  Be patient. 
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(Linking to inSPIRED Sunday,  Our World Tuesday, and signs, signs.)
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Correction! -- The REAL conservator appears!

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Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it today!
(I couldn't find a decorated indoor tree in the Negev to post, so this one up in our Meitar Forest will have to do. )

Being Jewish I don't do Christmas, but I DID get a present just now in the form of an unexpected comment.
Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo blog is honored and surprised to hear from Georgios, the actual restorer from Golgotha in the Holy Sepulchre!
He wrote

Dear Dina . My name is Georgios and i am the man in the foto. I am Greek and i was working in the conservation of the wall paintings in Greekorthodox chapel in Golgotha. We were 3 professional conservators from Greece and we restored and cleaned the wallpaintings ,the icons and the Jesus on the Cross. It was an unbeliavable and fansinating experience. Thank you for your fotos.

This is the man in my recent blog post title Overhead Work in the Holy Sepulchre.
If you missed it, please take a look now at the four photos of Georgios at work.

After trying to find information online about the conservation work, I confess that I  assumed him to be a different expert, and thus made a big mistake in that post.   :(
My apologies to all!  That will teach me to be more careful in reporting and to "assume" nothing.

Shalom dear Georgios,
Thank you so much for miraculously showing up here in the blog on (new calendar) Christmas Day!  Thanks for your graciousness in forgiving my case of mistaken identity.  And thank you for sharing with us how it felt to give your help to such a holy place as the Holy Sepulchre.
I wish I could have talked with you; I was so moved watching you work.  God bless you for your loving contribution to Golgotha.
May you have a blessed Christmas season.
With much respect,
Dina
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Overhead work in the Holy Sepulchre

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In the 12th Station of the Cross I was surprised to see a man working ABOVE the heads of the many pilgrims and tourists.
I was there at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre a few weeks ago.
Had to take the pictures in the dark, so click a few times on the photos to enlarge them and see a bit of detail.

Everyone was waiting in line for a chance to kneel under the Greek Orthodox altar and touch the stone of Calvary.
Being Jewish and not Christian, this is not something I do, so I was quite happy to instead watch the work going on overhead.

UPDATE, CORRECTION!  The restorer's name is Georgios and he is from Greece (and not from the Jericho school, as I had wrongly assumed)!  Do see his wonderful comment below!
I also made a new post about him here.
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UPDATE: See also https://religionnews.com/2016/03/25/mosaic-restoration-jesus-calvary-jerusalem/
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(Linking to  inSPIRED Sunday  and Our World Tuesday meme.)
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Easter at the now-empty tomb

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From a (briefly) sunlit Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also know as Anastasis (Church of the Resurrection) -- greetings for a glorious Easter to Christians near and far!
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(You're encouraged to click once, twice, to bring down the beautiful details of the dome and chandelier.)
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Armenians at prayer

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For ABC Wednesday, A is for Armenian arches

and Armenian priests and monks at prayer in their beautiful chapel in the upstairs level of the Holy Sepulchre.

Their chapel is up these stairs, but I think not many outsiders are allowed to ascend.
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(Linking also to inSPIREd Sunday.)
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Holy Sepulchre Dedication Day

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There is almost always a long line of pilgrims waiting for their one minute of time inside the edicule and the tomb.

July 15 is celebrated every year in Jerusalem as Dedication Day of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. 
Consecration of the new church (built over earlier destroyed ones)  took place on July 15, 1149, the 50th anniversary of the Crusaders' conquest of Jerusalem.

Solemn Mass will be celebrated at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow by Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custos of the Holy Land.
UPDATE: Here is the latest video: http://www.terrasanctablog.org/2015/07/17/the-feast-of-the-dedication-of-the-holy-sepulcher/ 

Here is a 3-minute video of the Mass from several years ago, also presided by the Custos:



(Linking to inSPIRED Sunday.)
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Orthodox Pentecost today and a video

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The Orthodox and Eastern Churches are celebrating Pentecost this weekend.
(Catholic and Protestant Pentecost was last Sunday.)
Here in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre the Greek Orthodox clergy's red vestments bring to mind the red tongues of fire of the first Pentecost in Jerusalem.

The prostration goes with the liturgy of the day which has three sets of kneeling prayers for Pentecost.

The first is a prayer of great repentance; the second prayer is a call to the Holy Spirit to help the faithful follow the right path during their life; and the third prayer is to remember those who have gone before.

Some selected lines from the liturgy:
DEACON: For those who incline their hearts as well as the knee before the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
CANTOR: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON: That He will accept our act of kneeling as incense before Him, let us pray to the Lord.
CANTOR: Lord, have mercy. . . .

DEACON: Again, on bended knees, let us pray to the Lord.
CANTOR: Lord, have mercy. Kyrie eleison.

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My photos are from 2009 but not much changes from year to year.

Wishes for a joyous feast day to all the Orthodox Christians!

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Sister  Dr. Vassa Larin, an American sister of the Russian Orthodox Church, has eleven minutes of good insights about Pentecost/Descent of the Holy Spirit in this new video (Episode 50!):

(You can also follow her meditations and world travels on her Facebook page, Vassa Larin.)

UPDATE: Here is the entire text of Great Vespers on the Sunday Evening of Pentecost with the Kneeling Prayers, in English, from the helpful website http://www.antiochian.org/online-liturgical-guide .
UPDATE June 6: Today the Jerusalem Patriarchate put online the videos and photos of the Orthodox celebration of Pentecost.

(Linking to inSPIRED Sunday.)

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Both count 50 days: Pentecost and Shavuot, both today!

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It is a double celebration today, with Jewish Shavuot and Christian Pentecost coming on the same day.

Today Jews celebrate Shavuot, also know by its Biblical names Chag HaKatsir, the [wheat] Harvest Festival, and Yom HaBikurim, Day of the First Fruits.
By tradition today also marks the day of King David's birth and death.
But mainly Shavuot is Zman Matan Toratenu, The Season of the Giving of our Torah.
Seven weeks (shavuot = weeks) have passed since Passover.
It took 49 (+1) days of wandering in the desert for God and Moses to prepare the People for the the biggest day in history.
In today's morning prayer service Exodus 19-20 is read.
All rise in silent reverence to listen to the Ten Commandments with the feeling that we all are standing at Mount Sinai.
The scroll of the Book of Ruth is also chanted, in loving memory of David and of Ruth, his Moabite ancestor, the mother of all converts.

In the dim recesses of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a priest and his reflection.
What almost looks like a flame above his head reminds us that this Sunday is Pentecost for some Christians.

The Book of Acts says that the Apostles were gathered together in one place [in Jerusalem's Upper Room] when suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rushing wind, filling the entire house where they were sitting.
Then tongues of fire appeared and one sat upon each one of Apostles!
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as directed by the Holy Spirit.

Chag sameach, happy holiday  to you, whichever festival you are celebrating today!
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(Linking to inSPIRED Sunday.)
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Myrrh, women, tombs, and a video

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For Orthodox Christians, today is the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearers, remembering the women disciples who came to the tomb and found it empty. 
In the picture are two 1st century tombs in the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea and St. Nicodemus, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
When I visit, I always have a feeling these burial places in the modest Syriac Orthodox chapel may be the real place, instead of the famous one inside the edicule in the rotunda.

Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin, of  Coffee with Sr. Vassa fame, offers a good episode about Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearers (and why the women were right and the Apostles were wrong):

 (Linking this post to InSPIREd Sunday meme.)
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Orthodox Great Friday

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One lone taper standing, much melted wax floating.
And reflected in the water, the Holy Sepulchre.
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Today, tonight, tomorrow is a somber time for Orthodox Christians, the time before the brightness of Easter Sunday.
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(Linking to Weekend Reflections.)

The Holy Sepulchre

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Happy Passover to my fellow Jews.
And for my Christian friends, photos from the Holy Sepulchre.

The edicule (the structure built around the tomb) seen from above.

At ground level.

And inside, the tomb itself.
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The Ladder of Divine Ascent

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An Orthodox priest filling the oil lamps above the tomb at the Holy Sepulchre.

 A brave Benedictine nun positioned a ladder on the stairs leading down to the crypt and climbed up to extinguish the candle at one of the stations of the cross.
 At the Abbey of St. Mary of the Resurrection, Abu Ghosh.

A brave nun friend on chapel-cleaning day.
Chapel at the tomb of St. Elisabeth.
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Why am I posting pictures of monastics on tall ladders?
Because  today is the Sunday of  John of the Ladder!
St. John Climacus wrote the guide for his fellow monks, The Ladder of Divine Ascent.
He lived not far from here, at Santa Katarina monastery in Sinai and in desert caves in the 7th century.

I have been learning about him at Sr. Dr. Vassa's short video.
In it Sr. Vassa also talks about how you don't have to be a monastic to get into the habit of doing a little bit of spiritual reading, lectio divina, every day,  just for a few minutes.

The 12th C icon for The Ladder of Divine Ascent, this one from St. Catherine's Monastery.

You can sample some sections of the book here.
Or an outline of the steps of the ladder.
More about St. John Climacus.
An easy walk-through of the icon is at this nice icons blog.
Also at Wikipedia. 
But the most fun way is to see the Coffee with Sr. Vassa episode. Only ten minutes.
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Ring in the new year

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Bells of the Greek Orthodox within the Holy Sepulchre

I will be glad to ring out the old year, so stained with blood, destruction, and plagues. 

Let's ring in the new year and strive for a more humane and just 2015. 

January 1 is World Day of Peace.  Make it so! 

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Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Ring Out, Wild Bells" was written in 1850.

See how timely it still is.

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City Daily Photo bloggers are today posting their favorite photos of 2014.

Take a look.

Most are from cities outside the Middle East so I reckon they will be happy pictures. 

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Best wishes for a good year to you all! 

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In candles' glow

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To the (Western) Christian friends--a blessed 3rd Sunday of Advent.
Gaudete,  rejoice!

Not easy to find an Advent wreath down here in the Negev desert.
Instead I give you pilgrims' candles from up on Calvary,  in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
They illumine a beautiful capital atop an ancient column.
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The Holy Sepulchre as workplace

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How does it feel to be a floor washer of the holiest Christian site in the world?
I could imagine it as a big honor.

Coming very early one morning to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, before the hordes of tourists descended on it, I was almost alone in the cavernous church.
Only the cleaning man was busy, washing the ancient stones at the entrance. 

His buckets and mops were stashed behind the great door,  on the very steps which lead up to Calvary, to Golgotha.
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For more about the Holy Sepulchre see Sacred Destinations or visit some of my previous posts.
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Today city bloggers all over the world are posting People in Their Workplace for our City Daily Photo theme day.  You're invited.
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(Also linking to OurWorld Tuesday and  Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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A thought for Mary on Good Friday

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Simeon said to Mary ". . . and a sword will pierce your own soul also.”   (Lk 2:34-35)
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Update Feb. 24, 2016: About the restoration of mosaics in the Calvary chapel:
http://www.terrasanctablog.org/2016/02/24/new-colors-for-the-chapel-of-the-crucifixion-at-the-holy-sepulcher/ 
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The old bench in bright sun

The old bench at the entrance is about the only thing in the dim and cavernous Church of the Holy Sepulchre that ever gets direct sunlight.

Here is the bench as seen from Calvary, one flight of steps up.

More about it at http://jerusalemhillsdailyphoto.blogspot.co.il/2009/08/simple-bench-in-complicated-church.html .
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Since moving to Meitar in the Negev desert last August I quite miss being about to roam around the Holy Sepulchre and the Old City at will.
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UPDATE: Read the fascinating story of the two Muslim families entrusted with the key to the Holy Sepulchre since 1187! 
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)
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Ethiopian at the entrance

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An Ethiopian clergyman at the entrance to the Ethiopian Orthodox church that is within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
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(For ABC Wednesday's E day.)
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Get yer Holy Sepulchre placemats

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For ABC Wednesday,  C is for CIC,  the Christian Information Center at Jaffa Gate, just inside the Old City.
I like to drop in and see what new exhibit they have, or what activities are publicized, or what is on their bulletin boards.

A year ago, in May, I was somehow taken aback to find table mats for sale.
Imagine eating breakfast on a placemat of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Only $5 each.
Really.  Click on the photo twice and take a close look.

The big poster with the Stations of the Cross is pretty nice, though.
Only 4 Euros.
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The Washing of the Feet, Holy Thursday

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My friend who lives a few blocks from the Old City is attending all the ceremonies of the Orthodox Christians this week, their Holy Week, and she graciously shares her photos with you and me.

On Holy Thursday morning  the crowd gathered around the dais in the parvis (entrance courtyard) of the Holy Sepulchre.
Last year I showed you the workmen preparing all this temporary construction and wiring. 

 All of my friend's photos can be much enlarged with a click or two.

The Greek Orthodox clergy took their places.
People were watching from atop the Greek monastery across the street from the Holy Sepulchre.

A temporary raised pulpit (with ladder) for the readings.

The only man without a hat is Patriarch Theophilis III.
He removed some of the splendid liturgical vestments to perform the Ceremony of the Washing of the Feet. 
The Patriarch washed the feet of twelve of his clergymen, following the example of Jesus who washed his twelve apostles' feet at the Last Supper.

See close-ups at this website. 

The morning ceremony was ended but later, Thursday evening and night, all the Orthodox churches had more processions, Gospel Readings, etc.
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Tomorrow is Easter Sunday!
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