The Maronites

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Shalom! Want to visit the Maronites today for That's My World?
Mighty nice place for ABC Wednesday's M-Day too.
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Just ring the bell.
Well, OK, not THIS bell.
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Look for the doorbell near this sign in the Old City, not far from Jaffa Gate.
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Foyer Mar Maroun is a beautiful old (1895) guest house for pilgrims.
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Their nice website says it has 27 rooms and that "The house is managed by Maronite Nuns from the congregation of St. Therese of the Child Jesus [Therese of Lisieux], who are also responsible for other parochial activities concerning the Maronite Parish in Jerusalem."
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"The Maronite church is an Eastern Catholic Church on the seat of Antioch, in full communion with the Holy See of Rome.

Historically, the origins of the Maronite Church are to be found amongst those monastic and lay people who gathered around the saintly hermit Maron, an early 5th-century Syriac monk venerated as a saint. These Christians who accepted his way of life and worship were soon identified as 'those of St. Maron - the Maronites.' "
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This is the only Maronite church in Jerusalem.
The local community is small.
Most Maronites live in Lebanon (see the Cedar of Lebanon on the altar?).
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The liturgical language is Syriac (Christian Aramaic).
Hear some hymns in this ancient language at YouTube.
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The roof of the Maronite monastery and guest house has a panoramic view.
Here we are looking east over the Old City and the Temple Mount to the Mount of Olives.
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Would you like to book an overnight here? I would!
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Ethical living in 11 "easy" steps

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Psalm 15, with some illustrations, for Robert's PsalmChallenge.

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The Talmud, in Makot 23b-24a, explains that
"Rabbi Simlai said, '613 commandments were given to Moses. David came and reduced them to 11 (in Psalm 15).' "
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This short psalm is the religious ideal of how a person should live.
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A Psalm. Of David.

1 LORD, who may sojourn in Your tent, who may dwell on Your holy mountain?
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2 He who walks blamelessly, who does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who slanders not with his tongue, who has not done evil to his fellow, who has cast no slur on his neighbor.
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4 In his eyes, a debased man is abhorrent, but those who fear the LORD he honors; if he vows to his detriment, he does not recant;
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5 His money he does not lend at interest, and bribes against the innocent he does not accept.
He who does these things will not stumble.
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Photos: The tent at Yad Hashmona Biblical Village in the Jerusalem Hills.
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Olive branch shadows

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For Shadow Shot Sunday here is an artistic shadow from the exhibit of Bible story sculptures now at Jerusalem's Mamilla Mall.
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Please enlarge the photo to appreciate the details.
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Shadows of the firmly-rooted branches of "The Menorah" by Dov Levi Noymand.
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The seven short Hebrew words on the branches mean "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit . . ."
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Read Zechariah 8 to see how the prophet's angelic vision is connected with the menorah.
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The artist took inspiration also from Numbers 8:2-4 in which God says to Moses,

2 'Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him: When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the candlestick.'

3 And Aaron did so: he lighted the lamps thereof so as to give light in front of the candlestick, as the Lord commanded Moses.

4 And this was the work of the candlestick, beaten work of gold; unto the base thereof, and unto the flowers thereof, it was beaten work; according unto the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the candlestick.
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An olive-wood scratching post

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Sink your claws into spring while ye may!

Carpe diem!

Soon the bright flowers will be but dry brown fire hazards.

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Lara thinks old olive trees are excellent scratching posts.

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She sends greetings to you and all the Camera-Critters folks.

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Through the looking glass

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A peace pole in Arabic and Hebrew in the outdoor cafe garden courtyard of the Pilgrim Guesthouse.
With reflections for James' Weekend Reflections.

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Offering hospitality since 1923, the guesthouse is attached to St. George's Cathedral, which was dedicated in 1899.
The cathedral, on Nablus Road in east Jerusalem, is the seat of the Bishop of the Anglican (Episcopal) Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East.
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And from the inside you can look out the window through a mirror (or something like that).
Enlarge it to see the birds carved in the old frame of the mirror.
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Shabbat shalom.
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Metal in the sky

. For Sky Watch Friday here is a clear blue Jerusalem sky, but cluttered with cranes and electric tram wires.
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The tram is shown going down the middle of Jaffa Road, next to the Machane Yehuda market.
The testing period has just been extended.
Hopefully in a few more weeks the light rail will be proclaimed safe enough to take the first human guinea pig passengers.
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The hills are alive . . .

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It's only April 6 and Israel has already received more than the whole average amount of rainfall for April.
The wildflowers on the sides of our hill are obliterating the narrow paths.
The honey bees are having a field day too.
In fact, just after I snapped this picture of a friend walking down to her house, I heard a buzzing over my head.
Oh no! I turned back and ran through the thick flowers as fast as I could, which was not very fast but fast enough to get rid of the bee.
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There's nothing quite like spring.
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Lovable Libby

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Libby looked so little next to the gigantic poster on the outside wall of a baby goods store in Hadassah Ein Kerem.
My daughter brought Libby to meet the relatives in Israel last September, for just a short visit.
Now, back home in Australia, lovely Libby is up and walking and will celebrate her first birthday in two weeks!
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In Hebrew the word libbi means "my heart."
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Luckily for us, today is L Day at ABC Wednesday.
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A tireless and devoted Italian architect

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Antonio Barluzzi (1884-1960) was an Italian architect, a fervent Christian, and a tireless traveler.
He certainly left his mark in the Holy Land.
Between 1912 and 1955 he built or restored 24 churches, hospitals, and schools in Israel and Jordan.

The Christian Information Center in Jerusalem is currently showing an exhibition about his life and works.
The posters, like the one above that you can enlarge and read, are in English and Italian.
Look at the Arab stonemasons at work on the stones to build the Basilica of the Agony on the Mount of Olives.
Look at the arches in the ceiling of the church!

Here is how the arches looked from above while being constructed in the early 1920s!
Please enlarge the picture and feast your eyes!

The church is over Crusader and even earlier foundations.
Right next to it is the Garden of Gethsemane.

The altar is built next to the Rock of the Apostles (where some of them fell asleep instead of watching with Jesus).

What is the Great Seal of the United States of America doing on the ceiling?
Well, the church is also called The Church of All Nations and the symbols of each country that contributed money are incorporated into the inlaid gold ceilings of each of 12 cupolas.

The Franciscans' worship there on Maundy Thursday, April 21, will be broadcast live to the world.

With thanks to Antonio Barluzzi for our That's My World tour today.
Find my other posts about his works here.

UPDATE Oct. 3, 2013:  See how Italian tinsmiths are doing restoration work on the roof of the church.

(Linking to inSPIREd Sunday.)
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Bitterness and a wish

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Psalm 14, here illustrated for Robert's weekly PsalmChallenge.
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1. For the leader. Of David.
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The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They act corruptly and perform loathsome deeds. No one does good.
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2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to find a wise man, a man who seeks God.
3 Each and every one has turned astray, altogether foul; no one does good, not even one.
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4 Do they not understand, all those evildoers, who devour my people [as] they devour bread, and do not invoke the LORD?
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5 There they were terribly terrified, for God is present in the assembly of the righteous.
6 You would confound the plans of the lowly, but the LORD is his refuge.
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7 O that the deliverance of Israel might come from Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of His people, Jacob will exult, Israel will rejoice.
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The Hebrew-English text is here.
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Photos:
1. Tel Aviv
2. A bread-devourer
3. "Kavod avud," Lost Honor, by Prof. Abraham Diskin, Mamilla Mall 2009 exhibit
4. "Zion"
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Light entering, shadow moving

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Recently I showed you the inside of the cathedral of the Latin [i.e. Roman Catholic] Patriarchate in the Old City.
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Here's an outside shot.
The late afternoon shadows (for Shadow Shot Sunday) were creeping upward, about to envelop the stained glass window.
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Inside the church, the round window showed its colors.
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Puppy love

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Congratulations and many thanks to Misty Dawn who every Saturday for the past three years has faithfully offered us Camera-Critters meme! Happy anniversary!
. Remember the neighbor's Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies we saw last October?
They have grown.
Here's mama kissing her daughter.
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Tel Aviv Duck Area ??

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This sign was the highlight of my day in Tel Aviv yesterday.
It's at the busy Dan bus terminal which is next to the Mercaz train station.
The numbers tell you which bus route to take to your destination.
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LOL! In translation Namal Tel Aviv came out "Tel Aviv Duck Area"!
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I have seen seagulls in that area, but no duck.
There are 14,000 square meters of wooden DECK there along the Mediterranean shore, but I'm pretty sure no ducks.
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Namal is the Hebrew word for port or harbor.
Oh I get it! The sign-maker's dictionary must have said "dock"!
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And as a bonus, beside the laugh, we get an urban reflection for James' Weekend Reflections.
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Namal Tel Aviv operated as an active sea port from 1936 until the 1960s.
In the 80s it was turned into the trendy Port Zone full of restaurants, bars, and shops.
Take a 3D virtual tour here.
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If you like translation bloopers and typos, you will enjoy "A Time of the Signs," Toby's blog about funny signs in Israel.
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And now I see that Lesley in Canada has a Wednesday meme called Signs, Signs.
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Life on the edge

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This Apple of Sodom clings to a canyon wall near En Gedi, near the Dead Sea.
It has even managed to grow over a ledge and reach for the edge of the cliff.
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Wikipedia has a picture of the hollow and bitter fruit of the Calotropis procera.
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Edges are the theme for our April 1 City Daily Photo Theme Day.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

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Well-stacked

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Tonight Israel moves the clock forward and begins "Summer Time."
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The post-sunset colors, like these for SkyWatch Friday, will be later in coming.
And that's fine with me.
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But who stacked up those concrete barriers on top of our hill?
Modern sculpture it's NOT.
Maybe one night a giant came up to play with his set of giant Duplo or Lego blocks?
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Israelis trying to ice skate

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A few weeks ago I showed you a huge tent being set up next to the Jerusalem City Hall.
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Now the ice rink is open for skating (until it disappears on April 14).
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Only the Russian-speaking immigrants and Americans knew how to skate gracefully.

Most of the Israelis were falling down again and again.
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No big Zamboni here. All the ice cleaning was done with shovels.
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Most people went along the edge, holding on to the rail.
Some wore T shirts and even shorts.
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Outside in the warm sun the hoses of the cooling system were encased in white ice.
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Kaaba

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K is for the Kaaba on today's ABC Wednesday.
. A photo of the Kaaba in Mecca at Jerusalem's Museum of Islamic Art.
(And nice benches too.)
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I was surprised to be walking in Herod's Gate (the Flower Gate) and suddenly see a door open on a little storage space filled with an Old City grocer's produce, with a picture of the Kaaba surrounded by Muslim pilgrims.

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If you see a picture of the Kaaba on a Jerusalem door, it probably means that the resident is a hajji, one who has made the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca).

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I'd be happy if one of you could tell me what the Arabic says in this photo.
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St. Thérèse's relics on pilgrimage in Israel

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But in death, parts of her are making a world tour.
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On the poster you can see the long list of cities in Israel her relics will visit in a 2-week period.
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This Catholic custom of veneration of relics is strange to Jews, so of course I was curious and went to the Old City to find Theresa, The Little Flower.

Alas, the guard at the Latin Patriarchate told me I was two hours too late, that "she" had just left and was on the way to Haifa.

To console me, he showed me in to the empty cathedral.

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I had the whole place to myself! Blessed silence and solitude.

The stained-glass-filtered sunlight gave some pews and the pulpit a rainbow touch.

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I found one remaining copy of the welcoming ceremony at Jaffa Gate, the procession, and the Solemn Vespers at the church.

I sat on a multi-colored pew and read the pages, pretending to understand the Latin.

I thought about young (dead at 24) Theresa and her Little Way which teaches us to do little things with great love.

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So this post was a tour of something I did not see, for That's My World Tuesday

However, the Latin Patriarchate website has short videos of the welcomes given to the reliquary at Ben-Gurion Airport and in Jerusalem (and also articles about the saint).

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"Understanding Theresa's Relics" helps, e.g. "It is a fact that when people stand in the presence of her mortal remains or have some contact with her poor relics, . . . God, who received through her humanity so many signs of love, is pleased in turn to manifest his love through her bodily remains."

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This newspaper includes the fact that one set of her relics was taken into space in the Discovery.

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And Wikipedia has the whole story of Theresa, from 1873 to 1897.

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How long, O Lord?

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During the difficult and dark days of my life, PSALM 13 was my most-prayed psalm.
God answered me, in his own time. And indeed, "He has dealt bountifully with me."
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Now there are others who must ask "How long, O Lord?"
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1. For the leader. A psalm. Of David.
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2. How long, O LORD?!
Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
3. How long will I have cares in my soul, grief in my heart all day?
How long will my enemy loom over me?
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4. Look, answer me, O LORD, my God!
Light up my eyes, lest I sleep death;
5. lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him,” my foes exult when I stumble.
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6. But I trust in Your faithfulness.

My heart will exult in Your deliverance, I will sing to the LORD, for He has dealt bountifully with me.

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The Hebrew-English of Psalm 13 is here.

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Several other bloggers have taken up Robert's PsalmChallenge. Please join us over at Daily Athens.

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Gilad's "cell" is next to his parents' tent which is set up on the sidewalk near Prime Minister Netanyahu's official residence. His parents sit vigil day and night.

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A Friday afternoon cat circus

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Yesterday, as the Sabbath Queen* was about to come in, I allowed myself to sit down on my friends' bench and just get quiet, like the land itself gets quiet just before Shabbat.

Furry friend Lara seemed to be practicing for a cat circus.
First she did a balancing act.
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Oi, is she a tightrope walker?!

Is this a handstand or the beginning of a cartwheel?

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I'm happy to share sweet Lara the Acrobat with Camera-Critters and the lengthening shadows with Shadow Shot Sunday.

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Shabbat shalom.

*Oh, and if you are curious about the Sabbath Queen, here is a real eye-opener.

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