Notes from the Holy Land, Feb 25, Wednesday
The weather this morning is absolutely amazing, clear and sunny, and about 65°, a perfect day for visiting Jerusalem, one of my favorite cities on the planet.
But first we are off to Shepherd‘s Field, the place where the angels announced the birth of Our Lord to shepherds who were tending their sheep in the surrounding hills.
There were several groups here from Portugal, the Philippines and Indonesia.
The grounds are so beautiful and there are several caves that were once used by shepherds to keep their flocks in the time of Jesus.
Afterwards, we drove to the top of the Mount of Olives to take in the magnificent view over the city of Jerusalem.
From here one could see all of the most important biblical sites and locations of the city.
Traveling along the Palm Sunday path we descended to the Garden of Gethsemane, stopping at the beautiful Church of Dominus Flevit, to mark the place where Jesus wept over the city, foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem.
Designed by Antonio Barluzzi, the church is built in the shape of a teardrop and features a large window behind the altar offering a direct view of the Old City and the Temple Mount.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, there are many huge olive trees, some over 2000 years old from the time of Jesus.
It is here that our Lord and the disciples came after the Last Supper to pray and the Church of All Nations, also known as, the Basilica of Agony, is built over the rock on which Jesus is believed to have prayed in agony the night before he was crucified.
This is also where Jesus was arrested, betrayed by Judas with a kiss.
We had lunch today at the Notre Dame Center of Jerusalem which is one of the hotels we sometimes use that is located directly across from the New Gate entrance to the old city.
From the rooftop observation deck, you have magnificent views over the entire old city of Jerusalem.
This evening we had dinner with a good friend and guide, Rami.
It was great to share a meal and spend time together after three years of conflict.
A great way to end a wonderful day.
Shalom,
Jimmy
