Day 6...Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem Patriarchate, Shepherds' Field, Church of the Nativity, and the Holy Sepulchre

As I write this, it is about 3:30 in the morning Jerusalem time, but there is no way I'll be able to fall asleep for awhile. We just completed celebrating Divine Liturgy at the Tomb of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, and while I feel peaceful, there is no describing the high that I am experiencing right now.

Let me recap, however, everything that we had the blessing to experience today.

Our first stop was the Mount of Olives. This is the place of the Lord's Ascension where He blessed his Disciples and then ascended in glory to sit at the Right Hand of the Father. At this location is a Greek Orthodox Monastery with a priest-monk Fr. Ahilios. He has an ever-present smile and a kind nature that made us feel so welcome. Fr. Ahilios' kindness is amazing considering the stressful nature of the location of the monastery. Fr. Ahilios' predecessor, Fr. Ioakim fought the authorities to build two churches on the grounds (against their orders). When those in authority learned of the construction they sent bulldozers to destroy the churches. The bulldozers succeeded in destroying the church that was above ground, but when they tried to break through the ceiling of the underground church, an icon of Christ rolled out of the church blocking the way and the bulldozer broke...this sent a clear message and the church has remained intact, with the damage still showing from where the unsuccessful attempt took place. We prayed and chanted with Fr. Ahilios and said our goodbyes.

Outside of the monastery is a beautiful panoramic view of the city of Jerusalem. While gazing upon this city of tension, war and peace, our guide Yani offered beautiful thoughts on the importance of love and peace...we were so inspired as we thought of being in the same place of where the Lord is said to return on his Second Coming.

After taking some pictures we traveled to Gethsemane and the tomb of the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. This was a place of mass pilgrimage and we followed the throng through the slow moving line to venerate her resting place before her assumption into heaven. We gathered outside the tomb and sang hymns from the Paraklesis before the icon of Panagia Ierousalimitsa bringing all of us to tears.

Completing that emotional experience, we went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Christ prayed in agony to the point where his sweat became like drops of blood. Christ's prayer was simple and powerful, surrendering His own will for the will of God the Father and allowing Himself to be betrayed by Judas in that very Garden with a kiss.

The next stop was to receive the blessing from the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos. His Patriarchal lineage traces all the way to back to St. Iakovos (St. James the Disciple). His Beatitude was gracious, humble and very well spoken. He shared uplifting words about the area and the truth of our Orthodox Christian Faith. After speaking, he gave us all generous gifts and his Patriarchal blessings. There was a group from Ukraine received at the same time as well, so I was excited that my wife's heritage was represented so well. The Patriarch said about the Ukrainians that they are a people in whose faces we see the Crucifixion and Resurrection (referring to their Communist occupation by the Soviets). The Ukrainians were excited to learn about Marusia, and I got to try out some of the Ukrainian that I know. It was just a wonderful, uplifting experience from start to finish at the Patriarchate.

We then had lunch at a Christian owned restaurant in Palestine where we enjoyed Filafel on our way to the Shepherd's field.

At Monastery of the Shepherd's field, the grounds were immaculate. One monk is there, Fr. Ignatios. Fr. Ignatios has an interesting history as he was involved in hotel management. He was considering marrying, but made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and visited the monastery. The abbot at that time told him that he would become the abbot in the future, so eventually Fr. Ignatios stayed. Fr. Ignatios was another kind and gentle man with a wonderful disposition, chanting with us, praying with us and talking to us without regard for time. Everyone enjoyed visiting.

After departing the field where the shepherds heard the hymns of the Angels announcing Christ's Birth, we went to the place of His Birth. The Church of the Nativity was inspiring and another emotional stop. While waiting in line, we were taking turns with the Romanian Pilgrims chanting various hymns. It was a beautiful moment where our mutual Orthodox Christian Faith surpassed any language and cultural boundaries. While venerating the spot of Christ's Birth we emotionally sang Orthodox Christmas hymns imagining the beauty of the Silent Night.

Completing that amazing part of our pilgrimage we then went back to the hotel to rest and prepare for midnight Liturgy at the Tomb of Christ. I can't really present what the group experienced as I was taken to the altar immediately. But I can tell you that this was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. To celebrate Liturgy in the place where Christ rose from the dead is something I will never forget. I was completely humbled to wear vestments that bore the mark of the Guardians of the Tomb of Christ and to be allowed out of dozens of priests to serve close to the altar and our Lord's Tomb. I was rendered fairly useless in the altar as I couldn't control my tears when the gifts were lifted. The most powerful moment came when we were preparing for the distribution of Holy Communion and the people spontaneously began singing Resurrectional Hymns from Pascha in various languages. Christ's Resurrection was made even more real for us this morning. I was given the blessing of distributing the Body and Blood of Christ to hundreds of faithful.

What else can I say? I prayed for everyone that I can think of and for those that I may have forgotten at the place where Christ rose from the dead. May our Risen Lord watch over all of us and keep blessing you all. Χριστός ἀνέστη! CHRIST IS RISEN!!!!