Catholics, Jews, Orthodox throng Jerusalem to celebrate religions

CNS ^ | April 13, 2009 | Judith Sudilovsky

[NYer]

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- The Old City of Jerusalem was more packed than it had been in many years as the Catholic Easter coincided with the Orthodox Palm Sunday and the Jewish priestly blessing at the Western Wall for Passover.

People jammed the alleyways of the outdoor market as pilgrims made their way to Easter Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Taking the same path, members of the Orthodox churches headed toward their Palm Sunday services while Jews rushed to the Western Wall for the traditional blessing by the cohanim, priests who are descendants of the priests who served in the biblical Jewish Temple before it was destroyed.

Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher it was impossible to reach the tomb of Jesus as hundreds of worshippers from around the world and local Catholics participated in an Easter Mass celebrated by Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem.

Local Christians of the Orthodox Coptic Church as well as Egyptian Coptic pilgrims -- many dressed in robes and traditional headdresses with palm fronds festively decorated with pink ribbons and flowers -- pushed through the throng to reach the small Coptic shrine behind the tomb.

The larger Greek Orthodox shrine in front of the tomb was overflowing with worshippers and locals as pilgrims celebrated Palm Sunday.

For some pilgrims, like Marietta Olmos, 49, a Catholic originally from Chile now living in Miami, the experience was a once-in-a-lifetime blessing, while for others like Terrence McTigue, 65, of Mercer Island, Wash., it was a nightmare.

"I feel like I am standing before the Lord himself," Olmos said. "I received the sign of peace from the patriarch and you feel the presence of the Lord everywhere here, just stepping on the same places where he stood."

But McTigue felt differently, saying the larger, louder Greek Orthodox Palm Sunday service drowned out the smaller Catholic Mass. There was too much of a sense of competition in all the worship in the church, and not enough sense of the community he associates with Christianity, he said.

Amy Rementillia, 35, a Philippine caretaker living in Tel Aviv, took pictures of the Stone of Unction which marks the spot where tradition holds Jesus was laid out following his crucifixion. People crowded around the stone, strewing rose petals and rose water and touching their handkerchiefs and icons to the stone.

"I want to pray silently but I can't concentrate; it is too crowded," she said.

Two African refugees from Eritrea stood patiently next to the Stone of Unction, waiting for their turn to pray as more aggressive pilgrims pushed their way through, slipping in ahead of them. Finally, Haile, 48, who used only one name, was able to find a spot next to a corner of the stone and leaned his forehead on it. A bit later Kido Kirane Mariam, 34, also managed to reach the stone.

Both Christians, they had traveled from Eritrea through Sudan to reach Israel, they said. Haile has been in Israel for a year and Mariam for two. There are currently about 17,000 African refugees from Sudan, Eritrea, Congo, Nigeria and Ivory Coast seeking asylum in Israel.

"We are very grateful to be here. This is the place of Jesus. It is holy," said Haile.

[NYer]

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal (C) walks through the Church of Holy Sepulchre before Easter Mass in Jerusalem's Old City April 12, 2009. REUTERS

Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Metropolitan Irineos (C) walks through the Church of Holy Sepulchre before Palm Sunday Mass in Jerusalem's Old City April 12, 2009. REUTERS

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish boys stand together before the priestly blessing at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City April 12, 2009. REUTERS

[NYer]

Catholic clergy take part in a procession after Easter Mass at the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City April 12, 2009. Pope Benedict called in his Easter message on Sunday for a renewed push for Israeli-Palestinian peace just weeks before he travels to the Holy Land for the first time as pontiff. REUTERS

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[NYer]

Greek Orthodox clergy stand outside the Church of Holy Sepulchre before Palm Sunday Mass in Jerusalem's Old City April 12, 2009. REUTERS

[Islaminaction]

It is nice to see a gather of peaceful religions. God bless them all.

[sofaman]

Also, on the morning before Pesach (last Wednesday morning), Jews all over the world congregated to perform Birkas haChama, which is a blessing on seeing the sun. The sun reaches this point in the sky only every 28 years and the Sages teach us that the sun was at this precise point in the sky at the moment of Creation.

Almost 200,000 Jews congregated at the Kotel (Western Wall) to say & hear this blessing.

At our little Shul (synagogue) in San Diego, we had 240 people.

[Pyro7480]

The sun reaches this point in the sky only every 28 years and the Sages teach us that the sun was at this precise point in the sky at the moment of Creation.

Huh? How can that be if the sun wasn't formed until later, according to both Scripture and science?

[sofaman]

okay, maybe I should explain it better .... the sun was at exactly the point where G-d placed it in the sky, ie. when G-d created the sun.

I'm not going to debate it, I am simply telling you what also coincided with Passover, Easter, etc.

[zerosix]

Er, so do non-Catholic Protestants (flock to Jerusalem to worship).

My husband and I were there last year for Palm Sunday/Easter with a Baptist Seminary, 90 visitors and one of the educators who has taken believers for 79 times throughout the year for decades.

Though we're not Catholic and certainly did not have any "official" status as celebrants, worship we did, especially outside the tomb on Palm Sunday.

[Pyro7480]

Ok, that makes more sense. :-)

[Zionist Conspirator]

Huh? How can that be if the sun wasn't formed until later, according to both Scripture and science?

Et tu, Pyro?

I've posted three articles and one video about the once-in-28-years blessing of the sun which occurred last wdnsday morning.

First thread.

Second thread.

Third thread.

Video.

[Pyro7480]

Sorry to say, I didn’t see any of those threads.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Interestingly, while the Eastern and Western "holy week" are usually one to several weeks apart, they will actually coincide for the next two years. And in both those years the seven days of Pesach will not have passed before the Eastern Orthodox "Pascha."

[Zionist Conspirator]

Sorry to say, I didn’t see any of those threads.

Unfortunate. It won't happen again for 28 years.

But you're hardly the only one. Most people have never heard of Birkat HaChammah, and most people don't associate Judaism with the Creation Week anyway.

[Zionist Conspirator]

At our little Shul (synagogue) in San Diego, we had 240 people.

Pretty good for a "little Shul!"

[sofaman]

we try .. we're a growing community. However, our local supermarket saw the writing on the wall and added a Glatt kosher meat market about 2-3 years ago and they are now adding a Glatt kosher deli & a kosher bakery.

Not bad!

[SunkenCiv]

An Open Letter to the World: Israel Apologizes
Kahane | 4/09
Posted on 04/13/2009 11:07:20 AM PDT by pabianice
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2228164/posts

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

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[MeanWestTexan]

4th day of Creation would be a more accurate statement.

[Biggirl]

Hi sofaman! Wow,that is truly a miracle and a historic event, about the sun and seeing it with its own blessing. :)

[Biggirl]

The next two years, Easter will be celibrated by all the churches at the same time. A sign of possible growing unity among the churches.