The Imperfect Deacon's Wife: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus

My apologies for the wait between the last installment and this, while not the final installment of our amazing trip to the Holy Land, does continue with the next day of our journey (February 6th). I will continue to work on the 7th, 8th, and 9th (our last day) but I have so much to say and so many photos to insert that I just wanted to get this next day published before everyone lost interest.

February 6, 2023

From the hotel, we boarded our bus and Essam drove us to the Mount of Olives (breathtaking views).

Our route on the Mt. of Olives
(red line - walk to sites; blue line - walk to bus)

We visited the Pater Noster Shrine were the “Our Father” is written in over 100 languages. Hussam recited the “Our Father” in Aramaic (or was it Hebrew?) and Bernie and Janet said it in Mandarin. We prayed the “Our Father” in English together. This is the place Jesus taught his disciples (and us) how to pray.

Pater Noster Shrine
Photo credit: Theresa Barnaby

We walked down off the Mount of Olives towards the Kidron Valley. Very steep hill, very hard on these old knees and hips. Ken cut his hand in 2 places on the handrail, but it was so cold that he didn’t even know he was bleeding. Eventually we got the bleeding stopped and found bandages (a big thank-you to our nurse, Betty Johnson & our guide, Hussam for their aid).

We visited the Chapel of the Dominus Flevit. Luke 19:41-44 records that Jesus looked over the city of Jerusalem and wept for its future destruction. The chapel, designed by Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi, was built in 1955. During construction, archaeological remains from the Canaanite period, and a lovely Byzantine chapel were discovered, along with tombs from the Second Temple and Late Roman periods.

Chapel of the Dominus Flevit

Jewish Cemetary near the Chapel
(see map for exact location)
Photo credit: Theresa Barnaby

We walked further down the hill to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Such a beautiful place but filled with so much sorrow and sadness. It was odd to see the place that I had only read about in the Gospels. Heartbreaking betrayal and Jesus knowing he was to die (for us). Tears flowed freely from me (and many others) as the realization of how much our Lord loved us then and continues to love us still. A monumental epiphany for me.

Jerusalem thorn bush - used to make the crown of thorns

Photo credit: Theresa Barnaby

We had our Mass in the Grotto of the Apostles near the Garden. It was easy to see Jesus teaching and preaching and praying here. The artwork behind the altar came to life for me especially during the Eucharistic Prayer. Jesus’ red robe grew in intensity as Father Michael progressed in this prayer - I know how crazy that may sound to some - but it was a powerfully charged Mass for me. It was spiritually enlightening (Jesus is always there at Mass even when it is not manifested in a visual way) and quite literally brought the Mass to life for me.

Mass at the Grotto of the Apostles

The Church of All Nations was extremely busy but it was such a treat. As the name suggests, many nations of the world came together to build this magnificent church at this site. This is also another Antonio Barluzzi designed church.

After Mass, we walked down and then up an extremely steep hill to get to our bus – crossing a very busy street to get there (blue line on map at beginning of today above). Ken had a very difficult time getting to the bus and his O2 saturation was in the 80’s for several hours (he remained on the bus for the remainder of the afternoon). To get a taste of how he feels when exerting so much energy with very little lung capacity - try breathing through a small straw and walk up a hill (no fair breathing through your nose).

Notre Dame Jerusalem Lobby

We had lunch at the beautiful Vatican owned Notre Dame Jerusalem center (above) – across the street from the Lion’s gate to the old city. Father bought a bottle of wine to share with our table and we had an exceptional lunch surrounded by our group and others of our faith from around the world.

Following lunch, we drove to the location of the Upper Room on Mt. Zion. We prayed a Hail Mary at the site (currently under renovation) commemorating the assumption of Mary into heaven.

The Upper Room

Our last stop of the day was the site where Jesus told Peter he would deny him three times and the dungeon where Jesus spent his last night on earth. I did not go down to the dungeon as it was simply too emotional for me and too small of a space for me to be comfortable. Jesus was literally lowered into the dungeon - below ground - by ropes tied around his torso as there was no door, just a hole in the ceiling. He was treated badly, and He suffered so much for the salvation of our souls, it makes me wonder how could He love us all so much?