At the entrance to the church of the Holy Sepulcher We got up early this morning in order to celebrate Mass at Calvary. Walking to the church of the Holy Sepulcher through empty streets of the Old City was a weird experience. During the day they are just overflown with crowds of people. As we entered the church in different sections Catholic Masses were already celebrated. It is important to keep in mind that the church of the Holy Sepulcher that contains Calvary and the Tomb of Jesus Christ, doesn’t simple belong to one Christian denomination but in fact is shared. There are three main churches involved: Greek Orthodox, Armenians and Catholics. The first Mass in the Tomb of Jesus is celebrated by the Greek Orthodox at half past midnight, followed two hours later by the Armenians. Mass presided by Catholics begins at 4.30 each morning and is repeated each half hour until 7.45.
Masses are also held at Calvary, in the right nave, from 5.00 to 8.30am. The main altar of the Calvary right above the spot where the Cross was belongs now to the Greek Orthodox Church. It means that Catholics aren't allowed to celebrate Mass there but it is accessible for individual adorations. Pilgrims go under the altar to touch to top of the Calvary. As there are so many bookings each Mass cannot last longer than 30 minutes. We were very blessed to be able to book our Mass there. As we were walking through the streets I was thinking about what I should pray for during the Mass. After getting dressed we priests walked up to the top of Golgotha. As kissed the altar like we always do at the beginning of the Mass I couldn’t think about any intentions to pray for because my mind was filled with only one thought: to thank Our Lord Jesus Christ for what he did for us when the cross he was nailed to was placed here. I was so privileged to proclaim the Gospel during the Mass. Believe me I have read many times in church but this time as I read what St John the Apostle wrote about Jesus Crucifixion: “They then took charge of Jesus, and carrying his own cross he went out to the Place of the Skull or, as it is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him with two others, one on either side, Jesus being in the middle” my voice started shaking. When I got to the sentence: “After Jesus had taken the wine he said, 'It is fulfilled'; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit” I had to push myself to finish the reading. When you stand there you don’t look for any inspiring reflection about Jesus’ death on the cross. You don’t need a sermon as the place itself seems to cry out: “It happened here. God who accepted human nature was killed right here.” Can we think about anything else then being grateful for his death for our salvation and living our Christian life to the full?
As you look at the photos I would like to offer you some reflection on Calvary, the focal point of the church. This preserves for us half of the Paschal mystery, that part which is painful and meritorious: the crucifixion and death of Christ, new Adam and our destiny of salvation and glory.
Name and location
The word Calvary comes from Latin. It is a translation of the Hebrew term Golgotha, which means “skull”. The name was due to the appearance of the site, an ancient abandoned quarry filled with rough-hewn rocks. John, an eyewitness to the Passion, tells us that “the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha” was close by Jerusalem. Today Calvary is within the walls of the Old
City.
The Cross
Jesus died on the Cross which he himself had carried, helped by a certain Simon of Cyrene, symbol of the disciple who carries the cross behind Jesus. The Cross was a post with two overlapping beams. In the second century St. Irenaeus of Lyon gave it the following symbolic meaning: “The incarnate Word, suspended from a tree in order to redeem us and give us life, brought together the two peoples, Jews and pagans, through the extension of the arms. For there were two arms because there were two peoples scattered to the ends of the earth, but at the center there was but one head.”
The time
Jesus was crucified at noon and died at three in the afternoon. It was a Friday, the eve of Passover, on the 13th of Nisan, probably Friday 7 April 30 AD. It was the time, according to the Jewish ritual, in which all fermented things had to be removed from the house to make way for the unleavened bread of Passover. For the New Testament, these rituals were symbols of the Christian mystery: the sacrifice of Jesus, our Passover Lamb, marked the beginning of the new and eternal alliance between God and man.
The scene
Calvary is the altar of the world. Christ crucified is both priest and victim of the sacrifice by which the work of redemption was accomplished. Everything on Calvary revolves around the Crucified One, Lord of nature and history. Everything and everyone acquire meaning from him: his Mother, the pious women, John, the crucifiers, the bystanders, humanity and the entire creation. We are now in the fullness of time.
As you look at the photos I would like to offer you some reflection on Calvary, the focal point of the church. This preserves for us half of the Paschal mystery, that part which is painful and meritorious: the crucifixion and death of Christ, new Adam and our destiny of salvation and glory.
Name and location
The word Calvary comes from Latin. It is a translation of the Hebrew term Golgotha, which means “skull”. The name was due to the appearance of the site, an ancient abandoned quarry filled with rough-hewn rocks. John, an eyewitness to the Passion, tells us that “the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha” was close by Jerusalem. Today Calvary is within the walls of the Old
City.
The Cross
Jesus died on the Cross which he himself had carried, helped by a certain Simon of Cyrene, symbol of the disciple who carries the cross behind Jesus. The Cross was a post with two overlapping beams. In the second century St. Irenaeus of Lyon gave it the following symbolic meaning: “The incarnate Word, suspended from a tree in order to redeem us and give us life, brought together the two peoples, Jews and pagans, through the extension of the arms. For there were two arms because there were two peoples scattered to the ends of the earth, but at the center there was but one head.”
The time
Jesus was crucified at noon and died at three in the afternoon. It was a Friday, the eve of Passover, on the 13th of Nisan, probably Friday 7 April 30 AD. It was the time, according to the Jewish ritual, in which all fermented things had to be removed from the house to make way for the unleavened bread of Passover. For the New Testament, these rituals were symbols of the Christian mystery: the sacrifice of Jesus, our Passover Lamb, marked the beginning of the new and eternal alliance between God and man.
The scene
Calvary is the altar of the world. Christ crucified is both priest and victim of the sacrifice by which the work of redemption was accomplished. Everything on Calvary revolves around the Crucified One, Lord of nature and history. Everything and everyone acquire meaning from him: his Mother, the pious women, John, the crucifiers, the bystanders, humanity and the entire creation. We are now in the fullness of time.
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