April 11, 2003
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land - Part VI
Jerusalem II: From tragedy to everlasting triumph
by Jim Rygelski, Review Managing Editor
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Pilate said to (the crowd), "Then what shall I do with Jesus called Messiah?" They all said, "Let Him be crucified" (Mt 27:22-23).
Then the angel said to the women in reply, "Do not be afraid. I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for He has been raised, just as He said" (Mt 28:5-6).
JERUSALEM - A St. Louis lawyer, David K. Breed, published a slim book in 1948 titled, "The Trial of Christ," in which he noted 17 legal errors in the whirlwind judicial proceedings that led to Jesus' death on the cross.
The Gospels detail those legalities as well as how Pontius Pilate, the military governor for the region, knew that Jesus was innocent, yet gave in to the mob that demanded his crucifixion.
Jesus' "crime" was in proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand - and still is, every day of our lives. But then, as now, it was a kingdom of the spirit, not of the flesh. And it wasn't a popular concept. To the Chosen People through whom He had been born, Jesus was a failure; to the ruling Romans, He was a rebel.
What the Gospels mention but don't detail is the enormous physical torment that Christ underwent in the last 18 hours of His life. |
WAY OF SORROWS - The Via Dolorosa, the path revered as the one Jesus was forced to walk with His cross on the way to Calvary, now stretches along a commercial area in the Old City part of Jerusalem. Shoppers here pass the sixth station, Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Each of the Stations of the Cross is marked, some having their own chapels. |
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WHERE JESUS DIED - Father Fergus Clarke, OFM, kneels as he venerates with incense the spot of the crucifixion in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Franciscans, custodians of the Holy Land shrines, pray at 12 of the church's altars daily as part of an observance marking the passion of Christ. Watching is a priest of the Greek Orthodox rite, which maintains the altar above the site of the Crucifixion. Maintenance of the entire church is shared by Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Armenian-rite Catholics. Beneath the altar one can touch a surviving portion of Golgotha, the hill on which Jesus was crucified. |
He was scourged with whips with metal points that tore deeply into His flesh, beaten and "crowned" with what is now believed to have been a cap of piercing thorns, then forced to carry the 80-to-110-pound crossbeam for His crucifixion through the streets past jeering spectators and on to the hill beyond the city walls where criminals were executed.
That ordeal was followed by the shock of having nails driven through his wrists and feet. "Fiery bolts pulsed through His arm and exploded in His brain," wrote the late St. Louis journalist Jim Barrett in the draft for an article never published titled, "The Crucifixion: An Eyewitness Account."
Added to this was profound sorrow and agony His own mother and disciples felt as they watched Him suffer for three hours on the cross, not completely understanding what it all meant.
One can retrace the steps that Jesus took to his crucifixion along the narrow Via Dolorosa (the Way of Sorrows). Now cobblestoned and featuring mostly Muslim-owned shops on both sides, it covers about 2,000 feet. Stations of the Cross first laid out by the Crusaders are noticeable, though one can easily pass by a few of them. The Franciscans, papal-appointed custodians of the Holy Land's shrines, formally follow the stations every Friday afternoon.
The Via Dolorosa ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a multi-level structure that encompasses the site of Crucifixion and the Resurrection. It is maintained jointly by Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian-rite Christians.
Long before St. Helena built the first church on the site in the 300s A.D., Christians venerated the site as the place of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. They did so even after the Roman Emperor Hadrian built temples to the gods Jupiter and Venus in an unsuccessful attempt to snuff out Christianity.
Father Peter Vasko, OFM, veteran Holy Land tour guide, emphasized that in visiting the place where the Cross stood, the pilgrim could easily be overcome by the symbols in marble and glass that cover nearly every inch of the church at that location.
"Try not to let the gold and silver and icons distract you," Father Vasko said. "Go back to the first century. Try to imagine yourself as a follower of Christ going up the hill of Golgotha." |
Steps lead to an altar over the spot where the Cross of Christ was placed. Kneeling, one can put a hand through a hole under the altar and touch the cold, hard surface beneath. Twelve years ago, while doing some repair work, laborers uncovered the iron rings used to steady a crucifix.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke record that the moment of Christ's death was accompanied by nature's fury. There is mention of an earthquake and the tearing from top to bottom of the curtain in the Temple at Jerusalem. One level down from the altar over the site of the Crucifixion, Father Vasko points to an exposed section of Golgotha; a geologist hired jointly by the three primary denominations overseeing the church determined a century ago a fissure tracing back to the time of the Crucifixion. Father Vasko also noted that Temple records mention the renting of the curtain.
A structure still revered as the Tomb of Christ stands on the main level of the church. The original tomb was preserved on the site until the 11th century when a Muslim dignitary destroyed nearly 90 percent of it. Authorities have said the inside back wall is authentic.
An ending beyond just happy
On the third day, as He prophesied, Jesus rose from the dead. His death sentence was merely part of the plan of salvation, and by accepting it He opened the way to eternal life.
He dwelled among the disciples for another 40 days, thus opening their eyes fully to what God's plan of salvation fully meant.
As St. John's Gospel closes with the reminder that there were more stories of Christ than the evangelist could fit into his account, this account of a pilgrimage adds the reminder that the venerated sites are more numerous than mentioned here. And one doesn't have to see all the Holy Land sites to have a faith-filled pilgrimage.
Father Vasko believes that the timing of a trip to the Holy Land is something God, not the pilgrim, decides.
"Going to Rome is OK, but coming to the Holy Land puts you where God interacted with mankind," he said. "God wanted you to be here, this month, this week, this day. He wants to heal you, to guide you, to touch your heart."
Over the years he has received correspondence from people who'd gone on Holy Land tours agreeing with his assessment.
"They wrote that upon their return home they realized something had changed in their lives. In some instances they were healed of a physical malady. In other cases they were healed of fear. Their hearts had been cold, but then they turned to the Lord," Father Vasko said.
For more information about the Franciscan Foundatiion for the Holy Land call (866) 905-3787 .
The journey to the Holy Land by Review managing editor Jim Rygelski and photographer Mark Kempf was sponsored by members of the St. Louis Council/Northern Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
The Good Friday collection raises needed money for the Christians and the shrines of the Holy Land.
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