Outside the walls of Jerusalem

Church of All Nations (Agony in the Garden)

Today was very different from yesterday as we were visiting all the places at a short distance from Jerusalem. We had mass in the church of All Nations, so called as it was paid for by various countries around the world. The stone shows wher Jesus knelt during his meditation.

                       Pater Noster Church                                     Olive trees in Garden of Gethsemene

Wherever we go we have an appropriate reading and sometimes hymns as well.  I was lucky to have been given the reading to say from the bible in the Pastor Noster Church, which includes the teaching of how to pray and introduces the Our Father.  After the reading everyone was invited to say it in there own languages.  Our group did not seem to have many people from other countries but I know we had Arabic and French.

The 8 olive trees in this garden are the only ones tleft which would have been there at the time of Christ.

Rock of the Ascension

In the Mosque of the Ascension we saw this rock which is supposed to have Jesus's footprint on it from when He ascended into Heaven.  One of the guidebooks said it was hard to tell where it was as in the early days people used to take bits away with them!

Dominus Flavit (The Lord Wept)

Church of the Dormition

This church is run by German priests.  Most of the churches are run by the Franciscans.

Russian Church of Mary Magdelena

Usually refered to as the Church with the Onion Domes

Western (Wailing) Wall

Some of us went to see the Wailing Wall on the way back to the hotel.  It was rather disconcerting to find that we had to go through security with a scanner manned by soldiers.  There were numerous soldiers there, some with guns.  The part of the wall that is showing is only part of it as to the left it can only be seen by going down a tunnel.  Women are segregated to a small area on the left.  We were allowed to go up to the wall where some on the women were quite distraught, flattening themselves against the wall or with prayer books against their faces.  Many, when coming away from the wall, walked backwards.

Tomorrow we leave Jerusalem and go to Bethlehem which is only a few miles down the road.