Jesus' Death and Burial Sites: Where Exactly Are They?

"Sepulchre: A small room or monument, cut in rock or built of stone, in which a dead person is laid or buried"

How is it that so many Christians are unaware of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre? I don't really have an answer to that, but I'm positive many do not know what it is or that it exists!

How would you feel if I said you could walk up to Calvary and see the spot where Jesus' cross went into the ground? What if I told you that you could then walk a short distance to the tomb where Jesus was laid to rest? Now how would you feel if you found out that they were in such close proximity to each other that it is all enclosed by a massive church? That's right - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is alive and well in Jerusalem.

A birdseye view of the Church

I think when I first found this bit of information out, my mind was blown! I guess that I figured you could maybe go to the approximate spot where Christ was crucified, but the actual tomb? And it's all under the same roof? Now what about the actual stone where Jesus was laid to be prepared for burial, immediately after death? That's right you can see that stone. And it too is under the same roof! This is the stone our Lord's body was laid upon and was prepared for burial. Surely, Our Lady touched this stone as well? How many of her tears fell here?

The actual stone!

Remember the wealthy man Joseph of Arimathea who requested Jesus' body? He felt it should be properly prepared for burial, and he felt Jesus should be laid to rest in his (Joseph's) own tomb.

"And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus."  Mark 15:42-43

Holy Saturday at the tomb of Jesus

Here is a photo of the entrance to the tomb of Jesus. Can you imagine being in there? Can you imagine what you would feel?

"Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid."  John 19:41

All awesomeness right there!

I think it is a bit shocking to find out for the first time it is all under the same roof. The distance from the cross to the grave was not a huge one. Perhaps, he could have seen the tomb from the cross?  What would Jesus have seen from his view?  He would have seen the people down below him jeering him. He would have seen the Roman guards completely at ease with what was going on - casting lots for his garments. He would have seen his beloved apostle John, Mary Magdalene, and his mother, the Virgin Mary, there at the foot of the cross crying... praying.

Mosaic inside the church

You can go there to Jerusalem and see this all. It's definitely on my bucket list! I might add that if you are thinking of going on a pilgrimage, look into going on one with Steve Ray or Fr. Mitch Pacwa.  I've always said that when I get the time and money, I would only go on their tours. Steve Ray is a Catholic convert and apologist. He gives tours to the Holy Land year round. His pilgrimages always look like such fun!!! He usually posts multiple videos from his tours.  Here is the LINK to his website. Fr. Pacwa is a host of multiple shows on EWTN. He is a Jesuit priest and accomplished scholar. Here is the LINK to his events page. It looks like he'll be giving a tour to the Holy Land this upcoming Christmas!

Here are two parting photos showing the floor plan of the church as well as a drawing depicting how the church is built on the actual sites.

God bless!  ~+Katherine

Holy Thursday and The Upper Room

The mass on Holy Thursday marks the end of Lent and the beginning of the Triduum - from the evening of Holy (Maundy) Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday.  In the mass,  we celebrate three things: the washing of the feet (signifying a humility to service and the institution of priesthood) just as Jesus washed the feet of his twelve apostles, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist just as Jesus instructed his apostles to eat his body and drink his blood as the new covenant, and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament just as Jesus instructed his apostles to stay with him and keep watch in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Garden of Gethsemane today

So where did that last meal take place - the famous supper at which Jesus informs his apostles that one of them would betray him, the famous supper at which Jesus institutes the Eucharist, the famous supper at which Jesus institutes the priesthood, the famous supper that which has been painted and interpreted over and over for the last two thousand years?

Well, Scripture tells us in Luke 22: 7-13 ...
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it." They said to him, "Where will you have us prepare it?" He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house which he enters, and tell the householder, 'The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I am to eat the Passover with my disciples?' And he will show you a large upper room furnished; there make ready." And they went, and found it as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

It has traditionally been called the Cenacle - or "supper room" translated from Latin.  It was an upper room in a house in Jerusalem on Mt. Zion.  This upper room was also the same place in which the apostles stayed and prayed after Jesus' Ascension and before Pentecost (when the Holy Spirit entered the room).  It was also the same room in which Jesus appeared to his apostles immediately following his resurrection, showing them his hands, feet, and side. It is the same room in which Jesus instructs his apostles that any sins they forgive will be forgiven and those that are not, will not (thus the institution of the sacrament of reconciliation).  This upper room was key to the early Church.  In fact, many scholars even refer to it as the "first church".  It served as a safe house for Jesus and his beloved apostles in his final hours and the days following his death and resurrection.

Today it is a room you can visit; however, it is a room that was built most likely in the 12th Century on top of the ruins of a 1st century synagogue/church.  Below are a few pictures to give you a better view.  May you all have a blessed Holy Thursday. May your love for Christ grow even more in the next three days!  ~+Katherine

The Upper Room as it probably looked in the 1st Century.

Stairs leading up to the Upper Room today.

Inside the Upper Room today

Holy Thursday and Judas Iscariot

On my Facebook page this morning I posted a current picture of the site of Judas Iscariot's suicide.  I think at this time of year, especially, it is imperative that we be as close to Jesus as possible.  Since most of us cannot walk the actual roads he walked, we can at least visit them through cyperspace - thank goodness for the internet!

In Matthew 26:14-16, we read that Judas plots to hand over Jesus to the chief priests. During the last supper, Judas gets up and goes to meet with the priests.  Jesus then goes to the Garden of Gethsemane with the remaining apostles to pray.  While he is there, Judas leads the chief priests, scribes, and elders to Jesus and betrays him with the infamous kiss.  Judas had told them he would identify Jesus with a greeting of a kiss on the cheek. Immediately, Jesus was arrested and crucified the very next day.

Matthew 27: 3-10 describes how Judas feels guilty over Jesus' death sentence.  He goes back to the chief priests with the thirty pieces of silver and says "I have sinned in betraying innocent blood."  Their reply is, "What is that to us?" Basically, they couldn't have cared less.  What was done, was done. Hearing their reply, Judas throws the silver down at their feet, flees, and hangs himself.  Matthew 27: 8 states, "Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day."

Judas is sometimes an overlooked character in these final hours. We tend to look at the big picture, as we should, but he is also very important.  This morning, I saw an old clip of Fr. Benedict Groeschel from EWTN, and he really summed it up best.  You see, God asked for human help through Mary in bringing His own flesh and blood TO earth, and he asked for human help in bringing him FROM earth. He asked for Mary's hand in his birth. He also had human help in his death - not only with the priests, scribes, elders, and the myriad of others, but with one man who betrayed him.  Judas was one of the twelve. Jesus knew it would be Judas who would betray him.

Jesus answered, " It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Juda, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." ~ John 13: 26-27

The Field of Blood exists to this day. A Greek monastery sits on the exact site of Judas' hanging.