The Mount of Olives

On Monday morning, we traveled to the Mount of Olives -- this was a very important area to Jesus since he went there often "as was his custom" to pray and meditate -- to "recharge his batteries" so to speak. The Mount is in an Arab territory controlled by the Israelis; we were told to watch our belongings! The Mount of Olives is actually seven ridges, not a separate mountain. We went first to the Mosque of the Ascension; the place where Jesus went up to Heaven after the Resurrection. A very small structure, it was built by the Byzantines in the 4th century as an octagonal structure, completely open at the top with an opening in each of the eight sections. When the Muslims took it over in the 13th century, they made it into a mosque; added a dome, a minaret, and sealed off the arches. There is only one small entry now. Inside is an impression said to be that of Jesus' foot. The next stop was the Church of Pater Noster, where in a grotto there Jesus taught the Our Father to His disciples. We said the Our Father in the grotto in English, and heard others in our group say it in Filipino and in Spanish. The church was originally built in the fourth century by St. Helena, who is said to have found the True Cross. This is a French property founded in the 19th century by a Carmelite nun whose tomb is inside the church. The courtyard and church is lined with ceramic tiles printed with the Our Father in more than sixty languages, including Braille. The readings for this area were of the teaching of the Lord's Prayer, and we were reminded that we must trust God for our daily bread, and be prepared for the final test. As we left this area, our guide pointed out a Crown of Thorns tree. This was the tree from which the crown of thorns were made. The thorns were at least three inches long and were sharp and strong.