Day 13 - The Holy Sepulchre and St. Peter in Gallicantu

Outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Praying in the tomb

Our first day in Jerusalem didn't disappoint.  We started with Mass at the tomb of Jesus at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  The emotion of our group was palpable;  we experienced the mystery of the Resurrection in a new way.

Later in the morning we saw the rest of the Church, including Golgotha, the place where Christ was crucified (the tomb and Golgotha are in the same maze-of-a-church that is the Holy Sepulchre).  It is difficult to describe this Church which contains the two holiest places, but it makes you realize the eternal impact of Christ's saving action. He is risen!

A look into the pit

The next stop was St. Peter in Gallicantu.  This is the location of Caiphas's house; the place where Jesus was first brought after he was arrested to be interrogated by the Jewish leaders (also the place where Peter denied Jesus). At this site is a pit believed to the prison where Christ was held the night before His death.  We prayed through Psalm 88, a psalm that Jesus might have prayed while He was imprisoned here.

A line from Psalm 88, addressing God, is "Will your love be told in the grave?" After seeing the tomb, we can answer YES.  His love was told in the grave, for His love dies not in the grave.  My prayer for all of you reading this is that you might have a new experience of God's love for you, the love that is stronger than death.

God bless!

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