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February 2010 Israel’s President Shimon Peres addressed the German Parliament Internet Version on January 31st, Holocaust Memorial Day, with touching words ISSN 1615-9667 of reconciliation. A few days later Palestine’s President Mahmoud 11. Volume Abbas came to Berlin to strive for peace. Let us hope and pray! 37. Edition

Printed Version ISSN 1435-1641 15. Volume 53. Edition

Guest writer Fr. Robert Jauch OFM

Jerusalem: Jesus is still weeping

About the Chapel of »Dominus

Flevit« (= Jesus Wept) situated on the Mount of Olives, one of the most impressive holy places in

page 6 Impressum Jerusalem: The view looking out towards the Mount of Olives seen from the Golden Gate. This shows the setting of the Chapel Dominus Flevit. The wall below is adjacent to an old Jewish cemetery. However the bigger and more recent burial fields can be partly seen at the right side of the picture. The window of the chapel Dominus site can’t see is that the stone vases on the Jerusalem: Flevit on the Mount of Olives is hardly unique tear shaped roof are brittle and ever left out in any illustrated books of tend to fall off. Jesus is still the Holy City. It seems that many tour- The roof of the sacristy leaks. The ists and pilgrims regard the view taken power supply needs to be modernized. weeping from the window as an indispensable Fifty years after its erection the stones keepsake. This is most apparent when need cleaning and restoring. Finally, the

one watches visitors’ jockeying for best famous window of the chapel requires The Chapel of »Dominus Flevit« vantage point to photograph the iconic major renovation. It would be unthink- (= Jesus Wept) is situated on image: how disappointed they are if the able to replace it with modern double the Mount of Olives, one of the chapel is closed for Holy Mass. glazing units without replicating the The simple view of the Old City of Je- original shape. most impressive holy places in rusalem and the Golden Dome doesn’t Sun, rain and storm have left their marks Jerusalem. seem to satisfy the flood of visitors. They on the glass and its frame. Furthermore vandals have played their part in the de- struction, too. Later additions to the chapel in as part of the building of an annex for the sac- risty were not well done. Power lines and telephone wires criss-cross the venue. At the end of the restoration all pipes and cables will be underground and the cob- ble stones will be realigned. At the end of the project Dominus Flevit will be pre- served for decades to come. Ugly concrete canopies cover the an- cient burial sites and the Byzantine mo- saic besides the chapel; they will be re- placed with more suitable protection.

The little Cloister A small church was erected at the up- per part of the area bought by the Fran- Dominus Flevit: The roof of the chapel is shaped like a drop as a reminder of the ciscan Order on the Mount of Olives in tears Jesus wept here at the Mount of Olives. 1891. The church was located in the gar- want the view through the very window den, north of a mosque commemorated with its ornaments of thorns and the cha- by a memorial stone now. The church Franciscan frater Robert Jauch lice which was designed by Antonio Bar- Dominus Flevit was mentioned as early OFM tells why this unique luzzi. It seems that those who fail to take as in the late C13th or in the beginning of place urgently needs help a picture from this unique spot, don’t feel the C14th. In the C16th a mosque stood. that they been to the Holy City at all! It was called el Mansuriyyeh and has However the window itself and the been recently rebuilt. The famous archi- small chapel of which it forms a part, tect Antonio Barluzzi (1884 - 1960) desi- erected in 1955/1956 on the remains of a gned a new Chapel of Grace in 1955. This late-Byzantine church, are in urgent need of renovation. What the pilgrim to the

 qualitalk Nr. 53 The famous window at the chapel Dominus Flevit is high� ly popular with tourists as fra� me for their shot of Jerusalem and the golden dome.

undertaking led to a major change. The dalism is a risk factor on the Mount of church was converted into a cloister. A Olives. Since 2008 there have been ken- domestic chapel, a common living room nels at the Hermitage. Two German she- and a kitchen were installed as well as a pherd dogs, the cross breeds Al Jazeera toilet and a tool shop. An adjacent room and Yadira, were a gift from Bet Jala. The was called Maison du Gardien according to watchdogs have deterred thieves suc- a plan from 1911. Obviously a custodian cessfully so far. or a brother lodged here in former times The cost of the entire renovation is es- and took care of the chapel. The upper timated at 300,000 Euro. On completion floor of the cloister contained three cells the site will be very pleasant. and a bathroom. For 50 years this was near perfect for The Garden the monks – a maximum of three brot- Apart from the main entrance to Do� hers could live there. However they had minus Flevit there is a small gatehouse no heating. It doesn’t rain a lot in Jerusa- next to the large Jewish cemetery. The The Hermitage was recently set lem but strong winds, even storms, batter custodian looks after the visitors and up adjacent to the neighbor’s wall: Dominus Flevit. Now, a common living takes care of the garden, the chapel and The barbed wire might hamper in� room will get an open fire and each of the toilets for the pilgrims. Plans for im- trusion over the roof. three cells will be fitted with a shower provements to the canopies and roofs and WC. The tool shop has been remo- of the sarcophagi, ossuaries and oth- deled as a laundry. The former Maison er antiques were postponed. A former du Gardien has become an apartment for chicken hut is now a tool shop, another volunteers. Barred windows and fences shed adjacent to the wall of the Benedic- are essential because burglary and van- qualitalk Nr. 53  »City of God, how joyful is the view of the Mount of Olives.« In the old church we believe that Je- sus’ words on the destruction of Jerusa- lem and the world (Mt 24, Mk 13, Lk 21) was a revelation of the secrets of redemp- tion, for the apostles and His closest friends. In the early days the liturgical celebration of these mysteries was held in a grotto close to the hilltop of Mount of Olives. Later the celebration was held at the Eleona built at Emperor Constantine’s request. Unfortunately the basilica was never completed. Afterwards the Eleona Basilica became known as the Pater Noster Church, mentio- ned by Eusebius of Caesarea in the early C4th. An efficient alarm system: tine nunnery serves as an Hermitage: it The liturgical celebration of the my- watchdogs Al Jazeera and Yadira is hardly recognisable after the conver- steries was held each Passion Tuesday. take care of Dominus Flevit sion. A room with shower and toilet was According to the pilgrim Egeria, »Every- added for the use of the various residents. body went to the church on the Mount In addition to the construction works of Olives on this night. Upon arrival the on buildings, several fences were put up bishop stepped into the grotto where our along footpaths to stop trespassing at the Lord used to teach his followers, took the property. This has become important be- gospels and read aloud the words of our cause many visitors tend to stroll around Lord.« the garden, step on the lawns and flow- During the time of the Crusades (12th) er beds. They even take olives, acacias this same church served as a reminder of and rosemary. The walkways have been the words of the Lord’s Prayer, the Pa- reshaped and unpleasant bottlenecks ter Noster. Ruined parts of the church removed. were found not far from the Church of Donations in our offering box do not the Ascension in 1911. It is obvious that cover the cost of renovation. Therefore, Dominus Flevit lies on historically im- we are seeking a contribution from visi- portant land. tors to this website, too. During the building of the new Chapel in 1953 the archaeologists P. Bellarmino The Significance Bagatti OFM and T. J. Milik excavated Visitors to Dominus Flevit are fas- gravesites from Canaanite times (C14th- cinated by the ambience of the loca- 16th BC). They found Jewish graves from tion with its breathtaking view on the Jesus’ time as well as later ones (C2-3rd) temple rock and the Old City of Jerusa- and a Byzantine-Arabian cloister from lem. Looking back from the City to the the C7-8th. Experts have praised the Mount of Olives, the view has been ad- huge discovery of sarcophagi and ossuar- mired for centuries. Patriarch Sophroni- us (634-638) was overawed by the scenery:

 qualitalk Nr. 53 ies in the excavated burial fields. Some of every side.They will crush you to the items bear inscriptions and symbols the ground, you and your children from the Jewish/Christian period. When within you, and they will not leave Antonio Barluzzi built the chapel Domi� within you one stone upon another; nus Flevit in 1955 he used some of the because you did not recognize the remains of the Byzantine church, but he time of your visitation from God. changed its orientation. The altar now (Luke 19, 41-44) First-century CE Jewish ossuaries at the Dominus Flevit with floral and geometric decoration engraved . An ossuary is a stone box that would hold the bones of a deceased person af� ter they had been in a tomb long enough that the flesh had decayed. In earlier Israelite and Judean burials (i.e. prior to the Hasmonean period) these bones would be collected in a common reposi� tory pit, usually under one of the burial benches in the tomb. During the Hellenistic and Roman pe� riods this practice was replaced by se� condary burial in individual ossuaries that would be placed in any available corners around the tomb. Photo and Text courtesy to Prof. Ian W Scott, Toronto. faces the city of Jerusalem instead of the Jesus only wept once more, in , classical East /West alignment. when as the Bible tells us, his friend La- Even if we cannot show Jesus’ genuine zarus had died (John 11, 1-45). The tears of footprints, we provide a wonderful repre- our Lord Jesus represent his closeness to sentation of the report in the Bible that us. Which other religion can give such an Jesus wept over Jerusalem. overwhelming demonstration of human love by its God? Jesus wept over Jerusalem Dominus Flevit could serve as a fo- As he drew near, he saw the city and cus for the great solidarity and unity of wept over it saying: If you, even you, the Church. The Papal charity Aid to had only recognized on this day the Church in Need, founded by »Speck- the things that make for peace! pater« Werenfried van Straaten after But now they are hidden from your WW II at Königstein/Ts, a place near eyes. Indeed, the days will come Frankfurt/Main, features its own website upon you, when your enemies will www.wheregodweeps.org. This is concer- set up ramparts around you and ned with the crises and turmoils on earth surround you, and hem you in on and within the Church. God still weeps because people are persecuted, tortu- red and killed for their faith. Jesus’ tears qualitalk Nr. 53  are more than an episode in his The holy places of the Cross and the time. Jesus’ tears also serve as a Resurrection help only those who bear reminder of the circumstances their cross, rise again with Christ daily of Christians in the Holy Land. and behave respectfully toward these With only two percent of the places. population they are a tiny mino- Hieronymus’ conclusion is like a mir- rity. Christians have hardly any ror for the in the Holy Land influence in society and they when dealing with pilgrims. He wrote. feel squeezed between funda- »Don’t think your faith is any less if you mentalist groups of Jews and haven’t seen Jerusalem, and don’t think I Muslims. am better because I live there. Here and Jesus wept over Jerusalem somewhere else you will be equally rewar- – but what happens today is ded – according to your deeds for God.« for many people still a reason Fr. Robert Jauch OFM for screaming. The tears of our Lord Jesus can provide a sour- ce of spiritual power. In Domi� Please donate nus Flevit we want to transmit the spiritual power to the pil- grims. This is our mission. But for preserving Dominus Flevit: we must be aware of arrogance! Kommissariat des Heiligen Landes Hieronymus (347-420) warned (Paderborn), us to be aware of temptation Bank für Kirche und Caritas – he surely knew what temptati- Konto: 55 050 401 on was like. He wrote in a letter: BLZ: 472 603 07 »Having been to Jerusalem is no Code: DOMINUS FLEVIT reason for self-felicitation, but IBAN: DE 9447 2603 0700 5505 0401 Frater Robert in Jerusalem having lived honestly in the city BIC/SWIFT-Code: GENODEM1BKC is a grace (…)«

Impressum qualitalk is edited by German/English Translation: Chris Schuth | Max-Planck-Straße 45 Chris Schuth, 55124 Mainz | Germany Lectorat: phone (+49) 06131 / 476466 Dr. Malcolm Race, Hexham, UK Joan Chanin, Hampton VA, USA Internet: www.chris-schuth.de mail (schnabela) chris-schuth.de qualitalk will be forwarded to registe- February 2010 red readers by e-mail and can be down- published four times a year loaded from the internet via ISSN 1615-9667 [Internet] www.chris-schuth.de/ ISSN 1435-1641 [printed edition] qtalk_53_en.pdf Chris Schuth Readers not connected to the internet Photo: Martina Pipprich, Mainz Pictures: G. Mollberg (page 1), R. Jauch will get the publication by snail mail. (page 3, 4) others www.maXarios.com © Chris Schuth

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