Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem
Our Orthodox brethren start Holy Week on the Saturday before Palm Sunday, honoring the raising of Lazarus from the dead, preparing for the resurrection of Jesus.
Christians, in all generations, face many challenges. Our current generation is no different than those who have gone before us. We, with you, have great responsibilities and many obstacles. The Christian Church faces struggles here in this land and yet we continue to be full of hope that we are at one and the same time the Church of Calvary and the Church of the Resurrection. Our faith is not in the power of death, but in the power of the sacrificial life of Christ. In Jerusalem, we live in the hope of the resurrection.
We know the power of the resurrection. We know the power of God to bring hope out of despair. We know the power of the gift of eternal life for all who believe. Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Alleluia!
With best wishes for a blessed Holy Week and a Happy Easter,
+Suheil Dawani
Holy Week in Jerusalem
In Jerusalem on Maundy Thursday, one has the opportunity to visit one Footwashing service after another, starting with the Greek Orthodox, then going to the Ethiopian, Coptics, Armenian, Syrian Orthodox, and finally the Cathedral of St. George the Martyr. After the Footwashing service on Maundy Thursday, the Cathedral community processes to the Mt. of Olives to ‘stay awake’ with Jesus for a time, being present with Him in the old olive trees.
On Maundy Thursday, as the drama of Holy Week unfolds, Jesus shows us a new understanding of what it means to be a king. To be a king means being a slave, a ‘doulos’, one who is willing to wash the feet of one’s guest, even the feet of the one who would betray him, and probably the stranger as well.
