VIA DOLOROSA - THE WAY OF SORROW

After supper in the Upper Room, Jesus went to Mt. Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he agonised over his coming death and suffering. (as recorded in the gospels Matthew 26 : 36-45). At the Garden of Gethsemane, we visited the Church of All Nations - the stone where Jesus knelt and prayed is housed in this church.

      

Inside the church are paintings of the different scenes of Jesus' final hours - praying at the rock, Judas Iscariot's Kiss, the guards arresting Jesus. Below is the 'Field of Blood' or ''Potter's Field' Matthew 27 : 3-10)

 

From the Garden of Gethsemane, we went back to Mt. Zion where Jesus was taken to the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest. Thus we can appreciate the distance Jesus had to walk from Mt. Olives to Mt. Zion to appear before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. The site is now the Church of St. Peter of Gallicantu, the Church of The Cock Crow to remember the incident when the Apostle Peter denied Jesus three times. ( Matthew 26: 69-75)

 

From there, we went inside a dungeon or pit where  Jesus was thrown in for the night.

   

The path of Via Dolorosa started from  the Muslim Quarters of the Sheep Gate (or Lion Gate) when Jesus was taken before Pontius Pilate to be tried. Today the path is surrounded by churches and monasteries and other Christian institutions.And of course, a haven for the shopkeepers and stalls that sell all kinds of religious paraphernalia.

The Catholics marked the path that Jesus took as The Stations of the Cross. Every year, before Easter, the Catholics from different churches in Sabah will re-enact the Stations of The Cross.

The Stations are the significant points of Jesus' journey to the Cross, for example, the first station was where he was sentenced by Pilate, and the second station was when he was scourged by the Roman soldiers. The relief sculpture is the forth station when Mary, mother of Jesus wept to see her son's sufferings. I was moved by this wall sculpture as I can visualised a mother's pain and agony.  The artist had portrayed the pain in Mary's eyes so realistically.

 

The highlight of the station was Jesus' death on the Cross. Top left is a Chapel that house the spot believed to be where the Cross was planted. Many pilgrims lined up to touch that spot. And on the right is the stone of anointing, where Jesus' body was lain when they took Him down from the Cross. Again this is the stone where many pilgrims touched.

We met many pilgrims from all over the world - India, South America, US, European countries. Some brought their sick and lame to these holy sites to pray for healing. Even some Muslims came to visit these sites.