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Jerusalem today celebrates the liturgies of Holy Thursday, which commemorate the last hours of Jesus, this time without restrictions due to the coronavirus and with foreign pilgrims who can once again accompany the Catholic community of the Holy Land in emblematic ceremonies such as the Washing of the Feet.
In the presence of faithful from different parts of the world -who could not be there for the last two years due to the measures of the pandemic- the Washing of the Feet was carried out, which recreates that of Jesus to his twelve disciples as a gesture of humility and equality, one of the most characteristic acts of the Holy Week rites.
In this post-pandemic Holy Week, where restrictions, attendance limits or concerns about contagion no longer mark the rites so much, the presence of groups of tourists and pilgrims is once again observed through the streets and temples of the Old City, in Israeli-occupied eastern Jerusalem, although its assistance is not as massive as in years prior to the crisis of the covid-19.
After the morning mass, in the afternoon the traditional pilgrimage to the Cenacle was made, where tradition places the Last Supper and the institutions of the priesthood and the Eucharist are remembered. There, in a ceremony the Washing of the Feet is recreated again.
Today’s liturgies continue with a mass in the Basilica of the Agony, in the Garden of Gethsemane, where tradition indicates that Jesus retired to pray and meditate before being betrayed by Judas. This event marks the Holy Hour and the vigil of the crucifixion of Jesus.
The liturgies of the Easter Triduum – Thursday, Friday and Holy Saturday – will continue tomorrow, with processions such as the Via Crucis, which will go through the fourteen stations of the Via Dolorosa, while the streets and temples of the most sacred areas of Jerusalem revive the rituals that embody the last days of Jesus and his resurrection.
Source: Elcomercio
