(222) Living With Christ During Holy Week Through Images of the Holy Land

AMDG

Looking down from the Mount of Olives into the Kidron Valley and Jerusalem as Christ triumphally entered Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday.   Jesus was leaving the home of Martha and Mary in Bethany, where…..Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair (John 12:3).

 

And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.  On the next day, when the great crowd that had come to the feast (of Passover) heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out: "Hosanna!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel" (John 12:10-13).

St. Luke (19:28-40) gives more detail:  After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.  As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples.  He said, "Go into the village opposite you, and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.  And if anyone should ask you, 'Why are you untying it?' you will answer, 'The Master has need of it.'"  So those who had been sent went off and found everything just as he had told them.  And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying this colt?"  They answered, "The Master has need of it."  So they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the colt, and helped Jesus to mount.

 

As he rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road; and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen.  They proclaimed:  "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest."  Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." He said in reply, "I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!"

The Church of Dominus Flevit on the Mount of Olives.

Above is the Church of Dominus Flevit in the shape of a teardrop, the site of Christ’s lament over Jerusalem.  As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If this day you only knew what makes for peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes.  For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.  They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation." (Luke 19:41-44).  This indeed came to pass in the Year 70 AD when the future Emperor Titus besieged and destroyed the city to put down a rebellion by the Zealots.  Even the temple was destroyed.

 

Jesus specifically asked for the colt of a donkey to ride into Jerusalem as is custom for a newly anointed king who seeks a peaceful reign, thus fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9.  From the Mt. of Olives where the above photo (at the beginning of the article) was taken.  Jesus then came down the Mount of Olives into the Kidron Valley and triumphantly up into Jerusalem through the gate on the right in the top photo.  It is called the Golden Gate and the Gate of Mercy.  Notice that it is bricked up.  Centuries ago the radical Muslim conquerors closed the gate to Christian worship.

The Muslim golden Dome of the Rock is prominent in the photo.  It was built on the site where Abraham with great sadness was in the process of sacrificing His beloved son Isaac to the Lord as He had asked, but an Angel intervened in the last moment (Genesis 22).  

    Some 3000 years later God, our Father, did indeed sacrifice His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, as reparation for our sins so that Heaven may be open to us unless we reject it through sin.  Paradoxically, the three great religions often in conflict, all consider Abraham as their father.  The Muslims recognize Christ as a prophet.  Only the Christians recognize Him as the Son of God, fully divine yet fully human.

The Temple Mount: the outer wall of the original temple which was destroyed by the Romans.

Behind the Dome of the Rock is the Temple Mount which is shown above.  Only a few of the outer walls of the original temple remain.  Notice the devout Orthodox Jews, many dressed in black, praying as they face one of the original walls.  That wall is often called the “Wailing Wall” because the Jews pray there and lament the loss of the temple which was never rebuilt and never will be.  Thus Judaism has synagogues for prayer around the world, but no temple for the sacrifice of lambs.

      

A model of the temple in the time of Christ.  It was destroyed by the Roman Emperor Titus in the 70 AD.

      The Last Supper.  Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me."  And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you (Luke 22:19-20).  Thus our Lord instituted the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders.

The Site of the Last Supper is seen in the photo above, often called the Cenacle (meaning dining room) and the Upper Room.  The apostles used it as a meeting place.  It was spared during the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.  It seems that this, the original Cenacle, although repaired and restored, miraculously survived the  destruction of the Byzantine and Crusader churches around it (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenacle).

 

At every Mass the priest as another Christ (Persona Christi) repeats those same words in the Consecration of the Mass and we receive the Lord Himself.  In fact, transcending time, the Last Supper and Calvary are brought to us in every Mass, which is the unbloody sacrifice of Jesus.

John’s Gospel describes a beautiful act of humility of Our Lord.  Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father.  He loved his own in the world and He loved them to the end.  The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into His power and that He had come from God and was returning to God, He rose from supper and took off his outer garments.  

He took a towel and tied it around his waist.  Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.  He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Master, are you going to wash my feet?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later." 

So when he had washed their feet (and) put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you?  You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am.  If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet.  I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (John 13:1-15).

On this the first Holy Thursday when Christ instituted the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders, this clearly demonstrates that the vocation of the priest is to serve God and His people and never to abuse anyone in any way.  In fact, all of us, as members of the common priesthood by our Baptism, are called to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with the ordained priest and to serve each other.

The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus took the apostles to the Garden (above photo) as he often did, to pray.  When he arrived at the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not undergo the test."  After withdrawing about a stone's throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done."  And to strengthen Him an angel from heaven appeared to Him.  He was in such agony and He prayed so fervently that His sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground (Luke 22:39-46).  

     The sweating of blood is medically possible as a result of capillaries breaking and can occur under extreme anguish and fear such as when Christ saw what was coming in His crucifixion.

       

 The photo above is the Garden of Gethsemane (meaning olive press).  According to carbon dating, the olive trees in the foreground date to 200-300 years before the time of Christ.  The wood of the cross of Christ was from an olive tree.  Judas led the chief priests and a band of soldiers here to seize Jesus, betraying Him by pointing Him out with a kiss.   Our Lord went through a long night and morning of a so called trial by the Sanhedrin for a show of legality.  Then they took Jesus to the puppet King Herod and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate to obtain permission for a crucifixion.  Our Lord appeared before them with a calm grace, trusting in His Father’s will and His help to carry him through the ordeal.

The site where St. Peter denied knowing Christ three times.

The statue of Christ after being scourged in the Chapel of the Flagellation before                          accepting His cross as we all should.

There was flagellation (above photo) with 120 lashes (according to the Shroud of Turin) by a whip with a number of strands tipped with small lead balls and pieces of bone.  With each lash blood sprayed onto the ground.  The scourges alone would kill a weaker man.  The crown of thorns pounded into His skull added injury and insult to the King of the Universe.

            A mosaic of Christ carrying His cross on the site where He was 
condemned to death.  May we accept the crosses that life brings
to each one of us as the Lord did and offer them to the Father as
dynamic prayers for the conversion of sinners and our personal 
intentions.  The cross is a path to sanctity and ultimate victory.

The Via Dolorosa or Way of the Cross that Our Lord carried His cross to Golgotha or  Calvary               

Then our Lord had to carry His cross up the Via Dolorosa or sorrowful way of the cross to Calvary with some help by Simon of Cyrene.  A chapel or plaque marks each station of the cross (See Appendix)……..falling three times and continuing on; the compassion of Veronica and the Women of Jerusalem which was a consolation; etc.   His faithful mother suffered with Him the whole way to Calvary, was with her dying son beneath the cross for the three hours, and helped to bury Him (see Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of Christ”.

The altar of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, on the spot where Christ suffered and died for our sins.                  Notice that Mary is under the cross, faithful to the end.  Mary is also faithful to us, her children.

The above photo depicts the Crucifixion over the actual spot in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  It is said that Adam is buried beneath that spot where Christ redeemed him and billions of others.  Pilgrims can touch the original rock below the altar.  St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine in the 4^th century looked for the most likely place that old crosses would be deposited.  She tested a piece of wood approximately 1.5 inches by 1 inch by 1 inch and touched it to the body of a paralytic.  Since he was immediately healed, she concluded that it is a relic of the true cross.  Many cathedrals have a relic of the true cross in the form of a splinter from that fragment.

 

The intensity of our Lord’s suffering matched the intensity of His love for us.  Each breath that Christ took was excruciating because our Lord had to lift himself up against the nail in each wrist.  He could only speak seven times (See Appendix) with great love to all…….expressing his thirst for sinners to repent and ask for His mercy; forgiving His executioners; giving us His own mother as our mother to guide us to God; showing mercy to the repentant good thief; commending His spirit to the Father, and exclaiming in triumph, “IT IS FINISHED!”  May we follow Him, imitate Him, and do what He tells us.

       Notice that Mary is under the cross, faithful to the end.  Mary is also faithful to us, her children.

      

Appendix

See Blog #73 Meditations For the Rosary II: The 5^th Luminous Mystery, the Institution of the Eucharist.

        http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com/2012/03/73-meditations-of-rosary-ii-luminous.html

(78) Meditations For the Rosary III: The Sorrowful Mysteries

        http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com/2012/03/77-rosary-meditations-iii-sorrowful.html

            Doctors have written articles on the medical aspects of the Christ's passion and can only conclude that He had tremendous endurance and superhuman strength to bear it all and stay alive for as long as He did.  See www.evangelicaloutreach.org/crucifix.htm, www.ldolphin.org/kwells9.html,www.frugalsites.net/jesus/crucifixion.htm, www.ethoughts.org/crucifixion_description.htm.
   

The Stations of the Cross

            The Bible covers the Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) to Calvary or Golgotha in Matthew 27:32-33; Mark 15:20-22); Luke 23:26-33; and John 19:16-17.  Some of the Stations of the Cross are biblical.  Others are implied from the biblical account or taken from tradition as the Christ’s meeting with Veronica. 

1. Jesus Is Condemned to Death

     (Matthew 26:57-68; 27:11-26; Mark 14:53-65; 15:1-15; Luke 22:66-23:25; John 18:19-24; 28-40; 19:1-16).

     Pontius Pilate condemns Jesus to death.  

2. Jesus Takes Up His Cross (John 19:17).

    Jesus willingly accepts and patiently bears his cross.

3. Jesus Falls the First Time.

    Weakened by torments and by loss of blood, Jesus falls beneath his cross.

4. Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother.

    Jesus meets his mother, Mary, who is filled with grief.

5. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:20-22; Luke 23:26).

    Soldiers force Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross.

6. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus.

    Veronica steps through the crowd to wipe the face of Jesus.

7. Jesus Falls a Second Time.

    Jesus falls beneath the weight of the cross a second time.

8. Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem (Luke 23:27-31).  

    Jesus tells the women to weep not for him but for themselves and for their children.

9. Jesus Falls the Third Time.

    Weakened almost to the point of death, Jesus falls a third time.

10. Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments.

      The soldiers strip Jesus of his garments, treating him as a common criminal.

11. Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross.

      Jesus’ hands and feet are nailed to the cross.

12. Jesus Dies on the Cross (Matthew 27:45-56; Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:25-37).

      After suffering greatly on the cross, Jesus bows his head and dies.

13. Jesus Is Taken Down From the Cross.

      The lifeless body of Jesus is tenderly placed in the arms of Mary, his mother.

14. Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb (Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42).

      Jesus’ disciples place his body in the tomb.

The Seven Words of Christ From the Cross  

1)      "”Father, forgive them; they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). 

2)      The good thief said: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "”Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise"  (Luke 23:39-43). 

3)      When Jesus saw his mother the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”  Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home” (John 19:25-27). 

4)      After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I "thirst.” (John 19:28). 

5)      "”My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"  (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34-35). 

6)      “It is finished."   And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit (John 19:30). 

7)      "”Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"’ and when he had said this he breathed his last

  (Luke 23:46).

                                            Other Photos

(221) Living With Christ, the Great Healer, Through Images of the Holy Land

AMDG

The Ruins of the Bethesda Pool in Jerusalem

The disciples of John told him about all these things. John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"  When the men came to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?'"  At that time he cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind.  And he said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Luke 7:18-22).  See “What Miracles Did Jesus Perform?” at https://www.christianity.com/jesus/life-of-jesus/miracles/what-miracles-did-jesus-perform.html.

The Healing at Bethesda.  After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep (Gate) a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.  In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.  One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be well?"  The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your mat, and walk."  Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Now that day was the Sabbath.  So the Jews said to the man who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat."  He answered them, "The man who made me well told me, 'Take up your mat and walk.'"  They asked him, "Who is the man who told you, 'Take it up and walk'?"  The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.  After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, "Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you."  The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well.  (John 5:1-15).

The Hollywood version of the Bethesda Pool in Jerusalem

And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."  At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."  Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" - he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."  He rose and went home (Matthew 9:2-8).  Notice that Our Lord healed both physically and spiritually, i.e., holistic healing.  Probably some of the demon possessions were really psychotic mental illnesses.  Thus our Lord healed physical disease and handicaps, mental illness, and spiritual sickness.

 

Communicate love to patients.  Our Lord did not see the sick and handicapped as numbers, but persons of great dignity, created according to the image and likeness of God. He demonstrated compassion and love, exemplifying charity to us.  Thus the Church does more charitable work than any organization in the world in every diocese, through many religious orders, and in the missions…….hospitals, clinics, social work, orphanages, schools, counseling, etc. 

       Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.   Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.  So the sisters sent word to him, saying, "Master, the one you love is ill."  When Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. 

Then after this he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."  He said this, and then told them, "Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him."  So the disciples said to him, "Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved."  But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.  So then Jesus said to them clearly, "Lazarus has died.  And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him."  So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go to die with him."

 

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.  Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  (But) even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise."  Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day."

 

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"  She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."  When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, "The teacher is here and is asking for you."

 

      As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him.  For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him.  So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.  When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."  When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Sir, come and see."  And Jesus wept.  So the Jews said, "See how he loved him."  But some of them said, "Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?"

 

The Tomb of Lazarus

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, "Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?"  So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you for hearing me.  I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me."  And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"  The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go."  Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him (John 11:1-45).

The raising of Lazarus from the dead was really resuscitation; he was still in his burial bands.  He had to die again.  Our Lord Himself went much further.  He rose from the dead by His own power with no burial garb but fresh clothing.  He said that He would rise from the dead and He did in His glorified body, never to die again.  We too will rise from the dead on Judgment Day when our souls reenter our bodies.
 

Doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and health workers:  follow in the footsteps of the Great Healer with caring compassion and love.  Say a quick silent prayer before every surgery, procedure, and examination, while looking at yourself as the Lord’s instrument.  Pray with your patients if they allow you.  You can briefly whisper in their ears the concept of redemptive suffering, i.e., offering it all up to God as a dynamic prayer for whatever intentions.  That kind of prayer is very powerful.  If they are not receptive, back off; don’t impose yourself.  Some doctors believe that there is a spiritual component in healing.  Most admit that patients who spiritualize their suffering do better. 

(220) Living With Christ, the Master Teacher, Through Images of the Holy Land

AMDG

Inside the Church of the Beatitudes is a painting of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, which includes the Beatitudes, to a multitude of people.

After the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, the gates of Heaven were closed.  However, God the Father in His great mercy promised a Redeemer.  After 4000 years He sent His only begotten son to become one of us to teach us how to live and save us from our sins by making reparation for all sins ever committed past, present and future.  Only God Himself, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity could make such immense reparation, which He did by His tremendous suffering and death on the cross.

 

Only then were the gates of Heaven opened so that every one of us could enjoy everlasting happiness there if only we would follow the teaching of Jesus Christ through His Church.  Sadly millions reject Him.  Let us pray, make sacrifices, and offer up our personal crosses (redemptive suffering) as a very effective and dynamic prayer for the conversion of sinners as Our Lady of Fatima so fervently asked us to do.  In this way God gives us the privilege of participating in a small way in the Christ’s ultimate sacrifice of Calvary.

During Lent we intensify our spiritual preparation for eternity through repentance, personal conversion, spiritual growth, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, penance, spiritual reading, receiving the sacraments, and reflecting upon our Lord’s teaching and his redemptive passion, the greatest act of mercy ever.  We relive, so to speak, His 40 days in the desert, His Passion, and Resurrection.   

An aerial view of the 4^th Century synagogue of Capharnaum used for prayer, teaching, and worship, but not sacrifices as in the temple.  Our Lord often preached in such synagogues.  An elevated modern church is next to it over the site of St. Peter’s home.  Christ used Capharnaum (Capernaum) as a base for his teaching and healing ministries.  

Our Lord also came to teach us how to live and establish the Church to help us on the journey to eternity and facilitate our salvation.  Let us examine some of His teachings, imagining that we are listening to Him as the people are doing in the painting above.  One behavioral science scholar once explained to me: “You know, all the modern principles of behavioral science can be summarized in four words: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.”  That is the four Gospels which gives wisdom that is so relevant to our lives through the ages.

Looking south from the synagogue of Capharnaum on the coast of the Sea of Galilee.  The elevated modern church is built over the ruins of St. Peter’s home.  Inside the church of St. Peter the pilgrim can view the ruins of his home through a large window on the floor.

The Two Great Commandments summarize the Ten Commandments given to us through Moses by God on Mt. Sinai. A Pharisee asked Christ: "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"  He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and the first commandment.  The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:36-40).  The key to all of moral theology and the virtue of charity revolves around love of God and neighbor.  If one closely follows the two great commandments, all the others fall into place.     

The Church of the Beatitudes on the Lake of Galilee.

The Sermon on the Mount – the Beatitudes.   He began to teach them, saying:  

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.  

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.  

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.  

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.  

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you"  (Matthew 5: 1-12).  The Mount is a school of virtue.

Prayer and the Golden Rule.    Our Lord taught us to pray with faith and trust in the will of God which is the best for us.  He answers every prayer according to His will which is for the best in the long run.  "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish?  If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.”  Our Lord immediately adds the golden rule: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).  The Golden Rule is a simple and concrete guide for our interpersonal relations.  Following the Bible builds trust with others.

The cloister of the Church of the Pater Noster (Our Father) and Carmelite monastery on the Mount of Olives over the traditional site where Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer.  It has numerous long ceramic tiles of the Lord’s Prayer in over 140 languages.  One can be seen in the background.    It is the perfect prayer when said with thought, a beautiful blend of praise of God and petitions for our most basic physical and spiritual needs.   For a video see  https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=bpJ5YIzOwTo.

Reconciliation.  “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

More ceramic tile slabs of the Our Father in different languages at the Church and Monastery of the Pater Noster.  Fr. Robert Głuchowski, a seminary professor, is explaining on the right to give us theological depth.  He would explain in Polish and I would often ask him questions in English. 

Works of Mercy.  “Then the king (Christ) will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'  Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'  And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’” This is the motivational basis for charitable works by the Church and by us as individuals and the Corporal Works of Mercy.    

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'  Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'  He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'  And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life" (Matthew 25:34-46).

Teaching Methods of the Master Teacher.  Our Lord often used metaphors and taught with parables (stories) for imagery that people could relate to and easily remember.  He would use vivid language and examples that painted word pictures.  On occasion He would use a bit of theater as when He apparently wrote the sins of a woman’s accusers in the sand.  Our Lord often taught by involving His listeners in dialogue and discussion to help them discover the truth.  He even used a coin as a teaching aid.

  

His intense prayer life in the morning and evening to seek His Father’s will and help was exemplary.   During the Agony in the Garden, Our Lord was so afraid of the coming crucifixion that he sweat blood and prayed:  "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done."  He wanted to avoid the cross, but accepted it because it was His Father’s will.  What an example for us all when adversity strikes in our lives.

He even taught us from the cross by example: "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34).  He showed his infinite mercy to the good thief who was sincerely sorry for his sins and repented.  

Teachers, use Jesus Christ as your model to be effective.  Parents, writers, clergymen,  supervisors, and managers are also teachers.