JERUSALEM- One of the world's greatest Christian ceremonies- the procession of pilgrims celebrating Palm Sunday in Jerusalem- was totally washed out Sunday by gale-force winds and hailstorms over this Holy City.

It was the worst weather in living memory in Jerusalem. Rain poured torrentially from scowling skies. Hailstones smashed into the ancient streets.

Msgr, Alberto Gori, Roman Catholic archbishop of Jerusalem, telephoned organizers of the procession to say: "The weather is too bad for the procession. We must cancel. One of our worries is that nuns could be blown over the cliffs by this terrible wind."

The cancellation disappointed thousands of Christian pilgrims- many from the United States- who came to the Holy Land for a week of Easter celebrations. people seemed to hang from the pillars and the balcony, and cover the floor. At the end of the Mass, the church exploded in applause for ten minutes.

Bach never heard the entire Mass in his lifetime. It is said that he wrote it for God. It must not be easy to serve ambrosia to mere mortals, but yesterday the University Choir served God's feast with such humanity and compassion that it seemed like Peter preaching to the fisherman.

In many ways, the story of Western civilization is the search for a flashlight. Statues are built to those who can cast even dim light on the next few steps of our dark lives. Bach may have been the Fifth Apostle. In that case, the light would have come from his halo.

In the 220 years since his death, we have never seen so clearly.