Jerusalem

I had a similar reaction to that of the Church of the Nativity. I mean, don't get me wrong, it is an awesome city rich with culture and history and religious heritage and I loved the experience and am excited to visit again and not be so rushed. But for me, it was spiritually lacking. And even beyond that it oozes of divisiveness. There's the four distinct quarters, Muslim, Christian, Armenian, Jewish, then there is the split between East and West Jerusalem and then to top it off, each Christian sect claims their own holy sites. Hannah told you we visited the Garden of Gethsemene, well, we only visited the site the Catholics say was where Jesus prayed those tears before he was to be crucified. The Greek Orthodox  and Russian Orthodox also have laid claim to the spots they think are the Garden. And that's how it is with all the hot spots...where Jesus was crucified, his tomb, where he ascended, where someone wiped his face, touched his cloak, then there's Mary's death place, and so and so and so on. All day I wondered what I was missing, that surely being raised Catholic or Orthodox or whatever must bring something more to this, more of a connection with relics or an appreciation for these things...otherwise I just reallllly don't get it. Jesus came to reverse the power structure here on earth, to challenge the allegiance people felt to the government, calling them to something higher, saying the first will be last and the last will be first, and now a couple thousand years later people are using everything associated with his life and sacrifice as pawns in a big game of power...uhh whaa??

My favorite was the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, just because it was so beautiful. To me the Muslim architecture trumps the rest. Next, seeing one of the cisterns underneath the city was pretty cool. Tunnels and these cisterns run beneath all of Jerusalem, dating back to Herod! We also visited the Pools of Bethesda...basically ruins that go down into the ground. Near these was a church built by the Crusaders. Not so pretty, nor very holy to me considering the atrocities the Crusaders committed in the name of Jesus. I made a point to take a moment in this church to ask for a kind of collective forgiveness for atrocities past and present that Christians have and do still commit in the name of Jesus. As an individualistic society I think we often if not always disregard this aspect of community...I think an acknowledgement of collective sin and subsequently a distinct humility is required of us. Turns out, the Pope agrees :) 

We will try to get photos uploaded tomorrow night!


-M