Holy Land Pilgrimage 2011
August 26
How many miles to Bethlehem says the song. Well now I know that the answer is about as far as Old Swan to St Helens. We arrived at the "safety wall" check point to see thousands of Muslims trying to leave Bethlehem to get to Jerusalem for the final Friday prayers in Jerusalem. There were children, women over forty and men over fifty. No-one else is allowed to leave. How much effort would we make to get to Mass in the face of such challenge!
We then entered Bethlehem, effectively one large open prison as non Jews must have a visa or permit to leave.
Anyone entering the Church of the Nativity has to go through a low doorway reminding us that we must lose our human conceits before facing Our Lord. The Orthodox Church is full of ornate icons, lanterns, baubles and mosaics. We were allowed to go down into the crypt housing the site of the birth of Jesus. As we were slipped in between groups we had only moments to worship as the guards repeated Jalla, jalla - hurry!
Passing through to the Chapel of St Jerome we settled in peace and quiet to share an unseasonal Christmas themed mass, including a Carol.
The highlight of the day was a visit to one of our parish causes, St Marthas House ( Care and Repair centre) for elderly widows the oldest of whom was a beautifully serene lady of 93. What a welcome! We sang, played drums and danced, shared stories about our families, shared food and coffee. At the end of the visit the ladies chanted a traditional farewell and we reciprocated with a song. The pleasure that our visit brought these people was beyond price, the privilege that were were given to share their joy was gift from God. If you are interested in the project the website is (www.care-repair.org).
After another lunch we visited shepherds fields where the first news of Christ's Birth was proclaimed by angels and went into a cave/chapel very similar to the stable of the Nativity to reflect on the story further. A visit to a Handicraft Collective allowed us to buy gifts and support local Christian Businesses.
When we returned to Jerusalem there was a gridlock of traffic and humanity as thousands of Muslims streamed away from the Temple of the Rock. The coach had to drop us half a mile from the Hotel and we had to struggle through a seething mass of humanity with a babble of languages before we reached the sanctuary of our hotel. Even now the racket of shouts, horns and the bustle of human movement rivals any major city I have ever visited.
I can scarcely believe that this is already our final night in Jerusalem and we will be moving on to Jericho and Nablus in the morning.
The local Christians are strengthened by our prayers. We have prayed for you all today.
Shukran (thank you) for taking time to read this. God Bless.
A Pilgrim
Photogallery
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