Pilgrimage Part Two.....

This begins the last four days of our trip.  I am still astounded by the amount of ground we have covered and the sights we have seen.  Today began by walking the Via Dolorosa or the Way of the Cross.  It most likely was not the exact route that Christ walked to 

Calvary but none the less it was emotional as our group went through the crowded streets to closely retrace Jesus steps.

Our guide explained the route we would be taking and carefully laid out what to expect.

Each stop was humbling as we realized how difficult this path was with the wounds Christ had endured and the painful weight of the cross He carried.

The last station was at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the sight of the crucifixion of Jesus and His tomb.

Together we climbed the steep steps to the sight where Christ was nailed to a cross.  

The church was built up over Calvary so only a portion of the rock was visible under glass.  It is very hard to imagine the sight when all has been covered up, but knowing we were there was enough.

 

As we exited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre we passed a 2000 year old pillar from the original Temple that was split at the moment of Jesus' death.  It indeed was the stories in the Bible right before our eyes.  

Next on tour was the Pool of Bethesda.  It was here a crippled man waited for 38 years for someone to help him into the water to be cured.  Upon seeing him, Jesus told him to take up his mat and walk...and he did.

So many miraculous sights within the walls of Jerusalem...so much to take in.

 

We stopped at the Church of Saint Anne and were greeted by the White Fathers of Jerusalem, who spent their time evangelizing the African people.

The mosaics that were so intricately done and the simplicity of the altars was beautiful....

church after church in this small area of land.

The last stop of the day was the Wailing Wall.  I have seen so many pictures of this wall in religious magazines, in newspapers, and on television but it was more than I ever anticipated.  The area was full of people on the plaza and at the wall.  Armed guards were everywhere and both Orthodox Jews and tourist mingled together.  

This is a most sacred place in Judaism and a place most contested by Islam who consider it to be part of an ancient Mosque.  It is said if a third world was starts, it will probably be in they place.

Notes are left in the walls for prayers and pleas and when the wall is full the notes are removed and buried.  

The history and tradition of this wall is overwhelming. That there has to be armed men with Uzi's and sirens and electric fences is hard to witness.

Injecting a little humor at each sight was Fr. Dankasa, our parish priest, who had a fascinating love of taking selfies everywhere.  I guess if you are unmarried and alone all of the time, that is how you get it done.

Exiting this are was the Dung Gate, appropriately name since it was through this gate they took all of the chamber pots to empty.....love to find humor in this Holy City.

Time to head back to the hotel to rest from extreme heat and much walking.  

Have we been afraid?

Not once.  

Is there reason to be? 

Maybe. 

We have been so focused on what we have been seeing, I am not sure we have really thought about what is going on daily in these areas.  It is so sad that in such a holy sight there is so much unrest.