Arrived
Hi all
I am here in Jerusalem. I can hardly believe it!
I have to admit I am feeling a little stuffed though. 24 hours flying, 5 hours in Hong Kong, and arriving in Israel at 4.20am didn't help much. To help the jet lag I had about 3 hours sleep, and then went cruising into the Old City.
What an experience. I felt claustrophobic at times. I missed the gate I was supposed to go in (The Damscus Gate) and went in the New Gate, had no idea where I was, got even more lost in the tiny narrow little alleyways, and had a great time. I stumbled over the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (where Christ is said to have been crucified, and buried and resurrected. It is multi layered, and kind of cool. But also really run down and scodie in lots of ways. The trouble is us Christians can't get together and agree on anything. Apparently a Muslim family hold the keys, and lock up each night and open it in the mroning. We can't even lock our own church!!! I have to say there was a really nice Franciscan chapel which I really enjoyed being in.) I had no idea what I was looking at, but that was ok. It was nice just being there and soaking up others devotion. I then wandered around till I found myself at the West Wall (or Wailing Wall, the remains of Herod's Temple compound), wandered back and found the Damscus Gate, then did the Via Delarosa, (the route that Christ took to his crucifixion, except that is several feet below today's streets, and it is likely he was not comdened at the Temple, but Pilates residence, and therefore came in another way anyway)) went back to the Wailing Wall, and actually went to it this time and prayed, read up about the Church of the HS, and went back there. A very good day.
It was also a sad day, reading what the three faiths have done to each other over the last 1500 years. None of us have behaved well. In a place that could be so much more, it is so sad to see and expereince the tension, and at times hatred. The last of the fighting was in the 1960's, but the army is all over the place. It made me thankful for where we live, and that we don't need all our young peoople to be in the army, to keep their weappons with them at all time for 2 years of their lives. Why is it I wondered that so many NZ'ers seem intent on dividing and hightening the tensions in our land. We should be warned by what has happened here, and work to bring better ways of being.
that is enough for today
I am here in Jerusalem. I can hardly believe it!
I have to admit I am feeling a little stuffed though. 24 hours flying, 5 hours in Hong Kong, and arriving in Israel at 4.20am didn't help much. To help the jet lag I had about 3 hours sleep, and then went cruising into the Old City.
What an experience. I felt claustrophobic at times. I missed the gate I was supposed to go in (The Damscus Gate) and went in the New Gate, had no idea where I was, got even more lost in the tiny narrow little alleyways, and had a great time. I stumbled over the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (where Christ is said to have been crucified, and buried and resurrected. It is multi layered, and kind of cool. But also really run down and scodie in lots of ways. The trouble is us Christians can't get together and agree on anything. Apparently a Muslim family hold the keys, and lock up each night and open it in the mroning. We can't even lock our own church!!! I have to say there was a really nice Franciscan chapel which I really enjoyed being in.) I had no idea what I was looking at, but that was ok. It was nice just being there and soaking up others devotion. I then wandered around till I found myself at the West Wall (or Wailing Wall, the remains of Herod's Temple compound), wandered back and found the Damscus Gate, then did the Via Delarosa, (the route that Christ took to his crucifixion, except that is several feet below today's streets, and it is likely he was not comdened at the Temple, but Pilates residence, and therefore came in another way anyway)) went back to the Wailing Wall, and actually went to it this time and prayed, read up about the Church of the HS, and went back there. A very good day.
It was also a sad day, reading what the three faiths have done to each other over the last 1500 years. None of us have behaved well. In a place that could be so much more, it is so sad to see and expereince the tension, and at times hatred. The last of the fighting was in the 1960's, but the army is all over the place. It made me thankful for where we live, and that we don't need all our young peoople to be in the army, to keep their weappons with them at all time for 2 years of their lives. Why is it I wondered that so many NZ'ers seem intent on dividing and hightening the tensions in our land. We should be warned by what has happened here, and work to bring better ways of being.
that is enough for today
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