Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm home and have rested and spent some quiet hours alone with William, which has been a huge, and grounding, blessing. I knew ahead of time that my trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories would be stimulating and challenging, but it was more - much more - than I could have expected. There is so much to think about, and so much more I wish we could all do to promote peace and justice in the world. :-(
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where this photo was taken, was built in 330 A.D by Emperor Constantine. Of course it's been destroyed a couple of times, once by the Persians and once by the Egyptians, rebuilt again in the 1800s in the Crusader period.
The church is built on the hill where by best estimations, Christ was crucified, brought down from the cross and buried. Inside we find the Stone of the Anointing. While the Stone of Anointing and the central shrine are claimed by three denominations of the Christian faith - Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic - the area is also populated with places of worship belonging to the specific denominations exclusively. In short, if you go there on a Sunday, you might see three services taking place, because each denomination has its own version of the story of Christ's time here on earth and His message for all of us.
The Christian quarter is just one of FOUR to be found here in the Old City part of Jerusalem. Sharing with the Christians, we have the Armenian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter, each with their own Church and struggling interpretations of particular faith. Imagine the complications, but also, imagine how beautiful, one tiny hill claiming to be the holiest of sites for so many who seek God.
And so this to start off a complicated conversation, around land and faith and ethnicity, not to mention what happens when we begin to talk about class, gender, sexual preference...
Now, to more coffee. William and I will go over to Oakland today to watch Jamie play basketball, assuming she plays, and if she wakes up soon enough to return my call. I'm looking forward to being in touch with you all again.
My love always forever and ever,
Your daughter.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm home and have rested and spent some quiet hours alone with William, which has been a huge, and grounding, blessing. I knew ahead of time that my trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories would be stimulating and challenging, but it was more - much more - than I could have expected. There is so much to think about, and so much more I wish we could all do to promote peace and justice in the world. :-(
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where this photo was taken, was built in 330 A.D by Emperor Constantine. Of course it's been destroyed a couple of times, once by the Persians and once by the Egyptians, rebuilt again in the 1800s in the Crusader period.
The church is built on the hill where by best estimations, Christ was crucified, brought down from the cross and buried. Inside we find the Stone of the Anointing. While the Stone of Anointing and the central shrine are claimed by three denominations of the Christian faith - Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic - the area is also populated with places of worship belonging to the specific denominations exclusively. In short, if you go there on a Sunday, you might see three services taking place, because each denomination has its own version of the story of Christ's time here on earth and His message for all of us.
The Christian quarter is just one of FOUR to be found here in the Old City part of Jerusalem. Sharing with the Christians, we have the Armenian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter, each with their own Church and struggling interpretations of particular faith. Imagine the complications, but also, imagine how beautiful, one tiny hill claiming to be the holiest of sites for so many who seek God.
And so this to start off a complicated conversation, around land and faith and ethnicity, not to mention what happens when we begin to talk about class, gender, sexual preference...
Now, to more coffee. William and I will go over to Oakland today to watch Jamie play basketball, assuming she plays, and if she wakes up soon enough to return my call. I'm looking forward to being in touch with you all again.
My love always forever and ever,
Your daughter.