Around and In the Church of the Nativity

I suppose, with Christmas Eve approaching tomorrow, this is the propitious time to be mentioning my visit inside the Church of the Nativity at the end of November. My reading tells me that it is the oldest complete Christian Church, originally built during the reign of Constantine. Bethlehem is under the aegis of the Palestinian Authority and not Israel. There was a "checkpoint" to enter, but again, my sense is that being on a tour bus rather immunizes the pilgrim from any unpleasantness and the group was ushered into the little town in which Christ was born. Upon our arrival at the parking lot, Doron uttered his by now well loved exhortation, "We walk!" and the group marched the several blocks to Manger Square and the spot where Tradition says (since the second century) God entered into an unsettled time, as all time with humanity has proven itself to be.

The tree was up in a Manger Square which seemed more cramped than I imagined it would be. 

Or perhaps that is as it should be, for Our Lord was born in a small, crowded space. We wended our way to the courtyard of the Church, actually, it turns out that there are two Churches adjacent. If my memory serves, it was the newer Church (built in the 19th Century) that we stepped into first, after we bowed low to get through the humility door (a four foot tall entrance courtesy of the Ottomans circa the 15th century who didn't want carts and thiefs going through the larger entrance) and because at that point I didn't know about the co-existing Churches (St. Catherine of Alexandria is in the custody of the Franciscans; the Church of the Nativity is with the Orthodox) I was jarred by its modernity. There was something going on in the "new" Church and the sweet voice singing Silent Night in a language I did not recognize required reverent attention

Our first stop was one of the Caves underground, The Cave of St. Jerome, where Fr. Francis said our second Mass of the pilgrimage. As much as I had felt a sense of the sacred in the Chapel at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, I felt it with more intensity here underground. It felt ancient and mysterious. We were told, I believe, that behind the wall shared by the chapel was where the Manger lay. We had not yet seen that spot. In some ways, it was enough to be close meditatively than it would be as we were ushered quickly by it later. I could sense a little of what it might have been like for early Christians celebrating Mass in hiding from the Romans. And yet, it felt warm and safe to me. 

And then we went into the old Church, no longer the one of Constantine, that was destroyed someplace in the sixth century, though there are some mosaics still extant and being re-discovered today. It was rebuilt by the Emperor Justinian sometime in the same period, and this is basically the Church that we saw. After years of dispute and covering up of many of the religious artistic expressions, like mosaics of angels, this Church is being renovated, and it does have much of the look of a construction site, a holy one nonetheless. Restoration is underway, and has revealed images under cover for hundreds of years due to religious disputes and jealousies not among Christians and Jews, but among the Christian faiths themselves, much like at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Although the line was not particularly long, we had to wait a long time to be allowed inside imposing doors leading to the Manger site. Finally, we were close. 

As often happened, there were spots where photos became difficult, if not allowed at all. The doorway here going down into a cave, is the entrance to where the Holy Family sought refugee. Again, a security person wasn't going to allow any lingering, in a place where lingering seems essential. But again, I realize I saw more than I thought I had. And so, here it is from the net, courtesy of Smithsonian.org. 

As with Calvary, I wished I could just sit there, but so did the many Pilgrims before, and after us, and those to come. Whether this is the certain spot, we cannot know, but we do know that it has been reverenced since very shortly after the events which it memorializes. Certainly, I said to myself, "I am closer than I will ever be in Los Angeles to the unfolding of salvation history!" Well, not really, as salvation history encompasses all humanity for all times and in all places. But it was nice to be at the epicenter. 

And then we were back outside taking a group photo. I don't know how many of these wonderful people I met for this pilgrimage I will continue to know, as life has gone back to the ordinary for all of us from different places within and outside California, but I can say that I am delighted I will be able to recall them for the remainder of my life just by a quick glance at this shot which reflected, to my mind, the grace we all felt. 

It is hard to remember that this was only the second day of our journey together. There was so much more to come, if even there can be "more" than what we already saw. I suppose from here we spent our time in the "in between", between His birth and His Death and Resurrection--His Life on this earth. And some other archeological, theological and historic sites besides.  

But before that, we sampled the wares of a local on the way to the bus. That was some good bread and falafel. 

Blessed Christmas to all, and may peace come to the Earth!