Today we made our first organized visit into the Old City, which is surrounded by a wall. Starting the day with Holy Eucharist in the cathedral chapel at 7 a.m. (midnight EDT), we had breakfast and then took off on foot to the Damascus Gate to the Old City. (We walked nearly 5 miles today!) Our tour guide, The Rev. Kamal Farrah, led us a journey through the Soukh (Muslim Open air market) to study the ancient walls and thoroughfares to get to the Church of the Resurrection, more prominently known in the West as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is the site that is widely believed to be the place where Jesus was crucified, was buried and rose from the dead.
Our group actually studied this issue a month or so ago when The Rev. Bill Eakins, my predecessor at Trinity, gave a presentation involving some work he has done strongly indicating the validity of the claim that this is indeed the site of Christ's crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Indeed, Fr. Kamal showed us the beginning of rock formations near the judgment gate (the other side of the wall from the Holy Sepulchre) which continue to the spot thought to be the hill of Calvary where Jesus was crucified. It was both intellectually stimulating and reinforcing for our faith to experience these sites.
It is a sad commentary on Christians' inability to love -- or respect -- one another that the keys to this most holy place to Christians are held historically by two Muslim families, who are charged with opening the church in the morning and locking it in the evening. They have played this role for centuries. Because there was a two-hour line to actually go into the tomb area, Fr. Kamal led us to other parts of the church that add to an understanding of why it is believed that this is the actual site of the events of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. We as a group reflected on the meaning of Jesus' act of self-offering. Particularly moving was the group recitation of the Lord's Prayer in a side area just across from the tomb. 'During some of our free time next week, we will return to the Church in the morning to visit the site of the crucifixion.
Returning to St. George's guesthouse via the same route by which we had come, we were treated to more than an hour of conversation with the Rev. Canon Hosan Namnoun, Vicar to the
Arabic speaking population at St. George's cathedral. Hosan has just completed a Doctor of ministry program at Virginia Theological Seminary, and enjoyed hearing about the connection between Dean and President Ian Markhan and Trinity. He began his time with us by taking a famous question of Jjesus an turning it to us: "Who do you say that I am?" Together we had a fascinating hour discussing what it means to be a Christian Palestinian who is an Israeli citizen. We talked about the present status of negotiations, and possible scenarios for the future of East Jerusalem.
Our evening concluded after dinner, as it does each evening, with the "good night" prayer of the church, Compline, which tonight was led by Linda MacGougan. Tomorrow morning we get an early start with breakfast at 6 a.m. so as to get to the Muslim Holy site, the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque, before they are closed to the public later in the morning.
Know that we all miss our loved ones terribly and wish they could be here with us. But know that only three days into our journey, we know that each of us will come back stronger in our faith, with a greater understanding of our own Christian heritage, and a clearer sense that we are called out in faith to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Until tomorrow, Shalom, Salaam, and Peace be with you. Don+_
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