We had all day Monday to spend in Jerusalem, and we began by viewing this western side of the temple mount and the wailing wall. It is built on Mt Moriah, where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac. The scope and majesty of this entire temple area is unbelievable, and Jewish people are very emotional about the holiness of this site. We saw pilgrims and orthodox Jews...all very serious.
We walked throughout the old city along the Via Del A Rosa and noted the stations of the cross and visited chapels that have been built at the stations. I could hear Sandi Patty's voice in my head as we walked all through those cobblestone streets. St. Anne's Chapel at one of the stations or near the pool of Bethesda, was quiet and peaceful and a beautiful place for quiet contemplation. The actual Via Del A Rosa was very busy with shopkeepers and bustling noise - making it difficult to focus.
We also did see the Church of the Sepulchre, and there were many Greek Orthodox there worshipping as they lit candles and kissed the stone where Jesus' body had been laid. People sang and knelt before the crucifixion altar. Aesthetically the church is very simple compared to the ones I have visited in Rome, but I have to say that the atmosphere of reverence was a certain reality of my experience.
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