Going back a day or two

It has take a day or two, and it will take more I know, to digest the sights and thoughts of Sunday - when our day took in the early morning ceremonies of the different denominations which have chapels in the Church of the HolySepulchre, worshipping with the congregation at St George's Cathedral and then time at Yad Vashem

At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - where we had been jostled and hassled the previous day, we were able to spend time simply 'drifting' around the Church, praying our way as we went. There were very few people around so it was a very different experince from the afternoon before. (I should say that it was 6.45am and so most sensible Pilgrims were probably still in bed!) Each denominations arrival is 'announced' by the Clergy being walked in by two men beating the ground with a mace as they go. I am not sure why there is this accompanying noisiness - but it does make people both look and get out of the way

Following this early morning visit, we returned to the hotel (there were five of us) feeling immensely virtuous! I then set off after breakfast with another group to walk the via Dolorosa again as they wished to take photographs. We were left alone as we walked, which was lovely - and made a change from the usual experience of the souk! This group also headed to the Holy Sepulchre, where it was still very quiet, and praying in the Tomb which is built above the site where it is believed Jesus was laid following his death was possible without interruption or hassle. Visiting the Holy Sepulchre leads to both deep prayer and deep distress

Over the years, various denominations have ttried to claim various areas of the site, and thus the church it pretty untidy and disjointed. Nothing is labelled and anyone making their ay into the place with no=one to tell them what each part is woudl very easily lose any sense of clarity and understanding about hte space. This is a pity, and what is meant to be one of the holiest sites in Christendom can leave the visitor and Pilgrim nonplussed as it is so hard to make sense of it all

After these visits, we all met to walk up from Damascus Gate to St George's Cathedral, where were joined the congregation for the 11.30am Service of Holy Communion. It was lovely to be there again - it really is like have a Parish Church from England plonked down in the middle of the city! The Sermon was very fine, and the welcome very warm

The visit to Yad Vashem is very complex to begin to explain. It is a powerful reminder of the humanity that we can wreak upon one another, and there are reminders of the lives of the people whose lives were taken during this terrible event. In one statistic, 33,000+  people were killed in 48 hours. It os hard to comprehend how this might be possible - but this terrile 'killing machine' worked with deadly effectiveness to annihilate thousands upon thousands of people. It is a place of deep pryaer, deep horror and deep, immensely deep siginificane to a world in which the humanity of one people to another is explainedaway or ignored. To those who had any sort of hand in its building - thanks are rightly due. What is also due is a challenge to pay heed to what was done, not only to the Jews, but also those with learning idifficulties, homosexuals and those who just didn't look right. It is painful place to be, but also encourages one to think about the current political situation, and wonder if anything will change