Bethlehem is in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory. The political situation between Israel and the Palestinian territories is complicated and people on different sides of the issues would describe it in different ways. Despite the above photo, the Palestinian portions of the Holy Land do not appear as economically developed as the Israeli portions.
After we finished visiting the sites in Bethlehem, we visited a store run by Palestinian Christians. The owner above is describing how his grandfather discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Above is one of the jars in which Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
I bought a Jerusalem cross, a shirt, a little camel, and some other items. As Peggy said, "It's strange to have these holy, holy experiences and then go shopping."
Above is a Jerusalem cross. The cross has symbolized, Christ and the four Evangelists; the Five Wounds of Christ; Christ and the four corners of the world.
After we finished shopping, we went out to board our bus and found these gentlemen giving us one last opportunity to buy. Fr. Michael invited them to display their wares to us. Their items were much cheaper than those in the shops.
Walls separate some of the Palestinian-controlled territories from the Israeli sections. They remind me of the Berlin Wall, complete with the graffiti.
"If you want peace, work for justice." Pope Paul VI
Beautiful butterfly. Prayers for transformation.
No comments:
Post a Comment