will i am's delayed diary

The second day in Bethlehem was a marathon session. Started bright and early at the Church of St. Catherine , adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, where we zoomed down to the caves for morning mass at the Chapel of St. Joseph ( on his feast day no less ). Once mass was ended, we were given the chance to look around the caves. It was said that St. Jerome translated the first Bible into Latin in those caves. The Greek Orthodox Church walled up the cave to take control of the spot where Jesus Christ was born, and the Manger. The Church of Nativity ( UNESCO World Heritage Site ) is acknowledged as the birthplace of Jesus by several denominations and the oldest major church in Holy Land. And through the tumultuous history of Holy Land, the grotto had remained unscathed, making it the oldest site continuously used for Christian worship. Once mass was ended, we were rushed over to the Basilica of the Nativity to start queuing up to go down to the grotto. Unlike the Catholic side, ...

The Orient Palace is decorated to be a predominantly Christian pilgrimage hotel. The check-in counter was flanked by statues of the Virgin Mary, and there was a large bas relief of Madonna and Child. But like many establishments catering to Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land, it is owned by Muslims. Other examples include shops selling religious paraphernalia. They probably know more about the merchandise part Christianity than actual Christians. To make a buck, it does not matter. No conflict of interest. The first place we visited in Jerusalem was the Chapel of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives . Before getting off the bus, Sherry warned us not to buy souvenirs from the Arab street vendors and children. Right outside the chapel was a mosque, a feature at many of the holy sites that we were going to visit. Islam and Christianity has a tangled history in the Holy Land. The chapel is really austere, with little decoration. On the floor is a small framed stone with an imprint ...