jerusalem: one last image

One of the most most incredible things about Jerusalem is that three major religions call it a sacred or holy place. Walking through the city, it is not uncommon to hear the peal of church bells, only to be drowned out by the muezzin's call to prayer. On my first night there I made my way to the Western Wall, and touched my hand to the warm stone just as the sun was setting. It was a hugely emotional experience, not only to be in that place, but also because I was carrying a prayer for a friend to be placed in the wall. And though I am not Jewish, it is impossible not to feel the weight of its history, and the hopes and fears and spirit of all of the people who have made the pilgrimage there. On my second day, I wandered through the Christian Quarter to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is said to be built on the place where Jesus was crucified, and contains the Tomb of Christ (the place of his resurrection). Climbing up the narrow steps (worn down over the centuries by the millions of faithful) to the small chapel that now surrounds Golgotha (or Cavalry) was incredibly moving for me. In fact, I had no idea that it would affect me as much as it did ~ in that moment, everything seems to fall away, and you just feel. It is something that words can't describe.

The photograph above is of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre ~ the windows of the little chapel of Golgotha.