"This is where we were born..."

Today was another great, and even overwhelming day. Many of us started out our day by getting up at 5 and trekking over to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is where Jesus was crucified and was laid in the tomb, from where he rose, with Fr. Peter at 5:30. Fr. Peter does this every day he is in Jerusalem, and it is completely optional because of the early time. the reason he does it is because later on in the day the church becomes a zoo. At 6AM the church is absolutely silent. Being able to kiss and touch the rock of Golgatha and then kneel in silence just feet away was one of the most profound and moving moments of the trip so far. We were not able to get into the tomb because another group had Mass in there, we will have mass in the tomb on Thursday.

After breakfast our day officially started with a trip over to Bethlehem, which is in palestinian controlled territory. To get there we had to travel through the now infamous wall that the Israeli government has constructed. The purpose of the trip was for us to become familiar with Bethlehem University as well as interact with some of the students. This was really an eye opener for us. The suffering that the wall and the israeli government has caused these good people is truly an injustice and a disgrace. I came to jerusalem thinking that all palestinians are very anti american and some even terrorists, but I left with the realization that they are no different than I. all they was is to live the dream, to live period. My visit there moved me to make the commitment to more earnestly pray for a just peace in this land.

After our visit to BU we visited the Israeli museum which has a 50 to 1 scale of Jerusalem from the time of Christ. This enabled us to get a birds eye view of the whole city. After looking at it I have to admit that I was a little upset with Mel Gibson! The site of the crucifixion, golgatha was not really up on a hill, but just outside the gates of the city. The Romans did not want the crucified up high on a hill, but rather wanted them low so the people passing by could see the fear and pain in their eyes. I always thought of Golgatha being up high on some hill. Thanks for nothing Mel!!!

Following our visit to the israeli museum we had the incredible opportunity of visiting with the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Franco. The Apostolic Nuncio is the Holy Father's personal representative to the state of Israel. We sat with him for some time as he explained the history of and the current situation here in the Holy Land. We then had a chance for a few questions and answers. during the meeting one of the sisters even brought in some refreshments for us! It was wonderful to hear what the Holy See had to say about the current situation. Keep a eye out for pictures later!

Tomorrow we head back to Bethlehem, but this time to visit the site of the nativity, where Jesus was born. We are all exhausted but are just happy to be here. Fr. Peter will again go to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher tomorrow morning at 5:30, I wonder how many of us will be able to make it, I'm hoping I can get up!

Thanks again for reading. keep praying for us, we continue to pray for you. This blog has so far been a great success, with so many different people reading and praying along. God Bless.