Day two: Around Bethlehem

Day 2 – around Bethlehem

Bethlehem, the City of David is now a very busy place. About the only way you can experience “O Little Town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.” is by getting up very early and visiting the Church of the Nativity and walking about town. So this morning Nancy McGrew and I started out at 5:30. We were able to go down into the caves below the Church of the Nativity, and no one else was there. There are a series of caves. In one of them Jerome translated the bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. This is known as the Vulgate edition, the translation into the vulgar, or common language of the day, Latin. He was commissioned by the Pope to do this. 

In addition to these caves, of course, is the grotto in which Jesus was born. This grotto is occupied for several hours each morning with Masses at the manger by Catholic, or at another altar by the Greek OrthThis grotto is about 12 feet wide and 30 feet long. Throw out all concepts of a wooden stable. That concept comes from St. Francis of Assisi who began the nativity displays in the manner it would have been in Italy. In Bethlehem there was very little wood, and it would not have been spent to build a barn. If you ever visit the Holy Land around Christmas, you will see the nativity displays in churches featuring caves. 

The lines to visit the grotto have become enormous. Our guide, Joseph, managed to arrange for us to attend Mass in the Grotto at 7:30 a.m. I had hoped I could concelebrate, but that was not to be. A group of Italians had the Mass, and there was a bishop and four priests, and the manger area cannot accommodate more. Further, for a time the bishop did not want any others than his group attending Mass. Serious negotiations were undertaken, Joseph appealing to the agreement made the day before. We were finally allowed to attend, cycling people through a bit with the rest sitting on steps that lead out of the cave. This allowed us to visit the place where Jesus was born without waiting in line as long as many people did. In the afternoon some of our people saw lines reaching well outside the church many yards into Manger Square. We heard some groups had to wait in line for over three hours. Once again, I just can’t get over how many people are here on pilgrimage.

After this we toured the church itself. It has undergone significant restoration since my last trip almost six years ago. The columns in the nave had been black from candles and grime over the centuries. They were cleaned and paintings of saints were found underneath. They included a few European saints, which tells us at least some of that work was done by the Crusaders. Mosaics on the walls were brightened, and more were discovered under plaster. 

While most of the group went back to the hotel to freshen up, a few of us made a quick visit to the Milk Grotto Church, a place commemorating a legend about Mary nursing Jesus as they fled to Egypt. This is just a few blocks away. In recent years this church has become a place to pray for infertile couples. 

We are staying at the Manger Square Hotel, just a block or so away from the Church of the Nativity. This is a great location!

We left from there to go to Shepherd’s Fields. This commemorates the visit of angels to the Shepherds tending their flocks. (Luke 2) we had Mass there, in a cave which has been used by shepherds over the years. There is no way to say the original shepherds used it. I preached a bit about the episode earlier in the day, when there was no room in the inn – or grotto – and that was determined by the powerful. But we have great power as well, and need to welcome people rather than say there is no room. It would have been nice to spend more time there. There is a lovely chapel with great acoustics. I am putting a video in of Cindy, our liturgist on the trip, singing a chant from the 4^th Sunday of Advent there.

Manger Square

From there we went to Bethlehem University, the only Christian University in the West Bank. It is run by the Christian Brothers. Readers from the Twin Cities area will know them for schools such as De La Salle and Cretin-Derham Hall high schools there, among others. We had a tour of the chapel, which has a statue of Jesus as an adolescent. Its walls are painted with children saints from around the world. After that we had two of their students talk to us. Both were Christians, which make up 31% of the student population of about 3,000. Christians comprise only about 2% of the population in the West Bank, mostly concentrated in the Bethlehem area. They told of their lives as students and Palestinians in the current climate, challenges of crossing into Jerusalem, etc. 

After lunch, which was a special Palestinian dish a bit akin to our “hot dish” (see picture) we went on an organized shopping trip. I have mixed feelings about these. They do help support a community of Christian olive wood carvers. If you want some of the very best of that craft, this is the place to purchase it. However, if you want some simple items as gifts they can be purchased elsewhere for less.

After a break, where many tested the smaller markets up and down the street, we want to a dinner in a restaurant called The Tent. It is a rather extraordinary tent but tries to give the sense of eating in a Bedouin tent. We had a great time, and our travel agency bought a drink for each of us. Once back, some people walked a bit and shopped yet again. It was the end of a good day.