Memory and what happens when it lapses

Day 3


Today we visited possibly one of the most remembered towns in the world. ‘Oh Little town . . .’, ‘Once in royal David’s City’ – of course the memory is concentrated around a short period of time, even if Christmas does start at the end of August in most shopping centres in the U.K. But today has been a lot about remembering. It’s been another mixture – shocking, interesting, lovely and very sobering.
First through the wall - grey and stark with a banner by the gate offering Peace be with you! I guess it didn't feel very peaceful to the folk queuing to get out to go to work, in the blazing sun.

Next to the Shepherd’s Fields – not fields like at home, no grass to speak of for a start, but rocky hillsides, baking hot even at 8:15 in the morning (that’s 6:15 in the UK, no - I haven’t acclimatised yet and we had said morning prayer and had breakfast by that stage!! Are you impressed?!). The first church was in a cave, dark, musty and heavily decorated with fairy lights (well it is all about Christmas isn’t it?), did the shepherds huddle here when the angel chorus came? I don't know, but they may well have been somewhere near by.
The second Church was completely circular, light, clear and with a beautiful echo. Not a place for shepherds or sheep, but speaking clearly of wonder, joy and praise.
Then off into Bethlehem – an ironic sign telling us that the Church of the Nativity can be accessed by the escalators!

The church, another melee of competing interests. Lamps and candles in such superfluity that they almost seem to obscure the light! A cave below an upper room which most likely Mary and Joseph would have been offered to allow her some privacy, out of the overfull family space above, and to allow her the ritual time of separation after the birth. With the animals, probably as that was the practice at the time (to keep valuable creatures close at hand and benefit from their warmth).

The 'grotto' itself was hot and airless. Poor Mary in a place like this in the throws of childbirth! Although presumably not overlooked by groups of chanting pilgrims. Was it the place? Who knows, but here people pray and I did to, that this holy moment of incarnation might be made real in my life, that I might enable it in others.

(This is a long post - and is also a day out of date already. I will post this and add some more to it later - or in a later posting. There is so much more to add. - Hope some of it makes sense - please feel free to let me know. Helen. x)