I'm finding a rhythm. I'm finding that I can appreciate the newness around me. The first few days of walking are rough. Getting lost. Adjusting to the heat. Dodging speeding cars and trucks. Yuck! I find that for a couple of days I woke up with a feeling of dis-ease. I'm not dreading the day, …
Continue reading 104. Finding a Rhythm with New Surroundings
Historically, the Hebrew and Christian scriptures have been interpreted as supporting patriarchy. This dominant interpretive reading has the effect of overlooking passages that stress gender equality as well as passages that portray strong women. In other words, passages like Galatians "there are neither male nor female" or stories about women such as Ruth are overlooked. …
The days start lovely; the days end with me shaking my head! Such are the first few days beyond Lisbon. The Portuguese Camino begins at the Church of Santiago, or the Igreja de Santiago. Like everybody else, I initially assumed that the Camino begins at the Cathedral. Not so. My first morning is ideal, blue …
I am surprised in a wonderful way! Having never visited Lisbon, I find that the city is delightful. Since my lodging is close to the Cathedral, I am perched high above the city and the River Tagus. In order to adjust to the new time zone, I am spending two nights here before I begin …
I am planning another Camino, the Camino Portuguese. I'll be walking from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela, almost 240 miles. Here is some history and legend associated with the Camino de Santiago. According to church legends of St. James, St. James was beheaded in Jerusalem in 44 CE. Some of his companions take his stone …
My paternal grandfather was a bookbinder. As a young kid, I remember leafing through two volumes of World War I photos. Besides parades sending young men to war, the training camps, the volumes had the victims of war such as the young amputees or the men blinded by poison gas. Since I have now visited …
I visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre whenever I’m in the neighborhood. I know that sounds strange, but I like seeing the building and the visitors at various times of the day. It isn’t as though I’m enamored with the building. The building is a “let-down” if you expect London's St. Pauls or …
Continue reading 98. Hanging Around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
As a traveler to Jerusalem, I spend an inordinate amount of time in churches. However, since I’ve been here for two different Holy Weeks this year because western and eastern liturgical calendars disagree, I have to display some of the “Christians on the Streets” photos I’ve collected. The arrival of the Syriac Orthodox patriarch included …
I find fascinating Jerusalems different “sacred geographies.” Jewish, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Muslim, and Christian Protestant have overlapping “sacred geographies.” At times there are similarities. Jews pray at the “Tomb of David” as Christians peer at the large stone sarcophagus. A Christian kisses the rock where tradition has it that Jesus ascended into heaven …
Like Jews and Christians, there are various Muslim Jerusalems. While Jerusalem’s 900,000 residents are primarily Jewish, the Old City is over 75% Muslim with some 28,000 Muslims. Their shops may be on land owned by the Greek Orthodox Church or the Roman Catholic Church, but dozens of small souvenir shops or restaurants are Muslim. Besides …
Journeys: Explorations in Body, Mind, and Spirit 