Three years ago I was in the Holy Land for Easter. It is a sacred time for both Jews and Christians.
Jews celebrate passover, a time when the angel of death "passed over" those homes which had lamb's blood adorning the entrance to their homes. This was to seperate God's chosen people from the others living among them. In Jerusalem during this time the Kotel (area where the western/wailing wall is located) is packed with people coming from afar to celebrate and take part in the many festivities.
The Garden of Gethsemanae
Christians celebrate Easter a time where the Savior of the world was crucified and on the third day rose from the dead.
The Garden Tomb
Both are celebrations in which are so sacred and important, however... this area still remains an area of little or no peace. Turmoil is always present. Being there taught me more than I can ever express about love. Love that God has for me, and Love that God has for all people. I have never felt so much love in my entire life than the time when I went to the Garden of Gethsemanae for the first time. I was so overcome with the Spirit and have never in my life felt it as powerful as I did at this moment. It was a true testimony to me of the sacrifice of the Savior and all that he has done for me. It was an experience I will never forget, and one which broadened my understanding of the atonement. To that I am extremely grateful. I also felt so much love there when I was at midnight mass in the Church of the Holy Sepluchre. Just prior to midnight, on the eve of Easter, their is a large, massive crowd at this Church. Here I was shown so much love as one of the cardinals of the Holy Roman Catholic Church gave my friend, Krystyna, and I candles to walk in the procession with them. We followed behind several archbishops, cardinals, priests, and nuns. And it was an experience that I will never forget. Following the procession, just after mid-night everyone cheers and chants how Christ has risen. Every person within those walls embraces you. I didn't feel like it was an embrace passed down from tradition, but rather one to show me of their love and gratitude for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I was brought to tears as I shared a common belief with all the strangers there. We all were brothers and sisters, we all believed in Jesus Christ, and we all were showing love to our fellow men. It was a beautiful experience!
I am grateful I was there during this sacred time and that I am able to share my experiences with others.
1 comment:
Katie, Thank you for sharing that. Those pictures are absolutely beautiful, they almost look like paintings of the places where Christ walked. That is so neat that you had that experience.
I have been pondering this week about those sacred events. Thank you for sharing your insight and knowledge. It was really interesting to read. I didn't know some of those things.
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