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Apostolic Pilgrimage: Day Two

After experiencing the awe of Golgotha and the silence and the glorious light of the Holy Resurrection, the second day of the Apostolic Pilgrimage would lead me to the humility of Bethlehem. His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and other pilgrims from around the world traveled to Bethlehem to venerate the Grotto where our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born.

I must say that I was full of emotions during the ride to Bethlehem. The Church of the Nativity is located in the West Bank of Palestine. This means that halfway to our destination we had to stop at an Israeli security checkpoint and then drive along concrete walls and electric fences with the sole purpose of separating people who had once lived harmoniously together in the region. I soon experienced an internal storm, feeling all at once anger, sadness and guilt. I felt angry because the walls and fences restricted people’s freedom to move and conduct their lives as they wished; sadness because for the first time I realized how difficult it would be to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and guilty because I felt in my heart that I had somehow contributed to the problems through my own shortcomings.

Fortunately, we soon arrived at the Church of the Nativity and I encountered the only source of hope for lasting peace. The basilica, commissioned by St. Helen (the mother of St. Constantine the Great) is an awesome structure that was built above the cave in which Christ was born and the manger in which He lay. Along with other members of the members on the Apostolic Pilgrimage, I had the blessing of venerating the actual location where the gap between heaven and earth was bridged.

After we venerated the sacred space, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew proceeded into the sanctuary. It was quite moving to see the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first hierarch of Orthodoxy, enter the basilica and proceed directly to the grotto. He did not enter the cave wearing his hierarchical mantle or holding his bishop’s staff. Rather, he entered wearing only a “shroud of humility,” recognizing that in such a place everyone kneels in awe and gratitude as God’s servant.

Following the veneration of the Grotto, a Doxology was celebrated. The church was filled with hymns chanted in Greek and Arabic. Palestinians, Greeks, Americans, and pilgrims from other parts of the world united in prayer. His All-Holiness’ official address focused on peace and reconciliation. I was inspired when the Patriarch addressed the youth, saying to them: You, the youth of Bethlehem, are the hope and the future of your homeland. Remain faithful to your historical mission and preserve unextinguished the flame of our Orthodox faith in this land, where the Lord initiated His work of salvation for the whole world. Your presence here as Orthodox Christians is of immense importance. Continue your work with the same passion. May God be with you!

As the Ecumenical Patriarch was departing from Bethlehem, he had the opportunity to speak with local Palestinian Orthodox Christians. They welcomed him as their father and he embraced them as his beloved sons and daughters. He blessed their children and encouraged them to remain faithful to their traditions and hopeful for a brighter tomorrow.

When it was time to depart from Bethlehem I found that I was better prepared for the trip through borders and barricades. I was able to see beyond the border patrols and the fences that divided people. By venerating the birthplace of Jesus Christ I received a renewed sense of hope that if the Prince of Peace were able to bridge the gap between heaven and earth then He would also be able to overcome those walls that divide brothers and separate sisters.

Read Apostolic Pilgrimage: Day One & Apostolic Pilgrimage: Day Three