So yesterday, we continued in the disorientation mode. Exhausted from jet lag, our engaging guide cajoled us to walk into the Old City of Jerusalem. We were going to what certainly can be considered the “holy of holy” places ~ the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is where a part of the Calvary Cross upon which Jesus was crucified had been brought by Queen Helena, the structure upon which Jesus’ tomb laid, and the marble slab upon which Jesus’ body was anointed and prepared for burial. We arrived with excitement and expectation of entering into the presence of the holy in a brand new way.
Parts were beautiful, like the dome.
But by and large, none of us was very impressed. It was crowded, poorly tended to, and a bit “Disneyland” like. We left with doubts, questions, and a sense of uneasiness, that, had we really traveled all this way to be disappointed.
However, while I was there, I was immediately drawn to the anointing slab, and I did lay my hands upon it, and I did pray for all of you there, and I did anoint my Anglican prayer beads — and I did feel a sense of reverence others brought to the experience (especially noticing the Muslim style of “head-on-the-ground” prayer on the slab, which many were doing), and I felt a connection to something mysterious and holy.
One thin
g that was really impressive were the number of crosses which were carved into the wall while people we waiting to see the holy sites: thousands upon thousands. I bet it was a contemplative practice people engaged in to connect with the Christ they believed in while waiting to experience some artifact or location which was important in the death of Jesus.
We spent the evening unpacking our “disorientation”, dissecting what really bothered us, deconstructing the myths that we had held onto in our faith that suddenly seemed untrue ~ and it was all unsettling.
One question I am still pondering is my draw to the anointing place. One priest spoke to me about how the bread and the wine are sacraments of the living Christ in all of us and the oil is considered to be the healing presence of Christ. Makes sense to me, I think. And I wondered, is the anointing of Jesus’ body, preparing him for a death, which became life, what we enter into each time we are anointed? Or hands are laid upon us? Or we pray for healing for ourselves and others? Did the anointing of Jesus dramatically change how we are healed, into new or eternal life? Probably so.
As I collapsed into bed last night, I prayed God would begin to show me the orientation which would emerge out of this disorientation. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher seemed to be religious yet not spiritual. Where, I wondered, would I discover the spirit of Christ in Jerusalem?
And this was all about Jesus’ death. Where’s the resurrection story?