Today I put my hands on the stone that is claimed to be where they laid Jesus down to was his body, as expected based on his religion, before entombing. I thought of the Sentence. Jesus wept. Yes everyone that is a sentence and a powerful one if you ask me. If I bored you yesterday with my chronological listing on what I did for the day, while it was cool, it felt chronological. Today was a bit different. The Perspective of being on the Mount of Olives and having it pointed out to me where; the last supper was, where Jesus was betrayed, and which gate the Muslims sealed to prevent the Jewish Messiah from ever fulfilling scripture.
To touch the wall and to feel all the energy, the energy was itself the biggest presence. Note as an Engineer: I like the term energy/force and In these few moments I was tormented with the question of – Is religion good or bad? Odd don’t you think.
Well I thought of the Soviet Union and all the eastern block countries that once free were happy to practice religion, any type they wanted. They brought Catholic back to a secular Europe like Ireland was trending to become. The Soviet Union failed because it blocked freedom of religion and other freedoms. Religious states that control what religion you practice or how you live, all fail as well. So if my fellow engineers/scientists wish to laugh at me, I say look to governments that control religion or faith and ask if you want to follow in their footsteps or in the footsteps of those that demand no religion.
So I answered this question to at the wall and I left a prayer and said a hundred prayers – you know I am lucky and have so much so I found myself praying for everything under the sun including world peace. I met a man, Shaun, He took some photos of me which is good or I would have had no proof that I was here ;-). Shaun had come to Israel as part of a moving on as his father had just passed recently. It is important to say that he is a catholic and not a Jew. I think more Catholics should come here.
When all my prayers were said and I talked to my new friends it was time to go and to walk the Stations of the Cross. For those of you that have been to the Vatican you may know of the tradition of touching the foot of the statue of Saint Peter. It is worn off and has been touched by countless of pilgrims. Well, on the Stations of the Cross is the spot of the wall that when Jesus was tired he fell and balanced him self upon the wall. This is when the Romans ordered help for him in carrying the cross. This spot on the wall was just as worn. To see the “Claimed” spot (NOTE: “Claimed” said for the historians and scientist that follow me) Faith is the simple fact that I believed it and it was good enough.
Just a great day all around and it was better than I could have hoped. I am no different, as a person or in faith, but I am sure that there is something beyond my understanding and this something is not mine to know because I do not have the tools to know this something. But today I made a local call and it makes me very happy – perhaps that is all that matters.
On another note: Yad Vashem makes you cry and say aloud and in minyans – never again – and perhaps celebrate life. OK I have a wine getting warm and on a hot night like tonight that would not be optimal!
L’hitraot and Shalom.
Rob
