Bethlehem

Our first full day of pilgrimage began at Shepherds' Field in Bethlehem, the first people to hear the news of the birth of Christ. Around the time of the Nativity, Bethlehem, as a geographic collection of villages, held a population of 10,000 people. Today the city maintains 40,000 residents, 14% which are Christian.

The township was also the home of King David, who was from a shepherding family. David's ruled seven years from Bethlehem, the remaining 33 from Jerusalem.

We next stopped at the Church of the Nativity, which is undergoing structural renovations. After the roof was repaired, work continued on some of the walls and flooring, which contain mosaics and frescoes.

About 150 years ago, the Orthodox Christians were able to obtain custody of the entrance and main body of the church. The Latin Catholics quietly set up altar and chapel space off to the side. We gathered for instruction at St. Joseph's chapel, and through two peepholes, we were able to see the spot in the cave where Christ was born. Since there were 1,000 people in line, we decided to return to the Nativity spot later in the week at the time when the lines are shorter.

We celebrated the Mass at Dawn in the chapel of St. Jerome. The bones of some of the Holy Innocent Children slaughtered by King Herod lay nearby.

From there, we passed through Manger Square on the way to the Milk Grotto. What is the Milk Grotto, you ask? There is a section of the land that is covered by a white stone that peculiarly sits between layers of limestone. The rock in this location is white. Legend has it that the Holy Family stopped there during their Flight into Egypt, however, Mary, as she was breastfeeding the child, dropped some of her breastmilk onto the stone turning it white.

A community of women religious worships at a perpetual adoration chapel in honor of Mary's protection of children.

We stopped at a new museum called Bethlehem Museum. It is a collection of historical artifacts from the region to honor the heritage of the Palestinian people. We ate lunch at the Kerala Restaurant, which featured a Palestinian dish of baked pita bread as the foundation for boiled then baked chicken on a bed of lightly sauteed onions. We then stopped at a Christian retailer that sold many products ranging from olive wood products, rosary beads, and nativity sets.

Next, we went to Bethlehem University, a university run by the priests and brothers of John De La Salle de Baptiste. The order runs a grade school in Jerusalem and Amman, among other places. This university is a place where Muslims and Christians study together and interact with one another just like most Western universities, however many cultural and political challenges beset them daily.

We returned home for dinner at 7:00 and some rest.