New life: Jerusalem

“Would it not be easier to respect each other, live and let live? After all, all religions believe in one God, and I guess that God, whatever the name is, would wish the best for all of us, don’t you think?”

This intense thinking from Dora and the heat -it is twelve o’clock- makes me feel exhausted: “I need a sip of water”. As I walk through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem with a half-empty bottle of water in my hand -the sip was quite long-, Dora can’t stop thinking of all the problems caused by religions throughout history.

And the origen of that history is right in front me:

View of the Old City of Jerusalem fron the Mount of Olives.

The walled Old City of Jerusalem is divided into four quarters: Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Armenian. At the same time that this thinking exercise is taking place, many images and stories from the Bibble start invading the territory of Chispa & Dora. “I need another sip of water”.

In order to understand this post properly, I guess that you guys, my dearest surreal readers, need to know that this españolito grew up in a very catholic family. Over the years my faith in the Catholic Church kind of evaporated, but the memory of the person who developed, produced and delivered this españolito to this world, was permanently next to me during the walking, thinking and water sipping in Jerusalem: I guess we all learn to live with them without having them...

I get goosebumps as I enter the church built by Kaiser Wilhelm in late 1800s, exactly on the place where Jesus Christ, according to the Gospels, was crucified and buried: the Church of the Redeemer. A nun on her knees prays over a stone; a stone where the body of Jesus was laid down after being removed from the crucifix and before being buried in the Holy Sepulchre. Another man cries over the same stone. A third one approaches...

Stone of Unction

I observe the scene from the distance but, when they leave, I can’t avoid getting closer and touching it. Impressed by the emotions, it takes me a while to keep walking towards the Holy Sepulchre, which is meters away from the Crucifixion point (Golgotha). A long queue of people are already waiting there: some of them are crying, others just taking pictures, but all of them are showing respect. I decide to wait...

One candle illuminates the darkness at the entrance of the Holy Sepulchre. Here I am, kneeling down touching the tomb, where Jesus Christ was buried and resurrected. I don’t even remember how to pray. I just close my eyes and feel...

The Holy Sepulchre of Jesus Christ.

Some bottles of water later, and after having seen almost every corner of the fascinating Old City of Jerusalem, I would be also touching the stones of the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) -most religious site for the Jewish people-, sealed with hundreds of thousands of little pieces of folded papers with, I guess, petitions of all kinds.

The "Wailing Wall"

Dora reactivates the thinking of one God and one wish:

“Would it not be easier to respect each other, live and let live? After all, all religions believe in one God, and I guess that God, whatever the name is, would wish the best for all of us, don’t you think?

Whatever...

To be continued.