O little town

Somewhere within the massive Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, there is a little chapel which resembles a crypt.  In this place, not far from the entrance to the church, we gathered to celebrate the Mass.  When we were finished, our little band set eyes on the place reported to be the birthplace of Jesus.  Whether this was indeed the place or not, pilgrims flock here every day of every year to pray and to give thanks for the miracle of the Incarnation, and we were among them.

Having visited the Manger, where there is always a Mass being celebrated, we then came up to ground level and made our way through other parts of the church, including Crusaders Cloister.  Next stop, the grotto where Saint Jerome spent countless hours translating the scriptures, and where he was eventually burried after his death.  Pilgrims still come to this place to pray in presence of his mortal remains.

Outside, we made our way to Shepherds' Field, where it is believed the shepherds were greeted by the angel and told about the divine birth.  It wasn't hard to imagine sheep in this place, and the shepherds who would have been outcasts by any standards, watching over their precious cargo.  Oh, yes you guessed it, there's a church there too.

The afternoon hours found us atop Mount Zion and in the church of Saint Peter in Galicantu, dedicated to the moment when Peter fulfilled the Lord's words about the cock crowing and him betraying ever having known Jesus.  Every one of these churches is a work of art, and most of them are now well cared for, but this building in particular would probably have been the house of Pilate, and thus the place where Jesus would have been imprisoned prior to his final day on earth.  Yep, the prison cell is also here for the visiting, and when they turn out the lights, it's REALLY dark there too.