The rioting and brawling of Armenian and Orthodox monks and others in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem included Associated Press reporting:
After the brawl, the church was crowded with Israeli riot police holding assault rifles, standing beside Golgotha, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified, and the long smooth stone marking the place where tradition holds his body was laid out.
Guards at Golgotha and Christ’s tomb.
This has a familiar ring to it…
With Christ’s tomb in the background, and the source of the controversy as the Orthodox wanted one of theirs in the tomb while the Armenians celebrated the finding of the true cross, these disturbing images lead to much reflection. My own time in this holy place encounters the reality of our human anger and violence. We meet this within ourselves as we journey into the holy place, and on the macro level on this planet – this holy place.
