HOLY SEPULCHRE, JERUSALEM 23 APRIL 2019
 
 
I’m sitting in the Chapel of the Apparition in the Holy Sepulchre;
opposite me is the Column, on which You, Innocent One, were cruelly tied and beaten.
The crowd looked on and condemned You,
though they knew not why.
 
Soldiers whipped You and made Your life-giving blood
spill on to stony paths.
Those who loved You, wept bitterly -
and so, today, we too weep deeply.
And our tears flow on to the narrow, dusty roads of life... and death.
 
People push into this most holy place -
laughing and joking
knocking against each other
waiting in line to bow and pray at Your tomb -
to feel a sense of Your presence,
a knowledge of Your pain
and wonder at the Passover, Earth to Heaven.
 
They search and they ponder -
do they see You, the Hidden Jesus
in the Tabernacle behind the altar?
Candles are burning for You are alive, present,
and the Lamb is seen, sculptured in gold.
But few visitors to this magnificent Church
bend, with reverence, at the knee.
 
Long, noisy, boisterous crowds are outside the Chapel – queuing to enter the sanctity of The Tomb.
Do they love the Truth of Calvary,
the  Anointing Stone on which You were laid,
as You were placed into Your Mother’s trembling arms?
The mystery is too great for us to comprehend -
but some warriors are still contemplating the Cross, the Resurrection and the Life -
Your life, to give life.
 
My unforgiveness still pierces Your forgiving heart.
My sin still pierces Your pure heart.
My unloving ways still pierce your loving heart.
My selfishness still pierces Your generous heart.
Forgive me, for I know not what I do!
 
Where do we put You Jesus -
inside the cold tomb of our hearts, or as pictures on the mobile phone?
Help us to roll away the stone and allow Your radiant light to enter!
 
Let us raise our arms and praise You
with hymns and prayers – from hearts of love, joy and hope!
Let us kneel before You and glorify You! Amen.                        
 
Julie Hughes (C) 2019