![]() I don’t know what to think about in this place where you have lain.” I stood there quietly for a few moments and said in my heart to Jesus, “I don’t know how to pray here. Then I walked a few steps over to the place where Jesus was laid in the manger. I quickly understood that Jesus was allowing me to be humbled in the very place where he humbled himself by becoming man. I tried to touch my chotki to the star, but because it was attached to my belt I couldn’t reach it there. As I kneeled down and leaned over to kiss the star on the floor, my metal water bottle fell out of the side pouch of my backpack and crashed loudly on the marble floor near the star. I was overwhelmed and nervous to venerate this holy spot, especially as we were being urged to move quickly. We listened to the chanting of the Gospel and then venerated the place of the Nativity as we sang the Troparion of the Nativity. Nearby, in the same chapel, is the place where Jesus was laid in the manger. Underneath the church is the Grotto of the Nativity, where the place of Jesus’ birth is marked with a metal star on the floor. The doorway is very low, so that visitors must bow in order to enter. It is one of the oldest churches still in existence. We walked through the ruins of a monastery that existed during the Byzantine period.Īfter lunch, we arrived at the Church of the Nativity. In Bethlehem, we went first to Shepherd’s Field, where the angels announced the Good News of Christ’s birth to the herdsmen.
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