All is Calm and Peaceful in Bethlehem

This news warms my heart..

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Bethlehem celebrates merriest Christmas in years

By TIA GOLDENBERG and DALIA NAMMARI, Associated Press Tia Goldenberg And Dalia Nammari, Associated Press – 2 hrs 43 mins ago

BETHLEHEM, West Bank – The traditional birthplace of Jesus is celebrating its merriest Christmas in years, as tens of thousands of tourists thronged Bethlehem on Friday for the annual holiday festivities in this biblical West Bank town.

Officials said the turnout was shaping up to be the largest since 2000. Unseasonably mild weather, a virtual halt in Israeli-Palestinian violence and a burgeoning economic revival in the West Bank all added to the holiday cheer.

By nightfall, a packed Manger Square was awash in red, blue, green and yellow Christmas lights.

Merrymakers blasted horns, bands sang traditional Christmas carols in Arabic, boy scout marching bands performed and Palestinian policemen deployed around the town to keep the peace.

A group of 30 tourists from Papua New Guinea, all wearing red Santa hats, walked around the nearby Church of the Nativity, built on the site where tradition holds Jesus was born. Both church officials and the Palestinian president voiced hopes for peace.

Pat Olmsted, a 64-year-old teacher from Sugar Land, Texas, was celebrating her first Christmas in Bethlehem and broke into tears as she stood in Manger Square. "It just gives me a whole true meaning of the Bible. As I read the pages, it will mean so much more to me," she said.

Bethlehem used to attract tens of thousands of tourists from around the world for Christmas celebrations, but attendance dropped sharply following the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising in 2000.

As the fighting tapered off over the last five years, attendance steadily climbed. The town's 2,750 hotel rooms were booked solid for Christmas week, and town officials say more hotels are under construction.

Israeli officials have said they expect about 90,000 visitors in Bethlehem during the current two-week holiday season, up from 70,000 last year.

But the bloodshed has left its mark. Visitors entering the town must cross through a massive metal gate in the separation barrier Israel built between Jerusalem and Bethlehem during a wave of Palestinian attacks last decade.

The Roman Catholic Church's top clergyman in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, crossed through the gate in a traditional midday procession from Jerusalem. Later, he celebrated Midnight Mass, the peak of the holiday's events in town.

In his homily, Twal issued a conciliatory call for peace between religions and urged an "intensification" of dialogue with Jews and Muslims.

"We need to unite and integrate the many values we have in common: prayer, piety, fasting, almsgiving, and ethical values," he said.

"Our hope for Christmas is that Jerusalem not only become the capital of two nations, but also a model for the world, of harmony and coexistence of the three monotheistic religions," he added. "During this Christmas season, may the sound of the bells of our churches drown the noise of weapons in our wounded Middle East, calling all men to peace and the joy."

The crowds continued to swell throughout the day. By Friday night, Israeli military officials, who coordinate movement in and out of the West Bank, said the number rose to some 70,000 people on Christmas Eve alone, compared with 50,000 last year.

Raed Arafat, the 40-year-old owner of the Stars and Bucks Cafe, played Christmas songs over loudspeakers and handed out free Arabic coffee at his shop near Manger Square. Tourists snapped photos and bought mugs emblazoned with the cafe chain's green logo, modeled after the American Starbucks company.

"There are more people this year," an ecstatic Arafat said. "Christmas this year is not like every year because now there is more quiet."

The holiday had its surreal moments. Many visitors were local Palestinians, including a large number of Muslim women whose faces were covered by veils. The loud Muslim call to prayer from a mosque next to Manger Square briefly drowned out the celebrations.

"Because of the hard situation and the pressure we are living in, we take advantage of any joyful moment and bring our children to play," said Khitam Harazallah, a veiled Muslim housewife from the nearby Deheishe refugee camp who came with her two young children.

Today, just one-third of Bethlehem's 50,000 residents are Christian, down from about 75 percent in the 1950s. The rest are Muslims.

The Christian population throughout the Middle East has shrunk in recent decades as people flee violence or search for better opportunities abroad. Christians make up roughly 2 percent of the population in the Holy Land.

With the end of fighting, the West Bank has undergone an economic revival in recent years, illustrated by new shopping malls and widespread construction projects in the bustling city of Ramallah.

But a deadlock in Mideast peace talks between Israel and the West Bank government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, along with a flare-up in violence between Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip, threatened to cast a pall over the celebrations.

Abbas, a Muslim, traveled to Bethlehem to greet the revelers, saying he hoped the coming year will finally bring peace. He also said the Palestinians were issuing a special postage stamp honoring Bethlehem.

"We are seekers of peace in the path of Jesus," he said. "We hope that next year will be a year of peace by establishing the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with Israel in peace and security."

Israel maintains an embargo on Gaza, which is governed by Abbas' rival, the Islamic militant group Hamas. In a goodwill gesture, Israel allowed 500 members of Gaza's tiny Christian community to travel to Bethlehem.

Niveen Wadia, a 40-year-old Gaza woman, said coming to Bethlehem was "a very beautiful feeling."

"In Gaza we don't have any celebration atmosphere. We are the minority there," she said.

Dampening the holiday cheer, Israeli authorities said three Italian pilgrims were killed Friday afternoon when their car crashed into an electric pole near the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. Two other women in the car were hospitalized. Israeli officials said the women were in the Holy Land to celebrate Christmas.

Article retrieved from here.

More pictures are here.

The Progression of a Soul

I'm a bit reluctant to post this (as I am with many topics posted here), I feel compelled for some reason to jot this down before it escapes me. I was raised Catholic, but do not currently practice at this time; however, I still have a strong affinity for this sect of Christianity for many reasons I will omit at this point. One thing that's always bothered me is the omission of the Bible of many topics that we may ask ourselves about life and God's relationship with it. For instance, at what point does the soul enter the body? Where is the soul actually made? Has our soul inhabited other human bodies before? Christ was essentially mute on these questions, with regards to the Bible as we know it today. As we all know, many Gospels were left out of the modern Bible by the Council of Nicea so there will be no way for definitively know for sure if the topic was spoken of. Secondly, we must take into consideration that these topics were spoken 2000 years ago, so any explanation would have been spoken from the standpoint that any person living 2000 years ago may understand. Having a more educated population of people today, it may have been written differently.

Some time ago, I happened to run into an article about a man named Edgar Cayce who lived in the late 1800's and early 1900's who used to go into trances and find cures for ailments, talk about history and Christ. When he was a boy, he would learn books by heart simply by sleeping on them. Reading about this guy got me really interested, but what interested me even more, was some of the things that he said while he was in these trances about Christ. I won't go too much into it, as you can check it out for yourself but I will give you a synopsis.

His hypothesis was that Christ was more like an "older brother" to humanity. The following paragraphs are excerpts from the website:

"From Cayce's perspective, we are not simply physical bodies, instead we are spiritual beings who are having a physical experience entailing personal growth and development. Many individuals have incorrectly assumed that the goal of being in the earth is to simply reach heaven, find enlightenment, or somehow "get out of the earth." And yet, this is a perspective quite different from that contained in the Cayce material. Instead, Cayce believed that as children of God, our mission was to somehow bring spirit into the earth."

"The dynamics of our deep and literal connection to God can be found throughout scripture, beginning with Genesis when we are told that God made humankind in the Creator's image. But our relationship with God as our Parent is perhaps no more clearly illustrated than in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-24). This parable describes the journey of the soul: we were with God in the beginning, through the power of our free will we were able to make choices that were not necessarily in perfect accord with the Creator. And, at some point, we will "arise" and decide to return to God, regaining our inheritance and experiencing our true relationship with Him."

"The readings state that God desires to be expressed in the world through us. The example set by Jesus is apparently a "pattern" of wholeness for each and every soul.Regardless of an individual's religious or personal beliefs, this Christ pattern exists in potential upon the very fiber of their being. It is that part of each of us that is in perfect accord with the Creator and is simply waiting to find expression in our lives."

"Reincarnation is the belief that each of us goes through a series of lifetimes for the purpose of spiritual growth and soul development. Cayce's approach does not include the concept of transmigration, which states that it is possible for human beings to be born again as animals. From the standpoint of the Cayce material, souls only occupy human bodies through their spiritual growth and developmental process."

After reading this some time ago, it has lingered in my head for a very long time. I've grappled with the idea that a soul can jump into a human, be with it throughout it's lifetime, then leave the body after the flesh dies only to find a new challenge in another human lifetime.

Now, the questions that I have had to ask myself is: (a) Are my beliefs strong enough to be confronted with this; enough to be objective? Answer is yes, I believe so. (b) Do I believe in good in evil? Light and dark? Answer is yes. (c) Do I believe that there is another spiritual realm? Answer is yes.

The next question that I really had to get over was a tough one. Is any one religion "right?" Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. It took me a long time to mill the idea that these religions would have any connection. All stated here, after all, do have their good points. Should I not believe that "all roads lead home," if asked my specific faith?

What I believe is that each being, each soul, that inhabits a living being is a little piece of creation, a piece of God. Some souls are more cognizant and more aware than others. I'm in agreement with Mr. Cayce's statements that all souls are striving for "Christhood," progressing their way back to the creator (aka dying and going to heaven). I do believe that Christ was a living person, I also believe that he is the Son of God. More importantly, I think that he was crucial in establishing the guidebook for souls, the Bible, for humankind. In-so-doing, the Bible was made with just enough information to allow people to keep going on their way of progression to the light. This is no different for the Torah or the Qu'ran for Muslims. My firm belief is that any religion when practiced for the good or the light, will aid our souls in its progression back home. This is where it gets tricky because many religions have their customs and beliefs that can lead to extremism that commit acts that do not conform to the light. Who are we to say that our religion is more "right" than another's? We see it all the time though. Certain people preaching in the name of their religion about murder and enslavement of another people because their beliefs are more right than others or hold some sort of Divine sanction against another therefore justifying their extreme action. I subscribe to none of this. Why? Because this follows no means of good or light for humanity. If we're all God's children, would He approve or disapprove of people using his name to justify murder? Does God really care what custom your religion has, so long as you have faith in Him? Does He really care how many times you go to Church when you willingly commit acts like a sinner outside of the Church/Synagogue/Mosque/Temple?

I do believe that there is a life cycle- a light and a dark. Both spiritual realms exist and make each other's presence known in every day life.

All these are interesting points to ponder; certainly, provocative in circles. But then again, so little is known outside of what is stated in the Bible or many other religious texts to be able to explain with more detail some of the intricacies of what may lie beyond death and how it all works. Being a Christian, I'm perfectly fine with this thinking because it does not violate my beliefs in any way; in fact, I think that it strengthens them. We should all be skeptical of what people say though and their interpretations of literal meanings in the religious texts, using them as precursors to commit acts that contrast with the premise of them.

Reflection: Considerations of Paulo Coelho's Philosophy

If one actually knew me in person, they would believe that I am a social person that is grounded in reality. Possibly too much so. The notion does not escape me that I find myself a stranger in a common land; among my own people, yet nothing could be further from the truth.

The counter balance to my ground in reality is the contemplation of certain philosophical aspects to life. Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian author, has had my attention since the day that I read his book, The Alchemist. Some call Coelho pretentious; I say that I really do not mind what personality he may have. The most important aspect to his relationship with humanity is what he writes. Nonetheless, I am getting a little off track here.

At times, I have this overwhelming urge to travel, to see more and experience those things in the world that have yet to be seen by my eyes... I have been all over the gorgeous countryside of Germany. North to Bremen, Halle and Leipzig and as far south as the Schwarzwald (The Black Forest). Rome was also beautiful, yet interestingly enough ironic for an ancient city to try to live up to contemporary times. It was amazing to walk through the streets of Rome, wondering how many great people walked these same little streets for thousands of years before me. The Vatican was also a sight to be seen. Prior to my trip in 2006, I contacted the Vatican Oficio Scavi office so that I may see what remains of the times of St. Peter. I was able to gain access to the underground crypt being led by a woman who had a strong Irish accent. There were about 8 of us, I presumed that most of us were Americans, and were basically told that we needed to remain quiet and allow the guide to show us around. We witnessed some of the earliest depictions of Christ where early Christians built their mausoleum around what was thought to be the burial site of St. Peter. We eventually got to the site, after laughing at how humorous the early Romans were for writing endearing jokes on tombstones about that person with whom laid beneath. What I saw was not all that grand in its totality, but knew that I was seeing firsthand one of the most important things I will ever see in my life. The actual tomb of St. Peter, encased by marble slabs installed by Emperor Constantine. The guide gave us the story and shortly after entered a very small golden chapel almost right outside of the tomb. I was still in a state of shock from what I have just seen.

How the philosophy of Paulo Coelho impacts me is my ability to set aside my Christian beliefs and know that many of his quotes are the moral stepping stones of being closer to my faith: being closer to being the person that I would like to be for all the right reasons. Consider a few of his quotes:

-Dreams are the language of God.

-At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie.

-When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

-No one loses anyone, because no one owns anyone. That is the true experience of freedom: having the most important thing in the world without owning it.

-Love one another, but let's not try to possess one another.

-We all prepare ourselves to slay dragons, but end up instead being devoured by the ants of the details that we never bothered to look at.

-All religions lead to the same God, and all deserve the same respect. Anyone who chooses a religion is also choosing a collective way for worshipping and sharing the mysteries. Nevertheless, that person is the only one responsible for his or her actions along the way and has no right to shift responsibility for any personal decisions on to that religion.

-I learned the most important lesson of my life: that the extraordinary is not the birthright of a chosen and privileged few, but of all people, even the humblest. That is my one certainty: we are all the manifestation of the divinity of God.

-I don't regret the painful times; I bare my scars as if they were medals. I know that freedom has a high price, as high as that of slavery; the only difference is that you pay with pleasure and a smile, even when that smile is dimmed by tears.

-The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better.

-Everything has been written by the same hand.

-How is it possible for the beauty that was there only minutes before to vanish so quickly? Life moves very fast. It rushes from heaven to hell in a matter of seconds.

-Only the following items should be considered to be grave faults: not respecting another's rights: allowing oneself to be paralyzed by fear; feeling guilty; believing that one does not deserve the good or ill that happens in one's life; being a coward. We will love our enemies, but not make alliances with them. They were placed in our path in order to test our sword, and we should, out of respect for them, struggle against them. We will choose our enemies.

-We need to forget what we think we are, so that we can really become what we are.

-Face your path with courage, don't be scared of people's criticism. And, above all, don't let yourself get paralyzed by your own criticism.


The quotes are all from Mr. Coelho in his various books. The few short sentences that he produces, he communicates a powerful message that only the reader can process and apply to their life. These words do have a sliding scale of truth to them depending on the life that you have lived. In particular, I enjoy the quotes about people being under the impression that because they are in the same place everyday or live with the same person that those people tend to be comfortable with the idea that they are now owners of another. How quickly life corrects this notion of fallacy.