If some of you have been at some of my funerals, I like to use the Gospel of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. But also about the faith of Martha and Mary.  So today I went to Bethany. It's on the Mount of Olives. But on the other side from Jerusalem. It's also in the Palestine area. That means the newly constructed wall separates the town of Bethany into two parts.  You can't walk between Martha and Mary's home to the tomb. It's a real shame. It's now very difficult to get to Lazarus's tomb and Church.  But if it's right with the theme of the Gospel. Darkness and light, sorrow and joy, death and resurrection. Isn't this all a part of Christianity.  The church at the site of Lazarus' rising from the dead has the most beautiful garden in all of Israel.  

But when you walk up the hill you see this wall that separates this wonderful country. The wall is gray concrete protected by radar, cameras and lookout towers, but still people paint graffiti on it to express their hatred of the wall.

I think Jesus would weep over this wall if he would be present instead over the city of Jerusalem.  

The Church itself is in the shape of a cross and is designed to look like a mausoleum. It is gray inside, gloomy but yet vibrant. Since the walls are all stone, sound reverberates as in an echo.  In the cupola there are mosaics of birds and tongues of fire.  Again I found a secluded place, a cave to have my mass.  It was an olive press at one time and changed into an altar area now. 

A little political insert at this time. Near the wall that separates Israel from Palestine is a new sidewalk or as it is called a gateway to Bethany. It's very strange because it doesn't lead from the main road or end at the main road. It's just sort of there. Guess what? We paid for it.

But we also paid for the wall that separates the two through all the aid we give to Israel each year. In an older post I wrote about the Golden Gate in the wall that surrounds Jerusalem. I hope that when Jesus comes back again that he will walk through the wall at Bethany. That not only will he unite us to the kingdom, but he will unite Israel and the Holy Land once again.