Daily Meditation: Thursday, August 23, 2007

Christians make pilgrimages to the Holy Land to visit the …

08/23/2007

Christians make pilgrimages to the Holy Land to visit the places where Jesus was born, preached and performed miracles. But even if a few stones still remain, the spirit of Jesus is no longer there. For centuries, too many people have passed through these places with thoughts and feelings that were neither luminous nor pure. You will say that since the Middle Ages Christianity has been busy protecting these holy places. Yes, by leading attacks against the ‘infidels’, by massacring and plundering. What strange ways to preserve the traces of Jesus’ life! If we want to preserve the traces left by spiritual beings, we must respect the places where they are to be found. And it is not enough to have a certain outward attitude, to refrain from shouting, laughing or joking. Our inner attitude, our thoughts and feelings are equally important, for these in particular leave their marks. Too many people who have walked this land of Palestine have not been inspired by Christ-like virtues, and the spirit of Jesus has gone.