Two years ago, my family and I embarked on what was publicized as a “life-changing journey” to the Holy Land. Our travel agency identified three countries belonging to the Holy Land cluster: Jordan, Israel, and Egypt. However, we actually visited four. The agency missed Palestine, which is literally and figuratively at a crossroad. Palestine encompasses the West Bank, which Israel currently occupies. This includes the Eastern section of Jerusalem and the very infamous Gaza Strip. Palestine shares most of its borders with Israel. Nonetheless, it also borders Jordan to the east and Egypt to the southwest. En route to Israel from Jordan, it is impossible not to notice the Palestinian territory. If I am not mistaken, the border crossing where King Hussein Bridge is located is a Palestinian territory. Currently, 146 of the 193 UN member nations recognize the State of Palestine. As of 2012, the State has elevated its status as an “observer entity” from a “non-member observer state.” This means it has the same status as the Holy See or the Vatican City, awaiting recognition as an independent nation-state. It’s just sad that, until today, the Israeli-Palestine conflict has not ended. The senseless conflict annihilated several innocent people, primarily children, senior citizens, and women.

This post is not about the ongoing war in the Israel-Palestine territories. It is about Bethlehem, the highlight of our trip to this Palestinian territory. However, Bethlehem is also a point of contention in this supposedly Holy Land. Incidentally, when this post was originally written (in December 2024), NETFLIX has just released a movie Mary (directed by DJ Caruso), which, for me, is a must-watch because it somewhat humanizes Mary and brings a deeper understanding of salvation history or the history of faith (at least for the Catholics). Besides, it is also essential to think of a historical Mary to grasp connections and empathy. I believe the historical Mary also trembled. She was terrified, petrified, and even ran for her life like most people in Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Traditionally, Mary is believed to have cradled the future savior, messiah, hero, rebel, deliverer, etcetera in Bethlehem. A song played in my head while writing this post: “Mary did you know, that your baby will one day walk on water. Mary, did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you’ve delivered will soon deliver you.” Today, in Bethlehem, the Church of Nativity is believed to be the site of the birthplace of Jesus.

Historically, the site is believed to have started as a grotto—a marker that early Christians visited during their winter pilgrimage. Nonetheless, during the pre-Constantine period, the Christians were the Romans' scapegoats for their misfortunes. This was the reason why, in ca. 315, Emperor Hadrian erected a temple dedicated to Adonis, the lover of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty and desire, on the very site of the grotto. In ca. 248, historian Origen wrote: “In Bethlehem, the cave is pointed out where He was born, and the manger is in the cave where He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. And the rumor is in those places, and among foreigners of the Faith, that indeed Jesus was born in this cave who is worshiped and reverenced by the Christians.” No one has ever pointed out where the cave or grotto may be found. But during the heyday of Christianity under Constantine, Helena, his mother, identified the current site as the very site of the nativity. Constantine is believed to be buried inside the church.

Do note that Bethlehem is in Palestine. Palestinians themselves consider the birthplace as a very sacred place.

In 2012, the church complex became the first Palestinian site to be listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO despite the opposition of Israel and the United States. The enlistment was significant because Palestinians wanted UNESCO's assistance for its preservation and conservation because of wear and tear due to water leaks. UNESCO placed the Church of the Nativity on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger from 2012 to 2019. The State of Palestine started mobilizing its people to safeguard the sacred site.

If Jesus were alive today, he would join all protesters against the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (or any political war). And for sure, in his sermon, he would say: “People, you have not learned anything?!”