A friend of mine recently took a trip to Israel. He mentioned that one of the most toughing moments of his trip was his visit to the Western Wall. I should mention that he is Jewish and so this visit had added significance. One of the more interesting comments he made was the diversity of people he saw at the Wailing Wall, as many people have labeled it. It is a very important Jewish religious site located in the Old City of Jerusalem. A lot of the wall was constructed in 19BC with the remaining parts being added in the 7th century and is said to be what was left of Solomon's original Temple after its destruction. It gained the additional title of wailing because Jews would frequently come to the wall and lament the destruction of the Temple. The reason people pray at the wall is because it is believed to be the closest point to the Holy of Holies, the holiest room of the old Temple. My friend's comments left me with thoughts about the significance of this type of gathering space in the U.S. Having sacred places that draw people of different faiths would seem to be a beneficial thing in this country. It really emphasizes the things we agree about rather than highlighting our differences. It is the ultimate ecumenical instrument. I then wondered how one would go about proposing this type of gathering spot and was soon overwhelmed with all of the legal implications it would create. And that is just sad. I told my fiend that if he planned to return to Israel, I wanted him to carry a prayer for me and insert it into the Wall's crevices. My prayer is that there be more places like the Wall that will bring people together for the purpose of worshipping God.
Kurt Hilgefort, is a Catholic father of six who publishes his thoughts on his blog Shadows of Augustine . He responded to my seven question survey with the following answers. Kurt is the first layperson to respond to the seven question survey and I think that his experience is extremely relevant to me personally and I hope that you are inspired by his thoughts as well. If you would like to respond, please send an email to fellmananthony@gmail.com with your thoughts and I will be happy to publish them as well. 1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? The biggest challenge for me has been the whole dying to self thing. On an intellectual level, there are no barriers. It comes down to a matter of accepting the authority of the Church that Christ founded upon Peter. My challenge is not in the intellect, but rather in the will. The challenge for me has always been to continually seek conversion. I want to be transformed, but I want it to be over all ...
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