Light a Candle
Church of Beitphage
(click on the candle)
Picture: Chebishev |
(c) Daniel Amarilio |
GOD,
Please give Humanity wisdom
To eliminate the Poverty in the World.
So that the rich become richer.
So that no Poverty exists.
So that no Parent bury his Child.
So that our wonderful Planet is safe.
So that we to live with Joy, in Peace and surrounded by
Love.
So that we will glorify You through our short lives,
finished even before
being conceived.
So that to hear New prayers coming from every humans
heart,
Which is the same for every Human in this World,
independently rich or
poor, white or colored, Abraham or Buddhas children.
Because I believe only in Goodness..
(Amarilio's Prayer)
During construction of
a Franciscan monastery in the year 1876, a wondrous stone was
revealed. Shaped like a cube and covered in plaster, the rock had
been an integral part of a twelfth-century Crusader church once
located in the ancient village of Beitphage. The Crusaders believed
that Jesus used this rock to mount the colt before taking that last
fateful journey to Jerusalem. It is called the Stele (stone
monument) of Beitphage.
Yet the site where the stone was discovered had been considered holy
for hundreds of years before the Crusaders constructed their
sanctuary. In fact, there was already a shrine in Beitphage in the
fourth century. That chapel commemorated the encounter between
Jesus, Lazarus, and Martha. The Crusaders built their church on top
of the Byzantine remains and decorated the stone - which had
probably become detached from the rest of the rocky slope - that
stood on the site. Ancient Latin inscriptions on the rock relate to
biblical events which occurred in the area and specifically mention
Jerusalem and Beitphage. In 1950 the once splendid paintings on the
stele were restored; five years later frescos were drawn on the
walls of the nineteenth-century sanctuary. Of course the main focus
of the church is the Stele of Beitphage, set apart by decorative
wrought iron railings and illustrating events that occurred here and
in nearby Bethany. Behind the rock is a mirror, so that visitors can
easily see the drawings on all four sides.The church ceiling is
quite impressive, with features scattered drawings of flowers and
leaves. They are rather whimsical, and reminiscent of rose petals
that are strewn before an important personage. Most likely, they
symbolize the foliage so evident in the biblical procession.
Natalia Staikova
Copyright Povertyvision and Daniel
Amarilio © 2001-2003 |