Visitation

Today we had mass at the site of the Visitation. After walking up many, many steps 

(these are only a few), we were met by a beautiful sculpture of Mary and Elizabeth.

These pictures said so much to me about the meeting of these two women.  Looking out from the sculpture you can see the foothills that Mary travelled over. Having been in Nazareth last week, I realized how long the journey must have been,giving Mary much time to think about her life and her future. Perhaps it was on this journey that she created the Magificat.

After leaving this sight we made our way to the Holocaust museum - Yad Vashem.

(This tall tower symbolizes the chimneys of the ovens which killed so many of Europes' Jews.)

Yad Vashem means  - place to memorialize.  It comes from Is 56:4-5.

This place guards the memory of the past and imparts its meaning to future generations.

Even though I have been to Dauchau and read many books and stories about this time in our history, I was moved to tears a few times as I walked through.  It is a stark building, grey walls whose only adornments were items collected from the pograms, the camps, or the many round-up that occurred during Hilter's era. Along with testimonials of victims who escaped or survived.

 Men and women gave accounts of their fathers and/or mothers taken by soldiers. How they decided to steal and "never be Moral" again, because it did them no good.  These moved me to tears.

As I entered one section, there was a young woman standing looking at the video of Jews being herded together, she was crying.  I paused and wondered, only to see her turn to the corner and begin weeping deeply.  I was moved to tears witnessings her pain.  I walked over and asked if she was all right.  She said, teats streaming down her face, "my grandmother experienced this and she escaped." With that we both wept.

Her name was Seria.  We spoke a little mores then stood together in silence.  She thanked me for coming over and we parted.

Although not a joyful meeting like Mary and Elizabeth, it was a type of Visitation for me - two women standing together wondering how humans can do this to each other.  For one brief moment our meeting allowed us to share an experience that, I believe, will be remembered by both of us.