Pilgrimages to the Two Little Towns of Bethlehem

In the early 2010s, my wife and I frequently drove an hour from Pennsylvania’s Bucks County to the Lehigh Valley, best known to many from Billy Joel’s ode “Allentown”:

Well we’re living here in Allentown
And they’re closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they’re killing time
Filling out forms
Standing in line.

While the Lehigh Valley and Bethlehem are far nicer than what Billy Joel may have led us to believe, I first found it offensive that tiny Bethlehem would try to capitalize on its shared name with the internationally known place of Christ’s birth – even nicknaming itself “Christmas City.”

Moravian Traditions

I grew up in Brooklyn, just ninety minutes from Pennsylvania’s Bethlehem.  In that millieu, I only knew the word “putz” to be a derogatory term for a cowardly person (think Fredo Corleone, George Costanza, Barney Fife, Homer Simpson, and Mr. Drysdale from the Beverly Hillbillies, among others).

However, for the Moravians in Pennsylania’s Bethlehem, I was shocked to learn that “putz” meant a Nativity scene!

When we first moved to Bucks County, we adopted the custom of a single electric candle in the front window, oblivious to this also being a Moravian tradition (see The Putz and Illumination).  Most of our neighbors were also oblivious too and failed to credit the Moravians.

The Moravian Church began in 1457 in the present day Czech Republic.  Back when the area was called Bohemia, Moravians report that the Catholic Church mistreated them (see A Brief History of the Moravian Church), which I do not find difficult to believe.

“Bethlehem was to be the principal center for Moravians in the New World serving as both the religious and administrative center for the Moravian Church in North America” (Historic Moravian Bethlehem: A National Historic Landmark District).

After looking at Pennsylvania’s Amish and Mennonite communities, outsiders might understandably assume Pennsylvania’s Moravians also uphold traditional Christian teaching on the sanctity of human life, marriage, and family. But that is not the case:

Whereas the Moravian Church believes in the sacredness of life….members of the Moravian Church view abortion in the perspective of possibly bringing mercy to a difficult situation (Religious Institute Statement on Abortion).

And also:

The Moravian Church’s Northern Province approved a proposal to allow gays and lesbians to be ordained and to create a religious ceremony for same-sex couples…. Based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Northern Province includes more than 21,000 members (CharismaNews, 6/24/14).

It is unjust to their sheep when Christian leaders adopt foreign (i.e., actually non-Christian) concepts on the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of marriage and family.  The Moravian case shows that bizarre interpretations of scripture and tradition highlight the need for an authoritative teaching office.

The Middle East

In 2017, my wife and I were blessed to be part of a Holy Land pilgrimage – the trip of a lifetime!  The State of Israel includes the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, but some dispute their inclusion.  Pilgrims should be aware that many Christian sites in Israel are geographically located in the West Bank, including Bethlehem.

Before visiting the Shepherds Field and Grotto and the Nativity Church, we learned that the original Bethlehem’s streets could be far less attractive than those in its Pennsylvania namesake (see images: 1, 2, 3, 4).  Not only that, but street vendors were much more aggressive than we ever experienced in New York, Philadelphia, or D.C.  For an economy so dependent on tourism, the West Bank should demonstrate far more concern about sanitation and public comfort/safety.

Whatever the West Bank’s limitations, however, nothing compares to touching the spot where Christ was born, seeing the spot of the manger, or visiting the Grotto of the Innocents, which honors those male infants and toddlers slaughtered by King Herod.

Since St. Francis of Assisi, Franciscans have been responsible for the care of many Holy Land sites, including the Shepherds Field, the Nativity Church, Nazareth, Jesus’ baptismal site, Cana, Mount Tabor, Jericho, Gethsemane, and the Holy Sepulcher,

While the earliest pilgrims built churches over holy sites, in the past two millennia many of them have been deliberately and repeatedly destroyed and then tenaciously rebuilt.  While the Nativity Church and the Holy Sepulcher appear to be the oldest, some current churches over Holy Land sites are actually newer than what may be seen on a pilgrimage in Italy.

We Are Pilgrims

Defending the historical authenticity of the Holy Land sites is beyond the scope of this humble article, but skeptics may be surprised to find that the Franciscans do not adopt a simplistic cheerleader approach to the ancient sites and stories. They approach the holy sites and the history with scholarly criticism, which is at the same time deeply reverent.

With regard to my own pilgrimage bucket list, a return to the Holy Land would be nicely complimented by pilgrimages to Manoppello in Italy to see the Holy Face relic and to Mexico City to see the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe.