Relationships

Today we went to Tantur and met with Fr. Mike McGarry. Tantur is a center that provides a place to stay and study for theological scholars and persons seeking to explore and deepen their faith. It also provides a neutral space for local peacemakers to meet. Fr. McGarry said the center often hosts meetings between Palestinians and Israelis to meet and be in dialogue. This for me was another sign of hope.

We also visited a nature preserve which is focused on the landscape during Biblical times. As we toured around, various plants, animals, and structures were explained to us through the context of the Bible. This was also fascinating.

I think what I have been thinking the most about throughout the day is relationships... I think so often when we talk about issues, all sorts of statistics are cited and personal stories are called "anecdotal evidence" and not given much importance. Being in places like this, it seems that it is only through hearing stories and forming relationships that peace is possible.

Through the prayers I have carried, I feel I have a deeper understanding of the people who gave me prayers for which I know the person who wrote the prayer or who is being prayed for. By reciting the prayers, I have a deeper appreciation for our need for God to hear us. It is likely that tomorrow our group will go to the Western Wall, where all of the prayers I have prayed each night will be put in the wall. At our evening meeting, the box that has held those prayers was passed around our group. Each group member took several of those prayers. Tonight there will be 28 of us praying those prayers, instead of just me. Tomorrow as a group, we will be honoring those prayers by putting them in the wall. I know for me, that action will be one of the many ways my relationship with God is deepened on this trip...

I think one of the many things that makes this trip so rich is the group of people with whom I am traveling. We are a diverse group in age and experience and our evening reflections help me to put together what we have done each day. The relationships formed here, whether fleeting or lasting, make being here more meaningful because of the depth of reflection.

In our meeting with Fr. McGarry, I was reminded that I need to be careful with how I talk about the people and the situation here. The fact is, though I have learned a lot, the situation is complex and there is much I still don't know and understand. His advice was "come back and get more confused." :) We have only met a few people and heard a few stories. By talking to more Palestinians, by talking to more Israelis, by talking to more people at home, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or of some other belief system, by listening and being willing to be confused and changed by relationships, that is how understanding happens. Being in dialogue, both talking and listening is how the possibility of creating a more peaceful situation may happen...

The last thing I want to talk about is my relationship with my country. I love my country. I am critical of my country. Sometimes I think when I speak up about problems I see in the U.S., people think that I don't like the U.S. I do love my country, and one of the very reasons that I love it is that I can speak freely. However, just as I want to be the best person I can be, I also want my country to be the best it can be. Acknowledging where we are lacking, we may seek ways to make our country even better. I truly don't remember if I wrote this last night, but yesterday, watching the inauguration, I was so proud of my country. I was proud to be an American.

I will stop there. It is getting late and tomorrow will be a long day.

Peace,
Cory