2009 Middle East Travel Seminar

Today I received an email from a friend reminding me of the violence that continues to happen near us, though we have not seen an evidence of it in our travels. Thinking about that has left me unsettled. I am unsettled not because I feel unsafe, but because it is so easy to forget what is going on so close to us as we go to all of these sacred places. As we learn about the various sites, we learn about how these places were fought over, conquered, and reconquered, because they were considered sacred (though that is only a part of the story- it is much more complex). As we learn these details in history, I see more clearly how the religious and political are tied together. I am not sure what to do with that, because I know it is my faith that guides my decisions and I think everyone, being honest, would say the same, whether the faith be religion, science, or some other guiding factors. But I have problems when we are so certain about our faiths that we must prove everyone else wrong.

Thus far we have visited the Baha'i Shrine, a mosque, several synagogues (today), and a number of churches. We have learned about some of the beliefs and practices of the faith traditions, all of which, at their core, are about love, mercy, and compassion. And yet, in the name of these faiths (at least Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), horrible things have been done. The Baha'i faith does not believe in the use of violence for any reason, even self-defense. It is a young religion. It would be interesting to see how it evolves... Anyway, as I consider these 3 large faith communities, I wonder why one MUST be right. What I mean to say is this: Because I am a Catholic, I believe certain things. However, I do not believe I have a monopoly on Truth. I am human, the Catholic Church is made of humans. We do not know it all. Neither do the Jewish people. Neither do Muslims. Neither do agnostic scientists like my brother. I do believe there are some absolutes in the world and in what is right or wrong, but I also think we can learn from each other's traditions and that doing so can enrich our own faith lives. I wonder why it is so hard for people to acknowledge the truth of others' stories sometimes...this line of thought is one that I know I will continue to pursue for a long time...

Before writing about today, let me say that I have been reading your comments. Thanks for reading and commenting. I have been writing your prayer requests as I receive them. Again, I say thank you for putting your trust in me to carry them.

Let me write a little about today. We first went to Safed and with an Orthodox Jewish woman named Tova as our guide, visited 3 synagogues. Tova was well-prepared and gave us some wonderful insights into the Jewish tradition. I am so glad we are getting such a broad view of things here.

We also visited several churches. the Church of the first feeding of the multitudes (where the story of the loaves and fishes is said to have happened, Mt 14, 13-21) and the Church of the Primacy of Peter (where Jesus is said to have appeared to Peter and other disciples and told Peter that he was to "Feed my sheep" and "Follow me," John 21). My favorite place was the Church of the Primacy. There are stairs carved into the rock there that are from the time of Jesus and that very likely are truly, not just traditionally, somewhere Jesus walked. Wow. The rock the stairs are carved from has a lot of little pockets in it and many people have written their prayers and put them in these pockets. I took a blank paper from my prayer box and wrote a prayer which I hope represented the many prayers I am carrying with me. It was a moving experience.

Then I entered the church. Our visit to this particular site was more leisurely visit than others and I happened to walk into the church when no one else was in there. It is a simple church, built upon the rock from which the stairs are carved. I sat and again prayed as I was taking in the rock. As I looked at it, I again felt connected to so many people, from 2000 years ago and on, from the very beginning (that is hard to imagine) who have been at that place. The rock itself looked rather ordinary, but its history makes it amazing. While I was in there, I thought about some reading we had done about some of the holy places and how some people licked places that were holy. When I read that, I didn't really understand wanting to lick something holy, but today I understood that desire to take it in. I did not lick the rock, my American germ-aware sensibilities kicking in, but I did take it in with my hands. I am continually amazed by my own reactions to being here...and we are still early in the trip. What will awe me next? I can't wait to find out...

Until the next time...

Peace,
Cory