Echoes

Today we were taken back to the era of the Prophets and Kings of Israel; we found ourselves in the early morning at the present city of Abu-Ghosh.  Standing upon a mount, looking over hills and valleys, a brisk and clear day, we were told that this is where the Ark of the Covenant was held for a time before King David brought it back to Jerusalem.  We stand in a church that still preserves fragments of early Christian mosaics commemorating this place, proclaiming the faith of centuries past; a faith that echoes down through the ages and speaks to us even now.  There is an echo of that ancient Ark, which stood upon this ground 3,000 years ago, and a faint echo of King David and ancient Israel. Enjoying some time outside in the surrounding garden, the echo still lingers on this beautifully normal day.

Garden at Abu-Ghosh

--> Next we came upon the tomb which, according to local custom, is none other than the tomb of Samuel the prophet.  This is the Samuel who anointed Israel’s first kings, who uttered those often recited words—words which we as seminarians seek to emulate every day in hearing and responding to our own call from God—“Speak, Lord, your servant is listening,” (1 Samuel 3:10).  Somewhat surprised to find out that it is not a Church (which I guess should not surprise us since it is 1000 BC), we cover our heads as we enter the holy place, walking amongst our elder brothers and sisters in faith, the Jewish faithful, in order to venerate the tomb.

Our last stop found us transported 2,000 years into the future, from the times of the prophets and kings all the way into the Middle Ages.  As we looked upon the gray, hewn stones of this ancient Church and cricked our necks looking up into the heights, some noticed that the sound of our feet seemed to traverse all around, glancing from wall to wall.  Then out walked Benedictine monks and nuns in procession—Mass was about to begin!  The only word to describe what happened next is ‘heavenly’.  Singing in harmony, now together, now separate, now one, now all, the intricate music danced across that church, from wall to wall and back again.  It may have even seemed to some of us that the music was in fact echoing down from heaven...  It was the sound of peace; it was the sound of joy; it was the sound of men and women who have fallen in love, with God. 

Benedictine Monastery

Back to the present, walking into our rooms, lying on our beds, staring at the ceiling, there is a reality becoming more and more apparent to us.  As we visit the places of the prophets and kings, the place where Mary conceived Jesus, the places where Jesus preached, taught and healed, the place where He was crucified and died, the place where He rose from the dead—these places echo God’s commitment and fidelity.  This assurance echoes within our hearts and minds, sometimes louder, sometimes softer, as we walk through the hustle and bustle of the busy streets of Jerusalem.