I Know Him in Whom I Have Believed

Given that most of our blog posts are about the different sites we've seen, you might think that all we do is go on trips and have a lot of fun.  Well, that's mostly true. We do do those things. But another vital, yet less glamorous part of our time is spent in our studies. 

It dovetails quite naturally with everything that we have been experiencing.  Every day, we are praying with the psalms in the Liturgy of the Hours.  In one of our classes, we are learning about the history, structure, and poetry of the psalms. It helps us better enter into the mindset that our ancestors had when they wrote them. Walking around Jerusalem and seeing the surrounding areas, we get a deeper sense of how the land impacted how the Israelites prayed.

Every day, we see how ecumenism and interreligious dialogue work (or don't) in life in the Holy Land.  Through our readings and our guest lecturers, as well as our trips, we gain insights into and an appreciation for the many different faith traditions that manage to co-exist here..

Finally, as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we also dive into the Gospel of Luke. When we read about Jesus walking from Jericho to Jerusalem, we approach it with a different perspective because we have seen that road. We have stood in some of the places where Jesus worked his many miracles.  We have knelt in prayer before his tomb.  All of these experiences have enriched our studies, but our studies have also impacted how we approach these sites and events.

When we were in Bethlehem, by happy coincidence we were celebrating the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas while in the chapel of St. Jerome.  Both of these men were very well known for their devotion to study and learning.  St. Jerome once wrote that "ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ." St. Thomas had a vision in which the Lord wanted to reward him for all the good writing he had done; Thomas responded, "I will have nothing but you, Lord." If we want to grow in love of Christ, we have to grow in our knowledge of him through our studies. Then, hopefully, we can say with St. Paul: "I know him in whom I have believed."

It's Complicated...

“If you are in Israel a week, you write a book. If you are here a month, an article. A year, you don’t write anything.” These words from our guest speaker for today, pithily summarize our growing realization of the complexities of living in the Holy Land. The longer we stay, the more complications we see.

Our speaker, of the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, spent an enlightening two hours with us, discussing the complexities of what it means to be a Jew in Israel. Himself an Israeli Jew who teaches other Jews about Christianity, he helped us to understand, if only a little, the wide spectrum of Jewish life particularly in Israel.

Judaism, it is important to understand, is not only a religion; it is also a people and a culture. According to religious law, however, you are a Jew if your mother was Jewish. One finds, then, many ways to live “being a Jew”. Differing from Christianity, to be Jewish isn’t primarily concerned with belief, though of course many Jews do believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Judaism’s concern is living the Torah, the teachings and instructions given by God and interpreted by tradition on how to live as He has designated.

One is identified within the Jewish community, then, by his or her observance of the Torah. At one end of this spectrum is simply not to observe the teachings, in which you would be a non-religious or “secular” Jew. At the other end, attempting to keep the entirety of the teachings are the ultra-orthodox. There are a great many variations between these two “bookends” of Jewish observance, so to speak, and all understand themselves to be Jewish. To define what it means to be “Jewish”, as you can tell, is very difficult.

An additional difficulty of which he spoke was the self-imposed isolation between and among Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Holy Land. He himself cannot remember ever speaking with anyone who was not Jewish until he was twenty years old. Likewise, the many variants of Jews tend to keep to themselves and not converse with each other, as Muslims and Christians do too, to a greater or lesser extent. Such segregation creates unfamiliarity with one another, and unfamiliarity hinders dialogue towards lasting peace.

Politics in Israel is no easier understood, and he gave us a quick overview of a few of the challenging issues facing the people of Israel today, including possible new statutes on citizenship, the West Bank, and a equal sharing of responsibilities among citizens in matters such as mandatory military service.

He ended his discussion with us by saying, “if you are all now more confused than when I arrived, I’ve done my job.” We all agreed he had done a fine job, and that none of us will be writing any books about the Holy Land anytime soon.

Church of the Nativity

Sanctuary at the Church of the Nativity

Today was a great day of reflection at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.  After 7:15 Morning Prayer and breakfast, the bus departed for Bethlehem, a short ride, since Bethlehem is only 6 miles from Jerusalem. When we arrived at the site of the Nativity, we were overjoyed at this opportunity to see the place where Jesus was born.

As usual, the site exceeded our expectations. There is something about the holy sites in general that leave you in a state of awe.  The grandeur of the construction of this church was spectacular. It is like entering into a different world. In fact, the main entrance to the church is very small, compared to other great churches. Even the shortest people need to stoop down to enter through the opening.  This is because the sill of the door was lowered down each time over the years, as the church changed hands between the Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, and Ottomans.

Once inside, we saw the huge pillars that support the main basilica.  Each pillar is buried deep below the floor and interconnected in order to provide added support in the event of an earthquake. Sections of the floors and walls are blanketed with colorful mosaics, but some sections were dark, having been damaged over the years. 

The sanctuary is extraordinary and depicts the great tradition of the Greek Orthodox Church.  The walls are covered with golden and silver icons representing Jesus, Mary, the Saints, and Prophets.

Down the sanctuary is the Grotto of the Nativity, the very spot where Jesus entered the world.  In reality, this is a really small place. Beneath the altar is a fourteen-pointed silver start representing fourteen generations, from David to Joseph.  After we spent a couple of minutes in prayer, we gathered in a corner of the Grotto and sang the “Salve Regina” in honor of Mary.

Another interesting spot on our visit was St. Jerome’s chapel.  A short distance from the cave of the Nativity, it was here that Saint Jerome spent many years translating the Bible.  Although, very small compared to the Church of the Nativity, we chose to gather here as pilgrims to celebrate the Eucharist. After Mass we had the opportunity to reflect on the great event of the Nativity, and the meaning of it for us.

Next, we visited the Milk Grotto Church, which is believed to be the place where the Holy Family took refuge during the slaughter of the innocents. It is believed that the white stones from the Milk Grotto help to enhance fertility.  Tradition holds that this is where Mary dropped a drop of milk while nursing Jesus.  In fact, there are about 3000 cases registered in the miraculous list of events attributed to this place. Certainly, it is all about faith, said the Franciscan father who welcomed us to this site.

Today was great day in which we learned, reflected, and nourished our spiritual life.  It was one more day to know more about the history of Christianity, one more day to meditate in the great mystery of salvation and one more day to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. 

In the Presence of the Lord

Church of Lazarus

Today was another truly blessed day.  We had the opportunity to visit the Church of Lazarus, which sits above the tomb of its namesake.  This holy church is both meaningful and impactful for our future priestly ministry. 

We were able to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in this Church, which in beautiful mosaic form depicts the Gospel story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42).  This story holds a special place for me and my brothers as it offers us three things for meditation: our Lord teaching and preaching in the home of His close friends, Mary sitting at His feet and contemplating His message, and finally Christ showing compassion to Martha in her time of struggle. 

As I sat in this magnificent church, I meditated on these three elements of the story, aided by beautiful  artwork that surrounded me.  My thoughts drifted toward my future ministry, following in the footsteps of Jesus through preaching the Gospel and comforting the sorrowful.  And as my gaze shifted back to the altar, I could not help but feel the blessing God had bestowed on us in the Mass we had just celebrated.  Did we not, like Mary have the blessing of sitting in our Lord’s presence to ponder His very words and teaching?

Our homilist also reminded us that Martha, Mary and Lazarus, would have been intimate friends of Christ.  He probably visited their home whenever He travelled to and from Jerusalem, for their home was situated just outside the city in the town of Bethany.  We can infer from the Gospels, that these were people whom Jesus loved dearly and cherished as friends. 

In the evening, we too celebrated the gift of friendship by gathering as a class for a social/game night.  I think it would be fair to say everybody had a great time watching our brothers try to act out some pretty challenging words and phrases as we played a round of charades.  All in all, today was truly blessed and fun - Praise God for His marvelous deeds!

Unless the Lord Build the House

Masada

Today the journey took us down toward the Dead Sea, down the western slopes of the Jordan Rift valley, to two very unique locations:  the historical sites of Masada and Ein Gedi.  The first location testifies to King Herod’s struggle for power, his accomplishment of a marvelous engineering task, and finally a story of tragedy and death.  The other site, an oasis of plant and animal life in the midst of a desert, is associated with the Biblical events of king David’s life.

Our cable car ride to the top of the mountain of Masada took us about 900 feet up in elevation.  After making our short way from the cable car station we came upon a vast, flat area which contained the remains of fortress.  King Herod the Great throughout his reign (37 B.C. – 4 B.C) engaged in numerous building projects including this one, which was meant to be a military outpost and one of his hideaways.  As we made our way through desolate area, we were overwhelmed by its engineering complexity, a vast system of aqueducts with water collecting cisterns, different bathhouses and pools, even a palace on the northern cliff of the mountain.  This enormous construction must have taken much “sweat” towards its completion, 1,000’s of laborers and slaves!

Our next stop was Ein Gedi. In the First Book of Samuel chapter 24 we read a story of how David fled to the regions of Ein Gedi because Saul was after his life.  On one occasion, after the pursuit of the Philistines, Saul came into the cave in En Gedi where David and his men were hiding.  This gave David an opportune moment to kill Saul, yet being a man of humility and trusting in God, he restrained himself from this act saying:  “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, as to lay a hand on him, for his the Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam 24, 7).

The story of the two kings associated with Masada and Ein Gedi can draw for us an interesting contrast, as one of our classmates commented.  David proved himself to be a God fearing man, humbly respectful of God’s “logic” and appointments, a person who trusts in God’s providence.  King Herod on the other hand was a man full of fear and insecurity, constantly in search of stability through worldly means.  Seeing possible enemies everywhere, he destroyed many of those around him.  Despite all of his efforts he ultimately was overtaken by severe sickness and died.

As David made his way to the hills of Ein Gedi he remained near the “living waters,” a life giving spring, trusting in God’s goodness and providence over all his needs, including triumph over his enemies.  As we continue to make our ministry in the kingdom of God, we too must remain near the “living waters” of Christ, the One who ensures His goodness and providence over our daily lives.  We must resist the tendency of constructing structures and fortresses that are meant to secure our future and our place in the world solely by our own efforts and labors.  We must be always able to cooperate with God who is the one who builds and further expands His kingdom.

Ein Gedi

Unless the LORD build the house,

 they labor in vain who build.

 Unless the LORD guard the city,

 in vain does the guard keep watch.

 It is vain for you to rise early

and put off your rest at night,

To eat bread earned by hard toil—

all this God gives to his beloved in sleep. (Ps 127, 1-2)

The Stuff of Fairy Tales

When we reached the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, someone asked, "how far did we travel today?" Father Vincent's answer: "As far west as we can without getting wet." 

It'll do. 

Madonna and Child, Trappist Monastery at Latroun

Our initial stop was at the Trappist Monastery at Latroun near Jerusalem. As the entrance doors into the main chapel opened, the morning light illuminated the statue in the main sanctuary - an image of the Madonna holding the Christ child in her arms as He in turn embraced His future cross. After Lauds, we toured through the monastery winery, paused at a memorial site for the seven Trappist monks who were martyred in Algeria (as seen from the movie "Of Gods and Men") and then we travelled to the crypt containing the tomb of St. George inside the Greek Orthodox Church near Tel Aviv.

The real story of St. George is probably even more derring-do than the fantastic and pseudo-romantic legend that followed him. Yet the damsel and the dragon slayer depicted in the icons we see today still have their stories to tell. After all, can't God inspire fiction, too? St. George, the patron defender of our very seminary, may or may not have been a knight in shining armor, but his martyrdom is the story of a true knight of Christ during the years of the emperor Diocletian. Like the Trappists who were martyred almost two decades ago, St. George was also known to have been tortured and finally beheaded. These martyrs wore the breastplate of faith, and their fair maiden was the bride of Christ. 

How far did these men go to remain loyal to God? I suppose as far out into the shores of eternity as they could in this life without getting wet. 

As we stepped down toward the crypt, said a prayer for Cardinal George, stepped back out toward the other end and back to the sanctuary, many stopped on the way up and looked at the ornamented tomb of the saint one last time.

St. George's Tomb

It can hit you like a ton of bricks, when from a final glance, you come to appreciate the ones who went before you. An almost nostalgic sigh escaped some of our lips. This was the burial sight of a brother in Christ.  We can look upon one another, too, and realize that it is neither marble nor stone that is the most important element to encounter, but the human person, our brothers and sisters - those are the holiest sites to see. To peak into each other's lives is a pilgrimage all on its own. But sometimes the world of Christianity is so fantastic, and the mind of God so imaginative, that our account of one another can actually become the stuff of fairy tales.