Soccer to Build Bridges

Yesterday we went to the cathedral and seminary of the Armenian Orthodox Christians in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City.  We attended Vespers, got a tour of the Cathedral, and then played soccer against some of their seminarians.  The soccer game was fun to watch (and probably even more fun to play in!).  After the game, we enjoyed some coffee and snacks with the Armenian seminarians.  One of their priests gave us a blessing before we left.

The soccer game is another example of an opportunity that wasn’t on the schedule before we arrived in the Holy Land.  Fr. Dennis has been exceptionally good at creating chances for us to encounter the local people here.  It was especially nice to join the Armenians for a few hours because it built a bridge between a group of Catholics and a group of Orthodox.  The Franciscan Catholic friars and the Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks who work at the Holy Sepulcher Church all have this same challenge – to build bridges between each other and to overcome past relations that were, on a good day, stiff, cold, and formal.

The glaring divisions in Christianity as it exists in the Holy Land have been one of the hardest things to come to terms with here.  The pettiness, territorialism, anger, closed doors, closed minds, and closed hearts are disturbing.  There are three Christmases, two Easters, at least three different “types” of Christians running/vying for control of the holiest places on earth, and all of this gives a horrific witness of disunity, division, and discord.

Christ said that “there will be one flock, one shepherd” and prayed that all “may be one,” as Jesus and the Father are one.  We must continue to pray for this.  Amazingly, despite all this disunity, the holy sites and the Holy Land are still beautiful places to pray and encounter Jesus.  But imagine the power of a unified, outward-facing Church in the Holy Land, helping the world experience the inherent natural beauty and supernatural power of these places.  There are signs of hope: as followers of the Pope’s activities will know, relations between denominations on a macro-level have improved in recent years, and the Franciscans at the Holy Sepulcher testify to warmer relations with Greek and Armenian monks than even a few years ago.  The Franciscans themselves who are stationed at the holy sites are models of peace, perseverance, and forbearance.

As for us, our contribution yesterday was the soccer game, and the cookies that followed.  Because of this, we will be a little more open to each other in the future, and a little less irrationally fearful or disdainful.  It’s a small step in getting in touch with our common humanity and our common Savior, but may it be just another step in a series of many.

Solidarity

There are twenty-seven sites throughout the City of Jerusalem at which the Catholic Mass is celebrated every Sunday.  Without a doubt, each location – situated within its own particular community and geography – has a history.  Within that history lies a story: the story of lives marked by the sign of Faith, a story of discipleship, a story of struggle and hardship, but also one of hope.  Different faces, different backgrounds, all Catholic – united in Christ as sisters and brothers.  Quite frequently, we have the wonderful opportunity to encounter those stories: to meet local Catholics at their parishes, to pray together, and to absorb all that they have to teach us by their witness and life experiences. 

This past Sunday, another one of those opportunities arose: we could attend Mass at the location of our choosing.  I, along with a few others, went to the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate for Mass.  The Liturgy was in English, but the beautiful service music was in Armenian.  Several other seminarians from a local monastery were also present.  It was a powerful experience to celebrate with our sisters and brothers in the Holy Land – individuals whom we probably will not meet again, but nonetheless whom we became united to in the Eucharist.  There is a solidarity with others that I (as well as my brother seminarians and the faculty) have been blessed to experience throughout the pilgrimage.  For that, I am very grateful to God. 

Later that evening, a few of us spent the night at the Holy Sepulchre in prayer, which  was certainly a blessing to be able to do so.  In addition to praying for whatever was on our mind and heart, we prayed for all of you.  We came together in the early morning hours to offer a rosary for your needs and intentions.  Please know that you are always in our prayers, and we ask that you keep us in yours.  May God bless you and all those you love!

Past, present, future

With the pilgrimage winding down, we’re being given opportunities to sleep in, and today we started a couple hours later than normal. It has been such a blessing to be here for eight weeks already, but a lot of us are looking forward to returning home. We landed in Tel Aviv eight weeks ago, and would make our first visit back today, while seeing a few churches, historical sites, and a beach visit along the way.

We began with a brief stop at a Greek Orthodox monastery that contains the tomb of St. George. The patron saint of England, St. George is an important figure in the Holy Land, because he lived in ancient Lydda, today Lod, in modern day Israel. He was eventually martyred during Diocletian’s persecution in 303. St. George images are adorned at Christian households throughout Israel and Palestine, making him one of the most popular saints in the area. While we were at the monastery, a liturgy was taking place, but we were still able to go down and pray briefly at the tomb.

The main part of the day was spent in the historic city of Jaffa. Throughout the pilgrimage, we have benefitted from some great fortune in being allowed into just about every site we’ve visited. A couple examples would be the Mount of Temptations and Mar Saba monasteries, portions of which previous pilgrimage groups were unable to visit. Today was a rare example of Providence not necessarily leading to good fortune. Upon arriving at St. Peter’s Church in Jaffa, commemorating the time he spent there as detailed in Acts 9:36-10:23, another Mass was taking place. Thankfully, we were allowed into the Franciscans’ private quarters to celebrate Mass, similar to how the White Fathers accommodated us at St. Anne’s a couple weeks ago.

After Mass, our tour guide took us through the historic part of Jaffa. The highlight of this walking tour was visiting the site where tradition holds Simon the Tanner lived. While we were not able to get into the house, it was not hard to picture Peter walking the streets while also looking out at the Mediterranean. Here in Jaffa, St. Peter raised Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:40-41). Having been able to soak in so much related to Jesus’ Passion in Jerusalem, it has been easy to forget that the Apostles worked frequently in this land after Jesus’ Ascension. St. Peter’s time in Jaffa also speaks to the missionary nature of our faith, as events here and in Caesarea Maritima with Cornelius lead him to understand the call to incorporate Gentiles, or non-Jewish persons, into the Body of Christ. As future priests, we too are called to recognize the Lord working in people, drawing them into the church, the body of Christ, even if they may be far away and people we would not expect.

With some free time, many of us went down to the beach. Tel Aviv/Jaffa features a beautiful shoreline that allows for surfing less than a mile from the very urban downtown area. We didn’t go out and surf, but many guys took off their shoes to set foot in the Mediterranean. Other guys strolled along the boardwalk and found a nook to read. As someone with an insatiable desire to learn about history, I walked down the boardwalk to the historic port of Jaffa.

Closed to commercial traffic but still used by local fishermen, this port has seen the arrival of Crusaders like Richard the Lionheart, a siege by Napoleon, and the immigration of Jews prior to World War II. It also links to biblical history, as Peter surely would have seen it while staying with Simon the Tanner, and it is also considered to be the port Jonah would have used to flee from God’s desire for him to prophesy in Nineveh. Looking out at the port and catching the same view of the Mediterranean that so many people have for thousands of years was humbling and overwhelming. At times, I have taken the amount of history that occurred here for granted, but this was a welcome reminder of how unique this land is compared to most of the world. 

We concluded the day with an “Evening of Tribute” that involved a guessing game and some guys performing acts. Guys shared their talents of photography, music, card tricks, acting, and comedy. The social was bookended with a special edition of “Site Prep” as preparation for our return to the U.S.A., and a roast of the class. To say we found the night entertaining would be an understatement. As someone who was an observer to the acts, it was impressive to see guys sharing their gifts simply to provide some entertainment to some wearied fellow pilgrims. It’s a blessing to be part of a class that continues to show up, even as the pilgrimage winds to a close in just a few days.

Forever changed

Today after classes, we went to the Salesian Seminary, a quick walk away, to have a volleyball and basketball tournament. The seminarians there represented more than 30 different nations, very different from Mundelein, which although having men from other countries, still by far has a majority of Americans.

The men there were very welcoming and were so excited to have us that they even invited us over the next day, though we had to decline because of our busy schedule. Some of us had a grand tour of the place while others played volleyball, which we ended up losing – but we evened the score by winning next in basketball.

After all the games were finished, we went to their dining room and had snacks and socialized. It was amazing and encouraging to meet men from so many different countries that are pursuing the will of the Lord, just like us, to become His priests. Though we are all at different stages in life, we are all in love with the one same God and have a passion for spreading His love throughout all the countries we will serve.

As our pilgrimage comes near to its end, what keeps coming up in my heart is rebirth. This has been a time of revival and rebirth for all of us: coming to know the Lord in a deeper way by coming to the land where He spent His whole life on earth, the way it would be to see the childhood house and neighborhood of your mom or dad for the first time, seeing things through their eyes and thus coming to a new understanding of your parents. We have gone through a rebirth in the Lord as we have seen where He was born, ministered, died, was buried, rose, ascended, and did everything else. We understand the Lord in a new way and have allowed Him to understand us in a way that makes us new, that gives us new life. This experience will change us forever, and the people we minister to as priests will be able to see the Lord through our eyes too and thus be changed forever.

New Church, New City

Today the Mundelein Pilgrims had another day of classes here in Jerusalem. We continue to attend lectures on the Prophetic books of the Old Testament (currently the first part of Isaiah) and we continue our scriptural pilgrimage as we heard a lecture on the 7^th and 8^th Chapters of the Gospel of John. The daily rhythm of classes is very manageable and leaves us with afternoon to explore the Old City, pray, and to catch up on assignments.

Today’s special guest was Fr. David Neuhaus, S.J. who gave a presentation on Jewish-Christian relations here in the Holy Land. It was immediately clear that Father had real expertise in the area, considering he lives out the relationship in his daily life. Father comes from German-Jewish family and was baptized at the age of twenty-five after some providential encounters with Christians and a long period of study and discernment. To hear more about Father’s amazing journey to Catholicism and the priesthood in his own words, follow this link to a video interview he gave to Salt & Light Media in 2016.

Father’s current responsibilities are many but his primary role is to serve as Vicar for the Hebrew Speaking Catholics in the State of Israel. The Christian population in Israel is very small, the Catholic population smaller, the Latin Rite community smaller still, and of the latter, those who practice their faith speaking Modern Hebrew is very few. They are composed of a group of some converts from Judaism, but are mostly the family members of Jewish citizens or migrants from other places around the globe seeking employment here in Israel’s thriving economy. These faithful are collectively referred to as the “New Church”, and Father Neuhaus is their shepherd. Father gave a fantastic presentation displaying his profound insights and wonderful sense of humor—I’m sure St. Ignatius is proud to have him in the Society of Jesus!

Another perhaps less reported part of our Jerusalem experience is the experience of the “New City.” By and large, the places of importance to the pilgrim are within the walls of the Old City or across the Kidron Valley on the Mount of Olives. However, we can also enjoy the sights of the modern part of Jerusalem just a block or so from our residence. The main place of business, restaurants, people-watching, and general bustle is Jaffa Street. Jaffa Street is a great place to walk, stretching from the Old City Walls in the South to the Hasidic Neighborhoods in the North. Typical of any western city there are plenty of street performers, markets, and families going about their daily life. It’s great to see that Jerusalem is still a place ordinary people living their lives all while housing the sites of the most profound mysteries of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My Journal

Today was a great day. On the move! It took me a while to figure out exactly what I wanted to blog about for today. I was going to give a small reflection on the Garden of Gethsemane. I also thought about inserting a meditation we heard today on the subject of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, maybe something about Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem. I couldn’t choose and I still can’t. So I have decided to share my whole day. I have been keeping a personal journal of each day’s events while here on Pilgrimage, haven’t missed a day yet. The journal has turned into a real grace. It gives me an opportunity to remember the day’s events, but more importantly it has fostered a deep sense of gratitude for the blessings we are receiving as pilgrims. Multiple times I have experienced writing something in my journal at the end of the day and then saying out loud, ‘Wow! I got to see that today!’ Or ‘I can’t believe that happened!’ I had a couple of those, today was exceptional. 

What follows is almost verbatim what I wrote in my journal. I hope it allows you a glimpse and a feeling into the experience we are having.

3/7/17- Tuesday

Decently early rise. Morning Prayer and Office on our own and breakfast. So off to Holy Sepulcher for holy hour. Beautiful time in prayer. Lots of gratitude, then off to a busy day. Mt. of Olives. We started by visiting the Church of the Ascension. Footprint of Christ. Then to Paternoster Church and cave where Christ would have likely taught the Apostles how to pray the Our Father. They had the Our Father in like 175 different languages, including Georgian, strong Southern accents can be noted in the photo. Then down to the cemetery and Dominus Flevit, Jesus Wept. Church is shaped like a giant tear. Epic with the huge cemetery right next to it. Momento Mori. Even the stones would cry out. Talking about the tombstones! Then down to the Church of All Nations also known as the Garden of Gethsemane. We had Mass there. Very beautiful experience. It was unreal touching “the rock” where He prayed while Father was saying the words of consecration. “As He entered willingly into His Passion.” Those are the words Father prayed, words we pray! Convo with classmate in the Garden. Did a rosary walk through Lion’s gate (one of the gates to enter into the “Old City”). Went to Church of the Flagellation. Then to Ecce Homo where Christ was condemned, and down into the cisterns. Didn’t have to pay, seminarian benefit. Very kind of them. Continue rosary walk to Crowning of Thorns and Via Crucis. Walked the same path that Jesus walked while I prayed. Finished in the Holy Sepulcher on Calvary. Seriously cool experience. 

Roamed around the Old City. Got pretty lost. Really fun. Walked through a street art gallery in the Jewish Quarter, really cool stuff. Street pizza was delicious. Eat and walk, fast food Jerusalem style. 2 personal pan sized pizzas for $6. Walked back to hotel. Spent an hour doing schoolwork with coffee. Out to see the Missionaries of Charity here in Jerusalem. We went to celebrate Mass with them in their house. Ridiculously joyful. There were 7 of us and Fr. Kasule. There are 6 Sisters here in Jerusalem. Was a real grace for me to see them and they have been praying for us. Back to hotel for Evening Payer and quick dinner. Scheduled Skype call back home and then Cam night (fraternity time). Bedtime. 

Easter During Lent

It feels a bit strange to me to be ‘celebrating’ this early on in our new penitential season of Lent, but that is exactly what the Church calls us to do – to celebrate the weekly solemnity of our Lord’s victory over sin and death.  While some may argue about whether or not this equates to a weekly respite from our Lenten resolutions, Sundays – even during Lent – remain for our Christian community a hope-filled reminder of the peace, joy, and fullness of life offered to us by Jesus Christ in his Paschal Mystery.

            Here in the Holy Land, we celebrated by sleeping in! Well, at least some of us did. On this rare occasion, our first real responsibility of the day was to be at the bus by 9:30 am to leave for Mass in Abu Gosh. Our destination there was Saint Mary of the Resurrection Abbey, a Benedictine community of brothers and sisters. Although the Benedictines have only been present at this site for about a century, the church, and its crypt date back to the 12^th century Crusaders who identified the place with the town of Emmaus mentioned in Luke’s Gospel. The church itself is original as are much of its interior frescoes. Its acoustics are superb and were on full display during our Mass, which was celebrated by members of the community in French, interspersed with some expertly chanted Latin.

            We went to Kyriat Yearim after Mass, which is held to be the traditional site of the Ark of the Covenant before King David moved it to Jerusalem. The grounds include a church, a guesthouse, the community’s residence, and some beautiful gardens and courtyards. A few of us even got a game of stickball (or rebar-ball depending on your choice of bat) going. When we finally headed out, a consensus was quickly reached that the events of our morning and early afternoon were about as appropriate for celebrating our Lord’s resurrection as they could have been.

            I haven’t given up or added anything too crazy for this Lent, but even the few things that I have added and taken away are proving noticeably more challenging that I had anticipated. No doubt as this season of penance and re-establishing our relationship with God continues, there will be temptation to doubt, discouragement, lethargy, and indifference, as there can be during any season. However, armed with a new understanding and experience of the importance of celebrating our Easter joy every Sunday, my hope is that this season might be one marked by gratitude and renewal for all of us.

The Dead Sea Adventures

After Mass and breakfast, we traveled a short distance to a high hill on the outskirts of Jerusalem to the place that is believed to be the tomb of the prophet Samuel from the Old Testament. It is likely the place of Mizpah that we read about in 1 Samuel 3, where Samuel gathered Israel away from false worship. Here we found a Christian church and a mosque, neither of which are still used. Below these, in an underground chamber, is a small synagogue where the tomb of Samuel is located.

After praying at the tomb and taking a small tour of the rest of the area, we began traveling toward Qumran, making a short stop to explore an ancient cistern. Qumran is the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in a cave by a young shepherd boy in 1947. After enjoying lunch at Qumran, we toured the area to learn more about the site and the discovery of the scrolls. Qumran was the site of a religiously focused community who most believe were the Essenes. They lived here together for more than two centuries and it was here that scribes produced the manuscripts that were found hidden in the caves. These manuscripts include almost all of the Books of the Old Testament. There have been fragments from some 930 manuscripts found, most written in Hebrew, some in Aramaic, and a few in Greek. These manuscripts date from the Second Temple Period. Significant to us is how nearly identical these are to what we have today in Sacred Scripture. The differences, in fact, are miniscule. Excavation of the site after the discovery of the scrolls continued until 1956. Interestingly, we learned that recently, preserved scrolls were discovered in a twelfth cave.

Upon completing our tour of the Qumran area, we set out for a visit to the Dead Sea. In Scripture, it is referred to as Salt Sea or Sea of Arabah. Its name comes from the fact that nothing can live in its waters because of the high salt percentage, some 35 percent. We learned that it is some 1,300 feet below sea level, the lowest point of land outside of the ocean floors. Sadly, we also learned of the shrinking of the Dead Sea. The Jordan River once provided ample water to the Dead Sea but due to local needs and other uses, water from the Jordan River has been diverted and now provides only two percent of what it once did. That, combined with evaporation, has caused the Dead Sea to decrease significantly in size.

We had set out for the Dead Sea so that those of us who wanted could swim in it. On the drive there, most in our class were disappointed to learn that we wouldn’t be swimming. What?! No swimming in the Dead Sea? The truth is, no one actually “swims” in the Dead Sea. Rather, because of the high salt content, one floats in it. Relieved to know that it was only a joke, most of our class took the opportunity to float in the Dead Sea while a few enjoyed the beautiful scene of the water and mountains from the beach area.

Perhaps most impressive for me today was learning more about the discovery of the nearly 2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls. But also a bit troubling for me was hearing about the continuous decreasing size of the Dead Sea. It caused me to pause for a moment to reflect on how I use what has been given to me and my gratitude – or lack of it – for those things. On behalf of our entire class, thank you for sharing in this pilgrimage with us. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we also continue to pray for you. And as we continue our Lenten journey, let us take a moment to reflect upon the many gifts we have been given and how we use and protect those gifts.