Gratitude at the Presence

Today was a class day. In Prophets, we studied Hosea marrying a prostitute named Gomer and how that was like God loving His people even though they were unfaithful to Him. In John, we went through Jesus’ discourse in chapter five on His relationship with the Father. After another almost too delicious meal for lunch, we all went to a local think-tank institute where we studied a Jewish text with a local, Israeli, Jewish professor from New Jersey. It was insightful. When we returned to where we are staying, we had a couple free hours before site-prep and Evening Prayer. Many guys chose to visit one or many nearby holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem.

I feel a great gratitude for the opportunity to visit these sites, as well as a fascination and wonder and the Presence of God. At these locations, where people from around the world come to visit year-round, my prayer naturally takes the form of watching people with an awareness of the Mystery that walked these same streets for these same people I’m watching. It’s a simple prayer. It’s very much a priestly prayer: a prayer I imagine was like Jesus’, a prayer to enter into solidarity with these people to feel what they feel, to simply be with them. To be honest, the silent-still prayer of contemplation or meditation with the rosary or scripture is way easier in my room or nearby chapel here or back home in the States. To be even more honest, the graces the good Lord has given me here at these holy sites he could have easily given me in a quiet place back at Mundelein away from these thousands of loud people (pilgrims, locals, or tourists). But he didn’t. He chose to give me totally unique graces here at sometimes underwhelming holy sites with these thousands of loud people. And I am grateful.