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.