ISRAEL IN RETROSPECT - 2008

"They are happy in whose hearts are the roads to Zion". When planning one of our study trips to the lands of the Bible (Israel or Jordan or Turkey or Greece), I have great expectations that the experience will be life-changing; that what one sees will be etched permanently in one's heart and mind and that the land one encounters will bring the words of the Bible and the experience of God's presence to new life. The references and images used by the writers of the Bible were inspired by the reality of life in that part of the world: the climate, the geography, the topography, the seasons of growth, the culture. What an amazing experience to watch students of the Bible experience the meeting of text with the land for the first time!

And yet the great value of such a journey is not simply about touching actual places, it is about bringing to life the events that mark the story of salvation as this unfolds in places one can plant their feet on in this land; events that are recalled and commemorated at sacred sites. It is powerful to consider ourselves standing with pilgrims, who have traveled to this land to do what we do: remember, pray, give thanks, to give tangible expression to our search for God. This procession of pilgrims who have streamed here from earliest times instills a sacredness to the holy sites. This was felt in many places but, for me, especially as we celebrated Mass at an old altar (5th C CE) in the remains of the Church of St. Theodosius in Avdat, a Nabatean settlement in the desert.

Ben Shapiro, our Guide, asked: "Barbara what do you mean when you say you want the participants to "experience" the places we visit?" What do I hope one can "experience" of the Galilee, the desert, Jerusalem? We walked! And many walked with some difficulty! We did not just hop on and off the bus!

We walked the source of the Jordan River at Dan, we walked in the desert crater, we walked down the hill of Nazareth, through the town, and we walked through the Old City of Jerusalem, passing under several of its gates. We felt its stones under our feet, touched its rough, textured walls. We made our way through the City of David, walking the old Canaanite water tunnel to the Pool of Siloam and seeing the recently discovered pavement of Jerusalem of Jesus' day. We rose early to see the ibix and the wild asses of the desert, to see the lights of Tiberias dim one by one as the sun rose on this land of "Zebulun, land of Nepthali…on the people who walked in the darkness". We saw the light dawn on the Sea of Galilee. Hazor gave life to the story in Joshua of Jabin and Sisera. The mysterious stones there that stand as a miniature Stonehenge likewise hold their mysteries. Some of us found pottery treasures along the sea coast. We walked from the Mt of Beatitudes down to Tabgha and passed the Eremos cave where tradition holds that Jesus would go to be alone in prayer with his father. We walked silently along the Sea of Galilee from Capernaum to the traditional place where Jesus prepared breakfast for his disillusioned disciples after his resurrection. We saw the Lake of Galilee in its many moods. We climbed the cliffs of Arbel and looked down on the Valley of the Swallows, the route one would travel when passing from Nazareth to Capernaum. We celebrated Eucharist in the cave of Nazareth and could feel the architecture of the Basilica of the Annunciation give voice to what we try to understand: that life began in the crypt but reached upward in light to the cupola, embracing all nations as the great mosaic depicts and the tribute of the nations in honor of Mary express.

To "experience" is different from "seeing" or "visiting". To experience is to know something from the inside. It is for the heart to be touched. As a teacher, what an awesome reward it is to watch this happen! To watch the face of a student experience the meeting of text and land! This is the great gift the trip gives back to me. How truly was this the case for the wonderful pilgrims who were on this trip! Their enthusiasm and appreciation was visible!

It is such a privilege to recall and celebrate the great mysteries of our faith at the places where, in time, these events played themselves out! We were accompanied by Father Paul Steller. Each one of us felt blessed by his simple and prayerful manner of presiding at our Eucharistic celebrations. We were privileged to celebrate Mass at Nazareth and the Church of the Visitation and to be immersed in the mystery and the meaning for us of the Incarnation … and at the cave of Shepherd Field, recalling the tenting of the Word made Flesh among us… and at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, remembering the death and the resurrection of Christ. Other places of celebration recalled the mission and teaching of Jesus: the Church of St. Peter at Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, the Church of Dominus Flevit (where Jesus wept over Jerusalem).

Such moments will never leave us. Such wondrous mysteries are set in contrast with the reality of contemporary life as it is experienced in this land called "holy". It is in this contradiction that one must listen silently and pray! God's promises of old, the great hope of a people, and the power of God at work in human history: this is set alongside the reality of conflict and division, pogroms and walls. In this silence of the contrasts, we come to discover how very important is the faith we place in the one who came as Light for the world. We know the ways of God can break through our human understanding and transcend what we believe humanly possible! This is the story of the Bible!

Thanks be to God for the many blessings that came to each one of us, blessings that were individual and could never have been planned, making us aware of the providential presence of God with us each day. We give thanks for the safe travel and the memories that will live within us. Doors were opened for us in ways I could not even describe. An example of this was the opportunity to view not only the replica of the Isaiah Scroll from Qumran on display in the Israeli Museum, but to actually have the opportunity that day to see the original scroll! We knew of your prayer for us and you were held within our prayer each day. I began saying I hold great expectations for each trip I plan, that the experience will profoundly touch each person's life. I say with a grateful heart that there is no room for the slightest disappointment! These trips have been the source of many blessings over the years.