nature - spirit - faith

Tuesday morning

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:02:50 -0500

Today’s forecast is for temperatures in the 70’s, and though by Saturday I’ll need to wear a coat again, the promise of spring bubbles in my spirit like water beginning to flow under ice. It’s hard to believe that it was almost a year ago that Brooke and I set out for the Middle East - given the current events in the world we’re glad the trip was then and not now. Daffodils are blooming in front of the church here in St. Louis. They are a reminder of both the living and the dead - the woman who planted them years ago has since died, but every spring the bulbs burst yellow amid the green and resurrection is not far behind.

Beatitudes in action

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 09:34:55 -0600

Cairo, Algiers, Khartoum, Juba - Lui! As I have followed news reports from these cities over the past weeks and months the familiar words from the gospels of Matthew and Luke come to mind: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
When the reports came from Juba, Sudan, I remembered my last trip to Lui in December of 2009. Lui is about one hundred miles from Juba with a faltering hospital, an Anglican cathedral, and a ramshackle market. Trucks rumble down the dirt road running through the center of town kicking up dust. Women walk with an erect dignified posture as they carry large parcels on their heads, perhaps on their way to the well that the Diocese of Missouri has drilled next to the cathedral. It is hot and dusty.
I was in Lui to offer art workshops for children in seven villages of the diocese, along with missioners from St. Louis and Blackmore Vale, England. One day there was a political rally and I took the photo of the voter registration poster. Now, a little over a year later, women of the Mother’s Union in Lui along with so many others have cast their votes for separation from the north and Southern Sudan is a new reality.

Blue Heron Farm

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:29:16 -0500

A note to all readers:
The dates shown do not correspond to the dates of our actual visits, but are the dates of the blog entries. The events are in the order they happened but aren’t all inclusive. The next entry will appear sometime either just before or after time at The Monastery of Christ in the Desert.
Ohio is a huge contrast to the energy and excitement of traveling through Israel. It is an oasis of seclusion and quiet. Each day begins usually with a very early morning foray in my kayak followed by Morning Prayer. There are wonders of nature and much time for reading, writing, and reflection. One morning as I sit in the kitchen some wild turkeys stroll across the yard. Another night there is a huge growling and snarling just outside the house and I never do find what animal it was. When I was a child my father used to scare us by telling us there were bears down in the cave in the ravine, a story that actually turned out to be true - in the 1800s. I anticipate both the joy and the stress of putting my thoughts on paper and spending so much time in solitude.

Jerusalem: The Dome of the Rock

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:17:50 -0500

The Dome of the Rock may be the most often photographed dome in the world. It’s gold defines the Old City of Jerusalem and is compelling at any time of the day, but best, I think, in the late afternoon. We are almost at the end of our journey. On Shabbat we visit my niece and her family in Modi’in and go with them to their synagogue the next day. Friday night the dinner conversation is about faith, and belief, and religion, and theology. We exchange a lot of viewpoints. When I tried to explain the Anglican “three-legged stool” of reason, scripture, tradition (and some people adding experience as a fourth leg) there was much appreciation and interest. They are Orthodox Jews, but what I’d call “progressive” Orthodox - women read the Torah and Saturday services, quite long by our standards (two hours) are very relaxed.
We arrange for a taxi for 1 a.m. and leave for home on the 5 a.m. flight. Arrival back in the U.S. is a shock, beginning with fast food, continuing all the way to St. Louis, which looks both familiar and strange at the same time.

Caesaria

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:08:32 -0500

Caesaria was one place I felt quite moved just walking around the ruins, which are extensive. They include remnants of public baths, two arenas, and the forum where Paul may have defended his right to be tried as a Roman citizen. This port city was built by Herod the Great in honor of the emperor Caesar Augustus and much of it is now an archeological park.

Akko (Acre)

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:43:19 -0500

Akko is an ancient port city on the northern coast of Israel, full of history and replete with archeological sites which are still being discovered. We walked under the city in a huge tunnel that was only recently found after a woman complained about a plumbing problem in her home! Akko was a stronghold of the Crusaders and was captured and recaptured many times over the course of its history. The oldest section is confined within city walls and is a confusing warren of small streets and unexpected architectural surprises.
It was at Akko that we determined we must go swimming in the Mediterranean. At some point the idea of looking at yet one more ancient ruin was unbearable. This was a decision resulting in yet another memorable adventure. We could see the ocean but we couldn’t get there as much of the access is private, and time and time again we tried and couldn’t get close. Finally we spied a road which looked as if it led in the right direction, with a man taking money at the entrance. When we pulled up he was talking on a cell phone, and I think he was the angriest man I’ve ever seen, screaming and yelling into the phone. After timidly handing over some money (three? thirty??) we drove down the road, parked and walked to the beach, which turned out to be for windsurfers. There was no place to change. We wandered into a surfboard rental shop whose proprietors took one look at these ridiculous middle-aged Americans and told us we could change in the back of the store.
Swimming there was impossible if not forbidden, as the chances of being run over by a teenage boy zooming along at thirty miles an hour on a board were high. We walked at least a quarter of a mile down the beach and waded into the water. Mission accomplished.

Mt. Tabor

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:31:42 -0500

The entire acreage of Mt. Tabor is a national park. To get to the summit it’s necessary to make a terrifying ride around sixteen hairpin turns so tight that tour buses can’t get up; they have to transfer people in small vans. The reward is great. There are three monasteries on Mt. Tabor, and the largest one commands a stunning view of the surrounding countryside. It is maintained by Italian monks, who shooed everyone out at 6 p.m. as bells tolled for vespers.
It was a wonderful consolation prize after the trials of circumnavigating the Sea of Galilee. I tried to imagine what it was like 2,000 years ago, imagine it not tamed but mostly wild, and imagine what Jesus and his disciples would think of what’s there now. Like other places we visited which were difficult to get to, the crowds were fewer and the opportunities for reflection greater.

Capernaum

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:17:17 -0500

This is a close-up of an unusual stained glass window in a church in Capernaum, which was one of many places we stopped on a circuit of the Sea of Galilee. Since it was the high season for tourism in Israel many sites were filled with dozens of huge tours buses and hundreds and hundreds of pilgrims. Many times we simply longed to get away from the crowds and often sat in a church just to reflect. While we were seated in this church a group of Orthodox pilgrims entered and gathered in front of the altar with their priest. They began to sing one a quiet and haunting melody in a minor key, an ancient hymn that made shivers go down my spine and tears spring to my eyes. For all of us in the sanctuary at that moment it redeemed the crowds and put us in touch with why we were there, which was not to gawk at antiquities, but to be connected to the deep well of spirituality from which we all drink.
The Sea of Galilee itself was a major disappointment. Tiberias is a traffic nightmare and the beaches were filled with broken glass. We did manage to swim in the Sea, but completed the circle without much sense of fulfillment. As afternoon wore on and we headed back to Nazareth, looked at the map, and decided to go to Mt. Tabor which is the reputed site of Jesus’ transfiguration.