Mystical Spring

“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

 But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

 I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”

Just as I cheered on the first steps my children tak in life, so I cheer on the Church as it evolves over time and throughout history.

There have been giant steps taken toward advancement in thought. There have been major setbacks as well, but through it all, and as a non participant, I am thrilled when that first good step is taken.

As members in the world body of Christ, we need to take off our glasses, spread wide our arms and cheer on as well. After all, what happens to one, happens to all, if we truly believe what Paul writes, and with that all comes advancements and setbacks.

I’d like to cheer on the advancements, discuss the setbacks, and decide what truly is both progress and regression. There will be both.

This is the truth of any human construct. For us to believe otherwise is folly of the kind that allows us to stick our heads in the ground, complain about what is not, and keep complaining while our mouths fill us with dirt. Inaction is just as unhealthy as wrong action. But we must have both sooner or later.

This week I have been involved with peace activities centered on 9/11. This has allowed for me once gain, to think on the issues that construct peace. How difficult the work is and how necessary it is to continue despite the lack of it in the world.

As I have said before, peace is not for wimps. It is akin to parenting–where you struggle toward a goal int he dark hoping that your child will eventually get with the program. Just like parenting, it is a lifelong journey and the Church is here to help us.

Let us pray this week that the Church always sees its way toward helping us learn, live, and keep peace in the forefront of our lives.

 Most people would say to me, “Are you insane? It isn’t safe there” and yet I respond to such comments with ‘you can get killed walking across the street, can’t you?”

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How can one not want to visit the place that birthed all three of the Abrahamic faiths? How can anyone, either religious or not, think that there is not a more important spot on earth than the one where so many of the worlds’ religious struggles have taken place?

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There is so much history yet to be discovered on this most sacred of soils. So many stories yet to be told.And the best thing about taking a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is that you also become part of the story. Yes, you become a part of the history of a region where thousands upon thousands of other pilgrims just like you have arrived here from over the centuries.

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Pilgrims like Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Pope John Paul II, and countless movie stars, pop singers, and heads of state just to name a few from recent history.

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But besides those, you will trace the footsteps of pilgrims who have come to the Holy Land throughout different time. During the Renaissance, poets such as Lord Byron visited the region and the Middle Ages saw a huge influx of people as well. The Crusades may have been going on in one part of the Holy Land, but pilgrims seeking the land of Jesus came through at other ends of the region not active in the war. Along the way they endured hardship and pain, but with their eyes fixed on the prize of seeing and worshipping in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, they continued on until they arrived at their destinations.

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Where else in the world can you make such a claim?

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Come to the Holy Land. Join your ancient ancestors in the walk of your life. Come see where it all began, where Jesus walked, preached and spoke his words of peace to all.  Come to the Holy Land. There your sisters and brothers in faith wait just for you! 

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By: Sue Stanton

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To join a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2009 please contact me at merton420@hotmail.com

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