Chasing the Divine in the Holy Land (25 page)

C
HAPTER 11:
L
OVE
I
S
D
IFFICULT

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:12-13)

First Corinthians 13 is the great chapter on love. What new meanings come to mind as you consider this chapter in the context of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict? How might a pilgrim be both nourished and challenged by this verse?

C
HAPTER 12:
T
HE
H
OPE

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

Psalm 133 is one of the Pilgrim Psalms (Psalms 120–134). It is a brief Psalm about unity. What is your experience of unity, or disunity, within communities of faith? How important is unity for you as a pilgrim? How might a pilgrim seek unity? Is it possible for a community of faith to live in unity without demanding conformity (or uniformity) on doctrinal matters?

C
HAPTER 13:
S
USPENSION

In my distress I cry to the L
ORD,
that he may answer me. (Psalm 120:1)

Psalm 120 is one of the Pilgrim Psalms (Psalms 120–134). It is a Psalm of lamentation. How comfortable or uncomfortable are you with lamentation? What events have pushed you to
lament to God? How are the Psalms helpful when a person is faced with death?

C
HAPTER 14:
F
LOTILLA

Where do you get that living water? (John 4:11)

John 4 tells the story of Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well. What surprises you about their entire conversation? In what way do you relate to that woman? In the life of faith, both individually and communally, what is water good for? How does Jesus become living water to you as a pilgrim?

C
HAPTER 15:
M
ULTIPLY

How many loaves have you? Go and see. (Mark 6:38)

The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes is recounted in Mark 6 (and also in Matthew 14, Luke 9, and John 6). Imagine yourself in the role of different characters in this story: the boy with the lunch, the disciples, the hungry crowd. Which character resonates with you today? How might the world look different if we followed Jesus' example and intentionally moved away from a framework of scarcity and fear and embraced a framework of abundance and generosity? How might this change of attitude affect the conflict in the Holy Land over resources like space and water?

C
HAPTER 16:
C
HEEK TO
C
HEEK

Ephphatha! Be opened! (Mark 7:34)

In Mark 7, Jesus heals a man who is deaf and mute. When have you experienced a “release” like this man did when his tongue was loosened? Have you ever experienced being closed down, or sealed? “I was blind but now I see.” If you were to be healed, what would change?

C
HAPTER 17:
T
RANSFORM

We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. (2 Peter 1:18)

In the first chapter of Second Peter, the apostle Peter reflects on his experience at the Transfiguration, which is recounted in the Gospels (Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9). In what ways do you connect — or fail to connect — with Peter's experience of glory, and the way it shaped his life? As a pilgrim, how receptive are you to glory? Why?

C
HAPTER 18:
W
EEP

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! (Matthew 23:37)

In Matthew 23, Jesus laments over Jerusalem before he enters it at the beginning of Holy Week. In what way is Jesus' lamentation specific to his time and place? In what way does Jesus show us how to bring laments of all types before God? What beliefs or actions cause Jesus to weep today?

C
HAPTER 19:
T
HE
S
TATIONS OF THE
C
ROSS

I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)

Revelation 21 gives us John's vision of the New Jerusalem, which is one of the Bible's final scenes. How has this vision affected your journey of faith? If you have experienced the Stations of the Cross, how has that affected your spiritual life? Does this verse seem like a disconnect with this chapter? If you were asked to select a theme verse for this chapter, what would you choose?

C
HAPTER 20:
I
NFIDEL!

I will not let you go unless you bless me. (Genesis 32:26)

In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestles with an angel. When have you wrestled with God or one of the angels? In what ways has your hip been put out of joint by such an encounter? A wound such as this can last for a lifetime. Is this a blessing or a curse or both?

C
HAPTER 21:
O
PEN

Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. (Luke 24:31)

Luke 24 tells about Jesus' appearances after his resurrection. In the Emmaus story, two disciples have their eyes opened “in the breaking of the bread.” When has the sacrament of communion revealed the divine presence to you? You might want to
revisit the questions for the first chapter. Consider this question: As a pilgrim, have you heard Jesus' voice, felt Jesus' touch, or not? In what ways does this presence/absence beckon you forward?

End Notes

3. Olive Trees and Sparrows

*
Cynthia Ozick, “Toward a New Yiddish,” in
Art and Ardor
by Cynthia Ozick (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983), p. 154

4. Six Degrees

*
Read the whole story in chapters 16 and 21 of Genesis.

17. Transform

*
Compare the Transfiguration accounts in Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36.