Taking the Time to Make a Difference

It was easy to slip right back into the tumult of everyday life, after an afternoon of unparalleled peace. Peace is not the right word for what I experienced, but I can’t find words to describe it. My wife and I, along with some friends from the Christian Family Movement, traveled in April 2009 to the Holy Land. There were many moments that were not peaceful, for various reasons. The sights we saw in Jordan were exciting and enriching. I looked from the top of Mount Nebo, to see the land across the Jordan, the promised land that Moses could not enter. Is it possible that his deep sense of yearning could survive the centuries? Our own travel across the Jordan into Israel was seasoned with anxiety, through metal gates, long waits, and wondering why I was fingerprinted and photographed. There was so much to see, so many names and places that had existed only in my reading of the Scriptures. Never before was I standing in such places, my feet on the earth of the Holy Land, breathing the air, drinking the water. I splashed my hands in the water of the Jordan. Spray from the Sea of Galilee sprinkled me with a blessing. Fish from the sea were served at our table. Exciting. Engaging. But not peaceful. The Via Dolorosa was packed. We walked past the traditional stations of the cross, and past vendors of leather goods, souvenirs and underwear. We pushed our way into the Holy Sepulchre. The man who guided us in Jordan could not enter Israel. The man who guided us in Israel could not enter into the Palestinian territory where we believe Jesus was born. What did we see on our trip to Bethlehem? Concrete walls and cyclone fences, guards and military check stations, sad and hungry people begging to sell souvenirs. We did find a moment of peace, celebrating Mass at the church in Bethlehem. Then it was back to the bus and border crossing, and off-duty police carrying their rifles as they sat at nearby tables to us in the hotel dining room back in Jerusalem. Among the most long-lasting moments of peace for me was the celebration of Mass on the Mount of the Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. We had Mass on the hillside, under some trees. If the yearning of Moses held sway on Mount Nebo in some way, I felt a remarkable peace in this place where we believe Jesus preached. This is a strange feeling when the words of the Beatitudes offer us a significant challenge. I pray for another’s comfort when I am in mourning, but I wonder when the meek will inherit the land. I hope the peacemakers will be called children of God, but often today they are more likely to be called fools. And I don’t really want to be persecuted for the sake of righteousness. But even here in this contentious land I experienced an afternoon of peace. I know it was because the teaching of Jesus – difficult as it is – comes from him, not from laws or fences or metal detectors, not even from tablets of stone. His word was flesh; he dwelt among us.

* * *

Recalling this journey makes me want to return to the mountain, to find refreshment again, and peace. Where have you stood on a mountain, yearning for the unattainable? Where have you faced anxiety on your journey? Where do you find peace? In the Year of Our Lord 2010, take the time to reflect on these questions, and then look at your brothers and sisters, who yearn for the promise, whose lives are full of anxiety, and who – like you – seek peace. Read the fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. Then read it again and again. These are the words that will guide us to make a difference.

Send your comments about "Taking Time to Make a Difference" to . Contact about subscribing for your newspaper.

Share this article on Facebook! Click here.