Na zdrowie!

I left off the last blog with a question, “How do you define spirituality and where has your journey taken you?” I received a variety of answers, not only in the comment section but also in private emails. I saw two main themes emerge from the responses:  1)  a strong belief in God’s power  and love throughout  our lives and 2) a hunger  and searching for that belief with some trying to find it and others trying desperately to hold on to it. Either way I believe that we’re all on the same journey just on different parts of the road. No one ever said that the journey would be clear sailing downhill nor should we believe that it’s all an uphill battle.

I recently returned from a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I had no idea what to expect.  Would it truly be a Pilgrimage or would it be more like a vacation? The word pilgrimage to me conjures up visions of wandering around a desert on foot, sleeping under the stars and eating off the land. However I knew that we had a tour bus, a hotel room and restaurants. So just what about this trip would constitute a pilgrimage? I soon found out.

Before we even got on the plane we faced our first challenge.  We were one group of 36 people speaking two different languages. Some spoke English, some spoke Polish and others could manage both. Somehow we all managed to get on the plane, arrive in Israel, reclaim our luggage and get on the bus to start the tour (at 6:30 a.m. after very little sleep on our 10+ hour flight).  Hence the second challenge!

We started our day by visiting the ruins of Caesarea and then headed off to visit the Sanctuary of Stella Maris and have Mass (which was half in English and half in Polish). We continued on to Tiberius and eventually checked into our hotel.  At the welcome dinner we were divided between 4 or 5 tables but the 6 of us who were totally English speaking stuck together as did the totally Polish speaking people. Despite Fr. Dawid’s (our spiritual leader) attempts to integrate us, we seemed to be functioning as two separate groups.

By the middle of the trip things started to change.  One evening, a couple sat at our table for dinner.  They didn’t speak English and we didn’t speak Polish.  We tried talking to each other but it was awkward at best even with gesturing. But when Val, the husband raised up his glass and said “na zdrowie!” It didn’t take rocket science to know that he was offering his glass in friendship. We still tried to communicate but when things were unclear someone would raise their glass and say “na zdrowie!” and smile. A smile translates well in any language.

Throughout the trip as we followed the footsteps of Jesus I slowly saw our group becoming not 2 separate groups of travelers but one group of pilgrims. When we realized that someone was missing we were all concerned and when another fell sick we inquired about their health and prayed for them.    Sometimes we need to be more childlike and not let simple barriers like language get in the way.

  

The day we went to Bethlehem I knew that we had reached a new level of understanding.  There was a large crowd of people in line waiting to enter the Cave of the Nativity and with the stone floors and steps it was potentially dangerous. Being only 5 feet tall it’s very easy for me to get lost in a crowd.  But more than once I felt a hand on my back pushing me through the crowd and back into our group.  It was one of the Polish men from our group helping to keep me safe.

As our group entered the cave I noticed that two men stood, one on either side, holding back the crowd until our group was safely through; one Polish speaking (the same one who had helped me through the crowd) the other, English speaking.  They didn’t previously know each other and they hadn’t planned this with words, they instinctively knew that it was the right thing to do.

We started this trip as mostly strangers with two different languages but ended it as pilgrims walking in the footsteps of Jesus and taking care of each other.  We’re all back home and paths have diverged; but for ten days we walked the same paths on our spiritual journey.  I believe that we’re all better for having faced the initial frustrations and are now stronger as we continue on our separate journeys.

Dziękuję my new friends!  Thank you!

What has made you stronger in your journey?