Risky Business

There seems to be a sort of disconnect here. We call ourselves pilgrims on a journey to this sacred place, yet here we are--vying for time on the group computer so that we can check our e-mail through the wireless connection in the hotel lobby when there is a magnificent view of the place where Jesus walked on water right in front of our faces! We yearn for our cell phones even while we are on a cruise around the Sea of Galilee seeing such places as the Mount of the Beatitudes, Capernaum, Tiberius and even the River Jordan. ( I'm as guilty as the rest of craving computer time--and am tempted to turn on my cell phone to see if it still works!)!

In Jesus' day, the Jews made an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover. It was a risky trip; the roads were rocky and there was the danger of being encountered by bandits. No, they weren't riding in an airconditioned coach but making the trek on foot. But yet they went to the place where God was calling them--to his holy temple.

And so here I am on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land asking myself the question,"Where is the risk in my pilgrimage?" Should I be content with the fancy hotel, delicious food and warm bed in this place where it is business as ususal? Is it all about visiting the historic sites and hearing fact after fact? I don't know. But maybe, just maybe it will suffice to look for the extraordinary within the ordinary--and to put the camera down long enough to see it!