It’s been hard to get my head around Day 2 for reasons which will become clear. The day started off very hot in Jericho. I’m not sure that Jericho has any other temperature than boiling; and it became evident that I had made a big mistake with my wardrobe. But since we were off to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea I knew there would be some respite.
We started with mass in Jericho followed by a beautiful session in the presbytery gardens. The garden had fruit trees and was an oasis in the harsh and unforgiving environment of Palestine. We sat for an hour or so talking about our names and their meanings. It became apparent that in our names, in our naming, there are very personal connections to our families, friends and where we come from. We also discovered that 5 of us share a connection to the Nicholson family which was a lovely bonding moment.
We moved from there to the River Jordan. The politics intruded again as we traveled a narrow road through a minefield to get to our destination.
A really interesting thing happened when we spoke about going to the river. I, in my indomitable way, assumed all would want to share in the experience of getting into the river to share the experience of our Lord. It became apparent that there were those in the group for whom this would be a very disturbing and in some instances a genuinely traumatic experience. I was reminded of how pilgrimage is simultaneously an intensely group and intensely individual experience.
When we arrived I was struck by the vegetation and then the Jordanian army with large guns on the other side. The river itself is not very wide and in some ways its size hides the enormity of the things which occurred there. Our God of the Ordinary was evident to me once again.
Top: Jordan with soldiers just out of the picture. Bottom left: the banks of the river. Bottom middle:the minefield surrounding the river. Bottom right: the vegetation.
We then went to the Dead Sea. You won’t see any pictures from our time there because while we were there there were two medical emergencies. Theirs are not my story so I am not going to go into detail. But both required urgent medical intervention. Thank God we had two doctors with us! The one emergency was treated on site but the other required more serious medical treatment. The incident dominated the day and indeed the rest of the pilgrimage.
For me there were profound personal challenges where I had to fight against my selfish nature. One of my closest friends was hurting, there was nothing I could do to help and she really needed other people, not me. I was angry and hurt, feelings I struggled with for a long time. But thank God for the people who were there who held me. This was one of the biggest learnings of the pilgrimage: I can be incredibly selfish but I also know when to back off; that my better self can actually step up. While I need to work on my interior stuff it is good to know I can step up and do what is necessary (or rather not do what is unnecessary!)
After having nearly been left behind at the Dead Sea (thanks Aunty Gill!) we went to Quran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Lunch was in an air conditioned restaurant which was a welcome relief from the unrelenting heat. Quran is a fascinating place. I started to formulate a theory that Moses, suffering from heat stroke and tired of his people complaining came over the crest of the mountain, looked at the landscape and decided that this was it. No more. And declared it to be the Land of Milk and Honey.
Back to the air conditioned bus we made the trek up to Jerusalem. We had the first sight of the iconic views for which the city is so well known, and stopped in Bethany. Not for the first time I was struck by the close proximity of places to Jerusalem. Bethany is a stone’s throw away from Jerusalem much nearer to the city than I expected it to be. It is hardly surprising then that it is the place where Jesus stayed when he went to Jerusalem. It had never occurred to me that the family of Mary, Martha and Lazarus were friends of the family with whom the Holy Family would have stayed on their trips to Jerusalem. We used to have friends like that, with whom we stayed when we traveled. Again, God in the ordinary.
Given the events earlier in the day time to contemplate in a cool church was welcomed. And as we settled in to pray … the mosque next door called the faithful to Ramadan prayer. There are reminders everywhere that this is a city of Abrahamic religions.
We ended the day by going to our accommodation in the Old City. It is the most amazing place and I fell in love with it. Little did I know that way more was in store for me. But that is another story for another day.
View of Jerusalem from the Old City.
Tour company:
- St Gerard’s Holy Tours (Cape Town)
- Inspiration Tours (Jerusalem)
Photo credits: Unless stated all photos are mine.
Grace-phil 
