On the Wings of a Dove

The image here is the front entrance to the Tantur Ecumenical Institute but I would have to post a dozen photos to give you a sense of the place. I chose this one because it shows a bit of the lushness of the place, even evident at night.  I breathe in the intoxicating aroma of the Jasmine tree that stands on the left side of the door. Rose bushes are everywhere. We also have scores of olive trees; plus pomelo, lemon, lime, cherry, apricot and other fruit trees as well as vegetables. These are all used by the cooks who prepare our meals.

We have the creatures too: some black and white birds I’m told are a type of crow. An orange ring-tailed tabby named Greg who greets everyone, plus lots of feral cats who keep the snakes, scorpions and geckos under control.

The people who are here are equally lush — Christians of all stripes, Muslims, Jews, all committed to honoring the spiritual journeys of everyone here and to promoting interfaith dialogue.

To name just a few: a couple who are also volunteers here from an Anabaptist community in New York. My office mate is part-time staff and a rabbinical student finishing his last year in a Conservative Jewish seminary in Jerusalem. The Rector is a Roman Catholic priest of the Holy Cross Congregation and there are priests of various Christian denominations from the Philippines, Australia, India, Scotland, Ireland, to name just a few. There are many graduate students, several of them couples with young children, who are here for research or writing their dissertations. Many staff are Palestinian who must cross the border wall check points every day to and from work.

There’s a prayer service at 5:30 each evening just before dinner, and anyone can sign up to plan, organize and deliver the prayer service. Any of the clergy who offer other liturgies notify the community on a sign-up sheet near the reception desk, so we can all participate in the religious rituals of many faiths.

The richness of this place — theologically, culturally, geographically — is astonishing. I can hardly believe my good fortune in the opportunity to be a member of this community for 7 months, and I suspect I will remain connected in some way even when my 7 months ends and I return to the States.

At evening prayer last night, a priest from Kentucky with a beautiful voice played his guitar and we all sang the Prayer of St. Francis at the closing (“Make me an instrument of your peace…”), and at the opening, a country gospel song I was not familiar with, “On the Wings of a Dove” — you can listen to it here and add it to your  own prayers for peace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re8zGk47GNM
Pax, Shalom, Salaam

Author: kathleenschatzberg

I'm a writer, an educator -- 45 years in education, 35 of them in community colleges -- and a lifelong advocate for justice (community colleges are, in fact, instruments of social justice). I have always been passionate about learning, traveling, and understanding the world's religions and political systems. This "Crossroads" blog offers my reflections on living for 7 months as a volunteer at Tantur Ecumenical Institute. On a hill in Jerusalem, within sight of Bethlehem, Tantur hosts students, scholars, and seeker for interfaith engagement and theological and biblical study. View all posts by kathleenschatzberg