Priusquam errarem (A Song of Pilgrimage)

We have many wonderful canticles in our Anglican tradition, and one of my favorites (and most appropriate for this journey) is taken from Ecclesiasticus 51:13-16, 20b-22.  I am praying this canticle as part of my morning and evening prayers. 

Before I ventured forth,
even while I was very young,
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
In the forecourts of the temple I asked for her,
and I will seek her to the end.
From first blossom to early fruit,
she has been the delight of my heart.
My foot has kept firmly on the true path,
diligently from my youth have I pursued her.
I inclined my ear a little and received her;
I found for myself much wisdom and became adept in her.
To the one who gives me wisdom will I give glory,
for I have resolved to live according to her way.
From the beginning I gained courage from her,
therefore I will not be forsaken.
In my inmost being I have been stirred to seek her,
therefore have I gained a good possession.
As my reward the Almighty has given me the gift of language,
and with it will I offer praise to God.

Books for the Journey

What trip is complete without a nice supply of reading material?  The downside of traveling with books these days are two – the weight and the cost if your bag is too heavy.  You have to be really discerning about which book to lug half way across the world unless…. you have an e-reader!  Then you can load as many as you want without the heavy burden.

So what did I choose to bring? My Bible and BCP (of course!) but also Jerome Murphy-O’Connor’s Guide to the Holy Land, Karen Armstrong’s Jerusalem: Once City, Three Faiths, a translation of Brother Lawrence’s Practice of the Presence of God, and The Didache, (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) written in late 1st/early 2nd c., and Strength for the Journey – A Guide to Spiritual Practice by Renée Miller.  And my one fiction selection is Death with Interruptions by nobel prize winner José Saramago, a most imaginative tale about death conducting an experiment where on the first day of the new year, no one dies (looking forward to our conversation about this book, Deborah!)

Adventures with El Al

To make up for the fitful night of rest Saturday,  I got a full 8 hours of sleep in a comfy bed (thanks to Ed’s hospitality)!  He also graciously drove me to the airport, where my adventures with El Al begin.

My experience checking in with El-Al was the same as the last time I flew (alone) to Israel – pluses and minuses.  After I was questioned, I was separated off with 4 other single travelers for more detailed questioning and searching, complete with an escort through the rest of security, past all the lines, and once boarding was called, I was escorted onto the plane.   The inconvenient part of this was that we were being watched and listened to very carefully after arriving at the gate.  We were not free to walk back up to exchange money or do any shopping while we waited for boarding.  Many thanks to Betsy, my ride to the Newport News airport… since I couldn’t do any shopping, the power bars she gave me came in handy!

Arriving at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv was mostly uneventful, but when I got through customs, I didn’t see a single face I recognized, and didn’t see any sign of our tour guide.  After a little wandering around, I saw the exit for “groups” and headed that way.   Stepping through the double glass doors and to the outside, I instantly became aware of my otherness… there were two large local groups gathered and waiting, but not another woman in sight.  Fortunately our guide, Erez, walked forward and greeted me, and to my delight my name was on his list.  I followed him toward our bus, as the sea of men parted and stared as we walked through.  As we got to the bus, Erez said I was the first to arrive, so I waited there while he went to collect the rest of our group.  After waiting a few minutes, I decided to take advantage of the time  and walked back to the terminal to exchange money and buy bottled of water.

Finally everyone made it to the bus.  There are about forty total in our group, with the majority of the people being from a couple different church groups, not sure exactly where or who yet.  I wondered if I might discover that someone I already know would be on this trip, and indeed there is!  Claudia Koczka, who also graduated from General Seminary a year after me, won the same travel prize at her graduation.  I spotted her on the plane and expect we’ll do some catching up this week…

Dinner in the City

Flying into LaGuardia is always an adventure.  As usual, we boarded in Newport News and were set to go, and the captain came on the loudspeaker to tell us that we weren’t cleared for takeoff because of traffic at LaGuardia.  Fortunately the delay was only 20 minutes, so I thought I’d still make my dinner date with Fr. Wright, my seminary history professor, and Fr. Ed, a dear friend and former classmate.

Turns out I was still late for dinner because once we landed, we were sent to a second gate that was also covered with a sheet of ice.  Have you ever been on a plane whose wheels are spinning on ice?  Works just about like it does in the car – you get nowhere fast!  They ended up hooking us to a tug that finally pulled us into the gate… 45 minutes later.  But after collecting my luggage and catching a cab, I arrived at Moonstruck Diner, just your average NYC diner, and found my friends!

Three priests on a Sunday night, who’ve been up since 5am, are not a pretty sight – so no pic of the three of us having dinner together, but the pic above is where we were…in Chelsea, where General Seminary is just two blocks away.  Nice to be back in my old neighborhood for a couple hours!

This is the Day

Ps 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Kitty orientation for the neighbors…check.

Passport…check.

Bag packed…check.

Eucharist…check.

Good night’s rest…not so much.  It seems the night before a trip I rarely sleep well.  I suppose it’s the excitement and anticipation of my upcoming adventure  – where exactly will I be this time next week? who will I meet?  what will we do and talk about? what will we see?  what’s the desert like in January? did I pack enough?  did I pack too much?

And then in between my wonderings, I remember.  I remember my first trip to the Holy Land – walking the ramparts in the Old City, drinking minty lemonade on a hot August day in the Muslim Quarter, the smell of spices in the open air market, seeing the sun rise on the Sea of Galilee on my birthday, chanting and incense at midnight mass in the Holy Sepulchre, card games and good conversation with new friends and fellow pilgrims Patrick, Caitlin, and Justin – and on and on my thoughts go.

I have much for which to rejoice on this day that the LORD has made…whatever this journey brings my way!

Now boarding for the first leg – PHF to LGA

Itinerarium Annae?

From Egeria’s Diary of a Pilgrimage          “… we continued on the way we were going, continually giving thanks to God.”

One of the saints of the past that drew great interest for me in my studies in seminary was Egeria, a devout and well educated woman of the 4th century, who made pilgrimage to the Holy Land and wrote a detailed account of her travels and observations.  Her writings are important to us, not only because they are the first major account of Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but also for the details she provided on the liturgical practices she witnessed during Holy Week in Jerusalem. The title of her journal in the Latin is Itinerarium Egeriae, “The Travels of Egeria,” and thus the title of mine – Itinerarium Annae, “The Travels of Anna.”

I love traveling, experiencing new places and cultures, and becoming a citizen of the world, so I’m most grateful for the witness of Egeria.  I imagine she must have been an exceptionally spunky woman for her day!  I’ll hop a plane and ride in an air conditioned bus for much of my tour, but Egeria went by foot from Spain to Jerusalem and Constantinople, leading a group of religious companions. I find her to be an inspiration for my own journey, and like her, do my best to continue on my way, continually giving thanks to God.

Hello world!

Welcome to Itinerarium Annae – my thoughts on the journey… more specifically, thoughts on and images from my pilgrimage to the Holy Land!  When I graduated from General Theological Seminary I was awarded the Journeys Unlimited Travel Prize, which consists of an 8 day tour of Israel.  I am looking forward to visiting many special places, from Galilee to Jerusalem.

Please visit often – my goal is to post daily throughout my trip (provided my technology cooperates!)