The Jerusalem episode addresses the practice of pilgrimage to Jerusalem found in all three of the Abrahamic faiths. In the Hebrew Bible, Jews are commanded to travel to Jerusalem three times a year, for the festivals of Passover, Pentecost (First Fruits), and Sukkot (Festival of Booths). Christians have been traveling to Jerusalem since the time of Constantine to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. The Prophet Mohammed called on followers to travel to one of three pilgrimage sites: Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a sacred site for half the world's believers: "A place where religion infuses the air and lives in the stones," says Feiler.
Coming here is often the fulfillment of a lifelong dream -- or even the fulfillment of a dream passed down through many generations. "Jerusalem as a place of pilgrimage was a hope passed on from one generation to another. The ability for Jews to live and flourish in Jerusalem is the fulfillment of the dreams of generations," says one of the rabbis.
It is also an act that allows faith to become concrete. The Christians in the program talk about how walking where Jesus walked, and reading Jesus's words in the places where he taught, makes the stories of the Christian faith come alive to them. "A faith abstract and assumed becomes grounded to history and landscape," says Feiler. Jesus's stories are particularly conducive to pilgrimage because so many stories in his life took place out in nature, in places where you can have a private encounter with God, he adds. Such experiences allow us to "look at these stories anew, afresh," says Fr. Garrett Edmonds, a Franciscan friar. "They are so familiar to us, they can seem almost mundane." Pilgrimage breathes new life into them.
For Jewish Americans, Jerusalem is an opportunity to be completely immersed in their faith. "As a Jew in America, I have to search out my Judaism. … Here, it surrounds me," says Ahavra Zarembski. She describes her experience during the festival of Sukkot as"the act of leaving your house and going into a sometimes shaky structure is like going on pilgrimage in your ordinary life." The spiritual journey is made concrete as she spends time in a shelter that has already blown down once reflecting on materialism and the material world's lack of permanence. "The difference between organized religion and spirituality [is] how much are people willing to make hard choices to be able to go on a journey," one that will change you, says one of her friends.
How have you experienced your faith in concrete ways? What connects you to the roots of your tradition? Have you felt the presence of God more keenly through sacrament, study, prayer, or pilgrimage?
Please add your own thoughts, reflections, and questions in
the comments below: we look forward to a lively discussion!
A few guidelines for respectful dialogue:
•
Speak out of your own experience: in other
words, talk about what you believe, not what others believe, and share what
*you* think. Don't put words in others' mouths.
•
Try to see from another's point of view.
"Try on" new ways of thinking!
•
If something makes you angry, take a few minutes
before you respond, until you can write without anger. Write about your own
reaction, not someone else's presumed intentions.
•
Above all, honor the dignity of all persons, and
treat everyone as you would like to be treated. Speak respectfully towards the
views of others, even if they are at odds with your own.
If you didn't have an opportunity to view the episodes
during this episode's premier on Tuesday, Dec. 23, you can find additional
broadcasts here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/sacredjourneys/content/schedule/
Also, last week's episodes can be viewed on demand here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/sacredjourneys/content/video/
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