By Sister Eileen Rush
I rejoiced when they said to me,
“We are going to the house of the Lord.”
Our feet stood inside your gates, O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem built up, a city knit together,
to which tribes will make pilgrimage,
the tribes of the Lord
– as was enjoined upon Israel-
to praise the name of the Lord.
Pray for the well-being of Jerusalem;
May those who love you be at peace.
May there be well-being within your ramparts,
peace in your citadels. [Psalm 122]
Indeed, there was much rejoicing on March 15 when I learned that I had been selected to participate in the 2017 Bearing Witness Advanced Mission trip to Israel. Given the simplicity of my vowed life as a Sister of St. Joseph, the opportunity to “go to the house of the Lord” seemed beyond reach and as a result something for which I could never dream or hope. Fortunately, the insightful community at the heart of the ADL challenged me to imagine the unimaginable; and not only that, to accept the responsibilities that come with such a grace.
Because of my time in Israel, I understand on a deeper level that “to pray for the peace and well-being of Jerusalem” requires attentiveness to the complexities of Israel, her citizens and neighbors. As a member of my religious congregation, I pledge to “live and work so that all people may be united with G-d and one another.”
The broad spectrum of experiences encountered in Israel have challenged me to enact this promise in a more concrete manner. Peace is a living, breathing prayer that requires me to understand the Jewish connection to the Promised Land while embracing the multifaceted political and religious dimensions of that land, her citizens, and neighbors. I am grateful beyond words for the generous benefactors who made this possible. I look forward to opening the eyes and minds of my students and colleagues to the richness of Jewish faith, culture, and politics as it relates to the Holy Land.