Epiphany Journey
I went home taking another road, an unfamiliar route. It was a feeling that somehow it was important to alter my usual course. I wasn’t sure of the direction at each turn, but I tried to use my instincts and hoping for landmarks to guide me here and there. Along the way there were a few places where I had to stop and turn around, and the one thing I didn’t do enough was ask for directions. Epiphany is the season of light, when we discover again that there is a journey towards the one true light. If only we will ask for direction. Last year was a journey along an unfamiliar road. When the year began I was aware that my church community would change with the retirement of our dean, and I had agreed to stand for the Forma board and I wasn’t sure what changes that would bring to my work. In February my mother died and the family of my childhood was gone. I was already heading down an unfamiliar road by the time Lent came around. And then came Kids4Peace. When you’re successfully making your way through a strange place, it’s easy to be confident, even daring, but Kids4Peace finally caused me to ask for serious direction. In my altered state of confidence I agreed to do something way beyond my comfort level. Never before had I led a summer camp session or organized a multi-faith program for children. Kids4Peace is a non-profit organization that works with 11-12 year old Muslim, Jewish and Christian children and their families in Jerusalem. The children meet and share experiences and then come to the U.S. to partner with American kids for a summer camp experience.. There were equal numbers of boys and girls, and equal numbers of each faith. There were five adult advisers that accompanied the youth from Jerusalem, four adults and three college students from Houston. Language, culture, tradition, dietary restrictions and homesickness all made for a bumpy road with numerous detours. The amazing thing about adolescents is their raw honesty one minute and their guarded insecurity the next. Every moment was worthwhile. It took days together (longer for the adults) to feel just a bit of a comfort level with one another. But it was the cultural differences that were the greatest, and it was the sharing of faith traditions that finally brought us closer. To understand the threads of the Abrahamic faiths that weave us together was the magic that we learned. Tradition was the road map for all of us. we visited a masjid, a synagogue and a cathedral. It was the music, the art, the prayers and the rituals that tied us together across generations and faiths. It was a successful journey. Although it was a road less traveled, we were like the magi who traveled home by way of a different road. Because of danger along the familiar path or because we had been exposed to a more enlightened path I’m not sure, but it was an amazing journey and I can’t wait to travel it again. This new year is a truly new year for me – a new dean to lead the church I love, a devotion to the work of Forma and a daughter getting married. And I have dear friends in other faith communities that have taught me about the beauty of honoring all faiths. In our roles as faith leaders we seek to assure those around us that faith will sustain, that the community will lift up and comfort, that there will be certainty for our children. Sometimes it’s better to find an unfamiliar road, knowing that there is a direction that is always clear to us through prayer and faith. Love and Forgiveness from Kids4Peace on Vimeo.
Lisa Puccio is the Director of Family Ministry at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, Texas.