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Week 6 |
“WHO SHOT THAT BULLET?” - Part I |
October 8 |
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This bullet hole has united the Tantur Community to Israel/Palestine in a special way.
John should have played the lottery that day! “The gods” were with him! He would have been holding the winning ticket. Maybe not...two statistically mind-boggling events, in his favor in one day, may, indeed, have been too much.
But win he did! What are the odds that John, walking toward the stairway near his room, and a probable ricochet bullet, sailing through the air from Rachel’s Tomb, about 1/2 mile away, would forcefully meet, graze his forehead and lodge under his skin slightly intruding into his skull?
He was knocked down. He began to bleed profusely, but he did not become unconscious. He was dazed a bit, as he tried to come to a realization of what happened. Most importantly, though. after being the recipient of a bullet to the head, he was not killed!
He crawled back to his room and cried to his wife, Mary Ann, “I have been shot!”
The spent bullet, in its last inches of life, broke through the window of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute and found its final resting place in John’s skull. Good fortune and luck? A miracle? You decide! But that bullet brought it all home to us. The conflict and violence “of the ages” were no longer “out there”, but were now “in here”. We were no longer observers, but, rather, participants.
The usual confusion took place as it does after such unbelievable incidents. Residents of Tantur on the three-month sabbatical program spontaneously gathered in the lobby. In very quick fashion, the rector, Rev. Michael McGarry, took charge. His insightful leadership and direction provided the shepherding we needed.
Paramedics were called. John was rushed to the hospital. The community gathered together to pray, to share facts and feelings. What just happened? And what is happening to us now because of what just happened to John?
The reply of one member, “I feel a loss of innocence!”, - summed it up best. The hatred, the violence, the conflict is real! It is a part of this land called “holy” and we are in this land. Just as we are cleansed by its goodness and its deep spirituality, we can be, at times, also stained by its hatreds.
Thank God! John is well. He spent a night in Hadassah-University Hospital. Located just a few minutes from Tantur, this hospital is one of the finest in the Middle East. The bullet was removed. He was stitched up, given antibiotics. CAT Scans showed no other damages. After an overnight in the hospital, John returned to us, ready to continue this communal sabbatical journey.
The incident was freaky! Things like that have never happened at Tantur! But it did happen, for the first time, this week. Could it happen again? Yes. Will it happen again? Most probably not, at least, for a long, long time.
Tantur, on its hilltop, is a safe haven! Personally, I feel very comfortable here even in the midst of the present conflict. If you asked me today, “Should I come? Should I come to Tantur or come on a holy land pilgrimage right now in the midst of the tensions?”, my answer would be a resounding “yes”.
The violence plays out in strange ways here. It is not everywhere. There are flashpoints where it is expected to happen. Don’t enter into those areas! Don’t look for trouble and you won’t find it
In these days, there are many tourists here in Jerusalem on pilgrimage! Life goes on. Bus drivers and guides are in constant contact with those “who know”. They are told, “Today, avoid these places... go to those places... go this way to there... don’t use that road to go here”.
Tantur is on the border between Israel and Palestine. Bethlehem and its holy site of Rachel’s Tomb are flashpoints in the current troubles. Tantur is still very safely removed from that area, but nonetheless, a ricochet bullet found its way here. There are never any 100% guarantees of safety.
This is Rachel's Tomb,one of Judaism's most sacred shrines. It is also revered by Muslims and Christians. This is the tomb of the matriarch, Rachel, wife of Jacob and mother of Benjamin (Genesis 35:19-20). The tomb attracts people who pray for fertility and a safe birth. The tomb is also a place to come to weep and lament. This holy site is a flashpoint in the Israeli/Palestinian tensions. Located near the entrance of the city of Bethlehem, it is about 1/2 mile from Tantur.
This scene is at the foot of Rachel's Tomb. This is Hebron Road and it is the main road into Bethlehem. Part of the street is closed. Remains of the violence are still evident.
Another view of the "remains of the day" of violence and confrontation. The cement tower in the background is part of the street facade of Rachel's Tomb. Today, less a tomb and more a fortress.
One day I walked into Bethlehem to see what was happening. Here are Israeli soldiers trying to break up a group of rock-throwing Palestinian youth. The smoke is tear gas
Another personal story, from the recent past, may help to better convey my feelings about this story! On a recent pilgrimage to Turkey, “In the Footsteps of St. Paul”, a husband and wife journeyed with me. Their daughter expressed great concern that “Mom and Dad” shouldn’t go to Turkey: “There is unrest there. There are many problems. You will be in danger! Please don’t go!”
But Mom and Dad made the decision to travel over the objections of their daughter. A few days into the trip, “Mom and Dad” call their daughter to reassure her of their safety. As they share conversation, their daughter informs them that the day before, she, while at work, was robbed at gunpoint... in Boise, Idaho!
Who is safe and who is not? It is all out there, good and evil! No matter where we are, and when we least expect it, we can be touched by either and by both!
As the Tantur community, we continue to reflect on this event. For me, THE question we must dare to ask and answer is not “who shot that bullet?”; but, “WHO SHOT THAT BULLET?”
Pray for Israel and Palestine... that thrown rocks and fired bullets may cease and that peace will prevail!
A happy ending! John and Mary Ann Meyers. (See the bandages on John's forehead?) John is a Roman Catholic Deacon in the Diocese of Phoenix and is the Diocesan Director of Catechetical Ministry. Mary Ann, his wife, teaches theology at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix.
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