Dan Allen ’07, ’11 M.Div.
Spirituality Program Director, Notre Dame Alumni Association

Our final day in the Holy Land brought us south to the region of the Dead Sea. Several adventurous people ventured out into the salty waters to feel the strange sensation of floating without any effort, and we laughed together like children discovering some new surprise about the world. It is remarkable to see this much water but to know that little life can survive in it. It is such a stark contrast compared to the source of this water.

The waters of the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea are all connected, and we have had the occasion to visit all of them this past week. The Sea of Galilee is technically a lake since its waters are fresh, and the surrounding region is green and fertile.

That water eventually drains south and becomes the Jordan River, that famous border into the Promised Land and site of Jesus’ baptism. What is strange about the Jordan is that much of it flows through the desert, but its waters give life to the surrounding regions and sustain much of the agriculture nearby. The Jordan eventually empties into the Dead Sea where the water becomes salty.

This journey of the water reminded me of our human journey. We are born into life, full of potential and possibility. We then enter into the waters of baptism, trying our best to follow our calling and give life to the world around us. Finally, we approach the end of our lives and die. But does the story end there? Our faith, informed by the miraculous events in this land, says no. We have the hope of resurrection.

Therefore, when we reach what seems to be an ending in our lives, it is actually an invitation to discover what new beginning could be just around the corner. God is always at work, and short of heaven, we are never done exploring what new thing to which God might be calling us. Graduations, job changes, moving cities, retirements—all these and more represent the various endings we experience. Each time, we have to make decisions about what is next, listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to guide us.

We pilgrims gathered and talked about this theme tonight. Where do we go from here after having these amazing experiences? Will the lessons inscribed on our hearts during these special days continue to affect us in the months and years to come? We are, of course, sad to leave one another, but we realize that it is time to come back down the mountain and return to our responsibilities. However, we do not return unchanged, and our new beginnings will be informed by the graces we have received.

My hope is that those of you who have followed us along the way have also been given grace due to our journey. Though we were separated by many miles, a connection still existed between us as we held each other in prayer. And while our trip is complete, we at FaithND will continue to offer additional content throughout Lent, focusing each week on various themes of pilgrimage. Finally, we will conclude our Lenten offerings with a series of Holy Week videos that will provide you a glimpse into our experiences here and aid your walk with Christ in his final days. It has been an honor for me personally to convey the solemn, entertaining, and memorable moments of our time in the Holy Land, and we thank you for joining us.

When we reach the end, something new begins. The prophet Ezekiel described a scene in which the water flowed out of the Temple and refreshed the waters of the Dead Sea. Our Christian hope is that the blood and water flowing from the temple of Christ’s crucified body make it possible to refresh our bodies and souls after death. We hold onto that hope throughout Lent, anticipating the coming of the bright dawn of Easter, that new beginning which changed the ending of our story forever.