A Look Inside
It was the first day that Judy and I had ventured out into Barcelona on our own, and we decided that we’d use Rick Steve’s audio tour of the Gothic quarter to guide us in our wandering. His recorded voice guided us through our earbuds down narrow streets still filled with deep morning shadows, to a metal gate along the storefronts. We tentatively pulled it open and found ourselves in a dark alley that opened into a small bright courtyard.
We stopped for a moment to assess the space and the situation in this nearly empty small square, not sure that we were in the right place. There were two men sitting off to one side deep in conversation, the back walls and doors of a few buildings, and our destination - an ancient church set at an angle in the far corner. I took a few steps in that direction and faltered for a moment when I noticed the homeless figure sleeping on the bench near the church entry, wrapped head to toe in a heavy blanket, a bit of a red flag on a warm summer morning. We moved cautiously forward toward the church and the figure, with Rick Steve calmly reciting the history of the place through our ear buds…”built in the 12th century…take a look inside…”
I watched the figure for signs of movement as we started to move past him towards the church door. With a start, I realized the unmoving figure and bench were both bronze. A few steps closer to the door, I saw the instantly recognizable scars on his feet – this was Christ.
The feelings of vague discomfort I had had turned to disappointment in myself for my reaction – to pull back, rather than to reach out. “Whatever you have done for the least of these…” Humbled, filled with that self-awareness and my intentions reset, we stepped inside to the stark interior of this place that had taught these lessons for hundreds of years.
Of the hundreds of glorious statues and paintings we saw that week in ancient churches, museums and monasteries, this humble sleeping figure touched me the most deeply of all. It helped me take a look inside of myself, and showed the miles I have yet to travel to live the path of love and giving that God has asked us to.
We have fallen down again tonight, In this world it's hard to get it right, Trying to make your heart fit like a glove, What it needs is love, love, love …- from ”Everybody”
Diana is a founding member of Peace Church who loves to travel and explore, and especially loves the narrow winding streets of ancient cities.