TravelWords

Standing in the nave of Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, was the smallest I had felt in my life. Not due to the grand size of the place, but because the structure originated in the 12th century and has stood, in some shape or form, through an astonishing array of human joy, triumph and grief. Wars, famines, revolutions and enlightenment have all raged around its foundations at one time or another.
I imagined the stories that were contained within its grey stone walls – the babies baptized, wedding vows made, and final farewells bade. It was while I was philosophizing about these things that a man wearing a clerical collar passed and offered to tell me more about the history of the church.
I agreed. For the better part of an hour, the friendly stranger took me through the cathedral and artfully retrieved some of those musty memories contained within the grey stone walls. The tour was interrupted when an announcement went off stating that visitors should prepare for a few minutes of silence, since it was noon and therefore time for the cathedral’s daily peace prayer service to commence.
Here my tour guide gently pardoned himself and I was astonished to see him take his place at the pulpit. Chagrined at not having realized that this was the priest on duty, and immensely curious at the same time, I joined the group of people gathered in front of him. The priest explained that he would lead the congregation in the Lord’s prayer, and encouraged those who wished to do so, to take part by saying the prayer in their own language.
He started off in Gaelic and was soon joined by others, so that the soft murmurings took on a rhythmic quality and an air of total calm descended upon the cathedral. I did not join in. I just took a deep breath and listened. I let the strange sounds wash over me, and in my heart, this was my prayer:
May we all be travelers. May we be surprised by unexpected courtesy in places and from people we did not expect it. May we carry the humbled feeling of standing in a 2000 year old building around with us, instead of baggage. And may we realize that we all need our daily bread– whether we ask for it in Gaelic, Spanish, English, or sometimes, not at all. May everyone get to experience what I did that day: That for 15 minutes on a random summer day, with Dublin City carrying on at its usual pace just outside the stained-glass windows, time stopped and world peace became a reality.