So… Hanging out on top of a hill in a hailstorm with lightning and thunder is undoubtedly not the smartest thing I’ve ever done. But it was glorious! I’ll get to that momentarily…
Santa Fe turned out to be a wonderful city. We knew when we left our hotel in the morning that we wanted to focus on the churches. We had been surprised last night at how walkable the city is. So we found a parking spot (with astonishing ease) and began our day at the Loretto Chapel. By the end of the day John and I both agreed that it was one of the highlights of the day. Loretto is a lovely chapel with a touching history. But what sets it apart from other places is its staircase.
The story goes that a way was needed for the nuns and their students to access the choir loft. But ordinary stairs would take too much room. The sisters prayed and an anonymous carpenter showed up. He worked on the staircase for six months, and then vanished without a trace and without leaving a bill. The staircase is an engineering wonder. It simply should not work. But it was used by the nuns and their students for over 100 years. Legend has grown around the staircase, and some believe that the carpenter was St. Joseph himself.
A short walk up the hill was the San Miguel Mission. Built beginning in 1610, it is the oldest known church in the United States. It is still in use today, although it has been repaired numerous times over the years.
We strolled back to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi since we hadn’t really gotten to see it last night, although we went to Mass in its chapel. The church bells were ringing and could be heard for blocks. The contrast between the simplicity of the San Miguel Mission and the classical beauty of the cathedral struck me immediately.
I cannot do justice with words to how I was touched by visiting this special place. To pray there, even with tourists milling around, was sacred time.
All three of these churches are quite old by American standards and filled with history. “If walls could speak” who knows what stories they could tell? What have they witnessed over the years? What hardships did the people endure who came into New Mexico as settlers, both native and European? The landscape has a unique sort of beauty. But it is harsh. Survival can’t have been easy. And there were always conflicts, many deadly, between the natives and the Spanish colonists. I have so much to learn about the history of this part of the country. It breaks my heart to know that often it was church officials and church policies that fueled the conflict. Nevertheless, to walk into these churches today was a holy experience for me. Perhaps we are healing from some of the wounds of the past.
Behind the cathedral is a peaceful walled garden, tucked right into the busyness of Santa Fe’s historic district. There are life-sized sculptures of the Stations of the Cross. I was immediately struck by the fact that Christ is quite ugly. It was jarring, and I didn’t like these sculptures at all! But then I recalled the words of Isaiah 53:2-3. “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised and we esteemed him not.” Perhaps I don’t have to actually like these sculptures. Perhaps I just need to love the One they represent.
A beautiful feature of this garden is the path that winds through it. The path itself is a rosary, with circles set into the path to represent the five decades of beads. What a perfect way to encourage meditation and prayer in this lovely, quiet place!
We were about ready to leave Santa Fe, but we had heard that Fort Marcy Park, set above downtown, was the place to go for wonderful views. It was a bit of a challenge to find, but once we did, it was worth the hunt. The views were indeed spectacular. But no sooner had we taken a few photos than the storm arrived. We could actually see the rain coming in. We saw lightning in the distance, heard the thunder, and then suddenly it was upon us, hail and all. Sitting in the car, watching the storm, I couldn’t help thinking of how this was a magnificent display of God’s power. The words of Psalm 18 came to mind and stuck with me for hours.
“He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.”
And so we arrive back where I began. Standing on a hill in a hailstorm, marveling at the beautiful, majestic power of God. I truly don’t think I could have experienced anything like this back in Kentucky. There it is just not possible to see for miles the way it is here in New Mexico. Here I can’t help but sense how great God is, at least as much as my limited human capacities will allow me to grasp. And by contrast, I have to acknowledge how very small I am. There is no room here to think I can ever “win” if I decide to go up against God. I take this as a warning. But I am also aware more than ever of the goodness of this mighty God. Psalm 145 tells us,
“The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!”
I could write so much more about today. I could write about the fun we had and the wonderful people we met at the olive oil store and the winery and the five and dime where John had a World Famous Frito Pie. I could write about the fabulous food we had at a creperie and at Sadie’s, an Albuquerque institution. But I think I’ll just leave you all to marvel at the amazing power of God with a few storm pictures.
