It’s important to know a little bit of the background of the book of Revelation and the “why” of St. John’s writing to these seven major churches in Asia Minor, in the eastern church. The seven churches are primarily mentioned in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. They include Ephesus, Laodicea, Thyatira, Sardis, Pergamon, Philadelphia and Smyrna. I will definitely be visiting Ephesus. It is a very well preserved archeological site and includes, nearby, the home where Mary died in the care of the beloved disciple, John. The home is presently in the care of the Turkish government. Interestingly enough I hope to meet the priest who oversees the property but we will be unable to meet at the actual site since it is controlled by the government but we hope to meet at a nearby cafe and have some time to talk about the important historical site. Laodicea is modern day Denzili. The drive there is about 2.5 hours from the city of Izmir, where I am staying. I have an apartment I rented for just a little over $50 per night. It’s off-season so I was able to find a bargain! It’s in a brand new building (earthquake safe) and its got a washing machine, a balcony and is in a younger aged neighborhood with access to public transit and shoppping access. I’ll rent a car in Denzili and go to Parkumule (a place of many springs) and Hierapolis. I’ll stay overnight there and take the train back to my home base in Izmir. Izmir is actually ancient Smyrna. It has archeological sites near the city center which I will visit as well. It is not as well preserved as Ephesus and Laodicea but I will take the time to visit there too. I’m not sure how much is left to see at the other sites so it’ll be a toss up to see whether I’ll have the time or energy to see the other sites.
We have a parishioner at St. Raphael who grew up in Izmir and has a brother who lives there. He’ll be picking me up at the airport. I have another friend who lives in Izmir. She’ll be taking me to Mass with her on Sunday and each day. I chose not to concelebrate Mass. With such a small Catholic population in Turkey (2%) I wasn’t sure how well received I would be so I decided to go “low key.”
At one time this was part of the Byzantine Empire. Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) was the center of the Eastern rite church. It was filled with loads of Christians and Christianity was thriving here. Perhaps it was the very thing St. John warned against that became its downfall here. Perhaps its the very reason that the threats that face our world today should give us heed and help us pay attention to the signs around us whether in Israel, the Middle East or in our own nation. As the book of Revelation so aptly reminds us, evil is always trying to defeat good and we must be aware of its constant threat knowing that the power of God ultimately will prevail.
