The Island of Capri

I assume there are many places on earth where land of considerable height suddenly and dramatically collides with the sea, but I have not seen anything that compares to Capri, Italy pictured above. Just a short ferry ride from the city of Naples off the Amalfi Coast it is both beautiful in its appearance and dramatic in its contrast. Life in this environment is complex because it is not easily accessible and it is difficult to traverse the steep hills with narrow corridors that permit habitation. Yet this island attracts thousands of visitors each year. Ask any year-round resident of this island if he or she would live anywhere else and his or her response likely would be an emphatic “no!” (we asked one.)

At sea level on Capri, you will find ports, ramps and marinas giving access to the island. Moored in its marinas one will find vessels with names like Magi and Santa Maria leaving the impression that these vessels traveled great distances to get there. Walls and fencing prohibit access to the area of the intersection of the higher elevation with the sea. In spite of this restricted access, once one gets in close proximity to the intersection, the mountain top appears to be insurmountable as seen below.

Most of the island commerce is conducted around the port areas at sea level. The closest residences are slightly up the mountain and are usually multi-resident buildings made of some masonry materials. The higher you go on the mountain the more homes are dispersed among the hill side, mostly single-family homes where space is at a premium. Every accessible area near the home sites is used for patios, gardens or some other workspace. No available space is wasted. Access becomes steeper and more difficult the higher one lives. Trade-offs are made in space and convenience for the experience of living at a higher elevation. Access to the highest points is severely limited to those best prepared and equipped to sustain living at those levels.

This being my first visit to Capri, I found the more I strolled the island the more my faith spoke to me. I see the geographic intersection described above as a metaphor for faith. I believe faith begins with that intersection of the supernatural with the natural, that is the higher level with the lower level or in this case the mountain with the sea. That intersection is when our hearts and mind change with respect to God and our relationship with Him. From that point on our faith journey is an uphill climb learning to negotiate the path and accommodate living at a level with a different view and a different understanding in our maturing faith. Along with that view comes the trade-off of accommodations. Lifestyles and habits change in order to accommodate our new life of faith with the new view. The higher we climb as our faith grows, the more our perspective changes. We see things differently. We see farther to new horizons. All of a sudden, we begin to see and sense the presence of God closer and in a more intimate way. We learn He has been there the whole time we just couldn’t see Him. Once we arrive in a higher place, we understand that looking up from sea level we often get blinded by the light because of the perspective. Climbing in our faith is never easy. But I have never heard of anyone who has made the climb who has said they preferred the view at sea level. Just like those living on the island of Capri, people living at the height of their faith would not want to live anywhere else.