News, articles and documents from
the Holy Land
Issue No. 141 - Tuesday, 2 March 2002
Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters,
Due to the
dramatic situation in the Palestinian areas especially Bethlehem area, the
heads of the Churches moved quickly through the letter to Mr. Bush, the appeal
to all our Sisters churches all over the world, through the march organized
today to Mr. Sharon’s house in west Jerusalem, through another march which will
be organized tomorrow from Jerusalem to Bethlehem: the gathering will be at
Tantour checkpoint, Wednesday, April 3rd 2002 at 10.00 a.m. All the
heads of Churches will take part in the march and all religious communities in
Jerusalem are invited to join. The march should pass through the checkpoint
with cars, if forbidden to pass we will try to walk by foots until the Nativity
church who’s square is invaded and under complete military occupation. The
message of this march is the solidarity with the civilian population who are
who are under complete curfew, and a message of peace to the Israeli in order
to end this occupation of all the Palestinian cities and accept the proposal of
the initiative of mediation by the Heads of Churches in order to end all forms
of violence from both sides.
I remember that
the pope said when he celebrated the mass at the Nativity Church: “Every day in
Bethlehem is Christmas”. Unfortunately. That same square and that same
birth-city of the Prince of peace became a battle field and bloodshed. Therefore
he called yesterday to remove the cross from the peoples of Bethlehem because
they all live on a real Calvary. Therefore, we appeal on all of you to hear
these words of the Pope and help us to remove this cross as soon as possible
and immediately.
You will find
several documents in today’s Olive Branch:
1) EASTER
MESSAGE APPEALS FOR PEACE IN MIDEAST.
2) URGENT
NEWS RELEASE from BISHOP DR. MUNIB A. YOUNAN concerning the situation in
Bethlehem.
3) Statement
by the President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in England on the CRITICAL
SITUATION IN THE PALESTINIAN AREAS.
4) Press
Release of Pax Christi International: Stop military invasion.
5) The
Work of the Church During the Intifada By Dr. Maria C. Khoury
6) The
Passion Story in the Holy Land! By
Dr Harry Hagopian.
I am sure that
you will do your best to give our people a hand and help us to end this crisis.
Best wishes from
Jerusalen City of the Cross and Bethlehem City of the Nativity.
Fr. Raed Abusahlia
EASTER MESSAGE
APPEALS FOR PEACE IN MIDEAST
John Paul II Calls on All Believers to Build "a More Just Humanity"
VATICAN CITY, (Zenit.org).- In his Easter message to the world, and the Holy Land in particular, John Paul II expressed his hope for tranquility in Christ and lamented that it "seems that war has been declared on peace."
"Nothing is resolved by war," the Pope said in St. Peter’s Square before imparting his apostolic blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city of Rome and the world).
Tens of thousands of pilgrims crowded St. Peter’s Square for the Easter Mass. The papal address was transmitted live by 63 television channels in 50 countries.
John Paul II seemed in better health than in previous days. He personally celebrated the Mass, after having presided over the three-hour Easter Vigil the night before.
Reading his Easter message in Italian, with a clear and firm voice, the Holy Father highlighted the peace proclaimed by Christ with his resurrection.
Peace "in the manner of the world -- the experience of every age shows it -- is often a precarious balance of powers, that sooner or later turn against one another once more," the Pope explained.
"The peace which is the gift of the risen Christ is deep and complete, and can reconcile man with God, with himself, and with creation," the Pontiff emphasized.
Hence, John Paul II exhorted "all the world´s believers" to "join their efforts to build a more just and fraternal humanity; may they work tirelessly to ensure that religious convictions may never be the cause of division and hatred, but only and always a source of brotherhood, harmony, love."
The English translation of John Paul II´s address, distributed by the Vatican, said: "Christian communities on every continent, with trepidation and hope I ask you to proclaim that Jesus is truly risen, and to work so that his peace may bring an end to the tragic sequence of atrocities and killings that bloody the Holy Land, plunged again in these very days into horror and despair."
"It seems that war has been declared on peace! But nothing is resolved by war, it only brings greater suffering and death; nothing is resolved through reprisal and retaliation," the Pope continued.
"No one can remain silent and inactive, no political or religious leader! Denunciation must be followed by practical acts of solidarity that will help everyone to rediscover mutual respect and return to frank negotiation," the Holy Father stressed.
He also mentioned the situation in other countries in which "we hear the cry of those who implore help, because they are suffering and dying."
This cry is especially intense in Afghanistan, "terribly afflicted in recent months, and now stricken by a disastrous earthquake," the Pope said.
Moreover, there are "so many other countries of the world where social imbalances and rival ambitions still torment numbers of our brothers and sisters," the Pope reminded his listeners.
John Paul II ended his message with a familiar appeal that marked the start of his pontificate: "Open your hearts to Christ, crucified and risen, who comes with the offer of peace! Wherever the risen Christ enters, he brings with him true peace!"
Following his message, the Holy Father expressed Easter greetings in 62
languages, including Hebrew and Arabic.
URGENT NEWS RELEASE
from
BISHOP DR. MUNIB A. YOUNAN
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (ELCJ).
The ELCJ has its
headquarters in Jerusalem and is working in
Jerusalem, Palestine,
Jordan and Israel.
April 2, 2002 12 noon
The Evangelical
Lutheran Christmas Church, the pastor’s home and the church’s International
Center in Bethlehem have been hit by shelling from Israeli tanks and soldiers
today, April 2, 2002, at about 9:00 am, Palestinian time. Rev. Mitri Raheb,
pastor of the church, reports that the Israeli tanks entered the Old City of
Bethlehem at 3:30 am today. Tanks were also positioned in a circle around the
Old City. The shelling began at 6:30 am. The heaviest gunfire and fighting is
taking place now in the Old City, from Manger Square to the Christmas Church
compound.
Rev. Raheb
reports that tanks have destroyed the first floor entrance to his home and also
have destroyed the garage doors. The family is living on the second level of
the building and fears that they will be invaded. The tanks and soldiers are
stationed immediately outside the church and parsonage. At 10:10 the
electricity was lost in the church and parsonage.
Also, Rev. Raheb
reports that they have heard much glass breaking, both in the church and in the
offices. Although they cannot go
to see the damage yet, it seems that at least some of the 110 year old stained
glass windows have been destroyed.
The parsonage
has tanks on both side of it, so the tank fire is deafening and shakes all the
buildings. Rev. Raheb has been making telephone calls to members of the
congregation, one-fourth of whom live in the Old City. To date no one has been
injured, but all are terrified of the fighting and invasion.
According to the
Fourth Geneva Conventions, places of worship and churches should never be
assaulted.
To contact Rev.
Gustaf Odquist call +972-50-388976 or +972-67-255733.
Noted by Rev. Dr. Mary E. Jensen,
Communications Assistant to Bishop Younan
Noted by Rev.
Dr. Mary E. Jensen, Communications Assistant to Bishop Younan
CARDINAL CALLS FOR POLITICAL
INTERVENTION IN MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
CRITICAL SITUATION IN THE
PALESTINIAN AREAS
Statement by the President of the Catholic
Bishops' Conference in England
The
recent escalation of violence in the Holy Land is profoundly disturbing. The
death and injury of so many innocent people, seeming to doom so many heartfelt
aspirations for peace, appeals the mind and heart. It is imperative that the
leaders of both communities renounce any hope of achieving their aims by
violence and commit themselves anew to the road to peace. It is imperative also
that the international community redouble its efforts to assist in this search
for a just peace, one that recognizes both the rights of the Palestinians to
live in a state of their own, free from domination and military repression, and
the right of Israel to peace and security.
Recent
attacks, such as suicide bombings, specifically directed at civilians are
utterly to be condemned. Today,
however, news is emerging that the Israeli Defense Forces' invasion of
Bethlehem and other Palestinian cities and towns is itself being marked by
wanton and indiscriminate killing.
An urgent appeal by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem
adds that ambulances and medical supplies are being prevented from reaching the
wounded, and that there has been massive destruction and looting. Meanwhile Bethlehem and Ramallah have
ominously been declared closed military zones, so that the media and other
international observers are barred from the areas concerned.
In
this context, I wish to affirm the concern of the United Nations Security
Council in its resolution 1402 of 30 March 2002. The Security Council "calls upon both parties to move
immediately to a meaningful ceasefire; calls for the withdrawal of Israeli
troops from Palestinian cities" and "reiterates its demand in
Resolution 1397 of 12 March 2002 for an immediate cessation of all acts of
violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and
destruction".
I
ask all to pray for all victims of the terrible violence, and ask our political
leaders to do all that they can to intervene to assist the parties to halt the
violence and resume the peace process.
Press Release
of Pax Christi International
Stop military
invasion
Brussels, 2 April
2002
Pax
Christi, the International Peace Movement, calls for the immediate stop of the
military invasion in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by the Israeli army.
According to sources from Bethlehem and Jerusalem, religious sites have been
attacked and a priest has been killed. According to the Fourth Geneva
Conventions, places of worship such as synagogues, mosques and churches should
never be assaulted.
Suicide
bombings by Palestinians have to stop as well. Innocent people may not become
victims. The occupation of Israel of the West Bank and Gaza has to come to an
end. The Palestinian Authorities should be able to govern their people and
land.
Pax Christi
International is urging the international community to deploy as soon as
possible an international presence, either in the form of international
peacekeeping mission or monitors. We are convinced that an effective
international presence in the region with the power to monitor the situation
and to reduce the use of violence can achieve a cease-fire or a cessation of
violence.
The Arab
Educational Institute in Bethlehem (AEI) is an Affiliated Organisation to Pax
Christi International. On 1 April, the AEI made an appeal to all people to
raise their voice and urge governments to put pressure on PM Ariel Sharon to
withdraw the Israeli Forces from the Palestinian occupied territories, and to
lift the siege on the Palestinian people and its President. They also demand
the immediate intervention of the United Nations by “sending International
peacekeeping forces to implement the relevant United Nations resolutions, to
impose a ceasefire and to reverse the present
catastrophic developments.”
Today,
HB Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and President of Pax Christi
International, led a non-violent peace march from Jaffa Gate to PM Sharon’s
offices in Rahavia’s Street. Other Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of
Jerusalem, as well as many religious congregations and ordinary people, have
supported the Patriarch. Msgr. Michel Sabbah is offering to begin a mediation
for peace and security for all the peoples in the Holy Land.
The
Work of the Church During the Intifada
By Dr. Maria C. Khoury
Many priests at different church communities made a great effort to create temporary jobs for people that are not employed during these tragic times in the Holy Land. The priests had to find ways to give money with dignity. Fr. Majdi Siryani created a new park in the Beit Sahour parish for small children especially to use during the summer months for entertainment, family gatherings, cooking outdoors and having swings and slides available. This park provides several people with temporary jobs in order to care for the playground area and serve the people visiting.
Also, temporary jobs were created during the restoration of the Church of Our Lady of Fatima. Furthermore, the convent had its doors open to people in deep need especially during November when at least two families needed a place to stay because their homes were in dangerous locations during the Israeli invasion into Bethlehem. The convent was hospitable for over ten days. Another way to help people in serious need is by having them select food items from the supermarket themselves and the parish priest will make the payment.
The Beit Sahour parish also provided a social worker during the last six months coming to the parish twice a week to take care of people in need. Ms. Lydia Habash served as a bridge between the Beit Sahour parish and Jerusalem where the Caritas office is located and helps people in need of food and medicine and families with special situations. Many people are in deep need in the Beit Sahour area because their main source of income usually comes from olive wood handicrafts, tourism and mother of pearl items. Fr. Shawki Batrian, the assistant priest in Beit Sahour reveals: “If you had rich families, in the last year and a half, they spend most of their money.” Most of the 270 families amounting to about 1200 members belonging to the Beit Sahour parish, are categorized in need. Fr. Shawki estimates 80% of his parishioners are not working. Also, a new phenomenon is taken place were you have the majority of women working as teachers and secretaries. It is unusual to have women be the only source of income to support large families. The social ramifications of this situation are great.
Fr. Ibrahim Hijazin in Ramallah also confesses that at least two people every day Christian and Muslim come to the church seeking financial help. His parish has 360 families with about 1650 members in the church and 127 families are categorized as very needy. The St. Vincent de Paul Society has twenty-six volunteers helping these families especially at Christmas and Easter with whatever funds they receive from outside. They periodically visit the families, make assessment of the need and provide as much support as possible. Bingo activities raise money for the poor and having bake sales the first Sunday in each month raises local money as well. Many of the needy families have not had work for over a year and a half not only in this parish but also in Palestine in general.
The Taybeh church under the guidance of Fr. Ibrahim Shomali in his second year in this little Christian village sponsored temporary jobs for people by creating a garden on the parish grounds. He had workers take shifts in working on developing the garden in order to provide as a wide opportunity as possible for people to receive an income. A handful of people started the work and a different group of workers completed it. The Latin Church in Taybeh has 185 families with about 600 members. The village itself has about forty families in serious need but at least twenty of these families are not able to survive at all without help from the church. Fr. Iyad Twal admits that with the 300 families in the Birzeit Latin Church he feels responsible to help more than just financially but to help all Christians and Muslims in their pastoral needs as well morally and educationally. He has over 45 families that are very needy and poor. He helps them find jobs if he can or provides them with food and money. In his parish he estimates 50% of the people do not have work. The worst of the Intifada Fr. Iyad feels is the high unemployment that has devastating affects in caring for large families.
The Passion Story in the Holy Land!
Dr Harry Hagopian, KSL – KOG
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
Endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won!
Maccabeus Easter Hymn
§
The Entry into Jerusalem!
They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, Hosanna! (Jn 12:13)
Over the past week, I have come across a number of initiatives, articles, letters and documents purporting to address the blood-curdling events unfolding in the Holy Land. Starting with 25 March 2002, I saw the Open Letter addressed to General Colin Powell, US Secretary of State, by members of the English-speaking Christian communities in the Holy Land. I then read with interest the comprehensive analysis in the Newsweek magazine Special Report (1 April 2002) on the future of Israel and its survival in the region. On 28 March 2002, I followed with implausible appreciation the success of the Arab League Summit in Beirut that turned the Saudi proposal into a pan-Arab Peace Plan with Israel. Finally, I read the Common Easter Message issued by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem as well as the thoughtful Easter Message dated 31 March 2002 by Patriarch Michel Sabbah on behalf of the Latin-rite Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land. All this happened when some Israelis and Palestinians - Jews, Christians, Muslims - had undertaken a valiant but short-lived fasting initiative at the Bethlehem check point as a non-violent stand against the horrific tragedies that have bruised the two peoples and three religions of this blood-splattered land.
Written with great concern, sensitivity and balance, the Open Letter to Secretary Colin Powell captured the collective wisdom of those English-speaking Christians who have lived in the Holy Land for many years. Their letter condemned terrorism and rejected violence as a means of advancing the political cause of the Palestinians. It fully recognised the right of the Israeli people to live in peace and security in their own state. However, it also enumerated the wide range of Israeli violations of Palestinian basic human rights and personal freedoms which have led to the emergence of a strong sense of moral outrage within the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim worlds. It appealed to the US Administration to display a type of ‘tough love’ for both battle-weary peoples by addressing this conflict in a manner that recognises the international legality of UNSC resolutions 242, 338 and 1397 and secures a just and lasting peace.
The pan-Arab Peace Plan was an equally encouraging development in that the Arab world laid out clearly for the first time its terms of reference for any future negotiations with Israel. Succinctly put, the plan based itself upon the principle of land for peace. It demanded an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories, the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and the attainment of a just solution for the Palestinian refugees in accordance with UNSC Resolution 194. In return, the Arab world pledged to sign a peace agreement with Israel and establish normal relations with it within the framework of this agreement. This new ‘land for peace’ deal offered at long last a way of healing the suppurating sore of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
· A Crucifixion of Violence!
When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots! (Mt 27:35)
The suicide bomb attack against Israelis last week during
a Jewish Passover meal in Netanya led to the start of this latest chapter of
reprisals, mayhem and carnage. As in all violence in general, attacking Jews at
the very moment when they were recalling their own crossover from slavery in
Egypt was a totally pernicious act of violence. It was quite clear that Israel
- and particularly its hawkish leader - would retaliate in the most punishing
manner possible. However, PM Ariel Sharon’s ferocious and personalised
retaliatory aggression has complicated even further the configuration of any
peaceful process between the two peoples of this land for the foreseeable future.
This deliberate attempt to dismantle the infrastructure of the Palestinian
Authority and marginalise its leader will not bode well for the future welfare
of both peoples. It will fan the flames of hatred, and stoke the sense of
vengeance that will now grow even more harshly within the Palestinian
communities that are being crushed under the unrelenting blows of the Israeli
army.
Writing in the Independent daily newspaper on 30 March 2002, the investigative journalist Robert Fisk ponders, ‘how much longer can Ariel Sharon pretend that he is fighting in the war against terror? How long are we supposed to believe in this nonsense? How much longer can the Americans remain so gutlessly silent in the face of a vicious conflict? Terror, terror, terror! Like a punctuation mark, the word infects every Israeli speech, every American speech, and almost every newspaper article. When will someone admit the truth that the Israelis and Palestinians are engaged in a dirty colonial war that will leave both sides shamed and humiliated?’
Fisk’s article also draws some uncomfortable analogies. It states that Arafat and Sharon share a lot in common. They both are old, ruthless, cynical, and despise each other. ‘Sharon’, Fisk avers, ‘believes that the Palestinians can be broken by military power. He does not realise what the rest of the world learnt during [Sharon’s] own 1982 siege of Beirut that the Arabs are no longer afraid. Once a people lose their fear, they cannot be re-inoculated with fear. Once the suicide bomber is loose, the war cannot be won’. Conversely, Fisk adds, ‘Arafat also believes that his enemies can be broken by fire. He thinks that the Israelis can be frightened into withdrawing from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Ultimately, the Israelis probably will have to give up their occupation, but the Jews of Israel are not going to run or submit to an endless war of attrition’. In short, neither people will vanish or vanquish the other. Therefore, it is better to discover a way of co-existing as recalcitrant but equal neighbours rather than fighting it out to the bitter end.
· The Sponge of Vinegar!
One man ran, filled a sponge with wine
vinegar, put it on a stick and offered it to Jesus to drink!
Mk 15:36
Has the Israeli-Palestinian conflict descended into an abyss of egregious personal humiliation? How can this attitude become condonable within the cultural sub-context of the Middle Eastern region? During the whole length of this latest chapter of fratricidal violence, two things have surprised me constantly. One has been the expectation by Israel - and America - that Chairman Arafat can actually quell the violence whilst at the same time lying in a state of total siege. The other has been the degree of personal vindictiveness that has permeated the politics of the region, whereby the elected leader of a proud people is humiliated intentionally in front of his own people and the whole world!
Many commentators have compared this vinegary sense of tit-for-tat killings with Northern Ireland, perhaps more so since the events of this week also coincide with the fourth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Yet, these two conflicts are not necessarily comparable. True, there are many delusive similarities between the two situations. After all, one people took land from another, a two-state solution was agreed upon but failed to settle the issue, and a minority on one side resorted to terrorism and provoked a punitive reaction that increased support for more violence. In both cases, cease-fires lived and died, talks started and halted, and Senator George Mitchell delivered his report.
However, the differences are more striking than the similarities. The IRA never resorted to suicide tactics, whilst the British government - although straying occasionally into ‘shoot to kill’ - never adopted a policy of targeted assassinations. But the differences go even deeper than the mere tactics deployed by either side. The styles of thought that brought the IRA to realise that it could better further the interests of its people by peaceful means are Western, secular and Marxist-orientated. Those driving the leaders of Fatah and Hamas today to send their foot soldiers to kill Israeli citizens at random are predicated on a religious belief in self-immolation and martyrdom.
Equally, the attitudes of the Israeli people are unlike those of Northern Irish Protestants, just as those of the Israeli government are totally unlike the pragmatism of the British government. The horrors suffered by Jews in the last century, and the psychology of a tiny and isolated Jewish state fighting for its existence, are still very palpable and real.
To the extent that it is possible to make broad generalisations about both situations, those attitudes only emphasise how apart both sides have erred today. I believe two things made peace possible in Northern Ireland. For one, both sides felt they had an interest in a settlement. For another, there were individuals from both sides who showed real and proactive leadership. Those two conditions are not generously met in the Holy Land. The Israelis feel - rightly or wrongly - that they have tried negotiation but that the Palestinians rejected their offer. They therefore believe that the only option is to try controlling the Palestinian ‘extremists’ by force. They are sorely mistaken, not in principle but in practice, although it may take many more awful deaths for the ineffectiveness of even-heavier repression to become evident. The Palestinians, meanwhile, are becoming increasingly - worryingly - more prone to the nihilistic appeal of a holy war.
· The Resurrection of Hope!
They found the stone rolled away from the
tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of Jesus! (Lk 24:2)
Much has been written or said about the violence that has racked the Holy Land for the last eighteen months. Many politicians and commentators have bemoaned the Palestinian proclivity toward violence, and stressed the need to stop this vicious cycle. After all, the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on 29 March 2002 voted on the Norwegian-sponsored resolution that aimed to halt the fighting. Passed by 14 votes to nil - and supported by the USA - Resolution 1402 called on both sides to work toward a meaningful cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian cities. The Resolution also urged both sides to co-operate with US-appointed mediator Anthony Zinni and to halt ‘all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction’.
Much as I endorse this irenic resolution, and pray for an Easterly cease-fire between the two warring parties, I cannot forget that the crux of this whole problem is not one of violence for the sake of violence. This violence is associated directly with thirty-three years of an illegal and debilitating occupation of Palestinian land by Israel. To end this cycle of violence necessitates putting an end to the occupation itself. But here again, opinions differ on the methodology of the process - perhaps a reminder of what Tolstoy did [not] say that processes differ although peace remains the same!
In the Newsweek Special Report, Dr Henry Kissinger argued knowledgeably that the USA could not engage in mediation unless both sides realise that the only feasible goal is a limited settlement. Each side, he wrote, will achieve less than its maximum aim but more than it can accomplish by a continuation of the conflict. Under present circumstances, Kissinger added, this implies that a cease-fire must accompany negotiations, and that negotiations must aim for less than a final settlement The goal for such an agreement would be to secure borders with contiguous territory for an independent Palestinian state. As part of the necessary withdrawals, Israel must be prepared to abandon outlying settlements. However, issues other than the border between the two states would be left for later negotiations.
Former British Foreign Minister Douglas Hurd propounds a contrary view. Writing in the Financial Times on 26 March 2002, he states that piecemeal solutions are no longer effective. He suggests a Dayton-type conclave where both parties will be ‘cajoled’ into a settlement. In its own way, the Open Letter from Jerusalem also supports this viewpoint when it states that it is no longer ‘appropriate’ to discuss proposals about interim solutions or arrangements. In fact, I think that the seven-year long Oslo process has proven that protracted, delayed settlements do not yield any peace - or even any tangible morsels for that matter! They merely raise expectations at an early stage only to exacerbate tensions later.
· The Great Commission!
Go into the world and preach the good news to all creation! (Mk 16:15)
In a region riven by unreason, intolerance, fanaticism, hatred, intransigence and despair, it is perhaps helpful to become introspective and to ask oneself Lenin’s famous humanist phrase ‘What is to be Done?’
The Common Easter Message from Jerusalem expresses deep concern for the hungry, the homeless, the unemployed and the killed or injured within all communities. But it offers meagre hope for the dark moments being experienced by both peoples today. Perhaps we should take a leaf from Patriarch Michel Sabbah’s Easter homily inviting Christians to be ‘patient, strong and persevering until the trials are over’. Bishop Christopher Herbert of St Albans also echoed this message in his Easter sermon when he stressed that the Gospel of Peace offers a solution to the conflicts of the world. Indeed, following their initial meeting at Alexandria in January 2002, Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders are meeting regularly in the sanguine hope of reaching a common vision that manifests God’s justice and love.
Christians are celebrating the Resurrection of their Lord, a miraculous event that symbolises the enduring permanence of hope. But will the Ascension into a peaceful settlement follow suit? Frankly, I dread to answer that question today!
Then they
worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy! (Lk 24:50)
©
harry-bvH @ 1 April 2002
|
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