News,
articles and documents from the Holy Land
Issue No. 94 - Saturday, 25 August 2001
Dear Friends, Brothers
and Sisters,
I would like in today’s Olive Branch to update you with some documents
from the campaign of prayer for peace which is actually taking place in the
several churches of Jerusalem since last August 15 and will finish next
Tuesday, August 28 at the Church of Notre Dame Center.
Today’s prayer at the Chapel of St Mary Magdalene in the Holy Sepulchre
Church war really wonderful, especially that faithful and religious leaders
from almost all the Churches of Jerusalem were there, which a unique event
because of the regulations of the Status Quo. We felt that we are really one
family in spite of our differences, and we are united for the same goal, which
is to pray for peace of the Land of Jesus.
The Bishop Kamal Bathish, our general Patriarchal vicar said at the end
of the prayer, that in this place we Jesus experienced the death of the Calvary
but also the resurrection from the death after all his sufferings. The empty
tomb is the witness of his resurrection and our faith in his resurrection will
encourage us to continue our prayers everywhere until we will enjoy our
resurrection and freedom.
You will find hereby the texts of two of the homilies that were given
at the Dormition Benedictine Abbey and at St Anthony Coptic Orthodox Church. I
send it to give you an idea about the thoughts which are animating our prayers
during these blessed days.
We received a lot of solidarity letters from people who are
joining us in this campaign, but one of the strangest short notes I received is
the following that I share with you from a woman who just arrived to Jerusalem
and joining us in these days of prayers. She writes: “I know this is the two
weeks that you put aside to pray together as “one” for peace in Jerusalem. I
have a word from the Lord. Which has been confirmed as genuine, and I would
like to share it with you. It may challenge the way you think, but it is not
meant to be offensive in any way. The Lord gave this word the first night that
I was in Jerusalem: “For too long has Jerusalem worn the crown of the crucifixion,
now is the time for her to wear the crown of victory that Jesus Christ won for
us”. You might say that the woman might be a strange one, but I assure you that
she was very serious, and when I asked her, when this will happen, she told me:
very soon. I hope so, because we really badly “await the day when once again the eyes of the people will
see Jerusalem as the “peaceful abode” where people of all faiths can meet,
worship our God, and build a city of peace where all will be welcome”.
You
will find also two more short documents:
1) A news from Jordan which endorses the appointment
of Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, since it should be approved by the government
and the parliament.
2)
A
short reflexion written by our dear friend Dr. Harry Hagopian, but this time,
it is A NOCTURNAL CHAT WITH GOD. Even if it is imaginary, it is very
interesting and self-educative. I really wish we could apply those lessons from
the interview into our own life. We would be so much the richer for it, and so
much the lighter for the wisdom it brings with it too.
Please, continue to pray with us and for us as we daily do in Jerusalem Fr. Raed Abusahlia
Liturgical Opening
and welcoming address by Abbot Benedikt Lindeman
at the Abbey Hagia Maria Sion
at Mount Zion, Jerusalem
on the occasion of the
PRAYER FOR PEACE IN JERUSALEM
On August 22nd 2001
In the name
of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Your
Excellencies,
Dear sisters
and brothers,
A cordial
welcome to you all here in the Basilica of the Dormition of Mary on Mount Zion!
It was a very
meaningful decision taken by the different churches to come together for a common
PRAYER FOR PEACE. Peace and Justice are absolutely essential for a harmonious relationship
between religions, cultures, communities and families! We who believe in Christ
are conscious of the fact, that we may be working together for a common peace,
but the real peace is a gift from God as we shall hear in to-days Gospel.
The peace of
Christ is a peace, which the world cannot give .As Christians we are expected
to seek the Peace of Christ with all our hearts, and as His followers we are
instructed to proclaim it to the world.
Over and over
again we are told that justice leads to peace. Indeed, this may be so, but
there is more to it. Who has defined "Justice"? Who has defined
"Peace"? When we look at similar definitions we always find that
there are great differences in the interpretation of the meaning of
"Justice" and "Peace". Therefore as we Christians come
together in the various churches to pray for justice and peace, we must not
forget that we have to implore CHRIST, the PRINCE OF PEACE to grant His peace
amongst the nations of the Holy Land. He alone is able to touch not only the
minds but also the hearts of Man. To change the heart of a man means to change
the whole person. It is not our task to change people, but it is our task to
live in peace with one another and to proclaim the Words of Christ.
The Peace of
Christ, divine, perfect peace is only possible when people are ready and
willing to be reconciled and to forgive one another. Isn't our daily prayer in
the "Our Father"..."and forgive us our sins as we forgive those
who trespass against us ..."? My dear brothers and sisters, I consider it
so necessary to announce to the world again and again that real peace can only
begin when our hearts are at peace and when we are willing to forgive one
another as God forgives us.
Real Peace is
only possibly where people live together in reconciliation! But reconciliation itself
is a gift from God. We are all His
children. His sons and daughters; for this we were destined, not only we
Christians but the whole of mankind! Christ is the ALPHA and OMEGA; CHRIST
yesterday, today tomorrow/Christ is the true LORD AND KING of the hearts of all
Man.
The Latin Church
celebrates the Feast of MARY OUR QUEEN: This feast reminds us that Mary, the
Mother of the Prince of Peace, intervenes for US, SO that we may have peace.
This is why at the end of our prayer for peace we shall proceed to the crypt to
implore Mary, the Mother of God as the QUEEN OF PEACE, to intervene by her Son
for REAL PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND: We will light our candles on the flame of the
Easter Candle and go down to meet the MOTHER OF GOD. Our candles are symbolic
for the LIGHT, for it was she, who bore the LIGHT OF THE WORLD for us»Christ
alone who can bring His light into the darkness of this world.
In the crypt
each one of us will receive yet another symbol, a SYMBOL OF PEACE and for the
willingness to start anew by forgiving our brothers and sisters. It is a small
Olive branch. Today’s reading from the Book of Genesis tells us how Noah, when
he landed on Mount Ararat, sent out a dove which later returned with an Olive
branch in her beak. This olive branch and the rainbow are the symbols of the
Covenant between GOD and mankind. They are signs for the possibility of a new
beginning! God never abandons
mankind at a time of need. The Olive Tree here in the Holy Land is a HOLY TREE.
May this little olive branch be a reminder that God is always prepared to help
us to start anew every day, even in seemingly hopeless and difficult situations
like the one here in the Holy Land at present. For God there is nothing
impossible!
People are sad
and suffering in this country as we are well aware. But we also know that we are
called to HOPE, to a deep hope which comes from God: "Do not rely on men
for they cannot give you hope!" says the writer of the psalm. Let us turn
back to God in this Prayer for Peace. It is He who can give us HOPE for PEACE
and JUSTICE in the Holy Land.
“The Peace of God, which is beyond all
understanding
May keep our hearts and our minds
In Jesus Christ our Lord "
)Phil.4-7)
The Sermon
during the prayer for peace in Jerusalem
At St.
Anthony’s Coptic Orthodox Church
“Ask and it shall be given to you; seek,
and ye shall find; knock and it shall
be opened unto you” ( Matthew 7:7)
Beloved honorable
audience, Archbishops, Bishops, Fathers, monks and sisters."
Dear Brothers
and Sisters in Christ.
My words to you
this evening, a prayer, let us raise our hearts together in prayers to God.
Heavenly Loving
Father we beseech You and raise our hearts to you Who said (Ask and it shall be
given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you) We
ask You, we seek you and knock Your sympathetic door. We are badly in need of
Your Good deeds to us. Your Holy Land is suffering, killing, injustice, war and
destruction, Cain murdering Abel and says "Am I my brother's keeper?"
Isaac and Ishmael quarrel. Olive trees are killed and bleeding instead of being
carried by the dove of peace. Birds and infants, women and elders all cry for help,
hearts and souls are broken in the midst of this struggle. Hearts are full of
hatred, malevolence, fear and sorrows. The strong stamp and crush the weak. The
arrogant break the hearts of the poor.
Heavenly Father,
look upon us in mercy, love, forgive Your People and purify the hearts.
Our Beloved Jesus
In this Holy
Land You were crucified and rose from the dead to raise its people and the
whole world from the darkness of sin, injustice and bonds. I perceive You
weeping Your Holy City. Our homes are destructed our hearts broken, our
children frightened. You are our Father, our Judge and Shepherd. Don't you have
mercy on us? You will have mercy on us.
We are gathered
here calling You, Please. Listen to our call.
Free Man, Water
and Air,
From blood,
injustice, fatigue and Jail,
Grant our rulers
purity, love and sure
Give wisdom, the
power to forgive and the cure,
To green
pastures our peoples to feed,
To still waters
our thirsty souls to lead.
So that Churches
sing, Muathen in Mosques we hear,
Synagogues may
open in love so clear.
O Lord it is
enough for us that You were crucified once on our land to grant salvation to
all. Are we to crucify You twice, thrice, hundreds and thousands of times? We
want to see and feel Your resurrection so that we can rise with You. We want
Your Peace to shine in every soul. We want every one to do unto his brother
what he wishes for himself.
Ye Holy Spirit
of God.
Work strongly
leading the leaders and the people, shepherds and fold. Our country is the
heart of the world. If the heart is sick and broken all will be gone. O ye Holy
Comforting Spirit who is always with us, Grant our country Justice, Security
and Peace. Let it be the core of the world, Its worshipers ambassadors of
peace, guide us to be loving brothers each one respects his brother of any
Nation. Color or Religion. To live Free, respected and Secure.
O Lord Listen to us and respond to our cry.
Amen.
Jordan:
Decree endorses appointment of Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
BBC - August 23
Amman, 23 August: A royal decree was issued endorsing the appointment of the
Patriarch of Jerusalem for the Roman Orthodox. Prime Minister Ali Abu-al-Raghib
on Thursday 23 August received the Patriarch of Jerusalem and handed him the
Royal Decree.
Abu-al-Raghib conveyed His Majesty King Abdallah II's best wishes to the
Patriarch.
The prime minister reiterated the government's keenness for more cooperation
with the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem voiced his appreciation for His Majesty King Abdallah
II for endorsing his appointment as Patriarch.
He hailed religious tolerance between Muslims and Christians in Jordan supported
by His Majesty King Abdallah II setting an example of solidarity.
A NOCTURNAL CHAT WITH GOD
Last night, in the stillness of a dark moment, I dreamt that I had a chat
with God. I would like to share the gist of the conversation with you. It
helped me - it might help you too?!
"Come
in," God said. "So, you would like to talk
to Me?"
"If you have the time," I said.
God smiled and said: "My time is eternity and is enough to do everything. What questions do you have in mind to ask me?"
"What
surprises you most about humankind?"
God answered:
"That they
get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be
children again;
That they lose
their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health;
That by thinking
anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live
neither for the present nor the future;
That they live
as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived."
Then, God's hands took mine and we were silent for a while and then I asked ...
"As a parent, what are some of life's lessons you want your children to
learn?"
God replied with a smile:
"To learn that they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is to
let themselves be loved;
To learn that
what is most valuable is not What they have in their lives, but Who they have
in their lives;
To learn that it
is not good to compare themselves to others. All will be judged individually on
their own merits, not as a group on the basis of comparisons;
To learn that a
rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least;
To learn that it
only takes a few short seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and
that it takes many years to heal them;
To learn to
forgive by practising forgiveness;
To learn that
there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express,
share or show their feelings;
To learn that
money can buy everything but happiness;
To learn that
two people can look at the same thing and see it totally different;
To learn that a
true friend is someone who knows everything about them and likes them anyway;
To learn that it
is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to
forgive themselves."
I sat there for a while enjoying the moment. I thanked Him for his time and for
all that He has done for me. He replied, "Anytime. I'm here 24 hours
a day. All you have to do is ask for me, and I'll answer."
Perhaps I should remember that ...
People will forget what you said.
People will forget what you did,
But people will never forget how you made them feel.
I wish I could apply those lessons from the interview into my own life. I would be so much the richer for it, and so much the lighter for the wisdom it brings with it too..! harry-bvH:
Visit this link to the campaign of prayer
for peace prepared by a catholic student from in Vienna
http://www.angelfire.com/amiga/alphai/prayercall.html
|
Important note to our dear readers We really hope
that you enjoy what we try to send you and find it useful, and if you need
any further information, please feel free to contact us:
nonviolence@writeme.com * But, you have to take in consideration
that this newsletter is not an official newsletter of the Latin Patriarchate
of Jerusalem; * Only the documents signed by the
Patriarch himself, express an official position, but all the other news,
articles and documents express the personal opinion of their authors; * I remain the only responsible of the
presentation and the editorials of this newsletter, which is wanted to be a
simple instrument of information without any pretension; * We don’t side with anybody, we only
side with the truth, and strive for human rights, justice, peace and
reconciliation for everybody as usual. Thank you for your understanding & Best wishes from Jerusalem Fr. Raed Abusahlia |