Marketplace in Hebron
Hebron is a sad and large City. Sad because it is poor with no work and no opportunity for its lively and charming young people. Full of life, they are slightly cheeky and highly skilled at selling Christian groups things they do not want, and things which cause problems trying to fly home. Large because it has a population of 250,000 who live in poor conditions.
Hebron is a West Bank Palestinian City situated in the wine-growing area of ancient Canaan. It is the home of the Mosque which is built over the cave in which is buried Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebecca - Rachel is buried in Bethlehem- and it is a sacred place for Jews and Muslims.
Tomb of Abraham
The synagogue is a reformed one and is in a prosperous part of West Jerusalem. We arrived for the service which begins Shabbat on Friday evening. The synagogue was packed with people of all ages. The liturgy was beautiful. It was relaxed and informal and familiar to all. Everyone seemed to know the psalms by heart and the tunes which accompanied them. The Rabbi presided in a warm and gentle manner, acknowledging crying children occasionally. He encouraged us to pray in silence and to take deep breaths at key points. We received a warm welcome.
Friday June 17th: In Mark's Gospel, as Jesus sits opposite the Treasury of the Jerusalem Temple, he sees a poor widow placing two small coins as her offering. Jesus comments that she put in all that she had to live on, her whole life in fact. While we strive to emulate her generosity and selflessness, the important point not to miss is that the Temple Treasury was exploiting her. Mark makes it clear that the Temple was a corrupt religious institution only too content to exploit the poor.
It was the religious leadership that had little respect for the widow and it was they who brought about the death of Jesus. The message is clear for all who have a leadership role in the Church. We are called to the service of ministry which has to be marked by prayer, a generous listening to the word of God, massive respect for each person and creation, gratitude and a deep sense of the need for continuing repentance.
Garden of Gethsemane
Interfaith Dialogue: The document Nostra Aetate speaks of our responsibility to engage with our non-Christian brothers and sisters. Such dialogue will not only serve to deepen our respect but will also make us better disciples of Jesus by broadening the horizons of our faith.
Thursday June 16th: Living in the Old City of Jerusalem is something I have always wanted to do and every day I remind myself to be grateful for such a privilege.
27,000 people live in the Old City making it one of the most densely populated in the world. Interesting only 2500 Jews live here and most of the population is Arabic . The City is divided into four quarters: one for Christians; one for Jews; one for Muslims and one for Armenians. The Armenian Christians arrived in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 4th century and claimed to have discovered the true Cross and the site of the Holy Sepulchre.
In the third century the Roman Emperor Hadrian replanned the city in order to control the troublesome Jews so that the two main streets divide the City into quarters.
Jerusalem
Wednesday June 15th: There are many worthy causes in the world and most can make good cases for financial support and sponsorship. One of those cases is certainly the young people and families of Bethlehem. The construction of the wall separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem and its hinterland causing much social, emotional and economical hardship for people who live on the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Today I visited the Franciscan Family Centre at Bethlehem. It is run by Sr. Maria Grech and its purpose is to provide counselling for families; to provide educational support including home visits and providing information and referral assistance; to assist parents in knowing more about child development and mutual interaction; to create employment opportunities for the community; to provide sponsors for the education of our marginalised children and to repair and renovate the housing of the poor.
Sr. Maria would welcome sponsors and enquiries from those who could help financially. Her email is : mariagrech2003@yahoo.co.uk
Another worthy cause for financial support from individuals and our Covenant with the Poor would be Bethlehem University which is run by the De La Salle Brothers. Enquiries to: info@bethlehem.edu or visit www.bethlehem.edu .
This is a photo of Sr. Maria and me at the Franciscan Family Centre.