LATIN PATRIARCHY - JERUSALEM

Easter Message

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Let's rejoice and renew our hope. Yes, brothers and sisters, we invite you to rejoice in spite of the hardships we are suffering. We invite you to live in spite of the death that surrounds us. We invite you to love in spite of the hatred that demolishes the hearts in these days. Christ is risen. He defeated death and death has no more power on him. This is our Easter wish for all: to see that death is overcome and has no more power in this Holy Land on the hearts of Palestinians and Israelis.

We, Christians, believe in the Resurrection, therefore we keep hoping that one day, the Holy Land will be for all its inhabitants, a land of Resurrection and no more a land of death and hatred.

The Gospel says that Jesus, on one of his last days, " as he drew near and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it, and said: if you too had only recognized on this day the way to peace" (Lc 19,41-42). All people of good will today shed tears on the holy city and wish to its inhabitants and to its governors to see the ways of peace. Because the ways followed so far are not those that can lead to peace: the military actions, the siege imposed upon all Palestinian cities and villages, making them big jails, where human dignity is violated, where killing is going on together with demolitions of possessions and houses. All these actions are not a way that leads to peace. On the contrary, all this gives rise to more death and more destruction of the human dignity that leads to more war and more killing and insecurity. Since the liberation of the Basilica of the Nativity, one year ago, nothing has changed for us. The Basilica is liberated, but not the human being, the Palestinians remain under siege, exposed to humiliations, to hunger and to anarchy and the Israelis remain in their insecurity and fear.

And what we live here, in this Holy Land, we begin to see it also in Iraq. One said that the war of Iraq was a step toward peace. Pope Jean Paul II clearly says that only the means of peace can lead to peace. The international community needs to renew itself in order to find the ways of putting a limit to the use of power by the strong and to save humanity from the threat of new world wars. It is necessary to fight against terrorism, wherever it may be, but the struggle against terrorism starts with a revision of criteria and values. The first step to put an end to terrorism is to start with a self-examination in order to find the possible roots of evil and death in oneself, roots that allow the strong to attack the weak and to impose injustices and deprivations upon peoples. " So now, you kings, come to your senses; you, earthly rulers, learn your lesson. In fear, be submissive to God" (Ps 2, 10-11). To be submissive to God means to make peace with justice. Dealing with other people and nations according to the requirements of peace and justice is the only way to avoid all sorts of terrorism.

Our message to our leaders in this holy land is the following: you are elected to bring peace and security, and therefore to follow the ways that bring peace and security. The ways followed so far did not achieve peace and security, neither to the Israeli nor to the Palestinian people. You, too, listen to what God says. He says peace and justice go together. Change your ways. Take away the fear from your people's hearts. Believe that the peace is possible and that the Palestinians are capable of living in peace once their freedom and their rights are given back to them.

We celebrate Easter. It means the passage from death to life, from slavery to freedom. I wish to all Christians and to all Palestinians to pass from the present death to a new life, based on a reacquired freedom, on justice, forgiveness, love and reconciliation. I wish to the Jewish people celebrating Passover to pass from rhe present situation of fear to security, based also on justice, forgiveness, love and reconciliation. A new world order should have the same bases: justice, forgiveness, love and reconciliation. Without forgiveness and without God's presence among men, death will lead only to death, and war will only produce war and terrorism. One cannot; under any pretext, build a new world order while starting with the demolition of the human person in it.

Christ is risen. Yes, He is risen indeed. To all of you I wish an Easter of peace, justice, forgiveness, love and reconciliation.

Michel Sabbah, Patriarch Easter, April 2003

April 15, 2003

From BISHOP DR. MUNIB A. YOUNAN --Evangelical Lutheran Church

Salaam and grace to you from Jerusalem, the city of Christ's death and resurrection.

At this time of difficulty and hopelessness throughout the world, we in the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCJ) invite you to join us in Palestine, Jordan and Israel as we bring the following petitions to our Lord in our prayers during Holy Week 2003.

Gracious God,

We pray for those who have lost hope and live in hopelessness, that their faith and hope may be restored.

We pray for those who believe in the culture of coercion, that God may change their hearts so they may believe in a culture of negotiation and dialogue.

We pray that the war in Iraq will be halted so that the blood shed may end.

We pray for the Palestinian people - the children, young people, women and men - people who live under military occupation, that they may see the promise of God in the liberation of Christ's death on the cross.

We pray for the liberation of Israeli people from their fear and insecurity so they may understand that by ending the military occupation they liberate themselves as well as the Palestinians.

We pray for the Christian Church that has been witnessing to Christ's salvific act on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, that the Church may continue to witness for the Risen Lord and advance God's Kingdom of love, forgiveness, just peace and reconciliation.

We pray for all those who have lost their dear ones, or are injured, or are handicapped, or are imprisoned, or are bitter, or are living in hatred, that God may grant to them healing and the peace of the cross.

We pray for Palestinian Christians and the unity of the Church, that they may be living witnesses in their suffering.

We pray for world leaders, that they will not burn the bridges of peace and dialogue, and that they may not trust power and force but rather trust in the good will of human beings and in the self-determination of every nation.

We pray for the partner churches of the ELCJ whose voices in the world and the Middle East have composed a symphony of justice and reconciliation, even though their voices have been and continue to be disturbing to others, that they may continue to be voices in the wilderness of ignorance, misunderstanding and war.

We pray that Palestinians may have their own state within the 1967 borders, living side by side with Israel in justice, peace, equality and reconciliation.

We pray for the people of living conscience from various religions that are working together to change our world with mutuality, tolerance, respect for the aspirations of others and a culture of peace.

We pray for the ELCJ bishop, pastors, congregations, schools, diaconal work, reconciliation work, dialogue work and ecumenism, that they may continue with the other Palestinian Christian churches to be salt in their societies and continue to be witnesses of Christ's Resurrection.

Together we bring all our prayers to the foot of the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCJ)
P.O. Box 14076, Old City Jerusalem 91140, via Israel
www.holyland-lutherans.org
ga_elcj@netvision.net

Easter in Bethlehem - 2003 - by Paola Handal

The tone of Easter was better than that of Christmas. The area of Bethlehem
was not overshadowed by curfews and such an intense Israeli presence.
Nevertheless, as everyone recalls, it's just not the same as previous years.

I arrived in Bethlehem just two days before Catholic Easter (being away the
whole month) and everyone were preparing for their feasts. Women were busy
making the traditional cakes and mamouls and coloring the eggs in different
colors. Chocolate bunnies were mostly sold out in supermarkets and people
were out buying last minute necessities.

Easter Sunday mass was filled with families wearing their best dresses. Each
hour was filled with worshippers celebrating the Easter festivities. Some
others had permits to Jerusalem and managed to go worship in the Church of
the Holy Sepulcher. After mass, most families had lunch plans with other
family members or in restaurants. Any of the restaurants of the Bethlehem
area had special lunches prepared and many Catholic families were out.

The afternoon was filled with family and friendly visits. With each visit
one was entitled to eat the cakes, eat the chocolates and play crack the
other's egg game. Then you leave with the remainder of the egg at home. I
myself with each visit was stuffed with sweets and came home with a bundle
of cracked eggs. That's Easter in Bethlehem!

Orthodox Easter is next week so festivities continue for this area.

Though it's hard for people to forget the months of injustice, and
imprisonment in your own home under Israeli curfew, this is the first festive mood people
have had in a while.  We hope this joy lasts, and justice prevails.
 

Paola Handal

Bethlehem, Palestine 2003