Today is the Feast of the Epiphany, the traditional date when the three wise men went to Bethlehem to see the infant Jesus. Matthew’s Gospel tells us they had stopped by Jerusalem to ask Herod where the child was, and Herod’s response was to order the slaughter of children two years or under.
The light of Epiphany has become dark once again with the banning of UNWRA aid in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. It is not putting children to the sword as described in Matthew but it will cause the deaths of thousands of children. The Israeli government claiming UNWRA is a cover for Hamas, in the same way, is arresting health care workers and doctors who provide life-saving treatment.
Right wing Israeli politicians, not to mention Jared Kushner, eye Gaza as a place open for development without Palestinians. As Jamie McGoldrick, who oversaw UNWRA operations until last April, said: “You have to question what is the thinking and what is the end goal?”
Prayer for the Day
We sing of shepherds and kings, each bringing a special gift,
Gifts of adoration, gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh;
We sing of angels in the sky and a Star in the East,
Images of beauty and harbingers of the future.
But darkness obscures the Star, O God, and we shudder,
Afraid of what the future may bring to the poor and powerless.
In the name of the One who gives power to the powerless,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The world has abandoned us. We have nothing but the aid we get from UNRWA to survive. If that stops, what will we do?
Sami Abu Darweesh, UNWRA refugee camp resident, southern Gaza
If we can’t share that information [ were aid is going] with Israeli authorities on a daily basis, then we have staff lives in danger. {More than 250 UNRWA workers have already been killed in the Gaza war).
Louise Wateridge, a senior UNRWA official on the ground in Gaza
A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled
Because they are no more.
The prophet Jeremiah quoted in Matthew 2:19