It’s the end of the week and there seems to be no respite from the craziness of the week here at home or the terrors many continue to live under in other parts of the world. Largely ignored by the rest of the world, the last small remaining Bedouin village of Ras ‘Ein al ‘Auja with 135 families is now the target of Israeli “settlers,” who with their army-backed program of arson, theft and beatings.
With our attention focused so much on Gaza, the West Bank has been largely forgotten. Once, this area was about 20% Christian, but as Israeli government pressure intensified Christians found it easier to get visas and residence elsewhere. I mean, how much can one take?
At the end of the week, we look for something to soothe us. But, alas, there is little. So, it’s important to try to stay focused on some really important things, such as our relationship with each other which enables us to live in community in spite of our personal differences. Sometimes creating a little peace in our hearts can help steel us against the turmoil we feel when we see the world around us.
Prayer for the Day
Waking to a world full of violence and terror, O God,
We wonder how to get through another day;
Disheartened by the news around us, O Lord,
We want to shut ourselves off and burrow into a cave.
But you, O Holy One, call us to stand against violence,
And build community one with another.
In the name of the One who is our strength,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
When the war started settler leadership understood they had an unprecedented opportunity to step up ethnic cleansing for the area. The midterm goal is to remove Palestinians from all the open land in the West Bank, and they are doing this with the full participation of the Israeli government. The settler maps make clear that ultimately they want to empty the land of Palestinians.
Sarit Michaeli, international director, B’Tselem human rights group
Heroes were ordinary people who knew that even if their own lives were impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else's. And maybe that one act could lead someone to rescue you right back.
Jodi Picoult, from Second Glance
Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith.
Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?
Unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test …
Paul in 2 Corinthians 13: 5