Not Just a Message for a Ben Gurion Audience

As I alluded to, I’ve been in the Holy Land.

I hope to share aspects of the trip here throughout Lent.

John Paul II Pope Benedict XVI said in May 2009 upon arrival at the Tel Aviv airport:

Christian communities in the Holy Land, I say: by your faithful witness to him who preached forgiveness and reconciliation, by your commitment to uphold the sacredness of every human life, you can make a particular contribution to ending the hostilities that for so long have afflicted this land. I pray that your continuing presence in the Israeli and the Palestinian Territories will bear much fruit in promoting peace and mutual respect among all the people who live in the land of the Bible.

Of course, the reality is: Christians are fighting Christians here. Even, at times, within the Church of the Nativity and the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre itself — the land on which where Christ died, where his tomb resides. That’s just not right. And yet here we are.

As one wise woman travelling with me said: “We still have a lot to learn” from Christ.