The thirteen Heads of Churches in Jerusalem had called for Sunday, January 4, to be a day of prayer for justice and peace in the Holy Land. This call originally came from Pope Benedict XVI, who wanted to unite his prayer in Rome with it. Thus there were many prayers in all the Christian communities.
Among other venues, following the invitation of the Sabeel Ecumenical Center for Liberation Theology, representatives from all the Churches in Jerusalem united at the Dominican priory of St. Stephen to pray together for peace in Gaza.
The church was full with an assembly that was made up of many Palestinians as well as Hebrew-speaking Christians in particular. The prayer began with a time of silence before reading Ephesians 6:10-17 ("Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.") and the gospel according to St. Matthew 7:7-17 ("Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you."). After a meditation given by the Patriarch emeritus Michel Sabbah, a heartrending message from Father Manuel Musallam, the parish priest of the Latin parish in Gaza, was read in Arabic.
"From the valley of tears, from Gaza bathed in its own blood, blood that has stifled happiness in the hearts of 1 1/2 million inhabitants, I am writing these words of faith and of hope to you. I shall not use the word love; it is stuck even in our Christian throats." The message continues by testifying to Cristina’s death, a young Christian girl, aged 15, who died of a heart attack in the repeated bombardings; her body was already exhausted from the cold in a house of which all the window panes had broken in explosions, from hunger, from lack of sleep, from fear. Father Manuel described the dramatic situation in Gaza forthe civil population, in the hospitals, etc.
In the assembly, some people wept when they heard this testimony. Everyone felt great sorrow.
Father Manuel’s message ended with a call for peace, and the assembly continued with a song requesting peace of the Lord while lighting candles.
The prayer continued with intercessions in various languages for the people of Gaza, for prisoners, for people who have been deported, and for refugees, for the end of the attack, and for the efforts that are being made for peace.
Mab
Among other venues, following the invitation of the Sabeel Ecumenical Center for Liberation Theology, representatives from all the Churches in Jerusalem united at the Dominican priory of St. Stephen to pray together for peace in Gaza.
The church was full with an assembly that was made up of many Palestinians as well as Hebrew-speaking Christians in particular. The prayer began with a time of silence before reading Ephesians 6:10-17 ("Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.") and the gospel according to St. Matthew 7:7-17 ("Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you."). After a meditation given by the Patriarch emeritus Michel Sabbah, a heartrending message from Father Manuel Musallam, the parish priest of the Latin parish in Gaza, was read in Arabic.
"From the valley of tears, from Gaza bathed in its own blood, blood that has stifled happiness in the hearts of 1 1/2 million inhabitants, I am writing these words of faith and of hope to you. I shall not use the word love; it is stuck even in our Christian throats." The message continues by testifying to Cristina’s death, a young Christian girl, aged 15, who died of a heart attack in the repeated bombardings; her body was already exhausted from the cold in a house of which all the window panes had broken in explosions, from hunger, from lack of sleep, from fear. Father Manuel described the dramatic situation in Gaza forthe civil population, in the hospitals, etc.
In the assembly, some people wept when they heard this testimony. Everyone felt great sorrow.
Father Manuel’s message ended with a call for peace, and the assembly continued with a song requesting peace of the Lord while lighting candles.
The prayer continued with intercessions in various languages for the people of Gaza, for prisoners, for people who have been deported, and for refugees, for the end of the attack, and for the efforts that are being made for peace.
Mab