Jerusalem, Jerusalem

"As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "If you,even you,

 had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But Now they
are hidden from your eyes."

Luke 19:41-42  

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it?

How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood

under her wings, and you will not see me again until you say, "Blessed is the one who

comes in the name of the Lord."  Matthew 23:37

I have climbed the Mount of Olives and visited most of the holy sites where Jesus is said to have stood or  prayed or died. I am glad I went but there are only a few where I could feel or imagine the story really taking place. The Church of Dominus Flevit (means The Lord Wept) is one of them. It is from their window that I took this picture because like Jesus I could look out and see all of Jerusalem before me and like him it makes me weep because we still do not know what makes for peace and we are still killing our prophets and the city, beautiful as it still is, is still divided and its residents fighting with each other over land, cemmeteries, and holy sites. It is also a place where though Muslims, Christians, and Jews share the city they are not one community.

According to Naim Ateek in A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation, Jerusalem's history is one of conquests and reconquests by one empire after another (more than thirty-seven). And the city has been destroyed and rebuilt at least 18 times. But though this is true, Ateek reminds us that God's Spirit is bigger than any one place we can create.  He reminds us of the danger of sacralizing the world and forgetting the importance of encountering God in the love and service to other human beings.

I find these helpful reminders as I prepare to enter the holy city tomorrow with thousands of other pilgrims from all over the world.  I will also not forget the "facts on the ground" as my Palestinian companeros put it, that the latest conquest by the Israeli government in 1967 has meant that Jerusalem  now includes over 65 kilometers of surrounding country and villages. They are now part of Israel's "eternal and indivisible"capitol. To achieve the goal of increasing the number of Jews within the new city limits also means reducing the number of Palestinians. There are many ways this is achieved. Here are some: physically separate East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank; limit building permits and demolish homes that don't have them; revoke the residency and social benefits of Palestinians who are unable to show that their main residence is the city or who have been gone for at least three years.

I will add to my prayers at the stations of the cross, prayers for the crumbling down of this wall, the 174 Palestinians who were displaced by demolitions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem from January-February this year. I will pray for my fellow Christians who can't go to Jerusalem because they were denied a permit. I will pray that the settlers who are celebrating Passover will remember that all of God's people are to be allowed to live free of oppression. I will pray that my country and the heads of other countries stop talking about stopping  illegal settlement development and actually do something before it is too late for a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem or a viable two-state solution.  I will pray for the courage and strength to carry on this important peace making work here and when I return.

Ten measures of beauty God gave to the world,
nine to Jerusalem, one to the rest---
ten measures of sorrow God gave to the world,
nine to Jerusalem,one to the rest---
so,pray for the peace---pray for the peace;
pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
              Garth Hewitt

Rev. Loren McGrail

Ecumenical Accompanier

Bethlehem Team

lorenmcgrail@gmail.com