LATIN PATRIARCHATE of JERUSALEM

 Pentecost, May 30, 2004 -- Homily

1. As we gather to pray this morning, we commemorate the day of Pentecost, when the Apostles were gathered together and, filled by the Holy Spirit, proclaimed to all peoples the good news of salvation. They proclaimed it in all languages to be understood by the hearts of those who heard it, and thousands of hearts understood. In response they asked Peter and his colleagues “Brothers, what are we to do?” Peter answered them: “You must repent, and everyone of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus” (Acts 2, 37-38).

2. We need this presence of the Holy Spirit in us, very much, today, not only for our personal, individual lives, but also for the lives of our Churches and countries. The land in which we pray this morning, as every day, is a Holy Land. Indeed, we celebrate the Eucharist this morning in the very place we believe the event took place which we are commemorating, namely the descending of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and the foundation of the Church. All the world knows that this land is Holy but we say it this morning in a particular way in order to say that this Holy Land is a land profaned by the people. Instead of seeing God and the manifestation of His love, His peace, through all His children, all His creatures, we remain blind, incapable to see and to receive all His children. Instead of children of God we see enemies. That is why we kill, and the blood of man continues to flow. I say “we kill” and not “they kill”, because after all, in a situation like the one of our country, it is the community of persons who does it and who together bears the responsibility. And we are a part of it. The human life, given by God, does not stop to be violated by human beings. We know, we admit that those who kill are desperately searching life, peace and security. But they do not succeed finding the way to reach there, and that is why they set out on ways which open to and which are ways of crime, of violence, of destruction of human dignity.

3. We are gathered here, in this holy place, this morning, to invoke the help of the Holy Spirit as we praise God for the grace He has granted to humanity, for our salvation, for our redemption and for the resurrection. But in the face of all this, can we close our eyes and not see the crime in the hearts of men with whom, together, we constitute a single society of human beings, in the hearts of those who kill, demolish and hate? Can we be content saying: it is their conflict, their problem, we keep off, with clean hands and a quiet conscience? As Christians ransomed by the blood of Christ and enlightened by the Holy Spirit we must be concerned for the death of every human being. No Israeli should die. No Palestinian should die. Every hatred born in a human heart should concern us, because it is the beginning of death in the soul as well as the beginning of fratricide. Every demolished home is ours, for why should we remain well-protected in the shadow of the tempest, whilst the poor, the weak and the oppressed have to pay and to see their houses destroyed?

What can we do? Are we powerless or are we ignorant, not knowing how to discern between good and evil, unable to speak of it or act accordingly? It does not help to hide behind the complexity of the situation. The situation is both simple and clear: The Israelis should live in peace and security. The Palestinians, too, should live in peace and security. Israelis who kill Palestinians are evil. Palestinians who kill Israelis are evil, likewise. Killing is an evil for both, just as Military Occupation with domination and humiliation of the other is an evil, too, which has to be uprooted. We have to say this, to cry out with one single voice. Though the people may not wish to listen – God will listen.

4.  The Holy Spirit in our lives is the love of God, His light to guide us in our daily lives, in our spiritual lives and in our presence before God. However, in the presence of God we cannot present ourselves alone, especially if we are living together with those who kill or are killed. As such we must present them to God and as such they must be part of our prayers. To both we say “You shall not kill!” And to the one maintaining his occupation and domination over the other one we say “You are not allowed to occupy the land of your brother!” And in the presence of God we say: Lord, have mercy on them, enlighten their hearts and fill them with your Holy Spirit of love and power of forgiveness and reconciliation! 

The land is holy for the Christians as it is for the Jews and the Muslims. And being holy for the Christians, the Christians have obligations concerning it; not obligations of war and conquest, but an obligation towards reconciliation concerning all those who live in this land. 

5. The apostles proclaimed the Resurrection, the redemption of man, his deliverance from every evil, his entry into joy and glory. This is valid for all humanity, not least for this country.

In a moment as hard as our time in the history of this country, the prophet Jeremiah asked himself: “Is the Lord no longer in Zion?” (Jer 8,19) And with the Psalmist we, too, are crying: “Does God forget to show mercy? In anger does he shut of His tenderness? Is His love exhausted?” (cf. Ps 76,9-10)

Yes, God is still here, on this holy mountain and in this Holy Land, and his love is not exhausted. But one has to look out for it. The Holy Spirit, in us, lets us see it. The word of God has become man here, “Emmanuel”, to stay with us. Brothers and sisters, everybody has to look what he has to do. For something must be done. Those who are killed are you, your children and your beloved, be they Israelis or Palestinians. The demolished houses are your houses. And thus the evil has to be stopped. Let us say together: “It is an evil of which we need to be liberated.” Everybody must speak in his language, for there are languages which are understood, which better touch the heart of those who hate or who kill. Speak all the languages the Spirit is giving to you, and the Spirit will help you to put the peace into the hearts of all of them, Palestinians and Israelis, Jews, Christians and Muslims. “The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness… and we know that God works with those who love him, and turns everything to their good” (Rom 8,26.28)

† Michel Sabbah, Patriarch