TLDR: The clergy of the parish join the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem in their condemnation of all acts of violence and killing, especially of civilians and the innocent, and advocate for a just and comprehensive peace for all living in the Holy Land.
These last few days have been marked by emergency meetings in the Holy Land. One of the groups meeting almost on a daily basis is the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, which include the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, Hosan Naoum. As you may remember, Saint Dunstan’s is a “Good Friday” congregation, meaning that for many years our Good Friday collection has been sent to the Diocese of Jerusalem for their work in the Holy Land. Additionally, many of our parishioners have been on holy pilgrimages in the area and are deeply concerned about this unrest. As such, what happens in the region is of deep interest to me and to many of you. In this blog, I will summarize the statement of the Churches in Jerusalem and that of the local Anglican Archbishop, and I will call for a day of prayer.
On October 13, 2023, an emergency committee of the group mentioned above issued an urgent statement regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The statement states, “Our beloved Holy Land has changed dramatically over the past week. We are witnessing a new cycle of violence with an unjustifiable attack against all civilians. Tensions continue to rise and more innocent and vulnerable people are paying the ultimate price as the dramatic level of death and destruction in Gaza clearly show… The displacement of 1.1 million people to Southern Gaza will only deepen an already disastrous humanitarian catastrophe.” The statement (found here) ends with the following words, “We condemn all acts of violence and killing, especially of civilians and the innocent. And we advocate for a just and comprehensive peace for all living here. In order to stop the vengeful cycle of violence, we exhort everyone to exercise self-control. Since everyone loses in war, we also call for all parties to pursue peaceful, diplomatic solutions towards a just and lasting agreement for both people in a two-state solution. Only in this way can we all enjoy freedom, justice, and peace.”
In his own statement, Archbishop Naoum, stated, “Again we find ourselves living through hard times in the land of the Holy One, where we are surrounded by war, violence, hatred, and destruction. Many in our region now live with great fear and uncertainty… We pray without ceasing for justice, reconciliation, peace, and an end to violence and war. We also pray for God to change the hearts of all leaders and decision-makers in our countries and around the world. For we are in desperate need of hearts that love, show mercy, and are willing to live in unity with others -hearts that respect human dignity and choose life rather than death.”
The Archbishop proceeds to issue a call for prayer and fasting for peace, reconciliation, and an end of war on 10-17-23. Sadly, I just received a copy of this statement last night and had no time to organize a cycle of prayer in our church for today. Therefore, I am asking all parishioners to join the Churches of the Holy Land in a day of fasting and prayer this coming Friday, October 20th, 2023, from 6:00am to 6:00pm. We can then break the fast together as we join our Street of Shoppes (S.O.S. 2.0) at our first annual gala to benefit our outreach ministries. This fasting and prayer will be an individual and/or family exercise that will conclude with specific prayers for peace and reconciliation at all Sunday services on 10-22-23. Additionally, I ask all leaders of small parish groups to pray for justice, peace, and reconciliation at all their meetings over the next few weeks. The situation in the Holy Land is truly desperate and there are hundreds of thousands of innocent people paying the consequences for Hamas’ evil and destruction. As Christians, we believe that God listens to the prayers of his people, and only God can lead us to true peace. Please know that your parish clergy has been in prayer for all innocent victims of this war and that we stand on the side of dignity, freedom, and peace for all God’s children.
If any of you would like to engage in some conversation about these weighty issues, please feel free to email, text, or call me at your convenience. “Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21).
Blessings to all,
Fr. Roman+
