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23 Jan 2011 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

IF YOU HAVE ever seen the Sea of Galilee at sunrise, you would never have wanted to leave it. I woke up in Tiberias every morning for a whole week last summer, and the golden light on the water was so lovely it rendered me speechless. The rising sun actually turned the normally bright blue sea into a shimmering pool of liquid gold. It was like waking to the dawn of creation each time. Belief in a benevolent and beautiful God was beyond question in that favored place. Each time I rose to see that magnificence, I wondered: How did they do it? How did Peter and Andrew, James and John walk away not only from their families, their boats, their livelihood, and their secure futures but also leave the side of that gentle, majestic, and maternal sea? The whole region of the Galilee is unquestionably the most blessed part of Israel in terms of natural resources. No wonder the Gentiles, from the time of the Assyrian invasion in Isaiah’s lifetime until Roman rule (when Herod Antipas built Tiberias to honor the emperor), chose to hunker down and trade by the sea rather than venture south into the dusty desert where Jerusalem stood on its lonely hill of Zion. The Jews of David’s city might disparage Galileans for being culturally goyim, non-Jewish, just as the folks of nearby Nazareth were considered ne’er-do-wells. But citizens of Galilee knew the truth: Their territory flowed with the biblically promised milk and honey, while Jerusalem flowed mostly with the blood of Israel’s prophets. When Jesus left Nazareth he might have headed due south and intercepted his destiny in the heart of Jewish territory expediently. Instead he took the short northern route to the seaside, into the rich mix of commercially crucial Galilee. The renewed Jewish presence there was only 100 years old and would last another century. Even today Christians and Muslims outnumber Jews in many northern cities—the point being that Capernaum was not the obvious choice, Galilee not the most desirable breeding ground for a Jewish prophet intent on religious reform. If Jerusalem was and is the boiling point of all things God-related, then Galilee was a rather tepid place to begin. But not for Isaiah. The seer from nine centuries earlier envisioned the redemption of this region “degraded” by the Gentile presence. While Messiah-watchers might focus on pivotal Jerusalem or even Davidically significant Bethlehem, only careful students of prophecy would think twice about some northern fishing and farming towns. Yet in Galilee Jesus reaps the images of his parables, works the bulk of his miracles, and harvests his 12 closest followers. Maybe only folks who’ve walked in darkness can appreciate the light when it dawns. Related scripture links Just Jesus: Rom. 2:9; 1 Cor. 2:2 The need for unity: Rom. 14:1-15:13, 16:17-20; 1 Cor. 12:1-31 Faith rooted in Christ: Rom. 1:4; 1 Cor. 3:21-22; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:13-22; Col. 1:15-20, 3:11 Catechism links Discipleship: CCC 425-429; 541-542; 618; 787-789; 878; 1816; 1989 Christian joy: CCC 1720-1724

Authors Alice Camille

galilee jerusalem underdogs

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Letters to God find a home

28 Dec 2008 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Just before Hanukkah and Christmas a handful of Jerusalem postal workers leave the post office for a few hours and head to the Western Wall. They are hauling thousands of letters addressed to "God, Jerusalem Israel," "the Almighty," or "the Wailing Wall," among others. At the wall the workers separate the letters by gender, going either to the men's or women's prayer sections. They then carefully open the envelopes, fold the letters into slivers, and insert them into crevices. The letters arrive from dozens of countries, some of which, like Malaysia and Kuwait, do not have diplomatic ties with Israel. "The majority come[s] from Christians, but a sizable number come from Jews and even a few from Muslims," said postal worker Avi Yaniv, the manager of the "dead letters" department. "There are also quite a few letters to Santa Claus." Yaniv, a 65-year-old grandfather some call "God's postman,” said he and his fellow postal workers read some of the letters before placing them in the wall, but are careful not to look at the senders' names out of respect for their privacy. Of all the letters he has read over the years, Yaniv said he was particularly moved by one from a mother asking God to heal her son of alcoholism and drug abuse. Another, from a little boy, asked God to bring him a Harry Potter wizard's wand for Christmas. Many others ask for strength to confront challenges ranging from illness and unemployment to marital problems and sexual abuse. Regardless of the religion of the sender, all letters addressed to God are taken to the Western Wall, said Avi Hochman, general manager of the Israel Postal Service. "Israel is a Jewish country and the Kotel [Western Wall] is a sacred place. All people are welcome to pray here. We respect all minorities," Hochman said. "I'm religious myself, so this task gives me the opportunity to go to the Kotel and be part of it," said Iris Cohen, another letter sorter. "I'm attached to this job." "It is a privilege," said Yaniv. "In Jerusalem we feel very close to God, as if he is just a local call away." Source: An article by Michele Chabin for Religion News Service

Christmas western wall wailing wall letters hannukah avi yaniv jerusalem temple israel postal service

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Wailing at Western Wall prayers

08 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"If God is for us, who can be against?" asks Saint Paul in the Letter to the Romans. While International Women's Day this Sunday is designed to acknowledge and celebrate women's achievements and contributions in all sectors of society, the presence of about 70 Jewish women praying aloud at Jerusalem's Western Wall area was not a cause for celebration among some Orthodox Jews. Reform Jewish women rabbis from North America sparked controversy by praying at the Western Wall last Wednesday, defying Orthodox Jewish customs by praying and singing aloud while wearing prayer shawls and skull caps at the holy site. The women, in Israel for a gathering of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, arrived at the Western Wall at about 7 a.m. on February 25 along with members of the Women of the Wall organization, which regularly organizes prayers at the site for ultra-Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative women. "There were about 70 of us praying when someone from the men's section started shouting that 'a woman's voice is lewd' and that our singing was offensive," said Anat Hoffman, an activist for Reform Judaism in Israel who attended the prayer. "I was ashamed in front of the guests from America." Jackie Ellenson, one of the visitors who attended the prayer, said that several ultra-Orthodox women then approached and demanded that the Reform prayers remain quiet and that the women rabbis take off their shawls and skull caps. In explaining the prayer, Ellenson--the wife of Hebrew Union College President David Ellenson--noted that the Wall is sacred to all Jews. "The ultra-Orthodox movement does not own the Wall," she said. "All Jews own it." Source: Articles by Ecumenical News International and Cnaan Liphshiz for Haaretz.com

western wall women rabbis reformed jews orthodox jews jerusalem international womens day wailing wall

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Unsettling news for Mideast peace talks

13 Sep 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We hear in the reading from the Letter of James this Sunday that faith without works is dead. Those who had faith in fledging Israeli-Palestinian negotiations said Israel's decision this week to approve construction of hundreds of new housing units in the occupied West Bank could strike a death blow to the peace process. Israel officially approved construction of more than 450 new homes in the occupied West Bank, the first new government-approved construction project in the West Bank since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in March. The issue is expected to be discussed when Netanyahu's aides meet U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell later this week. But today's announcement can only complicate a possible resumption of meaningful peace talks with the Palestinians. A senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Israel's decision further undermined its credibility as a partner for peace. "Israel's decision to approve the construction nullifies any effect that a settlement freeze, when and if announced, will have," Erekat said. Close to 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem. Some 2,500 housing units are currently under construction. The settlements are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes that characterization. Source: Articles by BBC News

israel peace talks saeb erekat george mitchell settlements peace negotiations west bank benjamin netanyahu palestinians east jerusalem

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Nations divided on future of Jerusalem

06 Dec 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday's reading from the Book of the Prophet Baruch encourages Jerusalem to take off its "robe of mourning . . ." and "put on the splendor of glory . . . ." That splendor should be divided between Israel and a new state of Palestine in a draft of a European Union (EU) proposal for a "final settlement" between the two parties. An official call for dividing the city is expected from the EU next week. The proposal calls for Jerusalem to be divided in order to serve as the capital of both Israel and a Palestinian state. The draft, authored by Sweden--current holder of the rotating EU presidency--also implies that the EU would recognize a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood. In a statement Tuesday the Israeli Foreign Ministry lashed out at the plan, saying the proposal would hurt rather than help the chances of renewing Middle East peace negotiations. "The process being led by Sweden harms the European Union's ability to take part as a significant mediator in the political process between Israel and the Palestinians." Israel is waging a diplomatic campaign to keep the EU from issuing the plan, but diplomats close to the deliberations believe it is almost inevitable. EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on December 7 for a two-day meeting in Brussels on the peace process, after which a statement outlining the body's Mideast policy is expected. The Swedish draft represented the first official EU articulation of a solution for one of the core issues of a final-status arrangement between Israel and the Palestinians. The document expressed concern over the stalemate in peace negotiations and called for the immediate renewal of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The goal, it stated, is "an independent, democratic, contiguous, and viable state of Palestine comprising the West Bank and Gaza and with East Jerusalem as its capital." "If there is to be a genuine peace," the statement said, "a way must be found to resolve the status of Jerusalem as capital of two states." Source: An article by Barak Ravid for Haaretz.com (Israel)

israel palestinian authority jerusalem peace talks european union palestine sweden

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Unsettling developments in U.S.-Israeli relations

21 Mar 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Mount of Olives, where in this Sunday's gospel Jesus challenges the one "who is without sin" to cast the first stone, is located on a ridge overlooking Jerusalem. This week the city of Jerusalem--sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike--is front and center to a deepening diplomatic crisis in U.S.-Israeli relations.The conflict erupted last week after Israel announced during a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that it would build 1,600 apartments for Jews in disputed east Jerusalem, the sector of the city Palestinians claim for a future capital.The Obama administration, fuming over what it called "insulting" Israeli conduct, has demanded that Israel call off the project. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, however, said such demands are "unreasonable" and predicted the row with the U.S. would blow over, saying neither side had an interest in escalation.But Washington notified Israel early Tuesday that U.S. envoy George Mitchell had put off a trip to the region indefinitely. Mitchell had planned on coming to wrap up preparations for relaunching Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Now it is not clear when the indirect talks will begin.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apologized for the timing of the project's approval, but he has not said it would be canceled. On Wednesday he praised President Obama and spoke by telephone with Biden. But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cast more doubts on prospects for indirect peace talks with Israel soon, reaffirming a demand it first halt all settlement construction.In the heaviest clashes in the city in months, scores of Palestinians this week hurled rocks at police and set tires and garbage bins ablaze across the holy city's volatile eastern sector where the construction is planned. Source: Articles by Jeffrey Heller for Reuters, Andrew Lee Butters for TIME, and Amy Teibel for the Associated Press

israel diplomatic relations east jerusalem peace talks george mitchell settlements joe biden benjamin netanyahu mahmoud abbas united states jerusalem palestinians avigdor lieberman

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Unsettling developments in U.S.-Israeli relations

21 Mar 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Mount of Olives, where in this Sunday's gospel Jesus challenges the one "who is without sin" to cast the first stone, is located on a ridge overlooking Jerusalem. This week the city of Jerusalem--sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike--is front and center to a deepening diplomatic crisis in U.S.-Israeli relations.The conflict erupted last week after Israel announced during a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that it would build 1,600 apartments for Jews in disputed east Jerusalem, the sector of the city Palestinians claim for a future capital.The Obama administration, fuming over what it called "insulting" Israeli conduct, has demanded that Israel call off the project. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, however, said such demands are "unreasonable" and predicted the row with the U.S. would blow over, saying neither side had an interest in escalation.But Washington notified Israel early Tuesday that U.S. envoy George Mitchell had put off a trip to the region indefinitely. Mitchell had planned on coming to wrap up preparations for relaunching Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Now it is not clear when the indirect talks will begin.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apologized for the timing of the project's approval, but he has not said it would be canceled. On Wednesday he praised President Obama and spoke by telephone with Biden. But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cast more doubts on prospects for indirect peace talks with Israel soon, reaffirming a demand it first halt all settlement construction.In the heaviest clashes in the city in months, scores of Palestinians this week hurled rocks at police and set tires and garbage bins ablaze across the holy city's volatile eastern sector where the construction is planned. Source: Articles by Jeffrey Heller for Reuters, Andrew Lee Butters for TIME, and Amy Teibel for the Associated Press

israel diplomatic relations east jerusalem peace talks george mitchell settlements joe biden benjamin netanyahu mahmoud abbas united states jerusalem palestinians avigdor lieberman

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Israel’s unsettling construction plans

09 Dec 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“Up, Jerusalem! Stand upon the heights . . . see your children gathered from the east and the west,” exhorts the prophet Baruch in this Sunday’s first reading. The relationship between Palestinians and Israelis is not so harmonious over Israel’s announcement last week that it intends to build thousands of housing units and expand controversial settlements into areas that would cut through a hoped-for Palestine state. Israel’s settlement push comes in response to—some say in retaliation for—a United Nations vote last week giving de facto state recognition to Palestine.The settlement plan has touched off an escalating international showdown. Palestinians claim the construction would deal a death blow to Mideast peace hopes. Even Israel's staunchest allies were caught off guard by the move and are now trying to get Israel to back down on these building efforts.Although the Israelis say construction could be years away, the proposal includes 3,000 new settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and intentions to press ahead with two other projects that would drive a wedge between East Jerusalem, the Palestinians' desired capital, and the West Bank.The Palestinians said they would leverage their newfound U.N. status to seek a Security Council resolution to halt the Jerusalem-area plans. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was determined to block the settlement building near Jerusalem with all legal and diplomatic means. "The settlement plans that Israel announced . . . are a red line," Abbas said. "This must not happen."Over the past generation Israel has moved more than 500,000 Jews into settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, complicating any future partition of the land into two states. The Palestinians oppose all settlement construction, saying it prejudices the outcome of peace talks, which stalled four years ago over settlements.Israel annexed East Jerusalem after capturing it 45 years ago and claims the area as part of its capital. While the annexation is not internationally recognized, many Israeli leaders say they will never agree to divide the holy city.Homily hint: Reconciliation between longtime adversaries may seem elusive, but Advent is a season of patience and of hope. Encourage all in attendance to cultivate such qualities in their homes, families, and cities. Thus is the world changed for the better. Source: An article by Matthew Lee and Edith M. Lederer for the Associated Press

advent israel united nations mahmoud abbas west bank east jerusalem palestine

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Unorthodox protest gains legal protection in Israel

19 May 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Holy Spirit “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs,” says the second reading option from the Letter to the Romans for Pentecost Day. The Women of the Wall see things that way, and the organization of Jewish women has for 25 years sought the right to worship as men do at Jerusalem’s Western Wall. In the past they have been arrested for doing so but this week they entered Judaism’s holiest site for the first time since a court ruling determined they were not contravening “local custom” and were free to worship without fear of being arrested.But while the women were protected by police, they couldn’t even reach the revered wall. Whole schools of ultra-Orthodox girls made a stand, packing the women’s section at the urging of their rabbis. The standoff is emblematic of a broader challenge to the influence of Israel’s Orthodox minority over everything from marriage to politics.“To the extent that we focus on the Women of the Wall, we’re missing the larger picture,” says Uri Regev, a Reform rabbi and president of Hiddush, an organization that advocates for religious freedom and equality in Israel. “Israel’s founding promise . . . was freedom of religion and equality regardless of religion. That is a promise that still awaits its full realization.”There are “signs of the crumbling of Orthodox control of Judaism,” says Israeli parliamentarian Tamar Zandberg, a secular Jew from the social democratic party Meretz, standing a few yards away from a police barricade holding back crowds of shouting ultra-Orthodox men with top hats and sidecurls and rows of women bowing their covered heads in prayer. “This is the backlash.”Orthodox Jewish women see it differently. The idea in Judaism is that men and women have different but complementary and equally valuable roles, says Leah Aharoni, an Orthodox woman who opposes Women of the Wall. "We believe that in order to be a first-class, liberated, empowered woman does not require praying in a manner exactly the way men have prayed for the past 2,000 years."Homily hint: Issues of gender equality and tradition arise in nearly every religious tradition in the world. We’re aware of the issues in the Catholic tradition, but it is interesting to also see how other traditions struggle with and respond to similar developments. With goodwill on all sides, tradition and progress can forge a fruitful partnership. Source: An article by Christa Case Bryant for the Christian Science Monitor

western wall orthodox judaism jewish women tamar zandberg equality women of the wall orthodox jews jerusalem israel wailing wall ultra-orthodox jews

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