Winter in Jerusalem

Poor Fr Damian missed the snow here on Monday and today (although his flight was delayed two hours getting out of Omaha Sunday due to a frozen plane.)  It is also winter in Jerusalem although the olive trees are blooming.

The picture above and the four below are from his class today. He and his fellow students at the Tantur Institute For Ecumenical Studies spent the day studying Jerusalem's history from outside the city - the photos show the city from the west, north and south.

Unfortunately, with no snow they can't go sledding.

Praying for Peace

In the Holy Land, Pope Francis invited Presidents Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas to join him in raising to heaven a fervent supplication to God for the gift of peace, and offered to welcome them to his place for a meeting of prayer. It took place earlier today on the Solemnity of Pentecost. His Holiness Bartholomew, Patriarch of Constantinople, with whom the Holy Father had the joy of sharing his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, also participated in the event.

Together, they planted an olive tree as a symbol of peace.

This time of prayer was divided into "three moments" of Jewish, Christian and Muslim prayers and music.  Pope Francis, Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas all spoke afterwards before closed-door talks. Here is how the prayer service began:
      

May the Lord give you peace!

We have gathered here, Israelis and Palestinians, Jews, Christians and Muslims, so that each of us can offer his or her own that each of us can express his or her desire for peace for the Holy Land and for all who dwell there.

Together with Pope Francis, who greatly desired this moment, Patriarch Bartholomaios of Constantinople and all those present, Presidents Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas will join in this calling, voicing the desire of their respective peoples to invoke to God the common longing for peace.

This evening’s meeting will consist of three parts, followed by a conclusion.
Each part will be devoted to an invocation by one of the three religious communities, in chronological order: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Each part will itself unfold in three moments. The first moment will consist of an expression of praise to God for his gift of creation, and for his having created us as members of the human family.

In the second moment, we will ask pardon from God for the times we have failed to act as brothers and sisters, and for our sins against him and against our fellow men and women.

In the third moment, we will ask God to grant the gift of peace to the Holy Land and to enable us to be peacemakers.

Each of these three moments will be framed by a brief musical interlude. A musical meditation will conclude each of the three main parts.

For the rest, click here