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Brothers and Sisters,
I wish you all a Blessed Christmas.
1.
“The grace and love of God have appeared to us”
(Titus 3, 4). We joyfully celebrate Christmas, hoping to see better
days in our Holy Land, by the grace of God, by our own contribution
to bring peace to this land and by sharing in all the sacrifices that
it requires. For this reason, at Christmas, we renew our faith in the
One in whom we have believed, the Word of God made man, Jesus born in
Bethlehem, the Prince of Peace, and the Savior of humankind. He
became man in order to bring us back to God our Creator and to let us
know that we are not alone, that we are not abandoned to ourselves as
we face the numerous challenges of this Holy Land. Because God is
with us, we remain hopeful in the midst of all the daily difficulties
we experience as a result of the occupation and of the insecurity and
deprivations that arise from it. God is with us, reminding us that the
commandment of love, which was given to us by Jesus, born in
Bethlehem, still remains valid for the difficult times in which we are
living today: our love for one another and for every man and woman.
This love consists in seeing the image of God in every human being, of
every religion and nationality. It is a love that knows how to
forgive and, at the same time, to demand all our rights, especially
those given by God to each person and to the entire community, such as
the gift of life, of dignity, of freedom, and of the land. A love that
requires from every one to care for one another. A love that is
dedication and sharing with all who suffer from deprivation and
poverty so that the same life, which God has given to all of us, may
be lived to the fullest, namely, the “abundant life” that Jesus came
to give us.
2.
Again this year, we celebrate Christmas still searching for a peace
that seems impossible. Nevertheless, we believe that peace is
possible. Palestinians and Israelis are capable of living together in
peace, each in their own territory, each enjoying their security,
their dignity, and their rights. But to attain that peace, it is
necessary to believe that Israelis and Palestinians are equal in all
things, that they have the same rights and the same duties, and that
both parties must adopt the ways of God, which are not the ways of
violence, whether they be carried out by the State or by extremists.
The entire region, because of the conflict in the Holy Land, is in
turmoil. In Lebanon, in Iraq, as well as here, the forces of evil
seem to have been unleashed and to have decided to pursue their course
along paths leading to death, exclusion, and domination. Despite all
of this, we believe that God has not abandoned us to all these forces
of evil. The situation beckons every man and woman of good will to
enter into the ways of God in order to establish the reign of good
among peoples as well as a sense of and a respect for every human
being. We believe that God is good. He is our Creator and Savior,
and he has placed his goodness in the heart of every human being.
Therefore, everyone is capable of working for good and peace on the
earth.
A
new peace effort was begun these last few weeks. In order for it to
succeed, there must be a firm willingness to make peace. Until now,
there has been no peace, simply because there has been no willingness
to make it: “Peace,
peace! they say, though there is no peace” (Jer 6, 14).
The strong party, the one with everything in hand, the one who is
imposing occupation on the other, has the obligation to see what is
just for everyone and to carry it out courageously.
“O God, with your judgment
endow the king,” with your justice endow our governments so that they
can govern your people with justice (cf. Ps 72).
3.
In recent times, there has been some talk about creating
"religious
" States in this land. But in this land, which is holy for
three religions and for two peoples, religious States cannot be
established because they would exclude or place in an inferior
position the believers of the other religions. A State that would
exclude or discriminate against the other religions is not suitable
for this land made holy by God for all of humanity.
Political and religious leaders must begin by understanding the
universal vocation of this land in which God has brought us together
throughout history. They must know that the holiness of this land
does not consist in the exclusion of one or the other of the
religions, but in the ability of each religion, with all of their
differences, to welcome, respect, and love all who inhabit this land.
The
holiness and the universal vocation of this land also includes the
duty to welcome pilgrims from around the world, those who come for a
short visit, and those who come to reside, to pray, to study, or to
perform the religious ministry to which the faithful of all religions
have a right. For many years, we have been suffering from a problem
that has never been solved, that of entry-visas into the country for
priests and for religious men and women who, in this land, because of
their faith, have duties to perform as well as rights. Every State in
this land is not a State like all others because it has special duties
stemming from the holiness of the land and from its universal
vocation. A State in this land must understand that it must respect
and promote the universal vocation of the land with which it has been
entrusted and, accordingly, must be open to welcoming all believers of
other religions.
4.
I pray
to God that the grace of Christmas, the grace of the God who is
present with us, will enlighten all the leaders of this land. For all
our faithful, in all parts of our diocese, may the grace of Christmas
renew their faith and help them to live it more fully and to better
carry out all their duties in their respective societies.
May you
all have a Joyful and Holy Christmas.
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Michel Sabbah,
Patriarch
Jerusalem, December 19, 2007
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