For well over seven years Fr. Guido Gockel MHM served for the Pontifical Mission in the Holy Land. In this homily on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady he reflects on the personal impact of the current Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“Fear not!” Today’s first reading (Is 35: 4 – 7a) begins with this encouragement, “Fear not!” In the troubled conflicts and circumstances of our world today, we are given this message “Fear not!” but to follow the example of our mother Mary, believing in the message she received from the angel Gabriel and the greeting with which Jesus approached the apostles after his death and resurrection. “Fear not!” It is a word for us today.
I experienced the deeper meaning of that greeting when I came to my final days of my assignment in Jerusalem where I had worked for the Pontifical Mission in the Holy Land. During the intifada I had witnessed with great sadness and indignation the horrors of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for 7 years. It had made me angry and frustrated that seeing the humiliation and increasing hostility between peoples, I had felt powerless to do do anything significant. I had only witnessed a progressive increase in the destruction of the people of the Holy Land. Talking to myself as I was driving from my home to Jerusalem I shouted angrily “Please stop this nonsense!” As this was having this conversation with myself, I felt a voice, as it were, from God saying: “Do you think that anyone can do an injustice without receiving any punishment? Know that EVERYTHING is in my hands.” When I heard this, the anger, frustration etc. made place for a deep peace. I began to feel guilty of no longer having the same sentiments as the people I had come to serve. I had not become indifferent to the suffering of the people, but I had received faith that “all will be well” as Julian of Norwich says.
It is this message that we hear today in the first reading: God is coming with retribution, and with healing to make everything whole. Today’s Gospel (Mc 7: 31 – 37), where Jesus through his word “Ephpheta” heals the man with a speech and hearing impediment is but an example of why Jesus had been sent by the Father. Yes, he came to make the deaf hear, the blind see, the lame and crippled walk. Indeed, he came as is summed up in the words of the Book of Revelation, to “make EVERYTHING new!”
You and I may wonder that if that is Jesus’ mission, why do we see so little of it in our world today? The actual situation in the world seems to get increasingly troublesome and even desperate. Why does he not intervene? Why these long wars, conflicts and all the suffering of thousands?
The prophet Isaiah gives us in this regard some perspective. Citing God’s words he writes “My plans are not your plans, and your ways are not my ways.” God’s ways are so much superior to our ways of thinking. God, who is love, is always patient. We on the contrary want things “stante pede”, immediately. I want justice NOW! God is not like that. He is patient and his love for every person does not look to punish but to convert.
We find a nice example in the second reading of today (Jas 2: 1 – 5), where the apostle exhort us not to be partial or flattering. Our gatherings should not reflect prejudice or favouritism for the rich. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we indeed behave like that? We all know how God wants us to live, but are we? Unfortunately, we are still sinful people with all our weaknesses and faults. Therefore, the second reading should not be read as a condemnation, but as an exhortation to conversion of pour hearts. God’s patience is always seeking this conversion.
We all are still a long way from the righteous that God wants. Let us heed God’s word and joyfully break down the prejudices we carry in our hearts. When we thus come to the Eucharist and sacraments, Jesus will be able to fulfil his mission of healing and making us new.
The birth of Mary is our HOPE in this whole process of conversion and renewal. Her birth show us that God has since long ago begun to renew this world. Thus we can live today without fear.
