wfn.org | Holy Land pilgrims bring faith, renewal

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       BETHLEHEM, March 23, 2002:  Margo Sabella, of Catholic Relief 
Services, wrote the following essay about Holy Week and the way pilgrims 
normally come to the Holy Land at this season.  It was published in the 
Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer just before Holy Week on the Western Calendar.  
Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter this year on April  
.

       Sabella notes that Holy Week this year is very different in the areas 
of Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, where her work generally takes her.  

By Margo Sabella 

       Holy Week has traditionally been one of the more festive seasons in 
the Holy Land because so many pilgrims celebrate it in Jerusalem.  

       For as long as I can remember, Christians from around the world joined 
Palestinian Christians during Holy Week, and the city came to life.  As a 
child, I loved watching the procession on Palm Sunday, with each group having 
its own cultural composition.  But what most fascinated me was hearing the 
hymns, familiar to my ear but sung in another tongue.  Music, I thought then, 
is indeed universal, as is my church. 

       One particular Easter, in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy 
Sepulcher, I watched an Indian woman pour her heart out in prayer, her eyes 
toward the sky.  That she had come so far to be here was humbling, and her 
faith restored mine in Easter, and made me explore anew what the Holy Land 
means to me. 
As a local Christian, I have at times taken the holy sites for granted. 

       They are just around the corner for me and there seems to be no 
particular urgency to visit them regularly.  Moreover, my aunt lives near the 
Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and for all my life every visit to her house 
has included a detour into the church. 

       In the past year and a half, however, amid the political strife here, 
I have gone to the church only a few times, and more out of habit than faith. 
 In these visits, I've tried to recall the visits of my childhood when, 
before entering, I would stop at the adjacent souvenir shops and buy some 
candles to light inside.  Then, stepping into the church, I'd be welcomed by 
the burning incense and candles, and the fragrance of cologne that had been 
poured onto the Anointing Stone. 

       Armenian monks would be chanting in one part of the church, as would 
the Greeks and Franciscans, and I felt comforted not only by the presence of 
God but also of those who had journeyed to be here.  Their expression of 
faith was to me the ultimate sign of solidarity: Their faith brought my 
people, and my homeland, strength. 

             The church is not expecting many visitors this Easter because of 
the political crisis and concerns for personal safety.  Palestinian 
Christians are not coming either, because, like the rest of the Palestinian 
population, they are restricted by the endless military checkpoints that, at 
worst, seal off whole areas for days and at best, cause long delays. 

       Whether they are physically present or not, the local church views 
these Palestinian Christians as the living stones, having borne witness to 
waves of pilgrimages throughout the two millennia of Christianity, as well as 
to wars and periods of peace.  They have been stalwart Christians in a 
predominantly Islamic atmosphere, and they continue to bear witness to the 
struggles of the Palestinian people - not as spectators but as active members 
of a community robbed of its human dignity by a military occupation. 

       Yet living stones are not just those who live here, but those who 
practice their faith everywhere, not only through prayers and religious 
observance, but also by supporting the weak and wronged. 

       This year, as I wait for Easter and practice my personal tradition of 
lighting candles in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, I'll close my eyes and 
rekindle the Easter memories of my childhood.  And I'll hope that pilgrims 
come again, and again infuse the Holy Land with their faith and the power of 
solidarity. 

+++
       Sabella is an outreach program associate in Catholic Relief Services' 
office for Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza. The organization supports food and 
material relief assistance programs, as well as development activities in 
education, agriculture, water, finance and peace building. 
       

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