Memorial of Saint Bonaventure
Today’s psalm will jump out to anyone who has been following international news in the past few weeks. Although it has unfortunately been happening for so long, the violence in Israel-Palestine has opened fresh wounds of animosity and hostility in the Holy Land. There have been numerous deaths on both sides, and the violence shows no signs of stopping any time soon. In the midst of such tragedy, it is difficult to pray today’s psalm: “God upholds his city forever.” Jerusalem is still standing, and although a beacon of hope for peaceful coexistence and community among the world’s religions, sometimes one wonders if it isn’t a fragile treasure on the brink of becoming a casualty of war.
For both Jews and Muslims, geographical place is immensely important for their religious self-identity. By comparison, Christianity is quite flexible, with the Bible being translated into every language and taken to the ends of the earth. For the Jewish and Islamic faith, their Scriptures necessarily remain in Hebrew and Arabic, respectively, and the promises of God are represented physically in land and descendants. None of this is to justify the violence we see unfolding in Israel-Palestine, but it helps to understand why this tiny piece of land has caused so much strife over the decades and even centuries: the land is tied not only to families and culture and politics, but also to each community’s understanding of God.
When we say with the psalmist that “God upholds his city forever,” it is as much a prayer of hope than it is a statement in confidence. Pope Francis took an unexpected detour during his recent visit to the Holy Land to pray at the concrete wall that separates Israelis and Palestinians. This physical reality—one of many in a place of physical symbols—reminds us of our human failings and of our need for God.
We Christians cry out to the Prince of Peace at every mass. We come to the Eucharistic table in joy and confidence that through radical love and self-giving, God has conquered death and sin on the cross. This compels us to pray, with Pope Francis and with all of God’s people around the world, that love and selflessness will triumph over violence and hatred in all places, but especially in the very place where that love was made manifest in the passion of Christ. Let us pray for Israel-Palestine, that God will uphold his city forever.
- Katherine Schmidt