“And you will be my
witnesses
in Jerusalen, in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1.8
According to the writer of Acts, these are Jesus’ last words
before he was taken to heaven. A friend in Taybeh wrote today to wish all of
her friends a blessed Holy Ascension, commemorated today, forty days after the
resurrection.
The descendants of these disciples, who stood watching as
Jesus was taken to heaven, still live in the Holy Land today. And they take
Jesus’ command very seriously. Today I share the witness of one of these
disciples, Dr. Maria Khoury, who lives in Taybeh, near Ramallah, in the West
Bank.
What Does the Pope’s Visit Mean to Me?
Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D. [Read this in the Arab Daily News]
The Visit of Pope Francis to Israel/Palestine brought more
excitement than ever because anyone and everyone in news media came to Taybeh
to interview the local Christians. I am so very disappointed, however,
that one might spend five hours with a news team and it is not sure they will
use the two minutes they are planning since the producers always have the final
word. Either way, since the village is known for having people who are
“Taybeen,” meaning “good” or “pleasant,” we continue to welcome visitors and
news media with open arms. Although, on the ground we feel our situation
will stay the same no matter who visits.
Furthermore, when follow-up emails begin with such a
sentence: “…my apologies for the delay in responding to your email.
Indeed, I am deeply thankful for your time, consideration and gracious
hospitality. Our trip to Taybeh was as eye-opening as it was
heart-breaking…Your struggle is real and I applaud you for your courage…” most
likely they are not using the footage and they are not bringing the Holy Father
to visit you. So sad! But at least His Excellency the Consul General of
France expressed his solidarity and support and had a great tour of Taybeh this
last week.
It was a remarkable moment that Palestinians can say Pope
Francis came directly to Bethlehem when he finished his schedule in Jordan.
This was a very symbolic message since Israel controls everything and one
day Palestine wishes to have its own airport, seaport and its own
internationally recognized boarders. What was even more extraordinary is
that His Holiness stopped to pray at the wall that circles Bethlehem completely
in a huge prison. For me it was a way to validate that everything we
experience because of the wall was recognized by a world leader since it has
affected 80% of the Palestinian people in our daily life. Although, again,
the visit by Pope Francis will not change anything unless he asks Israel to end
the occupation.
 |
| Dr. Maria Khoury |
The Pope’s visit will surely touch the lives of many.
Especially the thirty young people from the Latin Church Choir who participated
in the mass in Bethlehem. Although very tired…it was an amazing
experience. Sister Leonie, the choir director who accompanied the group
said the visit of the Holy Father was “very important to the Christians of the
Holy Land. It inspired Christians to maintain their faith and promote
harmony among the denominations. Pope Francis reminded all Christians that they
are one in Christ. The visit inspires love, peace and co-existence among
Christians, Muslims and Jews.” Abu Johnny, the music teacher, also recognized
that Pope Francis simply had a “peace sign” on his face and his visit was very
important in supporting Christianity in the Holy Land. Many students said
that the Pope’s visit was a great comfort to the Christians in this region and
his message of peace was critical.
I am so very grateful that Pope Francis helped me believe in
miracles since he invited both the Israeli and Palestinian president to come to
the Vatican. In my thinking he should have possibly invited them to pray on the
moon since our resolution seriously needs an out of the box solution. And
I wish he can invite some female leaders from both sides to join the prayer
session since I am thinking women can contribute creative solutions. But again,
I wish the Holy Father asked Israel to allow all people to enter Jerusalem
freely if in fact they support religious freedom.
My husband David Khoury, former mayor of Taybeh and
co-founder of the Taybeh Brewing Company said that “the visit of Pope Francis
expressed great solidarity with the people of Palestine and very symbolic of
the shepherd looking over his flock. His visit means Christians are
not forgotten and since he is a man of peace it will hopefully bring peace to
the Holy Land. Although his visit was announced as a spiritual pilgrimage
only, it was important that he called for a just peace.” However, on a
personal level, I wish I heard Pope Francis or Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
ask Israel to end the occupation right now today because it has been one day
too many already. I wish they visited me in Taybeh so I would have
mentioned it personally after explaining that every week water is turned off 5
days per week and in September, I did not have running water for 17 days.
Last July no running water for 21 days. While the settlements all around [us] get
water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
May we keep our hope for a better future so such Apostolic
visits allow us to see a light at the end of the tunnel. It is the True
Light of Christ that I will keep seeing no matter who visits me.
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