News from Jerusalem

The Anglican Bishop in Jersulem, the Rt Revd Suheil Dawani, who we met in October, has been denied the renewal of his 'temporary residency status' in Jerusalem.

The permits were revoked by the government of Israel in September last year. The letter denying him residency stations that "Bishop Suheil acted with the Palestinian Authority in transferring lands owned by Jewish people to the Palestinians and also helped to register lands of Jewish people in the name of the Church." There were also allegations that Bishop Suheil had forged documents. Bishop Suheil denies these accusations.

Bishop Suheil has tried to resolve the situation privately but after six months, he is now seeking resolution through the courts.

Resources

"It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation."
Archbishop Desmond Tutu

An impressive number of our group made their way through the wintry weather for a reunion in Kidlington last night. Many of the pilgrims spoke of how moved they had been by the ten days we spent together in the Holy Land and what they have done since.

We heard about various campaigns and appeals. We have been encouraged that talking about what we saw in Israel/Palestine to other people is extremely important. There are a number of resources and websites available and I will keep adding these to the blog as they arrive. Do send any you have by email.

There is an Oxford branch of the Women in Black campaign. This is a network of women who have been demonstrating against the occupation of Palestine by Israel since 1988. More information is on their website.

Other organisations you might be interested in include:

• The Amos Trust
• The Holy Land Trust
• Open Bethlehem
• Olive Cooperative
• Jews for Justice for Palestinians
• Palestine Solidarity Campaign
• Oxford Palestine Solidarity Campaign
• Medical Aid for Palestinians

The Friends of Sabeel have a website here. They are based at CMS in Oxford. There is a showing of the film Little Town of Bethlehem at St Andrew's Church, North Oxford on 3 December at 7.30 p.m.

You can find out up-to-date news from Jeff Halper and the work of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions here. His latest newsletter (which Bishop John mentioned) is here.

And to keep up with news from the Holy Family Hospital here, with the Diocese of Jerusalem here and Dr Mitri Raheb and the Diyar Consortium here.

Ray and Jenny Rowlson, who presented their slide show at the reunion evening, are very willing to show their slides and talk to groups. If you'd like to contact them, their details are: 01908 562853 or ray.rowlson@btinternet.com.

A couple more resources have come my way. You might like to look at:

• Friends of Sabeel North America
• www.shovrimshtika.org
• www.alternativenews.org/english
• www.epektasis.net
• www.btselem.org/English
• Find out about the Kairos Document here

Home sweet home

A final glimpse of sunrise over Jerusalem...

We are all now home, gradually picking up the threads of our everyday lives. A few thoughts from members of our party.

"Pilgrimage is a sweeping through the corridors of our faith to make way fo the guide of our lives to re-enter."

"To dare to pilgrimage is to let go of self-control and allow Jesus to take charge of our lives in a new way."

"We are not followers of tradition but of the Living One."

"Between the times of quiet and prayer, most of Christ's ministry and the action in Jerusalem was surrounded by crowds, the business of buying and selling, criticism and support, noise and hustle. Not unlike our own lives and ministry."

"To keep in our prayers because they have asked: the three young waiters who served us yesterday, soon to graduate, for success and jobs and peace."

"The abundance of God's bounty for us, shown in the very first miracle in a family home in Cana."

"The long spiritual journey from the Jordan to Jerusalem, tracing Christ's footsteps as he knowingly walked the cross for us - f0r me. The harrowing pain of the last days and the triumphant joy of the Resurrection, with the affirming proclamation, 'He is Risen!' We are an Easter People."

"During our last Communion together as a group, I looked up at the dome and saw a narrow but steady shaft of light reaching from one side right across to the other. I looked up again (anxious, I suppose, that it would still be there) and saw that it was coming through one small broken pane of glass amongst all the other intact stained glass windows. And it seemed to symbolise our hope for this fractured, broken city. That God's light IS still there. Bring unto us peace, that which the world cannot give."

"It's hard to single out a moment from our incredible journey but I think the people made the experience for me. The calming influence of Bishop John, the inspirational guidance of Ghassan and the riveting insights from those who live in the Holy Land. May we not forget them as we return to our easy lives."

"Pilgrimage is to step out of the busyness of our daily life onto a road God chooses... then, in time, to turn away from the depth of encounter and walk back into the world from where we came, carrying the imprint of God in our Soul and the knowledge we will return to that holy place one day."

Most memorable: Eucharist on the shores of Galilee.

Unforgettable: The Way of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa.

Best (official) hotel: The Pilgerhaus

Best (unofficial) hotel: The Holiday Inn, Ashkelon. Waking up to the blue Med was marvellous.

Best sleep: Best Eastern, Ramallah - yes really!

Saddest moment: seeing the so-called Peace Line

You can find more photos taken by members of the group here and here.

He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Our last morning in Jerusalem. The pilgrimage is almost over; the journey continues.

We have all changed. We have walked in Christ's footsteps. We have shared stories, shouldered each other's griefs, prayed together; we have laughed, we have rejoiced.

The first steps towards home begin with our final Eucharist in the Church of the Dormition on Mount Zion. "It is where we were heading all along," says Bishop John. "Our pilgrimage is ongoing from here, as we live our Christian lives with freshness."

Here, in our midst, the Risen Christ appeared to his disciples, he says. "And what does Jesus do? He says 'Peace be with you.' A week later, to Thomas, he says, 'Peace be with you.' We're told that this is the phrase most used right across the world. These were the first words to his disciples. And he says 'Peace be with you', every day.

"In other words, peace is the personal gift Jesus comes to bring that w all need. We've shared a lot on this pilgrimage as we've travelled, because that's what pilgrims do.

"Many of us come here carrying some pretty heavy stuff, but to each one of us, Jesus says, 'Peace be with you.' Not just 'good luck', but something more tangible, actual and effective."

He likens the effect to swimming in the Dead Sea earlier this week. "It's as if Jesus is saying, 'My peace will stop you sinking - you're safe.' Even if we may get slimy along the way.

"And this peace is not just a personal gift, but a political one, that is so needed in this land as we have heard."

He reminds us of all the stories we have heard, from Dr Jacques, Mitri, Jeff, Katya, Bishop Suheil. "The Risen Christ gives his gift of peace through people like that. And through our prayers and our presence we are also vehicles of that peace."

We have met people of hope, he says. "They are impressive, and we won't forget them. But you and I are also people of hope, because we are people of the Resurrection. We are unstoppable as Christians. There are 2000 million of us, and that number is increasing by 70,000 a day. We are a huge family. And we are an Easter people."

Going home is like coming down from the mountain top. "The struggle continues, but we have been at the top of the mountain. We are going home to ponder this in our hearts."

He tells us to pray for ourselves, for the people we have met, for each other - and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

"Jesus gave us the personal and political gift of peace. Jesus said, 'Peace be with you' - and it will be so."

A drop in the ocean

Our final evening. Habib, who runs Shepherds' Tours, Lightline's partner in the Holy Land, and his wife Katya tell us something about life in the embattled city of Gaza.

Christians make up just 3000 of a population of 1.5 million. "It is like one drop of water," Katya says.

A 12 m wall surrounds Gaza; there are electric fences, and no one can enter or leave without a permit. "It is like a huge jail." The population is very young: 53% are under 18 and under pressure. They lack good role models, caught up in a cycle of violence that seems unending.

"Before 2000, 95% of kids went to school. But now there is no work, no money. There are the missles. And school doesn't put bread on the table. People have been killed, and so children have to provide."

One Christmas, God sent Katya and Habib a needy Christian family who turned up with nowhere to stay. A friendship blossomed: Katya heard their story, and determined to do something to help the children's education. They now attend a Christian school in Gaza. First, Katya and Habib supported one child; now they support 12. Soon it will be 15 - or maybe 17.

"Everyone forgets there are Christians in Gaza," she says. "I help these Christian families raise their children in a Christian environment. All these children have a story. But believe me, they want to go to school, even when the city was under bombardment. They didn't give up, even in 2009.

"All I am doing is telling people there are Christians in Gaza - the Sisters are doing the rest."

The Way of the Cross

We visit the Pools of Bethesda where Jesus told the paralysed man to pick up his mat and walk. We grab a moment and sing in St Anne's, enjoying the wonderful acoustic. Now for Mass at the Ecce Homo Convent.

Bishop Alan preaches. The disciples had followed Jesus for all kinds of reasons, he tells us: for adventure, to bash the establishment, in the hope of a new political order. They'd arrived in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to a rapturous welcome: the Kingdom was about to come.

But over the course of a week, everything had taken on a darker tincture. That Last Supper, Judas's betrayal, the scattering of the sheep. We, of course, know the end of the story; for the disciples, they just saw a trap being sprung. Worst of all, Jesus appeared to be doing nothing to stop it. How did that feel?

Jesus allwed himself to be overwhelmed and arrested. "Salvation was wrought not through a rescue by his disciples, not by saving the day and asserting control, but from giving it away," he says. "Where does that leave us?"

God wanted something better, and more painful. "In our leves, there are things we must let go of if we are to find death and resurrection."

Via Dolorosa

In silence, we leave in our three groups and follow the Stations of the Cross. The Via Dolorosa is crowded, the road is uneven. The crowds jostle us; vendors approach with their wares. There are awkward twists and turns along the way. One or two of us lose our footing; some need to be helped along the way by fellow pilgrims, their burdens shared.

At street level, it is close and hot. We are tired and uncomfortably thirsty. We pass through arhces, tunnels even, having to bend and stoop. Half way through we suddenly emerge into daylight, as if coming up for air. A blessed relief; then, just as suddenly, we descend again, and resume the journey of pain and tears.

At best, our silent procession is an object of mild curiosity; largely, the world carries on oblivious and goes about its business.

And then, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is heaving, surging with people; an extraordinary number of pilgrims, singing and praying in their own tongues, all drawn to this holy site.

We enter, lose each other in the gloom; the groups disperse, scatter, reform. There is a press of bodies, incense, sweat. We find our different routes to the foot of the cross. Some are overcome by the moment.

And then - quite suddenly, it seems - we find ourselves in the oasis of the Franciscan Chapel. All 117 of us have somehow gathered: we are a body again. We hear the Easter reading (John 20: 11-18), as Mary meets Jesus in the garden. We sing, we share the Easter Greeting.

Alleluia, Christ is Risen. He is risen indeed: Alleluia!

Temple of the Mount

High above the Wall, we see the Temple of the Mount, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the gleaming golden Dome of the Rock, sacred to Muslims. Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site after Mecca and Medina for Islamic pilgrimage.

We pause and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Some of us make it up the Mount to see the site, but two-thirds of us are turned away by our guides who realise that the queue is by now at least an hour long, jeopardising the entire day's programme.

We sit, uncomfortably hot in the sun, waiting for the coaches to rescue us and take us to the Pool of Bethesda. Brian, our artist-in-residence, redeems the moment with a sketch.