ABM

Hope is the last to die

Father Nael Abu Rahmoun, parish priest of Ramallah, visited Australia during Lent as a guest of the Anglican Board of Mission.

Born in Nazareth into a Palestinian Christian family, Fr Nael grew up as a citizen of the State of Israel. He now serves as a priest of the Diocese of Jerusalem.

Growing up as a ‘second class’ Israeli citizen in Nazareth and serving as a priest in the West Bank, Fr Nael is only too familiar with the daily harassment and humiliation to which many Arabs are subjected, a situation recently exacerbated by the separation wall dividing whole communities.

He longs to see Israel become a state for all its citizens, seeking to build bridges instead of walls.

Ramallah may be less than ten kilometres from Jerusalem, but it is easier for pilgrims from Australia to visit the holy places. ‘This makes it difficult to move, to feel free, to feel that this land we love belongs also to us.’

All this probably sounds routine to those of us who try to stay abreast of news from the Holy Land. It is only as Fr Nael speaks more personally that the harsh reality comes home to us.

‘You will find a family of two brothers; each brother with a wife and children. They used to live close, seeing each other every day, one minute’s walk away, but now because of the wall it may take two hours to reach one another, assuming the guards even allow them through.

'Permits which have been difficult to get can be torn up by young guards who arrived in Israel from Russia or America less than five years ago; they don’t even speak good Hebrew, but they have a gun and treat people very badly. This makes us very sad, but we still have hope because we say always hope is the last to die.

'So hope is always in our eyes, our hearts, our faith. My prayer is that all the leaders – in the whole world, but especially in the Land of the Holy One – will change their hearts.

'As Ezekiel says, God will take their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh. We really need leaders with hearts that love, hearts that have mercy, hearts that work for peace and reconciliation.’

All this tears at our own hearts, but what can we do?

We can all pray, some of us can visit, we can certainly give generously to ABM’s Good Friday appeal, but how important is the Anglican Communion to the Church in the Holy Land?

‘As a Palestinian Christian and a priest in Jerusalem, it is very important for us to feel there are many people around the world who consider themselves our sisters and brothers in Christ. Some people talk already about the forgotten people.

'I hope the Anglican Church of Australia will not forget us who live in the land where our Lord lived, died on the cross and was raised from the dead. We need to feel that we are not witnessing alone. All these things we do for the glory of God, for the ministry and service of the human being. Because whatever we do in the diocese – through hospitals, schools, and parishes – we do it not only for Christians, not only for Anglicans, but for all human beings.

'So please consider us who still live in the Land of the Holy One as your sister church – we need your support, we need your prayer, we need you to be informed about all that is happening with us. We are very grateful for all you do for us, especially in Holy Week.’

Article by Fr David Wood, written for the Anglican Messenger, WA. Used with permission.
Steve Daughtry Communications Officer Ph: 08 8278 9783

< Previous article | Next article >

Return to the table of contents