SUPPORT FOR THE LIVING STAR / BETHLEHEM
(with the help of Pax Christi UK)
|
Bethlehem Solidarity Vigil in
Cambridge UK |
Singing and holding stars
The Carol Singers in Earlsdon, Coventry,
UK sang and held stars for you this week.
Time of light and prayer
The Ecumenical Women’s Advent Group in
Coventry had a time of light and prayer for
you.
Meditation
Members of the Ecumenical Group at the
Chaple of Unity, Coventry
Cathedral: At our service this we had a
meditation on the Advent Journey of
Mary and Joseph and of that journey to
Bethlehem today - and we reflected on your
stories and the Wall that imprisons you.
We had a time of light and prayer for you.
Quaker
meeting
The Women of Coventry Quaker Meeting UK
send their love and light to the Women of
the AEI.
We shall be thinking of you as you make your
Living Star
and over Christmas.
Prayer Tree
Messages from the Prayer Tree in the Chapel
of Unity at Coventry Cathedral, UK, which is
visited by people from all over the world.
- Dear God, let there be peace in the
world and may we learn to forgive and
live in peace and harmony. Amen
- Understanding and Love.
- I am praying for hope for Bethlehem
and throughout the world.
- World Peace.
- “The only condition for evil to
prevail is for good men to stand by and
do nothing”. Edmond Burke
- Peace to all through Jesus Christ, Our
Lord. Amen
- O star of Bethlehem may you shine in
peace.
- Stay in Peace. Klaidia
- Let there be peace.
- Peace and love to all the children
- Stay in Peace.
- We remember in prayer our brothers and
sisters in Christ as they witness to
this peace in a setting of conflict.
- God Bless and watch over you.
- I wish you a happy new year in 2008.
- My prayers each day are that you, my
brothers and sisters in the land of
Chrsit’s birth, may experience the peace
and joy he brought to our world.
- Love and prayers
- God Bless you.
- Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
- Peace for ever in Bethlehem and the
whole world.
- Peace
Messages on
star cards
We are a small group of Christian women
who meet on the first Friday of
every month for liturgy. We met on Friday
4th January. As it was
holiday time there were only five of us but
we learned about your
plight and wrote messages on star cards.
We lit candles and had
silence to be in solidarity with you.
Be assured of our continued prayers and
awareness.
in sisterhood.
To: the
Women’s Group of the AEI
May the
light of the Star guide you in your striving
for peace, justice and reconciliation. May
the hearts of those with the power to
negotiate a just peace be moved to seek ways
to heal past hurts and present anguish?
May the God
of Peace support and comfort you, enabling
you to keep the star before your eyes each
day.
We will
support you in prayer and in efforts to
influence politicians and world leaders to
seek the ways of true peace for all peoples.
A vigil in
solidarity with the Living Star on Friday
21st December outside the Guildhall in
Cambridge UK.
There was a
core group of about a dozen or so and we
were joined by others who came and went so
that most of the time there were about 20
people there.
We send you our best wishes and prayers for
peace and freedom in 2008.
Stewart Hemsley, Chair of Pax Christi
British Section.
Support letter from Vermont, USA
The letter
below was printed in the St. Albans
Messenger (Vermont, USA) on Dec. 24,
Christmas Eve. It will probably appear this
week in other local US newspapers.
O Little
Town of Bethlehem
Bethlehem of
biblical times is remembered by the star
over the manger where tradition holds Jesus
was born. This year, Palestinians including
Mayor Victor Batarseh, held a candlelight
vigil at the entrance to their city forming
a human star they call “The Living Star.”
Not unlike biblical times, this symbolic
action took place in the shadow of a
military presence: a modernized checkpoint,
a 25-foot wall, complete with towers and
turreted gun posts. Nearby is Rachel’s tomb,
once in the heart of Bethlehem, annexed to
Jerusalem in 2002, now encircled by Israel’s
Wall. Once a thriving, bustling area of
Palestinian shops, fruit and vegetable
markets, restaurants and gift stores, the
area is largely deserted and barren except
for the multitude of Israeli soldiers. Some
500 families in the immediate area are
experiencing financial disaster.
Palestinians
hope their “Living Star” vigils they plan to
continue will convey a message of peace and
connection as opposed to the Wall’s message
of fragmentation and oppression.
Some 35
Palestinian women, Christian and Muslim,
will officially open a “Sumud Peace House”
as a follow-up of “The Living Star” symbolic
action. Translated, Sumud means
steadfastness. A cultural initiative of the
Arab Educational Institute, the Sumud Peace
House will draw international attention to
the illegality of the Wall with a focus on
its devastating effects in the Rachel Tomb
area, and the disastrous consequences for
the entire city of Bethlehem and indeed for
the entire Occupied West Bank.
Christians
who romanticize “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
need to face the harsh reality of life under
a military occupation subsidized by our own
U.S. government.
Respectfully
submitted,
Sister
Miriam Ward
55 Cross Pkwy, Burlington, VT 05408
