An Urgent Appeal

By Saliba Sarsar

 

For Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah

 

The wide gate is open and clear, but he prefers to enter

through the narrow gate, proudly carrying the cross

on the way to Calvary.  “Our vocation,” he says, “is to live

the cross and to realize that it’s our way to Salvation.”

 

Ransomed by Christ’s Blood, enlightened by

the Holy Spirit, his deep concern is for the suffering

of others.  Every act of hate hastens the soul’s death.

Every act of love strengthens God’s love for us.

 

Through faith and reason, he greets people with peace,

inviting them to join him in seeking peace for

“God created us for peace and justice, in order

to have the fullness of freedom.”

 

His urgent appeal:  “Stop the injustice.  Make peace.

Let’s pass from our present state of death unto new life,

rooted in God’s vision for us, in mutual trust and respect for

one another’s dignity, land, and independence.”

 


*Anyone quoting from this series should give credit to
HCEF Palestinian Christians: In Their Own Words.