The Catholic community in the Holy Land

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Helen_Kariv

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A Call from a Place Called Bethlehem

I’m sure that most of you have not spent a minute’s thought about what Catholics or Christians in general go through trying to maintain the Spirit of Jesus alive in the Holy Land. There are so many other things to do…so many other problems…

Well, listen to this…in another 60 years there won’t be another Christian left in the Holy Land. They are all leaving due to economic and political hardships. Soon the places where Jesus walked, where he started His Ministry, where Christianity was born will be just empty museums because no Christians will be there to take care of the Holy Sites, of the churches, of the “Footsteps” of Jesus.

No more Midnight Mass from the Church of the Nativity where HE was born…no more singing “O litle town of Bethlehem”, no more “Three Wise Men” - these will be songs about a place that once was, but now, because Christians didn’t care, there will be no more Christmas in Bethlehem. Christmas will have become just a story about a place that used to be but is now empty of the spirit of Christianity.
Some child will ask “Where was Jesus born?”

The answer will be "I seem to remember about a place. I think it was called Bethlehem but I don’t know if it really ever existed.🤷

Helen
 
Hi Helen. Yes, it is very sad… what is happening in the Holy Land. It used to be one of my dreams, to visit the places where Our Lord and Our Lady lived, and walked. But truthfully… I would be afraid to go… now. 😦

We must pray the Rosary, for peace.

In the meantime… the Franciscans maintain a presence as “caretakers” of the Holy Places. Let us also pray for their safety and endurance… with a difficult task. You might find the link below, interesting. God bless.

americancatholic.org/Messenger/Aug2002/Links_for_Learners.asp
 
I too will be praying for the Holy Land. Thanks for starting this thread, Helen. My dream is to one day go to the Holy Land. If I could do one thing there, it would be to walk the actual Stations of the Cross…
 
Franciscans can no longer be just caretakers of holy sites.They are too busy trying to find food to give to starving Christian families in the Holy Land.

It’s okay. Soon, the place where Christianity was born,will be deserted…empty halls in empty museums… the Spirit of Jesus no longer felt.
Perhaps this is supposed to happen…I don’t know.

People talk about “one day” going to visit the Holy Land and walking the Stations of the Cross - the Via Dolorosa, as if this place is a dream pla in a dream world. It isn’t . It’s real! The Via Dolorosa is being walked every day by starving Christians …it is made of hard stones and not of dreams.

But the cry of the Mother Church in the Holy Land is no longer heard. No one to hear the Baby cry in the manger…soon He will no longer cry because He knows that no one will hear. Christianity will have disappeared in the Holy Land.

You can do something about it. You can become “guardians” of the real, true, actual, stones-under-feet Via Dolorosa…without even going there. Visit www.nativityhall.com
and listen to the cry of the Mother Church.

Does anyone know how I can make Mr. Keating listen as well? The operator told me that he’s ‘too busy’ to listen to the cry of the Franciscans fighting to keep Jesus’ Presence in the Holy Land… Oh well…maybe somewhere…someone else…

Helen
 
Dear Helen. I don’t see your location listed. But it sounds like either you currently live in the Holy Land… or have visited there; and were deeply affected by the plight of the suffering Christian population. My heart goes out to them.

First, I’d like to apologize to you… if my words concerning the Franciscans (as caretakers) sounded dismissive. I didn’t intend it to be so. Please, forgive us. It’s difficult for us, here in the United States… and I suspect, other countries… (and especially those of us, who have never visited the Holy Land)… to really understand the situation there.

From time to time… we see programs on the only Catholic network available to us (at least in my area)… EWTN, concerning the plight of Christians in the Holy Land. Or, there might be a small article in our local Catholic newspapers. Occasionally, we see the Franciscan “caretakers” escorting us on documentary-type tours, of the areas. But those programs, don’t seem to really emphasize the crisis. Sadly, we hear very little about the realities.

My parish sponsors a twice a year “craft sale” (Easter and Christmas)… to support families living in the Holy Land. The beautiful olive wood creations are made available to us, at that time (we buy as many as we can, but they are mostly quite expensive items; this year, the very smallest statues were in the $50.00 price range. We simply couldn’t afford it, this time 😦 ). There is also at least one collection, during the year (it might be more)… where parishes ask for financial assistance for the families suffering in the Holy Land… and for preservation of Holy Land Sites. We make a point of contributing to these collections. But from what you have told us, I don’t think that these efforts are sufficient.

Well, I for one… have bookmarked the link you provided… and will examine it further, to see what else my family can do to help the Holy Land Christian Families and the Franciscans. Thank you for providing it. If there are any further suggestions, which you can make to us… Helen… it would be very much appreciated. This is an international website… with many members. Someone out there must have a few ideas. In the meantime, please know… that our prayers are with them (and with you).

I don’t know how to advise you, in contacting Mr. Keating (as I have no personal connection to him, myself). I guess persistence might be the key. I wish I had a better answer for you, on this.

Any further information, you can give us… to better help us understand… how we can help the Christian Families of the Holy Land… would be very greatly appreciated. God bless.

MV
 
MarieVeronica said:
My parish sponsors a twice a year “craft sale” (Easter and Christmas)… to support families living in the Holy Land. The beautiful olive wood creations are made available to us, at that time (we buy as many as we can, but they are mostly quite expensive items; this year, the very smallest statues were in the $50.00 price range. We simply couldn’t afford it, this time 😦 )
Click to expand...
I have ordered several rosaries made of olive wood from this site:

holylandmall.net/rosaries.html

They are reasonably priced (the ones I bought were only $4.99), beautiful, a pleasure to touch (SO much nicer than plastic or glass, IMO), and according to the information I received with them, are made by a Christian family in Bethlehem.

The site also features many other items from the Holy Land made by Christians, such as crucifixes, jewelry boxes, etc.
 
Morwenna said:
I have ordered several rosaries made of olive wood from this site:

holylandmall.net/rosaries.html

They are reasonably priced (the ones I bought were only $4.99), beautiful, a pleasure to touch (SO much nicer than plastic or glass, IMO), and according to the information I received with them, are made by a Christian family in Bethlehem.

The site also features many other items from the Holy Land made by Christians, such as crucifixes, jewelry boxes, etc.
Click to expand...
I am shocked. :eek: I went through all the items offered on the table, and I didn’t find even ONE item that was below $25.00.

Maybe more people would buy these lovely items, if the prices were dropped… just a bit.

While we certainly do not suffer as those in the Holy Land… many of us (here in the U.S.) are certainly feeling the financial “crunch” with food and gasoline, becoming so very expensive.

I wasn’t able to spend anything on the olive wood items… because we had to put gas in the car that week. 😦
 
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