CPTnet
February 26, 2001
HEBRON: WHO WILL ROLL AWAY THE STONE?
By Dianne Roe

[Note: Roe's reflection and litany are available for downloading as
bulletin inserts at http://www.cpt.org/publications/lent2001.php]

As Christians throughout the world enter the Lenten wilderness this year
2001, it seems that we still do not know "the things that make for peace"
(Luke 19:41). There is bloodshed and strife around the world, and the
temptation to quell it with pax Romana (the military order of Rome),
instead of seeking Pax Christi (the peace of Christ).

We invite you to enter the wilderness with Israelis, Palestinians, and
internationals who have joined together trying to find that elusive peace.
This prayer calendar below is for those who find themselves in the deepest
part
of the wilderness, and for those willing to risk their lives by crossing
barriers and entering that wilderness.

Holy week this year coincides with Passover. Easter and Passover
are both about liberation. Palestinians are looking
for liberation from occupation, and from imprisonment that
those under curfew and closure have endured since the end of September 2000.
As we pray on Holy Saturday about those families affected by the closure,
we remember that the Palestinian lands have been divided into 197
non-contiguous pieces which can be enclosed
at will by checkpoints and heavy boulders closing the access roads. The
heavy stones are blocking all hopes of peace and justice.

Israelis are also looking for liberation from the occupation they have
imposed and from the hatred it has engendered against them. Both Israelis
and Palestinians seek liberation from the fear that siezed them, mostly fear
from "the other". Road blocks designed by soldiers to keep "the other" out
have become
instruments of imprisonment and killing. They also prevent Israelis and
Palestinians from knowing "the other."

There are guards at these roadblocks, just as there were stationed at the
tomb of Jesus. These borders are the points of clashes between Israelis
and Palestinians. Are there disciples willing to take up the cross of
non-violence? Are there Israelis, Palestinians and internationals willing
to go to these borders, risking their lives just to reach out for "the
other." If enough of them do, can the violence of the borders become
non-violent pieces of holy ground? Will they found, as the disciples did,
that the
stone had already been rolled away?

We pray this Lenten season for those who are crossing borders and rolling
away stones. We pray for their continued safety and courage. Pray that
each of us may know how to answer our own call to discipleship. Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem.

PRAYER CALENDAR: February 28-March 7, 2001

Ash Wednesday, February 28, Waheed Zaloum, Hebron 5th anniversary of
house demolition. Zalloum family lives under curfew.

Thursday, March 1, Lafi Jabbari family, Hebron. Lafi's brother was shot
in the face by Israeli soldiers while grocery shopping in the center of
Hebron in early October 2000.

Friday, March 2, Rabbis for Human Rights

Saturday, March 3, Yusef Al Atrash family. March 3rd is Yusef's birthday
and the
third anniversary of the demolition of his house. Yusef is in constant pain
and in need of medical assistance.

SUNDAY March 4: In the week ahead we will pray for the Palestinian families
of
Qilkis, and for Israeli and Palestinian woman's groups.

Monday, March 5, Abu Turki family, Qilkis

Tuesday, March 6, School children in Qilkis and else where.

Wednesday, March 7, Israeli activist Harriet Lewis and the Israeli Committee
against Home Demolitions

Litany of Stones
Some in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to
stop." Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, then the stones
would shout out." (Adapted from Luke 19:39-40)
Huda and Fayez, in tears, survey the rubble of their demolished
home
... And the stones will cry out
Jawdi, in anger, watches his hillside orchard being bulldozed for a
settlement
... And the stones will cry out
Abdel, returning home with bread for the family during curfew, is
stopped by soldiers
... And the stones will cry out
Rashad shows his passengers the stone thrown through the bus
window by settlers
... And the stones will cry out
Musa drives over rough trails to work because his village is
blockaded from the highway ... And the stones will cry out
Yusra's school has been taken over by the soldiers. Now there's
a tank in the schoolyard
... And the stones will cry out
Hisham cannot pass the checkpoint on the bypass road because
he is Palestinian...
... And the stones will cry out
Very early in the morning on the first day of the week the women went
to the tomb.
They said to each other, "Who will roll away the stone?" (Adapted
from Mark 16:2-3)
From the despair of demolished hopes
...Who will roll away the stone?
From the powerlessness of land confiscation
...Who will roll away the stone?
From the imprisonment of 24 hour curfew
...Who will roll away the stone?
From the fear of violence on the roads
...Who will roll away the stone?
From the suffocation of villages under siege
...Who will roll away the stone?
From the cruelty of school closures
...Who will roll away the stone?
From the tomb of the occupation
...Who will roll away the stone?