SAN BERNARDINO MASSACRE - 1 YEAR OLD

It was about 6:00 AM in Jerusalem proper,
not far from the West Bank, maybe 2 miles north of Bethlehem.  We had just awakened from a short night's sleep after 14 hour flight from Los Angeles. We had the first day of  our Christmas Pilgrimage ahead of us. A few moments after shaking the sand from our eyes, we turned on the television out of curiosity.  As the CNN "Word News Headlines" flared into view we were shaken by the announcement that a mass killing had taken place in San Bernardino, California.  We prepared for our day with one ear on the news and one eye on preparing ourselves for a day out of the room, starting with breakfast.
This event served as  the focus for our intercessory prayers for the next nine days.  Most of us lived within 30 minutes of auto travel from the location of this human tragedy.

One year later, we are headed back to Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the myriad other holy places located in that part of the world. Once again we will spend the early evening in the Nativity Square in Bethlehem to celebrate the lighting if the Christmas Tree on the first Saturday of December.  Once again we will be there with our heart full of prayer provoked and energized by the memory of San Bernardino.

We are now on the way to Bethlehem.  The major celebration of lights is coming into focus. The thirty foot pine tree at the head of the Nativity Square will be set ablaze with hundreds of multicolored lights. The square itself will be vibrating with multicolored people focused on the mystery of Christmas.  Hundreds of cell phones turned into YouTube cameras will be the source of worldwide "shares" flying through the satellites to friends and families.
The crowd will be cheering and happy.  In the heart of what is Judea, turned Israel, to West Bank, people will be joined in unity of interest if only for a short while.  There will be 40 of us standing together, a small cell of Catholic Christians shivering from the cool of the evening as well as from the emotion of being in Jesus' home town.
We assure you of our prayers.  We ask for yous.  We also remind you that the anniversary of the Mass Murder is on December 2.  the survivors are still deeply traumatized. Please pray for them and pray for those who are helping them to recover.

God bless you all.

BELIEVE IN PROVIDENCE

king saulby zoharglait

Watch

Traditional Art / Drawings / People©2011-2016 zoharglait

We went to celebrate the Eucharist this morning and from the time that it took to introduce ourselves to the sacred environment we came to the realization that this is the moment of remembering that Christ is our king.
We started the Liturgy of the Word with a short reminder from the first book of Samuel, chapter 8 and following.  
This is the beginning of the story of how the Israelites got a king in the first place.  The story of the transition from being a loose agglomeration of tribes to a kingdom is one of the most captivating sections of the Bible.  I strongly recommend that you read it.

The first king that God gave them was named Saul.  This name means "asked" or "requested."  As it turns out, he was not a good king.  Until he came along, the "king" of the people was God Himself.  This was not working very well.  There were prophets and judges helping Him with the earthly organization, but it was not going well.  This was especially true when it came to organizing themselves for war.  They were getting badly beaten by the people who had kings at their head.  So they asked God, through his Prophet/Patriarch, Samuel to give them a king.  Long story made short, God gave them what they asked for.  As you progress in your reading, you will notice that it did not go well with Saul.  Saul committed a lot of sins.  A lot!  His final one was falling on his own sword.  
I am telling you this story (I wish I had more time) because it is a perfect example of getting what you had no idea you would get as a response to your request.  As you read the story, you will see that this guy was more interested in his own welfare than in fulfilling the will of God for the good of the people.  He was so bad that at a given point of the story God disowns Saul.  This was not a good start for the Chosen People.  
Enter, David, the ancestor of Jesus.

I am letting you decide whether or not you have parallels that you want to draw between the story of Saul and the actual time in which we are now living.  If you spend some time reading the historical story of Saul (It happens at about 1010 BC) you will see that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  You will also see that we must be careful about what we ask for.  You will also see that there is a solution, or at least a resolution of the situation.  You will also see that it is important to stay close to God in every aspect of our lives.  You will see that God is tough on Saul but sees to it that the people overcome the disunity caused by the failed king and come back together under the God fearing king David.

It is in this context that Jesus, the descendant of David and who is the Son of God comes and unifies the people, not just of David but of the entire universe.  He does so by being the complete opposite of human kings...first and foremost by being perfectly obedient to the Will of God.

I guarantee that if you take the time to read the story of Saul you will have a wonderful experience.  Your emotions will swing from joy to sorrow; from tears to smiles; from disgust to admiration and finally to satisfaction for having discovered another dimension of Sacred Scripture.  
Thank God for that and remember that no crying is allowed at my funeral.