Peacemakers in the Cross Fire
Bearing Witness to Hope
“This morning we were devastated to learn of the death of our colleague Viola, 26-Year-old, who was killed alongside her husband and their infant daughter in an airstrike attack on the St. Porphyrios Orthodox Church in Gaza. May they rest in peace.
The Church provided refuge for around 500 people, including 5 dedicated members of Caritas staff, along with their families. At least 17 people lost their lives and others are still under the rubble.
Viola's unwavering commitment to making a difference in the world was evident in her work at Caritas since 2021, where she served as a lab technician with the mobile medical teams, tending to the needs of the most vulnerable people in Gaza. Her heart was firmly aligned with the mission of Caritas, which was to serve and uplift the community in every way possible.
Tragically, Viola, her beloved husband, her precious infant daughter, as well as her sister, her sister's husband, and her sister's two children, were all taken from us in the horrific attack on the Orthodox Church Hall in Gaza. This heart-wrenching event has left a void in the lives of their friends and family, and the community as a whole. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this profound loss, and we remember Viola and her family with deep empathy and sorrow.
Since October 7, Israel has imposed a total siege on Gaza’s more than 2 million citizens. Water, food, and electricity were cut off, medicines are running short, and arbitrary shelling was intensified. Gaza has already been under blockade for 16 years. Half its population are children and almost 2/3 are refugees. (Emphasis added).
Excerpts taken from https://www.caritas.org/2023/10/caritas-mourns-colleagues-death-in-an-attack-in-gaza/
Caritas, (charity), is the Catholic Church's international aid and development agency. Caritas is a network of over 160 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations. Provides services in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
One half of the 2 million people in Gaza are under 18 years of age. Everyday 100 children die in Gaza. - Trocaire
Media coverage of the Israel Hamas War focuses on the combatants and the victims. Less attention is paid to those on the front lines of rescue and emergency help. Caritas and other international aid groups such as Doctors Without Borders, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, the Red Cross, the Red Crescent are all working in harm’s way. The largest humanitarian operation on the ground in Gaza is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Bearing Witness
The horrifying problems of the world bring their own trauma to those who watch the media or read the reports. We see, almost in real time, destruction and suffering, grief and despair. With reason, we need to limit our exposure to these events in order to maintain our capacity to respond in positive ways.
As opposed to being just passive bystanders with our hand held devices and laptops, we have an opportunity to use our grief as a catalyst to take us beyond sorrow and pain. We can become intentional witnesses; to bear testimony and to support the aid workers on the frontlines and the people they serve. Yes, it’s good to open up our digital wallets and send money, but there is a more painful duty of being a peace maker. We can become digital activists in seconds, not only by donating by also by advocating - by speaking out. Notes to key leaders such as President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, senators and members of Congress can be sent. Share your thoughts and your feelings. Join those promoting peace.
The first step toward an end to violence begins in our own hearts by coming to a place of conscious stillness and an absorption of an inner peace. The next step is even harder. We need to hold the aid workers and the people they serve in our consciousness. Religous people call this prayer. Secular people call it meditation. We place ourselves in union with their suffering. The next part of this heavy lift is not to take sides, not to engage in recrimination, nor to seek to return evil for evil.
Around the world, people are taking sides. Peacemakers try to find a middle ground while tending to the most immediate needs. This is especially hard when we don’t know what the outcome should look like. Israel needs its security and the Palestinians need their freedom. Hamas is committed to the destruction of Israel. Iran and Saudi Arabia see Palestine and Israel as a battle ground for their spheres of influence and control in the region. Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria is also committed to the destruction of Israel and has large numbers of missiles and drones. Attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank on Arabs have further inflamed the situation.
There is always the temptation to walk away and to dive into our online games or to indulge our sense of powerlessness and the futility of even trying to wage peace. We can be bystanders or witnesses. Our first reflex is to look away. We can be like those drivers who slow down to “ruber neck” and look at accidents and their victims on the highway or we can be like those who try to forget before they even look. We can also be intentional witnesses who undertake the work of peace in our relationships, our communities, and in shaping attitudes of compassion and comprehension regarding long standing conflicts that have no easy solution.
Let us remember Viola, the young wife and mother, who worked in a clinical lab, and died with her family, crushed by the mansonry of a church hall. Bearing witness to her life and work lights a candle for our hope and courage.
Battle the darkness. Send money, live in peace, and speak out for peace.
A note of consolation and hope.
An ancient Jewish hymn of trust. Psalm 23 “Shelter Me O God.” by Marty Haugen. It is sung at Christian funerals, in times of sorrow, and as a light in dark.
Thanks for this. Especially the recognition that everyone has a piece of the puzzle, and it is not easy to solve. For me, it is most important to think that the people are human beings, not vermin. And one more thing we can do, is ask our Bishop to sign the "Bread not Stones" document urging our bishops to speak in solidarity with the goal of peace-making, to call for a cease-fire, and to work to find humane solutions which will actually give the people civil rights, water, food, medical care, the ability to go and come, (not be locked into cells of apartheid), education and hope. The biggest stretch for this is for the Israelis to recognize the Palestinians as human beings, and as also part of this land. To get to a true one-state solution is my hope. Where people have civil rights, and the right to worship God as they wish.