If Holy Land Christians Pick Up and Leave...

The Holy Land is often referred to as “the fifth Gospel.” Just as the pages of the four canonical Gospels speak to us of Jesus, his work and his times, so does the land where he was born, lived quietly for 30 years, acted publicly through preaching and healing to tell people of God’s plan for the salvation of the world, the place where he was crucified, died, was buried and rose from the dead, speaks to all who see it. To see the places Jesus saw, to walk where he lived and walked, forms images in one’s mind that change the way we read the Gospels themselves. To visit Bethlehem, Galilee, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Nazareth, the Sea of Tiberias, the Mount of the Beatitudes and Jerusalem itself is to receive a sense of treading in Jesus’ footsteps and learning the part of the world that was his.

But the Holy Land today, while visited by pilgrims, is home to citizens of Israel, of Jordan, of the Palestinian territories; and their long-standing political and social problems color ordinary life. The U.S. bishops have long asked the U.S. government, which still has some influence on all parties, to help create a framework agreement as a basis for resolving the long-standing conflicts. This is a project that Secretary of State John Kerry has committed himself to doing in the next several weeks. His efforts deserve our prayers.