Friends,

I just started reading a BBC Verified article about the bombing of Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. Generally, I soak up any piece of information that I can about things like this as some sort of coping mechanism, but this time I couldn’t finish. Two experts looked at footage of the explosion and said that it is likely not an intentional hit, but rather a piece of rocket that fell from its intended route, or something like that. Everyone seemed to agree that the facts are pretty sketchy and we are likely not going to get any satisfactory answers. The lack of truth and decisiveness in this matter and the assurance that this will keep the cycle of violence spinning made me close the browser window and take a break.

Al Ahli Arab Hospital is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Some reports said it was the Baptist Hospital. These reports are either mistaken, or there is an ecumenical aspect to the hospital that I am not aware of. I am embarrassed to say that I was unaware of this hospital until Marge Stallman told me on Sunday that she and a former associate priest of St. Luke’s (Lynda Hergenrather) spent a considerable amount of time there to help set up the medical library. Marge also made shawls and blankets for the mothers and babies in the Hospital. I know other members of the Church have spent time there as well, and even though I was unaware of the connection, it turns out that Al Ahli Arab Hospital is part of the DNA of our Church. The thought that people took refuge in a hospital and died violently makes me absolutely sick, and my first instinct is to do something about it. Surely, those responsible will be found out and they will have to answer to someone, but like so many things in this war, this will likely never happen.

As far as justice and peace in Gaza go, I do not have any road maps or even good ideas, and I probably feel just as helpless as you do. Wednesday was the Feast Day of the Saint that our Church is dedicated to, St. Luke the Evangelist. St. Luke’s Gospel emphasizes Jesus’s ministry toward the marginalized, and the Gospel passage that we read in the Wednesday service has Jesus reading Isaiah in the synagogue,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
     to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
   and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. (Luke 4:18-21)

The most triumphant part of this passage is the part I am struggling with most. Isaiah outlines everything that Israel and Gaza need desperately; good news to the poor of Gaza, release of Israeli captives, and for the oppressed to go free, and Jesus stuns everyone by proclaiming that by his reading the scripture, it has been fulfilled. All of those wonderful but unobtainable things have already been fulfilled, but we see so much of the opposite whenever we read the news. This is disheartening, and I wish I could give you something that takes this dissonance and wraps it up nicely, but I can not. What I can offer you is the fact that good news, release of captives, healing, and freedom for the oppressed is sacred work, and something that we must strive for, but we ultimately need to realize that we need Christ in this endeavor. If we strive for all of these wonderful things without listening to others and without the humility to listen to God, rather than demand, then all of our efforts will merely be a reflection of ourselves and fail. Currently, there a lot of Israelites and Palestinians in need of justice, and it is likely going to be in short supply. I commend you to listen and to pray while we discern how we can best help, and I hope that we can start as a faith community by rallying behind Al Ahli Arab Hospital.

I am not sure what is still standing of the hospital, but even if the building is completely gone their ministry is not. We may not be able to be agents of justice in this endeavor, but we can take on the mantel that Marge Stallman and many other St. Lukers have carried and support Al Ahli Arab Hospital as they determine how to continue their ministry in the coming months. We cannot provide the whole solution, but if we are dedicated and humble, we can help bring one good thing back to a people in desperate need of freedom, healing, and good news. Keep an eye out and we discover how to best support Al Ahli Hospital, and in the meantime, please see the message below from the American Friends of the Diocese of Jerusalem with information about how to donate directly to their cause.

Blessings,

Nick

If you’d like to read the article about Al Ahli Hospital from American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, click here.