On the morning of January 1st, also traditionally known as the
World Day of Peace, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Msgr. Foual Twal
presided over the Mass of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God in the
concathedral of the Latin Patriarchate in the Holy City.
In his
homily, the Patriarch shared his
wishes of hope and peace for all. Echoing recent statements made by the
Holy Father, Msgr. Twal expressed the need of "educating young people
in justice and peace." He mentioned the recent interreligious
dialogue in Assisi, the "Arab Spring," the situation in the
Holy Land, as well as some upcoming Church events, congresses and
synods that will take place in 2012.
Despite its generally positive, irenic and friendly tone, the substance
of the Patriarch's message was disappointing and disturbing.
A few months ago,
Catholics
for Israel published an open letter to the leaders of the
Catholic Church in the Holy Land entitled
Elephants
in the Room? The Hidden Roots of the Crisis of the Church in the Holy
Land.
As the title indicates, the piece pointed out some issues of serious
concern which, despite having a debilitating effect on the work of
the Church in the Holy Land, remain virtually ignored and unaddressed
by its
leaders.
Sadly, the Patriarch's New Year message is an indication that
these "Elephants" are still roaming about freely in the Church in the
Holy Land - still ignored and unadressed by the leadership.
Evidence for each one of the ten "elephants" was manifest in
the homily. Obviously, it would not be fair to expect that the
Patriarch should have addressed
each
one of these issues in one homily. But that fact
all of
them were ignored is a characteristic illustration of the theological malaise that
continues to afflict the local Church.
1. Neo-Marcionism,
Replacement Theology and the “Great Disconnect” between Israel and the
Church
The homily was characterized by the usual silence regarding the Jewish origins and roots of the
Gospel. Despite
the occasion of the Solemnity of the Mother of God, there was no
mention that Mary was and
remains forever a Jewish woman, daughter of Israel and daughter of
Zion. No word was said about the vital connection and bond between
Israel and the Church, about the role of Jesus and Mary as
bridges
between Judaism and Christianity, about the debt of gratitude that the
Church
owes to Judaism, or even about the first reading of the Mass, from the Book of Numbers, on the Aaronic
blessing.
2. Anti-Zionism and Anti-Israel Bias
The Patriarch also said that "a
generation of young Israelis and Palestinians were born and grew up
under occupation and in an atmosphere of violence. They experience the
checkpoints and the walls that separate people." As usual, the
only problem mentioned by name is the
Israeli "occupation," as if it were the only
culprit behind the "atmosphere of violence." No word was said about
the ongoing Palestinian refusal to negotiate with Israel, let alone
accept the existence of the Jewish State. As usual,
"checkpoints," "barbed wires" and "towering concrete walls" just exist
for no other reason than to
"separate people," with no word said about the constant threat of
terrorist and rocket attacks that has made these checkpoints and walls
necessary for the sake of saving both Israeli and Palestinian lives.
Moreover, no word of gratitude or appreciation was said about
the freedom of religion and worship, and the full security that Christians enjoy in Israel, a
privilege that is rather rare in the Middle East.
Of course, there was also no mention of the biblical and theological bond and attachment of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel - and this, despite the increasingly aggressive and strident delegitimization and hatred of Israel, not only from hostile neighboring countries but also from the world at large. The name "Israel" was barely mentioned in the message, as usual replaced by the more politically correct expressions "Holy Land" or "Land of Jesus."
3. Palestinian Liberation Theology
The theme of the homily was justice, reconciliation and peace.
While this is indeed an important topic, it has become almost a mantra
in the Church of the Holy Land, ceaselessly repeated with a marked
accent on socio-political aims rather than on solid biblical
and doctrinal catechesis. There was the usual call for the creation of
a Palestinian State, and the usual silence about the culture of
anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish
hatred and incitement in Palestinian society
(including, for example the recent
praise of Hitler in a PLO youth magazine
because he
murdered Jews), the Palestinian Authority's rapprochement with Hamas despite
the latter's continued avowed goal to work towards the total
destruction of Israel, or the PA's praise and glorification of terrorists (illustrated, for example, by
President Mahmoud Abbas openly
meeting with convicted terrorists and appointing them as advisors in his government).
4. Dhimmitude: the Surrender to Islam
The Patriarch called the so-called "Arab Spring" a
"reawakening of consciences for democracy, peace and social justice"
where "Muslims and Christians took to the street side by side,"
generating "real enthusiasm and great expectation." His only caviat was
a strikingly weak reservation that "doubts arise on the form of
government that will be implemented." It is hard to grasp how
an educated spiritual leader can arrive as such delusional conclusions
about the violent revolutions that have already claimed thousands of
lives
(and counting) in numerous countries, causing the rapid rise
of radical islamist
forces and a widespread increase in Muslim persecution of Christians
throughout the Middle East.
Despite his complete silence on the problems generated by the "Arab
Spring," the Patriarch recalled that "the Pope asked the
young and old to stay away from
extreme nationalism or exacerbated fundamentalism" - as if the violence
and killings in the Middle East
were but the fruit of random and generic "fundamentalism"
to which everyone is prone - certainly not related to any particular
religion at all.
Why the silence on these persecutions? Why, if mentioned at
all by Christian clergy, are the persecutions always carried out by nameless perpetrators? And why continue to use the
ludicrous term "Arab Spring" when the reality on the ground does not
even remotely resemble a "spring" but rather an "Islamic Winter"?
Surely such a combination of misguided statements and conspicuous silence cannot be the
result of
ignorance or malice. So what is left? Wishful thinking?
Or perhaps a fear of openly saying the truth, lest this make things
worse? Here we have again the spirit of
dhimmitude, the
fear of saying anything against Islam lest this causes yet greater
violent anti-Christian backlashes on the part of Muslims.
5. Dialogomania
and Practical Relativism
Another ever-recurring catch word, supported by the
ever-popular "Spirit of Assisi," is "dialogue." The Patriarch
invited the faithful to follow St. Francis in engaging in "peaceful
dialogue between believers" and creating "bonds of friendship and
solidarity." Although this is a good and noble ideal, almost nothing
was said about the Church's mission of evangelization
and about the urgent need that Christians pray and
work for the conversion of sinners and those who do not
know Christ.
Msgr. Twal did say that "peace has its basis in the heart of
man, in his conversion and reconciliation with God and family," but
there was no word on how to practically arrive at this conversion and
reconciliation. He gave the impression that anyone, from any religious tradition, can reach this conversion and reconciliation, with no
need at all to believe in Christ or be baptized.
The result is that Christians, once again, are inoculated
against giving a clear witness of their faith in words and deeds to
non-Christians. They are given the impression that being a
Christian essentially consists in being a "nice person" who gets along
with everyone - including the Muslims who are persecuting them
and driving them out of their homes and countries.
And so, with this underlying practical relativism, the Lord's
commission and the Church's mission of making disciples of all nations
is given a crippling blow and effectively neutralized.
6. Blurring the Doctrine:
The Catechetical Crisis
In his
homily, the Patriarch did not talk - even briefly - about the readings
from the Word of God that were read during the Liturgy of the Word -
not from the first reading, not from the Psalm, not from the second
reading, nor from the Gospel. The homily was largely devoid of
catechetical or doctrinal content, apart a few sentences exhorting the
faithful to look to Mary who in her humility was "peaceful, pure and
gentle" and at the same time "strong, vigorous, and full of hope."
Moreover,
Jesus was almost entirely absent from the homily. He was mentioned
only three times, and two of these were indirect, passing mentions of
the "land of Jesus" and "mother of Jesus." Only in his very last
sentence did Msgr. Twal wish that Mary's son, "Jesus, the Prince of
Peace give us His peace."
7. Battling Evil: Spiritual Warfare and Dormant Soldiers
With
the homily focused on peace, dialogue, and social justice, and with no
call or encouragement to share the Gospel with others for the purpose
of their conversion and salvation, all appeals to prayer were calls to a generic and amorphous "prayer for peace." The element of prayer
as spiritual battle and warfare for the salvation of souls was wholly
absent from the message.
8. Lack of Prophetic and Eschatological Vision
The homily was also uninspiring in its complete lack of prophetic and eschatological perspective.
Its stated aims and goals were mostly horizontal and humanistic -
calling for peace and co-existence here on earth, now in this life. Nothing was said about the risks and dangers of a humanly orchestrated peace that is not based on Jesus Christ. Nothing was said about the eschatological vision of the Scriptures (confirmed by recent
prophetic locutions) speaking of the rise of evil in the world, manifested by an increasing hostility of the nations against Israel.
9. The Eery Silence of Political Correctness
All of the above
issues demonstrate once again that political correctness reigns supreme
in the Church in the Holy Land: silence on the Church's theological and
biblical roots and foundations in Israel and Judaism; silence on the
anti-Israel bias of the clergy; silence on the Palestinian culture of
incitement and shared Palestinian responsibility in the perpetuation of
the conflict; silence on the growing Islamic oppression and persecution
of Christians; silence on the Lord's commandment and Church's
mission to lead all people to Christ; silence on the Church's biblical
and doctrinal catechesis; silence on the need to pray for the salvation
of the world and against spiritual forces of evil; and silence on the
prophetic and eschatological vision of the Bible and of the Church.
10. Ignoring the Messianic and Evangelical Communities
Finally, there was also no mention in the Patriarch's New Year message of the growing impact of the Messianic Jewish communities in Israel - a prophetic movement that deserves not only the attention but also the support, help and encouragement of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.
Conclusion
For 2012, let us pray that the Lord may grant our leaders and all Christians in the Holy Land the
grace, strength and courage to be more faithful to the Lord's calling
as expressed in the Sacred Scriptures and in the Church's teachings!
As we pointed out in
Elephants in the Room, we suggest that this should include the following:
- decisively
rejecting neo-Marcionism, replacement theology, and rediscovering the
Jewish roots of Catholicism and of the Christian faith;
- decisively rejecting anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, and fostering among Catholics a true appreciation and love for Israel;
- decisively
rejecting anti-Israel Palestinian Liberation Theology, and supporting
the Palestinian people in a way that is more respectful of Israel’s
prophetic calling;
- decisively rejecting the dhimmi mentality and stop being silent or in denial about the increasingly aggressive threat of radical Islam;
- decisively
rejecting religious relativism, and returning the role of dialogue to
its proper place as a subset of the Church’s mission of evangelization;
- establishing vigorous programs of catechesis and doctrinal formation for the faithful;
- raising
the awareness of the need for spiritual warfare, and train and equip
the clergy to pass on this awareness to the faithful;
- restoring the prophetic and eschatological vision in the Church, and translating this vision into action;
- decisively rejecting political correctness and describing the reality in the Holy Land as it truly is.
- restoring a genuine ecumenical openness in the Church, with a welcoming outreach to Messianic and Evangelical believers.
