Every Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m., with obvious connections to the time of suffering that Jesus endured on the Friday that we call Good, Father Ibrahim Shomali, the parish priest of Beit Jala (Bethlehem) celebrates the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with his people in an olive grove in Cremisan Valley on the outskirts of the town.
This place is chosen by the parish of Beit Jala for Mass to protest in a prayerful and nonviolent way the proposed path that the Israeli government plans to follow in building another section of the separation wall through this very valley. What the Palestinians (and I) and many Israeli citizens call a separation wall, some proponents prefer to call a security fence, claiming that only 3% of it is actually a wall, and that the rest is a low lying, barbed wire structure. There is no doubt that this section will not be a fence; it will be a wall. And it will separate: 58 families from their olive groves, 450 children from their school at the convent of the Silesian sisters, and all the people of Beit Jala from the only recreational park, green space that is left for them. And it is hard to imagine how this particular re-routing of the wall to take more land and water for Israel is necessary for security.
The schedule for our pilgrim-teachers from schools of our Archdiocese of Cincinnati did not allow us to join him/them on Friday, so Father Ibrahim arranged for Deacon Suleiman to accompany us to the place for Mass on a Tuesday morning.
When we arrived, we found the ground turned up and over. Someone had obviously plowed the ground.
It was alleged by some of the locals that the Israeli government had done that to make it difficult to pray there. No matter who did it or why it was done, the turned up ground did make it quite complicated to walk and difficult to stand, the slightest shift of our weight causing our feet to slip from underneath us. The situation made us more determined in our prayer. We stood our ground as best as we could.
Deacon Suleiman called us to worship with a reminder that Jesus prayed on the night before his crucifixion in another grove of olive trees: at the base of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. These olives trees are a Gethsemane of another kind. Here the agony of the garden continues.
We prayed that the agony of our friends from Beit Jala will be eased.
As we left, some of us picked up stones and olive branches, not knowing whether or not we will ever be able to return with them to this place.
With Open Doors 
I’m so disheartened. And angry. And sad.
Oh Father Rob. You inspire me to pray. You share your memories and make me feel what was felt there that day. Thank you. I love that “the situation made you more determined in your prayer.” I pray for you daily and will continue with the example of determination you showed me in all my prayers. Love and blessings to you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I stell remeber that Fr. Rob realy it was wonderfull day for me to see u here in Beit Jala with us praying ….I never for get this holy day in Crimesan Many times I see all the pic’s that I had specialy when I gave some of the earth . stone and Branch of olive of Crimesan , I hope some day u will return back and every body with again here in Crimesan