Seven days from today, on the afternoon of Pentecost Sunday, June 8, Pope Francis will meet in prayer at the Vatican with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful
and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.
And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
My friend, Father Placido, who cares for the shrine at Gethsemane, also took care of me when I tore my meniscus on my way to pay him a surprise visit last summer.
Placido runs a tight ship, boasting that he keeps careful watch over priests who come to say Mass at the Church of the Agony, for fear that they will not follow “the rules” and turn the Mass into “some sort of carnival.”
I am anxious to see him in June to tease him that I caught him on camera turning the visit of the Pope into a carnival. He is the one taking a picture! It will be fun to ask him about that moment …
… and to ask him what he is saying to the Pope right after he took the photo, with both his hands raised in a questioning fashion.
“Here the Church was born, and was born to go forth. From here she set out, with the broken bread in her hands, the wounds of Christ before her eyes, and the Spirit of love in her heart.”
“The Upper Room speaks to us of service, of Jesus giving the disciples an example by washing their feet. Washing one another’s feet signifies welcoming, accepting, loving and serving one another. It means serving the poor, the sick and the outcast.”
Pope Francis, Mass in the Cenacle, May 26, 2014
No, this is not the opening line of a joke.
It was the occasion of an embrace at the Western Wall, the holiest site for Jews in Jerusalem, just below the third holiest site in the world for Muslims.
The Pope, the rabbi and the Muslim leader, all friends back in Argentina, collapsed in a heartfelt embraced.
After the tears and words exchanged, Francis went to pray and to place his prayer in the crevice of the wall.
On the paper, in an envelope was the Lord’s prayer in his native Spanish.
“Let us ask the Spirit to prepare our hearts to encounter our brothers and sisters, so that we may overcome our differences rooted in political thinking, language, culture and religion. Let us ask him to anoint our whole being with the oil of his mercy, which heals the injuries caused by mistakes, misunderstandings and disputes. And let us ask him to send us forth, in humility and meekness, along the demanding but enriching path of seeking peace.”
Pope Francis, Mass in Amman, Jordan, May 24, 2014
With recent pilgrimage groups I have stopped the bus in Bethlehem to allow pilgrims “to be in touch with” the security barrier – separation wall. The last group wrote messages on the wall, along with laying their hands on the wall in prayer. Some might say that this is “too political” for people on a spiritual pilgrimage.
We remain in good company.
He needs to be accepted and protected.
They need to be welcomed and defended.
God’s desire for peace and God’s moment toward peace shines brilliantly through Pope Francis. This is certainly a new “peace initiative.” This morning I am very proud to be a Catholic.
Many times many voices have invited the two sides to sit down and talk or to come together to negotiate. Never have I heard anyone invite them to do this!
BETHLEHEM – 25.05.2014
Manger Square : Invitation of the Pope to Abbas and Perez
In this, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, together with President Shimon Peres, to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace. I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer.
All of us want peace. Many people build it day by day through small gestures and acts; many of them are suffering, yet patiently persevere in their efforts to be peacemakers. All of us – especially those placed at the service of their respective peoples – have the duty to become instruments and artisans of peace, especially by our prayers.
Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment. The men and women of these lands, and of the entire world, all of them, ask us to bring before God their fervent hopes for peace.
On this corner, right around the corner is Manger Square in Bethlehem. Pope Francis is arriving to celebrate Mass in the square. Right here the popemobile will make a right turn and enter Manger Square. Do you notice the blue “hotel” sign?
That hotel is Manger Square Hotel. That is where the HOPE teacher-pilgrims and I will stay for three nights, while we are in the Holy Land – on this corner, right around the corner from Manger Square and the Basilica of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus.
Okay, Abuna Sleiman, I fought my envy and jealousy when you took the stage with the Holy Father for that hour. But now, you stand between Pope Francis AND Queen Rania?
You are testing any trace of virtue that might be within me!
With Open Doors 
