Updates for the New Year
“Your heartfelt commitment to justice and peace in Palestine, even from afar, is a powerful reminder that solidarity transcends borders. Your steadfast prayers and efforts … are beacons of hope for Palestinians facing unimaginable oppression, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and genocide. It is through such acts of unity—across faiths and communities—that the cry for truth and freedom grows louder and stronger. Never underestimate the impact of your advocacy and mobilization, for it reminds us all that the struggle for freedom and justice is a shared human endeavour.” – Kairos Palestine Christmas message to supporters around the world
Faithfully worshipping in Gaza
Throughout the fourteen months of hellscape in Gaza, St Porphyrios Orthodox Church in Gaza City continues to function, gathering the faithful for worship, serving the sacraments, and caring for the displaced. They also continue to post updates to Facebook, including beautiful photos of their Christmas celebration on January 7. Search for them at ”Saint Porphyrios Orthodox Church Gaza.” Read the Christmas prayer which the Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem posted to that page. “Pray for the protection of all the inhabitants of the Holy Land, the children of its parishioners, the suffering in Gaza, those who have taken refuge in the monastery of St. Porphyrius, and the faithful visitors who celebrate Christmas.”
A Christmas Message from Kairos Palestine
Our last e-bulletin shared Christmas messages from Palestine. A message from Kairos Palestine—encouraging supporters, allies and advocates around the world—arrived too late to include. An excerpt is shared in the lead-in quotation above. The full message is available on Facebook (search for “Kairos Palestine” and go to December 23 posting).
See also Global Kairos for Justice Coalition’s question to churches, “Why are you silent in the face of genocide?” Although intended primarily for European churches, the question should also be put to many Canadian churches. Read the statement here.
Highlighting our Work at CFOS
See our new video, When Sumud is just Surviving, featuring images gathered by members of the Solidarity Pilgrimage last November, and a spoken message by Rev. Munther Isaac about the role of the Church in this brutal, appalling era. “How do we endure?” “How do we have solidarity with one another?” The mission of the Church now, he says, is to find answers to such questions, and search for ways to put them into practice. “Hope seems something so far away from now… Right now, we are focused on survival.” Watch the video here.
We continue to post thoughtful reflections by participants in the Sabeel Solidarity Pilgrimage of last November. From the CFOS home page, click on the button immediately below the heading “In Time of Genocide: A Palestinian Solidarity Pilgrimage.” Here is a sample from David Knoppert’s recent piece:
“The effects of the mental anguish that Palestinians (especially children) are experiencing will carry on for generations. We, in Canada, are well aware of the multi-generational effects of residential schools on the Indigenous population of this country. We can only hope that Palestinian children will receive the care, therapy and support that they will need when this disaster ends.”
We remind you of our Authentic Christian Pilgrimage project, which provides guidelines to help Canadian church or para-church groups plan and implement itineraries for Holy Land pilgrimages. An article by CFOS Board member, Dorcas Gordon, in the Winter 2024 issue of Presbyterian Connection, the quarterly newspaper of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, explains how Israel has for many years worked to promote tourism that marginalizes Palestinian sites and tour professionals. Incredibly, it has been possible to tour the Holy Land and never even see the Wall. Download the newspaper issue here and read Dorcas’s article on page 34.
How can we be silent: Praying together on January 26
In 2025 the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated January 18-25. An ecumenical initiative, sponsored by our sister Canadian organization UNJPPI, has provided a set of prayers focused on Palestine for use during Sunday worship on January 26. Under the title “How Can We Be Silent?” the package features three prayers, followed by a concise and helpful list of resources. “As we enter a new year and continue to witness this ongoing devastation, can we commit to taking a few minutes on Sunday, January 26, 2025, to pray with churches across Ontario [and beyond] for a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis?” Download the document here.
From Sabeel Jerusalem
Each Monday, Sabeel Jerusalem posts a Wave of Prayer which reports unfolding events on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank; a prayer accompanies each report. People following the mainstream media will miss reports of these events. Subscribe here. The reports and prayers are also found on Facebook (search and follow them at “Palestinian Liberation Theology Sabeel). Consider the post and prayer at the Jewish time of Hanukah, which concluded on January 2: “Despite the suffering we witness, may we never conflate Judaism with Zionism, but instead uphold the true spirit of faith—one of love, mercy, and dignity for all.”
In Sabeel’s New Year’s Statement of 2025, Rev. Naim Ateek echoes the Sumud message: “As we begin the new year, we must prioritize Hope and exercise Sumud.” He draws on the words of St Paul in Romans 5.3-5: “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Read the entire statement here.
This week, instead of a normal Kumi Now Session, Sabeel began their 2025 program with an invitation to complete a feedback survey on Kumi. Audience feedback will help them continue to develop and refine the Kumi Now experience. Find the survey via this link.
Blessings and Thank-you
We at CFOS are grateful for your support—through your donations, your volunteer efforts and your collaboration with us. Please share this e-Bulletin with your friends and colleagues to help us build our network. We extend to you all our best wishes and our hopes and prayers for a just peace in 2025.