Holy Family & the People of Gaza

 

 Now after [the Magi] had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”  Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

Matthew 2:13-15 NRSVue

Today a lot of Canadian Christians will be playing hooky from church. It is not because of physical threat or fear of any kind.  It's just what we tend to do in the summer when the weather beckons us outside or on the road, making hay while the sun shines. How blessed we are to have a choice.

This past week Holy Family Church  the only Roman Catholic church in Gaza City was shelled by an Irsraeli tank for no reason. causing damage, killing three and injuring many others, including the parish priest. As usual, there are weak apologies about this deadly attack. According to the BBC:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country "deeply regrets that a stray ammunition" hit Gaza's only Catholic Church, killing three people sheltering there."Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful," he said in a statement. 

These are meaningless condolences as the assault on Palestinians continues unabated. There is no accountability. During the same week hundreds of Gazan civiliians, including children, were injured or killed as they desperately attempted to access meagre food aid. These are starving people being slaughtered by those who are supposed to provide sustenance. This is an unimaginable horror given less attention than the swollen ankles of the President of the United States who continues to provide weapons to Israel for what more and more critics describe as genocide. To be fair, Trump did condemn this attack.  

Parish priest of the Holy Family Parish, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, receives medical attention, after he suffered light leg injuries following what initial reports said was an Israeli tank attack on the church. 

The late Pope Francis would phone this parish every evening at 7:00 to offer encouragement and support and did so until two two days before his death. Pope Leo is also offering support and called Netanyahu to express his dismay.

Whether we are in a place of worship or elsewhere today we must pray for our Gazans siblings in Christ and all others who suffer. We can remember that the Holy Family is the infant Jesus and his parents who were forced to flee a tyrannical regime for their lives. The people of Gaza have no place to go. 

                                                                                     Vasily Martynchuk