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COLUMN | We Pray for The Emergence of Brave and Wise Leaders

By Marek Zabriskie

A group of twenty Christ Church parishioners traveled to Israel in March as pilgrims, where we met with Christians and Jews, who shared their stories with us. These are the living stones of the Holy Land. We also were privileged to visit with the Archbishop of Jerusalem, whose diocese includes one of the chief hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

Our thoughts and prayers are now with everyone in Israel and especially those who have lost their beloved sons and daughters, parents, siblings, friends, grandchildren, and neighbors in the horrific attack by Hamas. We pray for those taken hostage by Hamas and carried into captivity in the Gaza Strip. We pray for their safety and their safe return to their families.

Attacks on innocent civilians are never acts of war, but always acts of terror. They are masterminded and carried out by those who have lost complete touch with their humanity and the humanity of others. We must unite, stand strong, and work together to overcome those who choose the path of violence rather than the way of peace and negotiation.

The actions taken by Hamas are abhorrent and despicable. They represent the worst of what humanity is capable of, and they remind us why we must listen to our better angels at all times and seek to walk along moral pathways and encourage others to do the same. We must act collectively to combat evil.

We also hold in our thoughts and prayers the innocent Palestinian civilians living in the Gaza Strip with nowhere to flee and who will be unintended collateral damage. In pursuing those who have made evil incarnate, we pray that as few innocent women, children, and men will be harmed, maimed, or killed.

Finally, we pray for the emergence of brave and wise leaders who recognize the great complexities of this situation and who seek to find lasting solutions that lead to peace and justice for all in Israel and beyond.

A group of twenty Christ Church parishioners traveled to Israel in March as pilgrims, where we met with Christians and Jews, who shared their stories with us. These are the living stones of the Holy Land. We also were privileged to visit with the Archbishop of Jerusalem, whose diocese includes one of the chief hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

Our thoughts and prayers are now with everyone in Israel and especially those who have lost their beloved sons and daughters, parents, siblings, friends, grandchildren, and neighbors in the horrific attack by Hamas. We pray for those taken hostage by Hamas and carried into captivity in the Gaza Strip. We pray for their safety and their safe return to their families.

Attacks on innocent civilians are never acts of war, but always acts of terror. They are masterminded and carried out by those who have lost complete touch with their humanity and the humanity of others. We must unite, stand strong, and work together to overcome those who choose the path of violence rather than the way of peace and negotiation.

The actions taken by Hamas and other jihad groups aided by directly by Iran are abhorrent and despicable. They represent the worst of what humanity is capable of, and they remind us why we must listen to our better angels at all times and seek to walk along moral pathways and encourage others to do the same. We must act collectively to combat evil.

We also hold in our thoughts and prayers the innocent Palestinian civilians living in the Gaza Strip with nowhere to flee and who will be unintended collateral damage. In pursuing those who have made evil incarnate, we pray that as few innocent women, children, and men will be harmed, maimed, or killed.

Finally, we pray for the emergence of brave and wise leaders who recognize the great complexities of this situation and who seek to find lasting solutions that lead to peace and justice for all in Israel and beyond.

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