“The roads to Jerusalem are in mourning, as crowds no longer come to celebrate the festivals. The city gates are silent, her priests groan, her young women are crying, how bitter is her fate! The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks him, it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord… Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.”
This is how Fairuz sang with lyrics written by the Rahbani Brothers, with her sad and impressive voice in 1962, and she sang it again in 1967. Today, the grieving Fairuz still sings for Jerusalem, as if time has not changed, as if the same sorrow has reiterated, but only in different forms.
The roads of Jerusalem were in mourning during the pandemic, then they have mourned for three years because of the war on Gaza, and nowadays they mourn once again due to the absence of pilgrims as the number of visitors to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Nazareth has declined for consecutive years. Even in Jordan this year, groups of pilgrims are absent from the Baptism Site and other holy places, as war provides neither safety for travel nor reassurance for crossing.
The roads of Jerusalem are mourning… and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has closed its doors while marking the glorious Easter, as is the case with sisterly Al-Aqsa Mosque during the blessed Eid Al-Fitr. Yet they are not alone, for the prayers of the faithful are offered from homes as well as from devout and believing hearts.
Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa has called for celebrating Palm Sunday this year with neither outward manifestations nor festive processions, as has been the case in the city throughout the past centuries. Instead of chants, palm and olive branches, there is a call to pray the Rosary for peace, in the hope that Heaven would rain peace and reassurance upon the Earth.
From the Vatican, the Pope renews his call for an immediate ceasefire, so that people would return to a life worthy of their humanity, namely a life of love and safety, which our region and indeed the entire world lack.
This year, Easter is concomitant with sorrow, as if “the Good Friday” has extended longer than ever before. The Way of the Cross seems longer, heavier, and more burdensome than in previous years, because the pain is no longer confined, but rather threatens the entire global peace.
In spite of this, we do not lose hope until the Lord “looks down from Heaven,” as the case with Fairuz’s hymn, inspired by the Holy Bible. This is the faith that we hold on to nowadays, so that our younger generations would not lose hope, and so that we may believe that war, no matter how severe it is, will one day die down, its sound will fall silent, while the values of justice and peace will rise anew.
Let us join those who are praying in Jerusalem this year, even though they are few in number. Before that, let us listen to the heads of the Churches of Jerusalem, the City of the Resurrection, in their pastoral Easter message to all their people in Jerusalem and beyond, where they say: “We call upon the faithful and all people of goodwill to work and pray without cessation for the relief of the affected groups in the Middle East and beyond, especially those who groan under the horrors of these wars. We also urge them to raise their voices in prayer for an immediate end to the bloodshed, and to strive to achieve justice and peace in our suffering regions, starting from Jerusalem and extending to Gaza, to Lebanon, to the entire the Holy Lands, to the Gulf countries, to Tehran, and to the farthest parts of Earth.”
We share with all people of goodwill in this world the saying: “O Lord of peace, grant us Your peace, and quench the thirst of our hearts with reassurance.
