These are the words of Anglican Archbishop Suheil Dawani as he expressed himself in the middle of an intense work day. The interview was brief but we got the essential.
The rest of our visit took place with his chaplain, Canon David Longe. He pointed out the remarkable action of the Anglican diocese in the Middle East and North Africa in the fields of education, health and interreligious dialogue.
He shared his enthusiasm about JC 2033: "It is fantastic that you take this step in advance. Here relationships are more important than results. The real key to meeting the leaders of Jerusalem is humility. So expect the move of the Holy Spirit! "
Some "Fioretti" (Flowers)
Jerusalem is a city of unexpected encounters. We have our program, the Holy Spirit has his own! Here are some of his "little flowers" (the "fioretti" as they say in Italian)
As we went to St. George's Cathedral, right next to the archbishop's palace we met a group of Vietnamese. One approached me and asked if we were pastors. What made them guess as such… we were not wearing any distinctive signs? They are pastors of a Pentecostal Church. It seemed as though God put them on our path to share the vision of Jesus Celebration 2033. They were so happy in this discovery that we received and invition to their country.
Then in the taxi that brought us back to the city, the driver explains that he is a Catholic (quite rare among taxi drivers according to him). He studied theology at Bethlehem Bible College, a Baptist seminary on our list of visits. The prospect of uniting for 2033 gave him such enthusiasm that he refused our taxi pay!
That afternoon’s program was 8th station of Via Dolorosa to visit the Ethiopian Archbishop. Turning a little in circles a lady approached and asks if she can help. She tells of her charitable work in the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and her great joy today of becoming the grandmother of a little girl named Eva. "The one who gives life," with a moment to share the vision of JC2033. Her face lit up even more upon receiving the pamphlet.
At the Ethiopian monastery, the Archbishop was out, this lead us to one of his secretaries asking about this JC2033 vision. We will be visiting the head of this very ancient Church on Friday morning.
Entrance of the Anastasis from the roof of the Orthodox Patriarchate
In the late afternoon, we entered the Greek Patriarchate. An old monk was at the entrance when we asked the porter to speak to Archbishop Aristarchos. He calls, but no answer. Then the monk grabbed us by the hand and lead us through the hanging gardens of the Patriarchate to the office of the right arm of the Patriarch Theophilus.
Aristarchos, was expecting us and receives us in his large office. We briefly presented the vision. He will speak to the Patriarch and call us if he can receive us.
At the end of the visit, his deputy named Cherubin (another "angel"!) showed us the roof of the Patriarchate, with an extraordinary view of the Holy Sepulcher, also known as the Anastasis, or the Church of the Resurrection by the Orthodox Christians.
Living the Resurrection Now
That evening we visited one of five Focolare communities. Fifteen members, men and women, from East and West Jerusalem and Bethlehem welcomed us for a meal. Some have just arrived, others have been part of the community for 40 years. They come from four continents seeking relations with other communities; Christian, Jewish or Muslim.
Faced with the benevolence and fraternity of this group, Olivier felt confident in sharing the call he received in Australia ten years ago. The turning point of his life, when he understood that Christ was calling him to invite the churches to unite to prepare the 2000 years of his resurrection.
Some reactions:
Dominique, from Slovakia: "I am tired of the ecumenical movement, but this awakens in me a new hope to gather around the risen Christ, the heart of our faith".
Belin, from the Philippines: "Our contribution is to live the resurrection in our daily lives. The road towards 2033, begins now ".
Angela from Spain: "This idea is amazing, it’s what the world needs, especially in Jerusalem."
Alessandra of Brazil: "When Jesus said ‘that all may be one’, it starts with Christians. I like that this project takes time, because it is necessary to prepare people from the inside. Crazy Ideas often change the world."
