Israel, witness of the historicity of our faith

Just learned that the Pontifica Università Lateranense has a "Cattedra per la Teologia del Popolo di Dio". The Cattedra / PUL is organizing a convegno: "Un'Alleanza mai revocata: Nostra Aetate - il lungo cammino dal Lateranense IV al Vaticano II. 1215 - 1965 - 2015," Monday, 9 Nov 2015. Pity I am not there. The Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See will be intervening, with Michael P. Maier of the PUG and Achim Buckenmaier of the PUL.

Just yesterday, in the reading, Paul was saying: I would willingly be cut off from Christ if that could in some way be good for my people, the Jewish people (Rom 9,1-5). I found that very passionate, very strong. Paul, for whom Christ was everything, is willing to give up this most precious thing if it could help his brothers of Israel, his own flesh and blood.

And F. Rossi de Gasperis: the people of Israel are a living testimony of the historical dimension of our faith in Jesus. "La mia fede mi immette in una storia. Ogni tentativio di ridurla a qualche altra dimensione, più o meno verticale, ideologica, filosofica o univocamente esistenziale, la fa morire di asfissia. Lo so, l'ho sperimentato, l'ho capito bene, ormai. E non finirò di ringraziare Israele per essere, di questa storicità, un testimone vindice, un martire irreducibile. / Che cosa avremmo fatto, e non faremmo, noi, cristiani della gentilità e gnostici irriducibili, di questa storicità della nostra fede, se Israele non avesse continuato e non continuasse a esistere di fatto? ..." (Sentieri di Vita: La dinamica degli Esercizi ignaziani nell'itinerario delle Scritture. 2.1. Seconda Settimana. Prima Parte [Milano: Paoline Editoriale Libri, 2006] 38)  

Refugee crisis

To Mark Ulysses' email of 31.10.2015, sending me the 4 volumes of Live Encounters Dec 2015 issue celebrating 6 years: 

wow, that's quite some work.

sorry i did not get back to you re the guest editorial. there was nothing brewing in my mind. the issue of the refugee crisis is complex. one thing is the humanitarian angle; the other is the practicality, the possible reactions (already these seem to be forming), and so on. how to be loving as well as wise. how to be fraternal as well as practical. 

i keep thinking of the invasion of parts of north east india by people coming in from Bangladesh; in a couple of years citizenship is obtained, and elective power passes on to the immigrants, giving rise to violent situations or else the dominance that is also structurally violent, the "minorization" of people in thier own land. i keep wondering what Pope Francis would think of that, what Jesus would think of that. 

it is not the same situation here in Europe, but potentially it also goes that way. 

part of the way for humanity is somehow to solve problems at their roots. which means calling into question the whole world order, the economic system, the political systems...

did you know that the Vatican some years ago, in a low level document, called for the establishing of some sort of world authority? if airlines can get their act together, for time zones and things, so, it argued, could we get our act together in the economic field. i think it was Cardinal Turkson who issued that document. 

once again, congratulations for the great work, and a prayer.

Ivo