By April 2020 / Bethlehem
Dear brothers and sisters in humanity, in the faith of God, creator of heaven and earth:
Greetings of love, peace and joy from Bethlehem – the birth place of the Lord Jesus Christ. We find ourselves in one of the centers of Covid-19 and plead to God for safety and good health. AEI appreciates the solidarity, unity and steadfastness of the Palestinian people in support of our wise leaders and the medical health and security teams, along with the many volunteers in civil society organizations.
AEI thanks all for their heroic struggle against the new invisible enemy which attacks all. We support the continued peaceful resistance against the violations of the Israeli occupation and its daily practices affecting the health of the Palestinian prisoners as well as that of Palestinians in Palestinians, the West Bank, Gaza and the diaspora.
Under dramatic circumstances that threaten our lives and souls we make an appeal during this time of Lent, Holy Week and the spiritual preparation from the home for the Feast of Resurrection. We call upon you to deepen faith in God’s love and grace. This will help us to endure and be steadfast like Jesus in His suffering on the Via Dolorosa and His climbing to Cavalry to reach the joy of resurrection and victory over coronavirus and all other kinds of sufferings.
Let us all remember that in this spiritual effort, success will be achieved only through a commitment to the security guidelines aimed to prevent the spread of the disease. We further need to enhance Palestinian national unity and the value of living together. We request the group members of AEI in Bethlehem to raise their voices and prayers to the Almighty God from nearby the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, the Holy Sepulcher Church as well as Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to inspire world leaders and nations to set their priorities well, namely: serious collaborative work, fruitful coordination and the leaving aside of all conflicts for the sake of preventing the spread of the virus. We need to conduct medical research through the use of the creative human mind which God granted us in order to discover a remedy for this dangerous virus.
Finally, we hope as individuals, groups, peoples and governments to increase the many initiatives of help, reduce the pain inflicted on so many, and confront the present challenges on the way to protect the noblest value: respect for the sacredness of human life.
May our Lord keep you safe in your stay at home and save you from evil.
May His Resurrection become a celebration of victory against Covid 19.
Arab Educational Institute
Member of pax christi international