I hardly know where to start as I think about writing this column. As we approach the season of Christmas we so often speak of peace and joy and good will to all.  Certainly, here in Melbourne we are safe from the threat of war, although its ripple effects have erupted on our streets as groups turn against each other. The boiling blood of history and enmity still scars those whose generational stories cannot walk away from this ongoing conflict. 

We speak so often of being neighbours here in Australia and we are asked to love our neighbours as we would love ourselves. Is that asking too much?

Five months ago, I was in Israel. My friend and I stayed at the pilgrim house on the Via Dolorosa as we visited places that have formed our particular faith story.  We were able to see for ourselves many of the places where Jesus was active; where he walked and talked and dined; where he suffered and died. To be in Jerusalem was to meet others of our faith tradition and to stay right in the middle of the vibrant Muslim quarter in this city holy to the three Abrahamic religions. 

Daily, we walked the streets and bought trinkets in the souks and sampled the deliciously chewy glacé fruit from market-place spice stores. We enjoyed coffee in the cool of Bassem’s cafe, a cross between a Bedouin tent and Aladdin’s cave as we escaped from the sweltering mid-afternoon heat.  At night on the terrace, we gazed out over the Old City.  Minarets were lit up with green neon lights and there was the gentle hum of exhalation as the business of daylight hours ceased. 

We were at peace. 

Much later in the wee small hours, the muezzin’s amplified call to prayer roused us briefly. We watched the Friday swarm to the mosque and saw Orthodox Jews praying and swaying at the Western Wall as visitors secreted messages into its honeycombed crevices.  Our eyes were opened. We understood that God watches over all, however he is named by each tradition. 

It was a gift and blessing to experience the Holy Land and its good people.

However, our day trip to Bethlehem reminded us of the division between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The big red signs dotted along the road made it clear that any contravention of the rules could be life-threatening. We did not feel under threat at all, even though we had to change minibuses at the West Bank border and go through checkpoints prior to this. Our guide was used to this and spoke of friends in Jerusalem whom he was not able to see. There was a resigned acceptance of the situation.

Once we arrived at Shepherds’ Fields we were steeped in the original story of the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. We wandered happily, stopping to pray and gaze at the murals, all of which appeared to come from a European tradition rather than Semitic one. It was peaceful under its small dome and gave us the chance to reflect on our founding story; the shepherds in their fields and the child of future destiny born in lowly circumstances. We looked across the harsh landscape with its few bent trees to see Jerusalem, a mere 8.8 kilometres – and a world away. 

This is the distance from Deepdene to our Melbourne CBD. 

At the Church of the Nativity, we queued to enter the grotto to see the fourteen-pointed star reputed to be the spot where Mary gave birth to her blessed child. We had to watch our heads as we scrambled down the slippery stairs, the marble worn away by the hundreds of thousands who had gone before us. We uttered a very quick prayer as we were jostled along in the crowd of worshippers. 

Our pilgrimage reminded us of the Jews under the Pax Romana. It is hard for any people to live in subordination. It is terribly hard to keep the peace, when war wounds fester and words become ugly and blood boils. It is hard to be neighbourly when the divide is so primal. 

More than ever, we need to find our own peace so that we can live it out with and for others. It is the least we can do – and something is always better than nothing. We need to carry peace in our hearts so it is multiplied in our daily words and actions. 

Pope John Paul II wrote in 1979:

Peace is our work: It calls for our courageous and united action. But it is inseparably and above all a gift of God: It requires our prayer. Christians must be in the first rank of those who pray daily for peace. They must also teach others to pray for peace. It will be their joy to pray with Mary, the Queen of Peace.

To everyone, Christians, believers, and men and women of goodwill, I say: Do not be afraid to take a chance on peace, to teach peace. The aspiration for peace will not be disappointed forever. Work for peace, inspired by charity which does not pass away, will produce its fruits. Peace will be the last word of history.

The birth of a child is always full of joy and promise. We endow them with hope for the flourishing of the gift of their unique and precious life. Our hearts expand with love as we make plans for the future, a future wreathed in peace. 

As we enjoy our own peaceful Christmas, let us pray in solidarity with all people of goodwill wherever and whoever they are. Let us be united in love for our brothers and sisters who are suffering.  Let us pray for the leadership who will bring this bloodshed to an end. Let us pray that there will be peace in our time. 

Let the Prince of Peace reigns in our hearts as we celebrate his birth and close the door gently on the year that was.

By Ann Rennie

Published: 1 December 2023