Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert 2023 - 2a advent

Foto: Maria Wålsten

Second Sunday in Advent

By Youssef Alkhouri 

”And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.  He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.” (Luke 1:46–53)  

God stands on the side of the oppressed and marginalized. Mary knows her God and where He stands. Her song is not an example of individualistic and self-centered spirituality, but rather a reflection of the collective desire for a divine intervention to liberate her people. Mary’s song is a magnificent declaration of praise of her God who lifts up the humble and meek. This is an eloquent socio-political and spiritual manifesto. An expression of a profound understanding of God’s Kingdom, a world upside-down.

Mary’s context is no different than that of the Palestinians in the 21st century. The Roman Empire occupied and persecuted Palestinian Jews, Mary’s people. The Empire mobilized its rhetoric to justify its exploitation and mass-slaughtering of the Palestinian Jews. Mary and Joseph once were forcibly displaced and had to run away from Herod’s genocide against the children of Bethlehem. The Empire tortured her son, our Lord Jesus, and eventually killed him. Palestinians today are enduring a similar violence perpetrated by the Israeli colonial empire. They are also victims of religious rhetoric that weaponizes religion and the Bible against them.

Mary’s song echoes a consolation to all oppressed people, including the Palestinians, and a prophetic warning to Christians who celebrate the powerful and wealthy. God does not stand on the side of the nations that rely on their mighty military and media powers.  Instead, God reveals himself and expresses solidarity with the humble, and those violated and marginalized by the Empire.

Yousef AlKhouri: A Palestinian Christian theologian and activist, and a lecturer of Biblical Studies at Bethlehem Bible College. He is also a board member of Kairos Palestine and Christ at the Checkpoint. 

Prayer:

God, give us the willing spirit of Mary to say “Yes” to you, the vision of Mary to see the world turned upside-down, and the courage of Mary to proclaim the truth of your will and ways. Amen.

Action:

Ask your faith community to learn about and participate in the Palestinian’s nonviolent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Read the BDS Guidebook and the dossier on Israeli Apartheid that Kairos Palestine and Global Kairos for Justice have created. In the U.S., work with your church, school, union and other organizations to make the Apartheid-Free Pledge. Please inform us of any action at (kairos@kairospalestine.ps).