As you surely know, Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM, past Custos of the Holy Land and, for a few years now, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Grand Prior of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, with many other titles, offered to take the place of the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists into Gaza. He’s at the pinnacle of his service to the Lord, and he’s willing to cut it short. Of course he is.
His episcopal motto is “Sufficit tibi gratia mea“, taken from Saint Paul’s account of Paul’s being reprimanded by our Lord when Paul, in so many words, thrice asked for a miracle so as to be delivered from the torments of the angel of Satan. Our Lord instructed Paul: My grace is sufficient for you; my strength shines out through your weakness.
Life is not the talent we have to spend in favor of the Lord; it is following our Lord in death, losing our lives to gain them, that is desired by the Lord. But very few seem to know anything about this.
Years ago, when Father Pierbattista was Custos of the Holy Land, he had appointed me to render some special services at the Holy Sepulcher, in the “Old City” of Jerusalem, also at another place down the street from there, and then over in Jordan at a certain most difficult location. This took endless maneuvering with the Mossad and our own top brass, as normal diplomatic avenues had been shut down for some 18 months already. I finally got permission in Washington DC when no one else could.
I was just about to get on the plane when, instead, another ecclesiastical superior intervened to smack down all the arrangements, telling me that it would be rather difficult if I were to go to the Holy Land at this time (there were some uprisings in, let’s say, Arabia), difficult because if I were to get killed in the spreading violence it might look like I was sent there by him specifically to get killed. Can you feel the love? I was aghast. My ecclesiastical superior didn’t have the guts even to call the Custos and tell him. I had to do this terrible deed.
The Custos exclaimed: “What?! That’s crazy! Death is part of life! This is what we do! We lay down our lives for the Lord! What are you talking about?! You have responsibilities here right now!” I told him I agreed with him 1000%, but I was under obedience and, I added, you know what obedience entails. Imagine, idiot me lecturing the Custos of the Holy Land. I was aghast with myself.
But now he was aghast. Everything had been arranged. Other priests had been reassigned. He had to instantly call in priests from multiple countries in Europe to drop everything in their lives immediately and take over my responsibilities the second they arrived.
After explaining that to me (I suppose so that I could use that to inflict a guilt-trip on my own superior, who instead, literally ran away from me as fast as he could), dearest Father Pierbattista again and again explained to me that laying down their lives is what they do: “It’s what we do. We’re ready for this. If we are called to lay down our lives, we do this immediately. Of course we do. I don’t understand.” I assured him I didn’t understand either. I wanted to join him in the Holy Land, whatever it takes. I asked for his blessing, which he granted. He’s really very kind.
Thank you, your Eminence, for offering the world and the Church a great example of what it means to be in the service of our Lord Jesus. You have to know, the Franciscans are deadly serious, and that’s why they are filled with joy in the Lord.
ARISE! LET US BE GOING! 
“Can you feel the love?”
HAHAHA! Brilliant. Now I gotta cry.
“The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Eminence Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa, has called for a day of prayer, fasting and abstinence, to be observed around the world on Tuesday the 17th of October.”
Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher OP, in solidarity with the Latin Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa and the suffering peoples of the Holy Land, is having all Masses offered at St Mary’s Cathedral today (already the 17th here) for “an end to the hostilities in the Holy Land and for the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ to fill the hearts of all people”, calling on Catholics here to make time, either at St Mary’s Cathedral or our local parishes, to pray for this intention.
https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/day-of-prayer-and-fasting-called-on-17-october-for-peace-in-the-holy-land/
October is the month of the Rosary and I hope Catholics throughout the world will respond with rosaries in hand as Catholics did in Europe before the battle of Lepanto (7th October, 1571).
Thanks, Mum. I know what to do tomorrow. (It’s still the 16th here.
But just as in Ukraine [Russians], if only one side [Hamas] would just stop fighting, there would already be peace.
Yes, neither Russia nor Hamas seem to want peace. The culture of death has a strangle hold around the world – all sorts of wars even on the unborn. In my mind I keep seeing the serpent of Genesis 3:15 and Apocalypse 12 but, instead of sitting at the top of the world as depicted on the Miraculous Medal, coiled around the whole globe.
I have just read that the Chinese bishops attending the Synod on Synodality are leaving early, apparently recalled by their Communist government. I hope this does not signal a worsening situation for Catholics in China.
If Hamas would stop its attacks in the Holy Land (and Russia in Ukraine), the terrible carnage presently being enacted upon civilians in those areas would cease for now. We hope and pray for that with all our hearts, even while knowing that any political solution will not last for very few governments today are what they seem, their cries for peace hollow as long as they continue supporting a war on the unborn.
If social media could see into abortion centres, viewing the slaughter of millions of babies around the world every year as it can into conventional war zones like the Holy Land (and Ukraine) where civilians are being killed, everyone with access to the internet would have to face the horror being hid under the pretext of “Women’s Health Care”. But that will not happen, for although a genocide of massive proportions is being perpetrated, the war on the unborn is a politically protected industry.
There is no hope of a lasting peace anywhere as long as our governments give lip service to God while acting behind the scenes as pagans. Hence, we pray for a miracle to change hearts. When we all turn back to God as Our Lady of the Rosary called for at Fatima – when we all “keep God’s commandments, and hold fast to the truth concerning Jesus” (Apoc/Rev 12: 17) – only then will we have a true and lasting peace.
And so we take our rosaries in hand and turn to the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians, asking she bring her divine Son to reign in every heart.
Amen. Thanks be to God for the Rosary.