Today is a beautiful day, a day of new hope and new promise. Two thousand years ago, the first joust of two spirits, the spirit of brotherhood of Man and the spirit of Master-Slave domination, was over. Jesus taught, love your neighbor as yourself, even if he is a traditional enemy of Jews, a Samaritan. That is why he was hated by the Jewish supremacists of his time. He said: you can not worship God and Mammon, the god of greed, you have to choose. That is why he was hated by supply-side economists and bankers of his day. They sentenced him to death and the Empire obliged and carried out the execution, in order to keep peace with these all-important forces. Our fathers did not dare to speak against their leaders. The spirit of domination scored a victory, but the spirit of brotherhood did not vanish.
I received the Easter message of Naim Ateek, a priest from Jerusalem. He writes, “Here in Palestine, Jesus is again walking the Via Dolorosa. It only takes people of insight to see the hundreds of thousands of crosses throughout the land, Palestinian men, women, and children being crucified. Palestine has become one huge Golgotha, the place of the skull’.
The Jewish supremacy forces and the greed worshippers united again to crucify Christ. The US, this New Rome, again gives hand and agrees to become the executioner. Now it is our turn to decide.
History gave us an incredible luxury, Take Two, as they say in the movie production. We can now repeat the mistake of our fathers and silently connive with the plans of our self-appointed leaders. We can correct this mistake now, and stop the crucifixion.
In the Jewish Passover narration we say, each one of us has to see oneself as if he personally was liberated from bondage. I say to you, each one of us has to see oneself as is he personally stands on Via Dolorosa, and decides, whether the execution will be carried out. If we keep our mouth shut, we deserve to be called ‘Christ killers’. If we stop it, we shall change history. The scarlet as blood sins of past will become white as snow.
Two thousand years ago, the spirit of brotherhood rose again, to give hope for the second joust. If he is defeated again, we all shall become forever slaves to our faceless masters. They will destroy the Mother Earth herself, turn her into waste lands of Mordor. They need this victory to bind us together by the dark forces of domination. Let us deny them, this time.
Share with me wine and bread of Palestine, my brothers and sisters, as the sign of new covenant of Brotherhood of Man, as an oath of our decision: this time, Christ will not die on the cross.
