Mary, Beacon of Hope

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Friday, May 17
~ by Mark Laux

Our last morning at the Mar Elias Guest House in Ibillin dawned like every other. Shortly after sunrise the beautiful voice of the Lebanese singer Fairuz was broadcast over loudspeakers for all in the surrounding neighborhood to hear. Singing in Arabic “Ya Oum Allah,” we are hearing a heartfelt prayer to Mary, Mother of God. “Oh Mother of God, Oh compassionate one, Oh treasure of mercy and hope. You are our refuge and in you we place our hope.” Fairuz is paying homage to a Jewish woman revered by the Palestinian Christians indigenous to this land along with the Muslim population now observing Ramadan. In fact, Mary is explicitly identified in the Quran as the greatest of all women. As we prepare to travel to Nazareth this morning, I have Mary on my mind.

Mary and Gabriel statues, donated to Nazareth by a collection of African countries

On arrival in Nazareth we proceeded to the Basilica of the Annunciation, a 20th century structure built on one of the earliest Christian holy sites associated with Mary. Pilgrims were visiting from around the world, and a mass was being celebrated in Vietnamese. I was moved by the many beautiful representations of Mary painted, sculpted and crafted by artists from around the world. Nearby we toured the excavation of an ancient church, home and tomb beneath the convent of the Sisters of Nazareth. Mary, Joseph and Jesus may well have walked the floors of these structures.

For lunch we were hosted by Sally Azzam, co-founder of the Liwan Culture Cafe (https://www.facebook.com/liwannazareth/) which is committed to preserving and sharing Palestinian cultual identity with visitors to Nazareth.

Our pilgrimage group at the Liwan Culture Cafe in Nazareth

After crossing into the West Bank from Israel we ended our day in Zababdeh at the home of Father Firas Khoury Diab, pastor of St. George Melkite Catholic Church. Joe and I were warmly accommodated overnight by Fr. Diab’s neibor, Khaleda, and her family. Khaleda’s daughter Maria is a student at the Arab-American University in Zababdeh. How fitting it was that this dynamic young woman, representing a new generation of Palestinians, should be named after Mary, beacon of hope.