Page 121 - October 7 - Teresa Pirola

weight of love—unwavering, brave, lifegiving love that is the inseparable bond between parents and their children, between brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, and between extended family members and friends ... their loved ones taken, held captive, missing and desperately missed.
For the sake of those families and, indeed, for a whole nation who holds the hostages close as its sons and daughters, let us stand firm in the hope that more will make it home alive. May we believe that the mysterious power of prayer will prevail, including its humanising effect within our own souls.
After all, what is the alternative? Give in to despair? Court hate?
To tie yet another yellow ribbon in these times is not a trivial act. It is an act of humanity and a symbol of the choice for life, not death.
Even if you live in a place far from Israel and Gaza, in a tiny pocket of domesticity, work or worship, a small act of tying a ribbon is to stand tall, sentinel-like, as does a candle quietly burn in the darkness, creating unmistakable light.
Daily, over the past months, I have heard many voices of concern and compassion for the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza—and rightly so. I share deeply this concern and compassion.
Yet I hear far fewer voices protesting the plight of the over 100 people, including two small children, kidnapped from kibbutzim in southern Israel and held hostage in Gaza. Outside of Israel and Jewish communities and some Christian groups, voices calling for their safe return are often muted, thinly parroted or totally absent.
Within this circle of prayer, we do care, and we continue to pray for them, each one, personally, by name.
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