Yesterday

Yesterday's funeral was packed. Patriarch, bishops, priests; catholics, orientals and orthodox, all came. The Custos gave the homily. Said everyone is asking why ... but that is not what we should be asking. We should just believe that Jesus is the Resurrection and Life. Everything else is a mystery. When God visits us, strange things happen. The sisters were going to Bethlehem to celebrate the coming of God, but God met them halfway and brought them to the heavenly Jerusalem. Instead of celebrating the birth of Christ, they celebrated their own birth to eternal life. In such a tragedy, there is no place for philosophy or theology, just simple blind faith.

Ambassadors of Malta, Italy and Jordan said about the same thing, as did the Patriarch, bishops and representatives. But no one could keep a dry eye when Rania's mother called out for Rania to come back. Even those who did not understand arabic could understand a mother's anguish.

When the cortege moved out of the church to the cemetery on Mt. Zion, it started to drizzle. The sky darkened. Nothing was ever sadder.