Egypt

I have never been to the Middle East, but its countries, seas and cities are etched into my DNA as a Christian. These places are part of the backdrop of my life, because they form the backdrop and narrative to God's covenant with his people, with the life of Jesus and the lives of his disciples after his death and resurrection. Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine... Damascus or Jerusalem... each one evokes a story or psalm or verse from Isaiah distinctly at odds with its present-day bloody reality.

So I watch the news from Egypt, and I recall how this country was a place of refuge and safety for Jesus and his parents when he was a vulnerable baby at risk of a violent death. I recall the scene from Pasolini's film The Gospel According to St Matthew; a content, idyllic, secure scene, in which the toddler Jesus runs into the outstretched arms of Joseph, who has just been told it is safe to return home.* The contrast with the violent, rage and grief-filled scenes I see on the news is too great.

There is nothing more I can say, except that much prayer is needed, for those who suffer and mourn right now, and for those who can alter the course of events.

*The scene I refer to isn't in this trailer, but the song, Sometimes I feel like a motherless child, feels especially, prayerfully poignant.