Contemporary Way of the Cross:

A Liturgical Journey along the Palestinian via Dolorosa

When one looks deeply into the lives of Palestinians, it is possible to see the crosses many people are carrying - the cross of the loss of their right to live in the city of their birth; the cross of becoming homeless because of the demolition of their homes; the cross which people carry when their land is confiscated and their property taken; and the crosses of humiliation and degradation which many people have to carry daily. Finally, there is the slow, creeping pressure of the Wall leading to the suffocation of villages trapped by it. Many Palestinians continuously live through the events of Good Friday. Their way of the cross has been long and harsh. Their journey of suffering seems endless and full of despair.

Palestinian Christians, who are an integral part of the Palestinian people, are the offspring of those first disciples and apostles whom Jesus called and who followed him. They are the descendants of those who, on the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago, experienced the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and responded to the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. Yet Palestinian Christians of today 's Holy Land are painfully aware of their declining numbers. Today they comprise 9% of the Arab Israeli population and less than 2% of the total population. Sabeel, an ecumenical center that works with all Palestinian Christians, promotes a theology of liberation that looks at the contemporary situation and how it impacts the Christian community.