The Mom Weekly, Volume 12: October 10, 2023
I find myself without words as I read the news regarding the terrorist attacks on Israel,which is horrifying. I also am embarrassed at how much I do not know about conflicts in the Middle East. All I keep do is praying and thinking, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
So simply, let me share Psalm 122, which is where the saying, “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” originates:
Interesting read: Israel at War
I am not sure what news will have happened before this posts, but it is worthwhile considering this attack through a lens of normal people, not combatants, who are experiencing the terrorism.
This explainer on the conflict helps to lay out a lot that I didn’t understand.
Thomas Friedman of the NYTimes also asserts how Hamas has been a “deadly curse” for the Palestinian people since it took over Gaza in 2007.
I wish I were more knowledgeable about the situation. How did I not know, for instance, that Israel left and closed down all of its settlements in Gaza many years ago? I have a lot of reading and learning to do.
I read Bari Weiss’ book How to Fight Anti-Semitism when it first came out. It was very eye-opening for me, and helped me understand how pernicious and how evil antisemitism is, from the far right, the far left, and radical Islam. She also covers some of the ways to fight it, and one of those is to be sure to educate ourselves. But I am still so uneducated about this—it’s time for a re-read of this book, and finding others to read.
Interesting watch: Taskmaster— “Find Out the Gentleman’s Occupation”
G had her birthday last week, and had us watch some clips from this very funny British show called “Taskmaster.” I had never heard of it, but it’s really worthwhile. This is probably the funniest clip that we watched.
An action item: Spend some time praying for the peace of Jerusalem
This is self-explanatory. If you want, you can just pray (read aloud or to yourself) Psalm 122 above.
What are you doing this weekend?
You know the drill here. Now that it’s Tuesday, what are you planning for the weekend? I’m going to suggest trying to cover four “F”s to get ideas flowing:
*faith—when are you going to Mass?
*friends—what friends will you see or connect with?
*food—any fun recipes you plan to try, or restaurants you plan to visit?
*fun—anything interesting you are going to play, watch, or do this weekend? Now’s the time to think it through, and put it on the calendar (even informally)