On the 15th November, at the request of the Consul General of Belgium his Excellency Mister Leo Peeters, the Custody re-established an old tradition: that of the feast in honour of the King of the Belgians.
It was in French therefore, that custodial vicar Brother Artémio Vítores, addressed his Excellency the Consul General and some of the Belgian nationals present, in order to express his good wishes for the king and the country, wishes of prosperity and peace. In order to be faithful to the special needs of the Belgians, the celebration was held in the three languages of the country: Dutch, French and German.
A booklet which was specially prepared for the occasion, gave the participating faithful, the possibility to follow the order of the Mass. The homely which was given by the Belgian Dominican of the École Biblique, Father Christian Eeckhout, alternated between the two principal languages as much as it alternated between commenting on the gospel and making allusions to the existing political situation in Belgium.
At the end of the Eucharist, the Custody of the Holy Land welcomed the Belgian delegation in the main hall of the convent of Saint Saviour, and it was there that the Consul General, Leo Peeters received the customary wishes particular to that type of feast.
It was also there that Mister Philippe Potjes, Consul of Political Affairs, was asked to comment on the relative similarity between the situation present in the Holy Land and of that currently present in Belgium: one land, two languages, two people, a common past for better or for worse, and a future necessarily in common, and he was kind enough to answer the question “How do you see the situation in Belgium from here?”
“From here problems which, seen in Belgium, might seem as mountains appear in a different perspective. Here in the middle of a very strong and bloody conflict which has being going on for a very long time, Israelis and Palestinians continue to talk and do things together, and even if it is not the majority of the two peoples, this is nevertheless, a door of hope.
This could really provoke the imagination in Belgium: to see ourselves in a more positive way and consider firstly all that we have in common and that which unites us, such as the treasure and heritage of our European civilization and the heritage of our more local roots.
In particular, to truly understand that in reality there are many more things which Belgians share in common rather than those which divide us. Our country is a place where all the great European cultures have blended and contributed but to which perhaps we pay very little attention.
For all those who want it and who are not stuck in preconceived ideas there is the possibility of having a country of a crossroad of civilizations and there can be a future for Belgium.”
Let’s hope that the fervent prayer which was raised up to God in Jerusalem, may inspire the leaders of Belgium to find a way out of the political crisis which is currently present in the country.
MAB
The date of 15th November:
Contrary to appearances, it is not for the feast of Saint Albert the Great which, in the Roman calendar falls on the 15th of November, that we prayed for the actual Belgian King Albert II.
The feast of the king was definitively abolished in 1934 – traditionally it was celebrated on the 15th November on the recurrence of the feast day of Saint Leopold, patron saint of the first Belgian King S.M.R. Leopold I. It was Vatican Council II which, in moving the feast of Saint Albert bishop and doctor of the Church to the 15th of November, gave him priority over Saint Leopold. On this day Belgium also celebrates the feast of the Germanic community (approximately 1% of the population).
The 15th of November is also the feast day of the independence of Palestine.
The Belgian community in the Holy Land
The Belgian community in the Holy Land is comprised of a few thousand Belgian nationals, principally of dual nationality, Israeli-Belgians of the Jewish community.
The Consulate General of Belgium on-line www.diplomatie.be/jerusalemfr/
It was in French therefore, that custodial vicar Brother Artémio Vítores, addressed his Excellency the Consul General and some of the Belgian nationals present, in order to express his good wishes for the king and the country, wishes of prosperity and peace. In order to be faithful to the special needs of the Belgians, the celebration was held in the three languages of the country: Dutch, French and German.
A booklet which was specially prepared for the occasion, gave the participating faithful, the possibility to follow the order of the Mass. The homely which was given by the Belgian Dominican of the École Biblique, Father Christian Eeckhout, alternated between the two principal languages as much as it alternated between commenting on the gospel and making allusions to the existing political situation in Belgium.
At the end of the Eucharist, the Custody of the Holy Land welcomed the Belgian delegation in the main hall of the convent of Saint Saviour, and it was there that the Consul General, Leo Peeters received the customary wishes particular to that type of feast.
It was also there that Mister Philippe Potjes, Consul of Political Affairs, was asked to comment on the relative similarity between the situation present in the Holy Land and of that currently present in Belgium: one land, two languages, two people, a common past for better or for worse, and a future necessarily in common, and he was kind enough to answer the question “How do you see the situation in Belgium from here?”
“From here problems which, seen in Belgium, might seem as mountains appear in a different perspective. Here in the middle of a very strong and bloody conflict which has being going on for a very long time, Israelis and Palestinians continue to talk and do things together, and even if it is not the majority of the two peoples, this is nevertheless, a door of hope.
This could really provoke the imagination in Belgium: to see ourselves in a more positive way and consider firstly all that we have in common and that which unites us, such as the treasure and heritage of our European civilization and the heritage of our more local roots.
In particular, to truly understand that in reality there are many more things which Belgians share in common rather than those which divide us. Our country is a place where all the great European cultures have blended and contributed but to which perhaps we pay very little attention.
For all those who want it and who are not stuck in preconceived ideas there is the possibility of having a country of a crossroad of civilizations and there can be a future for Belgium.”
Let’s hope that the fervent prayer which was raised up to God in Jerusalem, may inspire the leaders of Belgium to find a way out of the political crisis which is currently present in the country.
MAB
The date of 15th November:
Contrary to appearances, it is not for the feast of Saint Albert the Great which, in the Roman calendar falls on the 15th of November, that we prayed for the actual Belgian King Albert II.
The feast of the king was definitively abolished in 1934 – traditionally it was celebrated on the 15th November on the recurrence of the feast day of Saint Leopold, patron saint of the first Belgian King S.M.R. Leopold I. It was Vatican Council II which, in moving the feast of Saint Albert bishop and doctor of the Church to the 15th of November, gave him priority over Saint Leopold. On this day Belgium also celebrates the feast of the Germanic community (approximately 1% of the population).
The 15th of November is also the feast day of the independence of Palestine.
The Belgian community in the Holy Land
The Belgian community in the Holy Land is comprised of a few thousand Belgian nationals, principally of dual nationality, Israeli-Belgians of the Jewish community.
The Consulate General of Belgium on-line www.diplomatie.be/jerusalemfr/