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According to a recent story in the London Daily Telegraph, a yeshiva student spat at the Armenian Archbishop of Jerusalem.This incident happened during a procession near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. the Archbishop slapped the yeshivan across the face (imagine that), a scuffle broke out and the Cross the Archbishop wore (it dated back to the 17th century) broke.
I first heard about this last week from an Orthodox monk of my aquaintence, and he was quite upset about the whole thing, while I listened in shock and disbelief. I decided to go to Yahoo, the only search engine I find worth anything, to check this out.
I did check out the other sites to try to get some more of the story. It seems that a lot of Jewish people were upset by the misbehaviour of the yeshivan. One called it a "chilul hashem", loosely translated: a shame on the name. another Jewish man said that his wife had been insulted at Jerusalem's French Hill in the same manner by a yeshivan who though the man's wife was not dressed modestly enough. Other Jewish persond thought that these yeshivans were "underfed wussies" who needed to have their draft exemption revoked, and serve in the Israeli army, just like everyone else. Tell you what, a good thing the man whose wife was so grossly insulted wasn't there, for the yeshivan's sake, yeshiva boy wouldn't be spitting on any else for a good spell. what would you have done if it had been your wife, girlfriend, or female relative?
Just in case any else has heard about this incident, I though I would let you know that Jewish people by and large deplore this sort of thing, and no one here or any where else should start screaming "pogrom time". there are elements who seek a conveninet pretext to do such things against Jews or anyone else, but I pray, and believe that they won't be found here.
Much Love,
Jonn

An article from the Anti Defamation league calling upon Rabbis to help stop the Yashiva students from accosting Christians.

http://www.adl.org/PresRele/IslME_62/4576_62.htm

Dan L

One wonders if it might not have been better to simply accept the insult rather than return it? As I remember correctly, Our Blessed Lord accepted the spitting and slapping and much more horrible insults...and said not a word. Ah our poor bishps! What a weighty judgment they will endure!

In His great mercy,
+Fr. Gregory

Bless, Fr. Gregory!

Well, our Lord tells us to turn the other cheek . . .

He isn't so specific about what we are to do afterwards . . .

It's also like Pope St Pius X, as a young priest and ex-boxer, knocking out a parishioner who swore grossly directly after Mass . . .

That didn't hurt his chances to be a saint, though . . .

Alex

P.S. Perhaps there's material for our Lenten meditation here? Reflect:

"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting."�Isaiah 50:6.

See how the patient Jesus stands,
Insulted in his lowest case!
Sinners have bound the Almighty hands,
And spit in their Creator's face.

They bow their knees to me, and cry, "Hail, King":
Whatever scoffs or scornfulness can bring,
I am the floor. the sink, where they it fling:
Was ever grief like mine?

The soldiers also spit upon that face
Which angels did desire to have the grace
And prophets once to see, but found no place:
Was ever grief like mine?

He stands before us this morning as the Comforter of His people. Consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself lest ye be weary and faint in your minds; for though He was once abased and despised, yet now He sitteth at the right hand of God, and reigns over all things; and the day is coming when every knee shall bow before Him, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. They that spat upon Him will rue the day. Come hither, ye that derided Him! He has raised you from the dead, come hither and spit upon Him now! Ye that scourged Him, bring your rods, see what ye can do in this day of his glory! See, they fly before Him, they invoke the hills to shelter them, they ask the rocks to open and conceal them. Yet it is nothing but His face, that selfsame face they spat upon, which is making earth and heaven to flee away. Yea, all things flee before the majesty of his frown who once gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. Be like Him, then, ye who bear His name; trust Him, and live for Him, and you shall reign with Him in glory unto ages of ages, Amen.

Glory to Your passion O Christ my Lord and all my gratitude for Your suffering for ME, a sinner!

In His great mercy,
+Fr. Gregory

Dear Alex, +May HE bless you always! I don't disagree with you at all...I guess I've just been trained to look always for opportunities to 'evangelize' and 'give witness' to as many as possible? And in this instance, I wonder if a group of young Jewish students would not have been more impressed if the bishop had simply blessed them...rather than acted out of (what was probably) anger? Knowing the bishop in this case here doesn't help me much either. I also think of all of the bishops in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, and throughout the world, who during the Communist times put up with MUCH more and said not a word. I don't know...it just doesn't strike me as the ONLY or best response...but then again, I wasn't there. I'm not judging at all...just wondering.

May St. Blaise always protect you!

With affection,
+Fr. Gregory, who asks for your holy prayers!

Dear Father Gregory,

Your post above...was that by Spurgeon or Hart? Some people attribute it all to Spurgeon, but I have seen others reference Hart as the author of the verses.

Gaudior, inquiringly

Some of it from Hart...and some from me.

Good stuff huh?

In Him Who suffered for our salvation,
+Fr. Gregory

perhaps the good Archbishop should have turned the other cheek so to say. however, it's very convenient for us here in North America to steeple our fingers, purse our lips, and come out with pious platitudes. whatever happened to walking a mile in another's shoes, and how would you have reacted if it had been you so grossly and unprovokedly (?) attacked? my sympathies are with the Archbishop and the Jewish lady who were spat upon in these seperate incidents. maybe some more credible responses are in order. as for the Pope who walloped the foul mouthed man who carried on in the shadow of a church, and in the greater Presence of the Blessed Sacrament; oh, well, but there was no trouble in elevating the man to sainthood. I'll give the Latins that one. Maybe St. Pope Pius will pray for us. and remember, even our Lord Jesus Christ had to take up a whip and display some of that good old Mediterranean temper shared by Jews, Italians( including my deceased Sicilian stepfather), Armenians,and other folks from that area.
Let's be ever so careful about pronouncing what seems to be pious judgements, leave that to the Pharisees of antiquity and of the present.
Much Love,
Jonn
:p

P.S. Should have said: MOST from Hart...a little from me!

In Him,
+Fr. Gregory

Thanks, Fr. Gregory...I know Spurgeon built a famous sermon around those verses, but was never sure where they came from.

The sermon is, as you said, good stuff. For anyone who wants to read the entirety, the link is here:

http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/1486.HTM

Gaudior, wondering where the footnote function on the forum has got to?

John, Not to disagree with you, but I don't think humility and witnessing to the Gospel is ever "a pious platitude"...in the end, I think the question is: Are we going to put flesh on the Gospel in our lives or not? Is the Gospel able to be LIVED or not? I did say that I was trying not to judge...because I wasn't there, but that being said...I don't think the bishop's response did anything for furthering the Gospel of "Loving your enemies and do good to those who hate and presecute you." In the end, what did the slap say...what did it accomplish??? Nada. In these times, it no doubt does seem crazy and stupid not to respond, but what is THE best response for a Christian (and in this case, one who is configured into Christ...as a bishop)?

Sometimes ya just gotta call 'em like you see 'em.

In Him Who suffered for our salvation,
+Fr. Gregory

Dear Gaudior, Sorry if I did something wrong? I didn't know if it was necessary to sight the source on this one...because they were just a few excepts which I tried to make into a meditation.

In Christ Our Lord,
+Fr. Gregory, who doesn't always do things the right way

I only hope and pray that neither you, Father, or any of us are ever put in that situation we have been discussing and have our living the Gospel put to the test. I truly do. with that, I have spoken and will take my seat.
Much Love,
Jonn

John, I agree completely. I may have done the same thing as the bishop in question, but I pray daily to have the grace to respond differently.

May He help us all!

In Him,
+Fr. Gregory