Through the Eyes of a Woman

Our part of the world went into loc kdown exactly two years ago. Ever since we have been monitoring the effects of the Covid-19 Virus on our lives. Lockdowns, regulations, and Covid variant surges have changed the way we live our daily lives. Masks and vaccines and new medication have helped us to not lose hope that the scourge can be conquered. We have been waiting for our lives to go back to normal. Then the scientists told us that we will probably have to learn to live with this virus and that it will not just go away. Our world would not go back to what it was before the pandemic. We have accepted so many things in the past two years. We would have to accept this fact as well. The last few years have not only been a challenge to our physical health. People are battling depression and hopelessness as well. But in addition, the aggressiveness that has emerged is scary. Parts of our society are becoming more and more hostile towards normal law-abiding rules. Twisting facts and t

            I have written a whole series of blog posts that just don't seem appropriate at the moment. The situation in Ukraine is too serious for me to deal with other issues. I found this article at Vatican News and even if this appeal can no longer prevent the attack on Ukraine, it is impressive how schoolgirls in Congo, who have only experienced war and its consequences all their lives, warn against it and stand up for peace. A group of Congolese schoolgirls is appealing to Europe to do everything it can to prevent a war in Ukraine. “Love, listening and dialogue: this is the real way to resolve conflicts!” demand the girls from the war-torn central African country.  “We young people of Bukavu – the generation of war – have experienced so much suffering and trauma from war. So we ask: Do not start a war! Someone once wrote: “If you want peace, prepare for war.” But we say with Pope Francis: “If you want peace, prepare for peace.” This is the appeal of the missionary sister

We have lived without war in Europe for 77 years. Considering that it only took just over  20 years from the end of the first world war to the beginning of the second, that is quite a feat. We have learned that war is not a good solution. But have we?  Have we forgotten about what happened in the Balkans in the nineties? That was war, wasn’t it? Wars seem to set free atrocities not only on the actual front where the fighting happens but also in human relations. We only have to mention the name of one city, Srebrenica, to prove the point. We do not want it to happen again. Never ever. At the Munich Security Council yesterday, President Sauli Niinistö of Finland, said: “How do you react to behavior from another planet?” The Russian President’s actions and words baffle us constantly. The western world hopes for de-escalation through diplomatic talks, but at the same time amassed forces at the Ukrainian borders speak another language. It is practically a wonder that Russia has not yet foun

This week we would have been traveling to Israel with a tour group if the organizer had not canceled the trip due to the pandemic. It would have been a 12-day round trip, with new destinations I haven't seen yet. I feel sad to miss the trip. But every day for the last week, Facebook has provided me with memories of our last visit to Israel two years ago. I can look back at what we saw and experienced there. Pictures from Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Jerusalem, and Hebron flutter onto my screen and conjure up fond memories. I can almost feel the storm on the beach in Tel Aviv, see the stalls at the Carmel Market, hear the muezzin in Hebron and taste the apple strudel in the Café Trieste of the Austrian Hospice on the Via Dolorosa. Last weekend, the Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem hosted a group of pilgrims for the first time in about two years. The country is opening up to tourists again. Two years ago we were among the last to be allowed into the country. We too were able to enjoy moments