In a land ravaged by war and shadowed by fear, Father John Luke Gregory, a Franciscan of the Custody of the Holy Land, offers a powerful reflection on finding hope amid conflict. As missiles fall and lives unravel in Gaza and beyond, he shares a moving testimony of faith that not only endures but shines even brighter against the bleak backdrop of violence between Israel and Iran.
For the Franciscans serving in the Holy Land, their mission has long been more than a religious calling it's a life devoted to presence, compassion, and resilience. Living in the heart of turmoil, their steadfast witness offers stories of quiet endurance, of faith that does not falter. “We are here not only to pray but to embody hope,” Father John affirms, “radiating the light of the Risen Christ, even as darkness looms.”
In the midst of crumbling neighborhoods, echoing sirens, and fractured families, Father John reflects not with despair, but with conviction rooted in the Resurrection. This belief, he says, is more than doctrine it is a lived reality, a force that transforms suffering into strength. Despite the relentless hardship, he has found unwavering hope in the simplest moments: a child’s laughter amid ruins, a neighbor sharing their last loaf of bread, or strangers embracing across religious lines.
“I arrived in the Holy Land with a heart full of compassion and a mind shaped by Christ’s example,” he says. “But here, my faith was tested and ultimately deepened. The Resurrection is not only about what happened long ago; it is about what must happen daily in our hearts and communities.”
Father John speaks of his ministry not just as spiritual care but as active love a bridge between people of different faiths, a force that seeks to heal wounds rather than deepen divides. He sees acts of kindness as expressions of divine love, tangible signs that peace is not only possible but already growing in small, hidden ways. “Even under the roar of jets and the crackle of gunfire,” he adds, “we see proof that love is stronger than hate.”
Prayer, silence, and listening to God’s whisper amid chaos form the backbone of the Franciscans’ spiritual resistance. It is there, in the quiet, that despair transforms into courage, fear into faith. "Missiles have soared over our monastery roof this past week,” Father John recounts, “yet each moment of terror became a deeper call to trust. To believe that joy can still rise from ashes.”
As Easter returns each year, so does the call to look beyond the pain of the present and see a future filled with light. The Resurrection becomes, in his words, “a powerful invitation to see every moment of sorrow as the soil from which hope may bloom.”
In a world torn by conflict, Father John Luke Gregory’s words remind us that hope is not a passive sentiment it is an active force, rooted in faith, nourished by love, and revealed in action. Amid the turmoil, it is this kind of hope that endures, blossoms, and leads humanity toward the horizon of peace.