Dear Beloved Brothers and Sisters, Grace and peace to you. I write to you today from the West Bank — during a war, with missiles crossing the skies. And yet it is also a sacred season of prayer. Our Muslim neighbors are observing Ramadan. Soon the Jewish community will celebrate Passover. And Christians around the world are preparing for Easter — celebrating the resurrection and the promise that life is stronger than death. Each of these holy days calls us to wake up spiritually. To do so, I often turn to prayer — to the words of Christ, to the Gospel passages that have stayed close to my heart in this same land where Jesus walked. They call us to remain awake in prayer, to have courage in the face of suffering, and to trust that God’s hope is stronger than fear. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” — Luke 22:46 Living here in the West Bank, surrounded by uncertainty and fear, these words speak directly into our present moment. When Jesus says, “Take heart! I have overcome the world,” he is not promising us an easy life. He told us clearly that we would face trouble. Yet in the very same breath, he calls us to courage. For me, faith and courage cannot be separated. Faith calls us to courage. Faith is courage. Faith allows us to stand when fear surrounds us. Faith allows us to take the next step when the road ahead is uncertain. Faith allows us to keep believing — that love, justice, and our common humanity will prevail. Faith does not remove the mountain before us. Faith gives us the strength to climb it — and the courage to take the next step. Here, faith is not an idea. It is how we live. In recent nights, we have watched missiles crossing the sky as war unfolds between Israel and Iran. In Israel, there are bomb shelters in nearly every building. Here in the West Bank, most Palestinian communities have none. Children still ask questions. Parents still try to calm their fears. Schools have closed. Many children are trying to continue learning online whenever they can. Families are doing their best to live ordinary lives in the midst of extraordinary uncertainty. When I see Palestinian families navigating this fear each day, I remember: the Gospel does not allow us to look away from suffering. And so the words of Jesus return to my heart with urgency. “Why are you sleeping?” I hear this not only as a question for those of us living here — but as a question for the whole world.  “Why are you sleeping?” Christ calls us to wake up — not only in prayer, but in conscience. To see suffering clearly. To refuse indifference. To stand for justice with courage and with compassion. For me, following Christ here means living what I call a resistance of the heart — a resistance that refuses hatred, a resistance that protects our humanity, a resistance that continues to believe that love is stronger than fear. This resistance is sometimes tested in very personal ways. Just one month ago, I was driving home from the gym with my son when an Israeli military jeep intentionally struck my car. In that moment I felt fear and shock. Yet even then I heard a quiet voice in my heart — reminding me that violence and fear do not have the final word. Even in the hardest moments, the Gospel still calls us to live differently. In times like these, prayer becomes our strength. Prayer reminds us that God is stronger than fear — stronger than weapons, and stronger than the darkness of war. At the House of Hope School, we try to live this message every day with our children. In the midst of fear and uncertainty, we teach them courage, compassion, and the belief that even in the hardest circumstances — peace and humanity are still possible. So we remain awake in prayer. We choose courage in the face of suffering. And we continue walking forward in hope — trusting that God’s love is stronger than fear. We hold onto the words of Christ: “Take heart.” Because Christ has overcome the world, we believe that violence will not have the final word. Fear will not have the final word. Hatred will not have the final word. Love will overcome. Justice will overcome. And one day, by God’s grace — peace will overcome the world. Milad Vosugeritchian, Co-founder and Director of Peace and Justice Education, House of Hope Vision School