Poverty and Paradise

Yesterday I was at the House of Religions in Bern - a wonderful place where cultures and religions meet, where people of different faith traditions get to know each other and understand something more about each other. I find the place beautiful primarily because it makes me realize and appreciate the beauty in the other's life and history, and I assume the same happens to others. I attended a meeting of Ecumenical Accompaniers, who spent several weeks or months in Israel and Palestine. That in itself is worth a book of blogs. As I arrived at the House of Religions my eyes were drawn to a brochure "Armut und Paradies" - Poverty and Paradise. An intriguing pair of terms, and that at the House of Religions. The exhibit ponders the notions of poverty and paradise in different cultures and religions. The brochure also prepared me mentally for the meeting with the EA's - people who I regard as Saints - they gave time and themselves to a people living mostly in utter poverty in a land where the idea or perspective of paradise has been present for ages. Contrasts, complexities, terror and beauty all at once. Paradise is not exactly what comes up in the context of Gaza. But I'm fascinated and intrigued by the pairing of the terms poverty and paradise.