Peace among the olive trees

ONCE AGAIN, FACE TO THE HORRIBLE IMAGES OF THE WARS WE ARE WITNESSING EVERY DAY, the old saying "There is no peace among the olive trees" came to mind. The origins of this phrase are unclear; perhaps it refers to a famous post-World War II film about injustice and redemption, or perhaps to Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane. The meaning, however, is clear: among the olive trees, a global symbol of peace, peace should reign, yet instead it is continually attacked and in danger of extinction.

THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST, OLIVE TREES ARE THE BACKDROP TO HUMAN FOLLY. After South Sudan, after Kiev, here comes the war that is burning Lebanon. I turn off the TV and resume my prayer, an oasis of light in so much darkness. In my mind, the news of the massacres in Beirut continues to haunt me, but one reaches me on my cell phone, speaking of both death and eternal life: Brother Nour, Brother Luce, a holy man who gave a piece of himself to Lebanon, has returned to his Lord. Memories return. In March 1988, I returned for a second time, staying a few days to bring aid to the population during the civil war. They invited me to speak about peace in churches, barracks, hospitals, schools, and universities, but one day he missed an appointment.

FATHER PAOLO, another great man in the faith, was accompanying me. He said, "If you like, I'll introduce you to a monk who isn't accepted by the official Church because he lives with a sackcloth on his back among the poor. He's a great sign of hope for all of Lebanon."
I accepted and found myself near the Italian Embassy, ​​in a small building, packed to the brim with the poor, the elderly, and women, waiting to speak with this friar. Brother Nour welcomed me immediately. He spoke Arabic, I Italian. It was natural to embrace, to speak the language of the heart—silence—and to understand each other. It was natural to ask him what he needed, it was natural that I could respond to his desire to open a new small medical dispensary by putting in his drawer what I had in my pocket, part of the donations collected in Italy for that devastated land. In saying goodbye, he gave us four red apples and a thank you that is both a prayer and a wish for these hours of darkness, reminding us that even if there will perhaps never be lasting peace on earth, Someone has walked through the darkness and conquered it.
Because he is Peace. Let us not seek it under the olive trees, let us seek it in the gestures of those who, like Brother Nour, become brothers, poor like the poor. We will find it.
 

Ernesto Olivero
Editorial
NP May 2026

O Lord, the project of peace begins with sharing the concerns of others, their pain and their sadness; Then you, O Lord, will be their neighbor through our hearts, which you dwell in with your great humility.
Send your Spirit to accomplish with us what you want, what the Church and all humanity need to avoid violence, war, and destruction, through prayer and by listening to your instructions that build, to achieve what you want to achieve in the world you created and love and care for.
Amen

Brother Nour