St. Procopius of Gaza (yes, that Gaza,  a thriving Christian center when that saint wrote) says that Christ has “as his dwelling-place, the whole world in which he lives by his activity.”  It’s not one place, or one time where he dwells, but the whole world and all time. He dwells in Gaza too.

We are all made in his image “which is partly seen and partly hidden from our eyes.” We’re called to grow in Christ’s image, the saint says, by the gifts we have been given through his Spirit. No place should be without human flourishing.

Its not a spiritual growth alone we’re called to achieve, but our growth comes from discovering God’s will as it is “revealed in the laws by which the entire creation is governed.”

So, St. Procopius, intercede for your land of Gaza today, so bereft of  basic things like food, shelter, schools, access to the world beyond. Help your people, made in God’s image, to grow according to God’s will. Help them have what’s due to them according to their human rights.