“The unbelievably tragic events of this past Tuesday speak volumes about alienation, particularly as we were treated to images of jubilant Palestinians dancing in the streets of the Gaza Strip—children that looked to be about ten years of age bouncing around with joy at what had been done to the American devils. That they could have such an attitude is testimony to their alienation from us, and the reaction that most of us have when we see those pictures is testimony to our alienation from them. The holy cross, however, the cross on which Christ died, is about the defeat of alienation. It’s about God’s gift of forgiveness and reconciliation and community.”