I write the morning after the Barcelona attack, taking a brief pause in writing up our recent trip. (we have been this morning planning our next trip which we think will take us into Portugal en route to Gibraltar… another story.) A while back I watched a TED talk by Bren Brown (her web site here) on her own journey and research. Into the current violence she makes a very profound case for – if we do not own our story it will eventually own us, but if we can own it then we write the ending of the story. True personally and also corporately.
She recently reflected on Charlottesville – I make no comment on that as I do not live that side of the Atlantic, although if there is sin in the land it came from this continent here. I am also no great authority on Spain, its history and story. I simply suggest that maybe the ‘brother against brother’ might be a recurrent theme with a deep wound in the Priscillian incident being the first Christian to be killed by fellow Christians pulling on Imperial power.
To own one’s story we have to get perspectives from others (the other?). If we are part of the dominant side, the ones who write the history, then it is very difficult to hear the story from the underside. It is easy to see that the Civil War ends in Spain and the Valley of the Fallen is proclaimed to be a sign of reconciliation with people from both sides buried there. However, from the underside it would be like burying Auschwitz victims alongside Nazi persecutors, then proclaiming the past has been dealt with.
In travelling Spain it has been interesting to research using both English and Spanish sites. Often the big sweep of the Spanish sites will gloss over what went on. Thankfully in the years we have been in Spain issues surrounding the Civil War, the Inquisition, and even to some extent the Muslim expulsion have been covered with increasing honesty. This is vital for any forward movement.
We don’t know the stories of the terrorists who were involved in Barcelona, nor do we know the story they bought into but, for sure, some of what we are seeking to pray into will be a contributing element. It leaves us with a deep conviction that we have to continue, and also asking the question whether we began on this journey too late and have done too little thus far. We are not asking that from a guilt perspective, just a sobering one as there are responsibilities that we all carry.
Our prayers last night were for the police as well as the families involved. Sad today that so many have lost their lives, including the terrorists who departed this planet never having discovered the reason for which they were born. Yes, we need law and enforcement, but their job should be much easier if we can hold the space where true reconciliation can take place. We knew that if we did not do this journey of prayer that there would be terrorist attacks this year in Spain. The news has reflected these past months more arrests than before… but last night was yet again a sobering call.”,”post_title”: “Own our story”,”post_category”: 0,”post_excerpt”: “”,”post_status”: “publish”,”comment_status”: “open”,”ping_status”: “open”,”post_password”: “”,”post_name”: “own-our-story”,”to_ping”: “”,”pinged”: “”,”post_modified”: “2017-08-18 12:42:52″,”post_modified_gmt”: “2017-08-18 10:42:52″,”post_content_filtered”: “”,”post_parent”: 0,”guid”: “http://3generations.eu/blog/?p=9622″,”menu_order”: 0,”post_type”: “post”,”post_mime_type”: “”,”comment_count”: 2}, {“ID”: 9624,”post_author”: 2,”post_date”: “2017-08-19 04:59:57″,”post_date_gmt”: “2017-08-19 02:59:57″,”post_content”: “A thank you to all who have written to us about Barcelona. We were provoked to start an extensive set of travels through Spain this year of 2017 as we knew due to the history Spain was rife for terrorist attacks. Even without that threat the history had to be addressed. We cannot say, ‘It was a long time ago’, or ‘they were not real Christians’. We have to take the responsibility that the Lord shows us. We of course ask, and will continue to ask questions – are we pulling strong enough, are there elements we are missing etc. We do not ask them from a guilt perspective, but from a responsibility angle.
Our first foray was to the north and one of the key places was San Toribio de Liebana. This Noe considers is the real source for the ReConquista, the place where civic and church powers came together and some 700 years later the final kingdom of Granada falls. Noe wrote to us yesterday, I include his notes below, pointing out so much – what struck him is the attack came from Don Pelayo street, the king who was behind that agreement in San Toribio. Note also his comment on the place of the attack – the same place where there was a battle ground in the Civil War. We are finding a lot of overlay from the ReConquista and the Civil War.
Noe & Loli are from a Spanish church down the road from us. We have worked with them in the prayer journey, and they have been absolutely invaluable to us. As those of the land we value them enormously. They have been in Barcelona. With Samuel Rhein, Noe and Loli took us to the place where the ReConquista started – the agreement of church and civil powers. We are grateful for what did not take place as Noe outlines.
Noe’s email:
What Can I say? My family and myself arrived to Barcelona last Sunday for short holidays. We came last year and my daughter wanted to come again. We are in love with Barcelona!
We wanted to visit La Sagrada Familia (Gaudí cathedral) and Downtown (Barrio Gótico, Ramblas, Raval). We have been walking by La Rambla for the last 3 days. Just 1 day before the attack we were at the very place at the same time.
We live 480 km from Barcelona.
It is evident that Barcelona is a multi-ethnic tourism hosting international city with the biggest percentage Muslim community in Spain.
We stayed at a friends house in Tarragona, next to the second attack place, Cambrils.
FEELINGS: Just arriving I felt something weird. I felt it gonna be an attack 2 days before but I rejected it in my mind. Just a thought cross my mind. At the same time Loli was feeling that Barcelona will be a place of visitation and revival, all these days.
I shared with Martin & Gayle about the oppressive atmosphere I was feeling for the first time in Barcelona. (Note: Noe sent us a photo of a St. George statue – his presence is so often an issue where there is racism and division.)
THE FACTS: 2 days ago there was an explosion in a little town called Alcanar. It’s the first town of Catalunya after Castellon province of Valencia.
I saw a TV program years ago because it just the border between Catalunya and Valencia and they were demanding to change to Valencia because Vinaros is a big city next to them but is in Castellon. They wanted to change for health and other services.
When I was driving back we went by national road instead AP7 and went by Alcanar. That name came to my mind strongly and I remembered the TV program.
Recently Police has discovered the terrorists has come from Alcanar (210 km far From Barcelona) and the explosion it was because they were manipulating 20 gas butano cannisters to create large bombs inside the vans for Barcelona!!!
If the explosion did not happen Alcanar explosion maybe today we would have so far more than 14 dead people!
That explosion killed 2 of the terrorists and originated the quick attack in Barcelona. They rented 3 vans and due the explosion they just used one. The terrorist attack were planned to be huge.
Thanks God it has been “nothing” compare with they wanted to be.
THE PLACE: The first terrorist attack happened in La Rambla. Maybe the most touristic place in Barcelona. An ancient Avenue with a central promenade packed with tourists from all around the world.
Something that got my attention is that the attack came “from” Don PELAYO street!! Is from where the vehicle entered the Rambla.
Don PELAYO is the King who originated the Reconquista. He was a key character in our prayer trip to Santo Toribio (North Spain).
Pelai in Catalán.
Pelayo in Spanish
Pelagic in English:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelagius_of_Asturias
The attack happened in the same place of the battle inside Red Front in the Civil War. Anarchist against communist. That’s was the battle ground.
THE ANSWER: As I guess in places where happened other attacks some people blow the hate flame but most of the society has answered properly, even with a cry: WE HAVE NO FEAR
HOPE: On Wednesday we visited the Sagrada Familia (Gaudí cathedral). Something got my attention in addition to the beauty of the place. Suddenly a whole bus with Islamic women came into the cathedral. They look wealthy, I guess from some Emirates or another Arabic nation. But just the picture of a bunch of Islamic women coming in from the ‘Pasion’s door’ (name of the gate) with the sun rays (at that time), gave me a sense of redemption. After this, a Muslim women with veil came to the prayer seats, prayed and cried. Was one on the best pictures on the trip.
(At the passion door is sculpted the betrayal of Jesus. Judas betrayed Jesus for money and because he had his version of the kingdom of heaven, which included suppression of all opposition through the use of power. This is what motivates us to travel and pray – so when Noe wrote that this was the door they came in through that spoke very deeply. The Reconquista was motivated in part economically and the suppression of all who opposed the ‘kingdom of God’ was through violence.)