Рейтинг: 10|Голосов: 4
Fr. Georges Massouh
There is no doubt that Saint Luke stresses in his gospel more than the other three evangelists the importance of care for the poor and needy.
When Jesus' disciples asked their Teacher about the signs of His coming and the end of the world, He did not specify a date, but rather talked to them about signs whose purpose was nothing other than indicating that "the coming of the Lord is near."
No one will snatch this joy away from us. Whether we are in this world or the next, our mark is joy. And by their sign you will know them. Christ is risen, my joy.
Рейтинг: 5|Голосов: 2
In the icon of the Nativity, we see a bull and a donkey surrounding the baby Jesus to warm Him. They symbolize the prophecy from the Old Testament, "The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider” (Isaiah 3:1). Be generous, just as God is generous. That is the feast.
"Christian unity is either based on faithfulness to Jesus Christ or you should call it something else."
"Under the current circumstances in our pillaged countries where civil strife is constant, sectarian division is sharply increasing, and random, gratuitous killing is rampant... we, the friends of Jesus, return to the word of God in order to be inspired by it, that our behavior may conform to this word so that we do not fall into temptation, but rather remain faithful to the Gospel, the teachings of the Lord, and the witness of the Church."
Christians are called to be like their Teacher, not to make their teacher in their own image. They must be good soil, soil clear of stones and thorns. This requires struggle to purify one's self from the cares of this suffocating world. No one will come to clear another person's soil. Everyone is responsible for cultivating his own soil, for reforming himself. If he does not smash the stones within himself and if he does not pluck out the thorns within himself, he will not bear fruit and he will not be of any good to anyone.
It is a grave error for Christians to tie their survival to the survival of a regime that protects them or to a foreign intervention that will defend them. The most dangerous thing is for Christians to abandon their mission and their witness, which can be summed up as bearing the cross, for the sake of their survival. Therefore, Christians must hold fast to faith, hope, love and patience until these black days have passed. As for Christianity, it will not disappear so long as Christians want that it does not disappear.
Рейтинг: 10|Голосов: 1
The entirety of what concerns these saints is that they have born the cross and that they have loved to the end. They wait with a true longing for martyrdom. Anything else is worthless.
"Christ will not be affected by a person who mocks Him, but rather He will pray for him. However, Christ will certainly regret the sight of a hungry child, a bereaved mother, or a man without shelter ... Christ is insulted in them. Let those who want to defend Christ love those who wander about the lands of God with empty bellies, blanketed by the sky and with stones for pillows ... Christ is not in need of politicians to recover His honor. They are in need of Christ who is present in the poor in order to regain their human dignity."
Рейтинг: 5.8|Голосов: 4
Christianity, then, is not like some people mistakenly think, a mere "spiritual" message that does not concern the affairs of people and the world. It is a call to make our present world into a better world, a world governed by divine values, first among them love, mercy, peace and justice.
