In the Roman Catholic Church Gospel's reading on November 30, the Lord says to St. Peter and St. Andrew "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4: 19). They both followed him, and testified to their faith in him which cost them their lives on crosses by order of the Roman authorities: St. Peter was crucified upside down in Rome by Emperor Nero ca 64 while St. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross in Patras (cf. Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiae, 4th century). I do mention the above to only thank God that, in his providential care, he helped me be baptized and brought up Christian by devout parents. I thank God for the many graces that he abundantly continues to give me through my wife, children, brothers and sisters-in-law as well as great physicians and many friends including their charitable work and prayers for me and others.
I am grateful to God for having known many spiritual directors and scholars from whom I learned much (including the great followers of Christ who departed to God such as Monseigneur Paul Antaki the Great who was Melkite Catholic Patriarchal Vicar on the See of Alexandria; and the Lebanese Catholic scholar Fr. Ignatius Sarkis Naggar who was pastor of St. Cyril's Melkite Catholic parish in Heliopolis, Cairo).
I continue to learn from Christ's disciples and other knowledgeable scientists and scholars.
Recently, I browsed some of the lectures given by the Nobel-Prize Laureate Professor Richard Feynman on quantum physics and the universe. The interested reader may wish to read them on the website of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) here and compare them to the quite impressive 2015 TEDx-Talk by Professor Leo Kouwenhoven on quantum technology here and to the equally impressive 2017 lecture by Professor David Tong on quantum fields as the building blocks of the universe given at Cambridge University here or the recent commentaries on quantum mechanics by associates of Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D. on his Magis Center website here and here. You may also wish to read my post on "The Quantum Universe" written in October 2017 here.
The most recent words I received include an on-line link from Msgr. Robert Nusca that opens up a treasure of Catholic teachings in several fields of today's life and helps leaders in discussions included in the RCIA programs.
I also received beautiful commentaries by Fr. Henri Boulad, S.J. on my post "Complex Projects versus Complex Mind" written in 2009 here as well as my recent response to a fellow friend re a documentary on individual and societal threat by pornography published by CNA here - My response was summarized in two lectures that I gave years ago - They partially respond to today's permissive society which Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) described in terms of "moral relativism" here - "Why Our Youths Are Not Getting Married Today" here and "Is Abortion Justified in Case of Rape ?" here. I wish to thank Msgr. Nusca and Fr. Boulad for their prayers and support.
But we cannot rest assured of where the world is going especially when huge amounts of money are spent on spreading "Radical Islam" by fundamentalists and by political governments. In this regard, the reader may wish to listen to Fr. Boulad in October 2017 during his visit to France (here in French).
To the above we should add the tragedy of Christ and his followers as Christmas becomes closer.
Christmas is not only a great social event where we meet beloved people but also a reminder to me of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, who was incarnate by the power of the holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary for our salvation as we recite in the Creed. The "Lamb of God" had to face much rejection since his birth in Bethlehem. Kings and Governors could not tolerate his presence nor can they or their allies today. King Herod the Great was furious when he knew of Christ's birth "The King of the Jews" that the Prophets spoke about and the village where he would be born. Pilate too questioned him and sarcastically asked him "Are you King?" He also sarcastically asked him "What is Truth?" as if the world should always be enslaved to the power of emperors!
On September 14, 2008 at the celebration of the Exaltation of the Cross, Fr. Georges Farah gave a very eloquent homily about Jesus the King and the way Pilate treated him. The reader may wish to read it here. In December 2014, I wrote a post here about the joy that Fr. Farah made us feel as Christmas becomes close. On Sunday September 7, 2014, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was celebrated at Jesus the King Melkite Catholic parish in Toronto where Fr. Farah spoke about the meaning of her title "Batoul" here.
In December 2014, Fr. Henri Boulad spoke about the birth of Christ - Here:
"Jesus is a revelation. Jesus is a revolution" says the Jesuit scholar Henri Boulad. But what kind of revolution? "Jesus empties heaven and moves the [Divine presence] to be among us: Emmanuel." and continues "Is it possible that God makes such a radical move? I have a response here to our Muslim brothers who think it is impossible. For them God cannot descend from heaven without losing his honor and dignity."
Now listen carefully because here Henri Boulad summarizes the Christian Mystery in as simple language as possible "If Jesus Christ is an illusion...If Christianity is a sheer mystification...If God did not come to us and did not descend from his heaven...If he did not take the radical and seemingly impossible leap of the incarnation, then he ceases being credible - he ceases being love - he ceases being God."
Let us reflect. Here is the message:
"The scandal of the Incarnation, which means that we cannot believe that God could debase himself , becomes the key and the supreme proof that this is the truth"
"But a God in heaven well served who looks to me and says 'You suffer. Have courage. Perhaps one day you will be with me in my heaven' is not God. A God who says 'Patience. I am fine here but you over there can suffer' is not God. This is the false God that we, often, figure that he sends us prophets from time to time to console us' . NO, NO. NO. This God who looks to me with a telescope is not my God. I do not want him."
"If there is a phenomenon of atheism today in the West as well as in Egypt, it is precisely because men say we are in fact better than God. The walk that I walk to help when I see a hungry person or a thirsty one or a person without faith, can't God do it? Has he no choice regarding his honor?"
"No. He did it. This is the supreme proof of the Christian Mystery. Do not look somewhere else. 'Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...' He descended. No more seventh heaven..."
"The only God I can believe, love and worship is the God Jesus Christ because he descended to me."
"'Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...' "
And the great preacher and Jesuit scholar Henri Boulad finished here his homily.
"Come, Follow Me" Jesus continues to say to everyone who has ears to listen...
NOTES:
1) Msgr. Robert Nusca, Pastor of Holy Rosary Catholic parish in Toronto, is a renowned Biblical scholar, Senior Fellow at St. Paul's Center. He holds a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and is Professor of Biblical Studies at St. Augustine's Seminary; a member College of the Toronto School of Theology affiliated with the University of Toronto.
2) Fr. Henri Boulad, S.J. is a Jesuit scholar whose homilies in French are uploaded weekly on YouTube. Fluent in French, English and Arabic, he is a missionary who went to The Sudan in the 1980s, and tours Europe and Canada every year where he gives homilies and retreats as he does also in Egypt where he is resident. He taught theology at the High Institute of Theology in Cairo and visited Lebanon where he gave retreats.
3) Fluent in Arabic, French, and English, Fr. Georges Farah is a Lebanese Melkite Catholic scholar whose credentials include a doctorate in philosophy and another in theology from the renowned Sorbonne University in Paris.
