Peace of Christ

When Christ was born, Luke reports that a multitude of angels sang "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will." Yet, Christ himself says "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division" (Luke 12: 51).

Most of us hope for peace, and tonight we salute each other with the peace of Christ. While we do that we think that threat to world security and ours are those political and military powers who run the show. North Korea is one example. Iran and Israel are probably preparing for a showdown one day not too far. Christians are killed in Iraq and their celebration of Christmas has been cancelled this year after so many threats the Churches received. Wikileaks are top news as the founder has been condemned to throwing out in the light of the Internet the secret files of highly classified documents in the ever continuing espionage between the powers of the world!

But Christ warns us that his peace is different from the calm that precedes the storm. He, in fact, provokes everyone to examine his conscience before he takes sides and sits in judgment of others. His peace is a dividing peace for in his time Simon prophesied that Christ will be a sign of contradiction. Many will rise and many will fall because of Him. We simply cannot ignore Christ as the provoker whose sharp words against the hypocrites still resound today.

The entire world wants security but only false security can it attain since it continues to ignore Christ. Christ's peace comes with a cost: the cost of inner reconciliation with myself, my fellow humans and with Him my God. It demands sacrifice and wisdom. But it all is based on love in truth. If Christ were a pacifist how could he be condemned to death? On the contrary "he came to his own and his own received him not" (John 1: 11). His own Jewish people who proclaimed him king also crucified him for he did not do as they wished but only the truth of His Father. What more do we need to understand the peace of Christ? What would you do if Christ is born today? Only a question.

The Hitchens-Blair Debate: Is Religion a Good Force in the World?

Christopher Hitchens does not wish to be called "Atheist" but "Anti-theist" as he probably thinks he is sure of the non-existence of God than the average "New Atheists." His recent debate with Tony Blair (about whether religion can be a force for good in the world) showed a bit of ignorance on the part of this self-proclaimed anti-theist.

My simple questions to him are those: Where was Christopher Hitchens when God created the universe (the same question that humbled Job in the Old Testament)? How dare he propose a humanist world without God when statistics show the influence of religion is on the rise across the globe? What does Hitchens think of the myriad human values introduced to the world by the fishermen of Christ? (See my post on the blog).

And if Hitchens glories in science, what does he know about what scientists have found in the new quantum physics, cosmology, neuroscience, genetics and the complexity of the evolution of life? (See my post "Has Science found God?" on the blog). What does Hitchens think of the essence of community with his pro-radical feminist approach? How would he propose to propagate the human species when he insists on a radical feminist agenda that continues to disturb this baren Western society? How can Hitchens attribute the Rwanda massacres to the Church when learned people know that it was a tribal war?

It was obvious that he would win the debate since the audience pre-judged his opponent the British ex-Prime Minister for his strong support of the Iraqi war. But Tony Blair showed a positive attitude towards Hitchens - Blair at least proposed that the essence of faith is love. He gave evidence of the positive influence of contemporary religion citing his own encounter with Catholic nuns who spend their life caring for sick people with Aids in Africa, and the work in which religious leaders were able to accomplish reduction of African debt. Blair's point, well taken by the audience, is that religion inspired and continues to inspire people to do good even when some people use it for their own interest.

As a Christian I have for long believed and preached that Love is the cornerstone of life here and eternally. God himself is a relationship of love between Father and Son in the Holy Spirit. And because of this loving God, Hitchens himself may be saved in spite of his aggression against God.

The Youth and The Church

“Mother and Teacher of all nations—such is the Catholic Church in the mind of her Founder, Jesus Christ; to hold the world in an embrace of love, that men, in every age, should find in her their own completeness in a higher order of living, and their ultimate salvation. She is ‘the pillar and ground of the truth.’ (1 Tim. 3:15) To her was entrusted by her holy Founder the twofold task of giving life to her children and of teaching them and guiding them—both as individuals and as nations—with maternal care. Great is their dignity, a dignity which she has always guarded most zealously and held in the highest esteem.” wrote Blessed Pope John XXIII in his encyclical letter “Mater et Magistra.”

This word of wisdom is needed today by all the shepherds in charge of the sheep of Christ. As a mother the Church looks with maternal love to her young ones. She teaches them the truth as she received it from Christ and carried it in her memory throughout the ages. However, many obstacles seem to stand against the youth coming (or coming back) to Church:

1. Many of them are confused about religion in an environment that promotes materialist atheism. Some join sects or spiritualist groups to make up for their perceived loss of faith.

2. Many of them go to church from time to time only to participate in weddings of friends, baptisms of children, or funerals of family members. The Church for those is an old institution that does not fit with the culture of the day.

3. Attractions abound around the youth both young adults and younger. The Internet has made it possible for global digital communications but also for global pornography, fantasy games, and gambling. Security on the Internet social networks has become a major concern for businesses, individuals and families. Technology is like anything else. You can use it to commit criminal acts or to do good things. Individualism has crept into the minds and actions of our youth. The youth “text” their peers rather than phoning them. Behind this trend there is a philosophy of spending and getting results the fast way. They have no time for much thinking. If this trend shows

anything, it is that youth are becoming lonely even though they may claim otherwise.

4. Since the introduction of artificial contraceptives in the 1960s, young adults have increasingly used them ignoring the teaching of their mother Church as expounded by Pope Paul VI in “Humanae Vitae”. This has reached phenomenal proportions with up to 70% of teenagers today having sex by the age of 17 without marriage. With the legalization of abortion, more youth are drifting to committing the sin of killing their children in the womb. Or to avoid abortion while having “safe sex” they are encouraged by the secular authorities to use condoms.

5. Legalizing divorce supported by radical feminists has made it easier for married couples to seek their own selfishness outside of marriage. Children of single-parent families are less able to succeed in their lives compared to children of heterosexual committed married parents. See the article “Is There Hope for The American Marriage?” published in July 2009 in TIME magazine here: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1908243,00.html

6. The economic hardship faced by advanced economies in the globe is also having an impact on the youth. Educated youth are not finding good jobs and less educated youth are finding it hard to survive without parental support. For many years, the experimentation with drugs has been widespread in schools including Catholic schools. Peer pressure cannot be discounted when dealing with young adults and younger. The psychological effect of peer pressure is seen in universities, colleges, and schools.

A close look at the above issues should help us in identifying the mother’s role to guide her children.

The role of the Church to bring back her young adults and younger ones is about communicating with them in their own language while teaching them her ever-abiding truth in the way they understand it for each generation speaks and understands according to its culture. One of the major initiatives is “World Youth Day” initiated on a global Catholic level by John Paul II. Certainly this initiative can be replicated at a modest level in each diocese and parish. A plan for each diocese can be elaborated along the following lines:

- The Church is a community of the faithful. A major element of the faithful is the youth. The youth should experience the need for their presence in the Church as their mother would treat them with dignity. The youth should have an essential role in all aspects of services in the Church. Examples include service of the Mass every Sunday whether as choir members, candle carriers, ushers, or offering-collectors; charitable works such as food-bank collections and distribution (see St. Vincent de Paul); visiting sick and senior people in senior homes and sharing with them in their lonely lives; sponsorship of Christian refugees from Iraq and the rest of the Middle East.

- The Church is not only a mother but also a teacher. In that sense, weekly teaching of the youth and younger generations is necessary. The most important teachings recommended are living moral values. These include how to live today as a moral person. Teaching must be based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church (See http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm) and the Second Vatican Council (http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/index.htm). The teaching should link Christian life to the great mysteries of faith: The Trinity; Christ; The Creed; The Sacraments; Saints as moral examples. Today’s issues need to be discussed in the light of the Church’s teachings (See http://www.todayquestions.blogspot.com/) The youth should participate in preparing/presenting some of the topics। Use of technology as tools of teaching where possible is encouraged (projector/screen, Internet access).

- A life of prayer and fasting is important for a personal Christian development and for the community. Young generations should be encouraged to participate in Lent and Paraclisis prayers/Holy Rosary prayers. The effectiveness of a mission is dependent on the prayer life of its members and their spiritual growth. Many examples can be given from the fathers of the Church.

- The Church should emphasize the communal aspect in social activities that bring together the young with the old. The person develops in the community not only spiritually but also socially, in good entertainment, and above all in love.The Church should not shy away from inviting its well-educated young adults to volunteer some of their time in order to help parishioners in their jobs and lives. Examples include physicians, lawyers, engineers, information systems professionals, nurses, insurance agents, teachers and others. A monthly meeting in the parish could be a starting focal point.

- The authority in the Church is invited to be a Christian example to the young as is the mother to her children. Moreover, the Church must raise its voice in all controversial political matters that affect the young and the old alike.

There will definitely be more and better opinions about how to help our youth build their new selves, their families, their Church, their society and the world Let them start and continue this journey by the power of the one who said “I am the Resurrection, the Truth, and the Life”.

Eastern Catholic Churches of the Middle East

Original written by Andrea Kirk Assaf/Zenit; edited by George Farahat Armenian Catholic Church The country of Armenia was evangelized by Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus, and was the first to make Christianity its official religion in 301 under the governorship of St. Gregory the Illuminator. The Armenian Church broke away after the Council of Chalcedon in 554. After several attempts at reunification with Rome by members of the Armenian Orthodox Church over the centuries, Pope Benedict XIV ultimately announced the establishment of the Armenian Catholic Church in 1742. Its patriarchate (currently led by Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni) is located in Bzoummar, Lebanon, and its communities are found in Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Israel, Iran, Iraq, and Palestine, as well as in the global diaspora, particularly in the United States. There are an estimated 540,000 Catholic Armenians around the world. Chaldean Catholic Church The Chaldean Catholic Church originated in Edessa (in modern day Turkey) with the Apostle Thomas. Today its patriarchate is located in Baghdad, Iraq, headed by Patriarch Cardinal Emannuel III Delly, and its members number approximately 419,000. In 2007, Patriarch Delly became the first Chaldean Catholic elevated to the rank of a cardinal. The line of patriarchs in communion with Rome dates back to 1553, though this line was broken on several occasions and rival patriarchs created their own lines of succession. In 1830, only one patriarch remained and Pope Pius VIII granted him the title of Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans. The history of the Chaldean Church has been marked by waves of persecution through the centuries in Iraq, nearly decimating their number and scattering their population, yet the Church to this day maintains a firm presence and vibrant community. Coptic Catholic Church The roots of this Church are found in the conversion of an Orthodox Coptic bishop, Amba Athanasius, to Catholicism in 1741, along with 2,000 others. Athanasius was appointed apostolic vicar to this new flock but later returned to the Orthodox Church. He left behind a line of Catholic vicars, however, and in 1824 the Holy See created a Patriarchate for the Copts, re-established in 1895 by Pope Leo XIII, who appointed the first patriarch. The current Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, who heads a Church of 163,000 in Egypt, is Patriarch Cardinal Antonios Naguib. Greek Melkite Catholic Church The Melkites, also known as Byzantine Catholics, number 1.3 million around the world. The See of Antioch never broke its ties with the Church of Rome after the schism of 1054. However, due to its proximity to Constantinople, it came under the influence of the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch. The Melkites entered into full communion with Rome in the declaration of bishop Cyril Tanas in 1724 who was then accepted with his supporters into the Catholic fold in 1729. Melkite Patriarch Gregory signed the declaration on the doctrine of papal infallibility at Vatican Council I, but with the appended clause "preserving the rights and privileges of Eastern patriarchs." Gregory's concerns about the latinization of the Eastern Churches was somewhat relieved by Leo XIII's encyclical "Orientalium Dignitas." At Vatican Council II, the Melkite Patriarch Maximus IV contributed vigorously to the declaration of collegiality (the belief that all bishops together. headed by the pope, constitute the supreme authority in the Catholic Church.) The Melkites took further measures to remove Latin-rite traditions from their liturgy. The current Greek Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Alexandria, and Jerusalem is Gregory III Laham, who resides in Damascus, Syria. In the Middle East his flock can be found in Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon, and also in Africa, South America, North America and Australia. Maronite (Catholic) Church The Maronites derive their name from the Syrian monk St. Maron, who was an important figure in the Christian community of Antioch at the same time as St. John Chrysostom, but who left the city to follow the example of St. Anthony of the Desert and took up a hermitic life. The Maronites voted in favor of the Council of Chalcedon in 451, subsequently finding themselves the sole Chalcedonian Christians in the region. Some 350 Maronite monks were then killed by Miaphysites/Monophysites, causing the Maronites to flee and settle in Lebanon, particularly in the mountainous regions. The first specifically Maronite patriarch, John Maron, was elected in 687, in the midst of an Islamic invasion and conflict with the Orthodox Church and the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian II. The Muslim conquest of Eastern Christendom cut off Maronite communication with Rome for 400 years, until the time of the First Crusade, when the Maronites re-affirmed their union with Rome in 1182, the only non-Uniate Eastern Christian Church in the Middle East to this day. In 1584, the Maronites established their presence in Rome with the Maronite College, followed by the building of several monasteries and convents of Maronite orders. Syriac Catholic Church The Syriac Church, also referred to as the Western Syriac Rite, uses a Syriac language liturgy that is called the "Anaphora of St. James" and dates back to the bishopric of St. Peter in Antioch. The Syriac Catholic Church made a final split from the Orthodox Church and came into union with Rome in 1781. Dramatically, in 1782, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Michael Jarweh of Aleppo declared himself Catholic and in union with Rome shortly after his election, and then took flight to Lebanon where he established an unbroken line of Catholic Syriac patriarchs. During the 18th century the Church went underground due to persecution from the Orthodox, encouraged by the Ottomans. In the subsequent years the patriarchate was moved from Lebanon to Aleppo, Syria, then to Mardin, Turkey, and finally back to Beirut during the Assyrian genocide of World War I, which brought about the deaths of over 37,500 Syriac Catholics at the hands of Turkish nationalists. Today there are approximately 159,000 Syriac Catholics globally, concentrated in the Middle East in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and also in the diaspora in Australia, Sweden, France, Venezuela, Brazil, Sudan, the United States and Canada. The current Patriarch of Antioch and All the East of the Syrians is Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, who resides in Beirut, Lebanon.

Interfaith Encounter with Islamic and Hindu People

On Saturday October 30, I was one of 3 speakers in an interfaith meeting for young adults and youth at Jaffari Islamic Centre. The two other speakers were Dr. Hashimi, a Muslim expert and Pandit Roopnauth Sharma, a Hindu guru. The topic was about angels and demons in Catholic Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. But I took this opportunity to speak, uninterrupted, about Christian faith and common themes with other religions: 1) Moral values and human dignity (Respect for human dignity may not be found in some traditions of the East) 2) Common things: Belief in God, prayer, fasting, and community life 3) Human needs: material, psychological, spiritual and security 4) We need love since love protects us 5) God loves us - In Christian tradition God is Love. Love is not only one of his names but his unique character. He loved us into life and cares about each one 6) Angels are servants of God. God loves his angels including the angels who fell into pride. The Devil and his angels separated themselves from God. 7) The lesson for us is not to separate ourselves from God - We need God - We need eternal happiness and salvation from sin through Christ 8) We have guardian angels who protect us. Angels came to Abraham, Jacob, Mary, and Christ. The angels of God sustained Christ in his fasting and in suffering before his crucifixion. 9) The most important point: In response to Dr. Hashimi who thinks that Christians are confused by considering Christ the Son of God, I said that we as Christians believe in Christ not only as the Son of God but also that Christ is God from God fully divine and fully human. When one of the Muslim youth questioned why Christians beliieve that Christ is God, I replied that the topic can be the subject of another debate. But I insist on finding common grounds rather than finding topics of differences with people of other religions. We cannot act like the self-righteous people. Moreover, When Christians speak to someone who is not Christian we need to be patient for him to learn. He will not learn as long as Christians do not show love by example. We need to respect everyone and love him as he is. Christ respected everyone and loved everyone. We must hope to be a bit as generous as our master and God.