Letter of His
Beatitude
Gregorios III
Patriarch of
Antioch and All the East
Of Alexandria and
of Jerusalem
For the Feast
of Pascha 2013
(31 March
2013)
The Gospel
proclaims the Good News of the Resurrection
“Preach
the Gospel”
Christ
risen from the dead calls his disciples after the Resurrection, to preach the
Gospel to the whole world. “Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature.”
(Mark 16: 15)
Christianity
begins after the Resurrection with the kerygma or proclamation, meaning the Gospel,
which is Christ, for he himself is the subject of the proclamation or Gospel.
Similarly,
Christianity begins on the day of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, also with an
announcement or Gospel. That is the meaning of the annunciation made by the
angel to the shepherds on Christmas night, “I bring you good
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this
day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2: 10-11)
Christmas begins
with Christ the Gospel, joyful Good News. After the Resurrection Christianity
begins with the proclamation of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, promising
his disciples, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
(Matthew 28: 20)
Christmas brings
the glad tidings but their proclamation begins after the Resurrection.
Now it is up to us
to carry the message. In the hearts of all baptized persons the Lord’s voice
rings out as it did to Isaiah, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?” (Isaiah
6: 8)
So, after the angel’s
announcement, “I bring you good tidings,” (Luke 2: 10) comes the command,
“Go…and preach the Gospel.” (Mark 16: 15) Christianity is really the Gospel.
Christianity is Good News. The word Gospel means “good news” in English as
in Greek.
This is the purpose
of this Paschal Letter of the Resurrection for this year which, despite all the
challenges that our world is experiencing, shines with a threefold light. First
is the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, given
us by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, who signed it in our patriarchate’s
Church of Saint Paul in Harissa, Lebanon on 14 September, 2012; it has to do
with most expressive and encouraging dual theme of Communion and Witness.
Second was the celebration in Rome in October, 2012 of the Synod on the New
Evangelization, which we took part in, with our Patriarchal Vicar in Damascus,
Archbishop Joseph Absi and two lay-persons from Damascus, Riad Sargi and
Giselle Mishati. Third is the celebration of the Year of Faith (2012-13).
Our country land of
the Gospel
We have great need
of deepening the central importance of the Gospel in the life of Eastern
Christians as children of that Holy Land that is the land of the Gospel; the
land in which Gospel-Jesus was born, lived, taught, wrought miracles of faith,
hope and love; the land where he walked, doing good by healing every illness
and weakness!
He loved people,
everyone, to the point of accepting suffering, crucifixion and death for them,
that they might have life, and have it more abundantly, (cf. John 10: 10) and
that they might participate in his Resurrection and become bearers of his
message of love.
Yes,
our Arab Christian East is the land of the Gospel, where the Gospel was first
preached, in Jerusalem, Damascus, Antioch, Alexandria and Iraq and on to the
Far East.
From
the East, the Gospel spread to the whole world. Ex Oriente lux! From the East
came Christ, the Light of the world. From the East, the Gospel went out. “Their
sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world
(oikoumene).” (Romans 10: 18 and Psalm 18: 4 LXX)
We
are writing this letter on the Gospel for the teachings of our Lord, Jesus
Christ, the teachings, values and holy message of the Gospel to be our torch,
conversion, light, guide and support, especially in this difficult period: we
turn to it, read, meditate and walk in the inspiration of its light and find
in it consolation, strength, hope and joy in the Resurrection, which we wish
for everyone, in all our Arab countries, especially those suffering most:
Syria, Lebanon, the Holy Land, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan; resurrection for all
Christians celebrating the holy, glorious Feast of Pascha, and for all our
fellow-citizens of all denominations, for all are called to be bearers of the
Gospel message, the proclamation of resurrection and life, instead of
violence, death, killing, destruction, terrorism, enmity, aversion, bigotry…
for we have all been created for life, not death, and we hope for
resurrection and eternal life. We are the sons and daughters of the
Resurrection.
|
This letter
In this letter, I
should like to highlight the importance of the Gospel, the New Evangelisation
in the life of Christianity and further, in the life of every believer and even
of every person. The Church has always been down the centuries “Mother and
Teacher.[1]”
One of her marks is that of being apostolic, bringing Christ’s message and
proclaiming it down the centuries to every generation. She still fulfils today
Saint Paul’s summons to every heart, “Woe to me if I preach not the Gospel.” (1
Corinthians 9: 16) I have every confidence that I shall light the fire of this
Good News, so that the Gospel becomes the torch in the heart, mind and hand of
every faithful person in our Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
The Gospel, a Word
of Life, a vital message!
Reading the
chapters and verses and events recounted in the Holy Gospel, we experience a
prodigious strength and continual, dynamic power. The Gospel is not a book, so
the Qur’anic expression “people of the Book” is not quite correct. That is
because the Gospel is preaching by Jesus Christ and the apostles only recorded
some recollections of that preaching in the Gospel, in its quadruple form,
which is the proclamation of the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Thus it is vital to
preserve the power and dynamism of the Gospel. Indeed, it cannot be confined to
the limited definitions of a word, expression, doctrine or vision. On the
contrary, it surpasses all those boundaries, attributes, definitions, human
vocabularies, explanations and analyses.
The ever-new Gospel
The Gospel is
always open, never closed! It is always new, thrilling, renewed, developing,
flexible, open, communicative and capable of accepting every way of thinking,
view and perspective: this is because newness is in the stuff of Christianity.
The Second Vatican
Council, one of the most significant events in the recent history of the
Catholic Church, which opened on 11 October 1962, just fifty years ago, took as
its main topic renewal and modernity in the Church. All its documents are a
call to Christians to understand the Master’s teachings in the Holy Gospel as
modern teachings, suitable for the needs of believers today, in their society,
given the problems and challenges to which they are exposed, the questions they
ask or those asked of them by society, the world, modernity and development.
So the Gospel must
never grow stale and nor should Christianity! You, who believe in Jesus Christ,
don’t have the right to grow stale! Instead, you must bear witness to the
ever-new Christ.
The Gospel a
discovery
Anyone who reads
the Gospel carefully and deeply, with an inner spiritual attentiveness, is
surprised by joy and gladness, because there is always some new discovery to be
made. That is what Jesus expressed through the parable given to his disciples
and hearers, about the man who found treasure and hid it afresh in a field and
sold everything he had to buy the field. (Matthew 13: 44) He gave another
similar parable about a merchant who discovered a pearl of great price, so he
sold all he had and bought it. (Matthew 13: 45-46)
The Gospel an
excellent grace (charisma[2])
The Gospel is an
excellent, ever-renewed grace or charisma, which is only found by those on whom
special spiritual grace has been outpoured.
Those who listened
to Jesus discovered this charisma and grace in his person, preaching, words,
and relationship with people, behaviour towards their conditions, needs,
requests, outlook and mind-set. This is what the Gospel expressed in describing
the attitude of Jesus’ people. Peter replies enthusiastically to Jesus, “Lord,
to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” (John 6: 68) Saint
Peter speaks to Jesus on Mount Tabor, saying, “Master, it is good for us to be
here.” (Mark 9: 5)
The apostles are
quite astonished when Jesus calms the storm rising against them on the Lake of
Tiberias, “What manner of man is this, for he commandeth even the winds and
water, and they obey him.” (Luke 8: 25) Jesus surprises his listeners, “Never
man spake like this man.” (John 7: 46)
This was the
attitude of the congregation who heard Jesus preach a Sabbath sermon in the
synagogue of Nazareth, “And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue
were fastened on him. … And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious
words which proceeded out of his mouth.” (Luke 4: 20, 22)
The Gospel a
proclamation
It is a well-known
fact that Jesus was not a writer. The apostles did not write down on the spot
what they heard of the Master’s teachings. Similarly, they did not choose to
leave a written record of their Master’s teachings. Commentaries on Holy Writ
state that the apostles preached. They were absorbed in service to the spoken
Word. That is why they instituted the diaconate, to dedicate themselves to
preaching, as can be seen in the Acts of the Apostles. The sermons of Peter,
Stephen and others were not gathered into a complete volume, but represent
rather jottings of what they preached and taught.
So the apostles
were mostly concerned with preaching the Gospel. They moved around different
places in Palestine and Asia Minor (today, Turkey) and taught and preached to
the people they met and met with them.
Only later did the
apostles make a note of what they had earlier taught; proclamation preceded
writing: then came the letters of Saint Paul, written by him or his
collaborators. Later still the Gospel was written in four forms: Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John.
The Gospel a
summary of Jesus’ teaching
Readers of the Holy
Gospel in its four forms can see that what is written is taken from a larger
collection. They are recollections of parables, miracles and teachings of the
Divine Master. Here are some verses that support that view, taken from the
Gospel according to Luke, which I read through all in one sitting, enjoying the
fine stories recounted in it. I found a number of verses that confirm what I
have just said about the four evangelists.
So: what did Jesus
teach and what were the questions he put to doctors in the temple in Jerusalem
at the age of twelve? (Luke 2: 46) We read a little further on, “And he taught
in their synagogues, being glorified of all.”(Luke 4: 15) Again, “…All bare him
witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.”
(Luke 4: 22) And again, he “taught them on the Sabbath days. And they were astonished at his
doctrine: for his word was with power.” (Luke 4: 31b-32) What were his words?
Where is the written account of this teaching?
Still
in the synagogue at Capernaum, again, “What a word is this!
for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come
out.” (Luke 4: 36) Again we read, “And it came to pass
afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and
shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.” (Luke 8: 1); “And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received
them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9: 11) There are many
other testimonies of the kind. What were his words? Where is the written
account of this teaching?
Jesus himself
emphasised the importance of teaching during his life: “‘I must preach the
kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.’ And he preached in the synagogues of
Galilee.” (Luke 4: 43-44) Jesus taught especially in synagogues on the Sabbath
(Luke 13: 10). In chapter five, we read, “…The people pressed upon him to hear
the word of God.” (Luke 5: 1) and we read just afterwards, “he entered into one
of the ships, which was Simon's, and … sat down, and taught the people out of
the ship.” (Luke 5: 3-4) Again, “great multitudes came together to hear, and to
be healed by him of their infirmities.” (Luke 5: 15) And when Jesus taught on
the plain, “a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and
from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon ... came to hear him.” (Luke 6: 17)
This sermon on the
plain or mountain (Luke 6//Matthew 5) is but one example and model of many
teachings. Perhaps it is a summary of the teachings uttered in diverse places
at various times. Again we read, “And it came to pass afterward, that he went
throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of
the kingdom of God.” (Luke 8: 1) Again, “And he went through the cities and
villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.” (Luke 13: 22) And there
are many other such verses.
We have a very
distinctive testimony from the Evangelist John, the Beloved Disciple of Jesus.
We read a description of the teachings and mighty works of Jesus: “And many
other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not
written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through
his name.” (John 21: 35) And again, “And there are also many other things which
Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even
the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” (John 21:
25)
The Gospel a
conversation with humankind
This is the
singular characteristic of the Gospel! It is the word of God in dialogue with
humankind, talking to them, directing them, preaching to them and guiding them
towards goodness, virtue, faith, mercy, hope, forgiveness, leniency, tolerance,
justice and compassion: that is the Gospel! It is the “light that lighteth
every man that cometh into the world,” (John 1: 9) It is the bread of life,
food for the hungry and water for those athirst for spiritual satisfaction. It
is the singular new vision of life, of humankind, the natural order, flowers,
lilies, birds, men, sinners, the just, the devout, women, children, kings,
emperors, leaders, values, righteousness, law, forms of piety, rites and so on.
We find especially in the Gospel a real vision of the human person (man, woman,
child) and their value, dignity, centrality and freedom.
The Gospel is the
encyclopaedia of God’s love for man, an encyclopaedia of values, behaviour,
sublime teachings and healthy judgments. It is an encyclopaedia of words of
life, for everybody, for all generations and every time and place. You can
always find light, conversion, advice, wisdom, a question, a view, experience
and everything your soul longs for in the Gospel: words for this life and life
eternal.
Jesus a wandering
Preacher
Jesus is the
Gospel! He is also the first to preach his own Gospel. Jesus’ public life is a
journey of proclamation, a road of giving news of Jesus. He spent three years
in this way, preaching and teaching. His first appearance was as a youth of
twelve in the Temple, standing among the doctors, priests and scribes,
teaching, listening to them and asking them questions. It could also be said
that he is making himself independent of his father and mother.
He expresses that
by answering their question when they found him again in Jerusalem and said to
him, “Thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing,” when he replies, “Wist ye
not that I must be about my Father's business?” (Luke 2: 49-50)
Evangelist Luke has
preserved for us Jesus’ first sermon, his first lesson in exegesis of Holy
Scripture, which can be summed up as proclamation (kerygma). So we read
in Luke, “And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And
when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.’” (Luke 4: 17,
Isaiah 61: 1) He adds, making a commentary on the prophet Isaiah and further on
the whole Old Testament and the whole matter of divine inspiration, saying,
“This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (Luke 4: 21)
Similarly, when
Jesus wanted to explain to the two disciples of John the Baptist who asked him,
“Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” (Luke 7: 19), he
replied to them after having done miracles, “Go your way, and tell John what
things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the
lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel
is preached.” (Luke 7: 22)
Thus Jesus sums up
his teachings, mission and miracles for the proclamation of the Gospel. He asks
those whom he heals to proclaim the Gospel in their turn. (Mark 5: 19 and
parallels)
Through these
verses and selected details in the Holy Gospel, it is clearly evident that
Jesus spread a living proclamation and word of life along the roads and in the
towns and villages of Palestine and on the shores of Lake Tiberias, in Jewish
synagogues, in homes, on the hills, in boats, in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Jericho,
Capernaum, Safad, Nain, on the Mount of Olives, in the Temple of Solomon, in
Nablus or Sychar, on the Golan, by the Jordan… Jesus is a wandering apostle, a
fascinating preacher, a likeable, kind man who combined preaching and teaching,
healing miracles, so many evidences of his love, compassion, tenderness and
pity. He is really a living Proclamation, a Gospel, bringing the best of
tidings to mankind – the love of Creator to creature, since God is Love and all
his works are love, and all creations of God are love, and created Nature is
the Paradise of God’s love for mankind.
Today people
enthusiastically follow television channels featuring the sermons of certain
well-known, extraordinarily talented or charismatic preachers. Yet Jesus is the
greatest preacher, most eloquent and charismatic speaker and orator. The crowds
are the best evidence for this great, divine Master’s attributes. There are a
great many verses which show people’s admiration of Jesus’s teaching and
miracles, attitudes, advice, judgments and views, as we mentioned above. We
shall confine ourselves to a choice selection – such as the cry of a woman
listening among a great crowd to the teachings of Jesus, who shouted a popular
compliment to him (in Arabic zalghouta) above the hubbub saying,
“Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.” (Luke
11: 27) Jesus spontaneously and very wisely replied, “Yea rather, blessed are
they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” (Luke 11: 28)
Paul the fifth
Evangelist
Paul is in love
with the Gospel! He can be termed the fifth evangelist. It is enough to recall
his famous saying, “Woe to me if I preach not the Gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:
16) Bearing this in mind, I re-read the letters of Saint Paul in order to
prepare this letter on the Gospel and realised that the word “Gospel” can be
found more than once in every letter. I noted some fifty places where the word Gospel
is mentioned, without counting synonyms for the Gospel, such as economy of
salvation, mystery of Christ, preaching or kerygma.
Through this
reading, I discovered the meaning of Saint Paul’s relationship with the Gospel
in its depth, power, and meaning for Paul’s life and gigantic apostolic work.
Though he gives himself splendid attributes, impressive titles that demonstrate
his role in bearing the tidings of the Gospel to every place, he does so only
to “bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2
Corinthians 10: 5)
Paul is in a direct
relationship with the Gospel. His whole life is bound up with preaching the
Gospel of Jesus, Jesus, the Good News. He adheres so much to the Gospel that he
repeats an expression that enables us to understand that he has his own Gospel.
So he prays for the faithful in Rome “to stablish you according to my gospel…”
(Romans 16: 25)
Again, he says,
“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.” (2 Corinthians 4:
3) And he says, “[God] called you by our gospel.” (2 Thessalonians 2: 14)
Speaking to his disciple Timothy, he writes, “Remember that Jesus Christ of the
seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel.” (2 Timothy 2:
8)
Paul ambassador for
the Gospel
Saint Paul
expresses the centrality of the Gospel in his life and preaching through these
extraordinary titles, “an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” (Romans
1: 1) He is “a minister” of the Gospel. (Ephesians 3: 7) He is its “ambassador
in bonds.” (Ephesians 6: 20) and has had the glorious Gospel “committed to
[his] trust.” (1 Timothy 1: 11) He is “appointed a preacher, and an apostle,
and a teacher [of the Gospel.]” (2 Timothy 1: 11)
These titles that Saint
Paul gives himself in relation to Jesus and the Gospel mean that he is
committed to the Gospel to take it and preach it; he is ready to do everything
to carry out the service to which he was dedicated when he met Jesus risen from
the dead on the road to Damascus. His first words to Jesus were of complete
self-abandonment and complete readiness to do everything Jesus wanted of him.
“Who art thou, Lord?...Lord, what wilt thou have me do?” (Acts 9: 5, 6)
Paul lover of the
Gospel
Paul is “not
ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus, for it is the power of God unto salvation to
everyone that believeth.” (Romans 1: 16) and he serves “God with [his] spirit
in the gospel of his Son.” (Romans 1: 9)
Nothing can
separate him from Jesus’ Gospel or prevent him from fulfilling his mission and
service to the Gospel and Jesus the Good News.
Here follow the
finest expressions of Paul’s mad love for the Gospel and his enthusiasm for
bringing the tidings. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword? As it is written, ‘For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are
accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’” (Romans 8: 35-36, cf. Psalm 43: 22 LXX)
How beautiful it is
to see Paul burning for the proclamation of the Gospel, as we read in the
Second Epistle to the Corinthians, chapters 11 and 12. “Who is weak, and I am
not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?” (2 Corinthians 11: 29) He describes
the labours and everything that he joyfully endured for love of the Gospel in
every place: “In labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons
more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes
save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered
shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in
perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in
perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in
perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and
painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in
cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh
upon me daily, the care of all the churches...” (2 Corinthians 11: 23-28)
He concludes the
description of everything that he suffered for preaching the Gospel: “Most
gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of
Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in
reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake:
for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10) These verses
remind me of an extraordinary saying of the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras of
blessed memory, “I am no longer afraid because I have laid my weapons down.”
“Woe is unto me, if
I preach not the Gospel” (I Corinthians 9: 16)
Saint Paul wants to
preach with boundless generosity. “It were better for me to die, than that any
man should make my glorying void. For though I preach the gospel, I have
nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I
preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but
if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that,
when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that
I abuse not my power in the gospel. For though I be free from all men, yet have
I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I
might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I
might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as
without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that
I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I
might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means
save some. And this I do for
the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.” (1 Corinthians
9: 15-23)
Obedience to the
Gospel
In everything Paul
obeys the Gospel. He requires obedience to the Gospel. (Romans 10: 16) and
warns “obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1: 8) He
seeks to work for the Gospel of God, “that the offering up of the Gentiles
might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15: 16)
He reprimands the
people of the Church of Galatia, because they have not returned to the Gospel.
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace
of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that
trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached
unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any
man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be
accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if
I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the
gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man,
neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:
6-12)
From this verse, we
may conclude that Saint Paul discovered the Gospel’s teaching before it was
written down, thanks to the revelation he received during his stay in Arabia,
or the Hauran, most likely in the district of Mismiyeh, a village close to
Khabab, my mother’s town, where I am currently having a hospital built in
memory of Saint Paul’s stay. That is the region that can rightly be called the
cradle of Christianity. Saint Paul mentions it in the Epistle to the Galatians,
in the same chapter where he writes that he spent three years in Arabia.
(Galatians 1: 17-18)
Saint Paul
emphasises the importance of relying on the Gospel, because the Gospel is
always right. He speaks of the “truth of the Gospel.” (Galatians 2: 5)
To the people of
the Church of Colossae he writes, “We
give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for
you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to
all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye
heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; which is come unto you, as
it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since
the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth.” (Colossians 1:
3-6)
Of his relationship
with the faithful to whom he preaches the Gospel, he says, “We are come as far
as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10: 14)
Further, he says, “I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds and in
the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.” (Philippians
1: 7)
He speaks again to
the faithful of the Church of Colossae: “You… now hath [Christ] reconciled in
the body of his flesh through death…if ye continue in the faith grounded and
settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have
heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven…”
(Colossians 1: 21 and 23)
Baptized folk
bearers of Gospel tidings
Baptized persons
who believe in Gospel-Jesus become custodians of the Gospel. They receive it
and bestow it. They are responsible for the Gospel and its values and
preservation, its proclamation and spreading, enabling it to be loved by others
in the parish and neighbourhood and even among those of another religion,
community or denomination. The Gospel becomes their identity, vocation,
mission, and the meaning and goal of their life. With the Apostle Paul, they
will say, “Woe to me, if I preach not the Gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9: 16)
Speaking of
proclaiming or preaching may sound unpleasant to many people’s ears, especially
in our Arab world with its Muslim majority, as well as in secular Europe and
America. It jars with Christians and Muslims: with Christians because they know
only too well Muslim attitudes to evangelisation. It jars with Muslims, because
they reject preaching by non-Muslims. They think that preaching should be done
only by Muslims and Islam and is allowed only for Muslims and Islam and
forbidden for Christians and any other non-Muslim believer.
I quite realise the
seriousness of talking of this topic in our countries, in our Arab homelands,
though they were the cradle of Christianity, before they became the cradle to
Islam; and before both they were the cradle to Judaism.
I know very well
that this theme is still difficult in secular Europe where problems arise on
the topics of clothing (the veil), food, drink, marriage and family and in
general about Shari’a or Islamic jurisprudence and legislation about the
personal statute, freedom of worship and conscience, building churches and
mosques, the height of minarets, and halal and haram (permitted and forbidden.)
We all quite
realise the gravity of these problems, their significance, the difficulty of resolving
them and sensitivity about them and the best way of dealing with them.
Perhaps great
difficulty lies in the fact that every believer is persuaded that his faith is
the true one; that his religion is best and he is the son of the chosen people,
the best and most generous nation, the infallible Church…
We all know very
well the popular, familiar expressions contained in the catechetical books of
religious education that are taught in synagogues, churches and mosques and
other places of worship, in Muslim, Christian and Jewish institutions, besides
those commentaries to be found in other religious books and expressed at congresses
and other public platforms…
The is also a
difficulty to do with being able simultaneously to ensure doctrinal purity and
my obligation to preserve its purity and clarity, while still respecting the
doctrine of others who belong to another religion and living in peace with
those who are not of my faith.
Furthermore, how
can we build a believing civil society to be a model of the better city (or polis)that
Christian theologians and Muslim ulemas speak of, to enable the same
homeland to have room for all citizens, despite their different doctrines,
living together peaceably, in mutual respect, acceptance of others,
consideration, friendship and love?
The best religion!
The chosen people!
I should like to be
still clearer and more direct on this topic. In the history of Judaism, in the
Torah or Bible, we can find the phrases “the chosen people,” (Deuteronomy 14:
2) “the people of God,” (Judges 20: 2) and “the promised land.” (cf. Genesis
15: 18 and 28: 13) In Christianity we find the same expressions with another
interpretation directed towards Christians as the new chosen people. So we read
in the First Epistle of Saint Peter, “But ye [Christians] are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.” (1 Peter 2:
9) And we all know the famous saying, “Without the Church, there is no
salvation,[3]”
and the Qur’anic verse, “You are the best nation produced [as an example] for
mankind.” (Surat 'Āli `Imrān 3: 10) And again, “Indeed, the religion in the
sight of Allah is Islam.” (Surat 'Āli `Imrān 3: 19) “This day I have perfected
your religion for you, completed my favour upon you, and have chosen for you,
Islam as your religion.” (Surat Al-Mâ’idah 5: 3)
I don’t know what
Buddhists say of themselves and what other nations and countries say, but the
proverb is well-known: everyone thinks he is best.
I used to get very
upset reading or hearing such expressions, but now I’ve begun to understand the
logic of each group and the members of each faith. Each of us is obliged to
respect our own religion, extol it and distance it from errors, deficiencies or
defects, priding ourselves on it and defending it in front of others. It is
quite unreasonable for someone to denigrate his own religion and belief or
doubt it and its value. Saint Paul tells us, “Whatsoever is not of faith is
sin.” (Romans 14: 23)
I am quite sure
that everyone of us must raise ourselves above all these sensitivities by
respecting each other’s feelings, belief, religion, and everyone working for
our own identity, traditions, nation, tribe, country, homeland and society, so
that each citizen can live in his homeland, country and society in perfect
freedom – freedom of worship, freedom of religion, of thought, art, vision and
politics.
So we can gather
together the values of our holy faith, in practice in our life, society,
politics, economy, as citizens equal in rights, duties and privileges, working
to be worthy of the attributes given to each group, religion, political,
economic or social party, in fellowship with one another, in a mutual
relationship, reciprocal service, belonging to our country, Church, people,
tribe, working in the joint welfare services for everyone’s prosperity,
development, security and peace.
Let the expressions
quoted above, which are the subject of acute sensitivity, be rather a motive
for superiority in morality, charitable works, citizenship, the highest
virtues: as the French proverb says, “Noblesse oblige!”
In this context,
and in the light of this open, conservative, respectful, mentality, we can live
our Christianity, our Islam, our Judaism, our political parties, our social
visions…And so we shall really be the best nation, a place of salvation, a
chosen people, a holy nation and royal priesthood. We shall live in security,
stability, faith, hope and love…
We Muslims,
Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Confucians and atheists far from any religion
should work to that end… By adopting this attitude that we can mutually enrich
one another, defend our point of view, our honour, land, heritage, customs and
traditions…That is really a gospel, good news for us all!
Furthermore,
education should be conducted in the light of these values. They should be made
into a charter for life for Christians and Muslims especially, by joining our
efforts, especially those of Muslim and Christian clergy to develop them and
bring up young generations along that line by incorporating them into school
textbooks, and put into practice and preached in churches and mosques, in
congresses, conferences and programmes aimed at young people. That is the real
guarantee for living together and reducing the danger of emigration, riots,
discrimination and rivalries. That will obtain success for Christians and
Muslims: for Muslims per se and Christians per se in Arab and
Muslim countries, far from mutual accusations of apostasy.
The Atmosphere for
living out the Gospel
Such an atmosphere
can be propitious and prepare the way for real Muslim-Christian dialogue of
social and national life and theology. It also makes us ready for living the
holy Gospel in our society according to the directives and guidance drawn up by
the Fathers of the Synod in Rome in October 2010 and presented by His Holiness
Benedict XVI in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation given in September 2012
during his visit to Lebanon, whence he delivered it to the whole Middle East,
speaking to all Christians, Muslims and Jews.
Such an atmosphere
is also requisite for living our faith as Christians and Arab citizens in our
Arab homelands with their Muslim majority.
This is the
warranty for living our Christian faith in our homelands and not emigrating,
but remaining as an active part, as history shows, for we work, serve and
enable our homelands, where we have experienced both sweet and bitter, to move
forward…
The Gospel a call
to living together
The basis for all
these relations that are the foundation for our living together and respect for
one another, despite all sorts of divergences and differences in Arab countries
and throughout the world, is the doctrine that we all confess without any
reserve or exclusion or monopoly that we are all servants of God, created in
God’s image and likeness. According to the Qur’an, “the closest to God among us
is the most devout.” (Sūrat l-ḥujurāt 49: 13)
We believe that God loves everyone because he is Love
and full of compassion and merciful and makes his sun shine on the just and the
unjust (Matthew 5: 45) and wants all men to be saved and arrive at knowledge of
the truth (1 Timothy 2: 4) and who loves the righteous and pities the sinners
and who calls all to salvation through the promise of good things to come and
has life with him, because “surely we belong to God and to him we shall return,”
(Surat al-Baqara 2: 156) and as Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Saint John, “In
my Father’s house are many mansions.” (John 14: 2)
In the same Gospel,
we read that the High Priest Caiaphas had prophesied that, “[Jesus ought to
die] not for that nation [i.e. Jewish or any other] only, but that also he
should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad,”
(John 11: 52) because he is our peace who hath made the twain one and broken
down the wall of partition [between one person and another, whoever he may be –
or enmity], so as to make of two one, by bringing peace. (cf. Ephesians 2:
14-15) That is the Gospel! The Good New Evangelisation for all people, whether
Muslim, Christian or Jewish – or Buddhist or Confucian or non-believer or
atheist, in fact and in intention!
That is the new
proclamation that we should proclaim in the depth of our souls and that we
should bring and give to others, to all our brothers, not to convert them,
since “God selects for his mercy whom he wills” (Surat ali ‘Imran 3: 74), “that
they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:
10)
The Gospel a call
to conversation with humankind
In speaking of this
very important topic in our Eastern society, I should like to quote passages of
my Christmas Letter for 2007 entitled “The Word became Flesh” in which I recall
the importance of God’s word in Muslim-Christian dialogue and in wider
dialogue:
Dialogue between Christians and
Muslims
There is the Word that we have
in common, it is clear: let us maintain a dialogue of our beautiful faith, for
the word that was given to me by God in my Christian faith is truly mine, but
not only for me; it is for my society, for my fellow-men and I must bring it to
them as a light of love and as a call to love, a sign of hope for the other
person, that he may grow in his religion and beliefs and deepen them, not so
that I may despise him or he may despise his own religion.
It is of very great importance
for people to love their religion and the Word of God for mankind, and know it
in ever greater depth, preserving and defending it. But one must be open to the
other person, to his convictions and faith. If not, we fall into relativism,
which is the greatest enemy of faith.
Jesus calls us to preach that
faith, saying, “Go ye into all the world[4]”
and “teach all nations[5].”
And Saint Paul exhorts us, speaking to his disciple Timothy, saying, “Preach
the word…in season, out of season.” (II Timothy 4:2)
There is no monopoly on the
Word of God. It is just as much the other person’s as it is mine. Our Muslim
world is afraid of our preaching, but does not cease preaching Islam. That is
an unreasonable position. We require our Muslim fellow-citizens to acknowledge
our freedom to bring the good news to others, with love and respect for their
faith, but we do not require anyone else to embrace our faith. It is enough if
people can find out about it and come to esteem and love it. Conversion is the
work of God. Do not attempt to convert a friend, or loved one. God converts
whom he will.
The Word of God is for me and its revelation
is to me, but not to me alone. I must allow others to share in it. We must
have, as we say in the Arabic proverb, bread and salt.
But it is not bread or salt
that enables us to live together. What matters is rather how we can share
together in the Word of God in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. How can we feed
each other by the Word of God? How can the Word of God become an essential
food? As we say in the Our Father, “Give us this day our daily (epiousion)
bread.” The Our Father is really a call to share together in the Word of
God.
We thank God for the many,
beautiful relationships between Christians and Muslims that occur especially in
everyday living. However, I would like us to share together in the Word of God,
since that is what unites us, draws us together and gives us strength,
reinforcing our faith. Let us not be afraid to love the Word of God in our
brothers and sisters. Let us not be afraid of verses from the Qur’an and let
them not be afraid of verses from the Gospel or from the Torah. These are the
Word of God for us all, every one according to his own calling. I would like to
tell our Muslim brethren not to fear our faith. Let us all rather be afraid of
using words of vengeance, criticism, pride and haughtiness. The Word of God
does not despise anyone. It is not proud, boastful or puffed up. It does not
engage in bad behaviour or enjoy retaliation. It does not rejoice in evil, but
in good. It rejoices in love and believes all things. (cf. I Corinthians 13)
Words of
God and Words of Men
Let us
love the Word of God, for the Word of God is for us all. Let us share these
words, proclaiming them in song and loving them. Let these words of God be for
our friendship, living together and mutual relationship. Instead of using
empty, lying flatteries, let us nourish ourselves with earth’s most beautiful
words and feed each other with these same heavenly words that God addresses to
the children of men, for God is bountiful and bestows his life-giving words on
us all. Let us not be afraid of the words of God, but rather let us fear the
words of men. Let us so act that our human words be changed into words divine.
I propose
founding a forum to be called “The Forum of the Word of God,” so that
Christians and Muslims can meet together and together discuss and meditate upon
the Word of God.
Our zeal
for the Word of God should be a means of sanctification for us and for
deepening our faith. We must not allow our zeal for the Word to become a weapon
to exploit others, judging, persecuting and compelling them to embrace our
faith, any more than we can allow the Word of God to become the cause of
conflicts, disputes and confrontations between our faithful and those holding
different religious convictions. Nor should it become an instrument of
terrorism and a pretext for one group to claim superiority over another. The
Word of God (not we ourselves) is the true judge between us and those who are
not of our faith.
And why
be afraid of having churches and mosques? If they were symbols of defiance, we
would have cause to fear, but as signs of faith they may stimulate instead our
hopes and expectations.
Why, in
Saudi Arabia, are they afraid of allowing churches to be built and the Gospel
to be preached? Why are they even afraid of Christians praying as a community?
Surely those who are in the light need be afraid of nothing!
Let us
not be afraid. The Prophet Muhammad was not afraid of a Christian or Jewish
presence, but combated paganism. Today all of us Christians and Muslims are
called to fight against today’s new paganisms: incredulity and unbelief.
I
say to my Muslim brethren: don’t be afraid of our faith, but rather be afraid
if we neglect our faith and indulge in unpleasant habits. To my fellow-Christians
I say: don’t be afraid of the words of those Muslims who keep and preserve the
Word of God.
The Church bearer of Good Tidings
These Gospel
teachings, this sublime proclamation, spread throughout Palestine, needs
apostles to carry them to the world, beginning from Palestine.
Thus, in the last
chapters of the Gospel after the resurrection, Jesus himself told his disciples
to bear this beautiful proclamation. So we read in Matthew, “Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the
world.” (Matthew 28: 19-20)
In Mark, we read,
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:
15) And in Luke we read, “And ye are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24: 48)
The disciples went
out into all the world to carry out the commandment of their Master, Saviour
and God. They founded churches everywhere: they are the geographical place, in
human time, of the holy proclamation. Every member of the church enters through
baptism, and thereby becomes an apostle and bearer of the Gospel.
The Church with all
its members is bearer of the proclamation of the Gospel: the pastors, parishes
and community of believers, through pastoral work, good deeds, eparchies, male
and female religious orders, various institutions, schools, universities,
orphanages, hospitals, old people’s homes, welfare institutions; through the
presence of the Church’s children in society – a social, political, economic,
artistic, academic presence – in the press, in the workplace…
The proclamation of
the Gospel is carried out daily through the Church, as Jesus said at Nazareth,
“This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (Luke 4: 21) Today is the
whole story of the Church down the centuries, in which the Church has
ceaselessly carried on proclaiming the Gospel, since the Church was founded to
be the daily Gospel, the Gospel for every century.
Among the most
important means and channels for spreading the proclamation of the Gospel are: the Church’s teaching, the
Divine Liturgy, the daily office, catechism, the sacraments that accompany the
life of the faithful from the cradle to the grave and on to eternal life.
The Gospel’s
preeminent place
The Holy Gospel
itself, as a book, has a privileged place expressive of its importance in
Church history, services, teachings and liturgy. The Holy Gospel is the object
of the greatest respect among Christian faithful.
There is no Church
celebration, service, sacrament or community meeting without a reading from the
Gospel and often from the Acts of the Apostles, Epistles of Saint Paul and
books of the Old Testament.
The Gospel book is
placed continually on the holy table in the Byzantine Greek tradition. This
shows the link between the Divine Liturgy and the church service with the
Gospel. The Gospel is carried in procession during the Divine Liturgy and in
other solemn services and saints’ days.
The Gospel must
always be carried with great veneration, solemnly, surrounded by candles,
incense and the faithful turn towards it during its reading from the altar
steps and during the procession through the faithful. Then the faithful kiss it
or kiss the priest’s vestments as he lifts it, or kiss their hands towards it
and stoop beneath it during the reading and they often follow it during the
procession.[6]
Furthermore, the
Gospel is the most beautiful present – the New and Old Testaments, or both together.
It is beautiful to see the Gospel occupy a special place in homes. It is even
more pleasant to see the faithful read the Gospel as a family in homes, at the
start of pastoral meetings, confraternities and at the start of every meeting
or celebration.
The New
Evangelisation in the Melkite Church
The greatest and
most important veneration of the Gospel is when the Church’s children bring the
Church’s values into the world and their society.
The New
Evangelisation was the topic of the XIII session of the General Synod that Pope
Benedict XVI called in October (7-28) 2012, in which I took part, giving a
speech on the subject of the New Evangelisation in our Melkite Greek Catholic
Church, taking as my basis our own ancestral heritage, which is capable today
of bringing renewal to our Church, and enabling it to carry the proclamation of
the renewed Gospel, in the face of the challenges hindering our way of faith.
Main stages of the
proposed programme
- Encourage pilgrimage to the holy places in
Palestine and to monastic places of pilgrimage to the Mother of God and
the saints that are scattered through our country. Similarly, visit
churches in various Christian communities, in order to become familiar
with new spiritual experiences.
- Spiritual retreats, especially in monasteries
and convents, for male and female lay-persons and young persons. Attend
services held in monasteries and convents and hear talks about their
history and mission.
- Use means of communication to proclaim the
Gospel, especially with young people who all use these media most, in
order to train them to bring the Gospel to their friends.
- Take the opportunity from liturgical
celebrations, the Divine Liturgy and other liturgical services, to deepen
spiritual life, especially on major feasts, the fasting periods that
precede the feasts, of which there are four in the ancient tradition of
our Church: the Advent Fast and the Lenten Fast, the Apostles’ Fast and
the Dormition Fast.
- Animate liturgical services and help the
faithful, especially the young, to take part in them in a personal way,
especially the Divine Liturgy, Vespers, the services during Great Lent and
the All-night Vigils, to have an atmosphere of prayer and meditation.
- Careful celebration of the sacraments of the
Christian life, especially Baptism, holy Chrismation or Myron, Communion
and Marriage. The faithful have to be helped to take part actively,
especially through using plastified booklets containing explanations of
the services’ rich symbolism.
- Priests must prepare their sermons well.
Seminarians have to be well prepared in the art of preaching, spiritual
counselling and personal accompaniment.
- Tell the faithful about saints’ lives, Church
history, how Gospel values have been lived out in difficult conditions
requiring heroism and even martyrdom.
- Show the role of icons in our Eastern
tradition, as icons are theology in colours and symbols. All aspects of
icons help disclose the mystery of Christ. It is important to introduce
into our parishes spiritual vigils in front of holy icons, accompanied by
theological and spiritual explanations, with intervals of silence and
personal prayer. The West has preceded us in organising meditations and
night-time silent prayer vigils in front of icons.
- Create a Christian social and communal
atmosphere through parish activities, family and other group meetings in
the parish. For example, feasts, anniversaries, the opportunity for
celebrating the sacraments, meetings of confraternities to exchange
personal experiences. We all know how much we need this social atmosphere
of faith, especially in the difficult conditions that our country is going
through. We have to take advantage of the love of young people for such
activities. Indeed, they are best at organising and animating them.
Jesus’ Gospel: my Gospel
I have spent some
time in this Paschal Letter expatiating on the Holy Gospel. We have been trying
to discover its meaning through adjectives and approximate descriptions that
are insufficient, despite their loftiness, to describe the holy, great, sublime,
universal, global and cosmic Gospel. It all seems inadequate and yields but a
pale reflection of the Gospel as that is not just Jesus’ preaching and
teaching, but it is rather Jesus himself.
Here is a list of
its attributes:
The Gospel, a
living Word
The Gospel, a
living proclamation
The Gospel, ever-new
The Gospel, a
discovery
The Gospel, an
exceeding grace
The Gospel, a summary
of Jesus’ teachings
The Gospel, a conversation
with humanity
The Gospel, the Word
of life
But
it all remains but a pretty picture to our gaze if we remain onlookers. Now in the present part
of this letter, I should like to implant in the heart of every
Christian, especially those of our Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and in the
heart of every believer and citizen of our Arab world, the Gospel’s flame, so
that each person can discover that the Gospel is not outside or beyond, but
inside oneself. Everyone is called to make the Jesus’ Gospel his or her own, so
that human life on this earth, in one’s homeland and society can be transformed
into Gospel, a lively proclamation of life.
I wrote part of
this letter during my stay at the Vatican and more precisely on Thursday, 11
October, when I took part in the papal Holy Mass in Saint Peter’s Square that
commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican
Council (1962-65).
The reading during
Mass was from the Gospel according to Luke, which recounted Jesus’ sermon at
Nazareth, which is now our parish church in Nazareth. After having read the
biblical passage, Jesus began his sermon by saying, “This day is this scripture
fulfilled in your ears.” (Luke 4: 21) By that he meant that the Bible is his
book: he is its subject and content and he will fulfil everything written in
it, because he inspired it through his Spirit.
Right after the
liturgy, I wrote as follows: Fellow Christian, can you say as you listen to
this Gospel, “This is my Gospel. This is written to me.” Are you able to
discover through the Gospel your mission and vocation? Can you say the Gospel
is your identity and your book, meaning that you are in agreement with the
Gospel and that it expresses your thoughts, aspirations and hopes in your life?
That it will always be your rule, reference point, director, guide and umpire
in the face of problems, challenges, temptations, struggles, changeable
currents of thought unleashed on us like violent waves, through the media,
bulletins, books, films and so on. Then you may say with pride, joy, courage,
firmness and conviction, “Jesus’ Gospel is my Gospel.”
It means that you
have reached a vital, very important conviction: you have discovered your
identity. You will do everything in your power to deepen this awareness, follow
it up and bring it and offer it to others. Then your life will change
completely and you will discover in depth the meaning of your life, the goal of
your existence, the relationship of your life to this world, your mission in
this world and your relationship to the next world which awaits you. This
conviction will give you great serenity, inner repose, impetuous courage in
work, success in society, real happiness springing from within and not imported
from without.
You carry the
Gospel in your heart and thought. Or rather, the Gospel carries you, comforts
you in your responsibility for bringing the Gospel into the world. So the
person evangelised becomes an evangelist, the envoy an apostle, the disciple
the teacher…Seeing the priest or deacon carrying the Gospel in procession, you
are not just an onlooker, but carry the Gospel yourself.
So you will not
just be satisfied with hearing the Gospel attentively, zealously and fervently,
but will yourself read the Gospel to others, by living out its values in your
life, because the holiness of Christian living shows the Gospel’s beauty. The
saints are the best evangelists and heralds of the Gospel.
The Gospel Spring
of life
Our world needs
good news, that is, needs the Gospel, bringing Good News. It needs the Church
as the framework in which we learn Good News, the Gospel, where the Gospel’s
values are lived out, which are real good news for today’s world.
Our world, for me
and my Melkite Greek Catholic Church, is especially the Arab world, the world
where the sons and daughters of our Church are spread out. They are responsible
for this Arab world with its Muslim majority. That is what has driven me and
still drives me to repeat my conviction that we are the Church of the Arabs,
Church of Islam, responsible for bringing the Gospel witness to this Arab
world, which is my world, society, home, country and family. This is the world,
as I said above, where we live out our Christianity, our Gospel and the
Church’s teachings.
We cannot live out
the Gospel and the Church’s teachings without belonging to this world, without
loving and serving it and feeling and being convinced that it is our world.
I should like here
to draw attention to two things that seem to me linked to a strong bond of
destiny: what is called the Arab Spring and the Apostolic Exhortation The
Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness. Furthermore, I am
convinced that Divine Providence provided for a Special Synod for the Middle
East to be held in October 2010, (in which all Catholic Patriarchs and bishops
took part, besides observers and guests from other Churches, Muslims and Jews)
before the beginning of the Arab Spring. The Holy Father, Benedict XVI
delivered the Apostolic Exhortation in September 2012, as we said above.
I shall content
myself with giving some passages from the Pope’s speech at the presidential
palace in Baabda, Lebanon on 15 September, 2011, during the meeting that I
consider as a general Muslim and Christian spiritual and political summit.
“The
particular character of the Middle East consists in the centuries-old mix of
diverse elements…A pluralistic society can only exist on the basis of mutual
respect, the desire to know the other, and continuous dialogue. Such dialogue
is only possible when the parties are conscious of the existence of values
which are common to all great cultures because they are rooted in the nature of
the human person. By upholding their existence, the different religions make a
decisive contribution. It cannot be forgotten that religious freedom is the
basic right on which many other rights depend. The freedom to profess and
practise one’s religion without danger to life and liberty must be possible to
everyone. The loss or attenuation of this freedom deprives the person of his or
her sacred right to a spiritually integrated life. What nowadays passes for
tolerance does not eliminate cases of discrimination, and at times it even
reinforces them… Religious freedom has a social and political dimension which
is indispensable for peace! It promotes a harmonious life for individuals and
communities by a shared commitment to noble causes and by the pursuit of truth,
which does not impose itself by violence but rather ‘by the force of its own truth[7],’ the Truth which is in God. [8]”
The
Holy Father’s words are an echo of the teachings of the Gospel, which is the
basis of a real spring of salvation. In various previous letters, I set out
those values, which I think of as an Arab human rights charter, as it sums up
authentic demands or requirements, rather than the imported ones known as the
Arab spring.
“Fear not, little
flock” (Luke 12: 32)
A strong saying
from this Gospel, repeated some 365 times[9] in
the Bible, the number of days in the year, is addressed to you: “Fear not,
little flock.” Jesus gives us thus from day to day a dose of the Gospel, our
daily bread, for us not to be afraid.
The little flock
was the main theme of my speech in the Synod (given on 11 October[10]).
I emphasised the fact that Jesus gave the little flock a big role for the sake
of the big flock, so that the meaning of the presence, role and mission of this
little flock in the Arab world, where Jesus, the Gospel and Christianity were
born, is being with and for the big flock, and bringing it the most beautiful
proclamation that the earth has ever heard, and that the angels heralded on
Christmas night. “I bring you good tidings of great joy! …Unto you is born this
day a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2: 10-11) Jesus is born for
you! The Gospel is born!
Fear not, little
flock! Live with courage, strength, joy, enthusiasm, optimism, vision, light in
the darkness of these days. Be bearers of Jesus-Gospel’s call to you, “Be
light, be salt, be leaven.”
“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’” (Jeremiah 1: 7)
When Israel was at the lowest point in her history, God called for help,
not from the great and honoured ones of Israel, but from a young man by the
name of Jeremiah. Jeremiah felt overwhelmed: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not
know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” (Jeremiah 1: 6) But God was not to
be deterred. “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth;’ for to all to whom I send you,
you shall go, and whatever I command you shall speak.” (Jeremiah 1: 7)[11]
Call to young people
I should like to
address a special appeal to the young people of our Melkite Greek Catholic
Church, to show the importance of bearing the Gospel proclamation, in the light
of what His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI said when he spoke to young people
during his visit to Lebanon on 15 September, 2012.
“Dear friends, you are living today in this part of the world which
witnessed the birth of Jesus and the growth of Christianity. It is a great
honour! It is also a summons to fidelity, to love of this region and, above
all, to your calling to be witnesses and messengers of the joy of Christ…
“You have a special place in my heart and in the whole Church, because
the Church is always young! The Church trusts you. She counts on you! Be young
in the Church! Be young with the Church! The Church needs your enthusiasm and
your creativity![12]”
I find an echo in
this appeal of the Holy Father in the slogan that I am fond of repeating to
young people, “A Church without young people is a Church without a future, and
young people without a Church are young people without a future.”
There is a special
legacy from the Pope for young people, given before his abdication, in his
message for the twenty-eighth World Youth Day to be celebrated this summer in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He tells them, “To make Christ known is the most
precious gift that you can give to others.” He adds, quoting Paul VI’s appeal
to young people at the end of the Second Vatican Council (8 December, 1965), “It
is you who are to receive the torch from the hands of your elders.”
Benedict XVI then
writes, “We cannot be true believers if we do not evangelize…You need to know
your faith with that same precision with which an IT specialist knows the inner
workings of a computer…To evangelize means to bring the Good News of salvation
to others and to let them know that this Good News is a person: Jesus Christ…Christ
needs you too…It falls, in particular, to young people, who have an almost
spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the
responsibility for the evangelization of this ‘digital continent.’[13]”
The joy of evangelizing
“We therefore
approach the new evangelization with a sense of enthusiasm. We will learn the
sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing, even at times when proclamation might
seem like a seed sown among tears (cf. Ps 126:6). "May it mean for
us - as it did for John the Baptist, for Peter and Paul, for the other apostles
and for a multitude of splendid evangelizers all through the Church's history -
an interior enthusiasm that nobody and nothing can quench. May it be the great
joy of our consecrated lives. And may the world of our time, which is
searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive
the Good News not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or
anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervour, who
have first received the joy of Christ, and who are willing to risk their lives
so that the Kingdom may be proclaimed and the Church established in the midst
of the world.[14]"
(The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith, Lineamenta
25)
Peace be with you
“Peace be with
you.” That was the greeting of Christ, risen from the dead, addressed to his
disciples who were in prey to doubt, hiding, when he entered the upper room
while the doors were shut. That is the situation of Christian citizens in these
difficult times, especially in Syria, but also in Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan,
Egypt and Iraq. Their suffering has been harsh and bitter for two years now in
Syria. They are afraid for their lives, families, work and children’s
education. They are puzzled about their future.
The risen Christ
comforts them, as he comforted his disciples. Furthermore he gives us a mission,
outlining an historic role for us, telling us, “Go…Proclaim the Gospel.”
Peace be with you!
This greeting was the leitmotiv of the visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
in Lebanon. After that visit, the last of his short pontificate, he never
stopped talking about our Arab East, especially Syria, peace in the region and
the historic, unique and distinguished role of Christians, their duty of being
present and witnessing to Gospel values, as light, salt and leaven.
We wrote the last
part of this letter after His Holiness’ declaration on 11 February this year,
announcing his decision to renounce his Petrine ministry of Bishop of Rome and
successor of Saint Peter as Pope of the Catholic Church. I should like to thank
His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI for the legacy he left us Christians of
the Middle East by convoking the special Synod in October 2010 and accepting
our invitation to Lebanon in September 2012. We could say that through Lebanon,
he visited our countries which are the cradle of Christianity and our churches,
by giving us the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Medio Oriente on our communion and witness. For young
people, he also gave us the resume of the Catholic Catechism, YOUCAT[15].
We thank His
Holiness from the bottom of our hearts for his concern for the Christian Middle
East, his solidarity with the situation of our Arab countries, especially
Syria. As a sign of gratitude, we shall cite here in the Appendix the most
important passages about Syria.
Here are some
extracts from the interview he gave to journalists in the plane heading for
Lebanon:
“First of all I must say that it is not only Christians who are leaving,
but also Muslims. Naturally, there is a great danger of Christians leaving
these lands and their presence there being lost, and we must do all we can to
help them to stay. The essential way to help would be to put an end to war and
violence which is causing this exodus. Therefore the first priority is to do all
we can to halt the violence and to open up a real possibility of staying
together for the future. What can we do against war? Of course we can always
spread the message of peace, we can make it clear that violence never solves
problems and we can build up the forces of peace. The work of journalists is
important here, as they can help a great deal to show that violence destroys
rather than builds, that it is of no use to anyone. Then Christian gestures may
help, days of prayer for the Middle East, for Christians and Muslims, to
demonstrate the possibilities for dialogue and for solutions. I also believe
that there must be an end to the importation of arms: without which, war could
not continue. Instead of importing weapons, which is a grave sin, we should import
ideas of peace and creativity, we should find ways of accepting each person in
his otherness, we should therefore make visible before the world the respect
that religions have for one another, respect for man as God’s creation and love
of neighbour as fundamental to all religions. In this way, using all possible
means, including material assistance, we must help to bring an end to war and
violence so that all can help rebuild the country.[16]”
Good wishes
Through this long
letter about the Gospel, I address my most cordial good wishes to my brother
bishops throughout the world to the Superiors General of our male and female
congregations of consecrated life, to priests, monks and nuns and all the lay
faithful.
We beseech the
Saviour, risen from the dead, that as his way of the cross ended in the
Resurrection, so may the Arab world’s painful, bloody, tragic Via Crucis end
also in resurrection, especially in Syria and the countries affected by the
crisis, such as Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Iraq, besides other Arab
countries that are suffering or causing suffering in other countries.
We repeat our
appeal to the Holy Apostolic See of Rome and to countries worldwide for them to
work to stop the outpouring of Syrian blood. There has been enough suffering!
There have been enough tragedies, pain, violence, terrorism, arms trafficking,
fundamentalism and business at the expense of human life, dignity, daily bread
and security! Therefore the world needs evangelisation, the Gospel of the
Resurrection and life.
From the depth of
our suffering, we sing the Resurrection hymn,
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death
by death and to those in the tombs he has given life.
+ Gregorios III
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
Of Alexandria and of Jerusalem
[1]
See The Catechism of the Catholic Church http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c3a3.htm
[2]
Romans 5: 16-17
[4]
Mark 16:15
[5]
Matthew 28:19
[6]
The custom of allowing the Gospel to be carried by the bishop’s driver or
altar-server before its reading must be abolished.
[7] Dignitatis humanae,
1
[8] http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2012/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20120915_autorita_en.html
[11]
Pope Benedict XVI to YOUCAT http://www.youcat.org/lesen/structure-of-youcat/pope-benedict-xvi-and-youcat.html
[12] http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2012/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20120915_giovani_en.html
[13] http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/youth/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20121018_youth_en.html
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