Christmas Greetings

Dear Family & Friends:

In his weekly  reflections which  he shares with us, Patriarch
Emeritus Michel Sabbah is quoting Prophet Isiah:  "Strengthen all
weary hands; steady all trembling knees; and say to the faint-hearted:
Be strong, do not be afraid' (Is 35: 3-4).

Very comforting words indeed, but much easier said than done when we
have been subjugated to a brutal occupation over and above a
dispossession that has lingered for almost seventy years.  As strong
as they try to be, the Palestinians are afraid and children are
terrified as they never know whether they will find their home when
they come back from school, or just a pile of rubble,  or when a dear
father, brother or sister  will be picked up by the army in the middle
of the night.

Yet once again Patriarch Sabbah  draws our attention to what Prophet
Isaiah said  "He gives justice to the oppressed; he gives food to the
hungry; he sets prisoners free" (Ps 146: 6-7).

I keep wondering how we keep holding onto hope when there is no
justice,  when families are separated and not allowed  family
reunification, when  our young people are languishing in Israeli jails
and when we see so many hungry people, especially children.  Those
children  who constitute  the largest sector of the wave of refugees
from all over our region trying to seek  a safe haven after being
exposed to so much  brutality due to foreign wars imposed on their
countries.  Yes our hands are weary, and our knees are trembling, and
we do not know what the future holds for us, and that is why it breaks
our heart to see some of our young people leaving  the country to seek
a better future for their children. However most of us  are determined
to stay put, although very often we feel like crying out “Until when O
Lord, until when?”

From our land,  the Holy Land where our Lord Jesus Christ was born,
I  send you warm greetings and best wishes for a Joyful Christmas and
a Peaceful New Year.