Al-Rahi: Homelands are not preserved by weapons, but by living consciences

Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi presided over a festive Mass in the courtyard of Our Lady of Deliverance Church in Bsalim on the occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of the Crops, assisted by the Archbishop of the Maronite Archdiocese of Antelias, Bishop Antoine Bou Najm, the General Patriarchal Vicar Bishop Hanna Alwan, the Archbishop of the Diocese of Zahle, Bishop Joseph Maawad, the parish priest Father Tony El Hajj Moussa, and a group of priests, in the presence of MP Salim Al-Sayegh, Bsalim Mayor Georges Samman, the town's mukhtars, official, political, syndical, and social figures, and a crowd of the faithful.

After the recitation of the Holy Gospel, Al-Rahi delivered a sermon titled: "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act upon it" (Luke 8:21), and said: "With these words, the Lord Jesus moves us from physical kinship to spiritual kinship. And he explains to us the mystery of his mother Mary, who, before becoming the mother of the incarnate Word of God, heard the word of God, believed in it, and lived according to it, so the Word became a fetus in her womb, and faith became a living incarnation in her. The crowd was gathered around Jesus, and it was said to him that your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to see you, so he answered with a word that remained a sign for all of Christian life: 'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act upon it' (Luke 8:21)."

He added: "It is the Gospel of the Word. The Gospel of the person who is not content to merely hear the word of God, but lives by it. For the Word in Christianity is not an idea to be spoken, but a life to be lived and a testimony to be given. Thus we understand that Christ calls us to a deeper relationship with him, a relationship based on hearing the Word and acting upon it, because a person becomes close to God to the extent that he opens his heart to his word, and makes his life a living testimony to him."

He continued: "I am very pleased to make this pastoral visit to the dear parish of Bsalim Mazraa and Majzoub, with our brother Bishop Antoine Bou Najm, and our General Patriarchal Vicar Bishop Hanna Alwan, and with the participation of our brother Bishop Joseph Maawad, Archbishop of the Diocese of Zahle, and in the presence of our brother Metropolitan Silwan Moussa, Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Mount Lebanon. So I greet the sons and daughters of the parish, the esteemed MPs, the Mayor Mr. Georges Samman, the mukhtars and their councils, and the dignitaries. And I greet Bsalim Mazraa and Majzoub, thanking you for the welcome meeting. We celebrate with you this Divine Liturgy before the shrine of our mother Mary at the foot of the cross in the courtyard of the Church of Our Lady of Deliverance, seeking the grace of 'hearing the word of God and acting upon it.' I was delighted to visit the Middle East Hospital, and to meet with the administration, medical and nursing staff, and prayed with them for the healing of the patients, and gave some of them Holy Communion, and asked God for the growth of this hospital to serve more patients. And I was pleased to inaugurate the Monsignor Tawfiq Bou Hadir Center of the 'Youth of Hope Association' in the building of the Unity Charity Association in Bsalim. So I thank the media figure Majid Bou Hadir, president of the Youth of Hope Association, for the humanitarian initiative that revives the memory of his late brother Monsignor Tawfiq in its fourth year. And I was very pleased with the meeting of love and reception at the Saint George Cathedral for the Greek Orthodox by Metropolitan Silwan Moussa, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mount Lebanon. It is a fraternal meeting that strengthened the bonds of love and cooperation in the name of Christ the Lord, who unites us and sanctifies us with the spirit of sincere brotherhood."

He said: "Returning to today's Gospel, the Church calls us to deep listening to the word of God, because the liturgy is the place where man meets the living Word. For in every Mass, we do not hear a passing reading, but we hear God himself addressing us and calling us to change, commitment, and testimony. The Church is not content to teach the believer to hear the Gospel, but calls him to carry the Word with him into his daily life, into his home, his work, his community, and his homeland. Thus the liturgy is transformed into life, and the Word is transformed into a message that the believer lives every day. Today Christ reveals to us the meaning of our calling as Christians. We do not live only to hear the Gospel, but to become ourselves a testimony to it, to be the word of God in the world: to bear witness to it through our deeds, our lives, our way of dealing with people, and our ability to reflect the presence of God in this time."

He added: "This is our Christian culture. We are not people of the Book, but we are the community of the Word. We carry the Word, live it, and bear witness to it. The Word in Christianity is not a theoretical idea, but a power of life. For when the word of God enters a person's heart, it changes his perspective, purifies his inner self, and makes him more capable of love, forgiveness, and truth. Therefore, the true testimony of a Christian is not only in words, but in making his life a living Gospel that people see. We give a body to the Word when we live honesty, when we preserve human dignity, when we make peace, and when we forgive, love, and serve. This is our message, and this is our role: to carry the word of God to the world not with slogans, but with sincere daily testimony."

He continued: "'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act upon it' (Luke 8:21). With this word we look today at our national reality, because Lebanon needs more than ever people who hear the word of truth and act upon it, not slogans that are said and then lost amidst divisions. The culture of the Word is our Christian culture. We are the community of testimony, the community of truth, and the community of responsibility. Our role is not limited to prayer inside churches, but to be witnesses to the word of God in our society, our homeland, and our public life. When a person sincerely hears the word of God, his conscience is enlightened. When he acts upon it, society changes. When the Word is transformed into commitment and responsibility, the homeland begins to rise again. We are partners in this homeland, and responsible for it, and for its future. For the homeland is not built by words alone, but by conscience, by work, and by the ability to turn principles into daily practice. But what we live today is painful and exhausting. Lebanon is still subjected to daily attacks and violations, and people are still living in a state of ambiguity, anxiety, and waiting. Events repeat themselves, fear creeps into souls, and people ask anxiously: where are we going?"

He added: "Internally as well, we live a state of fatigue, division, and loss of trust, because truth is lost amidst interests and tensions, while the Lebanese person only wants to live with dignity, peace, and reassurance. Hence, the word of God becomes a national call as well. A call to honesty, to reconciliation, to respect for the human being, and to building a homeland based on truth, not fear. We are children of the word of God, children of testimony, children of peace, not war. Peace is not built by slogans, but by a living conscience, by the ability to meet, by the belief that man is a brother to man, and that the homeland cannot survive if truth, love, and responsibility are absent from it. To the extent that we hear the word of God and live it, to that extent we can build a homeland that endures. For homelands are not preserved by weapons, but by living consciences, values, faith, and the person who knows that he has a role, a message, and a testimony. Therefore, despite all the anxiety, waiting, and ambiguity we experience, our faith remains that the word of God is able to open the path of hope, to rebuild the human being, and to give our homeland new strength to rise, stand firm, and endure."

And he concluded: "Let us pray, brothers and sisters: O Lord, you who called us to be hearers of your word and doers of it, make us true witnesses to you in this world. Teach us to carry your word in our hearts, to live it in our deeds, and to reflect your presence through our love, peace, and honesty. Bless our homeland Lebanon, and protect it from wars, divisions, and fear, and grant it the grace of reassurance and stability. And make us always the community of the Word, the community of hope, and the community of peace. Because when we hear your word and act upon it, we truly become witnesses of your presence in this world."

Middle East Hospital

Al-Rahi had begun a pastoral visit to the area of Bsalim, Mazraa, and Majzoub, starting with a first stop at the Middle East Hospital where he was received by the General Manager of the hospital's Board of Directors, Dr. Walid Salmoun, the administrative body, and the medical and nursing staff.

Dolly Dagher gave a speech welcoming Al-Rahi on behalf of the entire hospital family, administration, doctors, and employees, and on behalf of all patients. Dr. Salmoun also gave a speech, addressing Patriarch Al-Rahi, saying: "Our Lord, we love you! We stand with you and by your side, believing in Lebanon, its state, and its institutions, and we continue with your prayers. Your visit to the hospital is a dose of love and faith, enough for us to move forward in serving humanity."

After cutting the cake, Al-Rahi gave the blessing before starting to give Communion to the patients, and said: "I am happy to visit this prestigious medical institution, and no one knows the value of hospitals and the difficulty of their services except the patient, and you are for every patient the life jacket and the strength to continue."

He added: "This work is a message, faith, and sacrifice to preserve human dignity. May the Lord bless your efforts, and we are proud with you of the medical sector that all countries of the world boast about."

Saint George Cathedral for the Greek Orthodox

Patriarch Al-Rahi also had a meeting of love at the Saint George Cathedral for the Greek Orthodox with the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Mount Lebanon, Metropolitan Silwan Moussa.

Al-Rahi was welcomed in front of the cathedral, and to the sound of Byzantine Resurrection hymns, he entered the church where there was a station of prayer, veneration, and the presentation of commemorative gifts and a carved icon of the face of Christ along with a series of books by Metropolitan Georges Khodr.

Metropolitan Silwan delivered a fraternal speech in which he said: "I welcome you, Your Beatitude, and my heart, with the sons of this parish, beats with joy for your arrival, and from this confident joy I present to you these expressive commemorative gifts as a token of our unity in prayer and our strength together for the peace of this homeland and its people."

Al-Rahi replied with a speech saying: "Thank you, our Lord, for your great heart, the gifts, the books of our beloved Metropolitan Khodr, and the reception filled with love and joy along with the beautiful Byzantine Resurrection hymns."

He added: "We cannot enter Bsalim without visiting our Orthodox brothers, for this visit is dear to our hearts. And thanks to the Lord who chose you as shepherd for the Archdiocese of Mount Lebanon, succeeding Metropolitan Georges Khodr, and we know you from Latin America and know what richness you will bring to this archdiocese. And in this church we previously met in our prayer for our unity, and today we renew this unity in the time of Resurrection and Ascension."

In conclusion, the parish servant Father Youhanna Azar, along with the parish council, presented a gift to Patriarch Al-Rahi, in the form of an icon of Christ the Teacher.