You’re not wanted here! The other side of the present Administration’s

Anti-Poverty Campaign

It is now unfortunately quite clear that from the start of his campaign for President (see his speech at Planned Parenthood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUl99id2SvM ) a major component of the anti-poverty efforts of his Administration is to prevent “unwanted pregnancies.” Part of this effort now employs a fully funded artificial contraception, sterilization and “morning after pill” mandate by the Health and Human Services, even in the face of stiff opposition and the complaints of thousands of women who make the reasonable claim that a contraceptive mentality does not help women, rather it encourages promiscuous male behavior and has clearly unhealthy consequences for women (see www.womenspeakforthemselves.com) and is not true health care. 

The other part of the effort is that if artificial contraception, abortion drugs approved by the FDA, and sterilization does not keep away unwanted pregnancies, then abortion must remain legal throughout all nine months of pregnancy. Down syndrome babies are now aborted nine times out of ten, and sex selection abortions, especially for baby girls, are hardly being noticed in mainstream media, and hardly ever condemned, perhaps because these efforts keep “unwanted pregnancies” out of society.

Although the Administration does deserve some credit for keeping our eye on the poor and the needy, nonetheless, anti-poverty efforts must try to get at the underlying cause of poverty, which in most cases is due to the breakup of the family. Thus, strengthening marriage is one of the greatest protections for the poor. Are we forced to settle for an approach that does not help us in the long run? Artificial contraception, sterilization and abortion are not healthy for women or for society. 

The Church, on the other hand, has a wholesome anti-poverty plan for society:

• chastity before marriage, along with fidelity during marriage;
• promotion of the dignity and profound meaning of sex in marriage;
• support for marriage itself as a sacred bond worthy of respect and support between a man and a woman;
• belief in the sacred character of life from the moment of conception to natural death;
• promotion of the rights of worker to a just and fair wage;
• promotion of a spiritual solidarity so that all people may make a preferential option for the poor;
• encourage an approach to government that prefers local community and state involvement in governance, rather than national dominance; this is the principle of subsidiarity;
• promotion of a free and robust capitalism that is justly regulated for fairness;
• progress towards making health care and education that is not-for-profit and is principled in its life affirming practices more available, accessible and affordable to all; and
• belief in and encouragement of a message of hope that rings throughout everything we do – even in the midst of our mistakes.

This pro-life, pro-family, pro-marriage, pro-woman and pro-society approach may not be popular today, but it is reasonable. Even though it may be difficult, the truth of this approach is accessible to us not just through the tenants of Catholic faith, but also through reason.  

We long for the day when, in the midst of our society’s anti-poverty efforts, the reasonable and healthy voice of the Church can be heard instead of the coarse, even shrill, voice of the present Administration.

Chorbishop Dominic Ashkar,

 50^th Anniversary as Priest

Our Lady of Lebanon Parish,

Washington D.C. April 28, 2012

Who else can tell you a story, privately or publically and hit you right between the eyes;  and all the while smile with a wily smile that says he knows you know he knows?

Chorbishop Dominic Ashkar is one of those priests you meet once in a lifetime. Once you have met him you will not forget him. You know he cares deeply about you, about this, about that, about everything.

I have had the grace to know him for over 30 years, since before I was a seminarian. Our first encounter was at a youth retreat in Youngstown, Ohio. He and the late Monsignor Ronald Beshara were coordinating the first Maronite Youth Retreat at the Shrine in North Jackson Ohio; more exactly at the Barn of the Shrine. Youth from the parishes of Youngstown and Flint were interacting; there were talks as well as prayer and social activities. All the while Chorbishop Askhkar was watching. Did I tell you he does not miss a trick? He also has a wonderful pastoral presence about him that is undeniable.

He can arm wrestle you, squeeze your hand till it hurts, or come up from behind and slap you in the back. He can offer a lollypop to a child, speak to you with tears in his eyes about the difficulty you are going through, and give you the advice you need in a discreet way, if you are listening.

He left an impression on me that first meeting; so much so that I said to myself that I would like to get to know this quiet, strong, firm, yet loving man. A few years later as a seminarian and later as a young priest I came to know and love him as the Protopresbyter for the Midwest Region.

When I was installed as Pastor in Uniontown, he came to welcome me and there he warned the people that they should take good care of me, their brand new priest. He also guided me in the ways I needed; and yelled when he needed. Yes, even then, he yelled.

Among his many achievements have been two doctoral degrees, one in Catechesis and one in Islam. He authored the Faith of the Mountain Maronite Catechism series, the only Maronite series ever done, in any language. One can see an interview of him on our website. The Series recently received the approval of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops for authenticity and conformity to the Catholic Faith and was newly published and distributed. He is the author of several books, one just recently.

We are also most grateful for the pastoral care he has given to Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Parish here in Washington DC for over two decades. He has served here, all the while, serving as chaplain to the National Institute of Health and to Arlington National Cemetery.

His crowning achievement, nonetheless, has been the building of the new church and parish hall here where we now stand, and which, I know, took a toll on him. It involved a great deal of suffering love from him, nonetheless, it has been one more source of parish renewal for Our Lady of Lebanon and for her faithful parishioners who are now honoring him.

I have had the grace to serve as his Bishop for the past 8 years. Even though he does not mince words, by the way, did you know that? He has been an exemplary priest. He is there when he is needed and no one needs to tell him how to carry out his responsibilities. He is the kind of priest you can trust, and you know he desires to do God’s will, no matter the cost.

Chorbishop Dominic, please receive the thanks and respect of a grateful parish, eparchy and Church. May God grant you many happy and fruitful years. Happy 50th anniversary.

Bishop Gregory John Mansour

Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn

When I think of Bishop John Chedid, I think of a true man of the Church.  He lived for the Church, and he died in the Church’s embrace.  His brother, Salim, prevailed upon him to spend his last years in Lebanon by saying, “Khayee, you gave your whole life to the service of the Church in Rome, in America, please give us, your family, the twilight of your life.”  So Bishop John left his home in Los Angeles and journeyed home to Lebanon where he grew up. There he spent his last years.

When Bishop John returned to his beloved Lebanon, Salim and his family took good care of him.  In fact, Salim used to sleep on the floor next to his bed when Bishop John needed him. At a certain time when the family could no longer care for him, Bishop John was welcomed by the Sisters of the Cross, the Congregation founded by Blessed Jacques Haddad. With the loving care of the Sisters, especially Sister Nouhad, he ended the last few years of his life. Bishop John was one of twenty priests and bishops whom the sisters have served along with hundreds of others in need. 

Bishop John used to say that the Church is everything to us, the Church is Christ Himself.  When the Church teaches or guides us, it is Christ himself teaching and guiding.  He often spoke of St. Francis saying, “if there is an angel or a priest, choose the priest for you can be sure that Christ is there.”  Such faith in the Church was beautiful to observe, especially in a man who also knew, quite well, man’s fallen nature present everywhere, even in the clergy.  Yet he still firmly believed and respected clergy and laity alike.  He told us that his mother used to say, “some people believe crows are bad luck, but I don’t.  When I see a crow all dressed in black, I think of my son dressed in his black cassock so far away. When I think of him, I feel good.”

 Bishop John Chedid was not a man of many words.  He said what he meant and meant what he said.  He wrote the most beautiful letters, homilies and reflections. His listeners and readers knew that he personally reflected before speaking and his words touched the heart. He used to read to himself his homily in advance, just to be sure he said what he wanted to say.  Bishop John also had an uncanny ability to distract (me and others) during liturgy or solemn occasions. At the most unpredictable time he would give a funny comment or make a statement, which I hoped no one else noticed! He was not always saintly!

 Bishop John took seriously the Lord’s call to remain in good relationship with God.  He went to confession often.  He would get in the car and I knew where he was going.  At times, he questioned the ways of God, especially during the suffering of others, and was not afraid to voice his doubt to me.  I felt fortunate to have known this human said of him. 

 Retirement was difficult for him.  His whole life was about giving to others, and in retirement he felt that no one needed him anymore.  He sometimes found it hard to keep his usual routine of daily Mass and prayer, and he was honest about his failures, indeed he had a beautiful honesty.  He was loyal to his friends and family. Those who got close to him felt blessed.  His funeral was held in Bkerke, Lebanon and Patriarch Bechara Peter Rai could not have been more gracious, hosting the wake and funeral and all the visitors who came to show respect. 

Although Bishop John died in human imperfection, as most of us will, his faith, love, and hope lives on in the Church and in all who loved him. I will miss him. We will miss him; we have much for which to be thankful.   

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and may the perpetual light shine upon him.  May his soul and the soul of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

 +Gregory

“We are women who support the competing voice offered by Catholic institutions on matters of sex, marriage and family life. Most of us are Catholic, but some are not. We are Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Many, at some point in our careers, have worked for a Catholic institution. We are proud to have been part of the religious mission of that school, or hospital, or social service organization. We are proud to have been associated not only with the work Catholic institutions perform in the community – particularly for the most vulnerable — but also with the shared sense of purpose found among colleagues who chose their job because, in a religious institution, a job is always also a vocation.

Those currently invoking “women’s health” in an attempt to shout down anyone who disagrees with forcing religious institutions or individuals to violate deeply held beliefs are more than a little mistaken, and more than a little dishonest. Even setting aside their simplistic equation of “costless” birth control with “equality,” note that they have never responded to the large body of scholarly research indicating that many forms of contraception have serious side effects, or that some forms act at some times to destroy embryos, or that government contraceptive programs inevitably change the sex, dating and marriage markets in ways that lead to more empty sex, more non-marital births and more abortions. It is women who suffer disproportionately when these things happen.

No one speaks for all women on these issues. Those who purport to do so are simply attempting to deflect attention from the serious religious liberty issues currently at stake. Each of us, Catholic or not, is proud to stand with the Catholic Church and its rich, life-affirming teachings on sex, marriage and family life. We call on President Obama and our Representatives in Congress to allow religious institutions and individuals to continue to witness to their faiths in all their fullness.”

The true dignity of women is at stake. What is being called “women’s health” by the current Administration and the inconsistent way of defining religious freedom should be a serious concern to all Americans. Our responsibility is to speak the truth with love, to persuade and propose, we have no need to dominate or impose. As Catholics we should be free to continue our noble service to whoever comes to us and should not be forced to violate our deeply held and reasonable convictions about the dignity of women’s health.

I urge every person of good will to listen to the voices of these women with regards to the fundamentally flawed and unjust Health and Human Services Mandate. Please go to www.usccb.org to seek ways in which you too can let your voice be heard.

+Gregory John Mansour

Maronite Bishops in the United States at the Service of Communion in the Universal Church

A few years ago we helped to start an ecumenical group of Middle Eastern Bishops called CAMECT (Christian Arab and Middle Eastern Churches Together). We mirror here in the United States the Churches and ecclesial communities of the Middle East. We meet twice a year and have sponsored Ecumenical Symposiums along with Telelumiere/Noursat. I presently serve as Secretary.

Bishop Shaheen and I, in addition to the roles we play here in the United States, also play an international role in our own Maronite Church. We serve on the Board of Directors in the US for Telelumiere/Noursat, Catholic Schools in Lebanon, and soon to be Caritas Liban. Last year Bishop Shaheen hosted in Saint Louis all the Maronite Bishops outside Lebanon along with the Superiors General of the Religious Orders and Communities of Lebanon, where we had a productive three day meeting with our Maronite Patriarch. Each year Bishop Shaheen and I also attend our Annual Maronite Bishops’ Synod in June held in Lebanon. All forty-five Maronite Bishops throughout the world are required to attend.

The role of the bishop within and outside his eparchy is to promote, protect and foster the communion we share in Christ Jesus, under the jurisdiction of our Maronite Patriarch and the Holy Father. These are some of the ways we do just that.

+Gregory John Mansour

Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Maron

Moreover, if we are a hospital, then we must be a “Catholic Hospital”, that is, open to everyone – those within our flock and those outside, and that means everybody. A recent Catholic survey (CARA) took note that only 23% of Catholics go to Church on Sunday. That means that within our own ranks (not even considering non-Catholics) 77% of baptized Catholics do not bother to engage in the awesome and beautiful liturgical and sacramental life of the Church! It is on behalf of these 77% that Blessed Pope John Paul II called upon us to include them, as well as ourselves and all people of good will, in a “New Evangelization.” The same old fashioned Gospel, but a new and loving way to reach out to them to share the good news of Jesus.

Among the prominent reasons given for the 77% who do not come weekly to the Lord’s Supper was not “disagreement with Church teachings on major issues.” Rather, the most common reasons were: apathy, busyness, laziness, conflicts within family, conflicts within the Church, the false belief that missing Mass is not a sin, etc. If Catholics have such flimsy excuses for not honoring the Lord’s Day, how much more difficult is the task for us to welcome, not only them, but society as a whole? Nonetheless, Jesus said “go out into the whole world and make disciples,” and he did not mean just the people we like or who agree with us! He meant, the whole world!

Our Christian message is for the whole world! Our ancestors got it! They took their Catholic faith everywhere and made disciples in as far away a place as India, China and Africa, and finally the new world of America. They had devotion, courage and conviction, something very much needed in our world today.

But back to the idea that the Church is a hospital – a Catholic hospital – open to all. We must be careful not to fall into the trap that only the righteous or morally upright can go to Church. We will fail miserably in our mission to reach out to lapse Catholics, as well as to others, if the Church is only a museum for saints. We will miss a historic opportunity to welcome others to God’s house if we believe that only the worthy can come.

How, then, can we fulfill our Lord’s command to reach out? The best way to reach others is by our own personal holiness. It is through the holiness of her members that the Church becomes more and more a place of grace and healing. Holiness is not divisive, it is attractive. It is not self righteous, it is self-giving. Holiness begins in our families and moves to our Church. Real holiness is thorough, completely transforming and it reaches every aspect of our lives.

I remember the story of a woman who called me to help her “die in the Lord”, as she put it. She did not go to Church, nor did her mother or brother. I asked her why. She said her father went to Church every day but because he treated her mother, her, and her brother so badly it turned all of them away from the Catholic Faith. She was so grateful that I was willing to serve her needs and bring Christ and the Church back to her family. But mixed with my gratitude, was also great trepidation. I thought, how powerful is the witness of each one of us who can by our own religious devotion either be a source of great healing or of great discouragement for others. May God help us.

The only sure way to holiness is through love and humility. We do not have to have all the answers, we can safely trust God for that. We do not have to provide everything that people need, the Church can and does. We are not asked to cure others, but we can certainly care, and leave it to God to cure. We should not declare ourselves enemies to anybody, nor anyone our enemy. Nor need we believe that there are those who are “against us.” There will always be people in every generation against the Church, Christ or the Truth. Nonetheless, the Church, as a hospital, is like her Divine Lord who was a healer of bodies and souls; and so, like her Lord, the Church sees all the world as her patients! When we view the Church in this way we see very clearly the reality that we are all in need.

Can you imagine a hospital without nurses? Brothers and sisters, you and I are not only patients, but nurses as well. Priests, Bishops and Deacons are likewise, not only patients but they also serve as physicians of souls. Our real enemy in the battle for spiritual health is not other people, it is sin and spiritual sickness.

In this fight against spiritual disease, illness and sins, all persons are patients, even if sometimes rebellious, ones and even when they fight the very cure and healing they need.

We have two effective instruments at our disposal: the divine grace of our Catholic Faith, and the human virtue of caring for the sick. Both are necessary in this spiritual battle. If we have no one to care for and serve the sick, the Catholic hospital will close. If there is no place to give rest and comfort to the sick, by this we mean the local Church, then we will also close. Nurses who care, a place to give comfort to the sick, and a realization that we are all in need of God’s grace, this is the Church!

Brothers and Sisters – Clergy, Religious and Laity alike – the Catholic Church is entrusted to our care. In the dawn of the New Evangelization, let us care for the 23% who come each week to the Lord’s Supper, the 77% who don’t, as well as the rest of the world in need of the healing message of Christ. May our lives, therefore, be worthy testimonies to this healing grace, so that we may be conformed to the One, who with the support of his Mother, Our Lady of Mercy, came in mercy to seek us out when we were lost, sick, a sinner, prodigal and in need. Blessed be this Lord of Mercy.

22 February 2012                                                                                Prot. No. 134/1/12

 Dear Brother Priests, Deacons/Subdeacons, Monks, Sisters, Faithful of the Eparchy and Friends:

On February 3, 2012, I wrote to all of you the following:

“There can no longer be any doubt that religious liberty in our country is in jeopardy. On January 20, 2012, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with the approval of President Obama issued a new federal mandate making coverage of all abortive drugs, sterilization, and FDA-approved contraceptives obligatory for virtually all employees, including those working in faith-based institutions. 

 The new mandate is the first federal regulation in our nation’s history to require all religious institutions to pay for this coverage. Now nearly all those who provide insurance must comply. To force people to provide these mandated services that violates both their faith conviction and their freedom is just not right in the land of the free!” (see www.stmaron.org/blog)”

Now brothers and sisters, President Obama has recently made a much publicized “compromise”.  However, this is no real compromise, for the burden of responsibility has simply shifted from employers to insurance companies to provide these services “for free.” In our case, some of these insurance companies are owned and operated by the Church so that we may insure ourselves.

 By continuing this insistence on this mandate, the Administration has ignored the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and has decided what is good for us, whether we agree or not, whether it violates our conscience or not.  (See article by Anne McGuire attached).

 Please visit www.usccb.org/conscience to learn more about this mandate, which is not only a blow to religious liberty, but also an unnecessary entry of government into the free exercise of religion and conscience, and what we can do about it.

 With gratitude for your collaboration in this very important matter and with every good wish, I am

Yours in Christ,

+Gregory John Mansour

LIFE ISSUES FORUM                                                       February 17, 2012

For Immediate Release

 The Right to Be Human

By Anne McGuire

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Many are familiar with the beginning of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s famous poem, but there is a lesser known line which relates perfectly to the current crisis of the recent HHS mandate: “I love thee freely, as men strive for Right.” In this line, Browning recognized the inseparable relationship between love and authentic freedom. For all the discussions today about freedom, do we really understand its foundation?  We need to, because the right of individuals and institutions to act according to their religious beliefs and moral convictions is in danger, and the threat strikes at the heart of what it means to be human.

 Every human heart aches for love that will penetrate every corner of our existence and give meaning to our lives. We search for fulfillment, yet whatever we turn to often falls short. This infinite desire reveals that only infinite love can satisfy our longing. As C.S. Lewis said, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” 

 We can then conclude that we were created by someone who could fulfill these desires, who loves us infinitely, and who is constantly inviting us to respond to his love. When we respond to this love with our “yes,” we respond freely because without freedom, there can be no love. This freedom, however, is far more rich and vibrant than the mere ability to choose between good and evil, as Msgr. Luigi Giussani noted in his book, “The Religious Sense”: “Freedom, for the human being, is the possibility, the capacity, the responsibility to be fulfilled … [it] is the experience of the truth of ourselves.”

 Because we are made in the image and likeness of God, decisions we make that bring us closer to him, enable us to become more fully ourselves and more fully human. It is only in our relationship with love himself, one which permeates our lives and transforms us and our daily actions, that we find fulfillment and satisfaction. Thus, as Abraham Lincoln allegedly stated, “freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought.” Yet even this basic principle is now being ignored by the federal government.

 God gives man freedom. The Declaration of Independence recognized this fundamental truth: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men … are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” The government does not bestow these rights, but has the obligation to protect them. The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment acknowledges this same right: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (emphasis added). In the 1963 case of School District of Abington Township v. Schempp, the Supreme Court stated that “the Free Exercise Clause … withdraws from legislative power, state and federal, the exertion of any restraint on the free exercise of religion. Its purpose is to secure religious liberty in the individual by prohibiting any invasions thereof by civil authority” (emphasis added). This free exercise of religion acknowledges the freedom to respond to God’s love with our “yes,” thereby acting in accord with our human nature.

 Yet, despite the fact that “the right of man to religious freedom has its foundation in the dignity of the person,” as identified in Dignitatis Humanae, the very government that is charged with protecting this right is now claiming the illegitimate authority to force people to act in violation of their consciences. In failing to acknowledge the right to choose good, the government fails to acknowledge the right to love. In failing to acknowledge the right to love, it fails to acknowledge what it means to be human.

3 February 2012                                                              

Prot. No. 093/1/12

Dear Friends:

There can no longer be any doubt that religious liberty in our country is in jeopardy. On January 20, 2012, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with the approval of President Obama issued a new federal mandate making coverage of all abortive drugs, sterilization, and FDA-approved contraceptives obligatory for virtually all employees, including those working in faith-based institutions. 

The new mandate is the first federal regulation in our nation’s history to require all religious institutions to pay for this coverage. Now nearly all those who provide insurance must comply. To force Catholics to provide these mandated services violates both our faith conviction and our freedom.

 In upholding this regulation, the Administration has ignored the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and has denied Catholics the most fundamental freedom, religious liberty.  Despite the Church’s appeal for a broader religious exemption, which was echoed by many other faiths, the Administration refused to modify the regulation’s current exemption that is limited to religious groups that hire and serve people primarily of their own faith.  Most churches and church-run institutions do not qualify for the exemption because of our very openness to serving the common good of society and all people regardless of creed in hospitals, universities, social service agencies, etc.

Catholics of all backgrounds across America are already fighting this mandate.  The HHS rules are unjust and unreasonable.  There is no need for this in a land of freedom! Leaders of major Catholic organizations, such as the Catholic Health Association, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities USA, as well as Catholic Universities and Schools, and people like you and I, as Catholics and as Americans who love this great country, must continue to speak out against this new, unprecedented mandate.

This is the time to speak up, for our voices to be heard.  Likewise, we need to commit ourselves to prayer so that wisdom and justice may prevail, for without God, we can do nothing, and with God, nothing is impossible.

Prayer and speaking out should be combined with thoughtful and harmonious action. Please visit www.usccb.org/conscience to learn more about this blow to religious liberty and how we can find the right resources to support legislation that would reverse the effects of the Administration’s decision. 

 With gratitude for your collaboration in this very important matter and with every good wish, I am

Yours in Christ,

+Gregory John Mansour

The closest I ever got was an ultrasound.But a father or a mother who have experienced the birth of their long awaited son or daughter, with much pain yet much joy, know what is real, know the importance of each life. They can answer this question better than I :

Why did God become a little child ?

Two philosophers – both believers – were discussing the awesome power of God. The first said ” God is all powerful. He can do anything.” The second said, “Really ? Can he become a little child ?” The first thought a long while and finally said “Why would he want to do such a thing ?”

Only a mother or a father can answer that.

Mothers and Fathers, what do you feel when a child is born ?

Some have told me they feel a complete willingness to do whatever they can to love, protect, and raise this child who came from them, and for whom they are completely responsible.

Others have told me that they stand in awe and real fear, hoping they will be able to do all that is good for this child. They question every move and depend completely on any inspiration and help they can get in guiding their care and love for this helpless child entrusted in their care.

Others have told me that they simply stand in awe and wonder at such a great a beautiful gift that has been given to them. They feel they are now part of something (or should we say, someone !) much bigger than themselves. This gift draws them out of themselves and inspires in them a strength, a desire to sacrifice, and a capacity to love that they never thought they possessed.

Dear friends, why did God, the all powerful Creator of the universe, become a little child, allow himself to be laid in a manger, with no room at the inn, poor and neglected? Why was he pleased to be loved by shepherds and wise men who sought him out, and by Mary and Joseph, who lived each day with wonder and respect at such a great and imponderable plan?

Does the Master of the Universe desire something from us? Does he want to draw something out of us, to make us part of something (Someone!) greater than ourselves? Does he want us, like Mary and Joseph, to stand in awe and wonder, and yes some fear and trembling, before such a great Mystery? Does He want us to know that pain and joy in childbirth are part of His own Mystery as well as ours?

From the Holy Bible we know that God does not visit us as a mighty warrior, a powerful king or as righteous judge, but rather as a child who needs us, who is helpless, vulnerable and poor.

Why would God “do such a thing”? Why should He? Does He desire our love and want to love us in return, not from on high, but from among us? Can He actually love us for our own sake, not His own, for our own good, not His own? Why would He love us even at His own expense?

Mothers and fathers, can you answer this? If you can, this alone can explain the Manger. This alone can explain the Cross.

Our Faith teaches that the God of the universe not only became a child, but he did so in the little town of Bethlehem, whose name, in Aramaic, means the “House of Bread” (Beit Lahem). It was thus not enough that He became a child, He also became bread for those who need him. He became small so as not to scare us. He became poor so as to enrich us. He became vulnerable so that we might turn to Him in our time of need. He longed to feed us as our parents feed us for our own good! This is the God who became Eucharistic Bread at Bethlehem!

Philosophers and parents, you and I, and all people of good will can this night stand in awe and wonder, love and longing, fear and hope before the God who becomes a child this day, Christmas Day; the God who becomes our daily bread at Bethlehem.

This child in His mother’s arms is the God who becomes for us Emmanuel, God with us.

Merry Christmas

I love to listen to Christmas carols. Being a romantic at heart, I am always amazed at the beauty of the Christmas story. In such carols as What Child is This, Mary did you Know?, Silent Night, and O Little Town of Bethlehem, to mention a few, one cannot imagine a story more beautiful. God became a child to save us! In fact, He became a child who needs us, who is vulnerable, who depends on us, and who is, as we believe, “like us in all things but sin”!

The child, once conceived, lives within the womb of the mother, just below her heart! The father stands guard, protects and supports them. The child is born – in pain, yet with much wonder – reared and educated by the ones who brought him or her into this world. God willing, one day that father will walk her down the aisle, or the mother will watch her son become a priest, or the two of them will see their child with children of their own. This is all part of God’s loving plan and it is most wonderful to behold. Yet it requires us to be at our best. But we must be honest, the vocation and dignity of marriage, or the protection of life in the womb, or our parenting abilities do not always find us at our best. May God help, forgive, guide, sustain and show us his way.

And now, back to the Christmas story about how God himself came into our world. In this story, there is also marriage, childbirth and much love, yet there is also something wonderfully new. Although Mary and Joseph came into this world in the usual way, Mary was conceived without original sin in order to give her complete freedom to make her “yes” at the Annunciation (Lk 1). This story, which we call the Immaculate Conception (of Mary in the womb of her mother, Anna) is God’s new beginning with us. Mary, through her loving obedience, is the new Eve who becomes the “mother of all the living” (Gn 2) and Jesus the new Adam. Together they show us what it means to live in complete fidelity to God and invite us to be as Saint Paul urges, “a new creation” (2Cor 5:17).

In the Christmas story, Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary by the announcement of the Angel Gabriel and the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. Mary made her complete and free gift of self when she said “May it be done to me according to your Word.” (Lk 1:38) Joseph, by the revelation of an angel, decided that instead of “divorcing her quietly” (Mt 1:19), as was his plan, he would take “her into his home,” (Mt 1:24) and care for her as a “virgin who cared for the Virgin”(Maronite Liturgy). This celibate and chaste caring was something completely new and wonderful, a sign that God was doing something new in the midst of his people. The Church from the beginning has honored this truth with tenderness and respect. It may not make complete sense to the world, but still the story continues to inspire hope and gratitude even today. This is the Christmas message and it does not get better than that!

The way we come into the world and the way you did, O Lord, is a wonder! Help us, Lord, to honor both this Christmas season.

+Gregory John Mansour