Forwarded from Fr. Labib Kobti,
representative of the Latin Patriarchate in California, San Francisco, www.Al-Bushra.org
Christmas Message 2005
Brothers and Sisters,
Happy feast and holy Christmas!
1. Our
message is the angels message: "Do not be afraid. Look, I
bring you news of great joy
. Today in the town of
David a Saviour has been born to
you; he is Christ the Lord (Lk
2:10-11). Do
not be afraid in spite of all the difficulties we live and that may inspire fear
and insecurity. Jesus also tells us: "Do not let your hearts
be troubled or afraid (Jn
14:27). It is
through faith and through the light and the wisdom faith provides that we can
lay down the foundations for our tranquility, and contribute to the general
tranquility needed by our society.
The
second message of Christmas is joy. The angel says: "I bring you news of
great joy
. A Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the
Lord. May the
joy, which comes with God's grace fill your hearts as you endure so many
sufferings. To all our faithful, to all those who are afraid, those who have
among the family members a prisoner or someone under torture, to those who had
to face death and to all those who are inclined to fill their hearts with
hatred, we say: Purify your hearts; let the joy of Christmas renew your whole
life.
Our
message to all our faithful and to all our brothers and sisters in this
Holy
Land, to all
Palestinians and to all Israelis: God created you not to fear or to kill each
other but to love each other, to build and to cooperate together.
2.
To our
political leaders who, by their policy, can decide for the life or the death of
so many in this land, we say: Be builders of life, not of death. Understand,
after such a long time of demolition, death and fighting that these ways could
not and will never produce but more demolition, death and fighting. It is time
to change ways and to take once for all the good decision to reach justice and
peace. Any delay of a solution, with the ongoing injustice under its different
aspects, the wall, the gates, the prisons or the assassinations, will only add
fuel for violence. When injustice, the cause of violence, ceases violence will
stop and security will reign. We hope that we can begin a new period in which
all violence will stop on both sides, Israeli and Palestinian alike.
We say it again: security for the Israelis means liberty
and sovereignty for the Palestinians. These are two interdependent and
inescapable realities. And the half measures, half liberty, or half sovereignty
lead us to nowhere except to fall again in an interminable cycle of violence and
insecurity.
The present Palestinian position asking for its rights
through ways of non-violence and peace, means that peace and justice are
possible. Also on the Israeli side we have seen signs and heard expressions
indicating a new vision and a new decision. We know that the difficulties are
numerous. Without good will every difficulty will prove an insurmountable
obstacle. At the contrary, good and sincere will reduces all difficulties and
finds the appropriate solution for it.
Our
Holy
Land thirsts
to recover its peace and holiness. So give the two peoples the life, the
security and the dignity they ask. To accept the responsibility of ruling a
people means engagement and service to the society not an opportunity to occupy
seats or to look for personal profit. It is necessary to put an end to the
suffering that lasted too long on this land. We hope that our leaders will now
take the time and will spend their energies to accomplish what had to be
accomplished long time ago: peace
and justice for two peoples capable of living side by side in peace and in good
neighborhood.
3.
Brothers and sisters, to you living here nearby the blessing of Bethlehem
and to the whole world that looks these days toward Bethlehem, the city of the
Prince of Peace, I wish you a Christmas full of holiness and courage, so that
you may put away all fear and violence and become the true builders of the peace
and the justice we all need.
Happy feast and holy
Christmas!
+ Michel Sabbah, Patriarch
