Mission Accomplished

With the mission in Lebanon accomplished, we decided to see a little of the North of Lebanon, visiting the area where St. Elias lived, stopping by along the way to make some Zatar! When we reached our destination, mass was just concluding. Mary Samaha went to the priest and asked him if he minded saying another mass for our group, and without the slightest hesitation, or request for renumeration he assented. I was so happy as were the rest of us.

We also visited the tomb of Khalil Gibran. I had always thought he was a Sufi mystic, but discovered to my great surprise that he was a Christian! I also found out that he was a painter, with a fondness for nudes. Some of his work was really brilliant and I picked up a print of one of his works on the way out.

Day 7: Jal El Dib, Lebanon

The tour of Lebanon concluded in a fitting manner in Padre Pio Church in Jal El Dib, where I met a wonderful priest from Iraq who told me about the fate greeting Christians there. I hope to be able to visit Iraq sometime in the near future. With this done, I couldn't wait to get back home, especially as our numbers had been denuded over the past couple of days. Sharon and Leslie had left on the 25th, Manjula on the 26th, and their absense was being felt. I had Joseph, however, with me, and he was a wonderful person to have around - simply magnificent man!

Day 6: Bible Study Group, Lebanon

A session with some nuns originally scheduled was cancelled because of the institution of the new Patriach of Lebanon, but God had better plans for us.

I spoke into the afternoon to a small Bible group comprising some of the sweetest people I had ever met and this group will, in all probability (and God willing), be the team that runs HSI in Lebanon.

In the evening, I gave another short talk to another small group of people, delighted with the rapt attention the younger ones in attendance gave what I was saying.

Leslie, Sharon and Joseph led the prayers, as they had been doing all along, and not for the first time did I thank God for blessing me and this ministry through them.

This might be a good time to express my gratitude to the others on the team: Rita Aoun, who put most of it together, Mary Samaha, Olga Khadige, Roger Hubbeika, whose house we lived in, and Rita Rizzale who was down from London.

Day 5: Antelias, Lebanon

Day 5 saw me speak to the Charismatic group in St. Elias Church who were joined by at least a hundred people I had spoken to over the past four days. The guys who ran this group were among the first people people who came into the Catholic Charismatic Renewal when it came into being, and like other leaders of the Renewal that I have met over the years, knew all there was to know about the faith and running the Kingdom of God.

Days 2-4: Mteilib, Lebanon

Another fabulous session at St. Francis Convent on March 21 began a three day mission here that ended with some powerful anointing. All the talks were recorded by TeleLumiere for future telecast, although in the morning of the 21st, I was interviewed live by the Radio Station, immediately after I spoke to the team there. One of the blessings was meeting Brother Noor, the director of the station, who impressed me with his warmth and humility.

Day 3: St. Charbel Mount, Lebanon

After the second day's session in Mteilib, we went for the night to Mount Charbel, where the priests got a little mad at the people who asked for blessings, recognizing me from the interview on TeleLumiere. I made a quick exit, but not before first attending a mass at the place where St. Charbel spent a great deal of his life. A marvellous saint in a marvellous land. We were blessed. Earlier we had got into a long procession leading to the chapel while saying the Rosary along the way.

Day 1: Badaro, Lebanon

The HSI Tour of Lebanon began with a bang at Notre Dame Des Angels (Our Lady of the Angels) in Badaro. Any fears that the Lebanese would not accept a foreign — read Indian — preacher dissipated within five minutes of starting and what followed then, and in the days that followed, was an outpouring of love and warmth that swept my heart and the hearts of our team members that included Joseph Khadige, Mary Samaha, Rita Aoun, Manjula Pieris, Sharon and Leslie D'Mello.

Peace in a Troubled World

One of the greatest blessings that God wishes upon his children is peace. Yet, strangely enough, we seem to have so little of it in our lives. We took a look at why this is so, and how we can ensure that we carry peace around with us always, in the HSI Community Meetings in Jebel Ali, Sharjah and Bangalore this week.