 (Translated freely: By Elias Bejjani) Father, Father, keep this cup away from me; With these words Jesus Christ called on Almighty God, his father. He sensed the kind of responsibility with fear, was knowledgeable of the burden, aware of the dimensions and well informed of the consequences. Jesus in his Godly nature was capable, if he wanted, to avoid the pain and overcome the obstacles, but he chose not to do so. Jesus in his human nature carried God's message to earth, enlightened souls and minds and personified the hope for salvation. Jesus's stance in bearing torture, pain, humiliation and death, is an example and a parable. It was clearly exhibited during the Holy Week in dwelling on the real meaning of agony, pain, sacrifice, martyrdom and proclamation of God's word. Every year we happily participate in the Holy Week (Stations of the Cross) to spiritually prepare ourselves for the celebration of resurrection, the Easter Sunday. Every year in preparation for Easter, we conceptualize the parables we learned from Jesus's march towards crucifixion (Stations of the Cross) and compare them with our daily conduct. We take them as a role model and authentically believe in their objectives. We carry them close to our hearts as Christians not Crusaders and abide by their essence without being obliged to follow the rituals. The responsibility is assigned to those who are truthful with themselves and with others. It is like a ball of fire that scalds and burns the fingers of those that catch it. The ones who are capable and deserve to be responsible are exposed to criticism and are tagged as crazy, treacherous, rebellious and obsessed. Witnessing for the truth is the message that Jesus Christ carried to mankind and made it the foundation and cornerstone for his Church and kingdom. Jesus's stances were exhibited beautifully in his earthly life and during his trial. It is worth mentioning to stress the fact that pragmatic stances adopted currently even by some clergymen are fully contradictory to Jesus's virtues. We are supposed to curse the devil, not declare a truce with him and to reject sins, not to preach them. We can not under any given circumstances be a referee between bad and good, support the strong against the weak, hail the corrupter, allow the aggressor to be a judge or punish the weak. The Joljotha road has witnessed the Stations of the Cross that ascended towards perfectionism and closer to God. The weight of the Cross that Jesus carried was not heavier than the human sins. With the Cross Jesus carried man's sins and faults, and for that he was insulted, blamed and his conduct criticized. People did not know that the pain Jesus suffered stemmed from the ignorance that blinded their eyes; They did not know that the bleeding Jesus experienced was caused by the oppression inflicted on them; They did not know that the Cross, which Jesus carried, led their path to freedom The forgiveness and absolution stance uttered by Jesus with his last breath on the Cross, stemmed from his heart. It meant to be to an example for acceptance, forgiveness and a pledge for not compromising for the truth. Jesus awakened the faith in our hearts and minds, ignited the hope in our souls, made death a start and a stage for emergence, turned darkness into light and made eternity a time for jolly meetings with others. The above images are very similar to our life in this world and to the way we live currently in Lebanon, the country we love and cherish. Courageous Lebanese men who sensed their national responsibilities, were fearful of the conspiracy against Lebanon and knew they were holding a fireball. They bravely accepted to bear its burns, witnessed openly for the truth, refused pragmatism and said no to the act of submission to the principle of power. They struggled not to allow the aggressor to assume the role of referee and judge Brave Lebanese men willingly accepted to carry the Cross of their identity, roots, Lebanism, heritage and patriotism. They made occupied Lebanon and Diaspora their Joljotha road (Stations of the Cross) in a bid to save Lebanon and put an end to its ordeal caused by imported conflicts, ignorance and divisionism. Lebanese brave men carried in their hearts forgiveness, openness and solid faith in the Lebanese cause. Because of that they were confronted by isolation, boycott, blame, incrimination and penalties. In spite of all hardships and atrocities inflicted on these brave patriotic men, hope remains the torch that enlightens their path to martyrdom and leads their footsteps to a world of righteousness. Hope strengthens endeavors to achieve their national objectives and to liberate occupied Lebanon. With them Lebanon shall be resurrected With them there is hope for a better future With them freedom and dignity shall be reclaimed With them Lebanon shall be again an oasis for peace With them Lebanon the nation and the identity shall prevail and always be victorious. |