Dear Beloved friends, Pilgrims of Ibillin and others,

We are still there online. We struggle against the ongoing wave of mass murder which is the expression of hate and of revenge. Around us it seems that weapons are struggling to have the last word, and we brand our flag facing everyone in the Middle East, mainly in Israel and in Gaza. We are proposing our solution to the ongoing atrocities and massacres. We raise our flag publicly and privately, saying loud and clear to Israelis and Palestinians,

“The only way to have peace and restore dignity is love your enemy, bless those who curse you”.

This flag seems absurd for those who believe in their might.

For us it’s the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s the situation proclaimed by St. Paul,

“There can’t be privilege for Greek or Jew circumcised and uncircumcised, slave or Lord, but Christ is all and is in all” (Colossians 3/11).

I don’t hide to you that every time we turn on our TV, we are mesmerized with shock and with disgust. For four months we see and watch a devastating an apocalyptic situation. Jews and Palestinians are fighting to death, a third party, a super power is unable to have a balance attitude. They provide profusion of weapons to one side (and a piece of bread) for the starving side. And we pray that the arms get silent and the starving people get enough food and drink, and return to simple life, relying on their own production.

At MEEI we educate our students to deny legitimacy for any violent dealing, with the famous Roman proverb: “Man is wolf for his fellow human being”.

We invite you to consider with us ways to promote hope beyond despair. We are sure that this can’t be provided unless we consider the empty tomb, and the Risen Man, this is our strength, this is our faith and this is our message to the world. We still believe because of the Resurrection that God is in control, the hostilities will have to stop and the annihilation of the weak side doesn’t represent a solution, it’s the nurturing of hatred of both sides. You are for us the messengers of life over death. You are the hope beyond despair.

We have a simple good news, my promise to many among you to express my view about the Beatitudes being an urgent appeal from the Lord to his disciples, the book I wrote last year entitled “The Sermon on the Mount, The Way to the Kingdom” has been translated into English. I hope soon it will be delivered, to be printed. I proudly confess that the cost for translation into English has been generously raised by Pilgrims of Ibillin. It’s a book that constitute a personal appeal to action and to prayer.

With this hope I wish you all a Happy Easter, Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed!

I end with thanking you all for your friendship, for your payers and not least you all for your commitment to help us financially in this very hard time of trial.

Yours Fraternally,

Abuna Elias Chacour
Archbishop Emeritus of Galilee