By Fr. James Farfaglia,
Suffering is a part of human life. Living faith enables us to see it differently by joining it to the sufferings of Christ
Jesus does not take away human suffering; rather he transforms it and gives it new meaning. In his book Compassion, Henri Nouwen, no stranger to sorrow and pain, expresses this idea with these words: "The mystery of God’s love is not that our pain is taken away, but that God first wants to share that pain with us. Out of this divine solidarity comes new life. Jesus’ being moved in the center of his being by human pain is indeed a movement toward new life. God is our God, the God of the living. In the divine womb of God, life is always born again. The great mystery is not the cures, but the infinite compassion which is their source"
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) – A young newly ordained priest was assigned by his superior as the chaplain of a large Catholic high school. The priest, enthusiastic and engaging, was very endeared by the students. He was so well liked, that the parents of the students would call him, instead of the local parish priest, for all of their pastoral needs, including sick calls to the local hospitals and funerals.
One of Father’s closest friends at the high school was a doctor who taught mathematics in the morning and worked at his medical practice after school hours. The doctor, so immersed in human suffering, noticed that the young priest was becoming overwhelmed by the numerous sick calls and funerals that were becoming part of his ministry.
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Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai voiced his disappointment over “the coma that Lebanese politicians are living,” the National News Agency reported on Sunday. Rai also voiced his disappointment over the “political practice that leads to poverty and destruction. [NowLebanon] Patriarch Rai has indeed been very involved with people’s problems ever since he became Patriarch […]
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3 Likely Causes behind Fassouh Building Fall
A preliminary investigation report cited three possible reasons for last month’s collapse of a building in Beirut which killed 27 people, said Interior Minister Marwan Charbel Friday. According to Charbel, the preliminary report cited “the removal of an old wall from the ground floor or the first floor for the purpose of […]
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Gemayel slams Charbel
This is not the first time Interior Minister Marwan Charbel comes out with a controversial statement and is critisized for it. While it is one thing to try keep Lebanese calm and safe, it is absurd to downplay assassination plots and act as if the country’s doing great and security is at its […]
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Sleiman and Rai on Nassib Lahoud
In the eyes of his supporters and many Lebanese across the political divide, former MP and Cabinet Minister Nassib Lahoud, who died at dawn Thursday after a long battle with cancer, will go down in the annals of history as a unique statesman and a moderate politician who fought fiercely for the freedom […]
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MP Sami Gemayel targeted by assassination plot
Kataeb party leader Amin Gemayel said on Friday that his son, Kataeb bloc MP Sami Gemayel, was targeted by an assassination plot. He told Al-Liwaa Beirut newspaper: “Two days ago, we received information from the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces General Directorate about a plan to assassinate MP Sami Gemayel at […]
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Syria’s future looms in the dark
Despite some progress in the UN talks on Syria resolution, the situation in Syria is degrading by the day and a civil war is looming in the dark for the long stable Assad regime. Meanwhile, deadly clashes and a cstart of a civil war are intensifying with over 800 kills in the last […]
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