At age 10, Father Andre escaped Christian massacres by living in caves in Mount Lebanon with his family. Today, Father Andre works tirelessly to encourage American leaders to keep God in the public square, defending religious freedom at home and abroad, so that all might live in peace for the glory of God. Founder and president of the Mission of Hope and Mercy, Father Andre has learned the secret to safety, joy, and peace. Love God and one another. Now, let us spend 33 minutes on the Lord’s Day, retuning ourselves to the truth of love in the hands of God.
SPEAKER 02 :
Praise be the most holy name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen. Good Holy Sunday morning, my dearly beloved brothers and sisters, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum, etce anchilla Domini. I am the handmaid of the Lord, be done unto me according to thy word. Today, the Church in the East and in the West, on such a wonderful day, December 8, celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. A few days ago, also the Church celebrated the Solemnity of St. St. Nicholas, St. Zachia, we call him in the Lebanese language, and a wonderful saint. Venetian of the saint is known both in the East and in the West. It’s unheard of the number of the churches, the number of sanctuaries, the number of places that have been erected in his memory. You know, when you look at the association of the holy days that we have between now and Christmas, you could tell that we are building up towards love, towards joy, towards gift, towards reward. There is a sense of peace that comes with the celebration of these wonderful and major feast days, which we will be celebrating almost every day during the day. Excuse me. Yet at the same time, we could sense the extraordinary thing in the weather, in the environment, in the temperatures. Of the sense of Christmas, even the stars look different. Even the stars, despite the cold, despite some places, the snow, despite the snowstorms as well, still tell us. It actually gets clear, and then when the stars appear, there is this one big star that appears every year, almost any time between November until the January time. You could tell, almost, you could refer to it as a Christmas star, in reality, appears. But also, life in our society changes every year, this year and all the days. The minute I all say, the minute we arrive to the feast of August 15, which we celebrate the feast of our Lady, or the assumption of our Lady Virgin Mary to heaven, in heaven and both in body and soul, something happens in a humanity and soul. Everything comes to change. We start going back to work, going back to school, going back to our routine, preparing for the fall, preparing for even special prices in all the markets. Of course, comes Halloween, and then, of course, comes Thanksgiving. And then you blink with a blink of an eye, and then comes the time of Advent. And then when we enter Advent, we enter into this beautiful season of multiple married feast days, such as this wonderful occasion of St. Nicholas’ feast day. Before that, in the East, on December 4th, the people in the East and the Church, East and West, celebrates the feast of the young lady. also decided to give a wonderful, solid, lasting witness to her faithfulness. I look at society during that time. We still have the routine of our daily headaches, of our depressions, of our politics, of our sports, of our activities. But also, we start… My apology, the line got cut out. We resume. When we introduce this feel of the festivities, the feel of the holidays, comes with it, of course, the budget. We start preparing what are we going to purchase as gifts for our loved ones? What are we going to do as activities and events, the cookies, the dinners, the galas, the fundraisings? And of course, with the time of Thanksgiving, with the time of Halloween, come lots of affairs that are humanitarian, such as supporting charities, such as sending letters to donors and acquiring the help and assistance and reminding people of the importance of the Christmas feel of generosity. Mission of Hope and Mercy in the United States and in Lebanon, in Bosnia Herzegovina, in Italy, has been very active recently in doing relief efforts to assist people. In Lebanon, for instance, since the war broke between Israel and Hezbollah, there is a ceasefire, we thank God, and hopefully all the parties obey, as we say, the elements, the conditions of the ceasefire. It seems that the people got more hungry, the people were displaced, many people found themselves having to leave Lebanon. They became actually refugees. So I’m… We had to receive several people run away from the war in Lebanon. And I came to their encounter. I frequently tried to organize their lives and put them into safety. We had to find a home. we had to find a hotel to put them in first, we had to purchase furniture, we had to do restoration planning, we had to prepare and rehab and restore and build extra space for them, prepare their bedrooms, lay tiles on the floor, It felt really as a married man or a man was coming into marriage, as a matter of fact. It’s just a strange feeling and a lot of wonderful, engaging plannings, visions, thoughts, sit down together, reflections, wonderful emotions that we lived through. Yet amidst all of this, I could see them from time to time that they would space out. They would go into the silent mode and they focus their eyes in one place. And I know they have been in encounter with their pains and sufferings. It is hard to heal the memory, my friends, of people. It is hard to coexist between somebody giving you security, giving you housing, giving you lodging, giving you food, giving you medication. I even had to bring a volunteer, professionals, such as doctors and nurses and the people with maintenance, to come and assist them in finding all sorts of accommodations. because they really came with chronic illnesses. One or two came with special long-term injuries. Unfortunately, even though at a very young age, So the feast days of the saints, such as Santa Barbara, St. Nicholas, the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, the celebration of Thanksgiving, we even celebrated with them Thanksgiving, were the most wonderful events we could do at the most wonderful time of the year. It meant a lot for them. It interrupted their paralyzing thoughts, negative thoughts, agonizing thoughts. Because truly, those people in such a wonderful way. They were grown-ups in the group with specific wonderful tradition, customs, and habits. They have skills. They have skills. And all of a sudden, they found themselves homeless. They found themselves not being able to manage in this life. They found themselves that they are in need for help. So we thought that using the festivities of our liturgy, you know, to somebody of major importance, richness around him, a lot of treasure. All of them, the father looks at the girl and he tells her, well, here’s your future for you. You have to be married. And then the girls tell him, no, my future is with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My father, I wanted to tell you a long time ago that I received the Christ. I am baptized Christian and my spouse is in heaven and I shall remain a virgin for the rest of my life. What a tough thing for a father and a mother, probably a bad thing, including how to expand on their authority, on their social rank in society. Because the male of a good girl, influential family, created a new partnership that used to grow in the past. Yet this girl decided to break the plans of parents, obeying a higher plan, the plan of God, to save her, to save souls, and to be a child of the kingdom of heaven. And of course, the father reacted. And the father stated, no, it’s my way or your suffering. And unfortunately, they imposed upon St. Barbara a lot of pain, a lot of suffering, including that they put hot wires in her ears and they passed them through her head. And the story said that every time they actually aimed to distort her face, to actually scar her face with multiple shapes and forms, and they made her bleed a lot. It’s almost to death. Her face would recover in the next day. So this was actually the inspiration for the very first thing that we could do. It’s Halloween. It’s the face of Santa Barbara. who, after she survived the multiple sufferings and the tumult and persecution, she ran away from home. And as she was running away in the fields, the Lord would raise beautiful angels around her, and she was disguised with different faces, faces of angels. And her purgators would not recognize her. Her father was not able to seek where she was. And when she was uncovered in an open space, in an open field, the Lord raised the grain of wheat and the vegetables very quickly and very high. So she was covered in beautiful prairies and in the fields of the grain of wheat. It’s an amazing story of Santa Barbara. This is why in our tradition in the East, on the eve of Santa Barbara’s feast day on December 4th, we actually plant the seeds, the chickpeas or hummus, the fagiolis or the fracolis or the red beans, the kidney beans. And we grow them and we put the grain of wheat into small cotton and we walk every day and we grow it. It’s like the most natural decoration that we put in front of the miniature of Jesus Christ and in front of me. And what comes as a food where people serve food, sweets, of course, made of wheat and somehow. So for those who are allergic and they have to be on special diet, my apology, probably share in the spirit of find it. Or you can take a risk if your doctor allows it. Your health can support and then come for it. Or you can bless it and count on God. A miracle is always available. And by God’s grace, you may not even suffer. It might actually be beneficial to you and probably would heal us instead of causing us any harm. But of course, use your caution and use your faith and use your reason before you make such an approach or decision. But I love to take a leap of faith sometimes to experience such a feeling and an emotion and a reality of joy in practice. So those feast days and those celebrations, of course, and somehow they changed the mood of these refugees that we received in our mission of Hope and Mercy St. Charbel refugee and guest house next to Our Lady in Medjugorje. where in 1983, I believe, or 1982, on June 24, she appeared to six young children and she exclaimed from heaven, Mir, Mir, Mir. From Croatian language, peace, peace, peace. Yes, my friends, these feast days changed the outlook and gave a lot of hope to these people who came as brokenhearted. And then comes the feast of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas, this wonderful bishop, this wonderful man who was the bishop of Myra in the fourth century. There are many facts concerning his life. And, you know, one thing we are absolutely certain of him being the bishop and him attending the Council of Nicaea was King Constantine in 325 AD. Year of our Lord. And also being in that synod, he actually wrestled with somebody. He boxed somebody. He hit somebody on the face. Because eventually the fathers of the church at the time, they were defining the terms of the Christian doctrine. Jesus Christ, full man and full God. True man and true God. Two natures and one person. And it seems that one of the schismatic bishops did not understand and did not want to believe in the two natures. um natures of jesus christ and in his one person so saint nicholas and somehow got so excited and eventually uses a human um his human capacity i would say and he hit him on the face with a big box he made a big fist and he hit him and he broke his nose and he told him probably like this you would understand of course we have many stories about saint nicholas But one thing also for sure is that he was lined up to be a martyr. You know, they were like St. Nicholas. So before 325, between here, 290 to 306. So Constantine the Great was not the emperor. He was one of the Roman generals of the army. And of course, he wanted to fight for the unity of Rome. And then when the fight came to claim back his throne, he had to enter into Rome and to free Rome. During that time, the previous emperor had lined up and jailed many Christian people, influential Christian people, including Queen Helen, the mother of Constantine, the general himself. the future king the future emperor of rome and saint nicholas was one of these people who was chosen fortunately to be condemned so he was in line to be killed to be fed to the beast as we say in the coliseum or in shirko massimo however god wanted something else by the year 313 Constantine the Great declared Christianity as a legal faith in the Roman Empire. So he declared for Judaism. He gave religious freedom for Christianity and Judaism to be practiced solemnly and publicly in front of all and for churches to be built in the Roman Empire. So imagine this affected Africa, affected Asia, and affected Europe at the same time. More so, Constantine the Great freed the people who were already condemned. He pardoned. You know how a president in the United States comes to pardon people towards the end of his term and her term. But they pardon people for the right reasons, hopefully, not for the wrong reasons. So Constantine the Great issued a pardon for all the Christians who are lined up to be martyred. So basically to be executed. One of whom was Queen Helen, the mother of the actual emperor. And another one was Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas, the bishop of Myra, the father in the council of Nicaea, who was imprisoned and lined up to be a martyr in the reign of Diocletian. whose persecution that lasted for the longest time impacted and waged great severity against Christians in many places in the world, in Africa, in Asia, in the Middle East, and in Europe. There’s such a wealth of literature that was accumulated around St. Nikolaos. And basically, the person who we’re talking about who becomes Santa Claus, who is in Aramaic known as ,, the treasured name of the people of God. And the part of that is that when he was a priest and bishop of Myra, he actually appeared at night to fishermen who were stuck inside the storm. And during the big storm, the people called for help. They were officials of the Roman Emperor Constantine. grain of wheat from Egypt to Rome, Italy, through Eastern Europe, seaport of Myra. Namely, there is a seaport in Myra, in Asia Minor, between Turkey and Eastern Europe, and a seaport in Mars, a city of which Sennas was a bishop. And it seems that at night he appeared to those people and he brought them to safety, he saved their lives from the storm. And meanwhile, the city of Myra was suffering from a drought, and they had a famine. And the emperor used the sword of Myra to transport the grain of wheat into Rome, but he would not drop a grain of wheat into the city of Myra. So the people were dying. So imagine grain of wheat and provision and food and everything would come to your seaport of your own country, of your own nation, of your own city. And you are in such a hunger, such as a need for medication, for instance, and you couldn’t receive any. But the transit passed through your town for the same emperor who governs your town. But the priority was laid for Rome. So St. Nicholas, it seems he appeared as he was alive still. He was alive. He bilocated and appeared in the storm. And he led those people in the sky, so like a star, to come safely and land in the seaport of Myra. And then in a day, they went to tell the bishop. They found out this bishop is actually the one who appeared to them. In return, they left their mansions of grain of wheat. Sorry, this is what we had to do. St. Nicholas, after that, followed their way, and he went to Rome himself to intercede for the people of Myra. And ever since Constantine the Emperor, every time he would bring grain of wheat from Egypt, he would stop in Myra, he would drop off some of the merchandise to feed the local people, and then the merchandise would continue its way to Rome. Another story about St. Nicholas, so beautiful, that there was this father who wanted to pay the dota, basically, for his three daughters for marriage. It’s almost like a golden lira, like a golden coin that he had to pay every time to basically prepare for the wedding as a part of the wedding exchange between two families. This is basically the price for what a person gives in worth for their daughters, as worth for their daughters, basically, into marriage. And the man was very poor. He had no wife. She had died. And the girls were orphans and they had no future. And he needed them to be married so the family could prosper. So Saint Nicholas would pass by this little house. And from a high window, he would drop a golden lira, a golden coin from the window. And the golden coin would land in the socks of this man who would be drying him by the fireplace, which was next to the window. And then the man would reach to his socks dry in the morning to wear them again and to go to work. And he would find a golden coin. And then he married his daughter. And then the same story happens again afterward with a second daughter. St. Nicholas passes by the window, drops through the fireplace another gold coin. And then the second daughter gets married. And he did the same for the third. Lots of these stories were collected and these girls were quickly married. And of course, the young benefactor was overwhelmed with gratitude as they knew that St. Nicholas was doing this. Imagine, St. Nicholas still does the same thing until today. This is my friend, the spirit of Christmas that we find in the feast day of St. Nicholas. Then we come to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, which we celebrate today.
SPEAKER 03 :
It is a holiday of obligation.
SPEAKER 02 :
It is Sunday, and we do light a candle in our candles on the four Sundays of Advent, leading us to Christmas. Now, basically, the Immaculate Conception refers to the fact that the Virgin Mary herself, as a seed in her womb, was conceived without original sin. Basically, that is, she had a human father as well as a human mother, but was special and unique in another way. um in her conception in her parents wombs she was spared by god since the beginning without original sin of course mary was enriched by god with gifts that are appropriate to her upcoming role she had to be pure she had to be sorted out by god so of the Emmanuel, for the Lord is with us. And this is a feast day we celebrate this Sunday. My friends, in your generosity like Santa Claus, in your resiliency of faith like Santa Barbara, and in our purity of heart, mind, and soul, and body like the Virgin Mary, in all of these dimensions, we are to prepare for the coming of the Lord. Are you ready? For the Emmanuel is coming. O come, O come, O come, Emmanuel. Our hearts are ready for you. And now, my dear friends, let us continue with the work of our mission of hope and mercy. I was telling you how society gets impacted around the holidays and explain to you this beautiful festivities in the life of the refugees, how the festivities, whether the social events, the food and the special culture, the special sweets, the thanksgivings, The things we do around the feast day, such as Santa Barbara, St. Nicholas, and the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. Lighting every Sunday, the light of the one candle out of the four Sunday’s candles leading up to Christmas. Opening the Christmas calendar and every day writing a verse. Not only eating the chocolate in your Christmas calendar, but also writing a verse. a paragraph inside the book, gatherer for being more generous towards one another. This is the point of our radio as we lead up to the celebration of Christmas. And in the mission of Open Mercy, I was telling you how we are doing such wonderful work with your support as our donors, as our friends and manufacturers, including with refugees. We have a house for refugees now and a guest house in Bovina and the town of Medjugorje. this is always is a small place a space a space i call it you know at the repeated request of our lady queen of peace in medjugorje and in fatima and many places in the world we’re talking about the virgin mary’s apparitions here she warns that the last battle of satan family and especially the young the sacrament of marriage, the consecrated people, and the sacrament of the priesthood, who are constantly under attack. So the mission of Hope and Mercy and its collaborators found it important to concretely address our language by creating an epicenter a home away from home, a refuge, an oasis of restoration and peace focused on the original holy family and the first Christian community as the models for nurturing, healing, joy, and peace. So we decided to establish the C-Sharp House for refugees and guests in Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina. to be a place to welcome, defend, protect, save, and promote the well-being and the healing of our most essential Christian faithful, who are vulnerable, who have become an attack. Amen. for our love, our care, such as consecrated people, priests, members, and Catholic and Christian professionals who carry Christ into our community on a regular basis. I wish that teachers, lawyers, engineers, businessmen, and people of such high value in life actually come and enjoy a wonderful and unique time of rest to practice the prayers like everyone else going to the local parish of St. James. come and experience the invitation of Our Lady to carry the five stones, to practice the five stones. You know, Our Lady here said that there is a practical way to fight against evil, against Satan, and to cling to God, and to save our salvation, to save our right in our divine kingdom, our right to be joy, our right to peace, our right to freedom, our right to build a family, our right to our sacramental life with Jesus Christ, in baptism, at confirmation, in penance, at the whole Eucharist, at the priesthood, including all the way to the end of our lives, the last rite, or the anointment of the sick. And those five stones that I already spoke about, she said, these will help in the fight against evil, against Satan. And these will definitely save the human family from vulnerability to evil. and from being broken into. And it will solidify, it will fortify, it will strengthen the ties of the human family with the divine power of the kingdom of God, with Jesus Christ. And those are basically to go to Mass and adoration as frequently and in good grace, in a state of grace. Therefore, too, we need to confess often, at least probably once a month, If not, you know, in our Christianity, we tell people it is good to confess at a minimum one time a year around Easter. But it is good to go every week to confession and to do proper examination of conscience. It’s free to practice fasting, especially on Wednesdays and on Fridays, and abstinence, meaning to abstain from eating meat and from speaking bad about one another. four to read the holy bible and meditate about the content of what we are reading and five to pray the holy rosary for the sake of peace and with those five stones You actually come to Medjugorje and trust me, you experience a unique rejuvenation, restoration, and a healing that endures in time and in space. And it stays with you and it affects your life and it does make your life much better. So this is inspired by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, St. Nicholas’ feast day, St. Barbara’s feast day, the standards of Advent, and opening the calendar. I want to encourage you again, please go online to Mission of Hope and Mercy. and give your donations. Help us to secure an income that allows us to purchase food, to purchase hygiene supplies, to establish little homes, and to bring people to safety. You have no idea. What does it mean to care for thousands of people in the most practical and concrete way to provide essentials such as food, such as medication, such as housing, such as clothing? With this, my friends, again, I want to thank you for being with me on this Sunday morning on this radio show. and let our prayer be hail mary full of grace the lord is with thee blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb jesus holy mary mother of god pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death amen happy feast day of all to all of you and may you have a wonderful and holy sunday of advent and from now i share with you the blessings and the greetings of christmas or come or come emmanuel do not forget to go online Visit missionofhopeandmercy.org and please contribute to our causes. Thank you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to 33 Minutes on the Lord’s Day. To hear previous programs, visit the show page at missionofhopeandmercy.org. Listen to Father Andre every Sunday morning at 7.30 on KLZ as he speaks on the unity of Christians, religious freedom, and the biblical foundation of Judeo-Christian values and traditions. Join him in bringing hope and freedom to people across the globe while also strengthening your own faith, family, and community right here in Colorado. Reawaken the spiritual strength of America. Go to missionofhopeandmercy.org.
