In this compelling episode, we delve into the inspiring story of Father Andre, who survived the Christian massacres in Lebanon. Now dedicated to promoting religious freedom, Father Andre works to keep God in the public sphere. His journey from a life of peril to a mission of hope and mercy offers a profound blueprint for living with religious conviction and purpose. Alongside his narrative, discussions with other religious leaders reveal ongoing challenges facing the Church and the necessity for faith-led action.
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. It keeps me up at night.
SPEAKER 01 :
Trust me, it keeps him up at night too. It keeps him up at night too.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I know. I know. If there’s anyone with a fire in his heart for the world to know the truth, it’s Father Oldman. I know that. But I only live for the salvation of souls. It’s the only reason Christ came. And so my problem, not my problem, but my… Ongoing question, which I’ll never have an answer to, is not why the world doesn’t believe. I know that. I know that. I didn’t believe for my life, half my life. It’s why I do. That’s my mystery. How come I believe? How come I believe? Sometimes we have people here and I say, I deserve hell. You, mother? No, you don’t. Yes, I do. You don’t understand human nature and why Christ came. Of course I deserve hell. Why I’m not going to be in hell, if that’s the case, is the mysterious love of God that we have no answer for this side of heaven. Why us? Why did he pour his love on us and not others? Well, he did pour his love on others. Well, then why do we respond in others? I don’t know. Our ability to thank you, the Mass says, is it itself your gift. I live 24-7 for the world to be saved, and I can’t, I have to deal with the fact that God has not allowed me to bilocate. I have to deal with that, because here I am. I know, I want at least two of me, so one can sleep and one can work. No, so I could be in Texas and Los Angeles and Brooklyn at the same time. Okay. It’s painful for me. And so since the day, even as a Protestant, I gave my life to Christ. I was a Martian on planet Earth the next day. And I said to God, why’d you leave me on Earth? Why? Why didn’t you take me to heaven? And I was never able to come up with an answer to tell people about him. So I love you, Father Altman. I utterly agree with your heart. I agree with everything you said. But figure out how to change a few words.
SPEAKER 01 :
Mother Miriam, if we were to take my spiritual experience with Father Altman, and I intentionally ask him about his evaluation of 2025. You know, sometimes in our mystical life, that’s my experience. due to the exposure of the problems that we suffer from, the betrayal, the treason, we know the value of the church, right? I mean, your message, Father’s message, the message of the Holy Father yesterday for Christmas, he said, I wish all the nations will do like what they did in 1914, meaning live without arms, live without war, just let the world be without war for 24 hours, right? I think Father Altman, in my spiritual experience with him, I know him as a spiritual brother from distance and pray for him. It’s like a general in the army who’s seen the battlefield and there’s a lot of butchering going on. He sees the consequences, but then he never thought probably that we have to deal with more betrayal. So how can we fight the enemy? And the expression beyond, of course, the cultural linguistics and his choice of words is still valid, is still valid. The content of what he’s watching, what he’s observing, and it hurts. That’s why I was saying, I don’t think he even sleeps at night. Because I know he loves the church. I know he loves the Holy Father. He loves the seat of Peter. He loves the bishops. He loves, you know, how can we, what can the other priests do? This was my question before the last question. What is our message to the priests, to the clergy, consecrated men and women in their parishes at this Christmas? How much longer can they go seeing the harm being done internally and seeing the Father’s eating up their children in the church, literally almost. I mean, look, we have a problem. And we urge the Holy Father, we come to him with the fullness of obedience, tell him, be our father, stop the weaponization of the abuse of office of those bishops, whoever those are. And I don’t know, what’s your message taken in sincerity that the content of what Father Altman is talking about
SPEAKER 04 :
is actually a reality unfortunately we’re experiencing in the church we’re not in the same right and and father altman i might um be a little bit jealous because when you say the things you do i have to figure out how to say them you’re right on You’re right on. And I said, yes, I think that’s true. You’re right on. So you say it any way you want to say it. It’s okay. Then you can say it as a general in the army, but you’re right on in those things. And Father Mahana, what I would think for the message for the church, My take of 2025, I agree with Father Altman. He knows more about the situation in Ireland than I do. But it is as heartbreaking and heart-rendering as ever. Because I agree. The first one I heard say this, Father Altman, Father Leo is worse. We knew more clearly what Pope Francis was. Pope Leo, I see as almost dangerous because you said he’s got a beautiful smile. He has a nice way of doing things. And he is going to, he said he’s going to keep the Latin mass, but we all have to adjust to become together. Well, that means changes. You don’t have to change the mass that’s perfect. right and it as it is i mean you you just everybody is going to be a happy family and and believe nothing essentially um it and every bishop he appoints down to this last new york and detroit and whatever else every bishop is open to lgbt same-sex unions yeah uh whatever else and i think you’re putting bishops who don’t believe the faith, in charge of teaching millions of sheep and leading them to hell. Every single bishop without fail. All you have to do is put in the bishop’s name and a search engine, plus LGBT, and they support it. It’s made me physically ill.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, you’re absolutely right, Mother. And Hicks is a fine example. Hicks, another one. They’re all. And here’s the thing. We could say, well, some of them, unlike, say, Wester of New Mexico, you know all about him, right, from Santa Fe? um okay the short story uh he’s the one there’s a priest that left the priesthood for 28 years from that diocese goes out to san francisco marries a guy for 10 years during that 10-year period that guy he married marries the second guy so there’s like three at one time he eventually divorces a guy he comes back to santa fe archbishop wester who’s one of the two chief uh spiritual directors for the AUSCP. You know all about them.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I know them.
SPEAKER 07 :
He’s one of the two spiritual directors for it. And Michael Hitchborn did an incredible expose. I just was reading about it again today. We establishes him, reappoints him as a priest. This guy who’s been married. Pure evil. This is pure evil. And then, oh, it gets worse. He makes him pastor of a parish with, I think it’s an elementary school. So against all safe environment. Then he appoints him, get this, he appoints him as the defender of the bond in the marriage tribunal. Between a man and a woman, he appoints him the defender of the bond. And then they start living together in the same rectory. Okay, I could make this up. You couldn’t even make that up, right? So when you see people like Wester or John Stowe in Lexington, Kentucky, I think it is, who flies the flag above God’s cathedral, and there are 300 bishops in the United States, and every single one of them condemns, how do you like that word, condemns themselves by failing to publicly admonish and correct. Those are works of mercy, instruct the ignorant and modest.
SPEAKER 04 :
You’re right. God doesn’t condemn them. They condemn themselves.
SPEAKER 07 :
They condemn themselves by virtue of not speaking up and speaking out against that absolute apostasy. And the reason they don’t is because like 88% of them are homosexuals too, right? So they won’t say anything because then the other people will say, well, what are you talking about? You’re just as, you’re just as… bad or good as me. We’re in the same boat. That’s why nobody’s speaking up and saying anything. And the one bishop who finally did was Bishop Strickland. Because they know that the handful that might have the guts to say something won’t. So they condemn themselves, every single one of them.
SPEAKER 04 :
Father Andre, you said, what is my thought or message and our thought or message for the shepherds of the church?
SPEAKER 01 :
Right, the clergy, the consecrated, the bishops, our Holy Father.
SPEAKER 04 :
I would beg you all. The word is beg. There’s no other way. Paul said, I beg you by the mercies of God to present yourselves a holy and acceptable sacrifice, which is your reasonable service of worship. I would beg you all, bishops and priests, to be who you are, to live the vows of your ordination, to always wear your clerics, to wear cassocks, and to be who you are. And if you are, I try to put myself in your shoes, which is impossible. And I’m thinking I have a whole flock. I’m a bishop. I have a whole flock, let’s say. I won’t because I’m a woman. But I have a whole flock. Well, wait a few years, Mother, because… Oh, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. Well, I have a story for you there. I have a flock, and if I speak out, I’ll be removed. And I won’t be able to help them. What do I do? Do I stay and keep quiet so I could lead them? I say you do not. I say you speak out. Yes. Yes. And leave the consequences to God. Exactly. Bishops, that’s why you wear red. No, you must speak out. It was Edmund Burke who said the only thing needed. Yes. more evil to persist is for good men to stay silent. You must absolutely must speak out. And I, I want to say as far as to say shame on you, if you don’t, if you’re afraid, shame on you, do it anyway. You’re human.
SPEAKER 07 :
No, don’t be a coward. Look at what he just posted, Mother Earth. Do you see that? What did he put? We must not worship. We must worship Christ, not Mother Earth, not icebergs. That’s a direct slam against Leo. I’d give that a block of ice.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, I saw that. Oh, my goodness. Yeah, I know. But you know, there’s nothing wrong with being afraid. If you’re not afraid, you can’t be a hero. There’s no courage.
SPEAKER 01 :
Mother Miriam, Father Altman, we sound like people with a severe PTSD in 2025. Do we have good memories in 2025 that we could talk about? like good something to show me a short list about 15 minutes to think of one yeah right there you go thank you you know i hate to say my friends but i have only six minutes left so if you have yes and uh we want you to i want you to ask me because you did give me a list i was supposed to speak to right um and you spoke about actually most of it except that your favorite family traditions for food for food and prayer in the family around christmas
SPEAKER 07 :
That’s really a fun question, thank you. I mean, it can get very discouraging if we just keep recounting. We have to recount the errors so that the faithful out there know they’re not crazy, and we genuinely are trying to keep the one holy Catholic and apostolic truth. But part of that is in the reason why we have these family traditions is because Christ came in the first place. And amongst those, and whenever he met with people, he was always sitting down to eat with them. So surely some of the best memories always revolve around that table where we take a special effort. There’s candles. It’s like decorated with red and green flowery looking candles. tablecloths. You see, I’m not the one that does this because I enjoy it when it happens. But my mother has a way of making cranberries. Wisconsin is like the cranberry capital of the world. We get these cranberries and she makes them. I don’t even know. I guess, you know, here’s something beautiful. Kate, can I give you a beautiful 2025 memory? So, you know, my dad passed away September 16th. Oh, I’m sorry.
SPEAKER 04 :
And also your mom is doing poorly. We know that.
SPEAKER 01 :
I’m so sorry. My friends, pray for the mother. Pray for the mother of Father Altman, please. For her recovery, for her good health.
SPEAKER 07 :
there’s nobody cooks like your mom right so i went about there’s like four things that are my favorites and uh i went about taking my cell phone and going step by step as she’s making something so i have it permanently recorded with her in it i i’ll be heartbroken to watch it But there will come a day when I’ll have to, I want to eat my mom’s favorite, the food she makes for me, and I’ll have to make it myself. Now I know how. Well, the cranberries is one of the things I need to video. It just dawned on me because I don’t know how she does it. Anyway, that’d be my favorite food at Thanksgiving and Christmas. She makes those.
SPEAKER 04 :
I have a memory from 2025, Father. Yes. The best of all. When everything is well, you know, one psalmist wrote, or it’s in Proverbs, don’t leave me so destitute that I have to beg, and don’t give me so much that I forget that I need you.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 04 :
And the best thing from 2025 is that the worst things get, the worst things get, the more precious and solid is the word our Lord gave that he will build his church, that he will lead it into all truth until the end of time, and that the gates of hell won’t prevail against it. That assurance through all this utter mess yes god is allowing he’s allowing i don’t know why he’s allowing it but it’s his business that he allows it uh i trust him for whatever happens and it’s our part to live our faith and be lights in the world through this present darkness knowing that our lord is coming and that we have the privilege in the catholic church um of really living if we If we enter into it, the liturgical year and every feast remind us not just that he came, but that he’s coming again and that hope does not fail.
SPEAKER 01 :
That’s beautifully said, Mother Miriam. Both of you, I want to tell you about my memory and a song, a very short song that I recorded years ago. It’s in English. You’re going to hear it, but then it’s going to tell you about my memories for Christmas when I was a child.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, good.
SPEAKER 01 :
Go ahead, Alicia.
SPEAKER 06 :
Christmas changes things as his angels sing. Christmas changes things for his way to peace. Christmas changes things that makes bright dawn.
SPEAKER 05 :
To one who thirsts Christmas comes again When we cover the naked Inspired by love Christmas comes again When we dry all the tears In another’s eyes Christmas comes again When we fill other hearts With hope from above Christmas comes again Christmas change of things Ain’t nothing too long Christmas change of things Earth hears angels’ songs Christmas changes things War gives way to peace Christmas changes things Love makes right our wrongs When I win back a friend with a gentle word Christmas comes again When the spirit of vengeance within me dies Christmas comes again When all hardness of heart has been turned to love Christmas comes again When partaking of God to His love I rise Christmas comes again Christmas changer things, age melts into love. Christmas changer things, earth hears angels love is
SPEAKER 07 :
A beautiful father, so beautiful. You know, I remember when I saw you singing that one song and I said, is that you? And it was. Father’s an opera singer. Yeah, he’s very gifted. That is beautiful.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, your sound is off, Father. Mine? No, Father.
SPEAKER 01 :
I have a confession to make to both of you. I hide behind Father James’s righteous, tough, strong language because he expresses the pain that is in my heart. And I’m sure there are many priests and many bishops, most likely deep down, who are aggravated and they like to show. So, Mother Miriam, you’re right about what you said earlier. You’re jealous of Father Altman by means that what he’s saying, his expression, he’s taking a lot of courage.
SPEAKER 06 :
Because here’s where my memory comes, you know, for more than a decade,
SPEAKER 01 :
We, as a Mission of Hope and Mercy, you know, I could have been, I was rector of a cathedral, I was secretary general of a diocese, I had the personal files of all the priests in our aparchy, including the current bishop, as a matter of fact. And I left everything. I had the presidential scholarship from St. Louis University for $160,000. And I was able to establish a chair for Maronite studies at St. Louis University in the historical theology department. And all of a sudden, something crazy happened to me, and I left all of this. I think the Lord blinded me a little bit to take me to a route that was never my choice. I never thought I’d end up in a way the way I ended up. But when we, by God’s grace, founded the Mission of Hope and Mercy, and for decades the Mission of Hope and Mercy worked together with the sorrow of the people of Lebanon. Thousands of children received gifts, 75,000 people received food for 10 years, and hundreds of people received medicine, and people received a lot of aid, really. And then about a month ago, when I got hit hard by that persecution, which just like came out of the blue from two fathers in the church, two bishops or two, whatever you may want to call them. With all due respect, I renew my unity to their seats. As a matter of fact, it hurt me. It ate up at me because I know it’s a lie. I know it’s not right, but I couldn’t say anything.
SPEAKER 03 :
I don’t know what the issues are, but you could ask Father Alban, he’ll call them.
SPEAKER 01 :
I know, I know, I know he will call them. But the injustice, the injustice definitely hurts a human being. When we were children, this hymn that you just heard was composed after Christmas in 1979 after the massacres in south of Beirut in a Christian town of Aldamur. over 800 families were massacred by the knife. And whoever is left came to the church. And at night, the priest who was with them, Father Labaki, did Eucharistic adoration, and they all went to confession. They started saying their sins. And the Druze were coming into the church of Our Lady, and the people did not… have any capabilities anymore. A lot of people were dead at the homes and whoever was left in the church made their acts of contritions, adored the blessed sacrament, and they made active, active act of pardon. They decided to forgive the Druze for coming to kill them. And I was a child and this was like, you know, in our areas, we lived with those stories every day. And around midnight, believe it or not, around midnight on Christmas Eve, Two Christian falanges from the Lebanese forces break to the church. They had spent weeks opening, digging a tunnel from the sea, from the sea all the way to the church while the people were being massacred in the village and hiding in a church. And they succeeded delivering at least the children and women. And the elderly decided to stay back and they were massacred, of course. So this hymn of Christmas changes things. I do not want to cry, but this is foundational for the mission of hope and mercy, why we do what we do. When I see bishops just given a free insult and manipulation to truth and not really saying the truth, about the good work that you do in your life. The testimony that we try to live with Jesus Christ, of course it hurts, but we have different ways to respond. And in my memory and my response would be, continue persistently to do well, to do good, do good. in this earth because this is the only way we keep the light of Jesus Christ shining. I just wanted to share this with you both because for me, the best memory in 2025 is that, you know, you’ve given me the dignity and the honor to believe me, not treating me as a stranger, not seeing me as a monster, not seeing me as a renegade. Could you believe it in America? We found a religious nun, a mother, and we found a priest and a bishop like Bishop Strickland. who stands by those priests who suffer, by those nuns who suffer, by the consecrated people who suffer, and tell him, hey, I’m never going to leave you. I’m there for you. In 2025, I have seen the presence of God. Every time Felicia sends me a message telling me, Mother Miriam is on, but she wants you not to go over one hour. Father Altman is on, but they want you not to go for one hour. And I keep promising them. I keep telling them, I’m not going to go over an hour on our show, but you guys are… You can’t help it. We can’t help it. We can’t have enough of you both. So I want to thank you because the gift in 2025, you are the dew of mercy. You are the dew of love. You are the dew, that fresh dew that we see in the morning that the Bible always speak about that renovates the life inside the dry leaves in nature and gives it life. So I think if this is to encourage you, I do want to encourage you to continue and to mature in the suffering so we can reap the fruits of joy and of redemption.
SPEAKER 04 :
May I tell you a very quick story? I’m always interrupting. That’s just because I’m a Brooklyn Jew. I don’t know why I do that. Could I tell you a quick story?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 04 :
Father, it’s a true story. You talk about suffering. during the Nazi era, World War II, and there were a bunch of Christians hiding in a church, and the Nazis came in, two soldiers with rifles, and he said, okay, everybody in this room is dead unless you want to leave. If you leave, you deny Christ. All you have to do is deny Christ, and you can leave. And some people left. And there was a small group, I don’t know, between 10 and 20 left, And they said, OK, this is the last. If you want to leave, this is the last opportunity you can leave. I think one person left and they locked the doors and they came and they sat down and they put down their rifles and they looked at the people who wouldn’t leave and said, We want to know what it is to be a Christian.
SPEAKER 01 :
You made me cry.
SPEAKER 04 :
Never give up. Never be unfaithful. Always be true.
SPEAKER 01 :
That’s a true story. Father James, go ahead. Your comment, your prayer.
SPEAKER 07 :
Okay. I can’t improve on that. So shall I just pray the Angelus?
SPEAKER 01 :
We’re going to pray the Angelus. I’m going to bring the bell. But before you conclude, turn your head a little bit away and tell the people about the infant of Prague behind you. Because I always see, no matter what you do and every podcast you are in with people, the infant of Prague and Our Lady. Who is the infant of Prague? Could you tell the people in the spirit of Christmas?
SPEAKER 07 :
That’s a very old statue that was given to me. And I have been to Prague in the most extraordinary divine providential… things happened when I went to visit the infant a private short story is that I think the church was burning and somehow that did not burn but his hands did it’s I think if I’m recalling correctly now we’re supposed to be his hands and so countless miracles attributed to the veneration of the divine infant of Prague. And, and when you go there, if you go there, it’s a, there’s Carmelite church, as I recall, it’s on Carmelitsky or something like that is the name of it, the actual name of the street. And there is a, they, uh, as you would with the priest with your vestments for the seasons. They have similar vestments for the divine infant. So I only have one. Anyway, a beautiful, a beautiful story of a miracle. And so just look it up. Just, you know, do your homework. That’s what I do every single day. I do my homework hours a day. I’m doing my homework on the faith. So yeah, and that’s our Lady of Fatima back there, and I’ve been there a few times. Just memories, reminders of God’s divine intervention. It wasn’t just 2,025 years ago. He intervenes daily if we are open to His grace. He intervenes in our very lives that can turn, like you were saying, Father, changes lives. bad into good, evil into good. So, yeah, that’s why those statues are there to remind me to keep the faith, precisely because it’s God’s intervention.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, I’m gonna move out of the picture. This is the Holy Altar and the candles are lit in honor of Our Lady. I’m gonna just ring the bells. So I move, you pray the Angelus and you wish everybody, we wish everybody the merriest, merriest Christmas. Mother Miriam, I look forward to seeing you in person, I hope. Oh, that would be a dream. Really, for me too.
SPEAKER 04 :
Do you know Father Nabil Nouanis?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yes, absolutely.
SPEAKER 04 :
I love him. I absolutely love him. We know each other. He’s a beautiful, beautiful priest. I’ve been meaning to ask you.
SPEAKER 01 :
He’s another mystic as well. He’s another monk. In his soul, in his work, he’s a monk.
SPEAKER 04 :
I love it.
SPEAKER 01 :
And he’s devoted to Our Lady as well. He did a lot on the Maronite heritage in the U.S. as well. Yes. A very good priest, by the way. Yes. So, Father Altman, I’m going to move out of the way. You lead us in a prayer. And then Felicia is going to conclude with a message from the Mission of Hope and Mercy.
SPEAKER 07 :
In knowingly, Patrice and Phileas were decided to marry. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. She was saved by the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with me. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
SPEAKER 04 :
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
SPEAKER 07 :
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
SPEAKER 04 :
Be it done unto me according to thy word.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with me. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
SPEAKER 04 :
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
SPEAKER 07 :
And the Word became flesh.
SPEAKER 04 :
And dwelt among us.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
SPEAKER 04 :
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Pray for us, Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
SPEAKER 07 :
Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ thy Lord was made known by the message of an angel, may by his passion and cross be brought to the glorious resurrection of the same Christ our Lord,
SPEAKER 06 :
Amen.
SPEAKER 07 :
May Almighty God bless you all. Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Todah. Todah. Todah. Todah. That’s thank you in Hebrew. Yes. And Merry Christmas, everybody. Thank you, Mother Miriam. Thank you, Father James. And joy to the world. The Lord has come. Let earth receive her kingdom. Amen.
SPEAKER 02 :
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.
