Days ago, I have been told, by close friends, that the administration of St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology, at Balamand, had decided to enjoin those who live on its campus to take the vaccine against COVID-19, in order to spend the forthcoming year in a normal manner. What did this piece of news ...

The apostle's words about the gifts of the Holy Spirit are words about the living Church in her journey to her wholeness (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11), they are enduring words to the brethren in the Church, both clergy and laity. There is no perfection in anything other than in receiving the gifts of the Holy ...

If you see anyone neglecting to obey the commandment to love, do not let him out of your sight for one single moment. Give him your faces, and try, with your friendship and your wisdom, to summon him to obedience. If he does not respond to you, do not be in a hurry to judge ...

Saint Theophanes the Recluse (+1894), who had abandoned the archiepiscopate for a monastery in order to fully dedicate himself to the ministry of the Word and to prayer, said in one of his pastoral letters: "What the Russian Church most needed, was "a band of firebrands," which would set the world on fire". How wonderful ...

Whenever I write about Lebanon, I perceive annoyed voices coming out from your end! Today, I also beg your pardon. I can understand the interests of the professional politicians, if they approach our situations in Lebanon with indignant or indifferent pessimism! However, I cannot understand that we hasten to repeat what they say, we, whose ...

I have always considered Jesus' word: "ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find" (Matthew 7:7) a prompting to the cohesion of the awareness that the generosity of God is greater than everything we ask of Him. Days ago, I found myself captivated by a new exegete who has taught ...

What do people base themselves on when they say about someone that he has "sportsmanship"? Is it that sports is a world to be morally emulated, in sacrifice, peace, cooperation and friendliness...? Let me confess to you. I have never used this expression before, in whatever context. I do not dislike sports, quite the contrary, ...

What lines do the years write on your face? They write: "Elder"! That is if you are my age, walk like me, dressed up in sports clothes, at a time I consider to be lost time, that is, at noontime. You do not always see yourself as an elder. Some of the young passers-by who ...

The joys of the ecclesial life are stronger than its sorrows. Examples for this are numerous. I will give you as an example Paul's speech in farewell to the elders of the Church in Ephesus: "also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves" (Acts 20:30). ...

Do you like traveling from one country to another? Travel, then. Travel, if you are able in these difficult days or in others. Do not leave a country you like to visit without your flying to it. However, you should bear in mind that there is a single trip, without which all your trips would ...