News

Good Wishes for Christmas 2018
and the New Year 2019

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will towards men...I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day...a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2: 14, 10, 11)

This was the first notice of the good news of the Feast of the Nativity, brought by the heavenly angels on Christmas night, addressed to the shepherds of Beit Sahur and Bethlehem, and through them to the whole of humanity – to each man and woman in every time and place.

Looking at this first announcement of Christmas good wishes, we realise that God is taking the initiative and sending us the first good wishes for Christmas and the new year.

This note from God contains good wishes for peace, joy, health, happiness. This is God himself, for he is both the author and the content.Jesus offers us this New Year present. He asks us to append our signature, especially to its content. Thus, God’s initiative precedes ours, “for in him we live and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17: 28)  He loves us!

The words of God are true and effective, unlike human words, wishes and promises. God promises, and realises his promises, and fills us with his visible and invisible, known and unknown gifts. Our happiness in this year 2019 is to live with him, through him and in him. The programme for this year is summed up in Jesus’ Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed...happy. Happy!” This blessedness or happiness is the will of God, his note of good wishes for the feast to us all.

Be happy!

Happy Christmas Feast! Happy 2019! Happy life!

Patriarch Em. Gregorios

P.S. My postal address is: The Social Centre Dar al Inaya Salhieh, Saida P.O.B. 17 Lebanon - Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Teachings of Christ

“Whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33 ESV)

Catholic World News

21 September 2019

Forum 18 News

21 September 2019

Exaltation of the Cross

Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance; * grant victory to Your Church over her enemies * and protect Your commonwealth by Your Cross. (Troparion - Tone 1)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Willingly lifted up on the Cross, O Christ God, * bestow Your compassions upon the new commonwealth that bears Your name. * By your power grant joy to Your Church, * granting her victory over her enemies. * May she have your Cross as the weapon of peace * and the invincible ensign of victory. (Kontakion - Tone 4)

The Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14th.

Random Proverb

"The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin." (Proverbs 10:10 ESV)

Pray Without Ceasing

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Wisdom from the Church Fathers

When despondency seizes us, let us not give in to it. Rather, fortified and protected by the light of faith, let us with great courage say to the spirit of evil: "What are you to us, you who are cut off from God, a fugitive for Heaven, and a slave of evil? You dare not do anything to us: Christ, the Son of God, has dominion over us and over all. Leave us, you thing of bane. We are made steadfast by the uprightness of His Cross. Serpent, we trample on your head." 

St. Seraphim of Sarov