In the long sermon delivered on 1 January during the celebration of the New Year Mass in the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Damascus, Yohanna X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, stressed the expressed desire of Syrian Christians to commit themselves to the peaceful construction of “a new Syria”, hoping that the new administration will have the same desire.
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19).
On Christmas Day, the Holy Door was opened in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, starting a Jubilee that will last until the end of 2025. It will be the great theme of the year! The beginning of a new stage for the Church and the world.
Pope Francis writes movingly: the Beatitudes are “the identity card” of Christians, and portray the Master for all(EG 63). We wish to reflect first on the Beatitudes in general, and second, of Jesus as the Beatitude of God. (In two columns)