True Stories of Conversions

Healed by Accident

2011-12-17T18:56:00.000-08:00

April 20, 2009:

I asked the electrician to come and fix a few things in my room. The electrician came with a Muslim Syrian worker. They got into my room and began to work. I left the room a little bit, then I came back. I looked at the Syrian worker. He was dizzy. He looked like he would faint and fall down:

- What's going on with you?

- I feel sleepy.

- Is it because of the hot weather today?

- No. But this water you have here, is there a medicine in it? Is there a drug in it?

- What water?

Then, I understood. While I was outside my room, the Muslim Syrian worker took the bottle of water I had near my bed and drank from it. This water I brought from the fountain yesterday, blessed it and sprinkled inside my room. The Syrian worker drank Holy Water. He felt dizzy because all the burdens caused by evil were gone. He felt sleepy because he was filled by the Holy Spirit. Then, I explained to him that he drank Holy Water by accident.

The worker left my room saying: "There is something supernatural in Christianity."

The following day, the electrician called me saying: "Guess what, my Syrian worker has been suffering from back pain for a decade. He was healed after he drank the Holy Water.

قصة شفاء العامل السوري

في 20 نيسان 2009، طلبت من صديقأن يصلح بعض الأمور في غرفتي. فجاء ومعه عامل سوري غير مسيحي. دخلا غرفتي وبدأابالأعمال.

خرجتمن الغرفة ثم عدت لأجد العامل السوري يعاني دواراً. إعتقدت أنه سيسقط في أرضه.

فسألته: "ماذا يجري معك؟"

قال: "أشعر بنعسٍ شديد."

قلت: "هل بسبب الطقس الحار؟"

قال: "لا، ولكن هذا الماء الموجود هنا هل يوجد فيه دواء ما؟ هل فيه مخدّر ما؟"

قلت: "أي ماء؟"

وأشار بيده الى قنينة مياه قرب سريري. ففهمت ما حدث. تذكّرت أنني أخذت البارحة مياهاًوباركتها ورششت الغرفة وتركت الباقي في القنينة. فحين خرجت من غرفتي، قام العاملوشرب من المياه المقدّسة وهو لا يعلم. وبما أنه غير معمّد، وبما أنه مثقلبالأحمال، شعر بهذا الدوران وحلّ عليه الروح القدس، لذلك شعر بنعس شديد. فشرحت لهما حدث. خرج العامل من الدير وهو يقول: "هناك أشياء فائقة الطبيعة فيالمسيحية".

وفي اليوم التالي، اتصل بي صديقي قائلاً: "كان العامل السوري يعاني منذ عقدٍآلاماً في ظهره. حين شرب المياه المقدّسة، شفي من آلامه." فمجّدنا الربّ.

Mission on the Mountains

2011-11-19T19:16:00.000-08:00

MISSION ON THE MOUNTAINS

On May 4, 2006, I had an evangelical evening in aChristian house in Deir El Kamar. The mother of the house said: "Father,today we met a Druze woman. She opened her heart and told me that St. Rafqa haddone a miracle to her son." I said: "Go, and ask her if she likes tohave an evangelical evening at her house."

The OK

On May 22, 2006, we got the OK from this woman,her husband and 3 children. They want us to go and visit them in their village.

The twelve

On May 25, 2006, it was the Ascension Day. We were ready forthe mission. Some of us prayed. Others fasted. I expected more than 20Christian people to show up at my place before we go to that village, but Iprayed we would be less than that. We didn't want to draw attention in avillage that experienced massacres between Christians and Druze during the war.This is very sensitive. 12 people showed up at my place. I was the thirteenth.

Thisis symbolic: 12 = the apostles. The priest= Christ.

Jesus’ instructions

Weprayed in the chapel. I gave the instructions Jesus gave to his apostles:

"Asyou go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure thesick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you havereceived; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copperfor your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, orwalking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village youenter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As youenter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come uponit; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you orlisten to your words--go outside that house or town and shake the dust fromyour feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for thattown. Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewdas serpents and simple as doves." (Matthew 10:7-16).

Then,I added: "Do not mention Baptism or Come be a Christian. We just want tohear how God is working in their lives and we should be ready to give testimonyon how our Lord is working in our own lives."

The arrival

Wewent in three cars. We arrived at 8:15 pm at this non-Christian village. The family of 5 welcomed us.

Wesaid to them: "we are not here to take you out of your beliefs. We arehere to listen to how God is working within your family and we can tell you howour Lord is working in our lives."

Thefamily’s story

Thewoman began her story: "Few years ago, my son has had problems in hiseyes. He was going to become a blind. One night, I saw in a dream a nun wearingblack. I didn't know who would be. I took my child to the hospital. There, hehad to do a small operation as a preparation for the biggest and longest one.During the small operation, I saw a little girl wearing the same dress I saw inmy dream. After 15 minutes, I saw a man holding the statue of the same person Isaw in my dream. I asked who is she. They said this is St. Rafqa. I felt thisis a sign to ask her intercession. So, I prayed. After that, the doctors cameout amazed asking me: "were you praying? Your child does not need anymoreto go through the longest operation. Something happened." I told myhusband we should go immediately and visit the shrine of St. Rafqa. He said:"we don't know where it is". I said, we can ask and people will leadus. We arrived at Jrabta at the monastery of St. Rafqa. I entered the shrineand prayed at her tomb. I said: "If you are the one who healed my son, letme know, give me a sign." Then, I expected the candle would switched offor the rosary would move. But I heard my son crying. He said there is heat inhis eyes. I understood that was the sign given by the Saint."

The thunder of the Word of God

Then,we had a long spiritual discussion. Each one gave his testimony.

Atthe end, I distributed the gospels for each one of them. We were 18 people.

Then,I said to the woman: "Now, I want you to close your eyes, pray to the Godof Raqa who healed your son, and open this book to see what the Lord is goingto tell you."

Thewoman closed her eyes, prayed for a minute and opened the book. It was Acts22:14 and ff.

Sheread: "And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him. Then hesaid, 'The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will, to see theRighteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice; for you will be his witnessbefore all to what you have seen and heard. Now, why delay? Get up and haveyourself baptized and your sins washed away, calling upon his name.' "

Thatwas like an thunder. Most of us cried. The woman had her voice shaking and shebegan to cry. The men who came with me from Deir El Kamar had their tears onthe face. I remembered what I told them before we left the chapel: "Do notmention Baptism..." and here is the Lord is doing it his own way.

A supernatural Presence

Then,I asked the father of the house: "Now, it's your turn. Close your eyes,pray, and open this book." He had another Holy Bible. All books were new.

Theman closed his eyes, prayed, and opened the book and here is a great shock: Itwas the same passage. I asked him to re-read it again: "And at that verymoment I regained my sight and saw him. Then he said, 'The God of our ancestorsdesignated you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear thesound of his voice; for you will be his witness 2 before all to what you haveseen and heard. Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptized and your sinswashed away, calling upon his name.' "

Glorifying God

Wefelt that there was no coincidence here. There was a supernatural power who didthat.

Atthe end, I blessed their house with holy water. We prayed spontaneously andleft the village glorifying God.

Istayed three days in silence meditating on this tremendous experience. It wasreally powerful.

The Tree of Groaning

2011-11-18T19:15:00.000-08:00

THE TREE OF GROANING

Itwas Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006.I had midnight Mass. After that, Igreeted the faithful. We had chocolate and wine. Then, I went to sleep at 2:30 am in the morning.

Whileasleep, I had a dream. I saw myself talking to 3 Druze people. Then, I saw theface of Jesus with his powerful presence. He was looking at me but the 3 peoplecould not see his face. There was like a silent but very clear conversationbetween me and him. I don't know how to explain. It's like our hearts wereconversing. Then, Jesus said: "Talk to them. Show them my love." Whenhe said this, I experienced an overwhelming feeling of love towards the Druzepeople. It was like I wanted to embrace them all. Then, Jesus said: "Tellthem that I am not here to eliminate their values but to fulfill them. Tellthem that every wisdom in every religious book in every religion is not enough.All the wisdom of the world cannot give peace to man. It is just the Way of thecross that is the only true way for peace."

ThenI woke up and I forgot everything aboutthe dream. It was like it never happened.

Isaid Mass at 9:30 am forthe nuns. Then, I helped the pastor at his 11:00 am Mass. After that, I went down to the Hall to meetall the people and greet them: Happy Easter, Jesus is Alive.

Ihad a cup of wine and a piece of chocolate. Then, I left and went back to thechurch. The church was empty. I noticed a man in the shrine. He was with hiswife and his daughter (20s). The man was picking a small paper from a basketthat I set up last week. These are the sayings of Padre Pio. So, I asked theman: "What is Padre Pio saying to you?" He read: "On this eartheveryone has his cross. But we must act in such a way that we be not the bad,but the good thief. " Then, I explained Padre Pio's word. Then, I askedthem: "where are you from?" "Kfarhim" they said. “O, gosh,Kfarhim is 100% a Druze town” I said to myself. I wondered what are they doinghere in front of the Icon of Our Lady of the Hill. Then, the woman began totell me her story. She said: "We came here to fulfill a vow to Our Lady.I've been sick for so long. I had a chronic disease. My doctor told me that Imust go through a lot of surgeries. When I heard this, I got sick, feltdesperate and I prayed. Then, one night, a lady came to me in a dream. She wasbeautiful. She saw me crying. She told me not to be afraid. I asked her what Ican do? She said, go to the "tree of groaning" and you will behealed. I asked her, what is the tree of groaning? She answered, Go and searchfor it and you will find it. Then, I woke up. I asked myself the whole day,what would the "tree of groaning" be? Then, I said to myself, may beit is a Christian symbol, “Groaning=Christ suffering”. So, I decided to go andvisit Our Lady of the Hill (Saydet El-Talle) Maronite church in Deir El Kamar.That was 3 years ago. I came to this church and I prayed. Since then, thedisease disappeared completely. I was totally healed and I did not have to gothrough any surgery. Today, in this great day, the day of Easter, I told myhusband that we should go visit this Church to pay homage to Mary, and here weare, we came here."

Then,the husband said that he felt a power that brought them today to this church.

Iwas struck by the woman’s story. God gave me the gift to explain dreams, so Iexplained the woman’s dream. I told her that “the tree=the Cross” and“Groaning=Christ’s Passion”. When I explained everything, her 25 year olddaughter got encouraged and asked me: “Father, I had a dream but I couldn’t understandit, can you explain it to me?” “Sure” I said. “I saw a man dressing in white.He was shining. He was turning his back so I just saw his back. When I lookedat him (turning his back) I got scared. Then, he said to me, “You saw my backand got scared, what if I show you my face, what would you do then?”

Whenthe young daughter said these words “my face”, I remembered the dream that Ihad this morning. I remembered it very clearly. Then, I said to them, “Wait aminute, this is no coincidence you are here. This morning I had a dream talkingto three Druze, and you are three.” I told them about the dream concluding thatJesus has a message for you. They asked: “What is the message of Jesus for us?”I said: “Jesus says to you: I am not here to eliminate your values but tofulfill them.” He also says that every wisdom in every religious book in everyreligion is not enough. All the wisdom of the world cannot give peace to man.It is just the Way of the cross that is the only true way for peace.

Then,we talked for about an hour before they left with joy.

Jesusis truly alive. He is working in people's lives.

Praisebe to God.

The Rebellious Doctor

2011-11-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

In one of Michigan Jails, many inmates, areexperiencing a personal or a communal encounter with the Living Jesus Christ.Many inmates are able to say at one point “We have found the Messiah.” (Jn1:41) Based on my experience in jailministry during the last three years, I have found that most of these encounters happened:

1- through the Eucharist after an hour in HisPresence;

2- through the Holy Scriptures aftermeditating on a gospel passage;

3- through Mary by her motherly and mercifulfigure after reciting the Rosary.

Although most of the inmates arenon-Catholics, we try to teach them, in a gentle way, to pray the Rosary, toask for the intercession of the Saints, and to pray for the souls in Purgatory.These forms of popular piety were an opportunity for them to encounter theliving Lord.

And here is another story of a 45-year-olddoctor who converted in Jail thanks to Mary.

It was on December 7th, 2003, when we (the CatholicVolunteers & the inmates) had an “Evangelical

Evening”, where we gathered to read a passagefrom the Bible and discuss it together. We usually start with a prayer to theHoly Spirit. Then, we read a passage from the New Testament. We meditate on theWord of God. We raise questions and try to find answers related to each one’sexperience in life. We conclude with spontaneous prayers and a blessing. Now ithappened that day that two nuns traveled to jail for the first time and carriedwith them a six-foot long Rosary- I have never seen like this Rosary before.They sat down in circle with the inmates. One of the nuns handed the six-footRosary to three inmates and they started praying.

One of these inmates, a 45-year-old doctor,with beads in hand, began to cry and sob. Most of the eyes in the room werefocused on him and people wondered what was his story.

Herejected Mary on December 7th, 1983 in Pearl Harbor

He said, “Twenty years ago, I was on a boat inPearl Harbor. It was the commemoration of thePearl Harbor Attacks. I stood up, took the Rosary in my hand, threw it into theocean, and turned my back on God. It was December 7th, 1983 when I decided to rejectMary and God. Now today, December 7th, 2003, here is the Rosary back in my hand! It was given to meunexpectedly. I see that even if I had turned my back on Mary & God, whichled me to a spiritual bankruptcy, Mary & God would never turn their back onme!”

When the people in the Jail heard this story,they praised God. On that Sunday, the doctor/inmate turned

his heart back to Jesus thanks to Mary. A weeklater, he was released from Jail. He spent one week in Jail

for the first time in his life. But it was aspecial week where his love for Mary came back into his life.

Marydid not turn her back on him. He found Mary on December 7th, 2003

The Catholic Volunteers are eyewitnesses ofthese special encounters between the inmates and the living

Lord. Day by day, they believe in the call tobe heralds of the Good News and to carry out a special mission of building upbroken members of his Mystical Body.

قصة الطبيبالثائر

في 7 كانون الأول 2003، ذهبت في زيارة الى السجن في الولايات المتحدةالأميركية ومعي راهبتان. ذهبنا لنقيم سهرة روحية حول الكتاب المقدّس. وكانت معالراهبتين مسبحة ضخمة، لم أر مثلها قط في حياتي.

دخل السجناء الى الصالة وجلسنا في شكلدائريّ. فقامت إحدى الراهبتين بتسليم المسبحة الى أحد المساجين، ماثيو. وفجأة بدأالمسجون، وحبات المسبحة بين يديه، بالبكاء الشديد، مما استرعى انتباه الجميع.وتساءل البعض عما يجري معه. فروى لنا قصته:

"اسمي ماثيو، طبيب في العقد الرابعمن العمر. منذ عشرين سنة وتحديداً في 7 كانون الأول 1983، كنت في Pearl Harborعلى متن سفينة. كانت ذكرى الهجمات على الميناء. وقفت في السفينة، وكان عمري 25 سنةآنذاك، وأخذت مسبحتي الوردية بيدي، ورميتها في المحيط الهادئ. منذ ذلك الوقت، أدرتظهري للرب ورفضت العذراء مريم في حياتي. ابتعادي عن مريم أوصلني الى الإفلاسالروحي. واليوم، في 7 كانون الأول 2003، المسبحة تعود الى يدي. أنا رفضتها وأما هيفلم ترفضني بل عادت إليّ في وقت ضيقي."

وبكىبكاء شديداً وهو يمسك المسبحة. ومجّدنا الله لما رأيناه وعايناه.

A Tabernacle in a Muslim Woman's House

2011-11-15T00:33:00.000-08:00

قصة بيتالقربان في منزل إمرأة مسلمة

في 9 حزيران 2005، اتصلت بيإمرأة مسلمة.
قالت: "أبونا، أود أن ألتقيك في أسرع وقت ممكن."
قلت: "حسناً، نلتقي غداً. هل أنت بخير؟"
قالت: "لا أعلم. هناك نار في قلبي منذ أول الأسبوع. هناك قوة تدفعني وتقوللي: أخرجي، أخرجي وتحدّثي الى الكاهن. لا أعرف ماذا يحدث لي. أود التحدّثاليك."

ولدت هذه المرأة في الولاياتالمتحدة الأميركية. وهي مؤثرة جداً في مجتمعها. منذ سنتين عانت من مرض السرطان.فصلّت للأنبياء طالبة الشفاء الى أن صرخت من كل قلبها للمسيح يسوع في عيد الميلادقائلة: ساعدني. وقضت ليلة الميلاد ساجدة تبكي. في أثناء مرضها شعرت بحضور إلهييرافقها. فهمت أن هذا الحضور هو الله. وبعد فترة قصيرة، تبيّن من الفحوصات أن المرضإختفى كلياً. الرب استجاب دعاءها. لم يشفها فقط من المرض الجسدي بل كشف لها حضورهالحي. وما إن قامت من فراش المرض حتى بدأت مسيرة بحثها عن الرب.

التقينا يوم الجمعة 10 حزيران 2005 في مطعم. دخلت ووضعت حقيبتها على المقعد وقالت:"أشعر بنار في قلبي منذ أول الأسبوع. هناك قوة تدفعني لأخرج وأتحدّث اليك. لاأفهم ماذا يجري. أشعر بالضياع. لست أفهم أين هي الحقيقة. أفكّر بالمسيح كل يوموبشدة هذا الأسبوع." تحدّثنا حوالى الساعة شارحاً لها ما تقدّمه كل ديانة للإنسانيةوأن المسيحية لا تقدّم آلية Technique أو كتاباًوإنما شخصاً حيّاً. هذا الشخص هو يسوع المسيح، عمانوئيل، أي "اللهمعنا".
قالت مقاطعة: "ماذا؟ تدعونه "الله معنا"؟
قلت: "نعم. أراك منذهلة."
قالت: "أرسلت عدة رسائل الكترونية عبر الإنترنت هذا الأسبوع عنوانها"الله معنا". لست أفهم."

ثم تذكّرت أمراً مهماً حدث معها هذا الأسبوع، قالت: "ذهبت يوم الإثنين الىجناز صديقتي المسيحية. وهي أول مرة أدخل فيها كنيسة كاثوليكية. كان هناك سلامعظيم. جلست على المقعد في آخر الكنيسة. ثم رأيت الناس يتوجهون نحو الكاهن الذي كانيعطيهم "شيئاً". فقلت لأذهب معهم. فوضع الكاهن "شيئاً" فييدي. لم أعلم ما هذا. أخذته في يدي وعدت الى مكاني. ثم أطبقت يديّ على ذلك الشيءوأغمضت عينيّ قائلة: إن كانت المسيحية هي الحقيقة، فاكشف لي ذلك."

قلت مرتبكاً: "ماذافعلت بهذا "الشيء"؟
قالت: "أخذته "Souvenir" ووضعته في حقيبتي."
قلت: "ماذا؟"

قالت:"هل ما فعلته خطأ؟"
سألتها: "هل تعلمين ما هو ذلك الشيء؟"
قالت: "لا، أخبرني."
فشرحت لها عن سرّ القربان المقدّس. وأن ذلك الشيء هو قطعة خبز تحوّلت الى جسدالربّ."
قالت: "لم أكن أعلم أنها قطعة خبز".

ثمتذكّرَت أمراً ، قالت: "أعتقد أنه معي في الحقيبة".
قلت: "ماذا؟ أعطيني إياه فوراً".
فتحت حقيبتها وأعطتني جسد الربّ فانفتحت عينيّ وعرفت كل شيء.
الربّ كان حاضراً معنا لأكثر من ساعة دون أن نعلم. حقيبتها كانت بيت القربان. بيتالقربان كان في منزلها لمدة أسبوع.

فشرحتلها:
"لذلك كنت مشتعلة من الداخل، لأن الربّ كان حاضراً معك.
لذلك كتبت رسائل عنوانها "الله معنا"، لأن الربّ كان معك.
لذلك شعرت بقوة تدفعك للخروج والتحدّث الى الكاهن.
لذلك كنت تفكّرين كل يوم وبشدة بيسوع المسيح. كنت تبحثين عن الربّ فجاء الربّإليك. سألته أن يكشف لك الحقيقة، فأجابك. الربّ سمح بذلك لأنه يحبك".
عندما قلت ذلك بكت المرأة بكاء شديداً وقالت: "هذا أمر عظيم لا أستطيع إدراكه".

وبعد عدة أشهر لم تعد تستطيع إحتمال البعد عن يسوع. فصامت عدة أيام واتخذت قرارهاالحرّ أن تصبح مسيحية.

A TABERNACLEIN A MUSLIM HOUSE

OnJune 9, 2005,a Muslim woman called me on the phone. She said: “Father, I would like to meetyou very soon. Can we meet tomorrow?

-“Yes, sure. We can meet on Friday afternoon. Are you Okay?”

-“I don’t know. There is a fire in my heart for the whole week and I amexperiencing a power that is telling me: ‘Get out, get out’. I don’t understandwhat is going on in my life. I would like to talk to you.”

This woman was born in the USA, ofMid-Eastern descent. She is very influential in her environment. A few yearsago, she had cancer. That’s when she cried out to God with all her strength:“God, please help me.”

God answered her prayer. He not only healedher body but He also revealed to her His powerful Presence. Since then, shebecame wounded by His Love. She would seek Him everywhere. She was also insearch for the Truth because many things were disturbing her in her community.Many things she would never accept. Things around her seemed to be untrue.

Shebegan to feel confused: “Why do I feel outside of my environment?”

Otherquestions concerning the Prophet of her religion arose in her mind for thefirst time. These questions were very disturbing: “How could he allow himselfto marry more than 6 women? I don’t understand this. I feel torn apart. I loveGod but I can’t accept this. Sometimes I feel drawn to Jesus because He waspure. But I am afraid. I am troubled. Where is the Truth?”

OnFriday afternoon, we met in a restaurant.

She said: “I’ve been on fire for the wholeweek. There was a power telling me ‘get out, get out.’ I don’t understand this.I felt I needed to talk to you, to someone who is close to God. I feel confusedand troubled. I don’t know where the Truth is. I’ve been thinking of Jesus thewhole week, everyday, from Monday to Friday.

We talked around one hour, then, I explainedto her what every religion offers to humanity. I told her that Buddhism offersa technique to reach Nirvana. But even Buddha did not reach it. So, there is noevidence for its existence. Islam offers a book, the Qur’an, which isconsidered the word of God. It is like God gave this book to humanity to followand there is no more dialogue with Him. I said: “Christianity does not offer atechnique or a book, but a Person Who Is Alive. This Person, Jesus Christ, iscalled Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us’”.

WhenI said that Jesus is called ‘God with us’, she interrupted saying: “What? Is Hecalled ‘God with us’? I didn’t know that?”

-“Why, what’s wrong here?”

-“Yesterday, I wrote on my screen ‘God with us’. I don’t understand.

Then,she recalled something that happened during the week.

Shesaid: “On Monday, I went to a funeral. It was the first time that I entered a[Catholic] church. It was peaceful. I sat down on a pew. I saw people going inline. A priest was giving them Something. So I decided to go with them. Iapproached the priest. He gave me Something.

Thepriest gave me “something”. I didn’t know what was that.

-“What???”

-“I didn’t know what That was. I took It in my hand and went back to my place. Isaw a cross on that Thing. So I closed my hands on that Thing and said: “Lord,if this is the Truth (Christianity) let me know.”

-“What did you do with It?”

-“I put It in my purse.”

-“What????”

-“Why? What is wrong here? Did I do something wrong?”

-“Do you know what was the Thing that you received?”

-“No, tell me.”

I explained to her the Mystery of theEucharist in a very simple way. I did not want her to be overwhelmed. I said:“This is what Christians believe. This is the bread transformed into the Bodyof Christ.”

-“I did not know it was bread.”

Then,she remembered something.

“Ithink I have It here with me.”

-“What? Give It to me immediately.”

Sheopened her purse. She took the Eucharist in her hands and gave it to me. Iwrapped it in a cloth and placed it in my pocket.

Ihad just spent more than an hour with her without knowing that the Lord wasliterally with us. Her purse was a Tabernacle. It has been a Tabernacle in herown apartment for the whole week!!!

She asked me to explain. So I told her:

“Thisis why you have been on fire for the whole week.

Thisis why you wrote on your screen ‘God with us’, because the Lord was with you.

Thisis why you felt you needed to talk to a priest.

This is why you have been thinking of Jesusthe whole week.”

“You had a desire to meet God and God came toyou.”

I said: “You asked Him in prayer while holdingthe Eucharist “If this is the Truth, let me know” and he answered your prayer.”

“He allowed this to happen, because He lovesyou!”

WhenI said that Jesus loves her, she cried very much.

Shesaid, “this is too overwhelming.”

Isaid, “There are many things that I can see in your life, but I can’t tell younow, because you cannot bear it.”

Shesaid, “Why don’t you tell me?”

Isaid: “I don’t want to tell you everything (that the God Who is calling her canbe seen and known in Jesus Christ). I will let God work in your life. I believeHe will reveal Himself to you gradually. Don’t be afraid, you will find the Oneyou love.”

Afterthis meeting, I felt overwhelmed by this story. It is amazing how Jesus worksin people’s lives.

ThisMuslim woman has a pure heart. Therefore, she will find God because Jesus said,“Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.”

This woman prays with her heart not with herlips.

This woman is searching for the Truth with asincere heart. Therefore, she will find Jesus who said, “I am the Truth.”

She is longing for something deep. She has atremendous desire to find the Lord, but the Lord went to her house. He made aTabernacle of her purse. She carried Him with her for the whole week. Her heartwas set on fire and she did not know the Source of this Fire.

This story taught me a great lesson, thatJesus is thirsty for souls and that there are millions of people who long tofind the Lord but they don’t know where to find Him. While many of theCatholics who know where to find Him (in the Eucharist), they are still lazyand do not get up and help these souls to find the One they are thirsty for,and the One Who Thirsts for them!

At the end of June, she said to me: “I believethat the whole world should follow Jesus Christ.”

Finally, she feels peace and no more confusedbecause now she found the role model in her life: Jesus Christ.

THESTORY CONTINUES

Then,I left the USback to Lebanonfor a new assignment. She had a contract in an Arab country, So, she left the US and wentthere. In that country, she would do her work and go back to her apartment. Onthe road, she would cry asking Jesus, “Why do you make me feel what you feel,and how people are lost for they do not know you? Why? What do you want fromme?” Then, she would go to sleep and when she put her head on her pillow, shewould feel His Presence. Finally, she said to herself, “I can’t continue thisway. I have either to accept him or to run away.” So, she decided to fast for 3days, in order to take her most difficult decision. She began her fast, and onthe third day, her mother called her from the US. She said to her daughter, “Iread your horoscope. It says that you’ve been trying to take a decision forthree days. And I tell you honey, take your decision, take it my dear.” TheMuslim woman laughed at how God sometimes works through silly things. She tookher decision, went back to the USand got baptized secretly.

Herfirst night as a Christian at her parent’s house was strange. She felt a darkpresence inside the house. She couldn’t sleep. So, she went from one room toanother making the sign of the cross saying, “In the name of Jesus, get outfrom here.”

Thenewly baptized woman went back to the Arab state, joined a Christian community,and began her mission to make Jesus known to many.

Praisebe to God.

My Visit to Tommy Hamill: July 5, 2004

2011-11-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

My Visit to Tommy Hamill July 5, 2004

On April 11, 2004, I was inSt. Sharbel Parish in Warren, Michigan, when I saw Tommy Hamill on the TV. Itwas Easter. Tommy Hamill was kidnapped on April 9, 2004. It was Good Friday.

“This was out of my hand. Itrusted that God would work this out.” Tommy said.

When I saw this guy, I felt like fire in myheart to pray for his freedom. I started praying asking the Lord on his day ofresurrection to deliver this man from his captors: “Lord, as you set Peter freefrom the prison, I believe that you can set Tommy free.”

His captors said to him: “Ifyou deny your faith and become Muslim, we will offer you a woman and a store inBaghdad.” Tommy said to them: “I have my God and He has a Son and his name isJesus Christ, and I stand by my God. I am a Christian and I’ve been with mywife for 17 years. My God will bring me back to my country.”

Tommy thought about St. Peter who was inprison and how the angel of the Lord set him free.

After hearing that, thecaptors wouldn’t talk to him for three days. They were very upset.

I kept praying for Tommy, and when I heardabout the Italian hostage who got killed by his captors, I intensified myprayers: “Lord Jesus, don’t let Tommy die. Lethim experience your mercy and love.”

Tommy said to me: “I wasn’t anxious, no fear.I felt the peace of the Lord.” He felt the presence of God and the prayers ofhis family and those who love him.

One day, his captors left the room leavingtheir weapons on the table. The devil tried to tempt Tommy saying: “If you usethese weapons and kill them, you will be free.” But Tommy rejected the devil’ssuggestion, saying: “I did not come to Iraq to take lives but to do good. I amnot a soldier but a worker. I believe that God will set me free at the propertime.”

On May 2, 2004, Tommy escapedhis captors. “After hearing the sound of [the American] Humvees nearby, [Tommy]kicked down a metal- plate door propped up by a piece of wood and made astumbling dash across tomato fields with only socks on his feet. He wasshouting I’m an American, I’m an American POW and he was waving his shirt abovehis head.” (NBC News)

It was Sunday, I was in St. Sharbel ParishWarren, Michigan, when I heard the good news that Tommy escaped his captors. Itis hard to express the joy I felt that day. God answered the prayers of manypeople.

Tommy came home.

When you pray for someone, you build a strongspiritual relationship with this person.

Therefore, I decided to go and visit him. Itwas on July 5, 2004, when I went with my friend Gary to see Tommy.

Tommy welcomed us. He sharedhis story with us and I shared mine with him. I offered him the Imitation ofChrist book to be his companion in his journey. Tommy’s experience was thebeginning of a journey with the Lord. God is preparing him for something great.

Tommy forgave his captors. He would like tosee them one day. He said, “I would like to go back one day and thank mycaptors because they treated me well. They never mistreated me.”

During his captivity, he was feeling peace.His peace and his zero fear made his captors confused.

Tommy and Kelly offered usdinner. And after dinner, we prayed together in private. Kelly told me that shehad a dream on the same day her husband was captured.

Tommy came into her dream saying: “I am OK”.Kelly had another dream before he was released. He said to her: “Don’t worry,I’m gonna be home soon.” Kelly was completely at peace.

His mother had a dream weeks before he wascaptured:

“Something bad is gonna happen but everythingwill be OK.” The mother said that on Good Friday, the day Tommy was kidnapped,the very special antique clock started ringing and ringing and ringing likeChurch bells without any reason.

Tommy is a very humbleperson. He is not a preacher. He is not a minister. “I don’t know what to talk” he said. But people are moved totears when he speaks about his experience with God during his captivity. Thereis a power that comes out of him.

“Tommy, your experience isthe beginning of a long spiritual journey with the Lord. God is preparing youfor the mission in his Church.”

What we learn from yourexperience, Tommy, is to have Faith in God, to cry out to Him when we are introuble, and to trust in Him, in the way he leads us to salvation.

What I personally learned from the wholeexperience was the power of prayer. When you pray for someone, you build astrong spiritual relationship with this person.

PSALM 26 (27)

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom doI fear? The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom am I afraid? When evildoers comeat me to devour my flesh, These my enemies and foes themselves stumble andfall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart does not fear; Though war bewaged against me, even then do I trust. One thing I ask of the LORD; this Iseek: To dwell in the LORD'S house all the days of my life, To gaze on theLORD'S beauty, to visit his temple. For God will hide me in his shelter in timeof trouble, Will conceal me in the cover of his tent; and set me high upon arock. Even now my head is held high above my enemies on every side! I willoffer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and chant praiseto the LORD. I Hear my voice, LORD, when I call; have mercy on me and answerme. "Come," says my heart, "seek God's face"; your face,LORD, do I seek! Do not hide your face from me; do not repel your servant in anger.You are my help; do not cast me off; do not forsake me, God my savior! Even ifmy father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me in. LORD, show me yourway; lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Do not abandon me to thewill of my foes; malicious and lying witnesses have risen against me. But Ibelieve I shall enjoy the LORD'S goodness in the land of the living. Wait forthe LORD, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the LORD!

Spiritual Direction

2011-11-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

SPIRITUALDIRECTOR/DIRECTION/DIRECTEE

A SpiritualDirector is a person who helps another person to see God’s work in his/her ownlife, to respond to God’s Graces, and to grow into Holiness.

Spiritual Direction encourages the person toget closer to God the Father, to remain in Unionwith God the Son, Jesus Christ, and to be open and listen to God the HolySpirit.

The person who seeks Spiritual Direction is aman/woman who is going somewhere, who is beginning on a Spiritual Journey. He/she needs to talkto someone on the way: “Who am I? What do I want? Where

am I going? Will I reach my goal? What are theobstacles? Do I understand the Will of God? What is He trying to tell me? Help me find the way.”

(The person who seeks Spiritual Directionneeds to feel comfortable with the Spiritual Director in order to start Step1.)

STEP 1: WHO AM I?

First meeting: We meet in the Chapel. Wediscuss what you really need, whether you need to make only Step 1 (a GeneralConfession) or you need to make Step 1 and continue Spiritual Direction. Themost important thing in this meeting is for you to feel comfortable with thepriest. If you want to move on, then you need at least a week to prepareyourself for a General Confession. What I mean by preparing yourself is to Prayabout it and to start thinking of the first aspect of your life which you need tobring to Christ.

What is General Confession? It is to bringyour whole life to Christ in the Sacrament of Confession/Reconciliation.

It is not to tell the priest, ‘I did thisthree times, I did that four times’. Rather, it is to tell your personal story to Christ through the Sacrament and thepriest. This General Confession might be complete in one meeting or it may take three or fourmeetings. Remember what Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are

burdened, and I will give you rest.” Where canyou find this Jesus? In the woods? Yes, you can find him there. In the Bible? Certainly you can findHim there. In the Eucharist? Absolutely you can find Him there! But, will yourburdens be lifted up forever through these personal encounters with Jesus in thewoods, the Bible, or the Eucharist? Not at all. You need to encounter JesusChrist in the Sacrament of Reconciliation or confession. There, you willreceive His Forgiveness. Jesus sent his disciples to the whole World saying,‘Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain areretained."[John 20:23]. There, you will receive His Peace. When the womanwith hemorrhages approached Jesus in fear and trembling, fell down before Himand confessed everything, telling Him the whole truth, He said to her,"Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of youraffliction."[Mark 5:34]Jesus promised peace and rest for those who come to Him. ‘Come to me, all youwho are burdened, and I give you rest.’ [Matthew 11:28].

The difference between Psychological Therapy& General Confession is that the former is very helpful but

cannot give the True Peace of heart norforgiveness, while the latter can give you the inner Peace and Forgiveness of Christ, which are the centraland most needed things of every human being.

Second meeting: You start the GeneralConfession beginning from Childhood to the present time. As I said above, itmay take several other meetings. In each meeting you just need to take yourtime. Don’t worry about my time, it will be yours, because what is mostimportant to me is for you to encounter Jesus, receive His healing and forgiveness, and move on your SpiritualJourney to Heaven.

Third meeting: It will be my turn to give youfeedback showing you God’s Work in your Life, by helping in answering your mostimportant question: “Who am I?” At this time and throughout, you do not need toworry! I am not here to judge or to offend. This meeting can be the mostbeautiful and meaningful. You will receive a lot of insights concerning yourLife and Vocation. I will also tell you what to expect in your SpiritualJourney. After the feedback, I give you an Absolution, which means that yourconfession will be under the Seal of the Sacrament. Then, I will give youaround 9 days to think and pray about the next Step: “What do I want?”

STEP 2: WHAT DO I WANT?

Fourth meeting: We discuss together theanswers that you found for this question: “What do I want? What is my goal forthe next month? Where am I going?” You may have hundreds of answers: “I wantHoliness. I want to follow Christ. I want to get along with my wife. I want tojoin that Community. I want to buy a new house... whatever...” Then, I willhelp you to make priorities. We will evaluate the results of our first meetings.We agree on how often it would be best to meet. In the next meetings, we caneither focus on fighting and overcoming old habits, removing fears or obstacleson the way, and moving on; or we can focus on your Spiritual Meditations andreactions in Prayer.

STEP 3: SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Fifth meeting and on: We discuss the goals,the results, the reactions in Prayer, the obstacles, what is God telling you,the fears, the shadows of the past, new insights, new callings, your responses.All you need to do here, is to trust your experience. Trust that God is guidingyou, leading you, and preparing you for the mission. Strengthen your personalrelationship with God. Remember my friend that you are on a Spiritual Journey,like a traveler. Sometimes it gets dark and sometimes it is clear. But do notbe afraid. The Lord is your shield and protection.

GENERALCONFESSION: Testimonies

FEEDBACK& COMMENTS OF CHRISTIANS WHO EXPERIENCED GENERAL CONFESSION

L.Z. wrote:

My Thoughts about General Confession:

WhenI heard a talk by Father Antonio, I was very drawn to the idea of a generalconfession. He had spoken of anon-Catholic prisoner to whom he ministered. This man had made a general confession and as a result, had embraced theCatholic faith, along with the rest of his family. He also told of a woman that made a generalconfession. Through this, she had foundGod right in her midst. She had beenlooking for Him way up above, as if He could be found at the top of a very tallbuilding.

Inthe days following the talk, I could not shake the idea of a general confessionfrom my mind. I believe God was callingme to this. I wanted to confess in this way. Not knowing where to reach Father Antonio directly, I called the AveMaria Foundation and through them, was able to obtain his e-mail address and wecommunicated back and forth for a few days. When he told me that a general confession was different from atraditional confession because I could go back to day one and give my entirelife to Jesus through this means, I knew I must go. I had received permission from my husband tovisit Father Antonio for a couple of days.

Thefirst day Father met with me, he walked me through all the phases of my life,from birth through the present. Many tears were shed. But his kindness and lovewere a great comfort. Although I hadalready confessed these sins in previous confessions, I felt like thisconfession was “whole and completely from the heart.” Some of my previous confessions had beenbefore I had had my true conversion to a life devoted to Jesus. Even though I had sincerely confessed thesins previously, this time I was aware of the deep hurt my sins had causedJesus, and I wanted to again fall into His arms and tell Him I was so sorry. I wanted to cry at His feet; to wash His feetwith my tears of repentance. And this iswhat I did.

Thenext day we met again. Father Antoniohad made a timeline of my life and had outlined the path my sins hadtaken. He highlighted the time of myconversion and we discussed where I was headed from there. He was very loving and encouraging. When I received absolution from Jesus,through the hands of this holy priest, I felt as if I had been relieved of thegreat weight of decades of sin that kept me back from becoming truly one withJesus. I now could move forward withoutbeing dragged back by those ugly sins. They were no longer there anymore.

Ithas been one year since my general confession. As a result, I feel that I have made great strides in my quest forholiness. My prayer life is morefruitful. As I prepare for my frequentconfessions, I am more aware of the impact my sins have on Christ. I see how even the smallest of my sinsinflicts great agony on Him as He awaits His persecutors in the Garden ofGethsemane, since with God there is no time. My sins He bears as He receives the painful blows as the soldiers whipand beat Him at Pilate’s command. Mysins cause heartbreak in His blessed mother, as she watches Him trudge by onthe road to Calvary. And my sins nail Him to the cross. Yes, I partake in His suffering and death onthe cross. I, too, am there.

Thegeneral confession freed me to understand that through His unfathomable mercy,He awaits me each and every moment. Hebeckons me to come and be with Him. Hewants me to invite Him in, even if I am not a flawless receptacle. He expects not perfection from me, but onlyan honest desire for repentance.

Overand over again I am the prodigal son. Icome home to Him in the sacrament of penance, and He is always watching andwaiting; hoping to catch sight of me coming down the road. When He catches sight of me, He isoverjoyed. He throws a big party andputs rings on my fingers. He clothes mewith a new robe and kills the fattened calf. I fall into His arms. There I amhome, in His warm and loving embrace. MyGod has forgiven me.

M.H.wrote:

General Confession was a tremendous gift to myspiritual life. My husband, Tom, had died many years ago in a sudden tragic caraccident. Though I thought I had forgiven him for leaving me suddenly with foursmall children, there was still lingering fear, resentment, anger, and ahardness of heart.

After General Confession, when Fr. Antonioasked me, “Do you forgive your husband for leaving you?” I said, “Yes” and “Iforgive, God, too!” After that point, a burden was lifted off of me. I becamelighter. I was able to share with my children the good in our past lives andour shared love. The problems of alcoholism, depression, and epilepsy began tofade and a calmness settled over me. Also my prayer life improved and I wasable to ask Tom to intercede for our children and family in a deeperspiritually united manner. The things that had been hidden to me were sweptinto the light and then out the door!

K.M.wrote:

"Neverhaving heard about General Confession, I wasn't sure what it meant until Ibegan to experience it with my new confessor. Before I met him, I wasexperiencing a complete blockade in my spiritual, emotional, and intellectuallife. It seemed as though I were locked inside a small concrete cell with nowindows. All of Christ's love for me in the Church had become only anintellectual assent. I felt dead to all feeling and will and did not have thego-power to understand or escape my prison, even with the sacraments of theChurch and other spiritual practices and reading. I recognized danger onlyafter realizing that I no longer cared whether I went to Mass or not, orwhether I prayed or not. After we started General Confession, my confessorlistened to me with truly "divine patience." Without rushing me, overa period of weeks he guided me into a graduated revelation of my entire lifehistory to him, choosing scriptural passages for me to reflect on to help illuminemy own understanding as well as his. Guided by the power of the Holy Spirit,and doing his own written homework, he helped me over a period of time tograpple with the overall picture of my life. Using those scripture passages, hebegan to reveal to me an amazing parallel between the valleys and mountains ofmy own life and those of the Israelites in their wanderings during thecenturies before Christ. Incredibly, I began to see that over the years, Godwas leading me ever so slowly into my present vocation, and that His faithfullove had guided me unerringly through crucibles beyond my comprehension at thetime. This faithful and spirit-led priest was like a trail scout, leading meout of a dark and barren place into the light of God's loving kindness again."Today, my life is moving forward in the grace and calling God has givenme. I could not say that every priest or spiritual director would necessarilybe effective in giving General Confession. But this priest, with whatevercombination he has been given of natural and supernatural gifts, was able togently set me free from an inner landscape of desolation. I am learning to"make a capacity" for God's new life in Christ and am regularly inthe company of others on the same journey. May His Holy Name be praised."

G.M.wrote:

Ihad the great opportunity to experience general confession with Fr. Antonio andsince then my whole life has been put on the right track. The unimaginablegraces that have proceeded from it began continue into a most needed healingand restoration.

Aboveall, I am more reconciled with my Lord and with the people in my life who haveharmed me than I could have imagined or hoped for before this generalconfession.

Partof what was so liberating and healing about it was having someone simply giveme some quality time. I never had anyone in my whole life willing to sit withme for the time it took and listen, let alone be a compassionate guide andshare God's insights with me. Finally to have absolution - over my whole life -after giving so much thought and consideration to my entire history, has givenme the sense of complete forgiveness that I longed for with all my heart. Ihighly recommend it to everyone.

B.Cwrote:

Iam writing concerning a general confession which I did with Fr. Antonio in2003. I am 51, grew up in a largeCatholic family, and attended Catholic schools. I have appreciated the value of regular confession my whole life,although most of my confessions in recent years have been relatively short witha long line of penitents waiting behind me, or a penance service. I experienced this general confession as apowerful support and a source of hope and encouragement in my Christian life. First of all, I heard about Fr. Antonio andgeneral confession from a business associate. My friend spoke to me about this priest who met with him for foursessions taking two hours per session. Icould not remember a time when anyone, especially a priest, listened to me foreight hours. Fr. listened very patientlyto all my struggles, joys and sorrows. Then he responded to my story and expressed a number of ways that Godhad been working in my life over the years. This whole experience gave me tremendous hope that my sorrows were notwasted, and that God loves me and is leading me. It helped me to grieve the losses I haveexperienced. It also gave me confidenceand increased my resolve to listen to the Lord and to follow His will for mylife. General confession was a verypositive experience.

M.M.wrote:

[I would] like to share a few thoughts on thegeneral confession that I did with you, and I am most happy to do so. It hasdefinitely served as one of the most helpful things I have done. I had a majorconversion experience in 1992 and have received the sacraments regularly sincethen, both Eucharist and reconciliation. I had been serious in my walk with theLord. But the general confession was a gift that allowed me to grow closer tothe Him.

Theprocess was helpful each step of the way. In preparing for the generalconfession, I spent several hours in reflection and prayer before we spoke. Isketched out a timeline of significant events in my life, both in terms of sinand of grace. The time with you telling my story was, I must admit, difficultand painful, but you were most kind and helpful through this process! Althougheverything we discussed I had confessed previously, there developed (with yourskillful help) several themes that ran through my life, areas of strength, ofprofound weakness, of brokenness, of grace. I begin to feel that I was seeingmyself more clearly, and I could see how God had been patiently working with melong before I knew Him at all. I experienced a very heightened sense of Hismercy, of healing, and it made me profoundly grateful. After my generalconfession, I immediately felt like weight had been lifted from me, and Ireally believe the grace allowed me to enter a new stage in my life with God.You have helped me be more patient with my dryness, and I have more confidencethat God is working on me even though I may not feel Him doing so. (Yourcounsel from Jesus’ parables and from his experiences with the Apostles wasmost helpful here.) I also feel that I gained a better overall sense of where Iam on my journey toward the Lord, and what I could do to avail myself of Hisgrace.

TheLord has been busy with me this year, and I am so much more aware that I ambeing formed, not necessarily for “big things,” but for to know, love, andserve Him better. I attribute my movement toward God to his grace, of course,but it was delivered and magnified through the general confession.

FatherAntonio, I thank you so much for the generous gift of your priesthood and yourtime. Please promote the practice of general confession to all who want to knowJesus better, and to all who need healing (which I think is just abouteveryone). As you know, I am a psychologist, and I know a wider spread use ofgeneral confession would save many people a great deal of time and money incounselor fees. A skilled confessor is a treasure who can not only give insightand advise but can bring God’s grace to bear on our woundedness.

MayGod bless you and all the work you are doing with such talent and enthusiasm.

The Sniper

2011-11-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

thesniper

I got a call from a Catholicvolunteer in jail. She said: “Father Antonio, today I met a veteran in jail. Hesaid he had been in Lebanon for months in the 80’s. I told him about you andthat you are a Lebanese priest. I think you can help him a lot. He felt afraidwhen I said you are from Lebanon. He must have had some bad experiences overthere. Would you like to meet him? His name is Jeffrey.

- Ok, I said. I’ll try tomeet him during the week.

So I went to visit the jail.I asked the officers to bring Jeffrey to see him.

He came and sat down in frontof me.

- So, have you been toLebanon?

- Yes, I’ve been there in the80’s

- Did you fight with theMarines?

- Yes

- What was your task?

- I was a sniper of thesnipers

- Wow, so how many did youkill?

- 91 confirmed dead

- O Lord.

Then he told me stories ofhow they came down to Beirut in the parachutes at nights and how he was layingdown to earth when a Palestinian stepped over him and tried to kill him with aknife. But Jeffrey’s friend helped him at the last moment killing thePalestinian.

- So, you had a lot ofhorrible experiences over there.

- Yes

- How was your relationshipto God?

- Father, I was the only onewho did not believe. My Marines friends used to read Bible and pray, but Ididn’t. I was in Lebanon without God.

My mother used to tell meconstantly: “One day you will understand, you will feel Him (God).” But Ididn’t believe her. Instead I ridiculed her saying: “Religion is for thestupid. Religion is nothing but a drug.”

Now, Jeffrey experienced inJail the Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist. For the first time, he believedthere is God. Something powerful happened with him. He began to read the Bibleand attend our services.

Finally, one day I wasvisiting him, he said: “Father, I called my mother and told her, mom I foundhim. You were right when you said to me that one day I will meet him andunderstand. God exists.”

His mother cried for joybecause her son was lost and he was found. Her son finally found God. After afew months, Jeffrey was baptized.

Would you like to be a Monk?

2011-11-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

The Wounded Veteran

2011-11-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

الجندي الجريح

كان جيفري، 36 سنة، معمدانياً. دخلالجندية عندما كان عمره 20 سنة. أرسلته حكومته الى الكويت حيث شارك في حرب الخليجالأولى. بقي هناك 18 شهراً شهد خلالها مآسي الحرب وهول الموت.

عاد جيفري الى وطنه حاملاً في طيات نفسهجراحاً وذكريات أليمة. ومنذ ذلك الوقت بدأ يعاني الكوابيس. ذهب عند الأطباءالنفسيين ولكن دون جدوى. فبدأ تعاطي المخدرات في السرّ وأصبح رجلاً عنيفاً الى أندخل السجن.

التقيت جيفري سنة 2002 فسألني: "مازلت أحمل أثقالاً كبيرة من الماضي. كل مرة أشعر بالقلق والخوف، أدخل غرفتي، أسجدوأعترف بخطاياي للرب وأقرأ في الكتاب المقدّس. أشعر أنّ أثقالي اختفت وأختبرسلاماً. ولكن في اليوم التالي تعود الأثقال وأقلق وأخاف. ماذا أستطيع أنأفعل؟"

فأجبته: "قال الرب يسوع: تعالوا اليأيها المتعبون والمثقلون بالأحمال وأنا أريحكم. كيف تأتي الى الرب؟ أين؟"
قال: "من خلال صلاتي وقراءتي الكتاب المقدّس".
قلت: "ولكنك ما زلت تتألم من الكوابيس".

قال: "ماذا أفعل؟ رأيت العديد منالأطباء".
قلت: "قبل أن يصعد الرب يسوع الى السماء، قال لتلاميذه: خذوا الروح القدس. من غفرتم لهم خطاياهم تغفرلهم، ومن أمسكتم عليهم الغفران يمسك عليهم (يوحنا 20 : 22-23). واليوم ما زال يسوعيرسل الكهنة ليغفر للناس زلاتهم من خلال سرّ الإعتراف".

قال: "كيف يكون ذلك؟"
قلت: "إذهب الى كاهن ترتاح اليه وأجلب حياتك للمسيح وسيعطيك يسوع راحة كماوعد".
قال: "سأستعدّ لذلك".

وبعد أسبوعين، إعترف جيفري بجميع خطاياه وأخذ الحلة.

مرّت سنتان وجاء جيفري ليقول لي:"أبونا، منذ أن إعترفت بخطاياي عندك، لم أعد أعاني الكوابيس. لقد أعطاني الربالراحة التي وعد بها".
ثمّ أضاف: "أبونا، أريد أن أصبح كاثوليكيّاً".
قلت: "هل يحاول أحد الضغط عليك؟"
قال: "لا، إنه قرار حرّ".
قلت: "ما الذي جعلك تقرّر ذلك؟"

قال:"لم أختبر قط في الجماعات المسيحية الأخرى ما اختبرته في الكنيسةالكاثوليكية: سرّ الإعتراف وسرّ القربان".

وبعد أن أعطيته التعليم المسيحي، أصبح جيفري كاثوليكيّاً.

A WOUNDEDVETERAN

ASoldier in the Gulf

One of the most powerful stories of people whohad experienced the presence of Jesus in the sacraments, is the story of Jeff,a 36-year-old American Veteran.

Jeff was born in the USA, in aChristian Protestant family. At age 20, he was called to serve his Country inthe military. He was sent to the Middle Eastin 1990 where he participated in the first Gulf War. He spent 18 months therewhere he witnessed death, helplessness, and the horror of war.

A Broken Life

Jeff came back to the USA carryingwith him a wounded heart and painful memories. He suffered nightmares andfrightening dreams. He didn’t know how to cope with these painful memories. Hehad to see a lot of therapists. He tried his best to avoid thoughts about hispast in the Middle East. He even tried toavoid news on wars and conflicts. But still it was painful. He had no god inhis life, but life can offer attractive/destructive suggestions for those whosuffer: Drugs. He started using drugs in secret. He continued to suffernightmares waking in the middle of the night grabbing his wife’s neck. Littleby little, Jeff became violent. He entered Jail for domestic violence.

A Cry For Help

As a catholic volunteer in jail, I would meetdifferent kind of people for counseling, hearing confessions, saying Mass, orbringing the Lord in the Eucharist to the inmates. When I met Jeff in Jail, inAugust 2002, he was already touched by God. When people go to jail, they havechoices: to cry out to God for help or to harden their hearts. Jeff chose tocry out to God and God listened to his cry for help. It was the first time forJeff to have a relationship with God. He started reading the Bible. God senthim good people. He gave him signs. But that was not enough.

The Presence of Jesus in the Sacrament ofReconciliation

- Father, I still carry my burdens with me.Everytime I feel overwhelmed by my nightmares and anxiety I go to my cell roomand confess my sins before the Lord and read the Bible. Believe me, I feel myburdens lifted up and a sense of peace surrounds me. But the next day, my painturns back.

- my brother, Jesus said, come to me, all youwho are burdened, and I will give you rest. Come to me, where? How?

- I go to him by praying, by reading theBible.

- Do you think this is enough? You are stillsuffering from nightmares.

- What do I do?

-Jesus sent his disciples to forgive people’s sins. He said: Go, forgive theirsins. Today, Jesus is still sending his priests to forgive people’s sins. Whatwe have in the Church is confession or the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

-How can I do this?

-It is simple. Find a priest you feel comfortable with and bring your whole lifeto the Lord Jesus in this sacrament. The Lord will keep his promise: ‘I will give you rest.’

After a long preparation, Jeff brought hiswhole life to Jesus in confession. He received forgiveness. It was a powerfulexperience for him. After 2 years, Jeff told me that he stopped havingnightmares since he received this sacrament of confession. He said, ‘since thatconfession, my burdens were gone away though temptations remained. No morenightmares. It was a powerful moment in my life.’

The Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist

In December 2002, it was the first time Ibrought the Eucharist in Jail. There were around 35 inmates, men and women,most of them were non-Catholics. Jeff was among them. They all sat down in thepresence of Jesus the Eucharist. There was no need for them to read books oftheology to understand this mystery of the real presence. They just experiencedit and talked about it. Most men and women cried. They had a deep sense ofunity and peace. Many went to confess their sins. It was calm in the presenceof the Lord. For Jeff, that night was very important in his life. After a yearand a half, he said, I felt Jesus sitting beside me that night. There was astrong peace that I’ve never experienced before. There was that powerfulpresence of Jesus. It was beautiful.

As a Maronite Catholic priest, I do not pushpeople into my religion. I like to be a friend of the atheist, the Hindu, theMuslim, the Jew, of any human being. But I also like my friends to have theopportunity to taste the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

One night, Jeff came to me and said,

-‘Father,I made an important decision. I want to become a Catholic.’

-Why Jeff? Did anyone try to push you into Catholicism? Did I?

-No, no one did that.

-What was the thing that led you to make that kind of decision?

-That night, when you brought the Body of Christ from the church, I felt likeJesus was sitting beside me. I’ve never experienced that presence of Jesusanywhere except in the Catholic Church. That night, I made my decision.

Jeff started taking catechism classes. Heentered the Catholic Church in June 7, 2003.

Thank you Lord for your love for Veterans,especially for those who experienced the horror of wars and still carryingtheir painful memories. You say to all of these beloved Veterans: Come to me,all you who are burdened, and I will give you rest. Yes, Lord, you promised togive rest and peace to all those who come to you. But where? How do we come toyou? In the sacrament of Reconciliation and the Sacrament of theEucharist.

She will like it

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SHE WILLLIKE IT NOW

Itwas Wednesday June 5, 2002,when I received a call on my pager.

- “Father Antonio, there is a woman who is dyinghere at the hospital in Ann Arbor.Her family is asking for a Catholic priest to come and give her the lastsacrament. Can you please come?”

Sure. It would be the first experience toanoint someone after 10 months of priesthood. My ministry as a priest was morefocused on giving Jesus Christ to His people through the Eucharist (sayingMasses) and the Sacrament of Reconciliation (hearing confessions). I was alsooffering spiritual direction to a good number of people. I drove 15 minutesfrom home. I arrived at the hospital and entered the room.

There was a woman lying in her bed, dying. Hereyes were closed. Her family was gathered around her: the husband, the sons& their wives. They were comforting each other. I opened the book ofprayers and prepared the oil. We prayed. I anointed the woman. After thesacrament of Anointing of the Sick, I asked the family to pray with me therosary. I believe that the presence of Mary can give great comfort for thewoman’s soul.

The husband approached me as if he wasembarrassed. He whispered saying:

- “Father, my wife never believed in rosaries.She never prayed the rosary. She never liked it.”

- “She will like it now,” I said it, with myLebanese accent and a Maronite spirit.

We started praying the rosary. When we reachedthe 4th sorrowful mystery, the woman opened her eyes. The sons approached theirmother to see what was going on. They were crying, amazed.

At the end of the Rosary, I asked the sons:

- “What did you see?”

- “Her eyes were filled with peace,” one ofher sons answered.

I knew that Mary was present. I knew that shecomforted that woman. It didn’t matter whether that woman prayed the rosary inher life or not, whether she liked it or not. It doesn’t matter for Mary forshe is a mother not a judge. Mary, who was present under the cross at themoment of Christ’s death, is also present at the moment of our death. This iswhy we pray: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hourof our death. Amen.

Jesus was there

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قصةالمسيح داخلالسجن

كنت أزور المساجين في تشرينالثاني 2002 في الولايات المتحدة الأميركية، حين جاء أحد المتطوعين الكاثوليكقلقاً.
سألته: "ما بك؟"
قال: "هناك قس إنجيلي عظيم يجذب المساجين. يبدو أنه موهوب".
قلت: "هذا أمر جيّد. دعه يعمل".
قال: "أبونا، ماذا نستطيع أن نعمل ككاثوليك للمساجين؟"
قلت: "لست شخصاً كاريزماتيكياً. واللغة الإنكليزية هي لغتي الثانية".صمت برهة ثم قلت: "لماذا لا نأتي بالربّ الى السجن؟"
قال: "عمّ تتحدّث أبونا؟"
قلت: "إذا كان ذلك القس الإنجيلي يصنع العجائب في السجن، فلماذا لا نأتي بسيدالعجائب؟"

قال: "كيف يكونذلك؟"
قلت: "نأتي بالقربان المقدّس. سترى كيف أن الرب الحاضر في القربان أقوى منمئات القسوس".

في 22 كانون الأول 2002، دخلالقربان المقدّس لأول مرة الى السجن. كان الرب حاضراً والأبواب موصدة. تجمّعالمساجين، رجالاً ونساء، معظمهم غير كاثوليك وغير معمّدين، وجلسوا في حضور القربانالمقدّس. حضور الرب فرض جوّاً مختلفاً لم يختبره المساجين من قبل. شعروا بسلامعميق وباتحاد مع بعضهم البعض. إختبر الجميع أنهم خطأة واستطاعوا رؤية أخطائهم فبكىالعديد منهم في حضور القربان المقدّس وشعروا بدافع قوي للإعتراف عند الكاهن.إختبروا أمراً لم يعهدوه من قبل: إنهم خطأة ولكن محبوبون جداً. إختبروا التواضعوالإنسحاق والقدرة على الإقرار بالخطايا.

منذ تلك الليلة المباركة، عشرات من المساجين طلبوا دخول الكنيسة الكاثوليكية. وحديعمّدت خمسين شخصاً إختبروا حضور المسيح الحيّ في القربان المقدّس. وكان المساجينيرددون: "لقد كان الربّ حاضراً فعلاً".

JESUS WASTHERE

It was acold night in December 2002, when a warm presence was experienced by manydesperate inmates in one of the Michiganjails.

It was night. I went to the jail and met many inmatesin a one-on-one visit. I tried to do my best by listening to their problems,comforting them with the Word of Life, and praying with them. I was going tocall the last inmate on my list, when a Catholic volunteer rushed into my room,looking a little bit anxious.

- What’s going on Bob?

- Fr. Antonio! There is a powerful Protestantminister in this jail who is attracting many inmates. He seems to be verycharismatic.

- That’s fine. Leave him. Let him do his work.

- Father, what can we do as Catholics for theinmates?

- Bob, listen. I am not a powerful charismaticperson. I do not speak in tongues or walk on waters. You know that English ismy second language while Lebanese is my first. You know... (a moment ofsilence) why don’t we bring the Lord Himself to the inmates?

- What are you talking about, Father?

- If this powerful charismatic minister isperforming miracles in jail, we can bring the Lord of miracles, the LordHimself, the Eucharist!

- How can we do this?

- First, we ask permission to have a servicein jail on Sunday nights. Second, we bring the Eucharist into the Jail. Weprepare Readingsfrom the Bible along with pertinent meditations. The inmates can then prayspontaneously. They can also go to Confession.

At the end, I can give them a Blessing withthe Eucharist. You will see how the Lord in the Eucharist is more powerful thanhundreds of charismatic Protestant or Catholics ministers!

December 22, 2002 was a most incredible day for thisprison. It was the first time, in the history of this jail, when Jesus theEucharist entered that place. The doors were locked. Inside there were 35inmates (men & women) sitting on chairs in one room. Most of them werenon-Catholics or not even baptized. I tried to explain to them about thepresence of the Lord in the Eucharist. Now, there was one inmate called Jeffrey(never baptized- his grandfathers were Baptists) who missed the previousteaching about the Eucharist. He came late, but he still participated. He satdown and something (Someone) captivated him.

In the presence of Jesus, most inmates wept& cried. Many of them experienced humility & peace, while many othersfelt convicted & confessed. It was a very powerful night and there wasexperienced a tremendous sense of peace. That was a sign of the Messiah’sPresence.

A few days later, I visited the jail, callingJeffrey to meet him one-on-one. He came and sat down on his chair, looked at meand said:

- Fr. Antonio! You know... That evening wasvery powerful! I was sure that Jesus was there.

- What?

- Yes, I was sure that Jesus was there. I haveno doubt about it!

- What do you mean by this? Can you explain?

- I don’t know how to explain it, but I feltthe Presence of Jesus. It was the first time I ever felt His Presence that way.

We talked for about twenty minutes and thenJeffrey asked me:

- Father! I have a question for you! What wasthat thing (the Eucharist) you were bringing out of that other golden thing(the Monstrance)? I didn’t tell Jeffrey that this “thing” was the Lord Himselfwhich he felt that night. I knew he could not bear it at that moment. I toldhim it was the Consecrated Body of Jesus that I brought from the Church.

Jeffrey absolutely knew that Jesus was there,but he didn’t know that this Jesus was in the Eucharist in a mysterious way. Hefelt the Presence of the Lord, although he didn’t know that the BlessedSacrament was the Source of this Presence.

Jeffrey, who had never been baptized, decidedthen to become a Catholic. He went through the Catechism Classes as apreparation for Baptism. I Baptized and Confirmed him in April 26, 2003. On that day, Jeffreywas able to received the Body of Christ.

In 2003 alone, I Baptized & Confirmed 31inmates: thanks to God’s Grace, the Eucharist, and the effort of the Catholicvolunteers who prepared all of them through the Catechism Classes.

Ministry in Jail

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Christmas in a Barn

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My First Assignment: USA

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My Ordination on August 11, 2001

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Comic Book

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Stories in the USA

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Written byFr. Antonio Elfeghali
Illustratedby Camil Allam

Edited byElizabeth Zagar

Firstedition, 2008

No part ofthis book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by anyinformation storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from thepublisher.

Printed inthe U.S.A.

True Stories of Fr. Antonio

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