Deir Maryam el-Adhra, Souleymanié, région du Kurdistan irakien

Lettre aux amis de la Communauté al-Khalil

23 novembre 2012

Chers amis,

que cette lettre vous trouve tous dans la joie et la paix de vos familles, de vos occupations, dans la paix du Seigneur.

Deir Maryam el-Adhra, Sulaymanya, Regione del Kurdistan, Iraq

Lettera agli amici della Comunità di al-Khalil

23 Novembre 2012

Cari amici,

speriamo che questa lettera vi troverà tutti nella gioia e nella pace in famiglia, nelle vostre occupazioni, la pace del Signore !

Deir Maryam el-Adhra, Sulaymaniah, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Letter to the Friends of al-Khalil Community

November 23rd, 2012

Dear Friends,

A thought:

11 October it was fifty years that the Second Vatican Council began. It was the effort of the Church of the twentieth century to consider its past, its present situation and project itself into the future. Exactly because of these three tasks Pope John XXIII called it a pastoral Council. It was however one of the first times in the history of Christianity that the Church reflected in this depth about its own mystery. In this spirit the Church entered 11 October the Year of Faith.

A thought:

A thought:

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man". That is a strange statement. But if we think a moment about it a Kingdom without King -or Queen- is not a Kingdom at all. Everything in a realm like this is based on the one person that constitutes a Kingdo: the King.

A thought:

Two pages before our Gospel a woman from Canaan asked for healing for her daughter. Her believe in Jesus Christ' ability to heal gives Him the opportunity to reveal the universal scope of his mission. First he answers her in the fashion the jews would expect one of their Prophets to answer, rebuking her. But the Kingdom is not build out of tribal, national, political or linguistic Belongings it is founds itself on belief. Infact its Gates are open and the strength is not selfishness but relation, caring, letting God do His deeds through our hands. Thats why the poor is cared for in the city and justice is done.

Sunday, 16 september 2012

A thought:

(Isa 33:13-16, Phi 2:5-11, Mat 4:18-23)

First a remark: Yes, I changed the translation. I was using the Bible of Jerusalem now it is the New King James Bible. On the one Hand: the "out-fashioned" language appeals to me, even I would be hard pressed to read it aloud, on the other hand: in the last few weeks the English version of the Bible of Jerusalem disappointed me with little incorrect translations. The last "incident" that led me to the change, was that on in the story about the encounter on the way to Emmaus it says "two whole days have now gone by" and the greek text says "it is now the third day since it all happened". Well in the ruleset of translation the simplest rule is: Never change something that is positively written. Grammar might differ or expressions, but in no way three days can become two in an other language... More over this third day is remembered more than once throughout the Bible and in our credo and in hundreds of important texts. Why prefer logic to the written Text? Reading the Bible we are to discover the logic of the Lord not the logic of the translator; although -in this world- the translator is right only two days have past.. but the texts says three, because the resurrection happens when the third day starts. It is true that no translation is faithful.