ASIA/SYRIA - Archbishop Nassar: Syrian children envy the stable where Jesus was born

Monday, 16 December 2013

Damascus (Agenzia Fides) - "In Syria thousands of children who have lost their homes are living in poor tents just like the stable in Bethlehem". This is how the Maronite Archbishop Samir Nassar describes the condition lived by Syrian children in the period before Christmas. In a touching message of Christmas reflections sent to Fides Agency, the Maronite Archbishop of Damascus expresses with strong images the feelings shared by many Syrian Christians in front of yet another Christmas of war approaching. "Jesus" says Mgr. Nassar "is not alone in his misery. The Syrian children, abandoned and marked by scenes of violence, dream of being in Jesus’ place, who always has his parents around him and fondle him. (...). Some envy the divine Child who found a stable where to be born and have shelter, while among these unfortunate children there are those who were born under the bombs". Even Mary - insists the Maronite Archbishop "is no longer alone in her difficulties: many unhappy and unfortunate mothers live in extreme poverty and load all the family responsibilities on their shoulders, without their husbands ... The reassuring presence of Joseph at the Holy Family arouses jealousy among the thousands of families deprived of their father. An absence that fuels fear, anguish and anxiety".
In the battered condition of the Syrian people, there seems to be no place for the promise of peace and joy which is typical at Christmas: "The infernal noise of war", writes Nassar "stifles the Glory of Angels". And yet the grueling continued conflict makes the cry of Christian prayer before the crib even louder: "Lord, listen to us" is how the Archbishop Nassar concludes his message. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 16/12/2013)


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