The Three Massabki Brothers - Defending the Faith
“Do not be afraid”, a reassuring phrase constantly repeated by Christ during His public ministry. Think about those words carefully. What does it mean to not be afraid? What does it mean to trust completely in God, giving to Him all that weighs us down?
On this blessed Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Three Massabki brothers. These three brothers – Francis, Abdel Mohti and Raphael – are a great example of what it means to ‘not be afraid’. The lives that they led and their witness to their faith in Christ is in line with this Sunday’s Gospel.
Christ uses the sparrows to show the worth of humans. Jesus tells us that the sparrow, a tiny bird, is not forgotten by God, and that we are far more valuable than the sparrow and for this reason we should not be afraid. This thought alone should give us immediate comfort but for some it doesn’t. Why not? The answer is simple; we do not have enough trust in God or our faith is lacking in conviction and in a world that is trying hard to destroy our Christian faith, we are more than ever in need of a well-formed and well-grounded trust and belief in the promises of the Lord.
As trustees of this faith and guardians of the truth, we are called to defend our faith when it needs to be defended. This defence does not necessarily need to be one of revenge, which is based on anger, and paying back for what one has done against another. Rather, it should be based on action, especially in the acts of love and forgiveness. There is the famous saying that ‘actions speak louder than words’ and this is a very true statement. Take a very good look at a Crucifix. Gaze upon Jesus who hangs there. Is not His action of selfless love worth more than that of revenge and hateful anger? Could He, should He have chosen, not destroyed the guards who crucified Him? But instead He remained silent because He entrusted everything to the Father.
These three Massabki brothers also lived a life of defending their faith, even unto death. They knew that protecting their faith and defending it meant silence, perseverance and trust in the One who tells us “do not be afraid”. Their belief was that strong and certain that they defended their faith even unto death, thus making them martyrs.
This is our Maronite Church, from its birth, it is a history of defending our faith in Christ with our blood. God, as Christ reassures, does not forget this blood, and their reward awaits them in heaven.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Stewardship committee who met this week. May God reward you with His blessings for all your hard work and efforts.
I would also like to thank the many volunteers who are supporting and will be supporting Feast Week this year. Let us continue to grow in our motivation and support to make this Feast Week a great and memorable one. May you all have a blessed and beautiful week ahead.
