(Jn 9:1-41) 

The Gospel passage of today’s Liturgy, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, gives us the event of the healing of the man born blind (Jn 9:1-41).

It’s a very long passage, and to deal with it let’s study the structure a little: we see then the first part (9:1-12) wherein the miracle itself is related; then comes the second part, the longest (Jn 1:13-34) which has as its protagonists, next to the healed blind man, the Pharisees with their attack on Jesus and their questions about the miracle that He has done; while in the third (Jn 1:35-41) Jesus meets the blind man again, and the account closes with Jesus’ judgment on those who presume to see.

In the first part, He heals the blind man; instead, in the second the Pharisees refuse to believe and they sink into an increasingly dark blindness.

JERUSALEM - On March 14th-15th, 2023, hosted by the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem, the members of ACOHL met to discuss the Synod's Continental Assembly, Caritas, as well as the two recently opened offices regarding legal and safeguarding issues for congregations and Catholic Institutions. Also discussed were various nominations within the diocese.

(Jn 4:5-42)

The readings of the Sundays of Lent, particularly those of Year A which we are living, offer us a path of growth for living as disciples. Today’s passage, together with those of the next few Sundays, constitutes a lengthy baptismal catechesis that we cannot fully appreciate. We will, therefore, limit ourselves only to a few ideas.

On the First Sunday of Lent, we were taken to the desert, where knowing our hearts have been given to us, where who we are and to whom we belong have been revealed to us. On the Second Sunday, the disciple learns on a high mountain, gradually, to listen and see Jesus, His life in the total gift of self.

On this Third Sunday, discovering which desire dwells deeply in us is given to us.

His Holiness Pope Francis sends a letter to the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, spiritual leader of Iraqi Shiites in which he recalls their fruitful meeting two years ago during the papal visit to Iraq and encourages him to promote fraternity among believers as a concrete response to today's challenges.

By Linda Bordoni

Addressing the Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani as his “dear brother”, His Holiness Pope Francis noted that it is incumbent on religious leaders of all faiths to encourage those with responsibilities in civil society to promote political actions that protect the fundamental rights of each person and promote fraternity and mutual acceptance, as a concrete response to today's challenges.

Ten years have passed since 13 March 2013, the day Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected to the See of Peter. His Holiness Pope Francis' pontificate has been marked by a passion for evangelisation and a constant journey to reform the Church to make her more missionary. A decade during which time has taken on two different dimensions: the progressive one, to initiate processes, and the circular one, to go out to meet others and return enriched in thought and heart.

On Saturday March 11, 2023, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, consecrated St. George’s Church, Gazirat Badran, Shoubra, Egypt, which is affiliated with the Southern Shubra Churches District , after the completion of the renovations that were carried out in it.

Upon his arrival at the church, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II removed the curtain from the commemorative plaque that dates its consecration. Commemorative photos were taken of His Holiness next to the plaque, along with His Grace Bishop Makari, the general bishop of the churches of the southern Shubra sector, and the priests of the consecrated Church.

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, presided over the second Sunday of Great Lent, Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas, on Sunday 12 March 2023, at the Church of St. George - Charki Al Tijara, Syria. During the Mass, His Beatitude gave a Homily that you can listen to and watch it in Arabic via the video, which was published on the Facebook Page of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East.

On Saturday, March 11th, 2023, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, departed for Greece for a Pontifical visit and will proceed to Cyprus on March 17th.

During his visits, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I will hold meetings with Diocesan and ecumenical Leaders and representatives, State officials, and local organizations.

“The stubborn son and how to deal with him”

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, delivered his weekly Sermon at Wednesday’s March 8, 2023 meeting, from the Church of the Virgin Mary and Saint Bishoy at the Papal Residence in the Abbaseya Cathedral, Egypt. The Sermon was broadcasted on Christian satellite channels and the C.O.C channel of the Church’s media center on the Internet.

His Holiness completed the series of “Stations of the Journey of Great Lent and Connecting It to Family Life”, and His Holiness recited part of chapter 15 in the Gospel of our teacher St. Luke, which contains the parable of the “Prodigal Son” that the Church takes as the subject of the Gospel of next Sunday, and His Holiness dealt through the parable with the problem of the stubborn son…

His Holiness Pope Francis greets participants in an interreligious dialogue group between the Holy See and Palestine, and recalls the universal value of Jerusalem for the three major monotheistic religions.

By Devin Watkins

The Holy See hosted a meeting in Rome this week of the Joint Working Group for Dialogue between the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Palestinian Commission for Interreligious Dialogue.

His Holiness Pope Francis encouraged the efforts of this working group, as he met with participants on Thursday in the Vatican.

Complementing the work carried out under the directives of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and in light of the continuous earthquake emergency response work that began during the first hours of the earthquake disaster, GOPA-DERD team, at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, continues an intensive response operation on the ground, in order to meet the priorities of the great need on more than one level.

In Hama, GOPA-DERD's team distributed food kits, ready-to-eat meals, and family hygiene kits to the affected families in the shelter center located in the Monastery of St. George.

A historical event took place today, Friday March 3 2023, in Jerusalem where the oil that will be used for the anointing of His Majesty King Charles III in the coronation ceremony on the 6th May 2023, was consecrated by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, and later by the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, The Most Reverend Hosam Naoum.

JORDAN – From March 3rd to March 5th, 2023, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, made a pastoral visit to the Latin parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus church, in Til’Al’Ali.

In Jordan, Christians from all denominations celebrate the Easter season together, in unity. Thus, last Wednesday March 1st marked the beginning on the Lenten season for 2023.

The first day of the visit, coincided with the first Friday of lent, March 3rd, 2023. Thus, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa led the way of the cross Prayer, and the Mass at the Sacred Heart of Jesus church.

On Sunday, February 20/March 5, 2023, the Sunday of Orthodoxy was celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

On this Sunday, the First of the Fast of Holy and Great Lent, the whole Church commemorates and celebrates the restoration of the holy icons, their restoration to the Church under Empress Theodora and her son Michael after the persecution and destruction, they suffered under the impious iconoclast emperors Leo the Isauros and the husband of Saint Theodora Theophilos.

On Saturday March 4, 2023, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, consecrated, with the participation of four Bishops, the Church of the Virgin Mary and Bishoy in the Narges area in the Fifth Settlement, Egypt, which was built in 2007, and His Holiness consecrated the main church there in 2016.

Upon the arrival of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II to the Church, His Holiness removed the curtain from the commemorative plaque that dates its inauguration, and commemorative photos were taken of His Holiness next to the plaque, along with the bishops and priests participating in the Prayers.

Then the procession of His Holiness Holiness headed inside the church to start the consecration Prayers, where the main altar was consecrated on the name of St. Bishoy, another altar after the name of St. Mark the Apostle, and another altar after the name of the St. Demiana the Martyr.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, On March 2, 2023 inaugurated the LOGOS Leadership Program (LLP) which aims to prepare young leaders who are academically , ecclesiastically and spiritually qualified at a modern academic level to serve in Logos forums for Coptic youth in the dioceses, whether inside or outside Egypt which had started since 2018.

The “program” will last for 120 days and will be attended by a number of fathers and specialists in the fields of leadership, commitment and youth interaction with the spirit of Christian discipleship along with some activities and workshops.

The second stage of the way of Lent brings us, as is customary, to a high mountain (Mt 17:1) that tradition identifies with Mount Tabor, where Jesus ascends together with Peter, James, and John.

Mountain tops immediately refer to the place of encounter with God, to the place where He reveals Himself. And here also, in this event, God effectively reveals Himself. In this case, He does it in a completely new way. The place where God reveals Himself is not in the powers of nature, not in all His power, but in the man Jesus.

As a result of sin, man became incapable of reflecting or revealing the glory of God: closed in on himself, hunched on himself, man was able only to manifest himself, his works, his limits.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, delivered his weekly sermon at Wednesday’s March 1, 2023 meeting, from the Church of the Virgin Mary and Saint Bishoy at the Papal Residence in the Abbaseya Cathedral. The sermon was broadcast on Christian satellite channels and the C.O.C channel of the Church’s media center on the Internet.

His Holiness continued the series of “Stations of the Journey of Great Lent and Connecting It to Family Life.” His Holiness discussed a part of the fourth chapter in the Gospel of our teacher Matthew (verses 1 to 11). His Holiness referred to the topic of next Sunday, which is “Sunday of Temptation,” and the wars of the enemy that Christ faced after Fasting and its forms in the life of the family,

from the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough at the Visitation Home – Fuheis

At the beginning of Lent, clergy from the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough (Ireland) met at the Rosary Sisters’ Visitation Home in Fuheis Jordan to participate in a joint retreat that started on Sunday Evening February 26th, 2023. The sessions were given by His Eminence Bishop Hosam Naoum, the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, and His Eminence Bishop Michael Jackson, the Archbishop of Dublin – Ireland, about the first letter of Peter.

The retreat has so far included; a daily Eucharistic service and other Prayer services, small discussion groups after each session, Bible Studies, and personal reflection. Moreover the group did a pilgrimage to Madaba, Mount Nebo, and the Baptismal Site. His Eminence Bishop Naoum welcomed His Eminence Bishop Jackson and all the participants in the retreat.

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck the North of Antioch, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, held a visit to the Archdiocese of Lattakia, under the slogan “I bring you His grace and mercy”, on Tuesday 28 February 2023. In the following two reports, you can find an overview about His Beatitude's visit, in addition to some interviews that were made during it.

The two reports were published on the Facebook Page of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, and prepared by the journalist Lea Adel Maamary.