Bulletin/ Blog Weekly Message:
Sunday July 30, 2017
SORRY NIMAR,
Appeal to Mary, Our Mother of Guadalupe Patroness of the Americas
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen
Our Lady of Guadalupe Patroness of the Americas,
“God saw the world falling to ruin because of fear and immediately acted to call it back with love.
God invited it by grace, preserved it by love, and embraced it with compassion.”
With these words filled with Faith, Hope and Love, I greet your Mother O Lord, calling Her: Star of the East, Light of all Nations! Help of Christians.
Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, please break the silence. You need to speak in America “Hic et Nunc”, “Here and Now”.
My hurt comes ultimately from the sad story of NIMAR NADER, one of five babies who ended up dead this past week because a local Lebanese hospital demanded $6500.00 dollars be secured from private funds in order to continue his care.
Even though the family has United Nations refugee papers, the U.N. had refused to pay for his full treatment.
They told the family to either keep the baby in the same hospital, which was not equipped to treat the poor baby, or to move him. The family sought funds from CARITAS Lebanon, to move him, but were refused.
Well NIMAR died.
NIMAR, who was not even a one month old, suffered from severe esophageal Atresia causing major stress in his lungs. Without proper treatment, NIMAR choked, and died.
While NIMAR was in the hospital, I was at the National Apostolate of Maronites Convention, whose president at the time, and the priest who is the NAM national board spiritual director refused to allow me to speak during the evening dinner, about his and the other cases for which we needed immediate money.
With his death, I failed his mother and father, who had appealed to me from so far away. I failed him too. I am sorry, and I confess this sin to God and before you all.
Earlier this week, from Lebanon, I was notified of the ugly deaths of NIMAR and 4 other Iraqi Christian babies, one old man — the only provider for his family, and over 17 babies found tossed in the trash.
These are the real people the Apostolate of Our Lady of Hope/ St Rafka Mission of Hope and Mercy tries to save, and find treatment for in hospitals. They are some of the many desperate cases we are trying to help in Lebanon.
My sincere apology to the parents of the children who died because the U.N. assigned hospitals stopped treating them, did not allow them to enter into the hospitals when urgent care was needed, or accepted them when it was already too late after making them drive long distances to hospitals lacking even basic resources for care.
Dear Mother Mary, it hurts.
Our Apostolate and Mission carry your name, and the name of Saint Rafka. Earlier this month we were able to save a mother and her newborn twins, and another young boy who was almost dead by bringing him back to life after negotiating a last minute deal with the local hospital in Lebanon who at first refused to admit him.
But, nonetheless, the death of these others hurts my heart.
Dearest Our Lady of Guadalupe, what is wrong with these people in America? Why is our pain in the Middle East unheard? Why the silence? I will never stop. I mean it and I ask you to respond and open the hearts, the minds, the conscience and the brains of these people here.
I will not give up. At our booth at the NAM convention, I kept crying out about the need for help. A week later, at Holy Ghost Church in Denver, I appealed with great efforts and wonderful response these cases of immediate need.
I am so, so, so thankful to Archbishop SAM AQUILA, and his Office of Social Ministries, and to Fr. Randy Dollin, the head of the Curia at this great Archdiocese, for designating Saint Rafka Maronite Catholic Church as a Mission Parish.
This indicates that the Pastor of souls in the Archdiocese of Denver Colorado, who this month is celebrating 5 years as the shepherd of Denver, has a conscience, has heart, has wisdom, has a sense of fatherly care, has the guts to raise awareness and to be the voice of the silenced Christians who are being led like sheep to the slaughter without opening their mouth.
Archbishop, while my story is sad, and is an appeal to Our Lady of Guadalupe who you love so much, and to whose Shrine in Mexico you went as pilgrim of faith, hope and love, I thank you and tell you: Please do not leave us orphans. Thank you for your courage. I ask God to reward you and the Archdiocese for the gifts you are sharing with our little Apostolate of Our Lady of Hope/ St Rafka Mission of Hope and Mercy and with Saint Rafka Maronite Catholic Church.
I am thankful to Fr. Chris the Pastor of Holy Ghost, who made time for me to come and speak in his church at all six masses during the weekend of July 15- 16- 2017. I am so thankful to the patience of my parishioners who allowed me to speak at Holy Ghost on Sunday and not be with them for the Mass.
But the ONE MONTH OLD NIMAR could not hold his own. His weak body, lacking oxygen, could wait no longer for our funds to make it to the hospital in Lebanon.
And sadly, he died.
It broke the heart of his mom Khateeti Yousif, and father Lerato Hanna, my heart, and I am sure now his story has broken your hearts as well.
DEAR NIMAR, in Heaven, please ask our Lady’s help up there. Tell her how many babies are to be offered as a sacrifice because of our sins of hate, hypocrisy, apathy and lack of faith, hope and love that are governing here on earth?
Ask Our Lady, “How long will God the Father allow the murderer—satan—father of all murderers and the father of all lies to oppress and govern us here on earth?”
Ask Our Lady when is she going to come down here and crush the head of satan our enemy?
Ask Our Lady for how long are we going to feel this much powerlessness, this much hatred, this much rejection, this much abandonment, this much persecution, this much death, this much fear, this much oppressive reign of evil, from the master of this world?
I am so sorry, little baby, for not being on time to get you money so you could receive better treatment. I entrust you and the other four babies we lost this week to Her care: Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas, to whom I am appealing now with all that I have left to offer after all: NOTHING.
With you NIMAR, and with the other babies, I like to urge Our Lady to come and act now. Ask her to stand with your parents and by us. I am so sorry for when I received your mother’s appeal through one of our field operators in Beirut, Catherine Mousa, that the hospitals could not give us any more time to pay for you to live. I heard your mother’s appeal. It hurt me a lot that only after one month of your birth here on earth, you had to be born again in Heaven.
With tears of Faith, yet with concrete hope, and proven love, I say: “May God rest your Soul and the souls of the many other children who are dying every day now in Lebanon from lack of medical care and bad nutrition.”
On your behalf, and with our Lady of Guadalupe, I dare to call out to our Divine Father: “ABBA. Father of Truth. Father of Divine Mercy and God of all Consolation. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. You allowed the murder of your Son for Our salvation, please save us in His Pure Blood.”
“ABBA, with NIMAR’s parents and all the Christian victims of the genocide, and the other minorities amongst the refugees who are not receiving what they were promised to receive under U.N. care, we come to you as your children, who now are being treated like animals — not as humans — to plead our cause to You, and to ask for Your Fatherly Protection.”
NIMAR, with you from Heaven, I plead for the help and assistance of the children of this great yet repenting nation of the United States of America,
NIMAR, this week I also have five fresh cases of children in dire need and in lots of pain in Lebanon. They are our Iraqi and Syrian little brothers and sisters who are suffering and simply are not receiving the proper care? But why? Like those I am appealing to, they and their families believe in Christ.
One of them, when I watched the video of their appeal to us few days back said: “We will not leave Christ”. I honor these people and I pray to Our Lady of Lebanon, to Mary whom we call here Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and I cry out to her saying:
“Mary our Mother, ask your Son to plead our cause for we are persecuted and forgotten.
Mary, Defender of the Christians, remember all those who offered their life for our Freedom and to protect our faith, especially those who were offered as martyrs of the Faith in the Eastern Churches of the Middle East! Remember the children and all other innocent victims of war and hate. Remember NIMAR.”
Mary, Mother of the Americas: You are the Bridge for Evangelization, the Gate of Paradise to the land of poverty and death. You gave Light and joy, Hope and compassion, yet resolve and strength, to people who were looking for comfort and for security.
Please help the people of the Nations of the Middle East especially in these difficult times of persecution and religious fanaticism.
Helps us to consecrate ourselves, our civil leaders, and the people of America, Lebanon and the world to the Triumph of your Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In your image we find comfort and safety. In your veil we find protection from times of suffering and anxiety. In the roses spread across your robe in the midst of winter, we find the birth of new life, the call to rise up in the fullness of beauty to stand Holy in the presence of God who is in You and with us. In your bowed head, we find hope for the broken hearted. In your face, we find the power of God. Protect us from evil.
Do not hide your face for our trouble as Christians.
We ask you today, Come to the defense of the good people in the world and protect us from all kinds of terrorism, from iniquities and violence. O Lord, through the prayers of your Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Hope and of Divine Mercy, Our Lady of Lebanon, keep away from the earth and all its people the scourge of wrath; eliminate dangers and disturbances; Remove war, captivity, hunger, and plague from us. Have Compassion on us, we are weak; Comfort us, we are sick; Assist us, we are in need; Deliver us from Evil our enemy, we are oppressed.
Rise up, in defense of your people.
Enrich America with Holiness and with Kindness.
O Christ our Lord, You made your Mother, the inculturated Evangelizer, the image of the Living Ecclesia of America and its Mother. Soften the hearts of the people here and the civil leaders to help rescue the Christians in the Lands of your Birth, in the Lands of the Bible.
O Mother of the New Advent, I ask God who is the Father of the Orphan that though you:
May the souls of all the children who died in this evil persecution find rest in Heaven, receive the Crown of Martyrs and be our Intercessors in these times of difficulties.
May sinners be absolved,
And enemies be reconciled,
May those who hate find peace
And those who are sad find joy,
May those who grieve in our nation be consoled
and those who are sick be healed,
May those in distress in our nation find comfort
And those who repent be humbled.
We ask this O Father, through the intercession of our Mother Mary the Virgin, as we Honor you with your Son and Holy Spirit, One God to whom be Glory forever. Amen.
God bless you,
Fr. Andre Y Mahanna, pastor