Transcription
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Welcome to this divine world study day. Children of God in God's divine likeness. And here is the big surprise. So for those who have not read my emails. So on Wednesday, I heard that Archbishop Habib is in the UK. Okay. He keeps a very low key because he's such a busy man. So he keeps a low key. He's he on his visit to Europe. Okay, that was on Wednesday. So I called on Wednesday and here he is. I went on Thursday morning. I told him about the session and on Friday he's here. And that's the only day he's in the UK. He came this week and he's flying to Sweden on Monday. He's the apostolic visitor to Europe for the Chaldean Rite Catholic Church. And here is our Archbishop. Come Archbishop. So let me screen right. Okay. So Archbishop. So he comes from Iraq. He's the Archbishop of South of Iraq and um he um he was a parish priest responsible for the Chaldean mission in in in UK. He studied theology as well with Mary Bell. In addition to his study, he's very active. He wrote many, many books in Arabic, Aramaic, uh, and he translated books to English.
>> Yeah.
>> As well published.
>> Yes.
>> And published, including one to our beloved St. Helia. So he he published the book because the person who the priest who wrote it, uh, what happened?
>> He passed away.
>> Passed away. So, so he took on his task to to pop to make sure the work of this active priest continues after his death. So, um, he he's such um a a treasure to us. And um, as I mentioned to you, um, in 2023, what he comes to visit once a year to the UK, once or twice a year, uh, to the UK. Um, so, St. Joseph is very close to us. Uh, we, the East, we love Mary, we love St. Joseph. And um, the mission in the UK is St. Joseph mission for for the Chaldean church. Uh, and on that feast day, I asked them, I told them about the living in the divine will and I told them about the book of heaven and etc. And I said, "Can you please uh do a mass and consecrate me to the divine will at that mass? I say the consecration prayer and I get your blessing." And he said, "Yes." That was in March 2023. And um, and then after that, after that this divine world study just blossomed, bloomed, expanded. So so when he came last year, I asked him to give you a blessing because I said, what you gave to me, I want to give to everyone. And we did it online. Do you remember? We did it online and he extended the blessing online. But now we have him in the flesh. Praise God. Honestly, it all started on Wednesday. You know, I I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. So, see how the Holy Spirit works in our church. Um, so he'll say a few words about living in God's image and likeness. Now, he speaks in Arabic. So, you know, please, you know, he he he he's good in English, but he will say it in English, but if there's anything, you know, because he he doesn't live in UK. He lives in in Iraq. Um, so and he's the visitor in in for.
>> So, I'll just mute that. Just a sec.
>> Okay. Okay.
>> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Visam. Thank you all of you and I appreciate that he invited me today to to share with you these few words about divine will and uh the the project is how we understand man being in God's image and likeness. I will uh start from uh uh my experience in Middle East that because you know Mesopotamia was rich in different civilizations and also we study philosophy and the early church also uh concentrated on philosophy to be able to express the divinity of uh our Lord. Um, especially Aristotle, you heard about him. So Aristotle taught us that there's two things in human being, existence and being existent. And but how how many people they do not understand that matter, they concentrate on their physical side in life. They leave the spiritual, they leave the psychological. So which belongs to their existence, not to their being.
Um, when I studied this old civilization, you remember uh Sumerian civilization that was before 5,000 years, they were worshiping uh the god of moon and because god of moon uh expressed itself within uh 29 days. So they are they were able to to set the time, time like uh month, weeks and uh also days they started. But before them, before them, we studied that people were without too much conscious. They were living not like animals. No, no, but uh a bit beginners were everything. There were no family, no nothing. So that they were not aware about the past and the future. They just were um living their life, daily life uh because there were no um were no knowledge about uh the word sin. Huh? But after that, because in the Bible in the book of Genesis, we hear that Adam and Eve, which will be a lovely story, and Cain and Abel. So start people to to think about their past and to prepare themselves to do the best in the future. Now time becomes three steps: past, present, future. But when we go to the gospel, what Jesus said many times, he said, "Don't worry about tomorrow, please." He said, "It is enough today and evil today."
Um, so this existence means uh uh be me being aware of my life, what faults or sins I committed in the past, I have to make reconciliation to live the future. Despise the past is now nothing. It has become in the memory of God and the future, we don't know nothing. We know nothing about the future. Uh, so we have to concentrate on the present moment. Uh, this will take us to the spiritual side. Spiritual side, what I mean? I mean uh how my day becomes like Jesus' life according to the divine will. How how this is just for believers because who not believe, like a or others, they don't care about what I am saying now. But we believe that uh Jesus is our life, is how uh to fulfill, um, to make how to be in uh in the image of God and likeness. In the image of God because we believe that he created us. That's that's it. But likeness, how? That means my daily life.
Jewish had two books and were about the same thing. The first one was uh law, the Jewish law. The second was how to practice your law. You remember uh uh struggle between the Pharisee and Jesus. They will always say to him, "No, why Saturday you up? Why? Why? Why? Why?" Uh, but for us, for our Christian uh to being uh steadfast in faith in Christ, uh, we have to go to abide in him as he said in the Gospel of John chapter 15, "Abide in me and in you." So what I saw, I saw especially Pope Benedict XVI. He always in his homilies, he was consecrating on on five words to to concentrate on truth in your life, don't lie. The second one, to seek justice because we know the world today, it's become rubbish, unfortunately, despite we we have hope. So this hope depends on this point, truth, justice, to do good, to have good will. You remember the angels when they came to Shepherds, they said, "Glory be to God in the highest." They they mentioned uh good, good will, who has good will.
>> Yes.
>> Uh, the third point is uh to see beauty in myself and around me. For example, when I meet you, I should uh to see your beauty. You be I am not meaning the physical beauty like those material life. I mean you are also a miracle.
>> Because uh okay, you understand. We reflect the beauty of that's the unique beauty of.
>> Yeah.
>> And finally, to fulfill all these actions with love, not because it is my my duty. There is a difference between love and duty. I when duty, I will do it, my job, that's it. But this may be make to me like um what I say, uh, you wouldn't be not happy.
>> For salary.
>> For to for to struggle, but no, because especially St. Paul, he many times said, "Joy, joy in Jesus."
>> Yes. Yes.
>> Um, so at that time, my existence will be changed according to uh God's uh image and likeness and uh will be real in the image of God. So how do I protect this new life? We say sometimes born again.
>> Yeah.
>> Huh? Uh, it is actually when we baptized, this should be done. But because the baptism is young, so the responsibility for their parents and the priest. How do I protect them uh to approach the scripture? So what Pope Benedictus said said, "Every family should put like a small table in the middle of this uh uh entrance at a corner.
>> And open the Bible.
>> Uh, and should be over red color.
>> Uh, yeah, clothes.
>> Clothes with the cross, plus candle, uh, or uh, an icon of Mother Mary, something like that. In when you come to home every day to to hear that there is uh uh providence, there is a gift of God to say thank you and for your kids. So uh approaching the scripture every day, the gospel and the same thing and uh activating my uh relationship with Jesus, uh, not depending on uh office prayer or written prayer. Best to close my eyes and pray spontaneously with Jesus. Speak with him. You will change your life. This has happened to me because because I was more than eight years uh in the war with Iran between Iraq and Iran before.
>> Long time ago in the 80s.
>> Okay.
>> Yes.
>> So uh I.
>> You have a choice.
>> Yeah.
>> And uh the last point and now the end is meditation, meditation or retreat or uh every day is something credible either in the morning or in the evening. And God bless you all.
>> Yes. Yes. Yes. So uh he will give us now a blessing so that we learn the book of heaven, you know, according to the to the church, the magisterial teaching of the church, the doctrine of the church. Uh, he always says to me this, you know, um, study according to the mind and heart of the church and to live this gift, to live this gift and um, you know, and to so that more because when our light shines to others, more people will be attracted to that gift, um, and and God can transform the face of the earth as as he promised. Now I will uh pray a short prayer in English, then in Aramaic, and also uh Our Father in Aramaic. Okay.
>> Yes.
>> Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you for bringing us together in faith. Bless each heart present here in our group. Fill us with your wisdom. Guide our words. May our thoughts be rooted in love and our mission bring light to those in need. Send your Holy Spirit to inspire us. Protect us and keep us in our invitation. I pray that you all learn the book of heaven and understand it and live it according to the mind and the heart of the church. Amen.
>> Amen.
>> Amen.
>> Now the blessing, it is according to the Aramaic language. It is very old. This blessing uh it's our prayer book, the Chaldean prayer, maybe more than 15 centuries.
>> Amen.
>> Now Our Father.
>> Yes, we can join in in English in your heart.
>> I will say it slowly. Maybe some would like to to imitate it or read it.
>> Yeah. For Amen. Amen. Amen.
Brilliant, brilliant. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. We are really, really honored to have him. He's got an appointment after this and he's got an appointment in the afternoon. But uh but you know, I'm I'm so so pleased that you made time for us in your busy schedule and um, you know, now you have the the blessing, you know, in the room and and online. And this blessing extended to other people who listen.
>> Amen.
>> Yeah. Wow.
>> With us.
>> Thank you. Thank you.