Fr. George Shalhoub

St. Gregory the Theologian, from the Paschal Orations
Yesterday I was crucified with Him; today I am glorified with Him.
Yesterday I died with Him; Today I am made alive with Him.
Yesterday I was buried with Him; today I am raised up with Him.
Let us offer to Him Who suffered and rose again for us…ourselves, the possession most precious to God and most proper.
Let us become like Christ, since Christ became like us.
Let us become divine for His sake, since for us He became man.
He assumed the worse that He might give us the better.
He became poor that by His poverty we might become rich.
He accepted the form of a servant that we might win back our freedom.
He came down that we might be lifted up.
He was tempted that through Him we might conquer.
He was dishonored that He might glorify us.
He died that He might save us.
He ascended that He might draw to Himself we who were thrown down through the fall of sin.
Let us give all, offer all, to Him who gave Himself as a ransom and reconciliation for us.
We needed an incarnate God, a God put to death, that we might live.
We were put to death together with Him that we might be cleansed.
We rose again with Him because we were put to death with Him.
We were glorified with Him because we rose again with Him.

“اليـوم يـوم القيـامـة، فلنحتـفـل بالـعـيـد ونُقبّـل بعضُنـا بعضًا بقـبلـة السـلام ونسـمـّي إخـوةً الـذين يكـرهـوننـا ولـيس فقـط الـذين خـدمـونـا وتـألـمـوا من أجلنـا. لنصفـح عـن كـل شيء فـي القيـامـة، أنـا أَغـفـر لكـم فـرض المسـؤوليـة علـيّ (يعني الأسقفية) وانتم اغفروا لي تأخّري… تخلّفت عن خدمة السر فترة فحصتُ فيها نفسي. والآن أعود في هذا اليوم البهيّ لأتغلّب على تردّدي وضعفـاتي. وأرجو أن يجدّدني القائم من بين الأموات بالروح ويُلبسني الانسان الجديد ويدفعني الى خليقته الجديدة عاملا جيدًا مستعدًا للموت مع المسيح والقيام معه…
أمس كنتُ مصلوبًا مع المسيح، اليوم أُمَجّد معه. أمس متُّ مع المسيح، اليوم أحيا معه. أمس دُفنت مع المسيح، اليوم أَخرج معه من القبر… لنقدّم للمسيح ذواتنا: هذه هي أثمن تقدمة في عيني الله والأقرب اليه. لنردّ الى صورته ما هو على شبهه… لنفهم قوة هذا السرّ وسبب موت المسيح.
لنصِر مثل المسيح بما أن المسيح صار مثلنا. لنصِرْ آلهة من أجله بما انه صار إنسانًا من أجلنا. أَخذ الأسوأ ليعطينا الأفضل. أفقر ذاته ليُغنينا بفقره. أخذ صورة عبد لنحصل على الحرية. وضعَ نفسَه ليرفعنا، جُرّب ليشهد انتصارنا. قبِل الإهانة ليُظللنا بالمجد، مات ليخلّصنا. صعد الى السماء ليجذبنا اليه نحن الذين تمرّغنا في الخطيئة. لنقدّم كل شيء الى من أعطى ذاته فديةً عنّا. لن نعطي أبدًا تقدمة أعظم من أنفسنا إن فهمنا هذا السر وصرنا من أجله ما صار من أجلنا”.

President Donald Trump The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20500

Mr. President,

I greet you and your family including your grandchildren with the same greeting that the angels gave the shepherds during this holy season, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.” (Luke 8:14) Peace on earth is an uncomplicated concept, with an unfortunately complicated means of achievement. Our people, the people of Palestine and the Middle East, have faced homelessness for the last 60 years, but never gave up on their jewel, the city of Jerusalem. They all prayed, as I have, that the holy city of Jerusalem will gather them as t he hen gathers her brood, under the shelter of her wings. Your recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Wednesday, December 6 was a nuclear bomb that devastated all hope and aspirations for a t wo-st ate solution and for permanent peace in that troubled land.

Neither Jews, nor Palestinians were happy to hear this news. The only ones who were strengthened were members of the right wing political party of Benjamin Netanyahu. We urge you to rescind those remarks and impose a deadline for a negotiation for a peaceful resolution between Israelis and Palestinians. It is in your power to do so. Furthermore, it is your duty as our representative to t he world to uphold the impartial status of the United States of America as a negot iati ngparty and as an example of freedom, liberty, and democracy in the world. On behalf of everyone in our community, we hope that you will rescind this order. We wish you and your family all the good things t hat the impending birth of Christ will bring to this world.

Father George Shalhoub

Pastor of the Antiochian Basilica of St. Mary

Beloved,

This Thanksgiving season marks our 45th anniversary of being part of the most wonderful community and family in a church that houses us all. Over these last 45 years, we have done what our faith calls us to do—have a conversation about Thanksgiving, not just the holiday, but truly giving thanks. Those many years ago, we drove from Toledo to Detroit, one week married and one day a priest on February 6, 1972? For what? To be a parish priest. But how? I didn’t know. Was there a community? I wasn’t sure. Was there a building? No. Was there a place for us to sleep or hold church services? No. How many people were there? About a dozen families all with the same desire—to do what God wants us to do— build a church. For 45 years, we expressed loyalty, for it is the core of love, to be lived in season and out of season. Loyalty stands by prayer and prayer strengthens and invites us to live and trust in God, unconditionally.

For the first ten years, I went through two major adjustments. Being married to my wife, Nouhad and being married to our parish. Both adjustments went hand in hand. Often, we suffered from a lack of communication, arguing about what to do, who was right and who gets to make the decisions. We argued over money, especially when there was none to be found. But, during all this arguing we learned to adjust and keep going. It wasn’t all about me, but about the Body of Christ, the community- it was about and still is about the One we came to serve, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who led the way and took us from the valleys where we were wanderers and directed us home. As I remember from my earliest memory, my mother always told me that no matter the circumstances, the promise of the Lord; “He is always with us until the end of time.” (Matthew 28:20)

Today, our conversation is about Thanksgiving and the gratitude we have to the others that came before us. Who were these others? They were your grandfathers and grandmothers, your parents, and aunts and uncles. Many of you who were small children when I first arrived are now parents, and even grandparents. What makes all our relationships strong is the belief that miracles happen when we work together. As St. Paul says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…” (Hebrews 12:1-2) Where we are today, as a community and as a family is a reminder of what Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” We owe much to those who have gone before us, who led us personally and to the current children and grandchildren of those giants.

This cloud of witnesses has always been strong, and in those early days, the giant shoulders belonged to formidable people. But in my interactions with them, I came alive and found my voice. “You know you are truly alive when you are living among lions,” says K. Blixen. We are to make our shoulders available for future generations. How can this be done? We can do all things as long as we guard and nurture the mustard seed of faith, through prayer which produces kindness, and kindness which produces gratitude, for gratitude will always lead to the kingdom of God. St. Basil reminds us, “A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship and he who plants kindness gathers love.” We need to be mindful that the grace of our Lord is among us, for Thanksgiving does not happen once a year, but every Sunday as we partake in the Holy Eucharist, for the eucharist means to give thanks.

As we come together, as the community of St. Mary’s Basilica, we give thanks to God, who sent us to each other, to gather love and reap friendship. Our hearts are filled with thanks giving-with gratitude to our own community. Gratitude is a medicine for the soul that expands the good things in life and helps us endure the difficult things with dignity and honor. Thomas Rosich once wrote, “The more thankful a person is, the richer he or she is within. Thankful people store up in their grateful memory all the good experiences of the past.” An Arabic proverb states, “Gratitude is the heart’s memory.” We are here today because we stood firm in faith.

After 45 years, we give thanks to you and above all to the Lord Who made us grow and achieve, and He gave us a house of prayer to praise His Holy Name. These past 45 years has been made possible by prayer and supplication. We all give thanks to the Lord and the Church of His Mother, the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary. Our cup has always been full, even running over.
May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving, you are in our prayers; today and always.

Fr. George and Nouhad Shalhoub

Beloved,

The Basilica of St. Mary, its clergy, parishioners and
entire community are not only shocked, but numb and
appalled by the senseless mass shooting in Orlando, Florida
on June 12, 2016.

We condemn the use of weapons of mass destruction.
Lest we forget, we invaded Iraq under the pretense of
mass destruction to avoid the destruction of the entire region.
Yet, we have legalized these weapons for use by the average citizen.

We condemn, in the strongest term, Jihadists, whether they are
American or not, whether they are here or abroad. Terrorism is
not far off. It is on the doorstep on our nation.
Therefore, we must call on our President, Congressmen,
Senators and the entire free world to outlaw the sale of weapons
of mass destruction.

This week, we are awaiting the celebration, once again, of the
Feast of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit descends upon the Disciples and
gave birth to our Holy Church. We pray for healing. We pray for renewal.
We pray for God’s mercy to embrace humanity, to comfort the victim’s families
and the community of Orlando, Florida.

We urge for the elimination, from the face of the earth, this cancer of
terrorism and call upon all people to not only pray for peace, but to be
peacemakers themselves.

As people of God, created in His image and likeness, we refuse to live
in fear. So in the midst of this tragedy, we as Christians choose not to
focus on the criminal, but to focus on God Who is the source of
hope and love to overcome fear and uncertainty.

Prayerfully Yours,

Fr. George Shalhoub

Reflection for Mother’s Day
By: Fr. George Shalhoub
May 8, 2016

This Sunday, our nation will honor and pay tribute to Mothers by setting aside a day to say thank you with cards, flowers or lunch, which in my own opinion, is shortchanging the dignity and honor of what she represents to humanity. Nonetheless, my children and I will honor my wife and their mother.

Motherhood is God’s greatest creation, as stated in the Book of Genesis, for even the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the Theotokos’ womb. She is our teacher, our mentor and our treasure.

So, this Sunday I shall pray for all mothers that God strengthen their faith and give them patience and wisdom. For those who are in heaven, we send them our gratitude and love.

I also will celebrate Mother’s Day, who departed this life some 30 years ago, by sending my mother a letter:

Dear Mom,

I am writing this letter as I reflect on what you meant to me on and how you shaped my life, not only Mother’s Day, but throughout the years. This is not being sent by email, Twitter, Facebook or text, but through a prayer; for the shortest distance between heaven and earth is nothing more than a prayer.
So, my prayer is one of gratitude for the way you instructed me, and my brothers and sisters, to walk honorably and never cause you heartaches, even though as a child I was mischievous. And when you spanked and reprimanded me, you embraced me with your arms and pushed me to your heart. You reminded me how much I matter, not only to myself, but to my friends and neighbors.
You taught me how to pray, not by reading the Bible, but by the way you lived the Bible. I found out later on you did not know how to read or write. Not one day passed without you blessing me and reminding me to bless myself. Going to church with you was an adventure as we partook in the wonderful banquet of the Lord’s Table.
I never forgot your tears when I disappointed you. When I fell, you raised me up. When I doubted myself, you reassured me. When I felt insignificant, you reminded me that I am a child of the Most-High God. You always said the world was awaiting me to be a servant of the Lord and my community. I remember the tears that flowed from your eyes when I was sent/volunteered to go from Hama, Syria to Lebanon to attend the Balamand Seminary, as the Bishop requested. I thought I was going to summer camp and I wondered why you were so sad. Now I know. Your tears sustained me when I was alone and frightened. Your tears assured me that tears is the ultimate love.

Someone once wrote:
They say memories are golden
Well maybe that’s true
But I never wanted memories
I only wanted you.
A million times I’ve needed you
A million times I’ve cried If love alone could have saved you
You never would have died.
In life I loved you dearly
In death I love you still
In my heart you hold a special place
No one could ever fill.
If tears could build a staircase
And heartache build a lane
I’d walk the path to heaven
And bring you back again.
To hear your voice, to see your smile
To sit and talk with you awhile
To be with you the same old way
Would be my fondest wish today
(anonymous)
So, today I bow before the altar of your heart to thank you; for you have taught me how to forgive, how to always be strong, to be humble, to be persistent, yet gentle. You taught me to be ambitious, yet never greedy, and to never go alone, for success or failure is more meaningful when it is shared with others.

Pray for me, my children and family, as you sit on the right hand of the Lord, that our family continues to have peace and for our community to produce holy mothers such as you.. Keep us under the shelter of your love.

Your Son,
Hanna (Fr. George)

Beloved,

I know for a fact that within a few days the New Year will be knocking at each and every one of our doors. Many will go to parties and celebrate, others will stay home and many of our beloved will be spending their New Year’s Eve in refugee camps, in dilapidated homes or going to church that has lost its roof by the bombings. The news in our city of Detroit will be even more frightening with another person or child being murdered.

When I drove to church on Sunday, December 27^th, much to my sadness, I noticed Christmas trees already piled on both sides of the road; thrown away, a sign that Christmas is over. The celebration of lights and songs will soon be dimmed and removed.

2015 has passed and 2016 is within our reach. I will not give you advice as to what your resolution should be, but I will sit down and reflect on my resolution for the New Year. For the 66 years that I have lived, the New Year did not mean much to me, but Christmas did. For Christmas, to me, is a constant reminder that God’s love is steady and irrevocable. It fills my heart so I will be ready to face the world at any time.

I promise to be a better pastor, a better husband and a better dad and grandfather in the coming year. But I pray that I can face all my challenges with courage and confidence to be faithful to my household, which is my first church, and to the larger household, which is the family and community of St. Mary’s.

If my resolution is based in my faith, in Christ and His Holy Church, I will always know my salvation is near, even if I did not lose the weight I wanted For this reason, I make my own resolution because the only one I can change is myself. “If anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come.”  (II Corinthians 5:17)

So the New Year comes to give me new opportunities and fresh hope to stay the course, to forgive, to reconcile, and to leave behind all the worries and tragedies of the world because the New Year will give us its own tragedy and worries. So, if I live in the New Year, I live for the Lord and if the Lord is with us, who can be against us.

Our most powerful asset, as Orthodox Christians, is our prayers. I can only recommend to you to make a new resolution to spend 5 minutes every day praying for peace, your nation, your church and your family. And in return, I will always keep you in my prayers.

So I pray that God’s love and blessings will come to all so growth and success will be from the Lord.

 

Blessed New Year to all.

Fr. George Shalhoub

 

New Year Prayer

Christ our Lord, You who provide the rains and fruitful seasons, and hear the prayers
of those who humbly seek You, accept also our requests about our needs
and concerns and deliver us from worry, danger and sin.
Your mercies are as abundant as Your works. Bless all our activities, direct our steps by
Your Holy Spirit, and forgive’ our shortcomings. Lord, bless the year with Your goodness
and make it a year of grace for all of us.  Give peace to the world, especially the Middle East,

our nation and cities and above all, our homes. O Lord, Creator of all things,
who by Your authority have established times and seasons,
bless the beginning of our Church year with Your goodness; preserve Your people in peace,
and through the intercessions of the Theotokos, save us.

Amen.