Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 18-19/18 St. Joseph’s Day/Elias Bejjani/March 19/18 The Healing Miracle Of the Blind Beggar, Bartimaeus Son Of Timaeus/Elias Bejjani/March 19/18 Seven Ways Iran Spends its Money in the Syrian War/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/March 18/18 Nigeria’s Christians Today, Europe’s Christians Tomorrow/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/March 18/18 Erdogan’s Unrequited Arab Love/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/March 18/18 The Boy From Petersburg Who Became The Man From Moscow/Amir Taheri/Gatestone Institute/March 18/18 Is the Syrian regime ‘winning’ the war/Lina Khatib/Al Arabiya/March 18/18 Poisoning case explains why Putin is so brazen/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/March 18/18 Putin re-elected: What is in it for the Gulf region/Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al Arabiya/March 18/18 Is Turkey preparing to replace US military base in Qatar/Shehab Al-Makahleh/Al Arabiya/March 18/18
Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on March 18-19/18 St. Joseph’s Day The Healing Miracle Of the Blind Beggar, Bartimaeus Son Of Timaeus Hizbullah Official: Lebanese System Rotten, Can’t be Radically Reformed LF Hits Out at Hariri: We Don’t Need Protection against ‘Evil Eye’ U.S. Reportedly Tells Hariri Veto Lifted on Attack Helicopters Report: Mustaqbal, LF Tell Their Campaigns They Won’t Ally in Elections Qaouq: Saudi Arabia Intervening in Lebanon, Inciting Lebanese AMAL Urges 70% Turnout in South Elections Rahi, Bassil convene in Bkirki Rahi calls on officials to make reforms, stop public waste expenditure French Ambassador: France will always be loyal to Lebanon Bassil: FPM represents all families in all Lebanese regions Sitin by Islamic detainees’ families to demand general amnesty
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 18-19/18 Gaza Factions Announce Marches for the Palestinian Right of Return Syria Kurds Vow to ‘Liberate’ Afrin after Capture by Turkish Army Syrian President Assad visits army positions in Eastern Ghouta — state media Israeli stabbed and wounded in Jerusalem’s Old City, attacker shot: Media Iran provides Houthis with European expert to prevent loss Israel Destroys Hamas Tunnel in Gaza 3 Killed in Fire at Philippine Hotel Russia’s Putin projected to win fourth term with 73.9 percent of vote Trump Prepares for Visit by Saudi Prince who Has Rocked the Kingdom Republican senator expects Trump to pull out of Iran deal Russian diplomat hints UK lab could be nerve agent source Five Indians killed in cross-border shelling by Pakistani troops
St. Joseph’s Dayعيد ما يوسف البتول Elias Bejjani/March 19/18 The feast day of St. Joseph is celebrated annually on March 19/Our Bejjani family has proudly carried this name generation after generation for centuries and still do. May God and His angles safeguard our caring and loving son Youssef, and our grandson Joseph, who both carry this blessed name It is worth mentioning that St. Joseph’s Day is a Maronite and Roman Catholic feast day that commemorates the life of St. Joseph, the step-father of Jesus and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. People with very strong religious convictions among which are the Lebanese Maronites celebrate St. Joseph’s Day on March 19 and believe that this day is St. Joseph’s birthday too. Back home, in Lebanon St. Joseph is considered the Family Saint and looked upon as a family and hardworking father role model because of the great role that Almighty God had assigned him to carry. His duty was to raise Jesus Christ and take care of Virgin Mary. God has chose him to look after His begotten son and Virgin Marry. He fulfilled his Godly assignment with love, passion and devotion. May Al Mighty God bless all those that carry this name.
The Healing Miracle Of the Blind Beggar, Bartimaeus Son Of Timaeus Elias Bejjani https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63234 John 09:5: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world”. We become blind not when our two eyes do not function any more and lose our vision. No, not at all, this is a physical disability that affects only our earthly body and not our Godly soul. We can overcome this physical blindness and go on with our lives, while our spiritual blindness makes us lose our eternal life and end in hell. We actually become blind when we can not see the right and righteous tracks in life, and when we do not walk in their paths. We actually become blind when we fail to obey God’s commandments, negate His sacrifice on the cross that broke our slavery bondage from the original sin, and when we refuse to abandon and tame the instincts’ of our human nature, and when we stubbornly resist after falling into the evil’s temptation to rise to the Godly nature in which we were baptized with water and the holy spirit. Meanwhile the actual blindness is not in the eyes that can not see because of physical ailments, but in the hearts that are hardened, in the consciences that are numbed and in the spirits that are defiled with sin. Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” When we know heart, mind and soul that God Himself, is LOVE, and when we practice, honour and feel LOVE in every word we utter and in every conduct we perform, we shall never be blind in our hearts, conscience and faith, even though when our eyes cease to perform. In its spiritual essence and core, what does love mean and encompass? Saint Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians (13/01-07), answers this question: ” “If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing. If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” In every community, there are individuals from all walks of life who are spiritually blind, lacking faith, have no hope, and live in dim darkness because they have distanced themselves from Almighty God and His Gospel, although their eyes are physically perfectly functional and healthy. They did not seek God’s help and did not repent and ask for forgiveness, although they know that God is always waiting eerily for them to defeat the evil, get out his temptations and come to Him. On the sixth Lenten Sunday, our Maronite Catholic Church cites and recalls with great piety Jesus’ healing miracle of the blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus. This amazing miracle that took place in Jerusalem near the Pool of Siloam is documented in three gospels; Mark 10/46-52, John 9/1-41, Matthew 20/:29-34. Maronites in Lebanon and all over the world, like each and very faithful Christian strongly believe that Jesus is the holy and blessed light through which believers can see God’s paths of righteousness. There is no doubt that without Jesus’ light, evil darkness will prevails in peoples’ hearts, souls and minds. Without Jesus’ presence in our lives we definitely will preys to all kinds of evil temptations. The Miracle: Mark 10/46-52: ” They came to Jericho. As he went out from Jericho, with his disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, and say, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him, that he should be quiet, but he cried out much more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still, and said, “Call him. ”They called the blind man, saying to him, “Cheer up! Get up. He is calling you!” He, casting away his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “Rabboni, that I may see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your faith has made you well.” Immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. The son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who was born to two blind parents truly believed in Jesus. His heart, mind and spirit were all enlightened with faith and hope. Because of his strong faith he knew deep inside who actually Jesus was, and stubbornly headed towards him asking for a Godly cure. He rebelled against all those opportunist and hypocrites who out of curiosity and not faith came to see who is Jesus. He refused to listen to them when they rebuked him and tried hardly to keep him away from Jesus. He loudly witnessed for the truth and forced his way among the crowd and threw himself on Jesus’ feet asking Him to open his blind eyes. Jesus was fascinated by his faith, hailed his perseverance and gave him what he asked for. He opened his eyes. John’s Gospel gives us more details about what has happened with Bartimaeus after the healing miracle of his blindness. We can see in the below verses that after his healing he and his parents were exposed to intimidation, fear, threats, and terror, but he refused to succumb or to lie, He held verbatim to all the course details of the miracle, bravely witnessed for the truth and loudly proclaimed his strong belief that Jesus who cured him was The Son Of God. His faith made him strong, fearless and courageous. The Holy Spirit came to his rescue and spoke through him. John 9/13-12: “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been born blind. 2 His disciples asked him, “Teacher, whose sin caused him to be born blind? Was it his own or his parents’ sin?” Jesus answered, “His blindness has nothing to do with his sins or his parents’ sins. He is blind so that God’s power might be seen at work in him. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light for the world.” After he said this, Jesus spat on the ground and made some mud with the spittle; he rubbed the mud on the man’s eyes and told him, “Go and wash your face in the Pool of Siloam.” (This name means “Sent.”) So the man went, washed his face, and came back seeing. His neighbors, then, and the people who had seen him begging before this, asked, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “He is the one,” but others said, “No he isn’t; he just looks like him.” So the man himself said, “I am the man.” “How is it that you can now see?” they asked him. He answered, “The man called Jesus made some mud, rubbed it on my eyes, and told me to go to Siloam and wash my face. So I went, and as soon as I washed, I could see.” “Where is he?” they asked.“I don’t know,” he answered. Sadly our contemporary world hails atheism, brags about secularism and persecutes those who have faith in God and believe in Him. Where ever we live, there are opportunist and hypocrites like some of the conceited crowd that initially rebuked Bartimaeus, and tried with humiliation to keep him away from Jesus, but the moment Jesus called on him they changed their attitude and let him go through. Meanwhile believers all over the world suffer on the hands of ruthless oppressors, and rulers and men of authority like the Pharisees who refused to witness for the truth. But despite of all the dim spiritual darkness, thanks God, there are still too many meek believers like Bartimaeus who hold to their faith no matters what the obstacles or hurdles are. Colossians 03:12: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” Lord, enlighten our minds and hearts with your light and open our eyes to realize that You are a loving and merciful father. Lord Help us to take Bartimaeus as a faith role model in our life. Lord help us to defeat all kinds of sins that take us away from Your light, and deliver us all from evil temptations. In conclusion, let us never blind ourselves from knowing where is the light and who is the light: “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.” (John 09/39)
