Christmas is nearing and the martyr city continues to suffer the devastating consequences of the ongoing war. The cries of suffering and hope of those under the air raids, who entrust themselves to the “Prince of Peace.”
I attended for the first time, a classical music concert in the midst of a battle. It happened in Aleppo, where, surrounded by death, a voice of peace arose among many others that announced war, to comfort the hearts of the people and make them momentarily forget the cold and death. It was like a chapter of a modern tragedy that resembled Greek mythology. In a fully packed Church and with very few tools, Father Elias Janji with the Naregatsi choir and the pianist played some pieces of Verdi, Mozart, Vivaldi and Karl Orf, elevating our spirits to another horizon, despite the polar chill that has invaded Aleppo these days.. (…)
What will happen now? Will the war in Aleppo end, and bring back serenity to the people who have suffered so much, even if they will find a great part of the city destroyed?
The population is weary and wants the conflict to end. But the armed groups refuse to accept defeat and want to fight to the last, despite the appeal of the UN special envoy, Staffan De Mistura, to all the groups to leave the city and spare the lives of the people, who would otherwise pay a heavy price, according to the logic of war!
How can we forget that in the end, it is Man since each one, whether good or bad, is an image of God, though this image is buried under a thousand vices and wickedness.
With Christmas now at our doorstep, let us therefore remind ourselves that this feast should not only be a remembrance of a past fact celebrated with the usual festivity. The arrival of the “Prince of Peace” should also change the hearts and gestures of all of us, because these become tiny stones in the construction of a better world we all dream of.
From Aleppo, Pascal Bedros
Fonte: www.focolare.org
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