Amman… praying  for peace with faith

Caritas Jordan, in cooperation with the Catholic Center for Studies and Media, organized a few days ago an eve of hymns titled, “Amman… praying for peace with faith” by Lebanese hymn singer Layal Nehme, who was accompanied by Lebanese-Jordanian pianist Grace Abu Daher Omeish and a group of Jordanian musicians.

The eve of hymns, which was held at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Tla’ Al-Ali, western Amman, was attended by a number of officials from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Ukraine as well as a large gathering of guests and community figures with the intension to lift up prayers for these countries that were burdened by war last year.

In a welcoming address by parish priest Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader, he said, “Jordan and Lebanon were in the past years, according to His Holiness Pope Francis, ‘a warm embrace for our displaced brothers from Iraq or Syria.” He also reiterated this in a book he published last week, titled “Hope Does Not Disappoint,” where he praises the role of Jordan and Lebanon in providing a warm embrace to refugees and displaced people.

He added, "Beloved Jordan is taking steady steps towards diplomatic endeavors, as  well as wonderful and pioneering ones in the world, led by the skilled leader His Majesty King Abdullah II, along with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al-Hussein Ibn Abdullah II, and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, through her pioneering media interviews. As for Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Ayman Safadi, he always infatuates the world with his shuttle tours in order to say: Stop the war immediately!

Regarding the situation in Lebanon, despite being a warm embrace for many refugees, it found itself in the heart of the storm. After the attainment of the ceasefire, we hope that peace will prevail there. We not only want a fragile ceasefire, but we want a lasting peace for the homeland of the cedars, to rise up and restore its status quo, namely Lebanon, the country of saints, and the country of a message, the country of the humanitarian and global message. But, we have nowadays as well to pray for fraternal Syria so that its national unity would not demolish.

During the eve of hymns, hymn singer Layal Nehme presented hymns that conveyed messages of peace for Lebanon, Palestine, and for the countries athirst for this gift, in an atmosphere full of faith and hope, with an emphasis on the importance of merging voices and hearts for bringing about the desired peace. The concert’s most impressive moment was the song titled, “Amman… praying  for peace with faith” where the attendees reacted greatly. At the end, Nehme stressed that the large attendance in the heart of the beloved capital Amman, is a reflection of Jordan’s peaceful role, while providing evidence that everyone is unanimously offering fervent prayers to stop the cycle of war and violence in the region, especially in the Holy Land and Lebanon, so that Christmas this year would mark the birth of peace, love and brotherhood.

During the concert, we enjoyed  the good atmosphere, which included expressive words, mellifluous melody, and skilled performance by Abu Daher, and the mellifluous voice of the Lebanese hymn singer Nehme who comes from a musical environment and family,  whereby last year her sister Abeer Nehme delighted the visitors of the Jerash Festival with her wonderful songs, and weeks ago her brother George sang at a concert in Madaba. Layal visited the Baptism Site prior to her concert in Amman, sang at in the Baptism Church, and offered her prayers and hymns high towards the sky, for the sake of peace, and in support of the “Amman Message” of Amman and of Jordan, with its wise leadership and its people, denoting that we are a people who loves peace, and we do not tire of praying with faith for the sun of peace to rise in the East, starting from Gaza and the rest of Palestine. Until then, “Amman will remain… praying  for peace with faith”.