It is neither strange nor unusual to see Jordanian Ramadan banquets in Christian homes, in churches or rather in their affiliated schools. This is not a message intended to be conveyed to Jordanians, for we Jordanians know ourselves well and do know the good fruits yielded from the Jordanian soil which have over the years been exuding peace and cordiality. This is merely a message intended to be disseminated to the whole world.
What is novel in this year is that it is the Year of Mercy, according to Pope Francis. All the Christians of the world reflect on the image of the Almighty God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. This is definitely a spiritual point that coincides with the teachings and worship of Islam which remind its followers day and night that God is merciful and compassionate.
Therefore, this year serves as a common ground for worship, before serving banquets, and for giving priority to altruism over selfishness. How beautiful it is to spot the crescent marking that advent of the month of mercy which coincides with sublime initiatives. Such initiatives are messages, as mentioned earlier, to the world which says that religion in Jordan is not and will never be a factor causing sedition and strife.
Marking the Year of Mercy, the Church launched the Restaurant of Mercy, located in Jabal Weibdeh, which offers free daily meals. During the month of Ramadan, these meals turned into iftar meals, where over 500 people eat these meals on daily basis.
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah's visit to the restaurant, as part of her visit to Caritas Jordan a few days ago, gave a new moral push to the volunteers and the supervisors to effectively further their work. The visit of Her Majesty the Queen also coincided with the iftar banquet His Majesty King Abdullah II Ben Al-Hussein held for senior state and civilian officials which was attended by clergymen from both religions in order to entrench the message of the coherent Jordanian family. It is no strange for Jordan-- where a new church or a mosque is erected from time to time as is the case with the Martyrs of Jordan Church which has been inaugurated--to hold joint banquets which enhance national unity and social fabric.
Furthermore, the Garden of Mercy at Our Lady of Peace Center, a gift from His Holiness Pope Francis, was inaugurated this year to provide jobs for the displaced Iraqis. Our country serves as a haven for the refugees who lost hope as a result of their countries' policies and their successive wars. Furthermore, it hosts brethren from Mosul who fled misery and religious persecution practised against them by those who believe that they represent religion and that religion is theirs. Love reached a climax this year and the year before when these refugees were hosted in our churches and they slept on beds offered by His Majesty the King. The Church offered them halls, schools and churches to stay in. On a Ramadan eve hosted by UAE Ambassador Bilal Al Bdour, I thanked him and thanked fraternal UAE for the generosity demonstrated for two years towards a number of Iraqi families who were hosted in rented houses, with the support of the UAE Red Crescent.
In few days, a new book by Pope Francis titled, "The Name of God is Mercy" will be issued. The Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Amman has had the honour to translate the book into Arabic. The book, reviewed by Patriarch Michel Sabbah, will soon be available to readers to indicate that mercy is the cornerstone, that love builds communities, and that people meeting at the Restaurant of Mercy or in Christian Jordanian Arab houses for Ramadan banquets complement the process of cohesion, and prove that Jordan will always remain impregnable as has always been.
