How beautiful it is for children to wake up to a greeting message from their father.
This is what has happened to most Jordanians when they received a morning message on their mobile phones, signed by their leader and the source of pride, namely His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein. When Jordanians checked their phones on the morning of the 80th Independence Day celebration, they found a message bearing the signature of the father, the leader, and the King, who addressed his people with humility and paternal sincerity with the words: “The sons and daughters of the one extended Jordanian family.”
In the message, His Majesty the King affirmed that our country is blessed. Indeed, Jordan is blessed and holy, with its magnificent historical sites. Throughout the homeland there are sites of holiness that convey a history that is rich of holiness and major religious events witnessed by our land across the ages.
In his noble Independence Day speech, His Majesty summarized Jordan’s narrative in just two lines when he said: Jordan has never been a mere footnote in human history. Rather, it is a cradle of civilizations, and a land of harmony. Upon the bank of its river, Jesus Christ was baptized, and it was home to the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad and those who followed in their footsteps.” In embodiment of this history, His Majesty the King bestowed the Order of Independence on Sheikh Zaid Al-Kilani and Fr. Yousef Francis, to tell the world that “Jordan breathes religiously through the two lungs of Christianity and Islam.”
On Monday, May 18, during his meeting with church leaders, His Majesty the King launched preparations for the year 2030, when the world will celebrate blessed Jordan and mark the 2,000 anniversary of the baptism of Lord Jesus Christ in the holy waters of the Jordan River, specifically at the Baptism Site on the river’s eastern bank.
As our country marks the 80th anniversary of its independence, progress, and glory, we grow ever prouder of this familial bond among the people and their fatherly leader, who for 27 years has illuminated the world with the light of love, harmony, and sincere calls for peace.
Perhaps the most beautiful expression of this sentiment was expressed by Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa during his visit to Irbid and Al-Husun, when asked about His Majesty the King, he said: “His Majesty King Abdullah II is the light of the East, and when darkness intensifies, we know to return to this light and draw from it guidance for the stages ahead.”
We are blessed to enjoy these family-like bonds among citizens under a constitution that affirms equality for all, without discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, or sect.
This is what has made Jordan a homeland that welcomes the wounded and the refugees from various Arab and non-Arab countries.
Here, in Jordan, the land of benevolence, waves of refugees tell stories of compassion and hospitality expressed by this homeland despite its limited resources, as it put smiles on the faces of children forced by war and persecution to leave their homes, whether because of religious persecution, as happened in Mosul years ago, or due to the political turmoil affecting several Arab countries.
It is a source of pride that Jordan remains the country closest to our Palestinian brethren in spirit and geography, as well as to have the Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites continue to be a source of pride and honor. We also take pride in the several initiatives Jordan has launched to the world, while conveying a message of loyalty, love, and Christian-Muslim dialogue, turning the Kingdom into a model of benevolence, human fraternity, and openness to the world.
In these blessed national days, we pray for our national football team to continue holding its head high, carrying Jordan’s flag, emblem, and iris flower to the world which is the greatest gift to us marking our 80th Independence Day.
