On February 24th, 2023, a spiritual meeting was held for the teachers and staff of the Latin Patriarchate school in Jaffa Nazareth under the title “Satan tempted Jesus with three temptations: food, life, and power”. The meeting was organized by Mgr Rafiq Nahra, Patriarchal Vicar for Israel, and Fr. Eli Kurzum, the director-general of the schools of the Latin Patriarchate in Israel, to encourage the staff in this Lenten season.
In his speech, Mgr Nahra explained the scriptures about Christ’s temptations in the wilderness and how the temptations expose the weaknesses of the flesh. He emphasized that our spirit is in war with our flesh, we either live by satisfying our desires or by denying ourselves to serve others.
He also commented on the third temptation – “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me” (Matthew 04:09), saying that we must not fall for this trap while we work on attaining our goals. He noted, that God chose us to be his children, we didn’t; and just like the people of Israel, we are prone to serve other gods. Hence, he encouraged them to follow St. Don Bosco’s life principle of living live by love, motivated by convictions, to endure the trials.
Then, the participants were divided into four groups, as Dr. Shadi Abu Khadra moderated a discussion about the characteristics of Christian schools, in general, and the LPJ school in Jaffa Nazareth, in particular.
During the discussion, the following points were made by the teachers: the importance of praying in the morning and attending Mass with the students; the importance of the spiritual life in the family; teachers are ought to be an example of God’s love for the students.
Mgr. Rafiq Nahra, and Fr. Eli Kurzum, were pleased to hear the responses of the teachers, and wished everyone a blessed Lenten season
