Yesterday at St. Andrew Parish in Milford, OH, on the Feast of Christ the King, we welcomed Abouna Sleman Hassan, on behalf of HOPE.  Pilgrims from the 2012 and 2014 groups were excited to reconnect with Abouna Sleman, while other guests were delighted to meet him for the first time.  We began our special celebration at 11 AM mass, which included a baptism!  Deacon Tim Schutte gave the homily and said, “Every chance encounter has an eternal connection.”  Wow.  Deacon Tim, preparing a homily for the feast of Christ the King and for this baptism, was truly inspired because these prophetic words sum up how God works through HOPE. Abouna Sleman has family right here in the Greater Cincinnati area!  What a God-incidence that he came to visit family here, who live in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the birthplace of the HOPE project.  How blessed we are that the Hassan family is willing to share their nephew/cousin with us!  How providential that God made a strong connection between this humble priest from Jordan to his family and the community of HOPE teachers who both live right here. Nancy Hemminger always says, “HOPE is God’s project.”  Today, affirmations of this came, one after the other. HOPE is under the direction of Christ the King.  Not Christ the president.  Not Christ the Prime Minister.  Christ the King.  Abouna Sleman’s home parish is named Christ the King.  Today, he celebrated this feast day with us, and in our hearts, we connected with a parish in Jordan most of us will never visit. The Holy vocation of the priesthood is an integral component of HOPE, as witnessed by the beautiful liturgy offered by Fr. Rob Waller and Abouna Sleman today.  HOPE’s priests lead us on pilgrimage, they extend Christ’s mercy to us, they nourish us, they affirm us, they give God’s blessings upon us.  They witness.  God calls priests to lead HOPE.  Hebrews 6:17-19 states:  “God wishing to give heirs of his promise clear evidence that his purpose would not change, placed hope before us.  Like a sure and firm anchor, that hope extends beyond the veil [of the sanctuary] through which Jesus has entered on our behalf, being made high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”    God invites teacher ministers to enter into HOPE.  Romans 12:6-7 states: “We have gifts that differ according to the favor bestowed on each of us.  One may be the gift of ministry; it should be used for service.  One who is a teacher should use his gift for teaching.”  Teaching is not our vocation, but it is our ministry.  Through the support and direction of God’s holy priests, teachers minister to each other, bringing peace to their classrooms.   The acronym for HOPE is Holy Land Outreach Promoting Education.  But, HOPE is also one of the three theological virtues – faith, hope, and love. When we as teachers and as priests work to build the mission of HOPE, we bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  Profound encounters with our Holy Land partners, who live in a hostile and unsettled region of the world, show us in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati what these fruits look like in action.  Abouna Sleman, at his young age and early stages of his vocation, radiates the fruits of the spirit:  “love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and chastity.”  Galatians 5:22 Yesterday those of us at mass and at the luncheon were inspired by Abouna Sleman to focus just a little bit more on the fruits God can bear in us if we tune into His plan for us.  Today, Abouna Sleman warmly invited us, and all Christians, to embrace the Holy Land as our homeland.  He said the Holy Land belongs to us all – God’s people make the Holy Land holy. We are the living Body of Christ. Without Christians in the Holy Land, it would just be stones and museums. Keep HOPE alive! Let’s live our Christian faith every day!

Submitted by: Sharon Bohlen