Lent is a prime time for spiritual change through genuine praying, serious and in depth self-examination, return to the roots of faith, repentance and forgiveness.

Almighty God is ready and always willing to turn everything around and take the hands of those who purse with perseverance forgiveness and repentance. He, with love and extreme happiness leads their steps towards all virtues of righteousness. He who in the Cana Wedding changed the water into wine and cleaned the Leper is willing all the time also to transform our minds and consciences from wickedness to goodness and salvation if and when call for His help.

In our Maronite Catholic Church's rite, on the Fourth Lent Sunday, that fell this year on March 27, we recall and cite the biblical Lost Son's parable that is known also as The Prodigal Son. This impulsive, selfish and thoughtless son, as the parable tells us, fell prey to evil's temptation and decided to take his share of his father's inheritance and leave the parental dwelling.

He travelled to a far-away city where he indulged badly in all evil conducts of pleasure and corruption until he lost all his money and became penniless. He experienced severe poverty, starvation, humiliation and loneliness. In the midst of his dire hardships he felt nostalgic, came back to his senses and decided with great self confidence to return back to his father's house, kneel on his feet and ask him for forgiveness. On his return his loving and kind father received him with rejoice, open arms, accepted his repentance, and happily forgave him all his misdeeds. Because of his sincere repentance his Father gave him back all his privileges as a son.

The Lost (prodigal) Son's parable: Luke15/11-32: He said, �A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, �Father, give me my share of your property.� He divided his livelihood between them. Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. 15:17 But when he came to himself he said, �How many hired servants of my father�s have bread enough to spare, and I�m dying with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, �Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants .�� �He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, �Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.� �But the father said to his servants, �Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.� They began to celebrate. Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on. He said to him, �Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.� But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him. But he answered his father, �Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 15:30 But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.� �He said to him, �Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.

This parable is a road map for repentance and forgiveness. It shows us how much Almighty God our Father loves us, we His children and how He is always ready with open arms and willing to forgive our sins and trespasses when we come back to our senses, recognize right from wrong, admit our weaknesses and wrongdoings, willingly return to Him and with faith and repentance ask for His forgiveness.

Asking Almighty God for what ever we need is exactly what the bible instructs us to do when encountering all kinds of doubt, weaknesses, stumbling, hard times, sickness, loneliness, persecution, injustice etc. Matthew 7/7&8: "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened" All what we have to do is pray and to ask Him with faith, self confidence and humility and He will respond. Matthew 21/22: "All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.�

We are not left alone at any time, especially when in trouble, no matter how far we distance ourselves from God and disobey His Holy bible. He is a Father, a loving, caring and forgiving Father. What is definite is that in spite of our foolishness, stupidity, ignorance, defiance and ingratitude He never ever abandons us or gives up on our salvation. Because He loves, we His children, he sent His only begotten son to be tortured, humiliated and crucified in a bid to absolve our original sin.

He carries our burdens and helps us to fight all kinds of Evil temptations. Matthew11/28-30: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.�

God is waiting for our repentance, let us run to Him and ask for forgiveness before it is too late

We all remember the KFC “Julia Meal": small breasts, big thighs and long nose.

Now, KFC has announced an addition to their chicken dinners.

It's called the “Bob Brown” Bucket:

it consists of nothing but left wings and an arsehole.

A SPANISH Teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.'

'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.'

A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?'

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la computadora'), because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine ('el computador'), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems,

but half the time they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

The terrorist Hezbollah's General Secretary, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, is rhetorically attacking the Arabian Gulf joint armed forces that were assigned to rescue the Kingdom of Bahrain and its peace-loving people from the bloody Iranian dragons who are endeavoring to devour this small Arabian country through ongoing lies, instigations, plots and ignition of denominational strife.

On direct instructions from their masters in Iran, Nasrallah and his armed Hezbollah group leadership are angrily and loudly targeting these Arab peace-keeping forces with all kinds of fabricated accusations of betrayal and treason. Nasrallah, who has been living in an underground bunker since 2006, is keeping a blind eye on the Syrian regime's cruel brutality which was savagely inflicted on the unarmed peaceful Syrian citizens of Daraa and many other Syrian cities during the last few days, where tens were killed, hundreds injured and thousands arbitrarily detained.

The hypocritical Nasrallah is militarily helping Assad�s regime in Syria with hundreds of his armed "Mujahedeen" terrorists to oppress and muffle the Syrian citizens who are courageously and peacefully calling for the release of hundreds of innocent detainees, and for freedom and democracy.

Nasrallah's "Mujahedeen", as we recall, took a major role in oppressing and assaulting the Iranian people themselves during the massive demonstrations that erupted in many Iranian cities in response to the systemic forging of the last presidential elections. "Nasrallah is just a cheap Iranian trumpet no more no less", as the renowned Kuwaiti Journalist Ahmad Jarallah said in an editorial he published in Al Seyasi Kuwaiti daily on Monday.

Nasrallah completely ignored the fact that Syria's dictator, Bashar Al Assad, sent on Monday, March 21, the 4th Armored Division commanded by his younger brother, Maher Assad, to suppress the four-day uprising in Darra city, capital of the southern Hauran region, and blockade the adjoining Jabal ad-Druze, where a demonstration is planned for March 26 at As-Suwada. Al Assad, posted two expanded Syrian army brigades at Darra, where some 20 demonstrators were killed and 300 wounded by tear gas and live bullets.

It seems that Nasrallah has chosen not to hear the Syrian demonstrators calling on their citizens all around the country to join them at a rally to mourn those who died in clashes with police over the past three days. He has turned his head away from the oppressive Syrian scene to attack the Bahraini authorities infringing on all traditional diplomatic protocols.

The Bahraini Government did the right thing to hold the Lebanese government responsible for Nasrallah's blatant and hostile remarks, saying his statements would have a negative impact on ties between Lebanon and Bahrain. Bahrain officially condemns Nasrallah's "lies and allegations over the events in the Kingdom aimed at serving foreign interests�. The condemnation response stated that Hizbullah's leader through his "terrorist speeches" was interfering in Bahrain's internal affairs and attacking its figures and people. Nasrallah's remarks "do not serve the security and stability of the region and would impact Lebanon's interests in the Kingdom of Bahrain and Gulf Cooperation Council countries," the Bahraini foreign ministry warned. It vowed that Bahrain's people "would remain united against all those who want to harm our security and stability."

Nasrallah in a fiery speech that he delivered on Saturday said that Arabian Gulf countries sent troops to Bahrain to "defend a regime which no one is threatening to topple." "I ask some in the Arab and Islamic worlds: Why have you remained mum over the tyranny against our people in Bahrain, is it only because they are Shiites?" he wondered.

In the midst of the ongoing Arabic public revolutions against the tyrant regimes, those Arab leaders, officials and politicians who have been badly addicted to double standard stances, dhimmitude and hypocrisy, like Amr Moussa, the General Secretary of the Arab League, must be forced to step down and spare the world their fake Arabism, hatred, fundamentalism and self-centered mentality.

The Arabian Gulf states did the right thing in sending their troops to safeguard the Kingdom Of Bahrain. In the same realm, it was great to see the Free World countries' armies attack Qaddafi and put an end to his horrible massacres that he has been inflicting on his own people, but strategically it is more vital and more important that these same countries start working seriously on toppling the Baathist Syrian regime, and on eradicating Hezbollah's ministate in Lebanon, or otherwise the mullahs in Iran will keep on spreading more and more of their schemes of terrorism, violence, unrest and havoc, not only in Lebanon and Gaza, but also in all the Arabian Gulf states, Arab countries, and the whole world.

What the Western World officials and politicians need to comprehend once and forever is that all forms of rhetoric statements of condemnation are futile, a waste of time and fall on deaf ears and numbed consciences when both the Syrian and Iranian regimes are their focus. There is no shred of doubt that the tyrannical leadership in both countries understands and responds only to the military force and deterrence.

We strongly believe that the time has come for the Arab countries to have their own terrorist lists similar to those kept by the USA, Australia and Canada, and to start eradicating the terrorist groups, especially Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, Hamas, and Muslim Brotherhood.

Lebanese people who honor peace, democracy, freedom and human rights, are wondering when the Free World countries together with the Arab world will start to see things as they are in Lebanon without any cosmetics and accordingly witness the truth and stop alleging that Hezbollah has two wings, one social and the other militant. The reality is that the USA and UK in particular are fully aware that Hezbollah by all means and according to each and every criterion is an armed Iranian proxy terrorist brigade stationed in Lebanon and has no such imaginary wings. Brutality, violence and terrorism are Hezbollah's only game plan.

Protests in Syria are no longer restricted to Daraa City, but now expanded to included many of towns and villages nearby, especially Jassem, Daael, Sanamain and Inkhil. Still several arrests were reported and hundreds are reported missing.

In Jassem, the demonstration began when Imams called out from Mosques saying “People of Dignity, People of Honour, your folk in Daraa are being slaughtered.” 1,500 gathered within minutes. “The demonstration came in response to the siege of Deraa City” one eyewitness said. “We walked in the direction of Abu Tammam Square… People wanted to go and throw stones at the District Director, but we insisted on keeping tings peaceful by chanting “Silmiyyah.” Party officials came to us and asked us what we want, we said: “freedom.” That ended our communication. “

In Inkhel, the inhabitants destroyed the local party headquarter, and tore a posted of the President. It seems things will continue to escalate until next Friday. The demonstration ended in Inkhel without a single security officer showing his face.

In Daraa, the statue of Hafiz Al-Assad in the main square was demolished yesterday, all posters of Bashar were torn, and “Down With Assad” slogan was sprayed on walls of many of schools.

In Qamishly, Kurds poured into the streets to celebrate Newruz. Though no clashes with authority were reported, speakers at the celebrations called for ending state of emergency, release of political prisoners, and respect for political freedoms. In a gesture of support to the revolution, protesters raised the Syrian flag on the stage. At night, celebrations turned to protests, with protesters filling the narrow streets of the city, shouting “Freedom, Freedom, Freedom” and cars honked their horns.

Small demonstrations continued to take part in various Damascene neighbourhoods and suburbs, including Kafar Sousseh, Douma, Mouaddamiyah and Al-Hajar Al-Aswad.

(John 6:68): “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life"

Whenever we are in real trouble encountering devastating and harsh conditions either physically or materially, we unconsciously react with sadness, anger, confusion, helplessness and feel abandoned. When in a big mess, we expect our family members and friends to automatically run to our rescue. But in the majority of such difficult situations, we discover with great disappointment that in reality our heartfelt expectations do not unfold as we wish.

What is frustrating and shocking is that very few of our family members and friends would stand beside us during hardships and endeavour to genuinely offer the needed help. Those who have already walked through these rocky life paths and adversities definitely know very well the bitter taste of disappointment. They know exactly the real meaning of the well-know saying, "a friend in need is a friend indeed".

Sadly our weak human nature is driven by inborn instincts that often make us side with the rich, powerful, healthy and strong over the poor, weak, needy and sick. Those who have no faith in Almighty God find it very difficult to cope in a real mess.

Meanwhile, those whose faith is solid stand up with courage, refuse to give up hope, and call on their Almighty Father for help through praying and worshiping. They know for sure that our Great Father is loving and passionate. He will not abandon any one of us when calling on Him for mercy and help because He said and promised so. Matthew 11/28-30: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

One might ask, 'Why should I pray?' And, 'Do I have to ask God for help, can't He help me without praying to Him?' The answer is 'no'. We need to pray and when we do so with faith and confidence God listens and responds (Mark 11/:24): "Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them"

Yes, we have to make the effort and be adamant and persistent. We have to ask and knock in a bid to show our mere submission to Him and He with no doubt shall provide. (Matthew 7/7 & 8): "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened".

On this second Sunday of Lent in our Catholic Church's Eastern Maronite rite, we cite and recall the miraculous cure of the bleeding woman in Matthew 9/20-22, Mark 5/25-34, and Luke 8/43-48. As we learn from the Holy Gospel, the bleeding woman's great faith made her believe without a shred of doubt that her twelve years of chronic bleeding would stop immediately if she touched Jesus' garment. She knew deeply in her heart that Jesus would cure her even without asking him. Her faith cured the bleeding and made her well. Her prayers were heard and responded to.

Luke 8/:43-49: "A woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians, and could not be healed by any, came behind him (Jesus), and touched the fringe of his cloak, and immediately the flow of her blood stopped. Jesus said, “Who touched me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes press and jostle you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 8:46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, for I perceived that power has gone out of me.” When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. He said to her, “Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

The woman's faith cured her chronic bleeding and put her back in the society as a normal and acceptable citizen. During that era women with uterus bleeding were looked upon as sinners, defiled and totally banned from entering synagogues for praying. Meanwhile, because of her sickness she was physically unable to be a mother and bear children. Sadly she was socially and religiously abandoned, humiliated and alienated. But her faith and hope empowered her with the needed strength and perseverance and enabled her to cope successfully against all odds.

Hallelujah! Faith can do miracles. Yes indeed. (Luke17/5 & 6): " The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you". How badly do we today need to have a faith like that of this women?

Let us all on this second Lent Sunday pray with solid faith.

Let us ask Almighty God who cured the bleeding women, and who was crucified on the cross to absolve our original sin, that He would endow His Holy graces of peace, tranquility, and love all over the world. And that He would strengthen the faith, patience and hope of all those persecuted, imprisoned, and deprived for courageously witnessing the Gospel's message and truth.

Seeing the mouse shouting away claiming that the lion getting married is his brother, another Lion grabs the mouse in anger and asks: "Who the hell do you think you are? How can a lion be your brother? You are only a mouse."

The Mouse replies:

"I, too, was a Lion before I got married."

We are really sad, disappointed and shocked because the US administration is not openly hailing and fully supporting by all means the courageous and wise Saudi military intervention in the Kingdom of Bahrain and instead resorting to a hostile rhetoric that simply is a mess with no positive or fruitful strategic horizon.

Myself, like many other Lebanese and Middle East human rights and democracy advocates, can no longer understand America�s bizarre and against all odds Middle East policies.

We are so confused and unable to tell if the Obama administration is actually supporting the terrorist Syrian and Iranian Axis of Evil regimes and their military tools, Hezbollah and Hamas, or still honoring its historical pro-Western allies, especially the Arabian Gulf states, Emirates and kingdoms?

Hearing what Secretary of State Clinton has said on Wednesday March 16/11, about the Arabic Gulf States� military intervention in Bahrain makes us so suspicious about the actual US agenda in the Middle East. We wonder if Clinton and President Obama want the Arab regimes, especially in the Arabian Gulf, to stay idle while watching Iran's mullahs and their local armed and militant militias topple all their regimes and do nothing.

Isn't Clinton aware that if Iran takes over Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf regimes will automatically fall one after the other under Iran's terrorism and hegemony?

Sadly, the recent US stances in regard to what is called "Revolutions", are very odd, completely unacceptable and fully serve the Iranian -Syrian destructive and evil schemes of expansionism and wreaking havoc throughout the region.

Looking back on what has lately happened in Egypt and the actual outcome, one can't but be more suspicious about the US role. In fact nothing has changed in Egypt at all in spite of all the so called historic revolution. Until now, the only tangible change that has happened is simply the replacement of President Mubarak by the strong military man, Al Mushir Tantawi. Meanwhile, the newly proposed constitutional amendments won�t even give Egyptian Christians any of their deserved equal citizenship rights! So where is the revolution?

In the context of this confusion, the US administration for reasons that we cannot grasp has returned its ambassador to Syria that recently openly granted its terrorist regime a green light with a blind eye to enforce its brutal hegemony over neighboring Lebanon and to topple its democratic, free, and pro-Western government. Is this really what president Obama is after?

Because of this bizarre American policy Hezbollah now is in full control of Lebanon and has appointed against the will of the majority of the Lebanese Sunnis, the Lebanese Sunni Syrian puppet, Mr. Najib Mikati, to form a subservient government that Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's General Secretary, will not only control, but make it a vicious tool to erect an Iranian mullah's republic in Lebanon.

We wonder if the Obama administration was not aware of the horrible and savage murder that the Iranian Hezbollah's proxy, the " Imad Mughniyah group", committed in the West Bank last week, when an Israeli family of five, including three children, was slaughtered. Or it did not hear about the Iranian weapons that Israel confiscated from a ship this week in the Mousterian Sea en route to Egypt and that would have been transferred to Hamas in Gaza. In the same realm, Egyptian authorities on Tuesday confiscated a fleet of trucks loaded with Iranian weapons via Sudan that were also heading to Gaza

We call on the US administration to stop its unexplainable pro- Iranian and -Syrian policies and to act in its historic role as a guardian for peace and stability in the Middle East and as a supporter of pro-Western free and democratic regimes, especially Lebanon.

We remind both President Obama and Secretary Clinton that one million peaceful, patriotic Lebanese citizens demonstrated on Sunday March 13/11, in downtown Beirut against the Hezbollah terrorists and the evil schemes of both its masters, the Syrian and Iranian Axis of Evil regimes. At least the US administration is expected not to side with the Axis of Evil countries and organizations against the peace and democracy loving Lebanese people.

Christ, the Son of God, is always ready and willing to help the sinners who seek forgiveness and repentance. When we are remorseful and ask Him for exoneration, He never gives up on us no matter what we did or said. As a loving Father, He always comes to our rescue when we get ourselves into trouble. He grants us all kinds of graces to safeguard us from falling into the treacherous traps of Satan's sinful temptations.

Jesus the only Son Of God willingly endured all kinds of humiliation, pain, torture and accepted death on the cross for our sake and salvation. Through His crucifixion He absolved us from the original sin that our first parents Adam and Eve committed. He showed us the righteous ways through which we can return with Him on the Day Of Judgment to His Father's Heavenly kingdom.

Jesus made his call to the needy, persecuted, sick and sinners loud and clear: �Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) The outcast leper believed in Jesus' call and came to Him asking for cleansing. Jesus took his hand, touched him with love, and responded to his request.

The leper knew deep in his heart that Jesus could cure him from his devastating and shameful leprosy if He is willing to do so. Against all odds he took the hard and right decision to seek out at once Jesus' mercy.

With solid faith, courage and perseverance the leper approached Jesus and begging him, kneeling down to him, and says to him, "If you want to, you can make me clean." When he had said this, immediately the leprosy departed from him and he was made clean. Jesus extended His hand and touched him with great passion and strictly warned him, "See you say nothing to anybody, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them." But the leper went out, began to proclaim it much, and spread about the matter so that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city, but was outside in desert places: and they came to him from everywhere. (Mark 1/40-45)

We sinners, all of us, ought to learn from the leper's great example of faith. Like him we need to endeavour for sincere repentance with heartfelt prayer, begging Almighty God for absolution from all our sins. Honest pursuit of salvation and repentance requires a great deal of humility, honesty, love, transparency and perseverance. Like the leper we must trust in God's mercy and unwaveringly go after it.

The faithful leper sensed deep inside his conscience that Jesus could cleanse him, but was not sure if he is worth Jesus' attention and mercy.

His faith and great trust in God made him break all the laws that prohibited a leper from getting close to or touching anybody. He tossed himself at Jesus' feet scared and trembling. With great love, confidence, meekness and passion he spoke to Jesus saying �If you will, you can make me clean.� He did not mean if you are in a good mood at present. He meant, rather, if it is not out of line with the purpose of God, and if it is not violating some cosmic program God is working out then you can make me clean.

Lepers in the old days were outcasts forced to live in isolation far away from the public. They were not allowed to continue living in their own communities or families. They were looked upon as dead people and forbidden from even entering the synagogues to worship. They were harshly persecuted, deprived of all their basic rights and dealt with as sinners. But in God's eyes these sick lepers were His children whom He dearly loves and cares for. �Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you". Matthew(5/11-12)

The leper trusted in God's parenthood and did not have any doubts about Jesus' divinity and power to cleanse and cure him. Without any hesitation, and with a pure heart, he put himself with full submission into Jesus' hands and will knowing that God our Father cannot but have mercy on His children. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God". (Matthew5/8)

We need to take the leper as a role model in our lives. His strong and steadfast faith cured him and put him back into society. We are to know God can do whatever He wants and to trust Him. If He is willing, He will. We just have to trust in the goodness and mercy of God and keep on praying and asking, and He surely will respond in His own way even though many times our limited minds can not grasp His help.

Praying on regular basis as Jesus instructed us to is an extremely comforting ritual: "Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions" (Mark 11/24-26)

The leper's faith teaches us that God always listens and always responds to our requests when we approach Him with pure hearts, trust, confidence and humbleness. Almighty God is a loving father who loves us all , we His children and all what we have to do to get His attention is to make our requests through praying. "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened". (Matthew 7/8 -9)

A senior citizen drove his brand new BMW Z4 convertible out of the car salesroom.

Taking off down the motorway, he floored it to 100mph, enjoying the wind blowing through what little hair he had left.

"Amazing!" he thought as he flew down the M1, enjoying pushing the pedal to the metal even more. Looking in his rear view mirror, he saw a police car behind him, blue lights flashing and siren blaring.

"I can get away from him - no problem!" thought the elderly nutcase as he floored it to 120mph,

then 140 then 160mph. Suddenly, he thought, "What on earth am I doing? I'm too old for this nonsense!" So he pulled over to the side of the road and waited for the police car to catch up with him.

Pulling in behind him, the police officer walked up the driver's side of the BMW, looked at his watch and said, "Sir, my shift ends in 10 minutes.

Today is Friday and I'm taking off for the weekend. If you can give me a reason why you were speeding that I've never heard before, I'll let you go."

The man, looked very seriously at the policeman, and replied, "Years ago, my wife ran off with a policeman.

I thought you were bringing her back."

"Have a good day, Sir", said the policeman

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness� sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 5:10).

Why, for heaven's sake are the free and democratic countries of the world, the USA, Europe and all the others, turning a blind eye, adopting an indifferent and laissez-faire stance, and not taking any practical deterrent action against their close ally, the government of Pakistan who boldly and savagely continues to either commit or cover up heinous and brutal crimes against minorities, especially against the persecuted and impoverished Christians and their clergy, politicians, officials and leaders?

Most of these crimes that range between systematized persecution, planned inhuman atrocities, shameful discrimination, fabricated judicial charges, unjust trials and harsh sentences are inflicted by the government itself through notorious controversial blasphemy laws that deprive non-Muslim Pakistani citizens of their basic rights.

Incredibly, Pakistan receives billions of dollars in aids annually from the USA and other Western countries while its record in both human rights violations and terrorism is one of the worse in the world. The question is why the continued aids are not made conditional on the Pakistani government ensuring equal citizenship rights for minorities. This is the least that the Western countries ought to do.

The Western countries have moral, ethical and human obligations to force their close ally, the Pakistani government to change its anti- minority attitudes and to cancel all the barbaric and inhumane blasphemy laws.

With no doubt the statements of condemnation that the Western countries issue after each crime that targets Christians in Pakistan are ignored and will continue to be a waste of time unless they coincide with economic sanctions and a clear set of pre-conditions on the aids that Pakistan receives.

Yesterday another horrible crime took place in Pakistan when the honorable Shahbaz Bhatti, Federal Minister for Minorities was assassinated. The victim was the only Christian Minister in the Pakistani cabinet. He was a courageous human rights activist who spoke loudly against terrorism and terrorists, stood bravely against the Pakistani blasphemy laws and witnessed for what is fair and righteous for all the Pakistani persecuted minorities.

In my capacity as founder and chairman of the Lebanese Canadian Coordinated Council (LCCC), I condemn this cowardly attack against a brave, honest, and faithful man who had the guts to speak out loudly against extremists in his own country and denounce their terrorism, evil schemes and horrible atrocities.

The LCCC totally adopts the statement of condemnation that was issued yesterday by the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs. It urged the Pakistani Government to protect all those who find the courage to speak out against the country�s controversial blasphemy laws and to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime. The statement called on the Government of Pakistan to prevent the abuse of the blasphemy laws, which restrict freedom of religion and expression and have disproportionately targeted religious minorities.

From the LCCC we extend our deepest condolences to the Pakistani Christian communities, and to the family, and friends of Minister Bhatti and to the Pakistani people.

With our Canadian people and Government we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who defend human rights around the world.�

Cette nuit où l’amour m’a hélé

D’un frôle strident de son ombre mêlée
Avec mon sang en tournis emmêlé

Retenu à sa porte, viens, ais-je murmuré

J’ai humé de ses lèvres leur suc extasié
D’où un nectar pur a explosé
Sans qu’elle ait son impatience exprimée

De l’antre des ses seins J’ai volé
Une tiédeur suave et avivée

Sensuel, de ma bouche approchée
Le brûlant d’une chaleur enflammée,

Captant tout mon courage pour bien la serrer
Subitement elle était de joie branlée
Laissant paraître ses lèvres célestes et enflées

Sitôt sur ses joues une rougeur s’est propagée
Qu’Il me semblait à un moment discerner
Le restant du coucher du soleil dans l'horizon effondré

O toi Vierge ! Dans le creux de ton oreille raffinée
Vivent mes murmures que je te prie d’écouter
Mon imploration transperce le cœur exténué
Brune........

Blonde......

En toi mes jours sont consommés
Alors que ta promesse réservée
Pitié pour ma guitare ! Serments non brisés
O Vierge !

Pitié de la folie ardente et de la passion ignée
Lentement ! Je te prie
Ma persécutrice tourmentée
Pour l’effusion de mon sang écoulé
Brune........
Blonde......

Soit clémente, ton éteinte en moi éprouvée
Tu apaiseras mes sentiments déchaînés

N’ai-je pas pour toi en sacrilège consacré
Les sentiments en points d’ascension tissés

En va et vient dans ma nostalgie j’ai persisté
Son affection promise autour de moi rôdait

De son souffle je fus soûlé
Sitôt j’ôte son voile pour la consumer

Les membres amollis relâchés
Et la soif insatiable fut arrosée

A siege is under way at a hotel in Sydney's historic Rocks area and police are trying to talk to a man they believe is holed up in one of the rooms.

A hotel guest reported an incident between two guests at 4.50pm (AEDT) on Tuesday in the hotel on Harrington Street.

Police said they were attempting to establish communication with the man they believe is in one of the hotel's rooms.

Harrington Street and Essex Street have been closed and diversions are in place.

Police could not say whether the man was armed.