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Health & Fitness

A Small Miracle on a Mountain in Syria

The horrific civil war currently raging in Syria has dominated the news headlines for most of this past year. The pictures and video footage of the carnage in that small Middle Eastern country is prevalent across the network and cable television news broadcasts.

 

 The war in Syria reached a critical mass when the accusations of chemical warfare by the Assad regime threatened to pull the United States, France, and other western military powers into the fray. It was at that point that Pope Francis called for a Worldwide Day of Prayer for Peace in Syria and the Middle East.

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I was just one of the several million Catholics around the world that watched the coverage from the Vatican that day and joined with our Holy Father in prayer for peace in war ravaged Syria. I knew others who were skeptical of anything being capable of bringing peace to that volatile place, but I was very hopeful that our prayers would work and that our voices would be heard.

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In the weeks and months to follow, the United States and other western nations decided not to intervene in the conflict in Syria. The decision was made to let the diplomatic process, mainly through the work of the United Nations, take its course. We as Americans were once again on the brink of war, yet in this instance our involvement was averted. I knew it was because of those prayers, our prayers, that the United States did not perilously enter this war in Syria.

 

Pope Francis mentioned the need for peace in Syria again during his recent address on Christmas Day. The Holy Father reiterated the need for prayers for the battle ravaged nation, and hope that a peaceful resolution to the conflict is found.

 

Throughout this Christmas season, I kept reflecting back to an article I had completed about the assembly of a statue of Jesus Christ on a mountain in Syria. It was the most unlikely place for it, but it was also one where this statue was needed the most. I am still shocked at the immense amount of effort it took to achieve.  I realized again that truly nothing is impossible for God, and that at Christmas time, this story needed to be told again.

 

The Statue

 

The bronze statue of Jesus is 40 feet tall and it is mounted on a base to stand 105 feet high. It is located on the Cherubim mountain adjacent to a trade route which spans from Constantinople to Jerusalem.

 

The statue took three days to assemble and erect upon the base. It was accomplished through a temporary truce in the fighting between three factions in the civil war that still continues in that Middle Eastern country.

 

The man behind the project was Samir al-Ghadban, who reportedly told the media that he was inspired by the statue of Jesus in Rio De Janeiro. He wanted to complete this project to bring hope to the Christians in Syria.

 

 

Many People from Many Nations

 

The project had backers from London to Moscow involved in this seemingly impossible feat. Mr. al-Ghadban began work on the statue eight years ago, and he had supporters throughout the process die before the statue even reached Syria.

 

One of the financial backers of the project, Yuri Gavrilov, died of a heart attack in August at about the time that some parts of the statue where being shipped to Syria. I still find it so sad that he was never able to see the completed statue, after he worked tirelessly to secure funding for the site.

 

The statue was designed by an Armenian sculptor. The statue was shipped in pieces to Lebanon and then entered Syria. This truly was an international effort to get this work of art completed and erected in the middle of a war zone. The entire process is a great example of the immense power of faith.  

 

Beyond Syria

 

The statue of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ stands tall above a country where so many atrocities have occurred and where so much darkness in recent days has choked out the promise of tomorrow.

 

The statue that these brave people have worked so hard to implement there brings the hope of Jesus, it brings with it the knowledge that He will bring light to conquer the darkness that can pervade our society.

 

This message goes beyond Syria, it travels directly into every nation, into every city, and into every heart that is searching for the truth. Jesus can provide that for each one of us, He can provide us with the peace and the resiliency we need to get through the adversity that life will bring.

 

The men involved with this project were all told that it was an impossible task. It was reported throughout the media that they all knew it was a miracle that the project came to fruition and the statue was placed upon that mountain.

 

The success of this seemingly insurmountable accomplishment has resonated throughout the world. It is a symbol to those who live in religious oppression or persecution that anything is possible if you have faith in Jesus Christ.  It is a sign that the love and light of Christ and his message can penetrate through even the most hardened forces.

 

 

Instability

 

The Christian population of Syria has been reported at about ten percent of the total population. They are among several groups of minorities there who can, at any point, be the object of aggression from any of the warring parties involved in this horrific conflict.

 

The instability in the country has led to several issues, including the increased involvement of al-Qaida resistance groups that have vandalized churches and forcibly seized priests.

 

In the past several months, numerous media reports have detailed the destruction of religious objects by these groups including a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This type of instability and savage cruelty was the backdrop for the project to put the statue of Jesus in a very unsettled region of Syria.

 

Some other media reports explain that the mountain where the statue was erected is the site where the Christians in Syria believe that Jesus will come again to Earth. The future safety of the statue is by no means guaranteed. The al-Qaida militia groups that are actively prowling the area have shown no restraint in the destruction of other religious sites in the region.

 

The Savior

 

The statue has an inscription which reads simply: “I Have Come to Save the World” and the project was referred to under that name in the numerous communications between Mr. al-Ghadban and other stakeholders.

 

The London group involved in the fundraising aspect of the project was the St. Paul and St. George Foundation, and they had an international group of private donors which contributed to the objective of getting the statue of Jesus to Syria against all odds. The effort and coordination involved in the project, which stretched from London to the Middle East, was remarkable. That effort allows for the message of Jesus to be delivered to people in Syria and throughout the region.

 

Jesus through His life, death, and resurrection has set us free from the perils of sin and won victory for all of His children over death with the promise of eternal life. This message is one of great power, one that is transformative particularly in a place like Syria where so much despair and tremendous evil has occurred. While the crimes against humanity have been prevalent there, Jesus is proving that His love will persist and overcome any of the hatred or anger that sinfulness can produce within the human soul.

 

Jesus can and will save your soul if you believe in his message and try to live each day by His example. This project is the epitome of that type of love that Jesus has for us, and in places such as Russia and Armenia which have notably struggled with religious intolerance, it was wonderful that those nations were integrally involved in getting this statue to Syria.

 

A Beacon of Light

 

This statue, in my opinion, is different than the other sites throughout the world because of the truce in a civil war it took to get it installed. It serves as a beacon of light among the shroud of evil which seemingly has a strangle hold on that country.

 

 This site is also different because of the incredible setbacks that took place during the eight years it took from the start to the completion of this project. It is a testament of faith from those involved and a blessing from God above.

 

Pope Francis has been an advocate for inclusion of religions and cultures in his papacy. This statue is a great example of this type of inclusion. This statue reaches across all of the boundaries between religions, cultures, and belief systems. It represents peace, hope, and love.

 

It is my sincere hope that it will cause all of the warring factions there in Syria, and in other areas where warfare currently exists, to think about the power of Christ and His message. It is also my sincere hope that His love will prevail over the evils of sin, hatred and terrorism.

 

My prayers are with the people of Syria and the international community that they may all come to know the power of peace and love which comes from Jesus Christ. His love will truly save our world, if we just believe in Him, and love one another as He taught us to do.

 

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