Precious photo of the monks of Tibhirine in 1996

Dear Alex,
Thank you for the precious photo of the monks of Tibhirine in 1996.
You thought it not easy to identify the names on the picture.
Before checking yours, my selection came to match the names.
I am very pleased to know the picture came from Abbot Armand.
The photo will be interesting and article in the Blog, thank you.
Yours ...
Donald

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Alex ...
To: Donald ...
Sent: Tue, 9 August, 2011 18:07:58
Subject: Atlas Martyrs Vol 2

Dear Fr. Donald.

....

I am so inspired by the monks of Tibhirine...and so glad to have the booklet you sent me. Thank you.

I came across this photo todayhttp://www.scourmont.be/Armand/writings/carte-tibhirine-1996.htm

I’ve been trying to identify the faces using the scanned photo in the booklet...not very easy.

How close am I ???

Back row: Jean-Pierre ; Christian; Amedee; Armand; Christophe; Luc

Front row: Michel; Paul; Celestin.

Godbless, 

Alex

---

From: Alex . . .
To: Donald. .
Sent: Thu, 4 August, 2011 10:45:12
Subject: RE: "A Heritage Too For Us - Atlas Martyrs" article

For the moment I sent you the Article you after a quick Scan.

See Body Text and also Attatchment.  D.

A Heritage Too Big For Us Vol II

article pp 6-8

1. The "martyrdom" of charity Christian de Cherge

Maundy Thursday 31 March 1994

The washing of the feet, the shared cup and shared bread, the cross .... a single commandment of love, a single TESTIMONY. This is the testimony of Jesus, his "testmentum" or, in Greek, his "marturion", the"martyrdom" of Jesus.

There are many martyrs in our country at present. On both sides, the dead are honoured under the glorious title of "martyrs" or, in Arabic"shouhada" (plural of shahid), which comes from the same root as"shahdda" or the Muslim profession of faith.

We ourselves have long heard the word "martyrdom" in this single senseof a direct relationship with faith, of a testimony to faith in Christ and in Christian dogma. Some of the "acts" of the martyrs astound us by this confidence of faith.

We live at a time when faith does not exclude doubt and questioning.Often there is something in these "acts" which disconcerts and worriesus today: the harshness of these witnesses of the faith towards their judges, their certainty of being "pure", their stated certainty that their persecutor will go straight to hell. One is tempted to think thatfundamentalism is already abroad.

Here when the hour had come for him to pass in faith to the Father, Jesus was indeed "purified" .... but by love. To the one who was not"pure", he still said, "Friend!".          .

We had to wait for the closing years of the 20th century to see the Church attribute the title of "martyr" to someone who was a witness to supreme love rather than to faith: Maximilian Kolbe, martyr of charity.And yet it is written, and we have just heard the words, "Having loved his own, he loved them all to the end ... ", to the very end of himself, to the end of the other, the end of humanity, of any human being, even ofthe one who will soon go out into the night after taking his piece ofbread, his feet freshly washed. A few verses after this account, Johnrecalls Psalm 40/41:9, ''Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me", the heel has just beenwashed and now, see it is lifted. Love has washed the feet of the future missionaries, and now, with one heart, these feet will now walk the reverse path of treachery and complicity in murder.

The testimony of Jesus, faithful unto death, his "martyrdom", is a martyrdom of love, love for mankind, for all people, even for thieves, for murderers and torturers, those who act in the shadows, ready to treatyou "like a beast for the slaughter" [Psalm 48/49] or to torture you to death because one of "you" has deserted to "them". Yet He had already warned them, "If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners (even the pagans (the Kouffar) do as much" [Luke6:32]. For Him, both friends and enemies receive their being from the Father "You are all brothers!".

The martyrdom of love includes forgiveness. This is the perfect gift, the gift God gives without reserve. Washing feet, sharing bread, giving his death and forgiving; for Him these are all one and the same and are donefor all, "for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins" [Mat 26:28]. And this is the place of the ultimate freedom, because it is here that thedecision of the Son coincides exactly with the loving decision of theFather. Yes, indeed, He can now say of his life, "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord" [John 10:18]. It is given once and for all, for Judas as it is for Peter, for the two thieves beside him as for Mary-Magdalene and John at the foot of the Cross, and as for his own Mother. This is His last word, His last instructions, "making love of man the test, the criterion, the gold standard of the love of God" [Maurice Zundel].

To give ones life for love of God, in advance, without conditions, that is what we have done ... or at least what we thought we were doing. We did not ask how or why. We leave it to God to decide how this gift will beused, its destination day after day, right to the end.

Alas, we have all lived long enough to know that it is impossible to doeverything out of love, and so to be able to claim that our life is awitness to love, a "martyrdom" of love. "What takes genius is to love", writes Jean d'Ormesson, "and Christianity is a thing of genius". This isabsolutely true, but I am no genius!

From experience we know that little things often cost a lot, particularlywhen we have to go on doing them day after day. It's all right to have towash ones brothers' feet on Maundy Thursday ... but how about doing iteveryday? or washing the feet of anyone who turns up? When Fr.Bernardo (Abbot General) told us that the Order has more need of monks than martyrs, he was not, of course, referring to this type of martyrdom, which is in fact what shapes the monk through so many little things. We have given our heart to God once and for all, and we find it hard when he takes it piecemeal. Taking up an apron, as Jesus did, can be as serious and solemn an act as to lay down ones life ... and conversely, laying down ones life may be as simple as taking up anapron. We should tell ourselves this when the everyday tasks or deeds of love weigh on us with this threat which also has to be shared with all.

We know from our own experience that it is easier to give to one person than to another, to love one brother or sister more than another, even in community. Yet the professional conscience of the doctor, the oath he or she has taken, oblige him or her to treat all patients, "even the devil", Brother Luke would add. And does not our "professional oath" as religious (indeed as baptised persons to begin withl), oblige us to loveall, "even the devil" if God asks this of us? What do we do about it? This is what we were trying to say when we refused to take sides We were not trying to take refuge in neutrality, washing our hands -- this is impossible -- but trying to remain free to love them all, because that is our

option, in the name of Jesus and with His grace, If I have given my life to all Algerians, then I have also give it to the. "Emir" S.A. It is not he who takes it from me, even if he decides to meet out the same treatment to me as to our Croatian friends. Yet I hope that he will respect it in the name of the love which God has also inscribed in his human vocation. Jesus could not wish that Judas would betray him. Still calling him "friend", he spoke to the love buried within him. He sought his Father in this man,and I actually believe that He found Him.

From our experience we also know that this martyrdom of charity is not a Christian prerogative. We can receive it from anyone as a gift of the Spirit. Behind the many victims who have already mounted up in the tragedy of Algeria, who knows how many genuine "martyrs" of simple,gratuitous love there may already be? We think of the man who, the other day, saved an injured policeman near to the basilica of Notre Damed'Afrique. A few days later, he had to pay for this act with his own life. And the Bosnian Muslim who saved his fellow workers, he too was risking his own life. Further back, I cannot forget Mohammed, who protected my life one day by exposing his own .... and who was murdered by his brothers because he refused to betray his friends to them. He refused to take sides. Ubi caritas .... Deus ibi est!

This brings us back to Jesus, to His martyrdom," No one has greaterlove than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are myfriends" [John 15:13- 14]. We accept this testimony, but we are awarethat "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" [Mark 14:38] this is why He leaves us his flesh to eat, to assimilate, as the bread of our testimony ....