As we start our second week of Lent, we focus on a key aspect of spiritual growth: repentance. Through repentance, we are called to turn away from sin and return to God, embarking on a journey of transformation and renewal.
The call to repentance echoes loudly and clearly throughout the Old and New Testaments. In the Hebrew scriptures, the word “repent” often translates to “turn” or “return”. It embodies the idea of turning away from evil and embracing the good: “Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!” (Ezekiel 14:6).
In the New Testament, the Greek term for repentance, metanoia, carries a double meaning: a change of mind and remorse. In fact, Jesus inaugurated His ministry with the call to repentance: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15).
It’s not enough to acknowledge our sins. True repentance also involves demonstrating genuine remorse and committing to a new direction. It requires brokenness, honesty, and willingness to change.
During our busy lives, it’s easy to get stuck in our usual routines and overlook the areas in need of transformation within ourselves. Lent grants us a much-needed pause, a chance to slow down, reflect and look inward. Just as Jesus called His disciples to follow Him on the path of repentance and belief, we are also invited to join this journey.
As we navigate through Lent, we are called to reflect on the deep implications of repentance. We are called to turn away from sin and embrace God’s Kingdom values. How can we recognise where we have gone off track and make things right with God and others? How can we let go of old habits that hold us back from living fully in God’s grace? Let us embrace repentance as a powerful tool for growth and renewal, allowing it to guide us towards a deeper alignment with God’s will.
Heavenly Father,
As we repent and seek your forgiveness, let us also extend grace and mercy to others. Give us the strength to turn away from our sins and make amends. Fill us with your love and compassion so that we can reflect your light in a world that desperately needs your healing touch.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Our Lent reflections will focus on our spiritual transformation in Christ as we journey with Jesus towards Good Friday and Easter this year. We will use the Beatitudes as an outline for this journey and will share a reflection for prayerful contemplation at the start of each week on one of these attitudes which Jesus said are the basis of God’s blessing!
We invite you to join us in this Lent journey as we seek to strengthen our faith and encourage each other at this very challenging time for all of us. We will meet in the chapel on Fridays between 12.00-13.00 to pray and reflect on each week’s reflections and you are invited to consider fasting and joining us for part of this time of fellowship and prayer each week during Lent.
“… for out of the ground you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19
We will begin this journey together with a reflection on our mortality which we are reminded of by the ashes used to mark the foreheads of penitents on Ash Wednesday. These remind us that as mortal beings we are dust and that to dust we shall return, as the priest recites over each person who is marked with the cross of ashes.
We do not like to think about our mortality as human beings, but the bible tells us our days are like the grass and flourishes like a flower of the field, but when the wind has passed over it, it is gone, and its place remembers it no more (Psalm 103: 15-16).
In the prayer of Moses recorded in Psalm 90, he says, the length of our days is seventy years- or eighty, if we have the strength; but their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away (v10). Then he asks God to teach us to number our days so we can gain a heart of wisdom (v12). Reverence or the fear of God helps us to understand that our lives are a gift from a loving and gracious God and that the breath He gives us should not be taken for granted.
This became very clear to people during the Corona virus pandemic which ended so many lives prematurely and we need to express gratitude for each day God gives us in this time of pain and trauma caused by the death and destruction of life caused by the war here and so many other parts of the world!
Lord in this season of Lent teach me to number my days so that I may gain a heart of wisdom in the fear and reverence of God. I thank you for the gift of life you have given to me and my family, and I pray that we will use our time wisely to love and serve You and the communities we are part of. Restore us and heal us in Your great love and mercy we pray, Amen!
In the heart of Nazareth, the Nazareth Hospital stands as a beacon of hope, committed to providing quality healthcare to its community. One of its remarkable departments, the Urology Department, is under the visionary leadership of Dr Shadi Badaan. Dr Badaan, a Nazarene born into a Christian family, was instilled with the values of education, perseverance, and community impact from an early age. These values have deeply influenced his life, culminating in the establishment of the Nazareth Hospital’s Urological Department in 2018.
Driven by a vision to create an academic department centred on education, staff development, and research, Dr Badaan has played a pivotal role in shaping the department’s ethos. His leadership extends to the department’s medical residency program, nurturing a culture of professional growth through various educational activities, including meetings, masterclasses, guided rounds, and conferences.
The Urology Department at Nazareth Hospital has emerged as the primary provider of reconstructive surgery in the region, offering a comprehensive range of services to address a myriad of urological concerns. From routine check-ups to complex surgeries, the department is equipped to deliver personalised care, prioritising the well-being of each patient.
Over the years, the department’s surgical offerings have steadily risen, reaching an impressive 800 surgeries last year. The three most common procedures are dedicated to the treatment of urinary stone disease, urinary system malignancies and benign prostatic enlargement—pointing out the department’s diverse capabilities. Supported by senior physicians with various specialisations and highly qualified nursing staff, the Urology Department has earned its reputation for excellence.
The efficiency of patient care is a testament to the Urology Department’s collaborative approach, fostering swift cooperation with other hospital departments and community doctors. This collaboration minimises hospitalisation time to an average of 48 hours per patient and highlights the connection of urology with other medical disciplines such as gynaecology, radiology, surgery, and emergency medicine.
Looking ahead, the Urology Department seeks to expand by increasing the number of beds and transitioning specific procedures from the operating room to clinics, promoting continuous and integrated patient care.
All in all, the Urology Department at Nazareth Hospital stands as a pillar of compassionate care, embodying the hospital’s dedication to transforming lives. Dr Shadi’s vision, combined with the collaborative efforts of the dedicated medical teams, ensures that urological care is not just a medical service but a journey of healing and hope.
February 7th, 2024
Dear Friends,
After two years of facing financial challenges subsequent to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are pleased to inform you that we have overcome the crisis and have moved forward to a new phase of financial stability in which we look to develop and expand our premises and services. All of this has been made possible through your support, each according to his ability, and with God’s provision as we face challenges with faith, hope and love.
Having said so, regretfully, we are still suffering due to the injuries and loss of innocent lives and destruction, resulting from the war and political instability, which clearly negatively affects us. This has sadly led to the suspension of the activities of the Nazareth Village and the Serve volunteer program . Due to the possible escalation of the war to the Northern borders, we are preparing, including training staff members, on how to act during the war and are improving our level of protection available to staff, patients, and visitors, alongside adding new protected areas in our premises.
Here are some initial details regarding the latest development in each leg of the Trust. A detailed newsletter will be delivered to you during the coming few weeks.
The Nazareth Hospital
The hospital has obtained a license to activate an MRI machine, built as an addition to the emergency department. This includes a protected area, new services supporting our ER Trauma department, expanding the outpatient department as well as increasing the number of beds in the hospital.
Many distinguished doctors have joined the hospital and contributed to raising the quality of services and of the hospital and its’ growing reputation as a centre of excellence.
We have also obtained the necessary funds from ministries and donors in the country and abroad to complete the abovementioned projects.
In the context of the war, the Maana Psychological Service Center provided services to the general public, the Trust’s staff, and residents displaced from their homes. This support had a significant impact on many overcoming the psychological distress they were exposed to following the events of October 7 and its aftermath . Funds were also received from local communities and institutions abroad to support these precious activities.
The Nazareth Academic Nursing School
The Nazareth Academic School of Nursing has obtained a license from the Higher Education Council, allowing it to enter into an academic partnership with Ono Academic College.
This will allow hundreds of students to join academic education with the opportunity to achieve a better professional and personal future. The construction of two additional floors, will contribute to increasing its capacity, improving all electronic equipment and simulation rooms, and improving the students’ experience. This is a result of the generous donation from Mr. Najeeb Farah from Canada, whose late mother studied in our nursing school and graduated from it in 1952, a budget from the Ministry of Health and a budget from the American ASHA Foundation, which NPI works hard to prepare, apply, report and collect.
Nazareth Village and the Serve Nazareth program
The Nazareth village had achieved an unprecedented number of visitors until October 7, 2023, and we have made remarkable progress in the process of obtaining a license to establish the new visitors’ center despite the current difficult circumstances that have suspended work in the village. Most staff are now on furlough whilst the remaining staff carry out maintenance, restoration and other PR work.
Spiritual services
Following the war, the spiritual services staff increased their presence around the Trust amongst staff and patients. As well as this they connected with other Christian institutions in the community with performances based on a spiritual Christmas theme. They also published and distributed many reflections on the values of Christmas, which had a special impact on everyone.
We would also like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Richard Mayhew, who has worked as CEO for eight years ensuring very productive Trust development and success. We ask you to pray for him and his family in his next chapter in life.
Finally, we would ask you to continue praying for the Trust in all its entirety, our management, and staff, for continued development, success, and expansion of services, as well as prayers for our region for peace, justice, tranquility and prosperity for all.
All things we do for the Glory of God.
Sincerely yours,
Waseem Dibbini, CPA, MBA
Acting CEO & CFO
At the time of the interview, Pierre worked as a nurse aide at the Nazareth Hospital‘s ER. In December 2023, he joined the Intensive Care Unit as a nurse.
From left to right, Mr Yousef Shinnawi (deputy of the SON director), Dr Salam Hadid (SON director) and Pierre Durr at the graduation ceremony.
Originally from Shefa-Amr, a city around 14 miles from Nazareth, Pierre Durr is a Nazareth Academic School of Nursing graduate working as a nurse aide at the Nazareth Hospital’s Emergency Rooms.
Pierre didn’t always want to be a nurse. Initially, he was leaning towards programming or computer science. But an incident on his way to college changed his mind forever. While waiting for the bus, Pierre saw an old lady struggling to buy a ticket from the machine. He was driven to help her buy a ticket and get her safely to her destination. He was late for college, but that didn’t matter anymore: “At this moment, I realised this is the reason I want to be a nurse: to help people,” Pierre explained.
Then, it was time to choose a school for his nursing studies: “Being an only child and having overprotective parents is very hard. They are always worried, so I was looking for a place close to home. I asked some family members since most of them work in the medical field, and they told me the English Hospital was where I should go. Ever since I started my studies, I felt at home. The staff know what I’m going through, and they help me manage the stress.”
Stress management is paramount in the nursing profession. Pierre received stress management training at the School of Nursing and support from his colleagues in the ER. He remembers struggling in the simulation room during his studies, where students practice procedural skills using manikins. Even though he answered the questions correctly, he was overcome by stress. Pierre recalls their teachers telling him the importance of managing stress: “Once you get stressed, everything will be a disaster.” They would ask him to breathe in and calm down because once you’re calm, you’re able to think properly and make the right decisions to help the patient.
Pierre at the Nazareth Hospital’s Shock Room in the ER.
One of Pierre’s fondest memories as a nursing student happened in the surgical department for elderly patients in a hospital in Haifa. “The first time, I was very worried because I know elderly people can be a little bit challenging, and the geriatric subject is one of the hardest.” However, Pierre was accepted quickly by the patients in the department: “When I arrived in the morning, they would all greet me and check on me, and I felt joy. This memory, I will never forget; how I felt very close to these people.”
When asked about the most challenging aspect of his job, Pierre said that patients and their relatives sometimes get angry or confront him: “The families here are very close to each other, and when they come to the ER, they want everything to be fast and right away. It’s challenging because they sometimes yell at you, but you must remain calm. You need to tell them you understand that they’re going through a rough time, that it’s okay to yell, let things out, and try to comfort them.”
“But the hardest is when the patient dies in the ER, and you have to break the news to the family. It’s sad and hard to deal with. As an introvert, I keep all my emotions inside. Working in the ER, you have to be emotionally intelligent to understand the people around you and their behaviour to cope with it better. Otherwise, it’s very challenging.”
Despite the difficulties, Pierre loves working in the ER. His passion for nursing keeps him going every single day: “If you want to work in the ER, there are things you need to master, and one of them is patience. You also need to be emotionally prepared for everything you’re going to see in the ER. But most importantly, you have to make sure you love your job.”
Pierre with other classmates at their graduation from SON.
Image of St Paul with manuscript.
‘But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’ – Philippians 3: 13b-14.
As we stand at the threshold of a new year amid the pain and suffering in the Holy Land and other places in the world, there is a lot of fear and anxiety about what this year will bring. However, we need to decide what we will focus on in the coming year as there is an enormous spiritual battle taking place for the hearts and minds of people.
After his encounter with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, Paul who was called as an apostle to the Gentiles, suffered enormous physical, emotional, and spiritual pain during his ministry. He was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, mocked, ridiculed, and spent many days and nights without food or shelter. These traumatic events gave him many reasons to become bitter and resentful and to dwell on past injustices and painful memories.
However, in his letter to the believers in the city of Philippi he says that he maintained a single focus – to forget what lay behind him, and to stain forwards to what lies ahead! He did this because his focus was always on the goal of gaining the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. He says elsewhere that he did not consider our present sufferings worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us (see Romans 8: 18), and that we must keep our eyes on the things that are eternal not temporal (see 2 Corinthians 4:18).
In the coming year, let us resolve by God’s grace to follow Paul’s example by forgetting what lies behind us in 2023 and straining towards God’s purposes for our lives by keeping our eyes on Jesus the author and completer of our faith as we enter 2024! Let us also continue to pray for the peace and justice of God’s kingdom to come to the Holy Land and other troubled regions of the world in the coming months and seek to be peacemakers in our own areas of influence.
With best wishes for a healthy, joyful, and fruitful year ahead!
Luke 2:25-35
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
I love the story of Simeon.
He had for years been waiting for the consolation of Israel – the comfort – that God had promised to Israel. He had been told he would not die before he had seen Christ, the Messiah.
Day after day he waited with holy patience for his promise to come true. Not knowing when this would be or when it may happen.
Then finally seeing the fulfilment of that promise. Oh, the joy, after years and years of waiting!
To hold Jesus, the Saviour of the world, in his arms. To praise God that finally the years of waiting was over: -‘For my eyes have seen your salvation’.
Reading this passage, I reflect on the circumstances many are walking through in the midst of grief, fear, conflict, or any other anguish or distress.
Waiting for it to end. Not knowing when that will be or what is still to come.
Longing for peace, for healing, for change, for a time when our first thought in the morning is not on the awful situation we may be facing.
As we long for a day when our waiting will be over, ultimately, we are waiting for Jesus to return.
We long for His return, for an end to all the sin and suffering and death in this world.
Can we like Simeon wait with holy patience as we long for the day when all things will be made new?
Can we trust in our creator and place all our hope in him?
‘And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ Isaiah 25v9
He came as a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
He came to bring light to the world and to be the perfect sacrifice for all the sins of the world.
Heavenly Father,
Will you give us faith and hope and trust and strength and even joy, in the midst of our waiting.
We long for our waiting to be over but we ask that like Simeon we can bear our burdens with patience. We put all of our hope in you Lord because we know that one day, all things will be made new.
We thank you for a birth of a Saviour, we thank you for Jesus this Christmas. Amen
