As is customary, Antonine University (UA) held the inauguration Mass at our Lady of the Seeds Chapel at the main campus in Hadat-Baabda. On September 27, 2021, the Fr. Rector Michel Jalakh presided over the holy Mass which was attended by the reverend Antonine fathers, UA's deans, directors, faculty members, administrative staff, and students who joined their voices to spread waves of hope and celebrate the new academic year. The sacred atmosphere was maintained by the fervent singing of the UA’s Pastoral Work members.

In his homily, the Rector highlighted the primacy of community cohesion and the pressing need to strengthen the social ties while transcending cultural, political, and religious diversities through a common language. To illustrate this point, an analogy was drawn between our current situation and that of the nine Jewish and the one Samaritan lepers. The episode taken from Luke’s gospel (17:11-19) makes it clear that notwithstanding their differences, the 10 lepers were brought together by their shared pain, cried out for mercy, suffered the same fate as any person infected with leprosy. And so we are, threatened by the culture of discord, violence, religious hatred, intolerance, and hostility, going through the same adverse experiences, and being forced to bounce back stronger than ever. As we stand here today, the questions that inevitably come to mind are: Is it all worth it? Can’t this passage serve as a wake-up call to help us see through the eyes of others to discover that we are all in this together and that oddly enough, the pain resulting from the daily struggles is indeed the true source of unity? How can we not assume our day-to-day responsibilities when we notice that the healing we crave was taking place as Jesus continued his journey, and the sick people got back to their duties, instead of just feeling stuck in life, anxious, desperate, broken and even paralyzed? Moreover, among the 10 lepers, only the Samaritan, the “foreigner”, returned back to give praise to God, thus teaching us to never forget that God is the sole source of all our blessings and that his grace must above all be recognized amidst inevitable sorrows, as only in this way can we glorify him, be cleansed, and most importantly be truly saved.

In short, the Rector’s sermon expressed the firm belief that solidarity remains the backbone of institutional sustainability and was an invitation to stay united during our darkest moments, especially when families are plunged in such an overwhelming financial, socio-economic, and existential crisis. The gathered assembly was given guidance on how to be grounded in humility, to overflow with thankfulness and to turn any calamity into a springboard to a deeper sense of gratitude and a life rooted in prayer that allows the believers to draw their strength from God and put themselves in his presence.

The Mass was also an opportunity to honor the memory of the deceased loved ones, especially the dearest people who lost their lives during the pandemic, as the Rector recalled the tragic death of some members of the UA’s community and the sad departure of the student Elio Abi Khalil. Lastly, the Mass that was offered for the repose of their souls ended with the institutionalized UA’s prayer followed by the final blessing.