[29] On April 13, 1975, the Lebanese War began between the Palestinians and the Christian militias. Syria intervened militarily in
1976, invading the Bekaa and north Lebanon. The Syrians reached Beirut, the capital. Israel, who was the bitter enemy of Arabs,
invaded the South. The Lebanese Christians felt that their independence and even their existence were threatened. The Syrians
turned against the Lebanese Christians, bombarding their quarters in Beirut. The first clash between the Syrians and the Lebanese
Christians was in 1978. The war was called the 100-Day-War. Many people were killed or wounded. In 1981, Zahle was
surrounded by the Syrians and bombarded for more than three months. Beirut also had its own nightmares. In 1982, Israel
invaded the South, bombarding the villages and cities. Thousands of people were killed. The Israelis reached Beirut. They
removed the Palestinian militia from Lebanon. Bashir Gemayel was elected president in 1982. While his election brought great
hopes to the Christians, especially to the Maronites, it brought nightmares to his enemies. He was assassinated on the Feast of
the Cross 1982. Following the withdrawal of the Israelis from Chouf and parts of the South, violence erupted in the troubled
Chouf in 1983 and in Iqlim el-Kharoub in 1985. This violence led to a great disaster in these regions. Hundreds of Christian villages
were destroyed. Hundreds of thousands were displaced. The Maronites in Metn, Keserwan, and Jbeil welcomed their brothers and
sisters and gave them shelter. The Christians, especially the Maronites, defended what they believed in. They were united. Their
army seemed to be undefeatable. But they had to suffer car bombings from 1986 until 1988 that sowed terror in their cities and
in 1989 the heavy Syrian bombardment left thousands of victims. Despite these hostilities, their morale was very high until 1990
when they divided against themselves: The Lebanese Army against the Lebanese Forces. This war led to heavy destruction and a
great number of casualties. They became weakened and helpless. Seeing it as a good opportunity to control them, the Syrian
army invaded Metn on October 13, 1990. A large number of the Lebanese Army perished. Many were executed. Others were
taken as prisoners to the prisons of Syria. The Maronite leader General Michel Aoun was exiled. Another Maronite leader Doctor
Samir Geagea was thrown into prison. The Maronites were shocked. They knew that they had lost their independence. Their
morale was down, which resulted in a massive wave of emigration from 1991 until 2004. Hundreds of thousands were scattered
over many countries of the world. Some left the mountains with great pain. Others did not want to talk about what happened. Many tried to escape their despair following immoral paths. Others were trying to heal or to be healed. Lebanon became under
occupation. The Lebanese were humiliated. They were systematically stolen or bombarded. However, God did not abandon his
people. He consoled them in 1994, 1995, and 1996, giving them healing graces. In 1997, He sent them Pope John Paul II, who
brought a great hope to the Lebanese people and helped them to walk on the path of reconciliation. Still there was a great fear to
address or even talk about the occupation, until September 20, 2000, when the Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir
addressed the issue. His cry, which was the people’s silent cry, removed the fear from the hearts, and gave the Maronites a new
strength to work for their country’s independence. The Beatification of Nimatullah Hardini and his Canonization, and the
Canonization of Rafqa were great signs that God has never abandoned his people. The Patriarch continued to speak firmly against
injustice until Lebanon was completely liberated from the Baathist occupation on April 26, 2005.
[30] Luke 11:17
[31] John 13:34
[32] Luke 6:37
[33] Luke 15:21
[34] Matthew 5:44-45
[35] Luke 23:34
[36] St. Sharbel Makhlouf (1828-1898) was beatified on December 5, 1965 and canonized on October 9, 1977.
St. Rafqa Shoboq El-Reyes (1832-1914) was beatified on November 17, 1985 and canonized on June 10, 2001.
St. Nimatullah Kassab al-Hardini (1808-1858) was beatified on May 10, 1998 and canonized on May 16, 2004.
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