Khalil Haddad of CPS, wrote:   

“As Jesus went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

When we hear the word compassion the first thought that might come to mind is empathy for the people in need. However, are we called to have empathy? Or are we called for more?

As we draw near August 4 and remember what happened one year ago, we can’t but feel the need to do more that just feel sad. In such a time, we are called to have compassion; meaning share the sorrow and grief the people experienced after the blast and be the fringe of cloak the people need to touch in order to heal. Today, we walk with the families who lost their loved ones and got hurt asking for justice.

May God’s love enfolds and comforts us through the pain of August 4.” 

 

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:كتبت جاكلين سعد من فريق جمعية تحنن 

 

مش غريب إنو من بعد إنفجار 4 آب… ما في ضمير إنفجر ؟”

مش غريب إنو مرقت سنة وبعدا العدالة رهينة

هربانين من وجّ العدالة

إتفقو ما يِرفعو الحصانة

وما إتفقو يَعملو بلد يحضن الناس (ما يفچرها)

 

: ب ليل بيروت الجريحة أكتر من سؤال بعدو ناطر العدالة

مين إستعمل العنبر رقم 12 ؟ مين جاب النيترات وليش ؟

مين هنني يلي عرفو وسكتو مين ما كانو يكونو… كيف بدُن يْكملو حياتُن ع أشلاء الأبريا؟

ليش أُقيل القاضي فادي صوان؟ وليش عم يتْهدد ويتْحاصر القاضي بيطار؟

 

بيروت اليوم بتشبه جريمة يومية مستمرة من 365 يوم

لأن كلن (كلنا؟) ساكتين ، ولأن، ما تعلَقت مشنقة وحدة فوق الدم النازف

..بعد سنة من هيداك ال 4 آب ، وبزمن الجرائم والمجرمين يلّي فجّرو و دمّرو

 

بزمن إرهاب نيترات الأمونيوم وبهيديك الساعة السودا يلي دقّت عل ستة و سبع دقايق بمرفأ بيروت، خلصت الدني بعيون كتار

بس لأ مش ممكن تخلص..وما لازم إلا نضَل نْحارب تَ يتْحقق زمن العدالة بزمن دولتي فعلت هذا

ولكل يلي مفكَر إنو القضية بتخلص بمجرد إعلان 4 آب يوم حداد وطني ولكل يلي مفكَر إنو بشوية  تعاطف وعواطف مهترية بترجِع أمّ على بيتا

…من فوق نعش إبنا منقول

هلقد خايفين من يوم الحساب؟

رح نضل نقرا مع يسوعنا من اشعيا النبي: “… الرب مسحني لابشّر المساكين لأعصِب منكسري القلب لأنادي المسبيّين بالعِتَقِ وللمأسورين بالأطلاق. لأنادي بسنّة مقبولة عند الرب وبيوم انتقام لإلهنا لأعزّي  كل النائحين..”   ولا بد إنو اليوم يلي ما رح تنفعكم فيه كل حصانات الدنيا…جايي

 

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Bouchra Sayah of CPS, wrote:

“The explosion still lives inside me..”

It makes you want to do anything, anything to let the anger out……

My son is terrified from any sound…. doors shutting, storms….

It’s like internal crying….

Something changed forever in our soul….

6:10 of every day is a scaring moment….

Our souls are wounded forever….

One year since the black day and still hearing these words from our beneficiaries affected by the blast. Knowing that nobody has been caught or sent to prison the anger is hitting hard….we want justice …”

 

 

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Jeanine Ghafari of CPS, wrote: 

“August 4th, 2020 Unspeakable Apocalyptic Scandal

August 4th, 207 dead, 2000 handicapped, 6500 injured, 9 missing and thousands of families homeless and jobless

August 4th, inconceivable loss due to a horrible barbarism, cruelty, savageness, fierceness caused by non-human creature

And… August 4th continue on breaking our bleeding hearts over our beloved country where there is no slight feeling of security perceived

Subsequently … our hearts keep on draining severely…

Despite everything … Justice is still not achieved…”

 

Cynthia Bou Rached of CPS, wrote:  

“Before 4 August 2020, people were living peacefully in their homes.

Before 4 August 2020, people were going normally to their jobs.

Before 4 August 2020, people were having dinners with their families.  

Before 4 August 2020, hospitals were managing their work ordinarily.

Before 4 August 2020, people never heard of Ammonium Nitrate.          

Before 4 August 2020, political corruption existed in Lebanon.

 

After 4 August 2020, people became homeless.

After 4 August 2020, people lost their jobs.

After 4 August 2020, people lost family members.

After 4 August 2020, hospitals were full of injured people and corpses.

After 4 August 2020, people learned that Ammonium Nitrate was stored at Beirut Port ever since 2014.

After 4 August 2020, corruption maintains its existence and justice was never served.

 

After 4 August 2020, Beirut will never be the same!

The Beirut port explosion is a crime towards the whole country, the people who died are not martyrs they are victims and their families deserve justice. People were killed in the places that were supposed to be the safest and yet no one was held accountable for their involvement in the explosion.

Beirut will rise again, once justice is achieved.

 

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Mayaline Mansour of CPS, wrote:  

 

“Beirut

Beirut if you were a person I would hold you close, I would stick back all your broken pieces and heal your wounds…

Beirut if you were a person I would love you till you feel whole again, till you forget the emptiness, the anger… Beirut, I feel helpless for you…

Beirut my heart bleeds for you, for every soul that is gone, for every person that got injured and the ones still fighting for their life, the ones who lost their houses or work… and the broken ones.

A year have passed, a long sad and never ending year…. Yet, nothing has changed and time didn’t heal.

Beirut, they broke you but also broke us… but they didn’t take away the love we have for you…

Beirut through everything and whatever happens there is one thing you can be sure of… you will always be home and you will always be loved unconditionally.

Beirut If I had to describe my feelings in a picture it would be a picture of your broken glass

If it was in one word it would be shattered

If it was in one emotion, it would be pain

If it was in one moment it would be august 4, 6:08PM

If it was a color it would be red

If it was a material it would be glass

If it was a sound it would be a bomb…

Everything brings me back to this moment…

And you? What would it be?”