Gary Sheng - Fr. Rabih Aoun Maronite Mass and Conversation

Date: July 26, 2025 Location: Fort Lauderdale Maronite Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida Participants: Gary Sheng, Fr. Rabih Aoun Context: Saturday evening Maronite Catholic Mass attended by Gary during Miami area visit, followed by extended pastoral conversation

Mass Homily: Justice, Mercy, and Service

Opening Context: Theology Students and Modern Spiritual Seeking

Fr. Rabih opened his homily with personal reflection from his theological education:

Fr. Rabih: "To tell you what I studied philosophy and theology to prepare for my ordination as a priest at the Pontifical School in London. And back then, I always was questioning myself, why do we have lay people studying theology while in my school of non-descent priests, I have one or two men or women studying theology, paying a huge tuition, and always questioning, are they going to find a job with this degree?"

Dramatic Increase in Theological Interest:

Fr. Rabih: "And between 2010 and 2019, before COVID, I'll tell you something that happened to London. We noticed that the institutes of theology increased by 50%. It's like about every parish or every university, they have a free institute of theology, to teach theology for free."

Two Primary Motivations Identified:

Fr. Rabih: "And one day I had the chance really to teach also in these schools, and I asked my students, why are you here? And they said, Father, because of two things. First of all, we're filled with injustice happening in this world. And the second thing, we really want to serve someone who is trustworthy, and we couldn't find this person of God himself."

Core Teaching 1: Justice Must Be Accompanied by Mercy

The Village Story - Justice Without Mercy: Fr. Rabih told a story about a village that handed over an innocent man to authorities because a priest read scripture saying "one man should die instead of all the nation will catch." When a bishop later questioned this decision:

Fr. Rabih: "And the mayor said to him, well, I referred to the scripture. And he said to him, I'm sorry, you did a great mistake. You read this scripture through your own eyes, but not through God's eyes."

Justice-Mercy Integration Principle:

Fr. Rabih: "Justice is really important. And yes, the Lord is asking us to be just. But at the same time, justice cannot be separated from mercy. If you want to apply justice, the blessed man should have been stolen. Yes? The adulterous woman should have been dead now. But God, Jesus, really used his justice accompanied with mercy to teach each one of us today."

Purpose of Justice:

Fr. Rabih: "Yes, the Lord wants us to be just, but to make others live, not to destroy them."

Arabic Etymology of Mercy (Key Insight):

Fr. Rabih: "And to tell you the truth, the word mercy has a very beautiful translation in Arabic, which means the womb. In Arabic, rahm. A womb. It means that every time you want to be just, we're going to let the other be born again. Justice is not killing. It's not destroying. Justice should be accompanied with mercy."

Core Teaching 2: Authentic Service vs. Perfectionism

The Coffee Hour Story:

Fr. Rabih: "A young man wants to prepare the coffee hour for Sunday mass. And he didn't know how to make the coffee. It was terrible. But he did it really well. He prepared the place and everything. And once he is carrying the coffee, he turned and put everything on the floor. And he was so embarrassed with what happened to him."

Pastor's Response - Service Philosophy:

Fr. Rabih: "But the pastor came to him and said, Don't worry. Service is not doing always the perfect things. Service is being present and sometimes being our own best."

Critique of Pharisees and Legalistic Correction:

Fr. Rabih: "The problem of the Pharisees was that they wanted to correct everyone according to the book, according to the law. And their life was turning upside down."

Personal Transformation as Foundation:

Fr. Rabih: "Brothers and sisters, if we want the world to be changed, we want to change our own life first. The world cannot be changed if we do not change ourselves. And this is what is the meaning of being a good servant."

Personal Pastoral Reflection

Divine Calling and Human Imperfection:

Fr. Rabih: "In the end, I don't know if you ask this question. If you ask God this question, I ask Him later. Why me? Why did you choose me? Haven't you given up on me with all my mistakes, my imperfection? And He always reminds me, It's not about you. It's about my mercy."

Concluding Challenge:

Fr. Rabih: "Let us really look to ourselves today and to others through God's mercy."

Post-Mass Personal Conversation

Initial Connection and Background

Gary's Introduction:

Gary: "I'm Bill. Gary. I'm just visiting." Fr. Rabih: "You visiting in Fort Lauderdale?" Gary: "Yeah, just a friend. Where you from? Normally in Austin. Normally in Austin, Texas."

Lebanese Connection Discovery:

Gary: "I have a close friend in Lebanon. I've been talking to him a lot about what's happening in the Middle East right now." Fr. Rabih: "So you came to the closest one to Lebanon." Gary: "Yeah, I know. Well, I mean, you look like you could be my friend's cousin."

Gary's Ministry Calling Discussion

Tech Evangelism Calling:

Gary: "Oh, so I do tech stuff, and I would go to tech conferences. He was at a conference two years ago. So we became friends. One of the only, I feel a calling to spread the gospel to tech people, because I feel like, oh, there's a lot of disconnect between people."

Denominational Background:

Fr. Rabih: "And do you belong to the Catholic Church as well?" Gary: "No, I would say I'm non-denominational."

Communion Protocol and Pastoral Sensitivity

Educational Moment:

Fr. Rabih: "I would not give you the communion usually because it's giving. Oh, okay. So, all right. Okay."

This exchange demonstrated Fr. Rabih's clear knowledge of Catholic communion requirements while maintaining pastoral kindness toward a non-Catholic visitor.

Ministry Encouragement and Resource Sharing

Calling Validation:

Fr. Rabih: "And you are, like, you're having this mission to really, like, preach the gospel?" Gary: "It feels like what I'm being called to. Yeah, so I'm, like, literally looking up theology. I think you're inspiring me, actually. Oh. Thank you."

Educational Resources:

Fr. Rabih: "I guess there is one here. I don't know if they are Catholic or it's non-denominational, you know, but, of course, you're going to find a lot of Catholic schools around who give theology or teach theology."

Fr. Rabih's Background Revealed

Educational Journey:

• Philosophy and Theology at Pontifical School in London
• Previous education at Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) in Lebanon
• Teaching experience at theology institutes in London
• Recent arrival to United States (couple of years ago)

Pastoral Experience:

• Fort Lauderdale Maronite Church (serving since church opened in 2012, though Fr. Rabih arrived more recently)
• Cross-cultural ministry experience between Lebanon and US
• Educational ministry background

Key Theological Insights

1. Justice-Mercy Integration

Fr. Rabih's core message centered on the inseparable relationship between justice and mercy, using the Arabic etymology of "mercy" (rahm = womb) to illustrate that true justice should enable rebirth and transformation rather than destruction.

2. Authentic Service Philosophy

The emphasis on being present and authentic rather than perfect in service directly challenges performance-based Christianity and aligns with Gary's approach to genuine relationship-building.

3. Personal Transformation Before Social Change

The principle that world change begins with personal change resonates with Gary's emphasis on character development and spiritual formation in leadership.

4. Divine Calling vs. Human Qualification

Fr. Rabih's personal reflection on divine calling despite human imperfection mirrors Gary's experience of being called to roles that seem beyond his qualifications.

Strategic Significance for Gary's Journey

1. Theological Education Validation

Fr. Rabih's encouragement of Gary's interest in theology education provides pastoral validation for Gary's intellectual spiritual development.

2. Cross-Cultural Ministry Example

Fr. Rabih demonstrates successful integration of Middle Eastern Christian tradition with American ministry context, relevant to Gary's international bridge-building work.

3. Tech Evangelism Support

Fr. Rabih's immediate understanding and encouragement of Gary's calling to tech people provides denominational validation from experienced clergy.

4. Lebanese Network Connection

The meeting provides authentic connection to Lebanese Christian community, potentially valuable for Gary's ongoing support of his Lebanese friend and Middle East understanding.

Contextual Analysis

Divine Timing Recognition

Gary's attendance at this particular service during his Miami area visit, motivated by concern for his Lebanese friend, demonstrates continued pattern of strategic spiritual appointments in Gary's journey.

Denominational Bridge-Building

The interaction showcases Gary's ability to connect meaningfully across denominational boundaries while maintaining his non-denominational identity.

Pastoral Wisdom Acquisition

Fr. Rabih's homily provided practical theological framework for Gary's ongoing integration of justice, mercy, and service in his kingdom-building work.

Educational Pathway Clarification

The conversation opens potential pathways for Gary's formal theological education while maintaining his unique calling and network positioning.

Connection to Gary's Broader Network

Middle Eastern Christianity

Complements Gary's existing connections to Vatican (Mark Baciak), various denominational leaders, and international religious networks.

Educational Ministry

Aligns with Gary's education reform work and provides theological education resources for his ministry development.

Cross-Cultural Leadership

Fr. Rabih's experience serving diverse communities provides model for Gary's own international ministry development.

Practical Spirituality

The emphasis on integrating faith with daily life challenges supports Gary's Christofuturist approach to technology and spiritual integration.

Key Quotes Summary

On Justice and Mercy:

"Justice cannot be separated from mercy... every time you want to be just, we're going to let the other be born again."

On Service:

"Service is not doing always the perfect things. Service is being present and sometimes being our own best."

On Personal Transformation:

"If we want the world to be changed, we want to change our own life first."

On Divine Calling:

"Why did you choose me? Haven't you given up on me with all my mistakes, my imperfection? And He always reminds me, It's not about you. It's about my mercy."

Follow-Up Potential

The conversation establishes foundation for:

• Theological education guidance and resources
• Lebanese Christian community connections
• Cross-denominational ministry development
• Pastoral spiritual direction and support
• Cultural bridge-building between Middle Eastern and American Christianity

This encounter represents another example of Gary's pattern of connecting with spiritually mature leaders across denominational boundaries, gathering wisdom for his unique calling while building bridges between different Christian traditions and cultural contexts.