Dive into a heart-stirring Christmas Eve episode that will reignite your spirit and challenge your soul!

Join Fr. Andre YS Mahanna, the passionate Maronite priest and opera singer behind the Mission of Hope and Mercy, as he hosts an unforgettable conversation with fiery truth-teller Fr. James Altman and the inspiring convert Mother Miriam (from Jewish roots to Benedictine prioress). ‘IRREVOCABLE' from Romans 11:29 symbolizes God's unbreakable covenant and resilience against spiritual attacks. The episode is a live discussion blending Christmas reflections, personal testimonies, church critiques, and calls to action, lasting about 1.5 hours despite initial plans for one hour.

Opening and Mission Appeal

• Fr. Mahana opens with praise for Jesus and introduces the Mission of Hope and Mercy, a nonprofit aiding vulnerable families in Lebanon with food, medicine, education, housing, and protection amid economic hardship, bombings, and war.
• He highlights 2025 achievements: providing cancer treatments, medications (e.g., for sisters Angie and Krista), tons of food via partners like Caritas and Maryam Kitchen, school tuition, toys for children, and shelter for widows/orphans.
• Urgent appeal: Raise $62,000 by December 31 to sustain operations. Donate at missionofhopeandmercy.org/donate or mail to 2459 South Chase Lane, Lakewood, CO 80227.
• Emphasizes the Gospel call to mercy: "Whatever you did for the least... you did for me."

Christmas Hymns and Theological Reflections

• Fr. Mahana shares ancient Syriac hymns from St. Ephraim (e.g., "Glory to the Word who became a man") and discusses the Christmas novena, focusing on paradoxes like God in a virgin's womb and choosing poverty to identify with the broken.
• He sings part of "Joy to the World" and a self-composed hymn: "When we give even water to one who thirsts, Christmas comes again," emphasizing acts of mercy as re-enacting Christ's birth.
• Liturgical ties: Advent as preparation (announcements from angels), extending Christmas to February 2 (Presentation of the Lord). Urges blessing homes/trees and global light-switching on Christmas Eve to symbolize the Messiah's arrival.

Personal Testimonies and Conversions

• Mother Miriam: Raised Jewish in Brooklyn, she avoided Christmas due to its existential reminders (fleeing to the Virgin Islands annually). Converted in 1976; her first Christmas hearing "Joy to the World" in a supermarket transformed her. Urges living faith authentically: no shopping/Sundays, modest dress, witness to neighbors. Message: Return to God, stop sin, seek truth in Catholic churches (e.g., kneel before the tabernacle).
• Fr. Mahana: Childhood memories from Lebanon during civil war (e.g., 1979 Damour massacre), where forgiveness and Eucharistic adoration amid peril inspired his mission. Shares 2025 pain from church persecution but finds hope in supportive figures like Mother Miriam and Fr. Altman.
• Fr. Altman: Joins amid tech issues. Shares family traditions (e.g., mother's cranberries at festive tables). Recounts filming her recipes before her health decline (father passed in September). Emphasizes divine intervention via statues like Infant of Prague (miraculous survival, symbolizing being Christ's hands) and Our Lady of Fatima.

2025 Reflections

• Podcast Name: ‘IRREVOCABLE' from Romans 11—God's promises/covenant are unbreakable; resist sin, injustice, devil. Family as key battleground; devil attacks it to destroy the Church.
• Positive Outlook: Despite "PTSD" from turmoil and personal persecutions, hope in Christ's promise (gates of hell won't prevail). Best 2025 memory: Solidarity among faithful, turning evil to good. Urge clergy: Speak truth fearlessly (wear cassocks, live vows); laity: Be witnesses.

Closing

• Nazi-era story: Christians' fidelity converts soldiers, illustrating unwavering faith.
• Prayer: Angelus led by Fr. Altman, with bells rung by Fr. Mahana.
• Final Appeal: Renewed call for Mission donations; blessings for peace and mercy.

This episode features a heartfelt conversation with Mother Miriam, Prioress, Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope, focusing on themes of Faith, Hope, Mercy, personal suffering, and the urgent humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and beyond. The discussion blends spiritual reflections, historical insights, and passionate appeals for donations to support persecuted Christians and war-affected families.

Opening Appeal and Personal Testimony: Father Andre recounts his childhood during the Lebanese war—fleeing to a cave at age 9, scavenging for food, and losing water during airstrikes. He draws parallels to current bombings in South Lebanon, emphasizing how the Mission of Hope and Mercy delivers aid (food boxes, mattresses, water, and Christmas gifts) directly to villages under fire, embodying the "Gospel of Hope" in Jesus' name.

Guest Introduction and Shared Experiences: Mother Miriam, a Jewish convert to Catholicism and founder of Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel's Hope, shares her own childhood poverty (brushing dirt off half-eaten sandwiches). She praises Father Andre's transformation from a persecuted child to a "messenger of the Jewish Messiah" and urges listeners to donate generously, calling it a “True Mission of Mercy."

Critique of Church Leadership: Both discuss the "abandonment of faith" by many shepherds (priests, bishops, and Pope Francis), including silence on issues like LGBTQ+ sponsorship and unity without truth. Mother Miriam laments the rise of apostasy and wolves leading sheep astray, while Father Andre questions how far modern leaders are from Jesus' innocent heart, advocating judgment by kindness and compassion.

• Father Andre's Calling and Visions: He describes his unexpected path from rector of St. Louis Cathedral (where he hosted Cardinal Burke) to founding the Mission in 2015 after a divine vision in 2008. He shares a profound experience of seeing the Holy Spirit leave the world, turning everything gray, and hearing God's call to rebuild the Church through Faith, Hope, and Love amid persecution (noting 250 million persecuted Christians globally, with 30-40 million killed in the 20th century).

MOHM's Work and Challenges: The Mission supports addiction recovery (partnering with "Oum el Nour" to provide 1,500 lbs of food every 8 weeks), medical needs, education, and displaced families. Father Andre highlights aiding Iraqi Christian refugees since 2014 and combating antisemitism, Islamophobia, and radicalism for interfaith coexistence (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). He stresses Lebanon's role as a pluralistic oasis but warns of its collapse due to financial crises, explosions, and militias.

Broader Spiritual Themes:

• Hanukkah (Festival of Lights) as a symbol of religious freedom and victory over oppression, linked to Maccabees' suffering and paralleled with Christmas' Divine Light of Jesus, the Christ (Messiah.)
• Hope rooted in the Messiah, not circumstances; the Church's endurance despite evil.
• Mother Miriam's "PhD in not giving up," her jail chaplaincy with addicts, and a dream urging delayed rapture so the world can know Christ.

Donation Appeals: Repeated, urgent calls for year-end giving, with Mother Miriam boldly praying for $1 million today (noting it's the Mission's secret goal). Suggested amounts: $35 (weekly family food), $75 (blanket/mattress), $150 (Christmas box). Emphasize giving as a "Christmas offering at the manger," rewarding donors eternally. Website: missionofhopeandmercy.org. Father Andre notes 39% of their $62,000 goal met, with funds going directly to aid (86-94% efficiency, verified by Charity Navigator).

Ends with prayers for light, love, and peace; an invitation to the Colorado Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast (August 15, 2026); and a promo for nightly Christmas Novena retreats at 6:30 PM MT / 8.30 PM ET via MOHM’s social channels. Father Andre teases a Christmas Eve Special follow-up with Mother Miriam.

Today, we need your help more than ever. Your year-end gift will help sustain the Mission’s life-saving work into 2026:

https://missionofhopeandmercy.org/GiveHopeIrrevocable

Hosted by Father Andre Mahanna, President of Mission of Hope and Mercy, with guest Willy Guardiola, founder of Christian on a Mission and a pro-life activist. The discussion, lasting about 1 hour and 40 minutes, blends spiritual reflections, personal testimonies, critiques of church and societal issues, and urgent calls for charitable support. It aired during Advent, emphasizing themes of hope, martyrdom, and mercy amid global crises.Liturgical and Historical Reflections

Father Mahanna contemplates on the feast of Pope Saint Damasus I (Pope in the 4th century), highlighting early Christian persecutions under Diocletian, the promotion of martyr veneration, and the Holy Spirit's gift of fortitude (e.g., Saint Stephen's vision during stoning).

He stresses martyrdom as a divine grace, not defeat, and ties it to modern persecutions.

Willy Guardiola’s 'Christian On A Mission' Ministry

Willy Guardiola, a Cuban-born activist, shares his background: Involved in pro-life since closing 3 Planned Parenthood clinics in Palm Beach County, FL, in 2020 (a U.S. record). Founder of Pro-Lifers for Trump (since 2016) and PBC Right to Life League.

His mantra: "GGT" (God's Got This). Priorities: Awakening Catholics to the Holy Spirit, holding clergy accountable to true teachings, and defending the "Seven Cs":

Country: America first.

Church: Defend it fiercely.

Clergy: Support truth-speaking priests/bishops (e.g., Bishop Strickland, Fathers Altman and Pavone).

Constitution: Uphold it against threats.

Communities: Care for all.

Children: Protect the unborn.

Christ: The ultimate priority.

Key Discussion Topics

Pro-Life Advocacy:

Emphasis on the Right to Life as foundational. Global stats: 73 million abortions yearly worldwide; 1 million in the U.S.

Willy's efforts: Closing 55 Planned Parenthoods in 2025; shift to abortion pills (65% of U.S. abortions). Plans to educate seminarians to boldly preach against abortion at the pulpit.

Critique: Priests fear alienating parishioners (50% Democrat); post-Roe v. Wade (overturned 6/24/2022) silence from clergy led to midterm election losses.

Church Challenges and Persecutions:

"Weaponization of canon law": Silencing/canceling outspoken clergy (e.g., Fathers Pavone, Altman; Bishop Strickland). Father Mahanna shares his own "homelessness" and threats for advocating persecuted Christians.

Global persecutions: 360 million Christians (80% Catholic) affected; examples include organ harvesting in Nigeria, Cardinal's detention in Venezuela, Beirut explosion (2020), and Lebanese banking collapse/corruption.

Willy's “God’s Got This” t-shirts worn by clergy as “Spiritual Armor"; calls for Laity to lead, per Fulton Sheen: "It's up to you, the Laity, to remind our Priests to be Priests and our Bishops to be Bishops."

Personal Testimonies and Missions:

Father Mahanna: Childhood war trauma; ministry's aid to Lebanese families (e.g., Omnitrope shots for two Lebanese girls with growth deficiencies, costing $1,000/month each).

Willy: Mission trips to Haiti, Nicaragua, Mexico (with Bishop Strickland); feeding migrants; closing abortion mills through Pro-Life Prayer Rallies.

Broader issues: Human trafficking, communism's impact (Willy's Cuban roots), and attacks on priesthood/marriage.

Hope: Emphasize Unity, not gossip; Support “canceled” clergy; Laity must "walk the walk" (e.g., donate, act).

Willy pledges $1,000 to Mission of Hope and Mercy, challenging viewers to match it (for two months' medicine for the two Lebanese girls).

Spiritual message: Advent's Leap from St. John the Baptist as the “1st Pro-Life Rally"; Mary's Fiat and Joseph's Obedience.

Prayer: Psalm 62 (Trust in God as Rock + Refuge).