Gaby Habib

We have lost Gaby Habib, the beloved brother. Knowing him was one of the gifts of my commitment to the Orthodox Youth Movement (MJO). He has not always been here in Lebanon. Nevertheless, he has always been here! His humanity, rich in its depth and magnanimity, in addition to what I like to recall about his choice to reside in the house of his sister in our parish during his visits to Lebanon, make his absence a personal loss as well. I remember him with great affection. The man is different. In the world today, you find people who brag about their being closed and others about their being open! The profound person, who knows his tradition, is peerless; alien to this and to that! The profound person sees openness to the other human being, even in his hardest difference, as a natural matter, that is, in the core of his faith. What is Gaby’s secret? I said his secret. The positions he undertook, in their ecumenical, humanistic or dialogical concerns with other religions…, he was driven to them by his love for the One Who held the world to His chest on the day He was hung upon the Cross. This is one of our great teachers who has returned to his homeland, the homeland of love and peace.