On the Road To Emmaus

About the Book

this curricula is part of my personal journey. I poured my heart and spirit into it. It is not a pure theological essay, but a blend of experience and theology. The fathers of the Church throughout history underlined two important conditions in studying the Bible and writing theology: the first is to read the Bible communally within Christ’s body, the Church. The exegesis is an ecclesial task that takes place within the Church and for the Church. The second is to read the Bible within the context of practice of prayer, worship and spiritual formation. The fathers insisted on the connection between spiritual well being, life in the Church and commentary on the Church book. I have faithfully endeavored to follow the instructions of the fathers. My hope is that the reader of this book, or the group that will share this journey, will realize that this voyage is the culmination of almost 10 years of daily reflection and analysis of the problems that our teenagers face in their daily lives. It is the reply to many prayers and personal devotions. Its ultimate purpose is to help our youth build a personal and intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

About the Author

I had never anticipated coming to the United States. I had never expected starting a career in the land of diversity, challenge, richness, and opportunity. I had never imagined to be a youth minister in America! Like the first apostles who were trained by our Lord for three years to carry on the message of salvation to the four corners of the earth, I was trained for six years at St. Ephraim Theological Seminary in the Syrian Capital Damascus; and another six years in the Italian Capital of Rome, to be able to carry on the Gospel message to any corner of the world. To my surprise, the Holy Spirit selected California. With overwhelming emotion and with a sense of fear and eagerness, joy and enthusiasm, I started to serve three communities in Northern and Southern California. In addition to the Sunday duties with these three churches and, because of my specialty in youth ministry, I was launched into this jungle. I started a difficult journey to discover new and healthy paths that would put into practice the theories that I had studied during my twelve years of training in Damascus and Rome. Through this pastoral and personal journey, I realized the needs of our community to form professional committees and organizations that would be able to produce new methods, curricula, and plans for our youth. I saw an urgent need in our community for a book that could help our youth understand the basics of our Christian faith and learn how to apply these basics to daily life. This introductory curriculum is the product of intense daily work with the youth in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino, and Chico, California. Part of this book has been shared with the youth in Switzerland and Sweden. It is, thus, the culmination of almost 10 years of daily reflection and analysis of the problems that our teenagers face in their daily lives. It is the reply to many prayers and personal devotions. Its ultimate purpose is to help our youth build a personal and intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.