Tribute to Father Justinus - When service becomes a witness

Source: Bethlehem Updates

There are people whose story does not end when they leave this life, because their lives themselves become a testimony. The places where they served carry something of their prayers, their struggles, and their love.

Among these people is Father Archimandrite Justinus, whose name was closely connected for many years with Jacob's Well and its monastery and church in Nablus, a sacred place that holds within it a deep spiritual and human memory.

When Father Justinus was sent to Jacob's Well in 1980, he was given a task that was far from easy. He came after the martyrdom of his predecessor, Father Philoumenos Chapsalis, in 1979, at a time when the place needed more than simply a priest. It needed someone who believed that holy places are preserved not by stones alone, but by faith, patience, and sacrifice.

For decades, Father Justinus' presence at Jacob's Well was not simply a matter of living in a monastery. It was a complete dedication to the place and its mission. He took responsibility for rebuilding the church and completing the work that had begun there. He succeeded in obtaining permission to continue the construction and carried the work forward until the church was finally reopened in its present form in 2008.

And here I find myself pausing at the meaning of "rebuilding."

True rebuilding is not always about walls and roofs. Sometimes rebuilding means holding on to hope when everything seems exhausted, continuing to pray when the road is long, and choosing love when fear feels closer to us than peace.

For me, this is one of the most important things we can learn from the life of Father Justinus.

Standing before Jacob's Well, one cannot help but feel that this is a place where layers of history have accumulated upon one another.

The site is traditionally associated with Jacob's Well and with the Gospel encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, an encounter in which water, first understood as a physical necessity, becomes a doorway to speak of the "living water." For this reason, the church built at this place carries a meaning that reaches far beyond the architectural history of the building itself.

The site also has a long history of construction, destruction, and rebuilding. Among its significant periods was the Byzantine era under the Emperor Justinian I. Through the centuries, the place experienced destruction and renewal, including the damage caused by the earthquake of 1927.

But what moves me most is that, despite everything it has endured, the place remained a witness.

And here the history of the church becomes very close to the story of the human person. We may be wounded. The walls may shake. Circumstances may change. Yet faith can rebuild what we once thought had come to an end.

One of the aspects of Father Justinus' life that I find most worthy of reflection is his perseverance at the monastery during difficult years and the hardships he endured, while remaining committed to the place he loved, where he had given his life and where he built his own tomb.

For me, this image carries a profound Gospel meaning.

A Christian is not measured only by what he is able to defend himself against, but sometimes by what he is able to endure without allowing hatred to take root in his heart.

To remain in one's place, to guard what is sacred, and to remain committed to prayer, love, and peace is not a small thing.

From this perspective, we can understand Father Justinus' service not simply as service to a building, but as a witness that Christian presence can be a presence of peace.

Between Jacob's Well and the Resurrection of Christ

Perhaps this is why the words of farewell for Father Justinus seem even more profound when read beside Jacob's Well.

There, where Christ spoke of the living water, we are reminded that Christian life does not end at the boundary of death.

And there, where generations have passed through the centuries, we are reminded that human beings are temporary, but the grace with which they serve can leave a mark that reaches beyond their lifetime.

Father Justinus served for many years. He built, restored, and brought new life to a sacred place. And now, after his departure from this life, the deeper question remains: What is left of a person after they are gone?

Love remains.

Prayer remains.

Memory remains.

And the places that witnessed their faithfulness carry something of their presence.

But above all, Christian hope remains: death is not the final word.

Christianity does not look upon the grave as the end of the journey, but through the light of Christ's Resurrection. This is why we can grieve without despairing; we can weep without losing hope, and we can say with the Apostle Paul:

"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus."

A Farewell

With hearts overcome by sorrow, yet holding firmly to the hope of the Resurrection, we bid farewell to Father Archimandrite Justinus.

We do not say farewell as people who have forgotten all that he lived and gave. Rather, we entrust his life into the hands of the God whom he served and loved.

We ask our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the living and the dead, to grant him a place of light and a place of rest, where there is no pain, sorrow, or sighing, together with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and with all the righteous and the saints.

We also pray for all those who loved him and knew him, that the Lord may grant them comfort and strength, and transform the pain of separation into hope, their tears into prayer, and their memories into a blessing.

"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live."

May the life of Father Justinus remind us that service is more than words, that faith is more than a slogan, and that perseverance does not mean the absence of pain, but continuing despite the pain.

And may Jacob's Well remain a witness to the generations that have passed, to the people who loved this place and served it, and to a priest who devoted many years of his life to protecting it and bringing it back to life.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let Your perpetual light shine upon him.

May his memory be eternal.

Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and bestowing life upon those in the tombs.

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