When will the Haemorrhaging Stop?
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This week we enter into the third week of our Lenten journey and reflect on the healing of the haemorrhaging woman through our Liturgy. As with all the Gospel passages in this blessed season, themes of healing, forgiveness, repentance, faith and especially love are ever present. However we just need to watch or read the news to discover that we live in a world that nurtures and reflects the exact opposite. The events that are taking place in the world and especially in the Middle East reflects two faces of humanity. A face of humanity that fosters aggression, mercilessness, anger and hate and another face that stands by idly and watches. Just in the last few weeks the images from the following scenes are engraved in our minds:
16 Feb 2015 The beheading of twenty one Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya;
24 Feb 2015 Detaining of 90 Christians in two villages in the al-Hasakah province in north east Syria;
27 Feb 2015 Kidnapping of 220 Assyrian Christians in northern Syria
From the abductions, to the ruthless beheadings to the sieges the list goes on and on. From Syria to Iraq to Egypt to Lebanon and even to our own doorsteps in Sydney there is no escaping this barbaric behaviour. Even animals with their own so-called “animal instincts” would be ashamed. This raises the question: When will this haemorrhaging stop? Further: for how much longer is the world going to continue to do nothing? Is there a bigger scheme that is at play against the Christians? What is the answer to this situation that our world is in?
Yes we need to pray and yes we need to give and yes we need to help the refugees, but what else can we do? Yes we need to forgive them in the same way that out Lord Jesus Christ taught us on the cross, yes to all our Christian values and virtues in dealing with them and a very big yes to finding justice for all those who are suffering, but what else can we do?
Therefore the above question: when will the haemorrhaging stop, is a very important question, however the question that is more important is: What are we going to do to stop this haemorrhaging?
Over the last two weeks we have been walking the way of the Cross on Friday nights at 6pm and 8pm. The Stations of the Cross, together with the evening prayers and adoration of the Cross all help us to activate the spirit of healing, forgiveness, repentance, faith and love as we reflect on our own lives and the life of our Lord, especially his Passion. It is wonderful to see so many parishioners taking part and experiencing this through our Liturgy. One thing that we can do for sure is encourage someone who would not normally attend, to come along and experience the splendour of our faith.
Fr Tony Sarkis
Lent is Here Again…..
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Season of Great Lent is a time of repentance and preparation for the Glorious Resurrection. Each week during Lent and throughout Passion Week, our Maronite Liturgy helps us to enter into the mystery of Christ’s Passion through certain stations. These stations include enriching and fruitful passages from scripture such as the Wedding at Cana, The Leper, The Haemorrhaging Woman, The Prodigal Son, The Paralytic and The Blind. These stations are further nourished by fasting, abstinence, prayer and almsgiving. For Maronites, the Season of Great Lent begins on Ash Monday and finishes on the Saturday of Lazarus. These weeks are filled with stations, processions and adoration of the holy cross which truly help us reflect on this great mystery.
Did you know that we are not exempt from fasting? Did you also know that abstinence is not just an old tradition or fashion? Did you know that the older generation is not better than us in worship and love of God and holiness if we truly desire this? Do you also know that everything in life is based on a discipline and/or habit and these disciplines and/or habits should not be buried because they are a great tool to maintain a permanent and on-going righteousness which help us grow in morality, integrity and closeness to God?
Did you know that in-spite of your busy life, you can allocate enough personal time to enhance your relationship with God? From here, we can say that although the fashion has changed and new discoveries in medicine and science have advanced our age, the human need for God is still the same from the time of creation and until eternity. Fasting is not old-fashioned! We need it today as a way of discovering God and also discovering ourselves. It is a means by which we purify ourselves and work towards true reconciliation with each other and with God.
This true reconciliation with each other and with God brings about unity, communion and love. Once again, our parish truly lived this through the celebration of Fr Paul’s 80th birthday and 20th priesthood anniversary. All the parish committees joined together hand in hand and played a role in bringing this event together. Not only was it their love for Fr Paul that united them, but it was also their love and commitment to the mission of the church that inspired them to work together. Each committee had a role to play and together with all the parishioners, the family and friends of Fr Paul, they all gathered around our Bishop, His Excellency Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, all the priests and our beloved Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family to honour Fr Paul has he celebrated two big milestones in his life. I take this opportunity not only to congratulate Fr Paul but to thank you all and congratulate you on a job well done.
I would also like to thank our Seniors Committee who have donated $3,500 to replace the carpet in the Seniors Room of the Community Youth and Pastoral Centre on the ground floor. Thank you also to the parishioners who have pledged their time and efforts to lay the carpet.
Finally, the work on the new presbytery will commence next week. If anyone is interested in helping with this in any way could you please contact the parish office or send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . As we begin the Lenten journey this year, remember that: “Fasting opens the door of heaven…..whoever fasts is granted the kingdom of heaven.” (Maronite Liturgy)
Fr Tony Sarkis
Grant us O God Holy Priests, like St Maroun
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This week we celebrate two big feasts in our Maronite Church. Firstly, this Sunday is the Sunday of the Faithful departed. In the Roman Catholic Church it is known as All Souls day and is celebrated on 2nd November. In our Maronite Church we dedicate the last week before the beginning of Lent to our Faithful departed who have gone to their rest hoping in God. Our belief is that our loved ones actually fall asleep through death in the hope of being raised to eternal life. All Masses this week will conclude with the Maronite prayer of incense.
The second feast is the feast of our Father and Founder of the Maronite Church - St Maroun. Alt-hough his feast actually falls on Monday, we will be celebrating the Liturgy of the Feast on Sunday together with the readings from the Sunday of the Faithful departed. Saint Maroun whose simple ascetic life and spirituality in the late fourth and early fifth century has grown and developed into the Maronite Church of today is a wonderful example for us. From the time of his death in 410 AD to today in 2015, the Maronite Church has flourished and today more than ever we can see the fruits of this spirituality in the many vocations that we have in our Church. St Maroun who was a priest brought about the presence of God in the community in which he lived.
This leads to me to ponder on the following question today: What kind of priest do we need in our Church today in 2015? Three things come to mind. These are: A man who can bring about communion and unity, someone who gathers. A man who heals and consoles, someone who administers the sacraments. A man who has a vision and is in love with his parish, someone who is a pastoral worker. For the Church today, we are need of priests who possess these attributes.
We thank God for the vocations in our Diocese and in particular our parish that is a fertile land for vocations. This is a sign of God’s blessing. We have nine vocations in our parish, Dory Zaouk, Joe Maroun, Nehme Khattar, Tony Mattar, Charbel Dib, Danny Nouh, Robert Bayeh, Ghassan Nakhoul and Sid Isaac. This week we offered up the Mass on Friday night for Dory Zaouk who has said “yes” to the Lord after he heard his voice saying “follow me”. Dory will begin his seminary formation on 16 February at St John Vianney Seminary Boorooma in Wagga Wagga. Thanks be to God for his vocation. We also thank his family who have supported and nurtured his vocation along with the Sisters of the Maronite College of the Holy Family where Dory studied and worked. We wish Dory every success in this beautiful journey and pray:
My Lord and my God, Your message of love for us was made manifest through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Today you call many to spread your message of love to the world's darkest corners, but only very few are chosen. Bless your chosen ones O Lord, with endurance and perseverance in love, that they may be one with you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
