Be Still and know that I am God
A blessed and happy Sunday to all! Welcome to the 14th Sunday of Pentecost. This week’s Gospel focuses on a passage of Martha and Mary - the busy sister who seems to be running around and the quiet one who sits at the feet of Jesus listening to Him. In the Gospel passage this Sunday, Jesus is calling us to choose the best option available to us – to listen carefully and to preach His Word, not for ourselves and our own glory but for the glory of God who knows the heart of each individual.
How do we do this? Firstly, let us look at Mary – the sister, whom in Christs’ presence, sat at His feet listening to Him. Through Mary’s example, we see that she dedicated time specifically to sit with the Lord, granting Him the opportunity to talk to her whilst she listens. We too need to adopt this example in our own lives that have become such a blur with all the running around that we do. In order to be filled with the Lord, we must constantly and regularly dedi-cate time to sit with Him and listen carefully to what He may be saying to us. We need to once again develop the skill to listen carefully; to listen with our hearts.
It is only in listening carefully to the gentle voice of Jesus deep within us that we can serve the Lord as Martha did. But
Martha seemed to have failed, for Jesus tells her that her sister had chosen the better option. Therefore, we can ask the question was Martha really listening to the Words of Jesus? Was her will attuned to the will of God? Sometimes, most times, we can be like that too – we get so worked up in preparing and running around that we fail to see the small yet very important things. Martha could have been a great model of Evangelisation, active and empowered – but she was not listening carefully. We too, have an opportunity to be evangelisers of the Good News, without knocking on the doors of our neighbours. We first need to listen to the Word and true listening only compels us to go forth, imitating the Word that was spoken and heard.
Our Feast Week celebrations for 2018 came to an end on the 15th of August with the Feast of the Assumption and what an amazing 12 days we have had. I would like to sincerely thank all the countless volunteers who have made it a great success. Yes, we have heard it being said that Our Lady of Lebanon Parish is the largest Maronite Parish in the world but it is so because of its dedicated volunteers, committees, Pastoral Council and Stewardship Committee. Preparations for Feast Week 2018 took 3 months from planning to execution and we had in excess of 500 men, women and youth who assisted over a 2 week period. In recognition of the efforts of all volunteers, we will be holding a Thanksgiving Mass in honour of all who helped throughout Feast Week 2018 on the 6th October at 6pm. This will be followed by a Sahra. May the Morning Star, who embraces our Youth also embrace you and your families.
“Embrace our Youth O Morning Star”
This is the theme we have chosen for this year’s Feast of the Assumption at Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral. Why?
Mary is given the title of Morning Star because she was the first to respond with a humble yes to God’s plan of salvation. Explained through earthly terms, the morning star is the first light in the dark of the night, signifying the arrival of a greater light, the Sun. Applied to our faith, Mary became the first light, the first ray of hope; the deliverer of the greatest light, her Son Jesus. And just as the Sun outpowers all other sources of light, so too in the case of Mary and Jesus the same also happens. When Christ is born, His light radiates so powerfully that the light of the Morning Star becomes one with His light. This is not to say that Mary no longer had a role or was thrown to the side once she gave birth, rather she became ONE with the true source of light, Jesus. And just as the morning star, during daylight hours, cannot be seen but we know it is still there, so too, is the case between Mary and Jesus This is evident in the life and ministry of Jesus and at His Passion, Death and Resurrection, where we see Mary always and ever-present with Him. The Morning Star does not try to outshine the Son nor does it take away from His Light, rather she becomes a part of it allowing the True Light to embrace her so that she also reflects the Light of her Son.
This brings us to the next explanation of our theme Embrace our Youth! The word “embrace” means “to hold someone closely in one's arms, especially as a sign of affection”. Just as Mary holds Christ affectionately in her arms and just as Christ also holds His mother in His arms, so too we ask the Morning Star to embrace our youth – the beacons of light – that will continue to shine in our Church. The verb embrace can also mean to “include or contain something or someone as an integral part.” Just as Mary, the Morning Star was included and contained as an integral part in the True Light who is Christ, so too we implore her asking that our Youth be contained as an integral part in the Church and ultimately in the mission and life of Christ. The focus on the youth was a deliberate occurrence as The Australian Bishops have identified the liturgical year of 2018, beginning on the 3rd December 2017, as a national Year of Youth. The Year of Youth invites the Church into dialogue about the importance and life-giving presence of young people in the Church and society.
The Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, the Mother of the Saviour, is a masterpiece in the plan of Salvation and in the work of the Holy Trinity: Mary, the Morning Star is the daughter of the Father, the Creator of the Universe. She is also the Mother of the Son, the True Light of the World. Finally, the Morning Star is the Bride of the Holy Spirit, the heat that dissipates from the Son and fills our entire being. The love of the Father filled her, the grace of her Son saved her and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit sanctified her. So we ask of her throughout our Feast Week celebrations that our Youth emulate her example in thought, in word and in deed.
On behalf of His Excellency, Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, all the Clergy and staff of Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral, I would like to thank all our 2018 Feast Week sponsors, volunteers and all those who prayed for the success of the Feast and I wish you, our youth and all our families a blessed and joyous Feast. God bless you all.
Fr Tony Sarkis
He did not know what to say; they were so frightened” (Mk 9: 6)
Dearest brothers and sisters,
The feast of the Transfiguration is an important event in the life of Jesus, just like the event of baptism. In his epistle to the Corinthians, Saint Paul tells us about the veil while Saint Mark speaks about the magnificence of the glory of the Lord in his transfiguration. Many things are required from us so that the Lord makes his transfiguration through us. This transfiguration requires us to make a big effort and to change our lives in response to Saint Paul’s epistle and today’s bible.
How fast the moment of transfiguration went past, yet how marvelous it was! Peter even forgot that he was still on earth for his sense of happiness was unparalleled. As he saw face to face the light of God being transfigured in Jesus, he asked “Rabbi” to make that moment eternal. But the wisdom of God is beyond our understanding. God seemed to be saying to the apostles in the transfiguration: as for now, since you have experienced this, go back to the world and continue your journey according to my beloved Son’s
commandments. There, in the midst of the world, the human lives. It is not enough to stand by idly, astounded, overwhelmed by what you have seen, but go to your brothers and sisters, and let the light of God transfigures through your intentions and deeds.
It is important then to ask ourselves: aren’t we all called to let go, be graceful and transfigure where we are so we can be witnesses to Christ? Aren’t we called to be in our journey like Jesus, a sign of difference to the human trends, firm in walking up the mountain of life towards the summit of light, despite the often difficult passages and rugged roads? Hence we say “get up, do not be afraid”! Why is there fear since Jesus is with us, accompanying us with his Holy Spirit, providing us with his own body in the Eucharist? Isn’t this the truth of the Christian life?
Wouldn’t you then let the Father transfigure in you his light, peace and reconciliation with yourself before the others?
We are now in the midst of our celebrations of the feast of our parish which are being held under the theme “Embrace our Youth O Morning Star.” Please do not miss the opportunity to participate in all the spiritual, pastoral and social activities as one family, whether we are adult or children, old or young. We participate as one family united with the Heavenly Father, walking towards the Son on the path that Mary took, for prayer and social interaction with each other, so we truly live and experience the assumption of Our Lady into heaven.
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