Three’s a crowd?
The Parable of the Prodigal Son could be summarised as ‘three is a Crowd’ as the younger son wants to do his own thing and be completely independent of his father and brother; and his elder brother is also not happy when his brother comes back and refuses to go in.
At our Bible discussion on Wednesday night, we looked at how we can live by this independence attitude in our relationship with God and each other.
Sin is when we want and do live independently of God. Today, independence is highly valued and emphasised and is strong in the self-help and happiness industry.
Spiritually, however, we are called to live dependent and trusting in our Heavenly Father’s Love and Grace that we have been given in Jesus and can be embraced in through the Holy Spirit. How often can we, in our Parish and family, have independent and judgemental attitudes towards each other and make others feel that three’s a crowd and they are not welcome?
With God’s Grace, I pray we can realise that ‘three is not a Crowd’ in our Parish but a potential Communion of Love reflecting God. Even though our Parish is big and parking can be difficult, let us always have a welcoming attitude as one family who is dependent on God, when it comes to our Church.
Notice in the picture the Father is the only one reaching out. The two sons are very distracted looking somewhere else for independence or their own thing. Let’s place ourselves in that healthy faith filled dependency in trust and let the Father in Jesus continue to Chase after us to be like Him.
Monsignor Shora Maree
Experiencing Great Lent in the Maronite Church -2
Dear Parishioners,
Last week I spoke of a Book and true story I have on my list to read. It’s about Eugene O'Kelly who at 53 was in the full swing of life.
Chairman and CEO of KPMG, one of the largest U.S. ac-counting firms, he enjoyed a successful career and drew happi-ness from his wife, children, family, and close friends. He was thinking ahead: the next business trip, the firm's continued suc-cess, weekend plans with his wife, his daughter's first day of eighth grade.
Then in May 2005, he was diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer and given weeks (three to six months) to live. Just like that.
Now as growing darkness was absorbing him he asked the question -Must the end of life be the worst part? Can it be made the best? Chasing Daylight is the account of his final journey as it chronicles the disso-lution of his physical health and his gradual awakening to a more profound under-standing of Life and a compelling message about how to live a more vivid, bal-anced, and meaningful and spiritual life.
This in a way captures the meaning and spirit of what the weeks of the Season of Great Lent are about.
Chasing and pre-paring for the Day of the Resurrection and the Light of Christ in the way we strive to live a more spiritual balanced and vivid Christian Life.
The Things we Fast and abstain from and the Sacrifices and extra time of Prayer, Reflection and attending spiritual events are what we do for Great Lent is to open our Lives to the one who came to our World to CHASE after us to Lead us into His Light.
This week it was wonderful witness to see so many reverently and prayerfully make time to attend AshMonday Ritbee and Masses, the 8:30am Morning Prayer with the Bishop and Priests and the Friday Night Stations and Ziyeh of the Cross at 6pm(Arabic) and 8pm(English) and the Friday 24 Hour Exposition.
Monsignor Shora Maree
Experiencing Great Lent in the Maronite Church
WHY ASH MONDAY? In the Maronite Church the Season of Great Lent begins on the Miracle of Cana Sunday. The Blessing and distribution of the Ashes on Ash Wednesday is originally a Latin (Western) Rite celebration. The Maronites adopt-ed this celebration from the Western Church and placed it on the Monday after Cana Sunday which is why we have Ash Monday.
MEANING OF THE ASHES: To put on the ashes is to say publicly and to yourself that you are in a reflective and repentant mode, that you are grieving your sins, and being changed, transformed (like the water to the best wine) from within, through God’s Grace in Jesus.
UNDERSTANDING THE SPIRIT OF LENT: Begin with the Gospel for Ash Monday, and including all of Matthew 6: 1-18. Nothing offers better guidance than the words Jesus spoke:
“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you. (Mt 6:2) Pray to your Father, who sees in secret and will reward you. (Mt 6:6) And whenever you fast, do not look dis-mal like the hypocrites.” (Mt 6:16)
WE GIVE... PRAY... & FAST: to be free and open to a deep experience of being transformed by God in Jesus in this Season of Great Lent.
AS MARONITES….
As a Community in Lent, we are to fast and abstain from meat on Ash Monday & Good Friday and abstain from meat on all Fridays. This is binding on those 18 to 60 years of age, except pregnant women and the sick.
As Individuals/personally, in Lent we are also called to choose other deeds of sacrifice, prayer and fasting to allow us to be open and free to experience God’s wonderful healing and forgiving Grace in Jesus in our lives and to wit-ness to this Grace to with others, especially the poor, as Pope Francis has re-minded us in His Lenten message He became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich (cf. 2 Cor 8:9)(http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/messages/lent/documents/papa-francesco_20131226_messaggio-quaresima2014_en.html)
Fasting is when you don’t eat food or drink from 12 Midnight till 12 Noon (except for water & medicine).
Abstinence is when we do not eat meat or when we give up other foods or other activities, eg: T.V and internet, chocolate, soft drinks, alcohol...
Almsgiving/Charity is when we give extra time to family and relationships and donations to help the poor eg Caritas’ Project Compassion and other charities.
Additional Spiritual Practices: daily Mass, time for Confession, daily Rosary, coming to Stations and Ziyeh of the Cross on Fridays, Bible discussions, Spiritual reading and Spiritual walks or visits to Church
Today and tomorrow, hear Mary’s command to “do whatever He tells you” for this Lent. Take time in prayer and ask Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit to guide you on what to give up and take up to experience His Grace to transform the ordinary (water) into the extraordinary (wine) of God’s joy in your life.
