Joy of the Lent Season
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
After concluding the Season of the Epiphany and the three weeks of Commemorations, we have now reached Sunday of the Entrance into the blessed Great Lent. We have then started a new season in our liturgical calendar, a season as joyous as the one that has just ended.
In the Season of the Epiphany, Jesus revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him. At the entrance into lent, Jesus revealed his glory again at the wedding of Cana in Galilee and the faith of his disciples became stronger. At that wedding, Jesus transformed water into good wine, leaving the chief steward astonished for its good taste, thus transforming his disciples into a group of believers, and his mother Mary into the first disciple, the new Eve.
In the Season of the Great Lent, our faith is strengthened so we can be ready for the joy of the glorious resurrection. Saint Paul, however, cautions us today in his letter to the Romans against erring in our faith, urging us to pay special attention to our words and deeds so we do not consider anything unclean as this may ruin someone for whom Christ died. It is then necessary to be ready for our journey into the Great Lent with a repentant spirit and true contrition so that our actions can be the expression of our true faith.
The Lord wants us to make our lent a time of spiritual joy to complement, through fasting, what he started at Cana so our joy lasts. The Lord warns us not to put on a gloomy look when we fast like the hypocrites, but “when you fast, put scent on your head and wash your face” (Matthew 6: 16-17). The fasting that the Lord wants from you is to “share your food with the hungry and shelter the homeless; if you see someone lacking clothes, to clothe him, and do not turn away from your own kin” (Isaiah 58: 7). Thus we learn from Jesus how to fast, and we accompany him in his fasting and learn from him how to strive.
Our parish is blessed, it offers us many options to help us fulfil our obligations during Lent. Let’s start our journey together with the celebrations of Ash Monday at 7.00 am, 8.45 am, 5.00 pm and 7.00 pm. If you are unable to attend a full mass, participate at least in the first 25 minutes of the mass to be present during the service of the Word and the Rite of the Blessing of the Ashes. The Stations of the Cross, evening prayer and Adoration of the Cross will be held on Fridays during the Lent Season, at 6.00 pm in Arabic and 8 pm in English. If you are able to help with the charitable work – giving food, clothes or shelter to the poor and needy – “Heaven on Earth” will be grateful for your help. If you want to deepen your knowledge in the faith, the Family of Divine Word, the bible study group, the Faith Formation team in English, all welcome you in their evenings which they hold on different days of the week. During Lent, the formation lessons in English will continue every Wednesday evening with the Living the Gospel group. For those who are younger, they can join either the Fersen or the Teens (Years 7 to 9) every Saturday afternoon in the Parish Centre, the older youths can be with Come Alive (Years 10 to 12), every second Wednesday evening. Adoration of the Eucharist every Thursday evening. Mid-day prayer at 12.15 pm Monday to Friday. Also, the Elderly Committee holds many activities while the Sodality holds lunch every Wednesday at 12 pm. Please take some time to go through the Parish bulletin this week to learn more about the activities of all these groups in our parish, and think of participating in a program during this lent which helps you to be ready for the glorious resurrection in a way that pleases the Lord.
O God, restore our thoughts and actions to do your will so we do not be a cause of fall for anyone.
Towards Our Real Home
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In the last Sunday of the Commemoration Sundays we remember the faithful departed as we prepare ourselves to start our journey into the Great Lent. On this day, our Church
celebrates the commemoration of the faithful departed, urging us to pray for our dead and all the dead with whom we are bound by the spiritual bond of communion. Through prayer, we connect with them. The prayer is the bridge that connects the Earthly Church with the Heavenly Church, and upon which God’s mercy for them and for us runs.
The commemoration is not for the dead only, bug also for us, as we remember on this day and throughout the whole week that we are walking, in our turn, towards our real home, the Kingdom of Heaven where Jesus has prepared for us many dwellings.
To reach the Kingdom we need to move towards it now and hence, not waiting until we depart from this world. This is a truth of faith which Saint Paul confirms for us today in his letter, enlightening our hearts on the need to be always ready through watchfulness, faith and active love. We are the “children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.” (1 Thess. 5: 5). Thus we should remain ready “and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” (1 Thess. 5: 8).
Saint Luke stresses in his Gospel today on the need to walk towards the Kingdom through good deeds, citing the example of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31). The rich man forgot the spiritual communion he should have had with Lazarus, ignoring him and leaving him to his misery right at his gate. When he departed from this world, the rich man remembered that spiritual bond and asked Abraham to send Lazarus to help him, but it was too late.
Through our constant readiness we activate our watchfulness and we proclaim our faith in the risen Jesus, the Lord of life and hope. The main purpose for our readiness is to be longing for a union with the Lord in the Kingdom. Are we truly ready to meet the heavenly groom?
Our parish moves in firm steps towards the Kingdom of Heaven by being watchful and serving untiringly. The Parish Council held its first meeting for the year with the presence of 30 people representing 24 committees in the Parish. the Council discussed ways to coordinate and plan for the pastoral, spiritual and social work in the parish. I would like to thank all the Council members for their dedication. Hand in hand, together we build the House of God, in stones and in people.
On Thursday, our parish will rejoice in the Holy Spirit as its own son, subdeacon Charbel Dib, is elevated to the deaconate. May his service in the field of the Lord be blessed. This is an invitation to you all to participate in this joy through a celebratory mass on Thursday 28 February, at 6.00 pm.
I would like to remind you about the mass which we will celebrate at the Rookwood Cemetery, Saint Michael Chapel for the repose of the souls of our departed on the occasion of the faithful departed week. The prayer of the community is unity, unification and peace. We pray as one for all our departed in faith full of hope and life.
Grant us Lord to well prepare for your coming in watchfulness and prayer, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, so we are worth of your eternal joy.
Message From The Bishop - Year of Maronite Spirituality
Dearly beloved,
The journey of the Year of Maronite Spirituality has started in our Eparchy with the celebration of the Feast of St Maroun. For the next twelve months, our Eparchy will be focusing on the Maronite spirituality and heritage, with the motto: A Journey towards Holiness in Today’s World.
This year was announced as a result of the recommendation of the Maronite Diocesan Assembly. I am pleased to announce that we have started implementing these recommendations with the establishment of the two Maronite Offices for Family and for Youth.
There are seven foundations to living our Maronite spirituality and faith. These are:
- A prayer life. Prayer is essential to build a relationship with Christ. We are called to pray individually, as a family and as a community. “Pray, hope, and don’t worry. God is merciful and will hear your prayer,” writes Padre Pio.
- Reading the Bible. We cannot love our faith if we do not know it. And the Bible is the source of our faith.
- The Sacraments. The celebration of the Sacraments is a vital part of the life of the Church, especially the Eucharist. There is no greater gift that God can give us.
- The Saints. The Saints and holy Martyrs are bright examples of the faith for us. Reading about their lives and their writings helps us grow in faith and knowledge.
- The Liturgical Seasons. Throughout the year, the Church family celebrates the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, as well as feasts and saints. This journey we take together, as a community, brings us together as one family and strengthens our faith.
- Charity. Actions speak louder than words. If we attend mass every Sunday and know our faith but do not live it, we are but “a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1Cor13:1). Works of love are a necessary part of our spirituality.
- Mary. We honour and love Mary because Jesus did so. Mary prays with us and for us and she leads us to her Son.
As we celebrate the Sunday of the Righteous and the Just, we look up to and honour the Glorified Church in heaven. We hope to live by their example of holiness and heroism so that, we too, may be drawn by the immense love of the Father, saved by the sacrifice of the Son, and sanctified by the descent of the Holy Spirit, so that we attain unity in the faith … to the extent of the full stature of Christ (Eph 4:13).
