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)
