Mother of God, Mother of Life”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It’s not hard to see why we call Our Blessed Mother the “Wellspring of Life”, as it was through her that we came to know Jesus the Christ, who gave meaning to life, and who is in His own words, “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”. We have many reasons to be joyful as we celebrate this wonderful Feast of the Assumption, especially in our Parish of Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral that bears her name. Our Patroness Mary, the Mother of God, teaches us the holy virtues of silence and humble obedience in her life of contemplation. These are not the easiest virtues to practice, but as our role model, Our Lady gives us hope that we too can reach the heights of Heaven by following her as she leads us to her Son.
In our Maronite Liturgy we often refer to the presence of the Mother of God throughout, as we remember her influence in being our light. We cannot forget the Holy Valley of Qannoubine, the valley of the martyrs who were strengthened in faith by clinging to Our Lady with hope. Our beautiful hymn “Ya Oum Allah”, loved and cherished by every Maronite, contains in its words all that we need to know of the compassionate and loving heart of our Blessed Mother who never ceases to intercede for her children.
We have such a beautiful family here at Our Lady of Lebanon, and it is mainly because we share the same love for our heavenly Mother, as her children. God has blessed us with families that pray together, and worship together, and work together to build up the Kingdom of God. I hope that I will see all of you joining us during the festivities of Feast Week, and again I thank everyone of our committee members and friends who have worked so tirelessly to make this Feast Week a time of spiritual fulfilment, and a joyful experience for all. May God bless you and your families, and may our Lady of Lebanon protect us all the days of our lives.
