Happy New Liturgical Year
Welcome to the new liturgical year in our Maronite Church. This no ordinary New Year’s celebration; rather it is an upwards spiral-like movement towards God. The Liturgical year takes us on a prayerful journey towards the Kingdom of God. It gyrates around the mystery and revelation of the Holy Trinity; the salvific plan of the Father, the life and passion of the Son and the communion and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The liturgical year is divided into seasons, these being: The Glorious Birth of our Lord, the Glorious Epiphany, Three weeks of Commemorations, Great Lent, Passion Week, the Glorious Resurrection, Glorious Pentecost and finally the season of the Glorious Cross.
Some people feel that the liturgical year is a routine repetition of occasions and feasts. This is not true! Each year we enter more deeply into the splendour of the liturgy and we discover more and more the reality of our Lord Jesus Christ in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Do you ever notice how each time you listen to a particular passage from the Gospel or the Epistles you discover and learn something new? It is the same with the different seasons. Although they are repeated through the liturgy, each time we participate in them we experience something new in our relationship with each person of the Holy Trinity. This means that each year that both the Church and the faithful live and experience deeper faith which elevates us towards the Holy Trinity so that we can be united with it and with each other.
It is fitting that we start the year off with the Sunday of the Consecration of the Church. To consecrate is to become holy and this is our personal goal in life and the purpose of the Church. The Jewish people looked to the Temple as their means of holiness and salvation. However, we Christians look to the new Temple, the new Holy of Holies, the new High Priest – our Lord Jesus Christ who is our source of holiness and salvation. Therefore, as you can see, we have a lot to celebrate! If you haven’t already done so, it is not too late to make some new resolutions for the New Year. May you all have a holy new year filled with the grace and magnificence of the holy and most blessed Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
On a parish note, I would like to thank the Teens and their leaders for organising and participating in the Car Wash last Sunday. As always, you did a great job and our cars have never been cleaner. Keep up the great work. Also, the Seniors on Thursday had a wonderful day filled with Mass, Lunch, singing, dancing and plenty of activities. The Seniors committee do a wonderful job every time and our sincere thanks to them for everything that they do. Finally, a very warm welcome back to Monsignor Shora who came back on Thursday from the United States.
Fr Tony Sarkis
