I will not leave you orphaned
This Sunday marks the commencement of a new season in our Maronite Church, the Season of Pentecost. This is a special time in our Church and the universal Church, as it celebrates the anniversary of the first Church and the descent of the Holy Spirit, on Mary and the Apostles, in the Upper Room.
Pentecost is a time of great joy in the fulfilment of the promise of Christ “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.” (Jn 14:16) This Paraclete is the Holy Spirit, proclaimed in our Creed as “the giver of life.” The sending of the Holy Spirit ensures that we are not left orphaned but rather we become adopted children of the Father and brothers and sisters of Jesus. This Paraclete grants us a sense of belonging; we become a Church united in faith, hope and love; we become the voice of God, the voice of righteousness, mercy and forgiveness in our world; we become beacons of love and hope to the unloved and hopeless.
This special Feast of Pentecost will be celebrated in a special Maronite way with the Rite of Adoration of Pentecost. During this special rite, the clergy together with the faithful will adore three times, the Holy Trinity. The first adoration will be to the Father, the Creator. The second will be in adoration of the Son, through whom all things were made.
The final adoration will be to the Holy Spirit, the giver of life. The blessing of the water that becomes holy and the sprinkling of this water will also follow this. The sprinkling over the heads of the faithful is a reminder of our baptism and the baptismal promise we make. This coming Tuesday, 22nd May, is the Feast of St Rita and I invite all parishioners to join us in prayer and thanksgiving to the Lord for giving us the example of St Rita and seeking her intercession. Also on the 26th May we will be celebrating a Mass in honour of His Excellency Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay’s 25th Anniversary to the Priesthood and 5th Anniversary of his Episcopate. Furthermore, there will be a procession for the end of May, the month of Mary and this will also be held on the 26th May at 5pm.
I encourage all our faithful parishioners to attend these special and commemorative celebrations and I pray that our lives always reflect and glorify the Holy Trinity. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our stewardship committee for their continued dedication and work within our parish and to all committees who are working tirelessly to ensure our parish is vibrant and alive in the love of Christ.
