Season of the Great Lent - Sunday of the Leper Man

In this holy time of Lent, we reflect on the message of His Beatitude Mar Bechara Boutros Rai in which he says that “Lent is a time of change in three directions: the change in our relationship with God through prayer and repentance in order to restore the splendor of our ‘sonship’ of God; and change in the relationship with ourselves through fasting and mortification in order to liberate ourselves from everything that damages the image of God in us…; and change in our relationship with every human being, especially with those in need, through works of love, compassion and charity…”. May this time be truly a time of change in our lives where we discard our vices and start anew.

Starting this week, Kadishat will include a series of articles on the Maronite History. We hope you enjoy reading them and learning more about the history of our church.

May God bless you always!

In Christ,

Fr. Dr. Antoine Tarabay
Rector
St. Charbel’s College and Church
142 Highclere Avenue
PUNCHBOWL NSW 2196




====================================================================



20th Year—Number 997 Sunday 26/02/2012



Season of the Great Lent
Sunday of the Leper Man


Sunday’s Readings: Roma 6: 12-23 & Mark 1: 35-45



Stretched out his hand and touched him

“ In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.” Mark 1: 35-45

Reflection of the Week

The Saviour touches and purifies

For the Jews of Jesus' time, leprosy was not just an incurable physical ailment, but it amounted to social and religious death.

The victim became an outcast who was shunned by society, while anyone who touched a leper would be considered unclean and had to go through a process of purification before being able to enter public life again. Leprosy was viewed as the severest sentence God could pass on a sinner.

For this reason, the meeting between Jesus and the leper becomes highly significant. Impurity meets up with the 'Holy'. The outcast meets the Servant, Himself a future outcast; leprosy, which defiles comes into contact with the One who makes pure.

In this deeply moving scene, the Gospel writer captures something of the heart and character of Jesus. The leper sensed that Jesus would not reject him and trusted in his power. Jesus is deeply distressed and disturbed by the man's condition but more especially by the way the man is treated by a society that has failed to believe in the compassion of God. From Jesus we learn that compassion and a sense of solidarity with the suffering person, is the key to healing. Compassion and unity are signs that the Kingdom of God is present.

This meeting of Jesus and the leper is highly significant. In the person of the leper, the Saviour touches and purifies the whole sinful world. Through Jesus, the social outcasts and the living-dead are rehabilitated. As God's Messiah, Jesus alone has the power to heal leprosy, as He alone has the power to heal sin.

In differing degrees the lepers of today are the various outcasts and rejects of our society. We must learn from Jesus. Each of us is leprous; each one of us has a hidden uncleanness, which we need to reveal to Jesus in order to obtain healing and wholeness from Him and to be readmitted into the society of the saved. Once we have been touched and cleansed, we must proclaim God's Word and following in the example of Jesus, welcome in their human dignity those who before were cast out or rejected.

In the footsteps of Jesus

"Their words are bold but there deeds are few" (cf. Matthew 23:1-12) If we are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we need to seek integrity and wholeness of body, mind and spirit - of word and deed. To move towards this integrity, we need to focus ourselves on one Teacher, one Lord. Jesus is our example of integrity - a Teacher of words and a Healer of persons, living by the Word of God and moved with compassion for the needs of others.

Lent - A Time of Renewal

The Season of Lent affords us the opportunity to look closely at ourselves as God's favoured people. Our looking often reveals our inadequacies and our failure to live up to being so specially regarded by the Creator. Christ challenges our habits and our lifestyle. In Him on this Lenten journey, the face of God appears to us and mysteriously, the face that we are called to put on. We pray that by the closing of this journey, we will gladly put into practice what Christ, our brother, will have taught us by His life, by His death, and by His love.

====================================================================



Reading - Romans 6: 12 - 23
Are we still slaves to sin and death, or do we realize that through Baptism into the Christian community we have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, and so of righteousness. Through Baptism we have been granted the grace to turn away from sin. As Christians, our life should be one of moral growth. 


We are guided by the teachings of Christ in the Gospel, and our goal is the acceptance of the gift of eternal life. Sometimes we stray off the right path, but we should always have confidence that God is all love and mercy and is always ready to forgive if we just seek to be reconciled with Him.


====================================================================



The Maronites and Lebanon


Who are the Maronites?
Where did they come from?
How was the Maronite Church founded?
What are the connections between the Ma-ronites and Lebanon?

These questions and many others have been repeatedly asked by many youths and adults who have not been introduced to the history of the Maronites.

Kadishat, under the direction of Rev Fr Antoine Tarabay, will republish over the next few issues, a series of articles that The Word, the parish magazine that the parish use to issue in the nineties, published.

Topics will be:

1 Lebanon in the Bible
2 Lebanon and the church before the Maronites
3 Maronites: indigenous Lebanese descendants of the Phoenicians
4 From paganism to Christianity from Adoun to Maroun
5 The foundation of the Maronite Church
6 Maronites first Patriarch
7 Lebanon for the Maronites
8 The struggle to keep the right faith
9 The Maronites’ Spirituality: a journey to in seeing
10 The Maronites’ liturgy: Awaiting the second coming of the Lord

“It is our intention to look at some interesting events, people and facts that have coloured our past and formed what we proudly call our Maronite history. From this basis we can know our roots and try to learn from the past to help us in understanding the direction we wish to go in the future.”


====================================================================

Saints of the week



Saint John Maroun (+707)
The first Maronite Patriarch
Maronite Feast Day: March 2
Saint John Maroun, monk of the Monastery of St. Maroun and Bishop of Batroun and Mount Lebanon, was elected the first Patriarch of the Maronite Church during the second half of the seventh century AD (c 686 AD), when the See of Antioch lay vacant.

He was the first Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, and the 63rd in succession to St. Peter, who founded the See of Antioch in the first cen-tury AD. This marked the beginning of the ecclesi-astical, national, and organizational structure of the Maronite church.

St. John Maroun and his followers were forced to migrate to Lebanon following assault by imperatorial troops and persecution during the Muslim conquest. The Patriarchal Seat was then transferred to kfarhai, batroun, where a monastery was built (Rich Mro = “Head of Maroun”) to house the skull of St. Maroun. Traditionally, this was where St. John Maroun died and was buried on 9 March 707 AD. His feast is now celebrated on the second day of March in the Maronite calendar.

St. John Maroun was endowed with a militant apostolic zeal, and under his leadership, a decisive victory was won by the Maronites, which drew the population of Lebanon around the Patriarch. However, St. John Maroun was not only a national leader; he was also a Saint who was active in apostolic missions, teaching, preaching and visiting his people, especially during a time of plague (685AD), for which he wrote a special mass. He also wrote a book on theological doctrine.


Saint Domnina (455)
Maronite feast day: March 1.
There are several Saint Domninas in history. The one referred to died about 455 and is known as ‘Domnina the Younger’ from Kyra, near Antioch. Saint Domnina came from a wealthy family, and she convinced her parents to spend their money on the poor. She lived as a hermit and was a sworn virgin who lived in a hut behind her mother’s house where she wept many tears constantly. She kept her face veiled and would not look at the faces of others. She was known to live a simple life, accepting only lentils in water as her food. She was known to help travelers. She was inspired by Saint Maroun’s way of life and chose to follow this life. She attracted many people who followed her.
We are inspired by Saint Domnina’s purity and complete devotion to God and neighbour.


====================================================================

https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Charbels-Maronite-Catholic-Church-Sydney/365277440154672

Season of the Great Lent - Entrance to Lent Sunday - The wedding of Cana of Galilee

Introduction: Dear parishioners and friends of St Charbel’s Parish,

On the Sunday of the Wedding of Cana, we contemplate the role of Mary, as intercessor for us. When she saw that the drink is running out at the wedding, she went to Jesus. Similarly, Mary intercedes for us before God and leads us to Him. For more on the gospel of this week,

please click here to download the full Kadishat newsletter.

Ash Monday on the 20th of Feb 2012  marks  the start of Lent,  we are all invited to come to Church and to receive the ashes symbol of our repentence seizing our  growth in our relationship with God.  Let us take the time to reflect upon our patterns, to pray more deeply, experience sorrow for what we have done and failed to do, and to be generous to those in need. We especially remember our brothers and sisters in areas of political unrest or natural disasters asking the Lord to comfort them and guard all the volunteers and rescue forces.

I would also like to remind you about the petition against homosexual marriage legislation which is still on our parish website: www.stcharbel.org.au. Please click this link and sign the petition.

May God bless you all!

Fr. Dr. Antoine Tarabay
Rector
St. Charbel’s College and Church
142 Highclere Avenue
PUNCHBOWL NSW 2196

=======================================================================

Season of the Great Lent
Entrance to Lent Sunday—The wedding of Cana of Galilee



20th Year—Number 996 Sunday 19/02/2012


Do whatever He tells you
‘On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone waterjars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.’ ” John 2: 1-11

Reflection of the Week



Transformation
Jesus performed this miracle to reveal his glory, and his disciples believed in him. Through this miracle, we witness the revelation of God's abundant grace and the faith in those who believe. This miracle is about transformation. It is about water being transformed into wine, not replaced by wine. It is about hope. It is about the present and the future coming together.

A miracle of abundance and grace

This is a miracle of abundance, of transformation and new possibilities. Turning water into wine is a miracle of grace. This miracle reveals the unimaginable glory of Jesus and anticipates his ultimate moment of glorification three years later - his death, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus' first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee is a sign that through Jesus Christ, God has come among us in a new way. The miracle of turning water into wine is a promise that through Jesus Christ God is pouring out on us and on all of creation grace upon grace in unimaginable abundance.

God’s love through a miracle

Jesus starts his ministry with a miracle that symbolizes the abundance of God's redemptive love in the person of Jesus. This miracle is a foretaste, a foreshadowing, that points into the future when God will pour out his grace abundantly on the world through a cross and an empty tomb. This particular miracle took place at a time of great joy and celebration - at a wedding. Life empowered by grace is a life that is full of joy-a life worth celebrating.

His miracles are present with us in many ways

But the truth of the matter is that his miracles are present with us in many ways, often unnoticed. But whether we recognize him or not, the fact is that Jesus is with us, and his miracles of new life and purpose, hope, confidence and peace, are with us as well. And so does Jesus continue to change water into wine.

The new wine is a new creation

The sign John gives us in the Bible reveals the glory of Jesus. The sign calls us to faith and trust in the one who can deal with any problem in our lives "his disciples begun to believe in Him”. The Gospel reading today is about a sign. Jesus had just supplied a wedding with the best wine by turning water into wine. The new wine that Jesus provides will never run out. It is also a new creation. The old creation, with its burden of sin is erased, and the new creation, the action of the spirit, is now available. The new creation is the kingdom of God. And what is the entrance fee? Only the consent of faith.

Lent

It is a time of repentance and self-examination. Fasting in Lent does not mean a way to loose weight but to create a sense of need, which should remind us to seek God and holiness. That is, to try to gain a sense of God’s presence and to try to live out our faith more fully.Lent provides us with an opportunity to pray more deeply, experience sorrow for what we've done and failed to do, and to be generous to those in need. In Lent, we take responsibility for our acts and thoughts Lent is self discovery of the parts of ourselves we don't want to discover, through prayer, fasting, and other disciplines. It is the opening up, the turning over to God, the repenting of our sins, the turning away from that which does not please God.

------------------------------------------------------

Try Mary
Do you have a problem? Try Mary. It costs you nothing.
But a warning: The ship of Mary leads only to the shores
of the Church of her son Jesus

------------------------------------------------------

Saint of the Week



Saint James, Hermit & Disciple of Saint Maroun (+5th C)
Maronite Feast Day: February 20
James of Cyr was a hermit and one of the disciples of Maron. These disciples of Maron are an extension of their spiritual Father and Founder: they went to his school of asceticism, learned from him and were directed by him. These disciples are described by Theodoret as flowers in the garden of Maron.

Many of the disciples never met the saint, but only heard about his life and virtues and his new school of asceticism and solitude. They wanted to imitate his life of devotion and sacrifice, so they became his followers. The disciple James was still alive when Theodoret wrote about him.

James was 'instructed in the heavenly way by the great Maron who loved him very much. He lived with Maron for a while and then went off to live by himself. However, James excelled hislnaster in his acts of penance and good deeds. Maron accepted as his dwelling the ruin of a temple, and for clothes he used the skins of goats to protect himself from the cold and the rain. James refused all of this and lived in the open air, saying that the skies were his roof. James thus exposed himself to the intemperate weather, quite often being drenched with rain and submerged in the snow and the ice. In the summer, he was exposed to the burning sun. He accepted everything with great patience, as if he were not enduring all of the sufferings in his own body, but in the body of a stranger. He sustained everything with the strength of the Spirit.

Bishop Theodoret wrote that he himself went out to see James and to observe him. After remaining with the holy hermit, Theodoret wrote of many examples of James' holiness and life of penance. It seemed that his body did not suffer from all of these mortifications. Indeed, it seemed as if he did not have a body at all, saying with Saint Paul, "We do indeed live in the body, but we do not wage war with human resources. The weapons of our warfare are not merely human. They possess God's power for the destruction of strongholds. We demolish sophistries and every proud pretension that raises itself against the knowledge of God; we likewise bring every thought into captivity to make it obedient to Christ. We are ready to punish disobedience in anyone else when your own obedience is perfect." (2 Corinthians 10: 3~)

He spent his time looking for the exercise of virtues. In seeking solitude, he went to the mountains, far from the city. This mountain became famous because of him and people would go there and take soil from this place, which they considered holy. This place is still referred today as "Sheikh Khouros," or "the holy one from Khouros."



St Eustathius Patriarch of Antioch,
Maronite Feast Day 21 February
Eustathius of Antioch, sometimes sur-named the Great, was a bishop and patriarch of Antioch in the 4th century.

He was a native of Side in Pamphylia. About 320 he was bishop of Beroea, and he became patriarch of Antioch shortly before the Council of Nicaea in 325. In that assembly he distinguished himself zealously against the Arians, though the Allocutio ad Imperatorem with which he has been credited is hardly genuine. His anti-Arian polemic against Eusebius of Caesarea made him unpopular among his fellow bishops in the East, and a synod convened at Antioch in 330 de-posed him for adultery, [1] which was confirmed by the emperor.

For instance, in the dispute with Eustathius of Antioch, who opposed the growing influence of Origen and his practice of an allegorical exegesis of scripture, seeing in his theology the roots of Arianism, Eusebius, an admirer of Origen, was reproached by Eustathius for deviating from the Nicene faith, who was charged in turn with Sabellianism. Eustathius was accused, condemned, and deposed at a synod in Antioch. The people of Antioch rebelled against this action, while the anti-Eustathians proposed Eusebius as the new bishop, but he declined. He ordained a Bishop, Mor Joseph for Edessa. Later that Bishop went to India with Thomas of Cana and 72 fami-lies. He was banished to Trajanopolis in Thrace, where he died, probably about 337, though possibly not until 360.


====================================================================

Ash Monday
"Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return.



Ash Monday is the first day of Lent in the Maronite Rite.. On this day, Christians focus on their complete sinfulness and the necessity of Christ's suffering and death to insure their salvation. Ashes are referred to many times in the Old Testament as signs of sorrow, mourning, humility, and repentance, and on Ash Monday they are used to remind people of their mortality -- that "you are dust, and to dust you shall re-turn" (Genesis 3:19).

https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Charbels-Maronite-Catholic-Church-Sydney/365277440154672

Season of Epiphany - 20th year Number 995 Sunday 12/02/2012

Sunday’s Readings: 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11 & Luke 16: 19-31


Lazarus and the rich man


“ There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.

The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames."

But Abraham said, "Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us."

He said, "Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house for I have five brothers that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment." Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them." He said, "No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent." He said to him, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16: 19-31

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reflection of the Week

The sin of negligence

The parable condemns the Pharisees for their love of money and neglect of showing compassion for the poor. Jesus is telling them and us in this parable that it is impossible to serve both God and worldly wealth.

The parable today shows us the unfairness that Lazarus must remain poor, with only dogs to minister to his needs. The poor Lazarus, we are told, is covered with sores, meaning, the religious laws upheld by judges and Pharisees have declared him unclean and impure. In their world view, Lazarus could not eat the rich man’s food, for Lazarus would make it impure.

Under those religious rules. Still, in his world, Lazarus could not work if he wanted to, for whatever he touched would contaminate the product. This diseased status was judgment from God, the rich man and Pharisee believed, so Lazarus is destined to be miserable. Today Lazarus, is still at the gate, what do we do to him?

Use your wealth for the needs of others

Wealth is not bad. But wealth brings with it certain responsibilities. We will give an accounting for how we handle the wealth God has given us.

The rich man should not make himself poor, but he should make Lazarus well. Meaning, if we have wealth and possesions, they had best be shared for the good and the rich should not to allow wealth to bend them from God’s kingdom.

How is our perception?

In this parable we see the warning to the rich man about his inability to see Lazarus. He lies at the rich man’s front door, so there is no possibility that the rich man has not seen him.

This parable demands of us to ask, “How is our perception?” Who, do we not see? How do we not respond?

Let’s pay close attention to what the rich man does when he looks up from the torment of Hades and sees Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham. “Father Abraham,” he cries out, “send Lazarus to fetch me a cool glass of water.” So, it turns out that the rich man knows Lazarus after all, even knows his name. But even in the reality of judgment, he treats Lazarus as a nobody, a hired hand. To the rich man, Lazarus still isn’t fully human, just some one to be used for his own purposes. Even in death, he has no solidarity with Lazarus. It is in this moment that the chasm is set between the rich man and Lazarus for eternity.

How are we sharing what we have?
we need to be reminded that we are called to be generous from the abundance of what we have, but there is more to be shared than our material wealth. The parable calls us to tend to our gates another way. Jesus taught that there is more than one kind of poverty.

We who live this side of life’s gate also know God. We are spiritually rich and how much we can share that with all who come to us. We stand on this side of the gate. With the rich man, the parable allows us to see poor Lazarus being rocked in the bosom of Abraham. The story is designed to shock us. It is the voice of one who has risen from the dead and it comes to us in our sleep, and asks us questions like “how much is enough?” “How are you sharing what you have?

All it takes a little oil

The story is meant to teach us that the gates of heaven are created to swing open and free—to include those who stand on both sides of the gate. It’s not too late to check the condition of those gates that stand between the poor and the suffering, and the spiritually poor. All it takes is a little oil carefully placed on the hinges, to keep the gates moving—the oil of compassion, and mercy and generosity, the oil of justice to those who are oppressed and of food to the hungry.

-------------------------------

Share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house when you see the naked cover him; do not despise those who are of your own flesh...

> The prophet Isaiah 58:
-------------------------------

Saints of the Week


Saint Valentine, Priest and Martyr (+268)
Maronite Feast Day: February 14
St Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith ineffectual, commanded him to be beaten with clubs, and afterward to be beheaded, which was executed on the 14th of February. Pope Julius I, is said to have built a church near Ponte Mole to his memory.

Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Saint Charbel’s Entering the Hermitage (1875)
Maronite Feast Day: February 15
Only one thing mattered to St Charbel — to obey the voice of the One who summons: Come, follow Me.

When his uncle and tutor, Tanios, tried to persuade him to return from entering religious life, he could not succeed; and his mother, who had accompanied her brother, taking his hand in hers, and shaking it energetically, said to him: “Well then, if you should not become a good religious, return with me to the house!” He received the habit one week after entering the monastery, and chose the name of Charbel, a martyr of the Antioch church in the year 107.

There followed two years of a severe novitiate, completed in the monastery of Annaya, which on its mountain top seemed to breathe the stars. The young monk was sent to prepare for the priesthood farther away, at Saint Cyprian of Kfifan, where he was ordained six years later at the age of 31. He returned to Annaya afterwards, where for sixteen years he was in every way a model of perfection.

In 1875, at forty-seven years of age, he retired to its nearby hermitage, where he would remain until his death. In that hermitage, he grew closer to God each day through his prayers and fasting. He desired to be there alone with God more than anything else and each day he lived a special union with Jesus. In the silence he heard the word of God and it guided him ever closer to a perfect relationship with Him.

Saint Leo I, Pope and Doctor of the Church (461)
Maronite Feast Day: February 18
Pope Leo I, or Pope Saint Leo the Great, was an Italian aristocrat, and is the earliest pope of the Roman Catholic Church to have received the title "the Great". He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun outside Rome in 452, persuading him to turn back. He is also a Doctor of the Church, and was a leading figure in the centralisation of the organisation of the Roman Catholic Church.

According to him the Church is built upon Peter, in pursuance of the promise of Matthew 16:16-19. Peter participates in everything that is Christ's; what the other apostles have in common with him they have through him. What is true of Peter is true also of his successors. Every other bishop is charged with the care of his own special flock.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Join us on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Charbels-Maronite-Catholic-Church-Sydney/365277440154672

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Announcements:

 St Charbel’s Monastery is organising a ‘Pilgrimage Tour’ to The Holy Land, Jordan, Greece & Lebanon in May 2012.
 The Diocesan Centre for Faith Formation and Adult Christening resumes on the 4th of March 2012. For enquiries or to register your names to participate at the classes or to receive the adult christening and confirmation, please call the monastery.
 “Family of the Divine Word” Bible study is held this Thursday 9th February at 7:30pm at the Mary MacKillop Hall.
 The parish census is being conducted to allow us to create a parish directory to better facilitate communication between the Church and the parishioners. Please provide your email address in the census form so we can email you updates about Church events and the weekly newsletters.
 Eucharistic Adoration is held every Monday evening, led by the Akhawyet at 7:00pm and then by the youth at 8:00pm.
 ‘Adyar’ wine is sold at the Church’s entrance and in the souvenir shop. ‘Adyar’ is the product of the monasteries and vineyards of the Lebanese Maronite Order in Lebanon.
 Consultancy about birth and marriage registration in Lebanon, through the Lebanese Consulate, is available at ‘The Maronite Foundation Association’ at 300-306 Canterbury Rd, Canterbury or the ‘Australian Lebanese Christian Federation’ at 659 Punchbowl Road, Punchbowl .

Season of Epiphany - Just and Righteous Sunday

Intro: Some members from St Charbel’s Youth Association are organising a petition to support the Catholic Church’s position opposing homosexual Marriage Legislation. I invite you all to sign this petition which will be sent to the Federal MPs. We believe that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, voluntarily entered into for life. It is a vital institution to the well-being and natural order of things. In particular, it confirms the importance of motherhood and fatherhood and seeks to secure children's biological identity. Introducing homosexual Marriage Legislation is detrimental to families and communities.

We are approaching the feast day of St Maroun, the father of the Maronite Church, which is celebrated on the 9th of February. St. Maroun embraced the solitude of the mountain life and had fervour for prayer. We ask St Maroun to bless the Maronite Church and all the Maronites around the world.

Season of Epiphany
Just and Righteous Sunday
20th Year—Number 994 Sunday 05/02/2012



The least of these brothers of mine
“'When the Son of man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All nations will be assembled before him and he will separate people one from another as the shep-herd separates sheep from goats.

He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right hand, "Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take as your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me." Then the upright will say to him in reply, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome, lacking clothes and clothe you? When did we find you sick or in prison and go to see you?" And the King will answer, "In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me." Then he will say to those on his left hand, "Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you never gave me food, I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink, I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, lacking clothes and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me." Then it will be their turn to ask, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or lacking clothes, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?" Then he will answer, "In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me." And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the upright to eternal life.' ” Matthew 25: 31-46

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Reflection of the Week

Faith in Christ produces good work
Today’s Gospel emphasizes the connection between seeing a need and acting on it. It shows us that the kingdom of heaven shows up where we least expect it. The presence of Jesus is hidden in the sick, the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, and the imprisoned. They are not only the "brothers" of Jesus; Jesus identifies himself with them.

As in the Good Samaritan, the one who both saw and acted with compassion was the neighbor to the man in the ditch, so here it is the group that both saw and met the needs of the suffering that is blessed. This is an echo of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5: those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are merciful, and who are pure in heart both are and will be blessed.

This Gospel teaches us that we will be judged by the extent to which we see, have compassion, and act in response to Jesus’ sufferings in the world. It calls us to evaluate our own actions, rather than deflect our energies to judging others, deciding whether they are sheep or goats.


The truth is, it is only faith in Christ that can produce the good works that righteous sheep do. What the King says when he commends their good deeds, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink,” and so on. “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Everything is centred on the person of the King. If the work is done in connection with Christ, then it is regarded as a good work. If there is no connection with Christ, then there are no good works. You must be linked to Christ and his goodness--that divine, righteous goodness by which bad people are accounted as good--in order for there to be any good works to speak of. Faith in Christ is the key as to whether your works are judged to be good or not.

Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone. It is always accompanied by works. Saving faith will produce good works. So the works are the evidence, the proof, that a living faith was indeed present in the believer. Faith works. Like a good tree, it will bear good fruit.

So we should not look to our works to save us. The righteous, the sheep, are kind of surprised when their good works are mentioned: “Lord, when did we see you,” etc. They weren't busy keeping score Instead, their good works are cited to show that they did indeed have a living faith that was connected to Christ. And so faith in Christ will produce good works toward the neighbor.

The righteous do not look to their own works. They look to the finished work of Christ, who alone can produce works that are ac-counted as good before God. The key thing is to be connected to Christ. And that comes through the gospel, the good news of sins forgiven by the cleansing blood of Christ, shed on the cross.


=====================================================================

Did you know that this is the consistent teaching of Scripture--judgment according to work? Earlier in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says, “The Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person accord-ing to what he has done.” St. Paul teaches likewise; in 2 Corinthians, he writes, “We must all appear be-fore the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” In the last chapter of Revelation, we read, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recom-pense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.” And so the church teaches and confesses this doctrine of judgment ac-cording to works.

=====================================================================
SAINT OF THE WEEK

Saint Maroun (+410)
February 9

"Historia Religiosa", written by Theodoret of Cyrrhus around 440 A.D. is our only source on St. Maroun's biography. The author describes the life of hermits in Cyrrhus and vicinity. In chapter 16 the author mentions that St. Maroun was one of those hermits. He had a tremendous influence on his disciples.

The diocese of Cyrrhus is in northern Syria. In those days, the Romans had divided Syria into three administrative regions: Syria Prima (Ca.le-Syria), Syria Secunda (Salutaris) and Syria Tersa (Euphratia) with Antioch, Apamea, and Hierapolis (or Membej) as their capitals respectively. The regions between south of Apamea and the southern Lebanese borders were divided into two parts: Lebanese Phoenicia with Homs and then Damascus - as the metropolis, and Maritime or coastal Phoenicia with Tyre as the metropolis. The Diocese of Cyrrhus, with Theodoret as its bishop, was west of Euphratia. Cyrrhus was at a distance of two days north east of Antioch and about 70 kms north west of Aleppo.

This diocese seat was Antioch founded by St. Peter prior to his departure to Rome. Theodoret mentions that when St. Maroun decided to lead a life of isolation, he went to a rugged mountain halfway between Cyrrhus and Aleppo. There was a huge pagan temple for god Nabo of which was derived the name of the mountain and the neighboring village Kfarnabo.

St. Maroun consecrated the temple for divine christian worship. The pattern of his life had a great influence on his disciples who followed suit and were "as plants of wisdom in the re-gion of Cyrrhus"

St. Maroun's sainthood became known throughout the Empire. St. John Chrysostom sent him a letter around 405 A.D. expressing his great love and respect and asked St. Maroun to pray for him.

St. Maroun died around 410 A.D. and willed to be buried in St. Zabina's tomb in Kita in the region of Cyrrhus. However, his will was not executed because people from different villages wanted to have him buried in their towns. Theodoret's description of St. Maroun's burial place points to the populous town of Barad in the proximity of Kfarnabo. A huge church was built in that town around the beginning of the fifth century A.D. (25).

Inside this church there was a sarcophagus, which possibly contained St. Maroun's body. According to a Maronite tradition, the followers of St. Maroun carried the relics of the Saint, especially the skull, to St. Maroun's Monastery or "Beit Maroun" built in 452 A.D. between Hama and Aleppo in Syria.
The skull was carried to St. Maroun's Monastery in Kfarhai, Batroun - Lebanon around the turn of the eighth century. Patriarch Douaihy mentions: "When Youhanna (John) Maroun settled in Kfarhai, he built an altar and a monastery after St. Maroun's name and put St. Maroun's skull inside the altar to heal the faithful. That's why the monastery is called "Rish Mro" (Syriac) meaning "Maroun's head".

Later, St. Maroun's skull was taken to Italy. In 1130 A.D. one of the Benedictine monks came tc the region. This monk was the rector of the Cross Afonastery near Foligno-Italy. During his visit he heard about St. Maroun's skull, and upon returning home he publicized St. Maroun's virtues. As a matter of fact, a church was built after St. Maroun's name in Foligno. The Bishop of Foligno carried the skull to the city in 1194 A.D. and put it in the church of the diocese. The faithful in the city made a statue of silver for St. Maroun and put the skull in it. During his stay in Italy in 1887, Bishop Youssef el-Debs was given some relics of St. Maroun's skull by the Bishop of Foligno.

The Maronite movement reached Lebanon when St Maroun's first disciple Abraham of Cyrrhus who was called the Apostle of Lebanon, realised that there were many non-Christians in Lebanon, so he set out to convert them to Christianity by introducing them to the way of St Maroun. The followers of St Maroun, both monks and laity, always remained faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church.


Join Us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Charbels-Maronite-Catholic-Church-Sydney/365277440154672