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
