Dear parishioners and friends of St Charbel’s Parish,
This Sunday of Lent is the Sunday of the Hemorrhaging Woman who was healed by touching Jesus. This woman of faith and courage was confident that touching Jesus will heal her. What can we learn from the hemmorrhaging woman? We learn to come to Jesus when we are sad or suffering. We do not need an invitation to come to Him nor is He ever too busy to see us.
During Lent, let us all make an effort to renew our spiritual life and our faith in Jesus Christ. There are many occasions available at the parish including: daily masses at 7:30am and 6pm, daily rosary at 8.30pm, Eucharistic adoration on Mondays from 7pm to 9pm, the Stations of the Cross in Arabic and English from 5.30pm every Friday, as well as the different groups for all ages. Will you make an extra effort to come and dedicate some time with Jesus this week?
I would also like to remind all parishioners that St Charbel’s Monastery is organising a tour to the Israel, Jordan and Greece departing in May. Places are still available. So if you are interested, please contact the Monastery on 9740 0998 as soon as possible.
I look forward to seeing you all at church this week!
In Christ,
Fr. Dr. Antoine Tarabay
Rector
St. Charbel’s College and Church
142 Highclere Avenue
PUNCHBOWL NSW 2196
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20th Year—Number 998 Sunday 04/03/2012
Season of the Great Lent
Sunday of the Hemorrhaging Woman
Sunday’s Readings: 2 Corinthians 7: 4-11 & Luke 8: 40-56
Do not fear only believe
“ Now when Jesus returned the crowd welcomed him for they were all waiting for him. Just then there came a man named Jairus a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house for he had an only daughter about twelve years old who was dying.
As he went the crowds pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians no one could cure her.
She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes and immediately her haemorrhage stopped.
Then Jesus asked، ‘Who touched me?’ When all denied it
Peter said ‘Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.’ But Jesus said ‘Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.’ When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden she came trembling; and falling down before him she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed.
He said to her, ‘Daughter your faith has made you well; go in peace.’ While he was still speaking someone came from the leader’s house to say، ‘Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.’ When Jesus heard this he replied, ‘Do not fear. Only believe and she will be saved.’
When he came to the house he did not allow anyone to enter with him except Peter, John and James and the child’s father and mother. They were all weeping and wailing for her; but he said، ‘Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and called out, ‘Child، get up!’ Her spirit returned، and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astounded; but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened. ” Luke 8: 40-56
Reflection of the Week
Faith that heals the spirit and the body
We come today to two stories so intertwined: the raising of Jairus' daughter and the healing of the hemorrhaging woman. The way they are intertwined raises some interesting questions and focus on the way in which Jesus treated people as individuals.
Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue. He was a man of substance, rich and powerful and religiously prominent. He represented the best of society, especially the religious world, but this day Jairus was troubled. His 12-year-old daughter was dying.
On the other hand, the hemorrhaging woman in the crowd was a social outcast. She was unnamed and considered unclean as one who was under the judgment of God and therefore not allowed to set foot in the synagogue. Jesus was interrupted by her. She thought that the best she could hope for was a kind of secret healing.
Jesus treats Jairus and the woman both equally. The same healing power of God is available to both. It is after the healing of the woman that Jesus moved on to the home of Jairus.
If we are to be followers of the Christ, to heal the clean and unclean alike, the rich and the poor, the privileged and the destitute, then we are called to stop the bleeding of this society. To heal the injuries that wound, and the wounds that divide.
Both the daughter of Jairus and the hemorrhaging woman are at the end of their rope. Jairus says to Jesus that his daughter is at the point of death. The hemorrhaging woman, we are told, she has suffered much under many physicians, and is only getting worse. She has spent all that she has.
Both Jairus and the woman show great confidence in the healing power of Jesus and seek him out.
Both approach Jesus at considerable risk. Jairus is one of those religious leaders! So for him to seek help from Jesus is a risky move. And likewise, this woman is very afraid to approach Jesus directly. She is a woman and she's been bleeding which makes her 'unclean'.
Both stories emphasize the importance of touch. Jairus says 'if you would lay your hands on my daughter', and this woman says 'if I could just but touch' -- not Jesus, because she can't do that -- 'if I could touch his clothes, the hem of his garment', it would be sufficient.
Both Jairus and the woman fall at the feet of Jesus.
The woman has been bleeding for 12 years. The daughter is 12. It's almost as if, on the day she was born, this woman started bleeding.
What does Jesus call the woman? He calls her daughter. It is the only time in the entire New Testament that 'daughter' is used as a direct address, as a name.
The miracle of the hemorrhaging woman not only demonstrates Jesus’ healing power but serves as a vehicle for encouraging people to place their faith, however timid, in the power of Jesus. The healing miracle is most often meaningful for people who are seeking relief from illness; but it also has other implications. In addition to being a miracle about the healing of the woman’s physical illness, it is also a miracle about the healing of relationships and community. The usefulness of this miracle is not only as a model of faith but also as a vehicle for understanding the role of Jesus as saviour.
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Saints of the week
Saint Albertos، Doctor of the Church +1280
Maronite Feast Day: March 5
Saint Albertos Magnus، O.P. (1193/1206 - November 15، 1280) also known as Saint Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne، was a Dominican friar and bishop who achieved fame for his comprehensive knowledge of and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. He is considered to be the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages. He was the first among medieval scholars to apply Aristotle's philosophy to Christian thought. The Roman Catholic Church honors him as a Doctor of the Church، one of only 33 persons with that honor.
He was born sometime between 1193 and 1206، to the Count of Bollstädt in Lauingen in Bavaria. Contemporaries such as Roger Bacon applied the term "Magnus" to Albertos during his own lifetime،
referring to his immense reputation as a scholar and philosopher.
Saint Colette (+1447)
Maronite Feast Day: March 6
Her father، Robert Boellet، was the carpenter of the famous Benedictine Abbey of Corbie; her mother's name was Mar-guerite Moyon. Colette joined a succession of orders، the Beguines، the Benedictines، and the Urbanist Poor Clares. Later she lived for a while as a recluse in a hut near Corbie. Having resolved to reform the Poor Clares she turned to the Avignon Pope Benedict XIII who was recognized in France as the rightful pope. Benedict allowed her to enter the Franciscan order of Poor Clares and empowered her by several Bulls dated 1406، 1407، 1408، and 1412 to found new convents and complete the reform of the order. With the approval of the Countess of Geneva and the aid of the Franciscan itiner-ant preacher، Henri de la Beaume، her confessor and spiritual guide، Colette began her work at Beaume، in the diocese of Geneva. She remained there but a short time and soon opened at Besançon her first convent in an almost abandoned house of Urbanist Poor Clares. Thence her reform spread to Auxonne (1410)، to Poligny، to Ghent (1412)، to Heidelberg (1444)، to Amiens، and to other communities of Poor Clares. To the seventeen convents founded during her lifetime must be added another begun by her at Pont-à-Mousson in Lorraine. For the convents reformed by her she prescribed extreme poverty، to go barefooted، and the observance of perpetual fast and abstinence.
Saint Francisca (+1440)
Maronite Feast Day: March 8
Saint Francisca is also known as Saint Frances of Rome (or Saint Francesca Romana). She was born of wealthy Italian parents in Rome. When she was eleven years old، she decided to be a nun، but within two years her parents mar-ried her off to Lorenzo Ponziano (or de Ponziani)، commander of the papal troops of Rome. Although the marriage had been arranged، it was a happy one، lasting for forty years، partly because Lorenzo admired his wife and her sister Vannozza and partly because he was frequently away at war. The women prayed, visited the poor and took care of the sick، inspiring other wealthy women to do the same. Francesca became widely known among the poor by the nickname "la Ceccolella".
The Forty Martyrs
March 9
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The Maronites and Lebanon (1)
“Lebanon in the Bible (1)”
What does the word Lebanon mean?
The Hebrew word for “Lebanon” in the old Testament is “Lefanon” and the Greek word is “Libanos”. There are two meanings for the word “Lebanon” and its origin: the first one from the word “Laban” which means white and this applies to her mountains which are covered in snow for most of the year (Jeremiah 18، 14); and the second is from the word “Liboona” which means frankincense (the most precious incense in the world) which applies to the pleasing aroma of the cedars، pines and spruce trees of her forests.
The Greek word “Libanos” takes both meanings; whiteness and frankincense. The word “Lebanon” then in either Hebrew or Greek has a meaning which beautifully applies to the nature of the land described.
How many times is the word “Lebanon” mentioned in the Holy Bible?
In reality the Holy Bible does not have one book about Lebanon, but if everything mentioned in the total of its books about Lebanon were to be combined into one book they would form one of the biggest books of the Holy Bible.
The word “Lebanon” is mentioned in the Holy Bible 70 times, the “cedars” 75 times, the Lebanese cities of Tyre 59 times and Sidon 50 times. The Holy Bible mentions around 35 cities and villages and 10 areas all located in Lebanon.
There are 10 figures that are spoken of in the Holy Bible from Lebanon. All of these references do not take into account all the times Lebanon is referred to indirectly with adjectives such as “the mountain”، “the forest”، “the king’s paradise”،
“Phoenecia”، “Canaan” and “the pride of the Jordan”. Also mentioned are many of the false gods worshipped by the people in Lebanon in Old Testament times its colonies its people, animals, trade، resources, production and civilization.
All of this is mentioned in the pages of the Holy Bible. This makes the Holy Bible not only a religious text، but also an invaluable historical textbook to help us understand the history of people of the Near East in various stages of Old Testament times and some of the important historical events in Lebanon’s ancient history.
Next Sunday “Lebanon in the Bible (2)”
How is the Holy Bible a meaningful study about Lebanon ?
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