Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles First Pastoral Letter To
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Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles First Pastoral Letter To the Clergy, Religious and Faithful of the Eparchy The Eparchy: Past, Present, and Future Most Reverend A. Elias Zaidan Bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles Eparchial Pastoral Center November 1, 2019 All Saints Day I. INTRODUCTION A. THANKSGIVING TO GOD The Holy Scriptures tell us, '''Ten [lepers] were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, 'Stand up and go; your faith has saved you' (Luke 17:11-19). Therefore, I must begin by thanking our merciful and loving God for His abundant graces and blessings. I thank Him for all those entrusted to my care, the clergy and faithful, as well as for the various gifts including the continued growth of our Eparchy, the abundance of activities in our parishes for all age groups, for the involvement and commitment of our parishioners across the 34 states that make up our Eparchy in the United States. I thank all of you for your continued faith, love, and support as we journey together through the years. I take this opportunity to apologize for any shortcoming or hurt caused by me personally, by my brother priests or the Eparchy at large. We all have the best intentions to serve you well; we renew our commitment to minister to every one of you with the help of God. It is my privilege to have served as your Bishop for the past six years. I visited all of you and got to know you on a personal level. I have enjoyed meeting each of you, listening to you, sharing in your difficulties, challenges of life, and most especially praying with you. I want to assure you that the future of our Eparchy looks bright. B. MY PERSONAL JOURNEY IN THE EPARCHY This past September marked my 31st anniversary serving in the United States. Arriving in 1988, my journey took me to different assignments including Assistant Rector at Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral in Brooklyn for eighteen months, then Pastor of St. George Church in San Antonio, Texas for four and one-half years, and with a missionary spirit, I helped to establish our parishes in Houston (Our Lady of the Cedars) and in Dallas (Our Lady of Lebanon). Personally, during my years as a priest, I came to appreciate the role and importance of the Church in the life of our people. As a member of the Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries, I was motivated to bring the joy of the Gospel to all people I encounter. 2 With the creation of our Eparchy, I was appointed Rector of Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon-St. Peter Cathedral in Los Angeles by Bishop John Chedid serving for nineteen years before I was appointed Bishop of the Eparchy. I have learned much during my different assignments; in particular, I came to understand that each parish is unique; each has its own character, yet each with one common denominator: the love and devotion of the people for their Church. As the Cathedral Rector, I became more and more involved in the life of the Eparchy. I was privileged to serve on different committees and boards at the Eparchial level. All this helped me to understand the mission of the Eparchy in today's world; I worked closely with my two predecessors: Bishop John Chedid and Bishop Robert Shaheen. They loved the Eparchy. They cared for and made every effort to build up the Eparchy through the years. They diligently worked to make the Eparchy better. So with the Apostle Paul, I can say: “… neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth…. and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 3: 7-8, 10b-11) Now, as Bishop, I strive to live up to my Episcopal motto: "Thy will be done." I pray that God's will be done and that I, myself, may be receptive to the Lord’s message. However, I can attest that I have received much more than I have given. God has been abundant in His generosity. People have been kind, generous, supportive, and collaborative. It is truly my privilege and honor to serve as your shepherd. 3 II. OUR MARONITE IDENTITY I often wonder: "Why do our people come to Church? Is that just for the ethnicity, for the culture of the faith? It is about our identity that keeps us anchored in our Churches. Our Maronite Patriarchal Synod (2003-2006) beautifully outlined the characteristics of our identity as Antiochian, Chalcedonian, Patriarchal, Syriac, Catholic, Monastic, and Marian. A. ANTIOCH AND SYRIAC Beginning with the Antiochian roots of our Maronite identity, the first place where the followers of Christ became known as Christians (Acts 11:26), from there, we have received much of our liturgical traditions, spirituality, and theology. St. Peter established the See of Antioch, before establishing the see of Rome; our Patriarchs are the successors of St. Peter and always take the name “Peter” as part of their name. Our Maronite Church is of Apostolic origin, built on the faith of the Apostles. The Maronite Patriarchal Synod mentioned that “The Christian Antiochian heritage is still considered one of the richest and most profound in the world” (Text 2, # 8). The liturgical language and the ancient source of our spirituality and theology are closely connected to the Syriac Language. Syriac is a dialect of ancient Aramaic, the language used by Jesus and his Apostles – the language used to announce the Gospel for the first time. We retain to this very day hymns and prayers in the Syriac Language. For example, the “Trisagion” qadeshat, the words of the Eucharistic Institution, “This is my body and this is my blood,” along with many other hymns familiar to us all. The Maronite Patriarchal Synod (2003-2006) reminded us, “Syriac is the language of the Liturgy and a fundamental element that needs to be preserved as much as possible” (Text 4, N.28). B. CHALCEDONIAN We are a Chalcedonian Church, referring to the Council of Chalcedon held in 451 A.D., which is when Jesus Christ was defined as one Person in two Natures: Divine and 4 Human. The Maronite Synod tells us that “By declaring that our Church is Chalcedonian, we mean that she perseveres in being faithful to ‘the mystery of the plan of salvation,’ as it was professed and witnessed to by the monks of Saint Maron’s monastery.” (Text 2, N. 14). Our Church adheres to the true teachings of the Catholic Church. Followers of St. Maron, Beit Maroun (Family of Maron), suffered persecution for their witness to this truth about the natures and person of the Lord. As a result of persecution, “The family of Maron” sought refuge in the Mountains of Lebanon, the source of the often used term “Faith of the Mountains.” C. PATRIARCHAL AND MONASTIC ROOTS The Patriarch is our Head and Father. The Maronite Church has its roots and headquarters in Lebanon, and we are one of the branches. Lebanon is the spiritual home for the Maronite people. We pledge our love, respect, and obedience to our Patriarch, whom we mention by name in our Divine Liturgy daily. Each year, I participate in the Synod of Bishops. Our Patriarch, His Eminence and Beatitude Bechara Peter Cardinal Rai is the 77th Patriarch in the line of Patriarchs of our Maronite Church. Our Monastic roots begin with St. Maron, who was a monk and a hermit who lived in Cyrrhus near Antioch in Greater Syria and died in 410 AD. As a monk, St. Maron dedicated his life to the Lord. He was not fleeing from the world and his duties, but rather, he was running towards God by living a life of simplicity and of asceticism, a life dedicated to God. St. Maron would receive people, counsel them, and teach them. He was a Physician of the Body and of the Soul as he tended to the flock. His example eventually motivated people to follow his way. They gathered around him and became known as “Beit Maroun,” the family of Maron. “No doubt…this monastic origin of the Maronite Patriarchate turned the Maronite Church…into a big monastic community, it is the ‘Patriarch’s Parish'" (Text 2, N. 26). 5 The monastic aspect also impacted our liturgy in maintaining a simple liturgy for everyone to participate in and pray together. The monastic spirit highlights the importance of the community, living a disciplined life, in austerity, and dedication for the sake of the Kingdom of God. D. CATHOLIC The Maronite Church, while an Eastern Church, is also in full communion with and united to the Holy Father, the Pope of Rome, this aspect of our identity “represents an essential and deep-rooted element of the identity, mission, and vocation of our Maronite Church” (Text 2, N. 29). We are part of the universal Catholic Church. While our experience of the Maronite Church may be very local, we are Catholic, which means universal. The Church by nature is open to all, and we welcome all who seek the Truth and would like to follow the way of the Lord. Therefore, no restrictions can be based on ethnicity or language, race, or place of birth. As a Church, we need to share the Gospel message and be more open to all who wish to be part of our Church.