St. John Maron First Patriarch of the Maronite Church Maronite
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Volume 16 | Issue 1 | February 2019 St. John Maron First Patriarch of the Maronite Church Maronite BISHOP’S MESSAGE Year of Jubilee 4 Year of Joy by Bishop A. Elias Zaidan SCHEDULES Bishop Gregory J. Mansour 6 Bishop A. Elias Zaidan The History of the Eparchy of 8 Our Lady of Lebanon Upon Its 25th Anniversary by Bishop A. Elias Zaidan St. John Maron — The First Patriach 14 of the Maronite ChurchPriesthood Ordinatio Maronite Young Adults: 16 Mission and Growth Retreat for Priests The Chal- 18 lenges of Teaching Children About Christmas Lent, the Forty Days Journey 20 by Fr. George HajjEyes Fixed on Jesus — Forty Years of Monastic Life anks to Msgr. Antoine Bakh, Pastor of St. John Maron Church, in Orange, County for permission to publish the icon of their patron saint. 2 | THE MARONITE VOICE THE MARONITE VOICE A bi-monthly publication of Saint Maron Publications under the auspices of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn and Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles. ISSN 1080-9880 Publishers Most Reverend Gregory John Mansour Most Reverend A. Elias Zaidan Great Lent and Asceticism Editor Chorbishop John D. Faris 22 by Fr. David A. Fisher Mary, Mother of the ChuRefDavid A. Fisher Managing Editor Rev. Aaron Sandbothe What’s in a Rice Bowl? Art and Design Director Ms. Glory Rasi 24 by Deacon Joseph Chebli Tenth Annual MYAWash- ington, 5-7 October 2018 Production Coordinator Mr. James Salamy Deacon Ordinations Parish News Editors Dr. Mabel George Howard 26 Fr. Gary George C.Ss.R. (Eparchy of Saint Maron) [email protected] Rev. Pierre Bassil MYO Mission — Leading Teens to (Eparchy OL of Lebanon) 28 Encounter Christ [email protected] by Peter Harb Bethlehem Today Feature Writers Suzanne Tavani Antoinette Zeina Parish News Parish News • In order to be considered for 30 publication, all submissions must be in electronic format and signed by the author with contact information. Images must be of high resolution and March for Life Eparchy of Our Lady of quality (minimal 300 dpi, jpg format). 36 Lebanon of • Subscription rates are $25.00 per year. GOING DEEPER INTO THE SPIRITUAL LIFE … • Paid Advertising Pastoral Care of the Environment Caring $150 – Quarter page full color 38 $250 – Half page full color by James Salamy or the Sick: $400 – Full page full color A Physician’s Perspective Additional discounts for six editions (one year). All ads must be submitted electronically. From the Editor High resolution jpg or PDF with 39 embedded fonts required. No bleeds. Contact [email protected] Contact Us Phone: 804.762.4301 Email: [email protected] Mailing Address: 4611 Sadler Road Glen Allen, VA 23060 Offi ce Hours Monday – Wednesday – Friday 9 am – 4 pm Printed in Richmond, Virginia FEBRUARY 2019 | 3 Year Of Jubilee Year Of Joy by Bishop A. Elias Zaidan he year 2019 is a “Jubilee Year” year of Jubilee” was proclaimed. reconciliation between enemies and for the Eparchy of Our Lady of In the Book of Leviticus, we read: adversaries and even among family Lebanon of Los Angeles. We “the ram’s horn blast shall resound members; it is a time of personal will be celebrating the 25th throughout your land” (Lv. conversion and receiving the Holy Anniversary of the establishment 25:9). It was the ram’s horn that Mystery of Reconciliation. e aim T of the Eparchy. With the papal announced the year of jubilee to of a Jubilee Year is solidarity, hope, proclamation Omnium all the people. e Hebrew people justice and, in general, a commitment Catholicorum dated kept this tradition throughout the to serve God with joy and in peace February 19, 1994, centuries by continuing along with all our brothers and Pope Saint John Paul to declare Jubilee sisters. It is an occasion for II established the Years from time to rejuvenation and renewal. second Eparchy time. During the for Maronites Jubilee year personal e Prophet Hosea tells us: in the United liberty was proclaimed “Come, let us return to the LORD. States. throughout the land, He has torn us to pieces, but he there was a restitution will heal us; he has injured us, I use the term of property, that is, but he will bind up our wounds” “Jubilee” in an opportunity for (Hosea 6:1). For us, Christ is the announcing reconciliation among healer of body and soul — the this celebration. neighbors and a call physician. He can help us recover e idea of a to lead a simpler life our physical and spiritual strength. Jubilee Year has among all the people. a long tradition As Maronites of the Eparchy in the Bible and e Church continued of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los the Church. As far this practice of Angeles, and indeed as all baptized back as Moses “a declaring Jubilee Christians, we have a mission given years. Most recently in to us by Jesus Himself. 2015, Pope Francis announced a special “ erefore go and make disciples Jubilee Year on the of all nations, baptizing them in the theme of mercy. In name of the Father and of the Son Church tradition, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching a Jubilee or them to obey everything I have Holy Year is commanded you. And surely I am a year of with you always, to the very end of forgiveness the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). of sins. It is a year of Over the centuries since Jesus Christ gave this command to his 4 | THE MARONITE VOICE disciples, the Church has taken Such gi s of God are ultimately for variety of ways. We can su er it very seriously. Our ancestors helping the whole Church. rejection by the world for our took the Faith throughout the Faith; we can be humiliated and Middle East, especially to the We must always remember that to disgraced publicly because we mountains of Lebanon. Strong be a missionary, that is, one sent hold fast to the Gospel. All this and vibrant communities of out to proclaim the Gospel, was we must be prepared for as well Maronites existed and continue to given to each and every one of us strengthened with the promise exist in Syria, in Jordan, in Egypt, at our Baptism. Every one of us, of Christ: “I am with you always” in Cyprus, and in the Holy Land. who is a follower of Jesus Christ, is (Matthew 28:20). In recent centuries we have taken under the command of God to, the Gospel to North, Central and “Go and make disciples” (Matthew But in spite of all of this, the South America, to Africa, Europe, 28:19). But, of course, each of us in Gospel is, at its very heart, a and to Australia. e Good News our own way according to our source of joy. e good news of of Salvation, the Gospel, which state in life: bishop and priest, the Gospel is salvation, and that we proclaim, is for all people, in deacon and subdeacon, consecrated is very good news. So be open to all places, and in all times. Within religious and lay people, mother or the Gospel, rejoice in the good our own Eparchy, we have parishes father, worker, retired, sick or news and somehow because each from Michigan to California, from healthy — we all must make of us responds to the Gospel in Alabama to Oregon and so many disciples. We are all responsible for di erent ways, I feel the Lord places in between. We need to sharing the Gospel. Saint Paul will help us to take it from there. establish more Maronite shared the Gospel in his way, Saint In his rst encyclical letter “ e communities in so many other Maron in his, Saints Sharbel and Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis places as well: in New Mexico and Ra a each in their own way. said: “ e Joy of the Gospel lls Nebraska, in Indiana and Kansas, the hearts and lives of all who even some day in Hawaii and Alaska! We cannot forget that martyrdom, encounter Jesus. ose who accept the sacri ce of our lives for the his o er of salvation are set free We are a young Eparchy when Gospel, is tied up in our mission. from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness considering the 2,000-year We think of the great martyrs of and loneliness. With Christ joy is history of the Church, but we the Church: the Holy Apostles, constantly born anew.” take our calling to share the St. Stephen the Deacon, the 350 Gospel seriously. We need to monks, disciples of St. Maron, Let us make this Jubilee Year, our restore our historical missionary who experienced martyrdom for Eparchial Silver Anniversary, spirit where it may have lapsed. upholding the Faith of the Church. one of renewal and rekindle in In places where we have had In 1860, the three Massabki ourselves and in our parishes a a long history of an organized brothers, patrons of our laity, new missionary spirit. Let us reach Maronite presence, we may need o ered their lives for the sake of out to all our faithful, the people to re-evangelize our people, to their faith in God. ere are martyrs we lost along the years; and let us stimulate a new missionary spirit. even up to our own day as well. welcome with open arms, hearts, It is not just up to us, however. e and minds the many who are Lord gives to us the gi s of being In the modern world and where seeking a relationship with our “missionaries” and, at times, the we nd ourselves today, like the Lord.