Saint Maron Church Sixth week of the Resurrection May 17, 2020 Jesus Appears to the Apostles in the Upper Room The Upper Room, also known as the Cenacle, is in the southern part of the Old City of Jerusalem on Mount Zion, and is perhaps best known as the traditional site of the Last Supper since the fourth century AD. The current structure of the room dates approximately from the fourteenth century. This is where the apostles stayed when they were in Jerusalem. It is where the Last Supper took place. The Cenacle is where Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, symbolizing the ministry of loving service. It is the place where the disciples gathered in fear after the death of Jesus and prayed, with Mary, for the coming of the Holy Spirit. By tradition, this is the same room where Jesus appeared, both before and after the resurrection. It was here that the Risen One made visible his wounds to see and touch, and the room where the faith of Thomas emerged. It is where the Risen Lord breathed on them the Holy Spirit “on the evening of that first day of the week” It is where tongues of fire appeared to them on Pentecost and “they were all filled with the holy Spirit” That event marks the birthday of the Church in the presence of our Blessed Mother It is from there that the apostles went forth with boldness sharing the Good News. The importance of this holy space never ends. In May 2014, Pope Francis visited the Holy Land and was permitted to celebrate Mass in the Cenacle during his three-day pilgrimage. As if to acknowledge this privilege, the pope in his homily said: “It is a great gift that the Lord has given us by bringing us together here in the Upper Room for the celebration of the Eucharist.” The fruits of Jesus’s life and ministry, as witnessed in the precious moments in the Upper Room documented in Scripture, continue in and through the Church. In this humble space, the most important room in all of Christianity, where Jesus set a remarkable precedent of faith and service, we were given a new understanding of God’s love and the revolutionary power of the Holy Spirit was unleashed. What happened in that Upper Room in Jerusalem almost two millennia ago, both before and after Christ’s resurrection, continues to have significant and grace-filled personal effects on every baptized Christian. The events that took place there continue to rest at the heart of our faith today. While the Cenacle is a real place, it is also so much more than a simple room or a concrete historical lo- cation in Jerusalem. It is here that the apostles retreated from the world to be with Jesus, here they lis- tened with rapt attention as he revealed to them the mysteries that they would one day pass on to thousands of others. It was here, above all, that they were equipped to do the work for which they had been called. Saint Maron Church Clergy Liturgy Schedule 7800 Brookside Rd Independence, OH 44131 Rev. Fr. Elias Yazbeck: Administrator Daily Mass: Chapel 6:00 p.m.: Tue-Wed-Thurs Office: 216-520-5081 Rev. Deacon George Khoury 10:00 a.m.: Friday Fax: 216-524-2659 Subdeacon Lattouf Lattouf E-mail: [email protected] Subdeacon Ghazi Faddoul Saturday: Chapel at 5:00 p.m. Website: www.saintmaron-clev.org Subdeacon George Faddoul Sunday: Downtown St. Maron Church 9:30 a.m.: English saintmaronchurch 11:00 a.m.: Arabic-English St. Maron’s Church Organizations Liturgy Intentions Parish Council President: Najib Rached: [email protected] Sat. May 16: Sixth Sunday of the Resurrection 3rd Wed. of the month at 7:00 pm 5:00 pm: Parishioners Intentions: Facebook Live Finance Council Sunday May 17: Sixth Sunday of the Resurrection President: Rick Ganim: [email protected] 2nd Wed of the month at 7:00 pm 11:00 am: Mem Lit for Mr. & Mrs. Edward (Eddie) & Immaculate Conception Sodality (ICS) Matilda (Tillie) Shaheen, Ms. Stephanie Shaheen, & all President: Bernadette Faddoul: [email protected] deceased members of the Kaleel, Shaheen & Salloum 1st Mon. of every month at 7:00pm families (Mr. & Mrs. George Salloum and family) Sons of Mary (Men’s Club) Facebook Live President: Joey Faddoul: [email protected] 1st Mon. of every month at 7:00 pm Next Week Maronite Christian Formation Program (MCFP) Sunday Director Maroun Kattar: [email protected] Thurs. May 21: The Ascension of Our Lord Sundays (except Holy Days) 10:45 am to 11:30am 6:00 pm: Facebook Live Maronite Christian Formation Program (MCFP) Thursday Director Michelle Nin: [email protected] Fri. May 22: St. Charbel Liturgy Thursdays 7:00 pm Parish Center, Independence 6:00 pm Facebook Live Maronite Young Children (MYC) Sat. May 23: Seventh Sunday of the Resurrection President: Rita Kanaan: [email protected] Maronite Youth Organization (MYO) 5:00 pm: Parishioners Intentions: Facebook Live Coordinator: George Shamatta: [email protected] Sun. May 24: Seventh Sunday of the Resurrection 1st and 3rd Saturday : 5pm with Liturgy/Meeting Maronite Young Adults (MYA) 11:00 am: Forty Day Lit for Samir Kattar Mem. Lit for Mitri & Georgette Kattar, President: Aleina Soueidi: [email protected] Iskander & Juliette Assaf, Joseph & Georgette Hanna Meeting/Event: Third Friday of each month (Maroun & Jeandark Kattar & family) Facebook Live Maronite Mothers Club (MMC) Coordinator: Tina Chamoun: [email protected] Arabic School: Coordinator: Jihad Kawkabani: Evening Liturgy during [email protected] Classes Sat. Oct-April (except Holy Days) 10 am -12noon Month of May 50+ Social Club Mary Ann Watson: [email protected] Mon, Wed.: English 6:00 pm 1st Friday of each month. Liturgy: 10:00 am (Rosary 5:15pm) Facebook Live Book & Cine Club Katia Abboud: [email protected] Rosary Prayer Group Tues. & Thursday: Arabic 6:00 pm Daad Chamoun: [email protected] (Rosary 5:15pm) Facebook Live Fri. Arabic/English 6:00 pm (Rosary 5:15pm) Facebook Live اﻷحد السادس من زمن القيامة Sixth Sunday of the Resurrection رسالة القدّيس بولس إلى أهل رومة From the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, 10:1-13 يا إخ َوتِي، إِ َّن بُ ْغيَةَ َق ْلبي وتَ َض ُّر ِعي إِلى هللاِ ِم ْن أَ ْج ِل بَنِي إِ ْس َرائِي َل ِليَ ْخلُ ُصوا. فأَنَا أَ ْش َهدُ َل ُهم أَ َّن في ِهم َغ ْي َرةً هلل، َولـ ِك ْن بِدُو ِن َم ْع ِر َف ٍة َصحي َحة. ف َق ْد َج ِهلُوا بِ َّر هللا، و َحا َولُوا أَ ْن يُثْبِتُوا بِ َّر أَ ْنفُ ِس ِهم، َف َل ْم يَ ْخ َضعُوا ِلبِ ِ ر هللا؛ ﻷَ َّن َغايَةَ ال َّش ِريعَ ِة إِ َّن َما ِه َي الـ َم ِسيح، ِل َكي يَتَبَ َّر َر بِ ِه ُك ُّل ُم ْؤ ِمن. و َق ْد َكتَ َب ُمو َسى َع ِن البِ ِ ر ا َّلذي ُه َو ِم َن ال َّش ِريعَ ِة َف َقال: » َم ْن يَ ْع َم ُل بِأَ ْح َكا ِم ال َّش ِريعَ ِة يَ ْحيَا بِ َها.« أَ َّما َع ِن البِ ِ ر ا َّلذي ُه َو ِم َن ا ِﻹ ْي َما ِن َفيَقُول: »ﻻ تَقُ ْل في َق ْلبِ َك: َم ْن يَ ْصعَدُ إِلى ال َّس َماء؟«، أَ ْي ِليُ ْن ِز َل الـ َم ِسي َح ِم َن ال َّس َماء. وﻻ تَقُ ْل: » َم ْن َي ْهبِ ُط إِلى الـ َها ِويَة؟«، أَ ْي ِليُ ْص ِعدَ الـ َم ِسي َح ِم ْن بَ ْي ِن اﻷَ ْم َوات. بَ ْل َماذَا يَ ُقول؟ »ال َك ِل َمةُ َق ِريبَةٌ ِم ْن َك، في َف ِم َك َو َق ْلبِ َك «، أَ ْي َك ِل َمةُ ا ِﻹ ْي َمان، ا َّلتي نُنَا ِدي بِ َها. َفإِ ِن ٱ ْعتَ َر ْف َت بِ َف ِم َك أَ َّن يَ ُسو َع ُه َو ال َّر ب، وآ َم ْن َت بِ َق ْلبِ َك أَ َّن هللاَ أَ َقا َمهُ ِم ْن بَ ْي ِن اﻷَ ْم َوات، تَ ْخلُص. فا ِﻹ ْي َما ُن بِال َق ْل ِب َيقُودُ إِلى البِ ر، واٱل ْعتِ َرا ُف بِال َف ِم يَقُودُ إِلى الـ َخﻻص؛ ﻷَ َّن ال ِكتَا َب يَقُول: » ُك ُّل َم ْن يُ ْؤ ِم ُن بِ ِه ﻻ يُ ْخ َزى .«فﻻ َف ْر َق بَ ْي َن َ َّ ُ يَ ُهو ِد يٍ ويُونَانِ ي، ﻷ َّن ال َّر َّب ُه َو َن ْف ُسهُ ِل َجمي ِع ِهم، يُ ِفي ُض ِغنَاهُ َعلى َج ِميعِ ال ِذي َن يَ ْد ُعونَه ُ. َف ُك ُّل َم ْن يَ ْد ُعو ٱ ْس َم ال َّر ِب يَ ْخلص. والتسبي ُح هللِ دائماً. Brothers and sisters, My heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law that “the person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.