Veni de Libano sponsa mea, veni de Libano

Come from Lebanon, my promised bride, come from Lebanon, come on your way. Look down from the heights of Amanus, from the crests of Senir and Hermon, the haunt of lions, the mountains of leopards. (Song of Songs 4:8)

[maronitesoul]

...seeing that I was in good health and that I had never been sick in my life, I prayed to God in this way, ‘Why, O my God, have you distanced yourself from me and have abandoned me. You have never visited me with sickness! Have you perhaps abandoned me?’

-St. Rafqa

[maronitesoul]

An American doctor operating Saint Rafqa’s right eye… She refused anaesthesia! Due to the doctor’s fault, her eye was eradicated… She said calmly: “For the passion of Jesus May God bless your hands, May God reward you… God, May Your will be accomplished.”

[dontsweatthetekneek]

St. Rafqa

TKNK|S13 series

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The room of St. Rafqa in St. Simon Monastery, in Ayto.

The picture of St. Rafqa with the sisters was taken in 1896.

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Oh Saint Rafqa, Bride of Jesus Christ! You who held your cross with love and joy until your shoulders were loaded with pain, thus you honored Jesus’ shoulder wound, on which He held our heavy sins.

We implore you to provide us, through your prayers, with: cure for our souls and bodies, blessing for our families, enlightenment for our youth, comfort for our beloved deceased, and grant us, to honor like you, Jesus’ wounds all the days of our lives and to glorify with you, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, and especially the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Please, present our prayers to them, now and forever. Amen  

St. Rafqa used to pray the prayer of St. Bernard to the Shoulder Wound everyday, and used to tell all her sisters not to forget this wound! She called it the sixth wound, and prayed every day 6 Pater, Ave and Gloria, in honor of Jesus’ Wounds. She is shown caring the cross, because all her sufferings were united with Jesus’.

St. Rafqa, pray for us!

[maronitesoul]

St. John Maron, the first Maronite Patriarch

John Maron was born in Sarum, a prosperous town located south of the city of Antioch. His date of birth is not mentioned but many historians place it around the third decade of the seventh century. He descended from a Frankish royal family which governed Antioch, a cosmopolitan city, that attracted professionals in all areas of expertise from both Europe and all parts of the Byzantine Empire. His parents were Agathon and Anohamia, and Prince Alidipas, his paternal Grandfather, was the nephew of Carloman, a Frankish Prince. He was called John the Sarumite in relation to Sarum where Agathon his father was governor. John’s early schooling was in Antioch. He continued his higher learning at the Monastery of St. Maron where he mastered mathematics, sciences, philosophy, theology, linguistics and Sacred Scripture. It was at the Monastery of St. Maron where he professed his monastic vows and was ordained to the priesthood. Adopting a monastic name as was the tradition, he chose the name of the Monastery, thus the name John Maron.

John Maron went to Constantinople where he learned Greek and studied patrology and its spirituality. After his father’s death, he returned to the Monastery of St. Maron where he distinguished himself by becoming a prolific writer covering a wide variety of fields. His writing ranged from pedagogy, to the art of speech, to the sacraments, to Church property and legislation. He updated the Book of Ordination and redefined liturgical ceremonies. Later he composed a special Anaphora (Eucharistic Prayer) which bears his name “The Anaphora of St. John Maron Patriarch of Antioch” and is still in use to the present time. He taught and preached the dogma of the Catholic Church according to the Council of Chalcedon, which proclaimed that in Christ there are two natures human and divine. He compiled a series of letters in which he encouraged the faithful to adopt this sacred dogma and admonished them to reject the teaching of the Monophysite and the Monothelite heresies. The former claimed that there is one Nature in Christ, while the latter clung to the one Will in Christ.

Bishop

As a young priest he engaged himself in ecumenical debates with the Monophysites. He traveled all over Syria and around Antioch where he lectured and defended the Chalcedonian Dogma. He visited parishes and monasteries explaining the Divine and the Human Natures in Christ. He strengthened the Chalcedonians, urging them to remain loyal to the teaching of the Catholic Church, in spite of the fact that they were a minority among infidels and Moslems. His attractive style of teaching and his convincing method of argumentation converted many Monophysites and Monothelites to the Maronite fold and brought many non-believers to embrace the Catholic faith.

Such a treasure could not have been hidden for long. John Maron’s spiritual zeal, his loyalty to Catholic teaching, his caring for the needy and his leadership led him to a special calling whereby he would serve the church on a loftier level. Prince Eugene of France, with his French colony in Antioch urged the Apostolic Delegate to consecrate John Maron a bishop so as to perpetuate the teaching of the Council of Chalcedon and to protect the Church from the attacks of heretics. But the Holy See had different plans for this educated and charismatic leader and cleric. The rapid Arab expansion and the constant attacks of the Monophysites jeopardized the presence of the Catholic Church in Mount Lebanon. Being aware of the leadership of John Maron and his Maradite army, the Holy See felt that John Maron would be the right leader to face the Arabs, to challenge the Monophysites, and to keep the Maronites united with the Church of Rome. John Maron was consecrated a bishop in 676A.D. He was sent to Mount Lebanon for this special purpose.

The fighting between Abd-Al-Malik and Ibn-Al-Zubeir over the succession of the Umayyad dynasty took a toll on the people of the area, causing unemployment and inflation in the land. Add to that the famine and the plague which overwhelmed the population and destroyed a great number of the inhabitants in the region. During these difficult and trying times, Bishop John Maron tended to his flock, traveled between towns and villages, consoled the oppressed, sheltered the homeless and fed the hungry. Just like his master St. Maron, God had endowed him with a special gift of healing. John Maron would anoint the plagued and pray over the terminally ill and they would immediately be healed. In addition to being a compassionate healer, an excellent teacher and an effective preacher, he was also a respected political figure and an outstanding leader of his community.

John Maron resided in Batroun, a coastal Phoenician city, between Byblos and Tripoli. In his new Eparchy he continued to teach and preach, to establish new parishes, and to build beautiful churches. Organizing the Maradites and fortifying their stronghold, he protected his flock in this new homeland and inaugurated the cornerstone of the new Maronite Lebanese nation.

Patriarch

Because of the fighting which persisted in the seventh century, the indigenous Christian population in Syria dwindled. Several issues led to the massive migration from the war-torn Christian land. First there was the death of Patriarch Anastasius in 609A.D. Then the Persians invaded Syria and threatened to take Constantinople. Later, the Byzantine Empire claimed Syria back from the Persians only to surrender it after a short period to the Arab Conquest in 636A.D. Add to that the incessant fighting between the Arabs and the Byzantine Empire that lingered to the end of the century. Caught between persecution on the one hand and wrestling powers attempting to rule Syria on the other, it was no longer safe for the patriarch to live in Antioch. As a result, the patriarch moved to Constantinople and the patriarchal See became vacant. Between 640A.D. and 702.A.D., Macedonius, Macarius, Theophanus and Georgius were appointed titular patriarchs who were not able to fulfill their pastoral duties in Antioch proper.

The Maradites, upon which the Byzantine Empire depended for protection from the incursions of the Umayyad Dynasty, emerged as a strong military power. The Maradites who, in effect, were the Maronites, became so powerful that they were called: “The Brass Wall” because they shielded Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire from the constant attacks of the Arabs. Not having a shepherd and a leader living among them to direct their affairs, the Maronites felt abandoned and looked for a way to fill the void. Having military power and political clout, the Maronites seized this opportunity to elect John Maron Patriarch in 685A.D., a patriarch from their monastery to tend to their daily needs. The obedience of John Maron to the Church of Rome and his love for his Antiochene heritage enabled him to ascend to the See of Antioch—the most ancient See of the Catholic Church.

The new patriarch traveled to Rome to receive papal approval. Pope Sergius confirmed him as “Patriarch of Antioch and all the East,” and gave him the Pallium as a sign of hierarchical succession and supreme authority. Since Pope Sergius was from the Church of Antioch and knew John Maron personally, he bestowed upon the new Patriarch a miter, a crosier and a pectoral cross. John Maron returned to Antioch with great fanfare, and with royal ceremony he was installed as the first Maronite Patriarch in the most ancient See of the Catholic Church. This period marked a golden page in the history of the Maronite Church spiritually, politically and militarily.

The Patriarchal See Moves to Lebanon

Having defeated the Arabs in several battles, the Maradites levied a heavy tribute on the Umayyad Dynasty. Their dominance in the area threatened the Byzantine Empire and irritated Emperor Justinian II. When the Maronites elected their Patriarch without bowing to Justinian II for approval he was infuriated. He decided to put an end to the Maronite legacy of power and independence beginning by first destroying the Maradites in Armenia and in Syria, and then by finishing them off in Lebanon. His army waged a sudden war and defeated the Maradites in the first phase of his diabolical plan. Then he ordered the Byzantine army to invade the Monastery of St. Maron, to capture Patriarch John Maron and to bring him to Constantinople alive. Justinian II thought that by seizing the patriarch, i.e., the leader of the Maronites, he would subjugate the army and deal the final blow to the stronghold of the Maradites in Lebanon. The Byzantine army destroyed the Monastery and brought it to ruin, killing five hundred monks. The Patriarch fled to Lebanon where he once lived as a bishop, and the Byzantine army pursued him to Lebanon in order to fulfill the Emperor’s plan. The Byzantine army clashed with the Maradites in two strategic locations: in Amyoun, which is south of Tripoli, and in Semar-Jbeil, which is in the district of Batroun. The nephew of the Patriarch, Ibrahim, who headed the Maradites in this fierce battle, recorded one of the greatest victories for the Maronites. He crushed the Byzantine army on both fronts. Maurice and Mouricianos, the commanders in chief of the Byzantine army, were killed and the Army of Justinian II was defeated, losing thousands of men and returning to the emperor empty-handed.

After the clouds of war scattered, John Maron constructed a Monastery for his new patriarchal See in Kefar-Hay, a village in the hills above Batroun, and named it “Reesh Moran” which means the “head of our Lord.” It is believed that John Maron brought with him the scull of St. Maron to Lebanon, as a safe haven, and he built upon it this beautiful monastery which is still standing to this day. Patriarch John Maron and the Maradites moved the Patriarchal See from Antioch to Mount Lebanon and established their religious, political and military identity as an autonomous church sealing off Lebanon as a strong fortress, a sovereign nation, and an independent homeland.

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March 2 - Feast of St. John Maron (Youhanna Maroun), the First Maronite Patriarch

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March 1 - Sunday of the Healing of the Hemorrhaging Woman

Third Sunday of Great Lent

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February 22 - Sunday Of The Healing Of The Leper

Second Sunday of Great Lent

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Maronite Prayer Of The Faithful; Volume II; Common Of The Week; Great Lent; Thursday; Safro;

HOOSOYO (Prayer of Forgiveness)

Qolo

Blessed is the Lord who gave fasting and prayer as a beacon for His holy Church. All nations are enlightened by her and they glorify Him.

Holy are you, O God, for...

[catholicsoul]

Sister Marie of St Peter felt herself transported in spirit to the road to Calvary, “there,” she says, “our Lord vividly portrayed to me the pious act of Veronica, who with her veil wiped his most Holy Face, covered with spittle, dust, sweat, and blood. 

This Divine Savior made me understand that the impious at present, by their blasphemies, renewed the outrages formerly inflicted on his Holy Face. All the blasphemies hurled against the Divinity, whom they cannot reach, fall back, like the spittle of the Jews, upon the Face of our Lord, who has offered himself a victim for sinners. 

Then he told me I must imitate the zeal of the pious Veronica, who so courageously braved the crowd of his enemies to reach him, and he gave her to me as a protectress and model. By promoting the Reparation for blasphemy we render him the same service as did this heroic Jewish woman, and he looks upon those who thus act with the same complacency as when he gazed upon her on his way to Calvary.”

"By virtue of this Adorable Face presented to the Eternal Father we can appease his just wrath and obtain the conversion of the impious and blasphemers."

"The Blessed Savior said to me: ‘I seek Veronicas to wipe and honor my Divine Face, which has few adorers.’ And he made me understand anew that all who would devote themselves to this Work of the Reparation would thereby perform the office of the pious Veronica."

'By my Holy Face you will perform wonders.'

Photos: La Sainte Face au Chemin de la Croix par Hippolyte Lazerges

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Litany of the Holy Face & The Golden Arrow prayer in arabic!

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Christians familiar only with the Christian West may be surprised to learn that Ash Wednesday and its customs exist only in the Western church. The Eastern churches have other ways of counting the days of Lent, and of beginning this Great Fast. Maronite Catholics start Lent on “Ash Monday.”

The Roman Catholic Church counts Holy Week as part of the Lenten Fast, but not the Sundays during the Lenten season. Therefore, in about the 8th Century, it was necessary to add four days to the beginning of Lent to bring the number of days up to the traditional 40. This was the origin of Ash Wednesday.

The Eastern Christian Churches (both Catholic and Orthodox) consider Great and Holy Week as a separate unit with its own Fasting and Abstinence requirements, not technically included in the Great Lent. Lent liturgically concludes on the evening of the 6th Friday of Great Lent, the vigil of Lazarus Saturday. The Saturdays & Sundays of the Great Fast are counted in the total of days, thus bringing the number up to 40, counted from Clean (Ash) Monday, the first day of Great Lent. 

For the Maronite Catholic Churches, Lent is an important time, a type of retreat when the faithful renew their baptism, by associating with Christ’s struggle. In commencing the Seasons on a Sunday, in the Maronite Church, the purpose is to have a tight calendar with no ‘empty’ days. For the Maronite Catholic Rite, the Season of Lent begins on the Sunday with the focus on the Gospel passage of the Wedding at Cana. It is followed immediately with Ash Monday, which officially begins the Season of Lent and fasting. 

In the Maronite Lectionary, the Sunday Gospel passages throughout Lent focus on the healing and forgiving powers of Jesus, a reminder that Lent is a time to transform one’s life, just as the water was changed to wine in the Sunday Gospel that marks the entry into the Lenten Season. It reminds the faithful of the eternal wedding feast they are called to through Christ’s Resurrection.

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday for both Churches. In the Maronite lectionary Great Lent begins with a rigorous fast on Ash Monday while Holy Week provides liturgical experiences of the most sublime poetry, music, art and ritual.

[acatholicvibe]

Cana Sunday - The Entrance To Great Lent

Synaxarion - Cana Sunday; Prayer of the Faithful; Volume II, Ramsho; Synaxarion

"Great Lent is a time for change, for transformation. The Maronite Church begins Great Lent with Cana Sunday, a commemoration of the transformation of water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana at Galilee. This change prepares us for the evening when we change wine into his blood and bread into his body. Cana is situated 750 feet above sea level. It is known as Cana of Galilee in order to distinguish it from Cana in Coclo, Syria. Saint Jerome said that he was able to see Cana from Nazareth. Cana of Galilee was the town of Nathaniel and it is to this town that Jesus will return to heal the son of the royal official.

The actual circumstances of the wedding are unknown. Perhaps Nathaniel had invited Jesus and his followers to the wedding feast in his village. Some say that the groom was related to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, or was one of the friends of Jesus. In the Middle Ages, legend held that it was the wedding feast of John the Beloved.

According to Jewish law, the wedding of a virgin was to take place on a Wednesday. The wedding was to be followed with eight days of celebration and an abundance of food and drink was essential. At this the wedding wine began to diminish. Fortunately for the groom and his guests, Jesus and his Mother were there.

Mary had only to mention to Jesus that something was going wrong: “They have no wine.” Jesus understood that his Mother was not simply making an observation, but was seeking his powerful intervention. On her part, Mary was confident that he would listen to her. She had given birth to him and had lived with him for thirty years, so she had faith in him. At first, Jesus responded with an apparent refusal, “Woman, (a term of respect which he would also use on the cross) how does this concern of yours involve me?” The reason for his response was that his hour had not yet come, namely the hour of his death and resurrection, after which he would answer all the prayers of his Mother.

Jesus came into the world for a definite purpose and task, as we all do. He did not see his life in terms of the immediate needs of any particular moment, but only in terms of his purpose and the eternal plan of the Father. All of his deeds had to correspond and lead to the ultimate fulfillment of his life.

Mary knew that her prayer would not be refused; she told them to do whatever he told them. Mary trusted in her Son and her request was fulfilled. She told the servants as she tells all of us: do whatever my Son tells you.

Jesus instructed the servants to fill the six water pots. The number six might be significant because in the mentality of the time, six was an imperfect number. (Seven was considered as perfection.) The six water pots can represent the imperfection of the old law, which Jesus is to fill with the wine of the Gospel and of his grace. The imperfection of law was transformed into the perfection of grace. These jars held 180 gallons of water, which was to be transformed into excellent wine. What was originally lacking is now to be found in superabundance.

Aside from the rich theological significance of the transformation of water into wine, let us reflect on the simplicity and “holiness” of the act. Jesus knew that the lack of wine would be source of embarrassment to the groom and misfortune for the guests. He did not rejoice in the misfortune of others, but used his great power to save a simple man of Cana from humiliation. Let us imitate his example and be concerned with the simple needs of those around us and how we can fulfill them.”

[maronitesoul]

[acatholicvibe]

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February 9  - The Feast of Saint Maron

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Our spiritual father, St. Maron (“the little lord” in Aramaic) was born around AD 350 in Cyrrhus, a small town near Antioch.

He was ordained a priest and later withdrew as a hermit to a mountain of Taurus, near Antioch, above the banks of the Orontes River. It was at this chosen hermitage that he rededicated an old pagan temple as a shrine to the True God. Here he was joined by many disciples who formed a community. and spent his time praying in solitude, fasting, and working.

Maron spent his time praying in solitude, fasting, and working. He was a renowned miracle worker and healer.

And since God is very generous with his saints, he bestowed upon him the gifts of healing  the sick. His fame spread to all the surrounding districts, so people flocked to him and witnessed the veracity of his virtues and miracles. He could heal the sick and exorcise the devil by mere prayer. Physicians prescribe a special medicine for each disease, but the prayer of the righteous is the remedy for all diseases.

St. Maron not only healed the ailments of the body but also those of the soul, by curing the avarice of the covetous, the anger of the passionate, teaching some the wisdom of temperance, others the principles of justice, others the happiness of chastity, and others the love of labor.”

St, Maron attracted many disciples: James of Cyrrhus, Limnaeus, Domnina, Cyra, Marana, Abraham the hermit, the apostle of Mount Lebanon, and many others.

The great Archbishop of Constantinople, St John Chrysostom, was his friend. St Maron died in 410. After his death, a church was built over his grave. His feast day is kept on the 9th of February.

Dear Maron, we are bound to you by love and interior disposition, and see you here before us as if you were actually present. For such are the eyes of love; their vision is neither interrupted by distance nor dimmed by time… we address ourselves to your honour and assure you that we hold you constantly in our minds and carry you about in our souls wherever we may be… please pray for us.