Page 5 - Our Lady Of The Cedars Of Lebanon's Bulletin

Page Two Sunday of the Faithful Departed Page Three *****Parish Events***** February 12, 2023

*****Sunday’s message***** All Saints & All Souls Pray For The Sick
Qurbono P. 166 Creed P. 748; Pre-Anaphora P. 749; Anaphora of St. Sixtus P. 856 The Righteous and the Just (All Saints) & the Faithful Parishioners who are terminally ill, in hospice care or hav-
Departed (All Souls) in the Latin Church are commemo- ing major surgery, are remembered in our prayers. David
Luke 16:19-31 rated on November 1 & 2 respectively. Being a part of Hines, Genevieve Salemi and JoJo Salami.
After the commemoration of the Deceased Priests and the Righteous and the Just, the Church remembers the rest of the Universal Church, we commemorate those feast
the faithful who have departed from her and have gone to God accompanied with the Cross, with Baptism and the Eu- days with the Church at their respective dates. However, THE SANCTUARY LAMP
charist, in the hope of eternal life. The Church reminds us of the basic truths, which are the Maronite Church designated the three weeks that Is a vigil light burning 24/7 and kept near
bound to life and death, in the light of her Faith. precede Lent to honor all of its deceased children. Divid- the Blessed Sacrament. The light indi-
ed in three categories, each occupies one Sunday and cates the unfathomable mystery of the
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is well explained by St. Luke when Jesus taught Eucharistic presence of Jesus. It reminds
about the danger of wealth, for it can be a second god and a path to everlasting punishment! the week that follows. us of the reverence due to the Sacra-

Jesus does not forbid wealth but warns from it. The sin of the rich man comes from the fact The Faithful Departed envelope in your envelope box is ment. The burning light is a pious cus-
that he does not share his wealth with the poor. There are two basic thoughts: the first is that designated for (All Souls). If you don’t use the envelope tom as a way of prolonging our adoration
the decision of man’s destiny is made immediately after death; and the second is not through system, you may use your own envelope. Write on it the and prayer to honor His presence.

a miracle, whereby a dead person is to come back to warn us, but to have faith in what the names of the deceased you wish to remember, include Left Side: This week it will burn in loving memory of Hel-
prophets and the apostles taught in the Sacred Scripture, which is, in fact, the teaching of your donation and drop it in the collection basket. The en & Gus Sakakeeny, by Diana Kelley. Next week it will
the Church. The moral lesson is that our life on earth contradicts that of the world to come, envelopes will be placed on the altar to remember your
especially when we do not make, in our life today, a clear picture of the life thereafter! deceased loved ones the entire month. “May their souls burn in loving memory of Alisabet Boulos, by the family.

rest in the Peace of God. Amen. Right Side: This week it will burn in loving memory of
The funeral rites in our tradition cover all the phases through which the soul passes. The Aziz, Joseph & Zine Berkachi, by Elizabeth Eblan. Next
traveling soul from here to there, faces all sorts of enemies on the way: “Armies of Dark- Maronite Rituals: Virtual Workshops week it will burn in loving memory of Boulos Boulos, by
ness,” “bands of evil spirits,” “pirates,” and so on. They await at roadblocks, and in the The Maronite Servants will be hosting a series of online the family.
“aerial spheres” - “dancing in the air” - “anxious to inflict a second death” on the journeying workshops via Zoom to help Maronites learn about our
soul. The message of the funeral texts is clear: The departed soul, seized by fear, is una- Rituals for Great Lent. Fr. Claude Franklin will be present- Weekend Lectors
ble to take this journey on its own. Hence, the funeral rites develop the concept of ing these sessions. There will be an allocated time for Feb 11 5:00 pm Marcia Khan
“accompaniment.” Priests, relatives and friends can escort the departed only as far as the Q&A after each presentation. To reserve a spot and re- Feb 12 9:00 am Joanne Carter
grave. Beyond this point, all they can do is commit the deceased to God to be their ceive the Zoom link contact sisters@maroniteservants.org Feb 12 11:00 am Rima Bou Habib
“companion on that road which is filled with danger and unpleasant surprises.” or go through their website maroniteservants.org. Feb 18 5:00 pm Joseph Chikhani
Feb 16: Ash Monday and Benediction of the Cross Feb 19 9:00 am George Maroun
More hymns and prayers continually implore: “O brother, may the church, the altar, baptism, the Holy Mysteries and the Feb 19 11:00 am Rania Awad
cross be your companion.” “Go in peace, may the Lord be your companion.” While the departed soul echoes, on its own, Feb. 23: Hosanna Sunday and Passion Week Feb 20 7:00 pm Raji Abdo
the same supplication: “Pray for me, people of this city, that His grace may be my companion.” March 2: Rite of the Lamp and Thursday of Mysteries
March 9: Signing of the Chalice, Great Friday of the Cruci- Sunday’s Collection February 05 2023
The prayers further reflect that the journey is safe only because of this companionship. The road to be taken is no longer a fixion, and Saturday of the Light. Candles: $ 69
paved road, nor a flight into the “aerial spheres.” It is rather, a “sea of fire” raging with flames. It has to be crossed. This Sunday Collection: $ 2,011
“companionship,” then, loses its subjective and personalized symbolism, and takes on an objective one. The Lord and the Wondering if the Lord is Calling You Righteous & Just : $ 135
Mysteries are envisioned now as a “bridge” or an “unsinkable ship” enabling the soul to cross over safely: “May Baptism be The Words of Samuel: Speak, Lord, For your Servant is Initial Offering: $ 50
a ship for her (our sister), that she may reach the haven of life. May she cross over the river of fire, for she took refuge in the Listening. (1 Sam. 3:10) these words were applied to the
cross of light”. Old Testament people. But they are still resounding to our Statement For Tax Purposes
time. Have you ever wondered if the Lord is calling you? Since some parishioners donate through the envelope
To pray for the dead is an ancient custom by which the faithful on earth care for those in purgatory. Tertullian and Augustine, system and some others do not. We are able to issue a
Doctors of the Church from the fourth and fifth centuries respectively, teach that suffering after death might be relieved by the Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Seminary is planning the Statement only to those who are on the parish records. A
intercession of the living. Through prayers, sacrifices, almsgiving, and especially the practice of offering the Eucharist, the annual discernment weekend for March 24-26, 2023. We Tax Statement is not automatically generated and sent to
helpless soul is assisted and relieved. In the same vein, Gregory I, in the sixth century, clearly states that prayers of the faith- are hoping to have a good number of young men interest- you unless you request it. Parishioners who need a state-
ful and especially “offering of the Eucharist,” i.e., the Qurbono, or the sacrifice of the Mass, on earth could aid in obtaining the ed in discerning their priestly vocation. ment for tax purposes, please call the rectory, identify
release of those in purgatory. Both the Council of Florence (1439) and the Council of Trent (1563) reinforced the same teach- National Eucharistic Revival yourself, and we will be happy to accommodate you.
ing. The dogma of both Councils affirmed that “a purgatory exists and the souls detained in it can be assisted by the suffrag- Mother Church is urging all faithful to have greater
es of the faithful.” This is why, we offer the Qurbono for our deceased loved ones. Instruction Regarding Cremation
awareness of the true presence of our Lord in the Holy
*****Qurboneh***** Eucharist. We are being urged to educate ourselves Every so often some parishioners ask whether cremation
is permitted in the Maronite Church. The idea of cremation
more about the Eucharist. For this purpose, the first in Lebanon or in the Middle East is never a consideration.
three Wednesdays of Lent have been reserved for And to this date it has not been discussed in the Maronite
THIS WEEKEND INTENTIONS REQUESTED BY sessions about the Eucharist: February 22, March synod. However, the Holy See has approved it in 1997 for
1, and March 8. There will be a Church service at 7:00 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The
5:00 PM Sat Feb 11 Joseph Diab Salami (1st Anniversary) The Family pm followed by a session on the Eucharist. Fr. Joseph general principals of the approved document are pertinent
9:00 AM Sun Feb 12 Faithful Departed Msgr. Georges El-Khalli Abi Saad, the pastor of Saint Theresa Church in Brock- to the Maronite Church as well. For details please take the
11:00 AM Sun Feb 12 Personal Intentions Msgr. Georges El-Khalli ton, MA, is our speaker. I am certain that every faithful instruction sheet provided in the vestibule.
could benefit from attending these sessions about the
NEXT WEEKEND INTENTIONS REQUESTED BY Eucharist. The Maronite Youth Organization
The Youth have their next meeting on Saturday Feb. 18 at
5:00 PM Sat Feb 18 The Makovsky Family Carol Woodworth ASH MONDAY, THE BEGINNING OF GREAT LENT 12:30 pm in the Lahoud Center. We invite all the youth of
9:00 AM Sun Feb 19 Personal Intentions Msgr. Georges El-Khalli Monday, February 20 is Ash Monday for us Maronites our parish between the ages 12-18 to join our awesome
11:00 AM Sun Feb 19 Youssef Abdel-Sater (40 Day) Ghaleb & Anna Abdel-Sater as we begin the Holy Season of the Great Lent. The Mass team. Lots of great fun and spiritual activities. For more
7:00 PM Mon Feb 20 Personal Intentions Msgr. Georges El-Khalli and the rituals of the Blessing of Ashes begin at 7:00 PM. information and to RSVP please contact Jeymie Ayoub at

We look forward to seeing all of you. 857-389-1239.