By Natalie Salameh
On Wednesday evening, August 26, the first Young Adult Bible
Sharing Group met at the Mother of Light Convent. This is a new initiative among the young
adults in the Eparchy of St. Maron, and was formed at the request of the young
adults who recently attended the International Convocation of Maronite Youth in
Bkerke, Lebanon with our Patriarch, His Eminence and Beatitude, Cardinal
Bishara Peter Rai.
In meeting our Patriarch and visiting the various shrines of
our Maronite Saints, the young adults returned from Lebanon with a great desire
to delve deeper into their faith, and approached the Maronite Servants for a
way to quench their thirst. What better
way is there of getting to know Our Lord Jesus Christ more deeply then by
opening the Scriptures?
Sr. Therese Maria facilitated a lectio divina (sacred reading)
for the young adults on the Sunday Gospel in the Maronite Church, the Pardoning
of the Sinful Woman (Lk 7: 36 – 50). Prior
to the lectio divina, Sr. Therese Maria pointed out that prayer is when we
speak to God, but reading the Word is when he speaks to us, but it requires
something that makes many people uncomfortable – silence. Sr. Therese Maria encouraged the young adults
not to be afraid of silence, and to step away a little from the noise of the
world, which drowns the subtle and quiet voice of the Lord.
It was obvious from the sharing of the young adults that the
Holy Spirit was at work. A number of
them shared about how the Word was challenging them to change in certain areas
of their life, and how many of them were deeply touched by the sinful woman’s
great act of love in bathing Our Lord’s feet with her tears of repentance. The evening concluded on a social note with
refreshments and fellowship.
The next event to take place among the young adults is a
social afternoon of hiking at the Blue Hills Reservation in Boston on September
12. For further details please contact Sr. Therese Maria at 508/996-1753 or srtherese2010@gmail.com or “like” us on
Facebook (Maronite Servants of Christ the Light) to see all the latest
activities on offer. We, the Maronite
Servants, extend our invitation to all young adults to join us in the social
and spiritual activities for young adults. Please join us in keeping this
initiative and the young adults close in prayer.