Sundays of the Church & Season of the Birth of our Lord

(Taken from Faith of the Mountain- Monsignor Dominic Ashkar)

Our Christian worship is based on the Person of Christ, His Incarnation, Death and Resurrection. The purpose of this worship is to involve the faithful in the Mysteries of Christ, helping them to reflect upon them, shaping their lives according to the same pattern and at the same time, sanctifying the element of TIME.
The Church spreads the Mystery of Christ throughout the year. That is what we call the Liturgical Year. The Liturgical Year becomes educational, helping the believer to live the Mystery of Christ gradually. That is why we see the whole thirty-three years of Christ's life condensed into one year.

The Liturgical year in the Maronite Churc begins on the First Sunday of November. These Sundays that prepare the Feast of Christmas are as follows:

Consecration of the Church
Dedication of the Church

Announcement Sundays:

Announcement to Zachariah
Announcement to Mary
Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth     
Birth of John the Baptist
Revelation to Joseph
Genealogy

The six last Sundays prepare us for Christmas.  These Sundays remind us of the Plan of Salvation.  The two first Sundays are not directly part of the liturgical year but they were included at this particular place because it coincides with the Jewish Celebration, the Consecration of the Temple.

The first Sunday is called the Consecration Sunday and the second is called Dedication Sunday, but the historical meaning is one: the Commemoration of the Consecration of Churches and Altars. The Commemoration of the Consecration of the Church is celebrated on the First Sunday of November. And if there are 8 Sundays between the first Sunday of November and Christmas, both the Consecration and the Dedication will be celebrated. But if there are only seven Sundays, only the Consecration is celebrated and the Dedication is dropped. 

The Dedication of the Church means the celebration of the Consecration of the house of God (material buildings), and the Church (the body of Christ).

Bishop Mansour Welcomes Patriarch Rai

Welcome Patriarch Bechara Rai

 

"The Maronite Catholic Church is led by an extraordinary man. Patriarch Bechara Peter Rai is a prayerful man, but does not hide behind prayer. He is a sincere man but is not shy in reaching out to others. He is “strong, loving and wise” as Saint Paul encourages his disciple Timothy to be. He is practical, intelligent, faithful and relies completely on God. He represents the best of what the Maronite Church, her prayer and way of life have to offer.

He is not a political man, nonetheless, he is unafraid of speaking the truth or to say what is not politically correct, as long as it is true and promotes “communion and love”. He has stood before the most powerful and has also been a friend to the lowly. He is as the Psalmist urges us to be: strong with the strong, meek with the humble, and astute with the crooked.

The Lebanon in which he lives is divided. It is not easy to describe these divisions as Christian/Muslim or Sunni/Shiite, the divisions seem more like political parties and/or personalities opposed to those who think differently. One might be able to describe it as “every man for himself”.

However, in the midst of this “winner takes all” mentality comes a father, a Patriarch, a man who prays and dreams of something greater.

I hope and pray that the Maronite Church throughout the world, as well as every citizen and friend of Lebanon will come to respect and love the wisdom of our Patriarch, and embrace his vision of a Maronite Church and a Lebanon in dialogue with others.
Please join me in welcoming His Beatitude, Bechara Peter Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East."
+ Gregory J Mansour
Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn

See the Bishop's Blog for an Open Letter to President Obama which begins: "I am terribly disappointed with the rebuff of Patriarch Bechara Peter Rai who is the Catholic leader of the Maronites worldwide and one of the most respected Christian leaders in Lebanon and the Middle East. The motto of his coat of arms reflects his personality and is call for 'communion and love.'"

Formation of The Maronite Patriarchate

Here is a brief historical note on the patriarchate as we welcome our Maronite Patriarch, His Beatitude Bechara Peter Rai who began his inaugural US visit on Oct. 4 and will conclude on Oct. 23.  The Maronite Patriarch is the head of the largest Catholic patriarchal church.

Formation of The Maronite Patriarchate
This series from the “Faith of the Mountain” deals with the Maronite Patriarchate which means Glory-Asceticism-Testimony. It reveals and shows a way of life and recalls a glorious struggle and an uninterrupted testimony for Catholicity and human right values in the midst of the Middle Eastern religious plurality.
Maronity is Martyrdom
In fact the Maronite Patriarchate was a necessity during the darkness of a vacancy; it was in that time a martyrdom to replace the murdered Antiochene patriarch. While the others had run away, the Maronites were steadily ready to offer themselves.
The Patriarch is consecrated a Head, a Father, a Guide, and a Civilian Ruler; he is a Symbol of Unity, a “father and an example of our faith" in a biblical sense. If we recognize him as our Head, we will be faithful to our Ancestors’ will, we confess and foster our Unity, and we rescue our Church, as a distinguishing minority, from fusion in the melting-pot of this huge world.
The Apostolicity of The Antiochene See
The Incarnate Word of God arose within the context of the Roman political structure. By order of their Master, the Apostles pushed themselves forward to the cities where the civilized world of the Roman Empire was centered and it was quite natural that Antioch, “the Queen City of the East", should be the first center for Apostolic activities. This is proved by the fact that it was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus Christ were for the first time mockingly called “Christians” (Acts XI, 26).
According to Church Tradition, the See of Antioch was founded by Peter the Apostle who was joined by Paul and Barnabas. There, in Antioch, one of the first conflicts within the Church developed between Peter and Paul concerning the necessity of circumcision for Gentile converts to Christianity. Other conflicts followed during the early centuries; this is indicative of the dynamic nature of that Christian Community. As a result, the Patriarchate of Antioch has the right to claim greater antiquity and fuller apostolicity than all the other ancient Christian Churches.

(Taken from the catechetical series: Faith of the Mountain)