By Natalie Salameh
On Sunday May 4, the
Feast of Our Lady of Lebanon, the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light
attended the First Holy Communion Liturgy of the children at Our Lady of
Purgatory Parish, New Bedford.
The children were
radiant throughout the Liturgy, and Fr. Jack reminded them in his homily that
on this special day of their First Holy Communion, they are the “biggest
winners”. They are “winners” because they can now approach the communion table
as often as they like to feed on the bread of angels. Fr. Jack reminded us all
that true happiness in this life does not consist in “winning the lottery”, as we
have something much better or rather someone
much better, who is always in our hearts and by our sides.
The children were each
presented with Bible to remind them that the Word of God is a treasure of
infinite value, and should be given a place in their lives alongside the Holy
Qorbono. The Liturgy concluded with the
singing of the Maronite Hymn, “Mother of God”, and the incensing of Our Lady’s
icon, a Maronite ritual commonly known in Arabic as Ziah el Adra. The Church was a sea of blue in honor of Mary and the privelege of crowning Our Lady was given to one of the first communicants.
Parish celebrations were
held in the social hall which included the exchanging of gifts, and the cutting
of cake!