Beloved Parishioners and Friends of St. Maron's,
Peace and blessings to all of you with the hope you are all doing well and in good health in spirit and body.
March is a beautiful month, in which we walk the journey of Lent. The time for rebirth, and a time to welcome Spring. Lent is a call for all of us to turn our back on sin, and walk in the light of Jesus. It is a time to intensify our prayer life, our fasting, and our almsgiving. We pray and fast as a command from our Lord, as an imitation of his journey in the dessert, and we help and support the poor and the less fortunate with our almsgiving, as a command from him to serve him in the faces of the poor. Lent brings a fresh beginning to us, we fast with food, but we are hungry for the spiritual gifts. We sacrifice a little so that we can help people in need. Lent helps us prioritize our daily life by putting Jesus as the center of our life, to be more spiritual, Praying, reading our Holy Bible, attending Divine Liturgies and retreats. All to enrich our spiritual journey. Lent is like a mirror where I see the real me and see my faults and shortcomings and move to fix them for better and to become more like Jesus and less than the world.
There is so much hunger in the world today, so much misery, so much suffering, and Christ is needed everywhere. Our responsibility as God’s children is to bring Jesus to others and others to Jesus. We can do that in the most effective way by living the Beatitudes and by bringing the message of hope and love to our families and the world around us.
As we celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph on the 19th of this month, we have so much to learn from this silent saint who has inspired the world throughout history. May he protect our families, and help us in our journey as we seek Christ and follow him in this world.
I pray that all of you make more time to attend the Divine Liturgy not only on Sunday but also during the week, and to make time in your family to pray together and be united in faith and love.
Wishing you the joy, peace, and serenity of this holy Lent. I assure you of my prayers and love.
Have a Blessed Lent
صوم مبارك
Please feel free to reach me if I can be of any help at any time. Wishing you God’s choicest blessings. I remain,
In Christ’s Hope,
Chorbishop sharbel Maroun
Pastor