The governor of Sebaste in Armenia wished to force forty soldiers to renouce Christ. First he imprisoned them and then he threw them into a frozen pond. They prayed with one heart.

"We forty have entered the arena, O Lord, grant that we may be able to receive the crown,”

One of them escaped and renounced Christ, but their guard, a pagan, took his place. In the morning the guards broke their legs and burned their bodies. They received the crown of martyrdom around the year 322. May their prayers be with us. Amen.

Though cherubim fear the One who is clothed with fire,
a woman takes hold of his cloak and is not burnt.
Though fiery ranks tremble in awe before their Lord,
this woman who kisses his cloak fears not at all.

Jesus Christ our Lord, true High Priest, you called our father, Saint John Maron to the order of holy priesthood, ordained him a bishop, and then chose him as the first Patriarch of Antioch for our Maronite Church. Now make us worthy to remember him and to celebrate his glorious feast with prayers and hymns. With him we raise glory and thanks to you, to your Father, and to your Holy Spirit, now and for ever.

O Christ our God, Physician of souls and bodies, in your plan of salvation, you had pity on the leper, who was outcast, and healed him by your word. We lift up our eyes and hearts to you at all times, and we implore you never to keep your mercy and grace from us but to look upon us with compassion as you did with the leper. Cleanse us and make us holy.

During these forty days of Lent, may we meditate on the benefits of fasting and prayer. Through fasting and prayer souls are made pure, bodies are made chaste, spirits are uplifted, passions are restrained, mercy abounds, and the Holy Spirit dwells in the soul that was created to be the temple of God.

O Christ, the only-begotten Son, on this day you chose to sit among the invited guests, enriching them with the abundance of your divine gifts. As your disciples believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, we also believe in you. In place of the old Law, you have given us your new Gospel, and instead of the fruit of the vine, you have quenched our thirst with the chalice of your redeeming blood.

Jesus Christ our Lord, make us worthy to remember the faithful departed who professed their faith in you and received your Body and Blood as nourishment and blessings. Grant them rest, and may they share in your eternal banquet and your everlasting joy. Count them among your chosen ones, and may they raise glory and thanks to you, to your Father, and to your Holy Spirit, for ever.

Amen.

Lord, you appointed Saint Maron as father and shepherd of a portion of your people. You supported him with your strength and righteousness, gave him victory over your enemies and guided him in your truth. Grant us who celebrate his memory today a constant faith, and we will glorify and praise you, now and for ever.
Amen.

O Lord, today we are gathered to celebrate your holy and righteous ones By their prayers grant us pardon and repentance and make us worthy of their destiny in heaven.

Simeon, the faithful one, held the Son of God, made man, whom his parents brought this day to the temple of the Lord. He took him into his arms and spoke good news, giving thanks to God.

“I have seen, with my own eyes, the Redeemer of the world. Dismiss me in peace, for the nations have been saved.”

This has been fulfilled by Christ, the Lord of all, who was born from Mary’s womb.

Blessed are you O priests who left this passing world trusting in God’s mercy. May the body of Christ that you bore, the baptism with which you were clothed and the mysteries that you administrated enable you to escape eternal torments, inherit life and enter in to the kingdom.

January 22, 2023 — 3rd Sunday after the Glorious Epiphany

May we be worthy to praise, confess and glorify the only hidden Father Who thundered from the heavens and acknowledged His only beloved and praiseworthy Son; the only Son Who was revealed at the river and baptized by His servant; the only Holy Spirit Who was seen in heaven and on earth in order to make known His Chosen One.

Jan. 15, 2023: Feast of Our Lady of the Sowing

Alleluia!

In the land of Ephesus the dew was falling when John wrote and taught the Church to honor Mary three times a year. January when we plant the seeds, May for all the wheat, and the month of August for the grapes we harvest.
Mary, these three feasts depict the life God gives us.

Alleluia! We ask for your prayers.

Jan. 8, 2023: The First Sunday after the Glorious Epiphany of Our Lord

Almighty God and Savior Jesus Christ, You are the Merciful One Who inclined Your everlasting mercy to the salvation of our weak and feeble race. For the sake of mankind You became Man of the holy Virgin Mary. From the Magi and shepherds You received mystical and royal gifts. You were baptized in the Jordan River by John, Your forerunner, so that, by Your baptism, water would be made holy for us unto a new birth.

Jan. 6, 2023: The Glorious Epiphany of Our Lord

Today, the light of the Father appeared in the waters of the Jordan.

Heaven and earth were astounded when John poured water on your head.

Today the Father’s voice was heard: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,” and the Holy Spirit hovered above the head of the Son in the form of a dove.

Jan. 1, 2023: The Circumcision of Jesus

Alleluia!

“Peace I give to you, my peace that lasts for ever. Let my Spirit and my love remain among you. Be not afraid.
Just believe in me and that I live, and then live in me. In the world you will encounter tribulation. I have overcome the world, so you may have peace.”

Alleluia! May God grant us peace.

(Verse from God’s Great Glory Shines, Maronite hymn)

Dec. 25, 2022: The Glorious Birth of Our Lord

God sent his only Son from the heavens to the earth as the Light for all the world.
God’s Word has hid himself in the Virgin Mary’s womb, and from her he took his flesh.
His star was seen on high, shining brightly in the East, as foretold in Balaam’s words.
Wise men, led by the star to the place where Jesus lay, honored him with finest gifts.

Praise him! Praise him! Praise him, Our Lord!

(verse from Arsal Allah, Maronite Christmas hymn)

Dec. 18, 2022: The Genealogy of Jesus

“The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah.

In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: “The Lord our justice”

For thus says the Lord: Never shall David lack a successor on the throne of the house of Israel, nor shall priests of Levi ever be lacking. (Jeremiah 33: 14-17)

Dec. 11, 2022: The Revelation to Joseph

Joseph was called to be the humble servant of God, Jesus and Mary. He would do all his duties in silence. He would serve, protect, provide and die before even seeing a miracle. His entire life became one of love, immolation, sacrifice, work and self-effacement.

Joseph has often been compared to the Joseph of the Old Testament, the son of Jacob. As Joseph of the Old Testament saved Egypt and its neighbors, may the Joseph of the New Testament save the Church and all those who come to him. “Go to Joseph.” He has the riches of the King! The king has entrusted to him the distribution of his goods!”

Dec. 4, 2022: The Birth of John the Baptizer

The prophet Malachi says, “I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me” (Mk 1, 2; Lk 7, 27). This messenger is John the Baptist. He ended the law and the prophets and was praised by the Lord himself. John was praised as superior to all the faithful of the Old Testament.