July 31, 2025: The Feast of the Three Hundred and Fifty Maronite Martyrs
While on the road, not far from home, the three hundred and fifty monks were martyred for their steadfast faith. These faithful sons defended truth and gave their lives so willingly for love of Christ, true God and man.
George, a Christian officer in the Roman army, consecrated his life to defend the Church, (which is symbolized in icons of him as the daughter of a king) against the attacks of Satan (the dragon). According to tradition he was martyred in the third century for his faith in Christ and was buried at Lydda in Palestine.
O Christ, illumine us with your light in this life, for you have delivered us from the shadows of death, that we might become the children of light.
May we walk in the light of your path, that we may act in the light of your grace.
May we go forward to the light of your resurrection and one day reach the light of your glory, contemplating you, face to face, in an indescribable bliss of happiness.
We shall praise you, your Father and your Holy Spirit, for ever.
Amen.
From the Prayer of the Faithful, Ramsho, New Sunday..
April 9, 2023
Who can praise the greatness of your mercy, O Word of God, and what voice can bless you who are above all praise? Neither mind or tongue can describe the marvels you have performed on this holy day of your resurrection from the dead. With the psalmist David, we exclaim:
“This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice!”
This is the day which has no equal.
This is the great feast, crown and jewel of all feasts.
And now, Christ our God, on this day of your resurrection from the dead, we ask you to grant us the forgiveness of our sins and faults. Through the fragrance of this incense, which we offer you, grant justice to the oppressed and comfort to the afflicted. Bring back those far away, direct those who are near, and guide those who travel. Protect the priests, purify the deacons, and pardon the sinners; watch over the just, protect the orphans, and help the widows. Remember those who have died in the faith and grant them rest in your heavenly kingdom; may we celebrate with them the feast that never ends, and proclaim your glory, and that of your Father, and your holy and living Spirit, now and for ever.
Amen.
April 8, 2023
Glory to you, O holy One. You descended from the heavenly dwellings to the earthly depths. In your compassion you took the form of a slave to forgive your servants. You walked on the waves of the sea in order to sanctify Adam, who was created in the image of your majesty.
O Lord, you sanctified those who are impure and with your hyssop you purified sinners and made them whiter than snow. Through your powerful grace, forgive me and your servants, who ask you for the pardon of their faults and the forgiveness of their sins. As you forgave the family of Cornelius through the hand of Simon Peter, the Apostle, in the same way, may pardon of sins descend upon us and upon all the children of your flock, who have been redeemed by your precious blood.
We glorify you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Amen.
From the Liturgy for Saturday of the Light (Prayer of Forgiveness)
April 7, 2023
O Lord and High Priest, fragrant incense of forgiveness, you offered yourself on the wood of the cross for foolish sinners.. You sacrificed yourself for our sake. Now, O Lord, cancel the debt of our guilt and save us from retribution. Remove the scourge of anger and all suffering from us. Encourage us with your joyful hope and your healing remedy. In your compassion, pardon the faithful departed, and we shall praise you with them, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Amen.
April 7, 2023
O Judge of the living and the dead, who rewards and punishes, this morning we raise our prayers and thoughts to you. We share in your sufferings when you appeared before the judges, when you played the role of the accused, and were dragged from court to court. You lived among us and could not be conquered by sin. May we erase hatred, purify our thoughts, and follow your teachings. Thus, we shall receive pardon in this world and on the day of judgment receive your mercy, and glorify you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit, for ever.
Amen.
April 13, 2022
Look, O Lord, upon us, your worshipers standing before you, with souls in agony and bodies in affliction. Nothing can help and nothing can save, except your mercy, and no one can heal and no one can give life, except your love.
Since we bore your seal from the waters of baptism, believed in your name, and consumed your body and drank your blood, let your living cross be a rudder for our ship, and guide us through the storms which surround us.
Shine your salvific mercy upon us; and, by your grace, let there be a rest to our affliction. Let your mercy bring comfort to us as we bow before you, forgive our sins and blot out our offences from your book.
From Prayer of Forgiveness (Sedro) for the Rite of the Lamp.
The lenten weekday cycle of the Maronite rite reflects our estrangement from God and our need to coversion. We are called to take courage and to turn back. They Syriac fathers have traditionally spoken of this movement toward God as a nautical journey whose destination is the harbor of life. During the journey of Lent, we pray:
Bless, Lord, our fasing… Make it a journey which leads us to the harbor of salvation.
April 2, 2023
“Your King shall come to you, humble and riding on a donkey!”
Behold, the King of Sion rides a donkey and enters the city amid the songs of praise of little children and suckling babes. Everyone cries out:
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.”
Waving olive branches, they praise the King of Israel. Today, the Church gathers her children from all peoples and nations; in the churches and convents they chant hymns of praise. In procession small and great alike go forth, singing in every language.
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,”
Christ the King.
From the Prayer of the Faithful Morning Prayer for Hosanna Sunday.
Jesus Christ our Lord, with your living voice you called your beloved Lazarus to come out from the tomb and from the darkness of death. You proved to the world that you are the Resurrection and the Life. May the light of your glorious resurrection shine upon us, so that we may glorify and thank you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit for ever.
March 31, 2023 — Friday of the Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness
Wa Habibi
O My Son, o My Beloved. See the plight love brings You to. Who has seen you and not mourned you? You! You are the Redeemer! O my Love, what kind of guilt has the slave made his king bear? They disfigured you and maimed you with no hope for any cure
Look on me daughter of Sion. Crushed beneath this mighty wave. Anguish fills my very marrow and it leads me to the grave. There is none to be a friend now. And this angry mob to brave. For the suff'ring I endure.
When in the garden at night, the redeemer did bow down. While the earth echoed His plight. the source of all reverent sound. The trees of olives are crying. And lips are calling for Him. My Love, why are You departing? Has faithfulness grown dim?
March 28, 2023
O Lord, we stand before you with all the prophets and Apostles, and we adore you. In your mercy, perfect us in our faith. Let your living and Holy Spirit come and consecrate this oil. Fill it with your might and let your divinity abide in it.
May those who believe and are signed and anointed with this oil, become holy and pure. Once they are perfected in baptism, call them to stand at your right hand, shining in the glory of your kingdom, and they will raise glory to the most exalted Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for ever.
Amen.
From the Consecration of the Holy Oils Divine Liturgy
O Christ, our King and Redeemer, you prepared your disciples and sent two of them to bring you a donkey colt. You rode it through the streets of Jerusalem among the crowds and the children, who were shouting to you: “Hosanna!” We, too, prepare ourselves to meet you, for we believe that you are truly the Son of God.
Make us worthy, O Lord, to stand before You with pure hearts and to believe in Your birth from a virgin as Joseph, Your chosen one, believed after You revealed Your mystery to him. As You appointed the angel in the garden of Eden to guard the tree of life, so have You chosen Joseph and appointed him guardian of Your virgin mother in whom You dwelt. Grant us, O Lord, to taste the cherished fruit of Your tree, so that we may glorify You, Your Holy Father and Your blessed Spirit, now and forever.
Holy One, through you, sinners are sanctified and the penitent seek you who desire our salvation and well being.
Do not look on the weakness of our humanity and the insignificance of our deeds. but treat us according to your mercy, for we take refuge in you.
orgive our offenses, for who besides you can pardon?
Full of joy, we shall give you glory, now and for ever.
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.
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.
