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.

O Our Lord, Jesus Christ, we firmly believe in all that our Mother the Holy Church believes in and teaches us to believe in because You are the One who revealed it to her, O You, who are the Truth which neither deceives nor is deceived.

We beseech You, through your love for Your Holy Mother, the Virgin Mary, and for Saint Joseph, Your chosen Just One, and through the wound of Your LEFT FOOT, to grant us Your Grace so we may live and die with it.

Amen.

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.

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.

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.

Lord, listen to our voices, hear the prayers we raise and open wide your gates above, we ask of you.
Grant rest to our departed ones who died in hope, our parents, loved ones, and the teachers of true faith.

O God, gladden our hearts with the memory of the just ones who left this passing life after serving you well. and who have entered the eternal dwelling of joy.

May we join them in praising you, for ever.

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.

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.

O John the Baptist, you told the people to bear fruit of repentance worthy of their Lord and God. We ask you to intercede for his Church that has been washed in the waters of baptism, that he may accept the fragrance of incense and our prayers. May the sweet fragrance of Christ remain in the world, calling all people to believe in him, his Father, and his Holy Spirit. Amen.

Great amazement filled all on earth and the angel hosts on high when the Lord, who is clean and pure, was baptized, though free from sin. Jordan’s waters he has blessed for the pardon of our sins. Through Baptism we are cleansed, that we may be born again as the children of our God.

Glory to you, Son of God, you have made us rejoice in your manifestation as man, you have filled us with admiration by your wonders, words and deeds. Through your incarnation, you have elevated our nature, and sanctified it by your baptism.

On this day when we recall your finding in the Temple in the midst of the teachers, teach us to devote our whole selves to God, for our lives make no sense without the Master and Creator.

Blessed are you, Jesus Christ our Lord and God, you chose to go up to the temple with Mary and Joseph to fulfill the law of the Passover, which you had previously established and placed in the hands of your prophets.

Dec. 25, 2024: 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. 22, 2024: 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. 15, 2024: 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. 8, 2024: The Birth of John the Baptist

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.

Dec. 1, 2024: The Visitation to Elizabeth

Impelled by the Spirit of God, Mary left on a journey that required four days of difficult travel, especially for a poor girl such as herself. Yet, as the Mother of God and our Mother, she was already concerned for the welfare of others.

Mary is blessed, not simply because she was to be the Mother of God, but also because of her own personal faith. She heard the words of the angel and accepted everything that was to happen with humility. For this reason, she is blessed throughout the ages.

Today we commemorate the announcement to Mary that she is to be the Mother of God. The feast actually recalls two aspects of the same salvific mystery: the incarnation of the divine Word and the motherhood of Mary. With time, the incarnation of the Son of God was stressed on the feast of the Birth of Our Lord and today’s feast became a Marian feast.