Our Lady of Lebanon Church – GTA

Pentecost – The Descent of the Holy Spirit

27. June, 2019Past EventsNo comments

This feast of the Pentecost is of great importance as it marks the coming of the Holy Spirit. The “Rabulla Gospels” were with the Maronites since the 6th Century. They are one of the oldest surviving biblical manuscripts and are based on the Syriac Peshita version of the Gospel. They also contain this icon of Pentecost. The icon invites us to contemplate the scene of the Gospel and live it in your own life.

The large blue arch in the icon symbolizes the heavenly realm. The trees that are growing above the blue represent the Garden of Paradise. The Holy Spirit descends on the Upper Chamber where the apostles are assembled at Pentecost. “Blessed is He who exalted Adam and caused him to return to Paradise.” (from Hymns on Paradise from St Ephrem)

The dove descending is the Spirit of the Living God. It descends from the blue heavenly realm and enters the earthly realm to rest on Mary who is speaking with the apostles. The dove echoes Jesus earlier baptism. This is also reflective of the scene in Acts 2:3 where tongues of fire res on each disciples head.

The inclusion of Mary in the icon is important. Syriac theology has been instrumental in the development of early Marian theology. Mary is not mentioned in the scene in Acts 2, however she is mentioned as being with the Apostles earlier in Acts 1:14. The icon puts Mary center stage in the scene and puts her in a place of prominence. Her dark blue robe stands in contrast to the paler blue of the apostles and her halo is golden in comparison to the violet of the apostles. The icon is depicting the the gathering of Christ’s Church. Christ had ascended nine days earlier and left Mary as the leading Church custodian among the apostles.

Around Mary you can see a concentration of red which is representative of the divine. This is a typological reference to God who in the Old Testament is fire, for example the burning bush at Mt Sinai. The rocky sapphire stones on which they stand are a reference to Exodus 24:10 “and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.” They now see God by way of the Spirit.

Take a moment this Sunday and contemplate the icon. Feel the warmth of the Spirit in your life, it is the link for us between heaven and earth.

OLOL Summer Camp 2022

17. June, 2019Past EventsNo comments

Our Lady of Lebanon 2022 Summer Camp will be held from July 1st to July 4th 2022.

Location: 14009 Sixth Line Nassagaweya, Acton, ON, L7J 2W8 (Blue Springs Scout Reserve).

Join the fun!

Register with the following Google Form as soon as possible:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfc869fz0CEBukiUAdWubjUCsoJTT_NhDh_tP9Xv0t66UZnbA/viewform

May the Month of Mary

25. April, 2019Past EventsNo comments

The tradition of dedicating the month of May to Mary, came about in the 13^th century. Some say because it was created to replace various pagan cults. The actual reason is the fact that this month is the time when spring is at the height of its beauty. Spring is also connected with nature renewing itself. In her way, Mary gave new life to the world when she gave birth to our saviour Jesus Christ.

The link between Mary and the month of May became popular among the members of the Jesuit Order — by 1700 it had a firm hold among their students at the Roman College and a short time later it was publicly celebrated in the Gesu Church in Rome. From there it spread to the rest of the Church.

The pious practice of honouring Mary during the month of May has been especially promoted by the Popes. Pius XII made frequent reference to it and in his great Encyclical on the Sacred Liturgy Mediator Dei. He characterized it as one of “other exercises of piety which although not strictly belonging to the Sacred Liturgy, are nevertheless of special import and dignity, and may be considered in a certain way to be an addition to the liturgical cult: they have been approved and praised over and over again by the Apostolic See and by the Bishops”

Devotion to Mary is one an important part of the Catholic identity. As our mother she is an example of a committed “Yes” to the will of God. Because of the devotion to her many people ask her for help in the most difficult moments of their life as any child does with his mother.

Saint Joseph

14. March, 2019Past EventsNo comments

Saint Joseph

Joseph, the silent man of the Gospels, is in the line of the great men of faith of the Old Testament. He is described as a “just man”, a righteous man of integrity. He is in the tradition of Abraham who was called by God to “walk before my face and be upright (Gen: 17.1) and of Moses who was told to be “entirely sincere”, “entirely faithful” (Deut: 18.13).

For centuries his place in the story of Jesus was comparatively unnoticed. Gradually, in Catholic tradition, he was recognised as patron of fathers of families, of bursars and procurators, of manual workers, especially carpenters, and of all who desire a holy death.

His feast is celebrated on March 19th.

Prayer to Saint Joseph

O Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.

O Saint Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most Loving of Fathers.

O Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss his fine head for me and ask him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath.

Saint Joseph, Patron of departed souls – pray for me.

Holy Week & Easter Schedule

1. March, 2019Past EventsNo comments

Saint Maron: Life and Legacy

8. February, 2019Past EventsNo comments

Saint Maron, born in the middle of the 4th century, was a priest who latter became a hermit, retiring to a mountain of Taurus near Antioch. His holiness and miracles attracted many followers, and drew attention throughout the empire. St John of Chrysostom sent him a letter around 405 AD expressing his great love and respect asking St Maron to pray for him.
Saint Maron spent all of his life on a mountain in the region of Cyrrhus in Syria. It is believed that the place was called “Kefar-Nabo” on the mountain of Al-Yambos, making it the cradle of the Maronite movement.
St Maron embraced the quiet solitude of the mountain life. He lived his life in open air exposed to the forces of nature such as sun, rain, hail and snow. His extraordinary desire to come to know Gods presence in all things, allowed St Maron to transcend such forces and discover that intimate union with God.
Accompanying his deeply spiritual and ascetic life, he was a zealous missionary with a passion to spread the message of Christ by preaching it to all he met. He sought not only to cure the physical ailments that people suffered, but had a great quest for nurturing and healing the “lost souls” of both pagans and Christians of his time.
This missionary work came to fruition when in the mountains of Syria, St Maron was able to convert a pagan temple into a Christian Church. This was to be the beginning of the conversion of Paganism to Christianity in Syria which would then influence and spread to Lebanon. After his death in the year 410 AD, his spirit and teachings lived on through his disciples.
The Maronite movement reached Lebanon when St Maron’s first disciple, Abraham of Cyrrhus, who was called the Apostle of Lebanon, realized that paganism was thriving in Lebanon, so he set out to convert the pagans to Christians by introducing them to the way of St Maron. The followers of St Maron, both monks and laity, always remained faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Mass Time Change in Pickering

4. February, 2019Past EventsNo comments

From now on, The evening Maronite Mass will be celebrated every Sunday at 6:30pm in Pickering.

Presentation of the Lord to the Temple

1. February, 2019Past EventsNo comments

Join us to celebrate the Mass on the occasion of the feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, in which takes place the ritual of the blessing of candles, Saturday February 2^nd at 6:30PM and Sunday February 3^rd, 2019 at 10:30AM & 12:30PM, at Our Lady of Lebanon Church, as well as in Pickering at 7:00PM.

On 2 February, the Maronite Church commemorates the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Presenting the first born male at the temple was a Jewish tradition. The parents of a newborn would bring the child, forty days after their birth to make an offering for purification. Mary and Joseph followed this customary offering by bringing with them the newborn Jesus and two young pigeons.

The Maronite has a liturgy for this day to commemorate the feast, with the rite of blessing of the candles, to remind us of the words of Simeon the elder that Jesus is sent by the Father, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” This rite of the light brings us back also to commemorate the fact that Jesus is the light of the world (Cf. John 8:12). May God bestow on us the blessing of this feast, and allow us in to rejoice in its everlasting light.

ندعوكم للمشاركة في القداسات التي تقام لمناسبة عيد تقدمة المسيح الى الهيكل، التي نحتفل فيها أيضاً برتبة تبريك الشمع: السبت 2 شباط الساعة 6،30 مساء، والأحد 3 شباط الساعة 10،30 صباحاً و12،30 ظهراً في كنيسة سيدة لبنان تورنتو، والساعة 7،00 مساء في بيكرينغ.

الشمعة ترمز للمسيح وتبريك الشمع في هذا عيد دخول المسيح الى الهيكل يعود لما قاله سمعان الشيخ عن المسيح انّه “ينجلي نورًا للأمم”. وتصف رتبة تبريك الشمع بحسب طقس الكنيسة المارونيّة هذا النور الروحانيّ الذي ينير ضمائر المؤمنين وعقولهم من الأنوار الإلهيّة، فيقول الكاهن في صلاة التبريك الأولى “أنِر بنور بركاتك السماويّة هذا الشمع ليكون مستنيرًا بقُبُولنا إيّاه، حتّى اذا ما قرَّبناهُ اليك نُصبح مضطرمين بنار محبّتك العذبة”.