Maroniteparchy
Αγαπητά εν Χριστώ αδέλφια,
Η Αγιοκατάταξη των Μακαρίων Τζόρτζιο Φρασσάτι και Κάρλο Ακουτίς
Σήμερα, στην αγία πόλη της Ρώμης, ο αγαπημένος μας Άγιος Πατέρας, ο Πάπας Λέων ΙΔ΄, θα ανακηρύξει επίσημα για όλη την Εκκλησία δύο νέους αγίους, τον Τζόρτζιο Φρασσάτι και τον Κάρλο Ακουτίς. Και οι δύο νέοι αυτοί άνδρες έφυγαν από τη ζωή πολύ νέοι· όμως μέσα στη σύντομη πορεία τους, δείχνουν ότι το να ζει κανείς για τον Χριστό δεν αφαιρεί τίποτε από τη ζωή, αλλά την γεμίζει με νόημα και χαρά.
Οι άγιοι είναι οι ειδικοί της ακρόασης. Όπως η Μαρία της Βηθανίας, οι άγιοι είναι προσεκτικοί στη φωνή του Χριστού. Τον ακούν στην ανάγνωση του Ευαγγελίου, Τον ακούν στη διδασκαλία της Εκκλησίας, Τον ακούν στις φωνές των φτωχών και των μεταναστών, Τον ακούν στη σιωπή του Παναγίου Μυστηρίου. Οι άγιοι δεν αρκούνται να ακούνε τον Ιησού· Τον προσέχουν. Αυτό το έργο της ακρόασης είναι η ανακάλυψη της φωνής του Χριστού σε όσους βρίσκονται δίπλα μας, στις οικογένειές μας και στον χώρο εργασίας μας. Είναι ακόμη και η προσπάθεια να ακούσουμε τη φωνή του Χριστού στους συγχρόνους μας, μερικοί από τους οποίους βρίσκονται μακριά από την Εκκλησία. Ακόμα και στην αποξένωσή τους, είναι πλάσματα του Λόγου, της λογικής, και μπορούν, χωρίς να το γνωρίζουν, να μεταδίδουν την αλήθεια. Χρειαζόμαστε καρδιές και αυτιά ικανά να ακούν τον Χριστό που μιλά από τα πιο απίθανα μέρη.
Η καημένη η Μάρθα, μέσα στη γεμάτη μέριμνες κουζίνα της Βηθανίας, μπορούσε να ακούει τον Χριστό να μιλά στο άλλο δωμάτιο, αλλά ήταν τόσο αποσπασμένη που δεν μπορούσε να Τον προσέξει. Είχε επικεντρωθεί στα προβλήματά της, στις δυσκολίες και τις αποτυχίες της. Άκουγε τον εαυτό της και μόνο από απόσταση τον Ιησού.
Ο Θείος Λόγος δημιούργησε το ανθρώπινο σώμα ως μια εξατομικευμένη παραβολή: έχουμε δύο αυτιά και ένα στόμα. Ο Θεός μας δείχνει ότι πρέπει να ακούμε διπλάσια απ’ όσο μιλάμε· και ότι η ακρόαση είναι διπλάσια δύσκολη από την ομιλία.
Είθε η Ευλογημένη Μητέρα μας, της οποίας την όμορφη γέννηση θα εορτάσουμε αύριο (για εμάς τους Μαρωνίτες, θυμόμαστε την Κυρία μας της Μαρκί!) στις 8 Σεπτεμβρίου, να πρεσβεύει για όλους μας ώστε να γίνουμε καλύτεροι ακροατές! Αμήν.
+ Σελίμ Σφέιρ
Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μαρωνιτών Κύπρου
April 30, 2023. The first communion of Emilia in Archangel Mikael church in Asomatos...
30 Απριλίου 2023. Η πρώτη κοινωνία της Αιμιλίας στην εκκλησία του Aρχαγγέλου Μιχαήλ στον Ασώματο...
By the Holy Grace, and the hand imposition of H.E. Archbishop Selim Sfeir, the sub-deacon Elias Liatsos was ordained Deacon on the altars of the Maronite Diocese of Cyprus on April 28, 2023.
Holy Thursday
1 Cor 11/23-32;Luc 22/1-23
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I want to meditate with you, on this Easter night, on the mystery of God’s love to us, through the following four points:
Nicosia, 12 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
12/04/2012
Holy Friday
1 Peter 4/12-19; John 6/48-59
I want to meditate with you on the Passion of Christ focusing on the following five points:
Nicosia, 13 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
13/04/2012
Sunday of Easter
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Al Masyhou Qam,
On this morning of the Resurrection I want to focus an and meditate with you, on four points highlighting the importance of the resurrection that we celebrate today:
I wish to all of you Happy Easter, where everyone assumes responsibility of transmitting the faith in the living Christ, source of our hope, to Him be glory for ever, Amen.
Nicosia, 15th April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
15/04/2012
2nd Sunday after Easter
2 Cor 5/11-21; John 20/26-31
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
«Peace be with you»
It is the first word addressed by Jesus to His disciples and to the whole world after His resurrection from the dead. Humanity accepts the gift of peace. It is the reconciliation that was realized with His death and resurrection, between man and God the Father. It is the fruit of the offer of Christ Himself, realized on the cross. This peace has transformed the doubt of Thomas to a living and deep faith, I would say more personal, when he confesses in front of Jesus, saying: « My Lord and my God» In this way, all those who believe and confess: « You are Christ, the Son of the Living God» will have eternal life.
We received the peace of Christ through our baptism. This peace is renewed in the Holy Eucharist, in prayer and in the personal relationship with the Lord. This inner peace is manifested spontaneously and naturally in the public sphere, in order to build a human society based on peace among men. It relates to the building of the culture of peace, the culture of reconciliation and of forgiveness. During this hour, everything is transformed, the doubts, the hostilities, the divisions, the conflicts and all kinds of evil, to a brotherly love and family spirit experienced in this multicultural human family, so rich in diversity but united in the love of God and the respect of others.
Let us built our lives based on the peace of Christ. Let us live the peace in our society here where we live and in our wider region which is lacking peace, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of peace and Saint George who defeated evil with his faith.
Amen.
Nicosia, 22 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
22/04/2012
Sunday of the disciple of Emmaus, 29.4.2012 - Homely of the Archbishop
3rd Sunday after Easter 2 Tim 2/8-13; luck 24/13-35
One of them, who was called Cleopas asked Him: “Are you the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there, these last few days?” (Luke 24:18)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
But what happened in those days? It is the question asked by the disciples of Emmaus, but it is also the question asked by each one of us in his life as disciple and baptized. It is the question motivated by faith but also by sorrow, by love but also by despair. It is the question that indicates the conflict that exists inside a human person, a search for truth and a march towards truth. The sorrow of those two disciples was caused by the fact that they were hoping for a Messiah with worldly power as all the kings of the world, whereas He announced that His kingdom was not of this world. They followed Him like so many others, but at the hour of the cross, this hour so difficult to be handled, they abandoned Him, and returned sorrowful and disappointed to their villages, to their old way of life, to their past, being aware of the happening but without understanding the meaning of it. Jesus marches with them and as pedagogue, brother, knower and examiner of their hearts, He helps them to open their hearts to the truth, and ultimately to His own truth as Lord and Resurrected. That knowledge, that light, that transformation, that joy that prevailed in their hearts, took flesh in the breaking of bread that is in Holy Eucharist, and they urged Him strongly: «Stay with us, for it is nearly evening, the day is almost over. So He entered the village to stay with them.” (Luke 24:29).
Dear brothers and sisters, it is right here, in the Holy Eucharist that we encounter the Risen Christ. It is here that we proclaim His death and resurrection, and from here that we are called to witness our faith in Him, to live following His example in the world, in integrity, in a spirit of brotherhood, of love and peace. Today’s world needs witnesses of the resurrection that will announce the good news to everyone. Christian life is a plan of life and all life marches in that spirit, otherwise all consistency and authenticity is lost. In front of this divided world, in front of sorrow and the pain of humanity, only the truth of the risen Christ consoles people. Christ is our strength, Christ is our joy, Christ is our peace, He has risen and we are the witnesses. Amen.
Nicosia, 29 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
29/04/2012
Monday after Easter
1 Cor 15/1-11; Marc 16/9-14
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On this feast day of the Virgin Mary I want to meditate with you on the virtues of Virgin Mary who participated in the glory of Her alive and resurrected Son, as well as on the behavior of the other Maries. I quote the following three points:
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We are called to witness the living God like the Virgin Mary and the other Maries. She is the Theotokos, who accompanies us and our community on this land of our fathers and ancestors. To Her we offer our villages, our island and the whole world and we ask Her to guide us in the path of Her Son. Amen.
Nicosia, 16 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
16/04/2012
The Faith
The Christian faith is the biggest gift that man receives in his life. It is the free gift of God the Father to man, called to participate in his life, this life that was given back to us by Jesus Christ, the only Son of the Father through His Death and Resurrection, and that we have received by the Holy Spirit that makes us understand the importance of this gift. Faith is also our positive response to God expressing that we accept to live with Him all the days of our lives.
We have received faith through baptism while participating in the death and in the life of Jesus Christ; this faith is nourished and becomes concrete every time we participate in the Eucharistic banquet listening to the Word of God which is Spirit and Life.
Faith is transmitted directly to us by our parents, the family environment which is the first school of faith and to faith.
Faith is growing in a solid and deep way, every time we meet Jesus Christ in our lives but on a personal level; that is a personal relationship is created between me and Jesus, a bond of love, and a testament that should never be broken, and if it is broken because of sin or ignorance, or of moving away from God, Jesus is ready to renew it with me, by just saying “Yes” to Jesus and do His will.
Faith becomes a life project and is not only limited to the context of prayer on Sunday and during private or community prayer, it is the project of my entire life without exception, without separation, and so, when out of the church, in the business world, in the family, at school, at the university, in society , among friends, my life must correspond to the encounter with Jesus in the church, in prayer at the Holy Mass. The basic attitude is to look at it as a unique project not divided or separate, otherwise the Christian life faces danger.
Why is there a danger some times in the Christian life? This fact is caused by separation and division when we say: now this is for God and now this is for me, but unfortunately this is said in the wrong way. As for a baptized person everything is for God because everything comes from God and God is everything to me. He loves me, accompanies me, He showed His love to me once and forever in the history of mankind and in my own history when He sent His Son Jesus to save me, save us, and He died on the cross. We believe that He is the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of the living God.
We live the faith and in faith in various degrees, and each of us in a different level and experience. Only God knows what's in our heart, God knows your personal course, and God accepts you in this course and in your experience and be assured, that God walks with you all the way of your life; it is enough saying like the Apostles said to Jesus: "Give us more faith."…
We all need one another, and so it was in the history of the church, there was always a need to see "signs of faith" the signs of faith are the apostles, the martyrs, the confessors, the saints, and there are many saints that we do not know but who live among us, in our homes, in our churches, our schools, our parishes, in the societies in which we live. They are the signs of faith and of holy daily life, they are the saints of silence, the saints of the gospel and the saints through whom the world changes towards a better one despite the powers of evil that surround us.
Would you like to be "a sign of faith." This is your responsibility as baptized, as a Christian, as the beloved Son of God and from God to be a sign of faith. This gives meaning to your life as a student today and tomorrow as a responsible person in the family, in society, in the church. We have inherited this gift from our ancestors and we want to give it and pass it over to our sons.
Thus, faith makes you a disciple, a missionary, someone who feels within himself a burning fire that burns his/her existence and purifies his/her being and sends him to bring the Gospel, the Good News to everyone, living in the spirit of love, unity, openness of service as the Virgin Mary, who with great faith gave us Jesus, her Son and her Savior, our Brother and our Savior, to Him we offer our lives to be signs of His Resurrection.
08/11/2012
'Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' (John 2/19)
With the prophetic Words of Jesus, proclaiming His Death and Resurrection, I would like to greet you, placing before me the truth of the Temple, the New Temple I would say, which is Jesus Himself, the Son of Man and Son of God who was incarnated, who "died and was buried, and on the third day He rose again from the dead." The Temple, therefore, is He Himself, the Temple is all of us with Him, members and head. He is the head of the new humanity, a humanity that was redeemed, a humanity that was regenerated in life, a humanity which was called to destroy every type of hatred, evil and sin so that it gives birth to a new world, a world of love, a world of brotherhood and peace.
The monastic life is nothing else than to die and live every day with Jesus Christ. It is a call to him or her, who with great courage take the decision to abandon everything aside and follow Jesus, to carry his cross, to die and make die in him/her every hatred, every evil, every sin, every pride, each type of the old Adam in order to revive with Jesus - Love, Jesus - Peace, Jesus - Reconciliation, who embraces all and brings them close to the heart of the Father.
The testimony of Prophet Elias Monastery which was the first missionary dimension of the Lebanese Maronite Order, bears witness to this reality: the presence of monks who wanted to share the love of Jesus and the love for their neighbors. To this effect, they would sacrifice themselves in order to live with Him and for Him. From generation to generation, the monks are in the living memory of the people, and are recalled by the Maronite community, in the villages, the parishes, in the life of the community. The Charisma of the monastery and every monastery must involve a dynamic presence, a missionary presence, a presence of the monastic prayer and a presence of witness.
This exhibition of photos and paintings, although it depicts the hard facts and moments that the island lived, and can be noted through destruction and damage, it hides however behind it, a history, an offering; there are sacrifices, there are values of spiritual, monastic and pastoral life. Behind it and at the level of the Island, they hide the culture of coexistence, of multiculturism. It is a challenging picture that describes Cyprus through its history, its current role as a meeting place and a human dialogue. The photos talk to everyone and give the message that the house of God, it means every house of worship must be open to all in order to become a space of forgiveness, a deep symbolic and spiritual space in which the relationship between people, friends, communities must be renewed for the benefit of all contributing in the promotion of values and stability in the human societies. These photos show all the reality they bear, pushing all people of good will to believe in the power of life, the power of love.
I greet and welcome the Lebanese Maronite Order through the distinguish presence of the Most Rev. General Superior Abbot Tannous Nehme and the delegation that accompanies him and I wish them all the best and every success. I would like to say that the Maronite Church greatly appreciates this history and this witness.
I greet and congratulate the Rev. Father Joseph Lakkotrypis Michaelides who is of a very remarkable musical academic standard; I thank him for all effort he did for organizing this activity; I greet the Mayor of Strovolos Mr Lazaros Savvides who is the co-organizer and sponsor of the event.
May the Saints and martyr monks, through the intercession of Mar Maroun, Mar Sharbel, Mar Neammtalla and St. Rebecca give us the strength to go always ahead in the project of life witnessing the love of our Lord Jesus Christ in the world.
Nicosia, 3 November, 2012
†Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
08/11/2012
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The Canonization of Blessed Giorgio Frassati and Blessed Carlos Acutis.
Today in the holy city of Rome, our beloved Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV will solemnly elevate for the whole Church two new saints, Giorgio Frassati and Carlos Acutis. Both of these young men died very young, yet in their brief journey, they show that living for Christ takes nothing away from life but fills it with meaning and joy.
The saints are the experts in listening. Like Mary of Bethany, the saints are attentive to the voice of Christ. They hear Him in the reading of the Gospel, they hear Him in the voice of the Church’s teaching, they hear Him in the voices of the poor and the immigrant, they hear Him in the silence of the Blessed Sacrament. The saints don’t just hear Jesus, they listen to Him. This work of listening is to discover the voice of Christ in those right beside us, in our families and our place of work. It's also about trying to hear the voice of Christ in our contemporaries, some of whom are far from the Church. Even in their estrangement, they are creatures of Logos, of reason, and can be unwitting transmitters of the truth. We need to have hearts and ears capable of hearing Christ speaking from the most unlikely places.
Poor Martha in her busy kitchen of Bethany could hear Christ speaking in the other room, but she was so distracted, she couldn’t listen. She got focused on her problems, her difficulties and her failures. She was listening to herself and only hearing Jesus from a distance.
The Divine Logos created the human body as a custom designed parable: we have two ears and one mouth. God is showing us that we have to do twice as much listening as we do speaking and listening is twice as hard as talking.
May our Blessed Mother, who’s beautiful birthday we shall celebrate tomorrow (for us Maronites, we think of our Lady of Mankee!) on September 8th, intercede for all of us to be betters listeners!
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
Αγαπητά εν Χριστώ αδέλφια,
Τότε ο Ιησούς του είπε: «Κάποιος έδωσε ένα μεγάλο δείπνο και προσκάλεσε πολλούς. Όταν ήρθε η ώρα του δείπνου, έστειλε τον δούλο του να πει στους προσκεκλημένους: «Ελάτε, γιατί όλα είναι έτοιμα τώρα». Καθώς συμμετέχουμε σε αυτή την ευλογημένη γιορτή της ανανέωσης της θυσίας του Ιησού Χριστού, μας συνοδεύει, όπως αρέσκεται να λέει ο Άγιος Ιωάννης ο Χρυσόστομος, μια μεγάλη ομήγυρη αγγέλων.
Αυτή η εκκλησία, αφιερωμένη στον Αρχάγγελο Μιχαήλ, έχει σίγουρα το δικαίωμα να πιστεύει ότι αυτός ο μεγάλος στρατηλάτης των ουράνιων στρατευμάτων είναι παρών εδώ μαζί μας, προσφέροντας τη λατρεία του στην Αγία Τριάδα. Τον χαιρετούμε και τον ευχαριστούμε για την προστασία του. Ο Κύριός μας στο Ευαγγέλιο, μας εξιστορεί μια παραβολή για κάποιον που παρέθεσε ένα μεγάλο δείπνο. Ο Κύριός μας συνεχίζει περιγράφοντας πώς οι καλεσμένοι άρχισαν να βρίσκουν δικαιολογίες και να απαλλάσσονται από αυτό το μεγάλο συμπόσιο. Αυτή η παραβολή απευθυνόταν ως επίπληξη στους Ιουδαίους για την άρνησή τους να πιστέψουν και να δεχτούν τον Μεσσία τους. Ο Ιησούς Χριστός είναι η εκπλήρωση όλων των προφητειών και υποσχέσεων της Παλαιάς Διαθήκης. Ένα μέρος του Ισραήλ δέχτηκε τον Χριστό και έγινε η Καθολική Εκκλησία, αλλά η παραβολή είναι πολύ σαφής, πολλοί από τον ίδιο τον λαό του Κυρίου μας δεν Τον δέχτηκαν.
Θα ήθελα να προσαρμόσω αυτή την παραβολή στην παρούσα κατάσταση. Βρισκόμαστε εδώ, στην σεβάσμια παλιά εκκλησία του Αρχαγγέλου Μιχαήλ στον Ασώματο. Το συμπόσιο της Θυσίας του Κυρίου μας, η μεγαλύτερη από όλες τις γιορτές, είναι έτοιμο μπροστά μας. Είναι αλήθεια ότι μπορούμε να παρακολουθήσουμε τη Θεία Λειτουργία σε οποιοδήποτε άλλο μέρος, γιατί όπου ένας έγκυρα χειροτονημένος ιερέας με δικαιοδοσία, χρησιμοποιώντας τις εγκεκριμένες λέξεις της αφιέρωσης, με την πρόθεση να κάνει ό,τι κάνει η Εκκλησία, και χρησιμοποιώντας τα κατάλληλα συστατικά του ψωμιού και του κρασιού, προσφέρει τη Θυσία της Θείας Λειτουργίας, εκεί μπορούμε να παρακολουθήσουμε τη Θεία Λειτουργία και να λάβουμε την Θεία Κοινωνία. Αλλά θέλω να επιμείνω ότι είναι πολύ σημαντικό να παρακολουθούμε τη Θεία Λειτουργία εδώ στον Ασώματο και στα παραδοσιακά μαρωνιτικά χωριά μας όσο πιο συχνά μπορούμε.
Η Κατήχηση της Καθολικής Εκκλησίας, παράγραφος 2471, αναφέρει: «Ενώπιον του Πιλάτου, ο Χριστός διακηρύσσει ότι «ήρθε στον κόσμο για να μαρτυρήσει την αλήθεια». Ο χριστιανός δεν πρέπει λοιπόν να ντρέπεται να μαρτυρήσει τον Κύριό μας. Σε καταστάσεις που απαιτούν μαρτυρία της πίστης, ο χριστιανός πρέπει να την ομολογεί χωρίς αμφιβολία, ακολουθώντας το παράδειγμα του Αποστόλου Παύλου ενώπιον των δικαστών του».
Όταν σκεφτόμαστε καταστάσεις σε όλο τον κόσμο, μπορούμε εύκολα να φανταστούμε τους μακρινούς αδελφούς και αδελφές μας στον Χριστό να υποβάλλονται σε μια πραγματική δοκιμασία. Αλλά και εμείς εδώ στον Ασώματο αλλά και στην Αγία Μαρίνα έχουμε μια δοκιμασία, ένα είδος δοκιμασίας. Θα μαρτυρήσουμε τον Κύριό μας μπροστά στους γείτονές μας; Πολλοί από αυτούς που βρίσκονται τώρα σε αυτό το χωριό δεν είναι βαπτισμένοι, αλλά έχουν δικαίωμα στη μαρτυρία μας, στην κατάθεσή μας. Η μαρτυρία μας δεν είναι πολιτική ή ιδεολογική. Δεν είμαστε εδώ σε μια πράξη ανυπακοής ή αντίστασης. Είμαστε εδώ επειδή είμαστε μέρος του Σώματος του Χριστού, και ο Χριστός είναι πάντα στραμμένος προς τον Πατέρα. Κοιτάζοντας τον Πατέρα μαζί με τον Χριστό, βλέπουμε κάθε άνθρωπο ως αδελφό και αδελφή μας. Γι' αυτό καμία κυβέρνηση δεν πρέπει ποτέ να φοβάται το έργο της Εκκλησίας.
Ναι, μπορούμε να λάβουμε τα μυστήρια πιο εύκολα στις τοπικές ενοριακές εκκλησίες μας, αλλά αν παραμελούμε τις εκκλησίες του χωριού μας, παραμελούμε όλες τις ψυχές που ζουν εδώ. Ένα από τα συγκεκριμένα σημάδια της καρποφορίας των Μυστηρίων είναι η οικοδόμηση της ανθρώπινης αδελφότητας. Ολόκληρος ο κόσμος χρειάζεται περισσότερη αδελφότητα, φιλία και καλοσύνη. Η παρουσία μας εδώ πρέπει να γίνει κατανοητή από αυτή τη θέση. Βρισκόμαστε εδώ επειδή μόνο ο Αναστημένος Χριστός είναι ικανός να ανακουφίσει τα βάσανα της πληγωμένης ανθρωπότητας (Πάπας Φραγκίσκος). Πιστεύω ακράδαντα ότι αυτή η θέση θα προσελκύσει τους νέους μας να επιστρέψουν στα χωριά.
Αν κάνουμε το λάθος των προσώπων της παραβολής και βρούμε δικαιολογίες, όπως «η σειρά είναι πολύ μεγάλη», «όλο και λιγότεροι άνθρωποι πηγαίνουν», «δεν έχει νόημα»... αυτό συμβαίνει επειδή έχουμε χάσει την υπομονή μας με τον Θεό. Ο Θεός εργάζεται πάντα, και συχνά είναι σαν ψίθυρος και πολύ σιωπηλός, αλλά εργάζεται. Αν εγκαταλείψουμε τον Ασώματο, την Αγία Μαρίνα, την Καρπάσια ή τον Κορμακίτη, θα είναι ένα σημάδι ότι έχουμε κουραστεί να περιμένουμε τον Θεό να κάνει κάτι.
Όταν δούμε τους αγαπημένους μας προγόνους στην αιωνιότητα, θα είναι ανυπόμονοι να δουν πώς περάσαμε τη χριστιανική μας ζωή. Ας μην τους απογοητεύσουμε λέγοντας ότι κουραστήκαμε να περιμένουμε τον Θεό να δράσει.
Ας μας ανοίξει η Μαρία, Βασίλισσα των Αγγέλων και Βασίλισσα του Ασωμάτου, την πόρτα του Ιερού Οίκου της Ναζαρέτ, ώστε να ανακαλύψουμε πώς ένα μικρό σπίτι, σε ένα ξεχασμένο χωριό, μπορεί πράγματι να αλλάξει τον κόσμο. Αμήν.
+ Σελίμ Σφέιρ
Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μαρωνιτών Κύπρου
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, “Come, for everything is ready now.”
As we join in this blessed celebration of the unbloody renewal of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we are accompanied, as St. John Chrysostom loved to say, with a great host of angels. This church, dedicated to St. Michael, surely has the right to believe that this great general of the heavenly hosts is present here with us, offering his adoration to the Blessed Trinity. We salute him and thank him for his protection.
Our Lord in the gospel tells us a parable about someone who gave a great dinner. Our Lord goes on to describe how the invited guests began to make excuses and exempted themselves from this great feast. This parable was directed as a reproach to the Jews for their refusal to believe and accept their Messiah. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament. A remnant of Israel did accept Christ and they became the Catholic Church, but the parable is very explicit, many of Our Lord’s own people did not accept Him.
I would like to update this parable to our own present situation. Here we are in this venerable old church of St. Michael in Asomatos. The banquet of Our Lord’s Sacrifice, the greatest of all feasts, is set before us.
It is true, we can attend Mass in any other place, for wherever a validly ordained priest with jurisdiction, using the approved words of consecration, with the intention to do what the Church does, and using the appropriate matter of bread and wine, offers the Sacrifice of the Mass, there, we may attend the Mass and receive Holy Communion. But I want to insist that it is very important to attend Mass here in Asomatos and in our traditional Maronite villages as often as we possibly can.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2471 states: “Before Pilate, Christ proclaims that he ‘has come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.’ The Christian is not to be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord.’ In situations that require witness to the faith, the Christian must profess it without equivocation, after the example of St. Paul before his judges.”
When we think of situations throughout the world, we can easily imagine our far away brothers and sisters in Christ being put to a real test. But we here in Asomatos we too have a test, a trial of sorts. Will we testify to our Lord, before our neighbors? Many who are here in this village now, are not baptized but they have a right to our testimony, our witness. Our testimony is not political or ideological. We are not here in an act of defiance or opposition. We are here because we are part of the Body of Christ, and Christ is always facing the Father. By looking at the Father with Christ, we see every person as our brother and sister. This is why no government should ever fear the work of the Church.
Yes, we can obtain the sacraments more conveniently in our local parish churches, but if we neglect our village churches, we are neglecting all the souls who live here. One of the concrete signs of the fruitfulness of the Sacraments is the building of human fraternity. The whole world needs more fraternity, friendship and kindness. Our presence here must be understood from this position. We are here because only the Risen Christ is capable of alleviating the sufferings of wounded humanity (Pope Francis). I firmly believe that this position will attract our young people to return to the villages.
If we make the mistake of the persons in the parable of making excuses, “the checkpoint is too long” “there are fewer and fewer people going” “it is no use” … it is because we have lost patience with God. God is always at work, and often it is like a whisper and very silent, but He is at work.
If we abandon Asomatos, or Karpasha or Kormakitis, it will be a sign that we have grown tired of waiting for God to do something.
When we see our beloved forebears in eternity, they will be eager to see how we have spent our Christian lives. May we not disappoint them by saying we grew tired of waiting for God to act.
May Mary, Queen of the Angels, and Queen of Asomatos open for us the door of the Holy House of Nazareth so that we may discover how a tiny house, in forgotten village can indeed, change the world.
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
Αγαπητά εν Χριστώ αδέλφια,
Το ευαγγέλιο αυτής της Κυριακής είναι ένα πλούσιο κείμενο που πρέπει να μελετήσουμε αργά και με προσοχή. Ο ευαγγελιστής Λουκάς, υπό την έμπνευση του Αγίου Πνεύματος, προσπαθεί να μας διαφωτίσει σχετικά με την αποκατάσταση της Δημιουργίας που λαμβάνει χώρα με τη Λύτρωση του Ιησού Χριστού.
Μέχρι την έλευση του Χριστού, οι άνδρες και οι γυναίκες υπέφεραν τις συνέπειες της προπατορικής αμαρτίας στην συγκεκριμένη πραγματικότητα του φύλου τους. Οι άνδρες υπέφεραν τις συνέπειες της προπατορικής αμαρτίας από τα διαταραγμένα πάθη τους και το σκοτεινό μυαλό τους. Η κατάσταση αυτή ήταν τόσο σκοτεινή, ώστε οι άνδρες να βρίσκονται σε διαρκή πόλεμο με τον εαυτό τους και με τους άλλους, δημιουργώντας κοινωνίες βασισμένες στη δουλεία και τη σκληρότητα. Στις γυναίκες, οι συνέπειες της προπατορικής αμαρτίας εκδηλώνονταν με το να τις υποτιμούν και να τις μειώνουν συστηματικά. Κατηγορούμενες για τα πάντα, οι γυναίκες πριν από την έλευση του Χριστού ζούσαν μια κολασμένη ύπαρξη, αντιμετωπίζονταν ως σκλάβες της σαρκικής ηδονής και φθηνής εργασίας. Χωρίς τον Χριστό, ο κόσμος βρισκόταν σε μια τρομερή κατάσταση. Σήμερα μιλάμε για τα πολλά πλεονεκτήματα των σύγχρονων γυναικών, αλλά μια τέτοια συζήτηση είναι δυνατή μόνο επειδή το φως του Χριστού έχει φωτίσει την ανθρώπινη αξιοπρέπεια κατά τη διάρκεια των τελευταίων 2.000 ετών.
Ταυτόχρονα, ας έχουμε το θάρρος να απορρίψουμε ορισμένες ιδεολογίες που έχουν εισχωρήσει στο Σώμα του Χριστού και υπονοούν ότι οι γυναίκες και οι άνδρες είναι ακριβώς ίδιοι και ότι, για να μιλάμε για ισότητα, οι γυναίκες πρέπει να κάνουν όλα τα ίδια πράγματα με τους άνδρες. Πόσο θα γελούσαν οι πρώτες γυναίκες μαθήτριες του Χριστού με τέτοια ανοησία! Οι γυναίκες δεν είναι άνδρες και πρέπει να τους επιτρέπεται να ασκούν την ομορφιά των γυναικείων τους ιδιοτήτων στην υπηρεσία του Ευαγγελίου. Η δόξα της γυναίκας δεν είναι ότι μπορεί να κάνει τη δουλειά ενός άνδρα· η δόξα της γυναίκας είναι ότι δεν έχει καμία επιθυμία να κάνει ό,τι κάνει ένας άνδρας. Ο Χριστός, το Φως μας, λάμπει φωτεινά στο μονοπάτι των σύγχρονων γυναικών, χαρίζοντάς τους τη χάρη να απορρίψουν το πνεύμα της επανάστασης και του θύματος. Στον Χριστό, η γυναίκα φωτίζεται για να δει το μονοπάτι της και με τη χάρη του Αγίου Πνεύματος δεν βλέπει τη λέξη «υπηρεσία» ως σκλαβιά, αλλά αντιλαμβάνεται την πλήρη σημασία της ως τρόπο ταύτισης με τον Χριστό, «ο οποίος δεν ήρθε για να υπηρετηθεί, αλλά για να υπηρετήσει». ِΑμήν.
† Σελίμ Σφέιρ
Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μαρωνιτων Κύπρου
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The gospel of this Sunday is a richly embroidered passage which we must meditate upon slowly and with attention. The evangelist St. Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, seeks to enlighten us to the restoration of Creation that takes place in the Redemption of Jesus Christ.
Until the coming of Christ, men and women suffered the effects of original sin in their own gender-specific reality. Men suffered the effects of original sin by their disordered passions, and their darkened minds. So dark was this condition, that men found themselves perpetually at war with themselves and with others, crafting societies built upon slavery and cruelty. In women, the effects of original sin manifested itself in being routinely put down and diminished. Blamed for everything, women before the coming of Christ, lived a hellish existence, treated like slaves of carnal pleasure and cheap labour. Without Christ, the world was in a terrible situation. Today we speak of the many advantages of modern women, but it is only because the light of Christ has illuminated human dignity throughout the last 2,000 years that such a conversation is possible.
At the same time, let us be courageous enough to reject certain ideologies have been smuggled into the Body of Christ that imply women and men are the exact same and that in order to speak of equality, women must do all the same things as men. How the first women disciples of Christ would have laughed at such silliness!! Women are not men and they must be allowed to exercise the beauty of their feminine qualities in the service of the gospel.
The glory of woman is not that she can do a man’s job; the glory of woman is that she has no desire to do what a man does. Christ our Light shines his light brightly upon the path of modern women, bestowing grace upon them to reject the spirit of revolution and victimhood. In Christ, woman is illuminated to see her path and with the grace of the Holy Spirit she does not see the word service as slavery but rather discerns the full meaning of it as way to identification with Christ, “who came not to be served, but to serve”.
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
Αγαπητά εν Χριστώ αδέλφια,
Σε ορισμένες μεταφράσεις του σημερινού ευαγγελίου, η πρωταγωνίστρια της
ιστορίας, η Χαναανίτισσα γυναίκα, ονομάζεται επίσης Συρο-Φοινικική
γυναίκα. Ως παιδιά της Μαρωνιτικής Εκκλησίας, είμαστε ευτυχείς που
συναντάμε αυτή τη γυναίκα. Είναι η μητέρα μας στην πίστη. Οι φοινικικές
ρίζες της, σε συνδυασμό με τη συριακή κληρονομιά της και την πίστη της στον
Χριστό, την καθιστούν την πρώτη Μαρωνίτισσα στο Ευαγγέλιο. Ο
Ευαγγελιστής Ματθαίος αποτυπώνει τέλεια την ουσία της πίστης αυτής της
γυναίκας.
1) Θα κάνει τα πάντα για τα παιδιά της. Αυτή η μητέρα δεν ζητάει τίποτα
για τον εαυτό της από τον Κύριο, αλλά για την καημένη κόρη της που
έχει κυριευτεί από δαίμονα. Για έναν Μαρωνίτη, δεν υπάρχει
μεγαλύτερη κοινότητα από την οικογένεια. Αν διαφωνήσαμε με ένα ή
δύο μέλη της οικογένειάς μας, πρέπει να προσπαθήσουμε να το
διορθώσουμε όσο καλύτερα μπορούμε. Το πνευματικό μας DNA είναι
τέτοιο που εκτιμά την οικογένεια πάνω από όλα. Πρέπει να κάνουμε ό,τι
μπορούμε για να επιδιορθώσουμε τους σπασμένους οικογενειακούς
δεσμούς. Και αυτή πηγαίνει ακόμη πιο μακριά: όταν πρόκειται για τη
μετάδοση της πίστης, αυτή η γυναίκα θα κάνει ό,τι χρειαστεί για να
σώσει την κόρη της. Ας κάνουμε όλοι το καθήκον μας για να
βοηθήσουμε τους νέους μας να γνωρίσουν το Ευαγγέλιο του Χριστού
και την καθολική μας πίστη.
Αντιλήφθηκε τον πνευματικό πόλεμο που μαίνονταν. Αυτή η υπέροχη
γυναίκα δεν έφυγε από τα προβλήματά της, αλλά πήγε κατευθείαν στον
Χριστό, επειδή αναγνώρισε ότι η ρίζα του προβλήματός της ήταν
πνευματική. Ως Μαρωνίτες, μπορούμε εύκολα να πέσουμε στον
υλικότητα των σύγχρονων μας και να πιστέψουμε ότι οι δυσκολίες μας
μπορούν να λυθούν μόνο πολιτικά ή οικονομικά. Πρέπει να είμαστε πιο
οξυδερκείς και να αναγνωρίσουμε ότι η ρίζα της παρούσας κρίσης είναι
πνευματική.
3) Είχε μια ιερή αποφασιστικότητα. Οι φοινικικές της ρίζες της έδωσαν μια
ενέργεια και μια επιμονή που δεν κατέρρευσαν μπροστά στο
φαινομενικό εμπόδιο της σιωπής του Θεού. Με «αδιάκοπη
αποφασιστικότητα» ακολούθησε τον Χριστό και δεν σταμάτησε να
ζητάει βοήθεια. Ως Μαρωνίτες, πρέπει να μάθουμε από αυτή την
πνευματική μας μητέρα να μην σταματάμε ποτέ να προσευχόμαστε,
ακόμα και αν οι προσευχές μας δεν απαντώνται αμέσως.
4) Έξυπνα μετέτρεψε την αδυναμία της σε πλεονέκτημα. Ο Χριστός της
υπενθύμισε ότι δεν ανήκε στον «εκλεκτό λαό» και ως εκ τούτου δεν
μπορούσε να έχει πρόσβαση στα θαύματα της ευσπλαχνίας Του. Αλλά αυτή
η έξυπνη γυναίκα μετέτρεψε την αδυναμία της σε πλεονέκτημα
χρησιμοποιώντας το μέσο που ο Χριστός δεν μπορούσε να αρνηθεί, την
ταπεινότητα. Ως Μαρωνίτες, ας μιμηθούμε την πνευματική μας μητέρα
ταπεινώνοντας συχνά τον εαυτό μας. Ας μην αφήσουμε την υπερηφάνεια
μας να επικρατήσει ούτε για μια στιγμή. Όταν παρακολουθείτε αυτό το
Ευαγγέλιο, ζητήστε από το Άγιο Πνεύμα να σας φωτίσει με ακόμη
περισσότερες γνώσεις για αυτή την αξιοθαύμαστη γυναίκα. Με αυτόν τον
τρόπο, θα γίνουμε όλοι καλύτεροι μαθητές του Χριστού, καλύτεροι
Μαρωνίτες. Αμήν.
† Σελίμ Σφέιρ
Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μαρωνιτών Κύπρου
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
In some translations of the gospel of today the protagonist of the story, the Canaanite Woman, is also called the Syro-Phonecian woman. As children of the Maronite Church, we are delighted to meet this woman. She is our mother in the faith; her Phoenician roots united to her Syriac heritage united to her faith in Christ makes her the porto-Maronite, the first Maronite in the Gospel. St. Matthew perfectly captures the essence of this woman’s faith.
What does St. Matthew tell us about this Syro-Phonecian woman, this proto-Maronite believer?
1) She will do anything for her children. This mother isn’t asking Our Lord for anything for herself but for her poor daughter who has been possessed by a demon. For a Maronite, there is no greater community than that of the family. If we have had a falling out with one or two members of our family, we must try to repair it as best we can. Our spiritual DNA is one that values family above everything; we must do everything we can to repair broken family ties. And she goes further: when it comes to transmitting the faith, this woman will do whatever it takes to help save her daughter. May we all do our part to help introduce our young people to the gospel of Christ and our Catholic faith.
2) She discerned the spiritual war going on. This wonderful woman didn’t run away from her problems but went to straight to Christ because she identified that the root of her problem was spiritual.
As Maronites, we can easily fall into the materialism of our contemporaries and think our difficulties can only be solved politically, or economically. We need to be more discerning and recognize the root of our present crisis is spiritual.
3) She had a holy determination. Her Phoenician roots gave her an energy and persistence that didn’t collapse in face of the apparent obstacle of God’s silence. With a ‘dogged determination’ she followed Christ and did not relent from asking for help. As Maronites, we must learn from this spiritual mother of ours to never cease praying even if our prayers are not immediately answered.
4) She cleverly turned her weakness to her advantage. Christ reminded her that she was not part of the ‘chosen people’ and therefore unable to access his miracles of mercy. But this clever woman turned her weakness to her advantage by using the currency that Christ could not refuse, humility. As Maronites lets imitate our spiritual mother by humbling ourselves often. Let us not let our pride have an easy time even for a single moment.
When you sit with this Gospel, ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you with even more insights about this remarkable woman. In doing so, we will all become better followers of Christ, better Maronites.
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
Today, the Holy Spirit opens for us a delightful event in the public life of Jesus Christ: Zacchaeus, a tax collector, who was determined to see Christ but was unable, because of the crowds, and his own physical limitations – he was short, so he climbed a Sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of this marvellous preacher. His astonishment must have been limitless when Christ caught sight of him and spoke kindly to him and invited himself to dinner at his house.
In first-century Palestine, the tax collector was a despised figure. Hired by the Romans to collect the taxes on the native population, the Romans made no objections to the personal enrichment of the tax collector as he added his own personal tax on the official tax. This made the tax collector loathsome and detested by the population. As perfect God and perfect man, Christ was not unaware of this taboo. Amazingly however, Christ seemed to be perfectly at ease with these characters, even calling a tax collector, St. Matthew to be part of the 12 apostles. Christ did not just merely tolerate these individuals but seemed to go out of his way to engage with them and include them in his work of Redemption.
Our Lord wanted to use their expertise in economic matters to explain in human terms what would be the spiritual economy of His Redemption. Everybody knows that if you spend money on something you should receive value in return. And this is something for each of us to meditate upon in the coming days: God does owe a reward to his faithful servants, because this has pleased God to offer such a reward. He has not only offered it, but he has also promised it. It is His Will that virtuous living and child-like faith should result in eternal happiness and deliberate wickedness in eternal misery. In His crazy love for His creatures, God has put Himself in debt because that is His Will.
Let’s spend this week thinking about the rewards that God has promised us if we spend ourselves in virtuous living. Such beautiful thoughts will move us to become big spenders in this economy of Christ.
+Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus