John 14 / 15 – 26
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.”
The Maronite Church receives today’s precious feast from the Roman Church: the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. From the earliest centuries, Christians have looked for ways to express their faith in the Most Holy Eucharist, even outside of the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) reaffirmed the doctrine of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, condemning the teachings of Berengarius of Tours – who denied this presence – and stressed the need to adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
The beautiful devotions to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament which flowed from the Roman Church were often the result of the controversies and heresy. The Maronite Church which always held the true faith of the Church of Christ’s Real Presence did not suffer such controversies. Our Maronite forebears, suffering under extreme persecution joyfully received the exquisite manifestations of faith in the Eucharist that had developed in the Roman Church: visits to the Blessed Sacrament, perpetual adoration, benediction, processions, the beauty of the Tabernacle and its veiling and so many other marks of adoration. All these wonderful expressions compliment the Maronite faith in the Eucharist which is manifested by silence, adoration and monastic dedication.
Today, the Maronite Church of Cyprus must rewaken a spirit of adoration before the Eucharistic mystery. St. John XXIII recalling the Eucharistic piety of the St. Jean Marie Vianney, said that “nothing can replace silent and prolonged prayer before the altar.
Adoration of Jesus, our God; thanksgiving, reparation for our faults and for those of men, supplication for the many intentions entrusted to him, all lead (…) to a greater love for the Divine Master.”
All our problems, all our difficulties, in our personal lives, in our families, in our community, in our villages and in our nation of Cyprus can and will be solved only with silent and prolonged prayer before Jesus in His Eucharistic mystery.
“May our adoration never cease!” – St. John Paul II
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus