Homily of His Excellency Selim Sfeir, Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus, March 9, 2025
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
“Jesus Christ our God, in your plan of salvation for us, you healed the leper. Cleanse our bodies and souls from every sin, in thought and in deed, and sanctify our spirits with your Holy Spirit.” – Opening Prayer
Our Maronite Liturgy is unique in the liturgical patrimony of the Universal Church, in that our prayers are directed, with a special forcefulness, towards Jesus Christ. The disciples of St. Maron in their profound adherence to the creed of the Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.) wished to affirm over and over again their faith in the Divinity of Jesus Christ. In other parts of the Universal Church, their liturgies address the Father through Jesus Christ, but in our humble Maronite liturgy we call out to Jesus Christ, the Eternal Logos, Son of the Eternal Father.
Our Maronite forefathers bequeathed to us a spirit of prayer patterned on the cry of the poor leper; “if you choose, you can make me clean”. If we make the Maronite Liturgy the pattern of our individual prayer, we will approach our Lord with simplicity and confidence. The sad reality of our fallen nature makes us very much like the poor leper. Just as leprosy destroys the nervous system of the body, cutting the body off from sensory experience, so spiritual leprosy, (the effects of original and personal sin) renders us in a state of a “living death”. The spiritual leprosy of our fallen condition cannot be fully explained or understood; it cannot solved by science or medicine.
Our Lord Jesus Christ established seven Sacraments for the soul. Just as the body has basic needs, so too does the soul. When our body falls ill, we go to the doctor; when our soul falls ill, we should go to the priest for the beautiful Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. In these Lenten days, let us go to confession and discover the healing grace of Jesus Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to acknowledge your need for this beautiful sacrament.
Catechism of the Catholic Church #1441
“Only God forgives sins. Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” and exercises this divine power: “Your sins are forgiven.” Further, by virtue of his divine authority he gives this power to men to exercise in his name. Cf. John 20:21-23.
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus