Today the Church and her children rejoice for our Lord and Savior has risen from the dead. The resurrection of the Lord is the central event of our salvation, the one that gives meaning to who we are and what we do. Every celebration of the Eucharist and the other mysteries refers to it as the source of inspiration and meaning.
The resurrection is the feast of feasts, the queen of all feasts. Originally the church celebrated only one feast, the resurrection itself, which was recalled and renewed each Sunday at the celebration of the Divine Mysteries. Soon, however, it began to recall the Passover of the Lord and his victorious resurrection in a special way once a year, in addition to the weekly commemoration of the resurrection. Eventually this annual celebration of the Lord’s resurrection was prepared for by a season of prayer, fasting, and penance-Lent, and the feast itself was extended for fifty days; The Church, thus, now celebrates the resurrection of the Lord for a week of weeks (fifty days): from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday (the fiftieth day).
Today’s feast is one of joy and peace:
Peace to those who are far and
good hope to those who are near
For Christ has risen from the grave
and has gathered those who were
scattered and given them joy
The joy and peace that flow from the Lord’s resurrection are expressed today by the rite of peace which follows the gospel in the Divine Mysteries. The cross is removed from the tomb where it has rested since Great Friday and is draped in white. It is carried through the Church accompanied by hymns of praise and joy. The priest solemnly blesses the congregation with the glorious cross and then presents it to them that they might adore it.
By his living cross Christ has saved us from going astray and given us a way to heaven. Through the cross peace and harmony reign among God’s people and we are led to perfection.
And so filled with peace and with joyful hearts we proclaim:
A glorious morning has dawned,
And night has fled.
Light has conquered,
And night has been destroyed.
CHRIST IS RISEN, ALLELUIA!
ANNUAL BISHOP’S APPEAL
Our Annual Bishop’s Appeal calls us to be mindful that we are members of a larger Maronite Catholic community that encompasses a vast territory with existing challenges and growing needs. As the Bishop reported in his invitation to us, the Annual Bishop’s Appeal benefits the assistance for retired priests, seminarians, the Shrine, aid to Mission Parishes, Youth and Young Adult Ministries, and other vital ministries key to the life of our Eparchy. I ask you to please be generous in supporting the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. The goal for Saint Raymond Cathedral Parish is $8,500.00 and I am asking each family to be as generous as possible. Please make checks payable to Saint Raymond Cathedral Parish to receive a tax credit for your donation. The Eparchy counts on parishes to make their goals in order for the ministries of the Eparchy to flourish. If Saint Raymond’s falls short in reaching our goal, we will need to meet the goal by using funds from the Sunday Collection, which funds are already earmarked for our own budget. In this Holy Year of Mercy, I ask that you prayerfully consider a donation to assist the Eparchy in this most worthy appeal.
St. Raymond’s has collected $3,520.00 so far and our goal is $8,500.00. If we don’t reach our goal, the parish has to make up the difference. We have to reach our goal by the end of April.
Please be generous and support the Eparchy. Thank you.
Sub-Deacon Candidate Corner
As part of our formation, one of the goals of our ministry is to help parishioners develop a greater understanding of our rich Maronite Catholic History and Heritage. In furtherance of that goal we will be adding a short explanation to each bulletin about some aspect of our faith. This continues the discussion about our Maronite Liturgy.
The Lord's Prayer: Having mystically recalled the death and resurrection of Christ, we now seek to be nourished by the "tree of Life". To partake of this awesome gift, we must prepare ourselves. We begin with the recitation of the Lord's Prayer. Befitting its importance, the Lord's Prayer is introduced by a short prayer and is concluded with another. The introductory prayer petitions God to purify our hearts and consciences so that we can pray with confidence that prayer taught us by Christ Himself. The Lord's Prayer itself declares that God is indeed the Father of each of us. Not only is God's name holy, but all creation is holy because it is made in His image and likeness. Therefore, nature and especially human beings should never be violated. We pray that God's plan of salvation be fulfilled through His kingdom's being established on earth. God's kingdom itself is summarized in God's will being done on earth by all His creatures and, especially by uniting our wills with God's will, just as the heavens do the will of God. We invoke God's unfailing providence in providing for our daily needs. We commit ourselves to forgive others, as God has forgiven us. And we beg that God protect us from all the threats of evil. We conclude the Lord's Prayer with the Biblical affirmation that all kingdom, power, and glory being to God. Following the Lord's Prayer is a concluding prayer, called an embolism, because it develops the theme of the last petition of the Lord's Prayer, namely, that God deliver us from evil.
The Penitential Rite: To render the congregation worthy to receive the Eucharist, the celebrant imposes hands on the people and offers a prayer of absolution. We are reminded that Christ offered the sacrifice of the Eucharist for the forgiveness of sins. The celebrant calls upon the Holy Spirit to make the partakers worthy of communion.
Taken from A Commentary on the Holy Mysteries: The Holy Mystery of Offering (Qorbono)
If you have questions about Catholic teaching or our Maronite tradition, or would like to suggest a topic, please email us or tell us the next time we see you. Thank you and God Bless.
Ladies Society
The Ladies Society will have their monthly meeting on Tuesday April 5th at 7pm in the Lebanon room. Everyone is welcome!
Men’s Society
The Men’s Society will have their monthly meeting on Thursday April 7th. Liturgy at 6pm , dinner at 6:30 pm, followed by the meeting at 7pm in the Lebanon room. Everyone is welcome!
The Feast of the Annunciation
Every year the Feast of the Annunciation is March 25th. This year it fell on Good Friday . By Diocesan Liturgical Order it was moved to Tuesday March 29th and the schedule of liturgies for that feast will be 8am and 7pm.
MYO Hafli — April 30th at 7:00pm
Come join the fun (you only have to dance if you want to). We will provide pizza and soda. Bring something to share (chips, fruit, veggies, etc) and plan to have a great time! Young people ages (13-18) are encouraged to attend and participate. Current 8th graders should come too and get to know MYO.
RSVP Susan DuBois text 636-579-3442 so we know how much pizza to order.
Festival Meeting
Please join us for our first festival meeting on April 14th 7pm in the Lebanon room. The festival is September 17th and 18th.
Weekly Finances for March 20th-March 27th
Income: $4, 053.10
Expenses: $6, 230.57
This does not include Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday totals will be in the next bulletin.
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