Faith of the Mountain
The Catholic Catechism
for the Maronite Church
Christ Is among Us!
This prayer is from the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Holy Cross.
We use it for all of the Sundays of the Season of the Holy Cross.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus, make us worthy to celebrate the exaltation of your glorious cross with sacred hymns and psalms. When you appear on the last day, and the Sign of Your Cross will shine brighter than the sun, gather us before you, and surround us with your eternal light, that we may raise glory and thanks to you, to your Father, and to your Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.
(Opening Prayer for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Book of Offering)
This one prayer speaks of many important elements of private prayer and public liturgyy, the formal times we pray together as a Church.
What do you see in this prayer that describes any kind of prayer?
What do you see in this prayer that describes the Church's Liturgy?
What are some prayers that you know or that you have heard that you really like to say or hear?
The bishops of the two Maronite Eparchies in the United States exchange the Kiss of Peace during the Divine Liturgy at the National Apostolate of Maronites in Miami, Florida.
Some people light candles and leave them at shrines or in front of images of Christ or the Saints to represent their devotion and their promises or vows.
These words are from the Gospel for the Tuesday of the Second Week of Great Lent.
Jesus said:
“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”
(Matthew 7:7-12)
We are taught to ask God for what we need when we pray. Why do you think it is that sometimes people pray for something, but they don't get what they ask for?
How does Jesus teach us to ask for what we need in the Lord’s Prayer?
The last sentence in this reading is called the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” After Jesus taught the people the Lord's Prayer, he said to them:
“[I]f you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
(Matthew 6:14-15)
Why do you think Jesus makes such a close connection between our prayers and how we treat other people?
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name;
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
أَبَانَا الَّذي في السَّمَاوَات،
لِيَتَقَّدَسِ اسْمُكَ؛ لِيَأْتِ مَلَكُوتُكَ؛
لِتَكُنْ مَشِيئَتُكَ، كما في السّمَاءِ كَذلِكَ عَلَى الأَرْض.
أَعْطِنا خُبْزَنا كَفَافَ يُوْمِنا.
وَاغْفِرْ لَنا ذُنُوبَنا وَخَطَايانا،
كَما نَحْنُ نَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ خَطِئَ إِلَيْنا.
وَلا تُدْخِلْنا في التَجَرِب، لَكِنْ نَجِّنا مِنَ الشِرِّير.
لِأَنَّ لَكَ الْمُلْكَ وَالْقُوَةَ وَالْمَجْد،
إِلَى أَبَدِ الآبِدِين. آمين.
ܐܰܒܽܘܢ ܕܒܰܫܡܰܝ̈ܳܐ.
ܢܶܬܩܰܕܰܫ ܫܡܳܟ. ܬܺܐܬ݂ܶܐ ܡܰܠܟܽܘܬܳܟ.
ܢܶܗ݂ܘܶܐ ܨܶܒܝܳܢܳܟ. ܐܰܝܟܰܢܳܐ ܕܒܰܫܡܰܝ̈ܳܐ ܐܳܦ ܒܰܐܪܥܳܐ.
ܗܰܒ݂ܠܰܢ ܠܰܚܡܳܐ ܕܣܽܘܢܩܳܢܰܢ ܝܰܘܡܳܢܳܐ.
ܘܰܫܒ݂ܽܘܩ ܠܰܢ ܚܰܘ̈ܒܰܝܢ ܘܰܚ̈ܛܳܗܰܝܢ
ܐܰܝܟܰܢܳܐ ܕܳܐܦ ܚܢܰܢ ܫܒ݂ܰܩܢ ܠܚܰܝ̈ܳܒܰܝܢ.
ܘܠܳܐ ܬܰܥܠܰܢ ܠܢܶܣܝܽܘܢܳܐ ܐܶܠܳܐ ܦܰܨ ܠܰܢ ܡܶܢ ܒܺܝܫܳܐ.
ܡܶܛܽܠ ܕܕܺܝܠܳܟ ܗ̱ܺܝ ܡܰܠܟܽܘܬܳܐ ܘܚܰܝܠܳܐ ܘܬܶܫܒܽܘܚܬܳܐ
ܠܥܳܠܰܡ ܥܳܠܡܺܝ̈ܢ. ܐܰܡܺܝܢ܀
Saint Paul, the Apostle, often writes about praying for others. To the Colossian Christians he wrote:
In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. (Colossians 1:3-5)
We pray for others and we ask others to pray for us. This is how we show our love and concern for others. We are united to all Christians who ever lived or will live in God's love. So the Saints pray for us, too. The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, prays for us. Jesus gave Mary to us as our Mother, too.
Everyone who loves Jesus more than anything else, learns to love everyone and to be concerned about everyone's good. As we love Jesus more and more, we want to pray more and more for everyone, even the people we may not like at first.
Another very loving Saint, who lived not long ago, is famous for praying for healings for all different kinds of people, not just people like him. He lived over one hundred years ago, alone, near a monastery in Anaya, Lebanon. His name was Saint Sharbel.
We ask the Saints to pray for us. Let us also pray to God to be more like the Saints, especially, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Sharbel.
Who are some of the Saints who are special to you? Do you ask them to pray for you?
What can we do to be more like the Saints we know? Is there anyone you know who is saintly? What is special about such people?
The reference below each statement links to the official English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
© 2020, Saint Maron Publications,
the publishing house of the Eparchies
of the Antiochene Syriac Maronite Catholic Church
in the United States of America.