أعياد القديسين
3
اذار - مارس
ماروني
March 01
Souvenir of the righteous Domnina
The historian Theodoret said: that she was the daughter of rich, pious Christian parents. She followed the biography of the great Saint Maron, so she set up a poor hut made of corn leaves in her father's garden, in which she stayed as a worshiper, weeping. She used to spend money on the poor and needy. Despite her thin body, she ate nothing but soaked lentils. And there was no limit to her arduous austerities. It meant special care for hermits and worshipers. So many women wanted to follow her method until their number almost exceeded the two hundred and fifty worshipers. This order has flourished for centuries and was known as the Maron Women's Order.
And after the righteous Domina fought the good fight, she rested in the Lord towards the year 455. Her prayers are with us. amen.
March 02
Patriarch John Maroun
Mar John Maron is a monk from the monastery of Maron and the bishop of Batroun and Mount Lebanon. The first patriarch of the Maronite Church was elected during the second half of the seventh century after Christ (about 686 AD), when the Antiochene See became vacant. He is the first Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and the sixty-third after St. Peter, who established the Antiochian Chair in the first century after Christ. With this work was the beginning of the organization and building of the Maronite Church on the ecclesiastical, national and social levels.
Saint John Maron and his disciples were forced to emigrate to Lebanon because of the persecution inflicted upon them by the Roman and Islamic armies. After that, the patriarchal seat was moved to Kfarhi, Batroun, where the monastery (Rish Marw, meaning the head of Maron) was built, in which the skull of Maron was placed.
Traditionally, this is the place where Saint John Maron died and was buried on March 9, 707 AD. Today, the Maronite Church celebrates his feast on the second of March.
Saint John Maron was gifted with a special militant apostolic zeal. During his presidency, the Maronites achieved a decisive victory that led the people of Lebanon to gather around the Patriarch. He pointed out that Saint John Maron was not only a national leader, but he was also a striving saint in his apostolic mission, as he taught and preached and visited the people of his diocese, especially during the period in which the plague epidemic spread (685 AD). .
Saint John Maron stands in this icon, bold and majestic in his red and white liturgical ecclesiastical dress. As for his stick, "the stick of his authority," and his patriarchal cross, they were made of wood, as was the custom at that time.
He holds in his right hand the Maronite cross with three prongs and blesses with it...
May God bless his saints.
March 03
Commemoration of St. Thomas the Theologian
Thomas was born in the year 1224 in the Rocca Sica Palace in Aquine, Italy. Fifth, his father sent him to the school of the Monastery of Mount Cassine, where the Benedictine monks were the best example for him. It is narrated that despite his youth, he used to ask this question: “What is God? ".
He completed his studies at Naples College. And in the year 1244, he entered the Dominican Order despite his mother's fierce resistance, who arrested him and imprisoned him in her palace for a year. Saint Albertus the Great, so he devoted himself to studying until he surpassed all his peers. And Thomas, with his huge body, few words, thought a lot, so he imagined to his companions that he was thick-minded, so they called him the dumb bull. He was elevated to the priestly rank in the year 1248 and he was twenty-five years old, so he increased in holiness and union with God.
He made great strides in the path of science and took over the platform of education at the University of Paris, while he was young, so he dazzled his students with his knowledge, explanations and his new plan in education. And the impact of the philosophy of Aristotle on the philosophy of Plato.
His fame soared, and he had a high status with the great pontiffs, and King Louis IX used to guide him and take his opinions. The meek and humble man, he prayed a lot, meditated, and recited monastic duties. and he used to say: “I gained more knowledge through prayer than through study.”
Pope Gregory X invited him to the Council of Lyon, Philippine, and he accepted the invitation despite his poor health and the hardship of travel. His illness became severe on the way, so he stopped by the Sito Monastery of St. Mubarak's monks. He committed himself to bed, and rested in the Lord on the seventh day of March in the year 1274, when he was fifty years old.
And God performed many amazing miracles through his hand during his life and after his death In it, Pope John XXII acquitted his Holiness on July 18, 1323: “Every chapter of his books reveals a wonderful verse.” It is enough for his famous theological summary to remain A range of generations, a constitution for seminaries in the East and West. Pope Leo XIII declared him the patron saint of all Catholic schools. -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ His prayers are with us. Amen.
March 09
Memorial of the forty martyrs
These heroes from Capduk were leaders in a Roman squad, under the leadership of the pagan Lysias. When the army gathered in Sebastia, Armenia, to offer sacrifices to idols, these forty abstained from participating in those sacrifices._cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b -136bad5cf58d_ فاستدعاهم الوالي اغركولا واخذ يحقق معهم فاعترفوا بأنهم مسيحيون. فأمرهم بأن يضحوا للآلهة. فأبوا. فقال لهم:_cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ “Sacrificing to the gods so that you may be magnified, and you will not be stripped of your army regions.” They replied: “It is better for us to lose our army regions than to lose our army regions Jesus Christ our God."
So he sent them to prison, where they spent the night in prayer. Then the Lord suddenly appeared to them, encouraging and strengthening them to persevere until the end in order to obtain the crown of martyrdom.
On the second day, the governor began to flatter them, but he did not get any object from them. so he ordered them to be returned to their prison.
And their leader, Lysias, came seeking to win them over, but he did not succeed You are able to move us away from the love of Christ.” He got angry and ordered them to be hit with stones on their faces, and the stones returned to the hitters.
So the governor commanded that they throw them into a lake whose water was icy. and they encouraged each other, saying: “We went down for forty to the water, we will go for forty to heaven.”_cc781905-5cde- 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ However, because of the severe cold, one of them lost his patience, so he got out of the water and entered a bath, so he lost his strength and died. The martyrs grieved, but they strengthened themselves with prayer and divine help._cc781905-5cde-3193-56d_bb3b-f194 Suddenly, one of the guards saw a bright light, and behold, angels carrying wreaths for the heads of the thirty-nine martyrs. He was astonished by this strange scene and grace moved his heart, so he cried with his companions: I am a Christian!_0-cc7819 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ and threw himself into the water. and obtained the crown that that poor coward had lost. and the martyrs became, as they wished, forty martyrs. -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ And that was on the ninth of March in the year 320.
The Eastern Church is proud of these martyrs and presents them as the best example for its children, especially for the young men, following in their footsteps in the heroism of faith and love and sacrificing everything in order to preserve the right principles and sound morals. May their prayers be with us. bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Amen.
March 12th
Souvenir of Pope Gregory I the Great
He was born in Rome around the year 540. His father, Gordianus, was a member of the Senate. He had a soul full of virtue and did righteous deeds. As for his mother, Sylvia, she devoted her last days to worshiping God in a monastery.
Gregory grew up in the bosom of righteousness and holiness, and was educated in science, so King Justin II established him as governor of his city, Rome, when he was thirty years old. And when his father died, he recovered the world and what is in it, and began to spend his large sums of money on the poor and the construction of monasteries, so he established six monasteries in Sicily, and a monastery in his court in Rome. Then he joined the monks of St. Mubarak. Pope Benedict I ordained him a priest, so he went to England to preach for seven years in that capital. He returned to Rome, and his soul longed for his monastic life. so he went to his monastery, and the monks chose him as head . So he stressed the preservation of laws. In the year 590, the bishops, clergy, and people unanimously agreed to elect him to succeed Pope Pelagius against his will.
This holy Pope was concerned with reforming and organizing the liturgy. and arranged church rituals with his book called “The Gregorian Rite.” He also paid special attention to church music that he was fond of, and it is known by his name._cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf58d_ Pope Gregory circulated the recitation of psalms in the chorus, between two choirs, as he saw it in Constantinople.
And after these apostolic deeds and dazzling glories, this Pope Gregory the First has the right to be called the Great, because he was great in all stages of his life. Among her media teachers. His prayers are with us. Amen.
March 15th
Souvenir of St. Benedict, the founder of monasticism in the West
This great saint was born in Italy in the year 480, and he is the descendant of an honorable, rich, and pious family. So his father sent him to Rome to learn sciences, and he excelled in them. But what he saw was bad behavior in His companions, and from the corruptions and evils in that capital, prompted him to leave it and return to his father’s house. And soon he made his intention to asceticism in this world, when he was fourteen years old._cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf58d_ He slipped out of his father's house one day, secretly. leaving his wealth and bliss to be entirely God in solitude and solitude. so he walked in the mountain where he met a holy monk named Romanos He asked him what he meant, so he told him of his desire for asceticism, so he dressed him in the monastic rite. Benedict called God in his happy seclusion, practicing prayers and fasting for three years, until he was perfect._cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf58d_ His holiness became famous among those close to his hermitage. And when Satan was tempting him, he used to throw himself on thorns, until the temptation departed from him. He fought this battle repeatedly, until he finally won a brilliant victory. Al-Hayat. Many people wanted to follow his example, including his two students Maurice and Placid. And when the number of his students increased, he established twelve monasteries for them._cc781905-5cde-5cde bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ and he was guiding them and taking care of their affairs. In the year 530 God inspired him to go to a lonely high mountain called Mount Cassino, where he built the main monastery of the Benedictine Order.
And he established a well-known law for his monks, which heals what is in that proud soul united with God. Then he moved to His mercy on March 21, 547, after spending about thirteen years in his monastery in Mount Cassino._cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ After his death, his monastic order and its monasteries spread to all countries. and provided to the Church and to humanity, and still are, a great service. Saints, many bishops, and scholars have benefited the Church and honored it with the highest of their virtues and abundant knowledge.
March 17th
Souvenir of Saint Lazarus, who was resurrected by Christ from the grave
Lazarus was from Bethany on the outskirts of Jerusalem. and he was a virtuous and rich man, a friend of the Lord Christ, who used to frequent his house, and he raised him from the grave after staying there for four days, as John the Beloved said (John 11/41). -44).
After the Savior's ascension to heaven, the Jews seized Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary, and threw them into the sea. Divine Providence led them to the city of Marseilles in France, where they preached the Gospel, and many believed in their hands. On Marseille. And after he made his church the best policy, the pagans arrested him, so the ruler of the city summoned him before him and ordered him to sacrifice to idols, but he refused, professing his faith in Christ, so the governor ordered his body to be torn with iron nails and they threw arrows at him._cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ He attained the wreath of martyrdom in the first century AD, around the year 60. His prayers are with us. Amen.
March 18th
Souvenir of Saint Curls, Bishop of Jerusalem
Cyril was born in Jerusalem in the year 315. He mastered Greek literature, and read the books of pagan philosophers. and knew its weaknesses and shortcomings, as he delved into religious sciences, studied the holy books, and the writings of the holy fathers, and understood their meanings.
Saint Maximus, Bishop of Jerusalem, ordained him deacon in the year 334, then a priest The Christian religion, and he delivered single sermons to the believers. And people crowded around his pulpit to hear his words. He left us twenty-three sermons, in some of which he explained the law of faith and in others the sacred secrets. In the year 351, Maximus, Bishop of Jerusalem, fell asleep in the Lord, so the bishops and the people unanimously elected Cyril to succeed him. 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ وكانت الهرطقة الاريوسية انتشرت انتشاراً هائلاً لانضمام ملوك القسطنطينية اليها. وكان القديس كيرللس اشد المكافحين لها. لذلك كان هدفاً لسهام الاريوسيين._cc781905-5cde -3194- bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ So they pursued him with the kings, their supporters, until he was exiled three times. And he carried his cross with the grace of patience and submission to God’s will, and he did not return to his throne until after the death of King Valens the Arian in the year 370.
He attended the second ecumenical council convened in Constantinople in the year 381 against Macedonius, who denies the divinity of the Holy Spirit The benefit is for the church and the believers. And he rested in the Lord in the year 386. His prayers are with us. Amen.
March 19th
Saint Joseph, the preacher of the Virgin Mary
The Bible of this great saint did not preserve a word that came out of his mouth, and the earth did not hear his utterance. Rather, his silence and perfection, the beauty of his soul, the splendid qualities of him, the sublimeness of his virtues, along with the simplicity of his life, were the most wonderful teaching, the most eloquent statement, and the most beautiful philosophy that came out of the mouth of a person. Saint Joseph is an ideal for young men, men, husbands, heads of dependents, celibate monks, and virginal daughters, as he is an intercessor for all of them in their religion and their world. Because he collected in his person and in his life the highest advantages and the most complete virtues that a person can have in this world.
Joseph Al-Batoul was from Bethlehem, from the tribe of Judah and from the clan of David. Thus, he was among the nobles of Israel, by birth, origin, lineage, and lineage. However, God, who had wanted his only son to live a life of humility and poverty, willed that the man whom he would appoint to be the faithful keeper of his mother, and the true and wise servant of Jesus in his youth, be poor and needy, with no interest among his people, and no mention of him among his family and clan.
But St. Joseph's riches were in his heart. His wealth was his morals and virtues. So God chose him among all the men of Israel for the greatest message that he called to mankind. Joseph was that man who fulfilled God's purposes in him...
Joseph made his whole life, his emotions, his fatigue, his work, his powers, his vigils and his thoughts according to the service of Mary and her son Jesus, and their love and devotion to them.
March 23rd
Memorial of Saint Rafqa
Saint Rifqa was born in Hemlaya, one of the northern Matn villages near Bikfaya, on June 29, the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul, in the year 1832.
She was left alone with her parents: Murad Saber Al-Shabak Al-Rayes, and Rafqa Al-Gamil.
She accepted the Sacrament of Holy Baptism on July 7, 1832, and was called to Petrosia. Her parents raised her to love God and persevere in prayer. Her mother died in 1839, when Rafqa was seven years old, and she was fond of her love.
Her father fell into hardship and destitution, so he sent her to Damascus in 1843 to serve in the house of Asaad Al-Badawi, of Lebanese origin, for four years.
Rafqa returned to her parental home in 1847, and she was saddened by the fact that her father had remarried in her absence. Rafqa seemed to be beautiful, sweet-natured, light-hearted, soft-spoken, pious and meek. Her maternal aunt (her mother's sister) wanted her to marry her son, and her maternal aunt (her father's wife) wanted her brother, which led to a quarrel between them. Rafqa was saddened by this disagreement, and chose to embrace the monastic state.
March 25th
Commemoration of the Annunciation of Our Lady, the Virgin Mary
Luke the Evangelist said: In the sixth month (of John’s conception), the angel Gabriel was sent by God, to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph from the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. When the angel entered her, he said to her: "Peace be upon you, full of grace. The Lord is with you." To preserve her virginity, assuring her that this sacrament takes place in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. She trusted his words, and said humbly: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, so let it be done to me according to your word, and the angel departed from her” (Luke 1/ 26-38). The mystery of the divine incarnation on which the Christian religion is based. It is the happiest land that heaven brings to earth. Through it, God fulfilled His promise to save the human race after the Adamic fall, when He said to the serpent, i.e. the Devil: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring, and he will crush your head...” (Genesis 3:15). “And when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4).
God promised Abraham that the Savior would come from his descendants. And he said with the tongue of Moses: “The Lord will raise up for you a savior from among your brothers.” “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The angel gave the Virgin a sign, which is the pregnancy of her barren relative Elizabeth. Mary said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1/38). Prophecies have been full of the mystery of the incarnation since ancient times, and we suffice with the famous verse of Isaiah: “Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call his name Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7/14). This secret was accomplished in the bowels of our Lady, the Virgin Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Eternal Word united our human nature with His divine hypostasis standing by His divine and human nature, complete and distinguished by their divine and human actions.