Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rahi, presided this morning over the Mass service in celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the Patriarchal Church in Diman.
In his sermon, al-Rahi said: “The Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in soul and body, into Heaven, is considered one of the biggest holidays, as the Feast of the Resurrection…That is why all churches and parishes in the world celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, the Feast of our Mother, the Virgin Mary…’
He added: ‘Let us contemplate the mother of Jesus, how much she suffered, as the Church considers her to have participated in the pain of redemption,’ considering that ‘her intercession is to help us overcome these difficult circumstances in which we live.’
On another note, Patriarch al-Rahi received on Monday evening the Secretary of Diaspora Affairs in the “Friends of the Holy Valley” in Nigeria, Joe Khoury, and his wife, who raised with the Patriarch the situation of the Lebanese community residing in Nigeria, particularly since he has old ties with the community members following his mission and service in Nigeria before assuming his Patriarchal duties.
Al-Rahi commended the Lebanese expatriate community’s human solidarity with the needy Lebanese in light of the current crisis and its role in supporting the institutions’ initiatives at the social, developmental, cultural and ecclesiastical levels.
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon