Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, presided today over the Mass service dedicated to marking the Virgin Mary’s Assumption Day held in Al-Diman.

In his religious sermon, the Patriarch called on the Virgin Mary, our heavenly mother, “to lead the ship of our lives, our families, our homeland and our church, across the raging sea with its waves and winds, with its crises and their political, economic, financial and security repercussions, to reach the safety shore…”

Al-Rahi cited herein the Apostle Paul’s enumerated rules of the new life, which are the fruits of the spiritual birth of believers through faith and the work of the Holy Spirit, namely to “have pure, brotherly love for all people, honoring them, following goodness and avoiding evil, practicing diligence without laziness, demonstrating warmth in spirit and worship of God, and having joy in hope, steadfastness in distress and perseverance in prayer…and sharing with people their joys and sorrows (Romans 12:9-15).”

Referring to the tragic fire incident that took place at “St. Abu Sefein Church” in the Giza area of Cairo, which led to the death of more than forty believers and the injury of dozens others, the Patriarch said: “We offer our deepest condolences to our beloved brother, His Holiness Pope Tawadros, the sister Coptic Orthodox Church and the families of the victims, and we pray for the comfort of the souls of the fallen victims and the speedy recovery of the wounded.”

The Patriarch concluded his sermon by saying: “Let the Feast of the Assumption be an invitation to every person, to rise from the captivity of his whims and his personal and factional interests, to the heights of the soul, to perceive Mary’s view of the meaning of human history and work to integrate it with the history of salvation.”

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon