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Could you elaborate on the alleged Monotheistic of the Maronites?

Answer:  In the 7^th century, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius desired to unify Christian belief and thereby strengthen his Empire. In an attempt to compromise between the Chalcedonians and anti-Chalcedonians with the aid of the Patriarch of Constantinople, he arrived at the formula of a “unique operation” in the person of Christ. In 680 A.D., at the Council of Constantinople, (which no Bishop from Syria was able to attend), the discussion centered on the two wills in Christ, rather than his “unique operation.” In this the Council was following the example of the Synod of Rome of 649 and the desire of Pope Martin I.

In regard to the Maronites, it must be noted that the discussion concerning the existence of the two wills in Christ did not reach Lebanon and Syria before the year 727. Therefore the Maronites could not have been involved in the debate in the 7^th century concerning the wills of Christ, nor could the Council of Constantinople have been concerned with them.

During this time, religious battles had reached a culmination of irreducible hostility between the various Christian denominations within the Patriarchate of Antioch. Chalcedonians, Nestorians and Jacobites formed three rival churches. The followers of two natures in Christ, standing in the middle between the other two groups, were always afraid to go too far, even to excessive language. Since they did not know about the Council of Constantinople, they lived according to the first five councils, especially Chalcedon. When, in the 8^th century, prisoners brought into Syria spoke of “two wills,” the Maronites, accustomed to only one phraseology, saw in their teaching a dualism in Christ. For them, this was Nestorianism. On the other hand, Maronite liturgical books clearly speak of a complete human nature in Christ, with all that entails. Their only difficulty was with any teaching that might imply a conflict in the two wills of Christ. There is no evidence that the Maronites ever stood in opposition to any of the conciliar teachings of the Church once they were informed of them.

Note: for a more detailed description of this issue see “History of the Maronite Church” by Msgr. Peter Dib.

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Answer:  Advent is the time in which we are to restore Jesus to the center of the Christmas celebration, this is the time in which we sing read and talk about Jesus’ birth. A time when all of the family should gather around the Christmas tree, in observance of the Birth of Jesus Christ and find the observance meaningful. The props are simple and inexpensive. The memories and training will last a lifetime. Although many churches share the common doctrine, each family can add its own flavor. The season of the announcements (Advent) started on Sunday November 19 in the Maronite Church when we celebrated the Announcement to Zechariah.

In the Western (Latin) rite, December 3^rd would be their beginning of the Advent season, because Christmas falls on different days each year, Advent can last 22 to 28 days. In the Maronite tradition the Advent wreath and candles are not used. The Latin Rite Catholics use the Wreath and Candles. If I remember correctly we had five candles, three were purple, one rose and one white candle. The first day of Advent we would light the first purple candle known as the prophecy candle, read a verse from the scripture recite some prayers, and after the prayers one of the children would blow out the candle, this we would repeat each day of the week for the entire season of Advent. The second Sunday we would relight the first candle and light the second purple candle, that candle was known as the Bethlehem Candle. Read from the scripture and recite more prayers. The third week we would light two purple candles and the rose candle, Rose is a sign of joy and hope that our Lord is coming. We then lit the last purple candle on the fourth week, known as the angel candle all four candles are lit each night that week to symbolize the growing brightness of Jesus’ coming. Christmas Eve is when we light the white candle; this candle is the pure candle, the birth of our Lord Candle. This is Our Lord’s birthday and we should all sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

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Answer:  Answering, “Amen before receiving communion is not an option, it is a clear directive of the Roman Catholic, and Maronite Church. It constitutes a profession of faith in the Lord’s Real Presence under the form of bread and wine. The current formula for distribution and reception of Holy Communion goes all the way back to St. Augustine.

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Answer: In your list of malefactors you must include the word repentant. Also, before any explanation is begun, it must be understood that divorce by itself dues not necessarily bar anyone from Communion. It is re­marriage without annulment of the first marriage that invokes the penalty.

In the present social and religious upheaval, divorces are becoming almost as numerous as mar­riages. The Church marriage laws that once seemed right and reasonable to most persons of good will now affect the lives of Catholics who can’t always see how the law is being fair to them.

The catch is, of course, that anyone entering on a remarriage unblessed by the Church is entering into a perduring state of disobedience to that Church. The other sinners you mentioned can repent, confess, and return to Communion. The invalidly married person cannot give up the sin without giving up the mar­riage, which often (when children are involved) seems morally impossible.

But the Church cannot admit to Communion those in invalid marriages without utterly destroying the teaching that sacramental marriage is one of the channels of grace established by Christ. The Church was given authority by Christ to determine which marriages are channels of grace and which are not. The dilemma for the invalidly married is that no matter how good their intentions are they cannot obey and disobey at the same time.

The Church is trying to meet the crisis by ex­amining first-marriage contracts more carefully and granting annulments when they are found not to be, let us say, of sacramental quality. It is requiring expressed comprehension of the meaning of the sacramental contract, rather than assuming it or accepting a perfunctory written promise about ob­serving Christian marriage essentials. It is educating Catholics about the seriousness of the Catholic mar­riage contract.

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 Throughout the history of the Church, women have always served and ministered. The Gospels of the Apostles record specific instances of women’s influence and presence. Prior to Vatican II, women mainly Religious Sisters, were directly involved in ministry in schools, hospitals, parishes, orphanages, and other Church – sponsored institutions.

Women’s role in the Church was specifically addressed in the Vatican II Decree on the Apostolate of lay people: “ Since in our days women are taking an increasingly active share in the whole life of society, it is very important that their participation in the various sectors of the Church’s apostolate should likewise develop” (9).

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This page last modified on 11/16/05