The Vine الكرمة

1. The Vine الكرمة THE REVELATION TO JOSEPH THE REVELATION OUR LADY OF PEACE - CALGARY OUR LADY OF GOOD HELP - EDMONTON DECEMBER 2008 Day 14: Saint Nimatullah Kassab Al-Hardini, a Lebanese monk. Day 15: Oltarious and his mother Day 16: Prophet Hajjai & Saint Olympiad, a widow and deaconess Day 17: The three young men: Hanania, Azra and Michaeel Day 18: Prophet Daniel, the fourth among the Great Prophets Day 19: Saint Athanodoros & Saint Pope Pius the fifth Day 20: Saint Ignatius the martyr, patriarch of Antioch (Our Lady of Peace – Calgary Mass Saturday at 6:00pm – Our Lady of Good Help Edmonton -Mass Sunday at 11:00am (English) 12:00pm (Arabic) Rev. Fr. Esper Antoun – Pastor Deacon Michel Kassas – Assistant 504, 30th Ave. N.W 9809-76th Ave. N.W Calgary, AB T2M 2N6 Edmonton, AB T2E 1K6 Tel: (403) 289-8954 Tel: (780) 433-8571

2. SUNDAY OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF ZECHARIA THE REVELATION TO JOSEPH A Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians (Ephesians 3:1-13) Brothers and Sisters: This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory. Praise be to God always. A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew (Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. This is the Truth, Peace be with you.

3. SUNDAY OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF ZECHARIA THE REVELATION TO JOSEPH • INTENTION PRAYERS • On the Sunday of the Revelation to the Joseph,we pray Lord, for our Shepherds who bear witness to your saving visit to all humanity: our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI (Sixteenth), Nasrallah Peter our Patriarch of Antioch, and Joseph our Bishop, and all the shepherds and leaders. May they continue to be witnesses of love and faith in our world? We pray to the Lord. • 1- On the Sunday of the Revelation to the Joseph, we pray for all nations especially those at war. Help them, Lord and change the doubt in their hearts into confidence in your saving love. We pray to the Lord. • 2- On the Sunday of the Revelation to the Joseph, we pray for ourselves to have the clarity of Joseph, and his absolute faith in God and the Spirit of love. We pray to the Lord. • 3- On the Sunday of the Revelation to the Joseph, we pray with Joseph, the foster father of Jesusand all the saints for the Churches of the world. May we all become a faithful people like Zechariah? We pray to the Lord. • On the Sunday of the Revelation to the Joseph, we look forward to our eternal stay in heaven. We ask the Lord to have mercy on all the faithfully departed, especially (The departed of our Church) Accept our offerings on their behalf and give them eternal rest in your kingdom. Forgive their sins and ours. We pray to the Lord. Our Lady of Good Help – Edmonton Our Lady of Peace – Calgary www.mcparish.orgwww.mcparishcalgary.org

4. THE REVELATION TO JOSEPH St Nimatullah Youssef Kassab Al-Hardini(1808-1858) Youssef Kassab Al-Hardini was born in 1808 in Hardin, Lebanon. As a child, he was strongly influenced by the monastic tradition of the Maronite Church. Four of his brothers became priests or monks, and Youssef himself entered the Lebanese Maronite Order in 1828. The young man began religious life at the monastery of St Anthony in Qozhaya, near the Qadisha (Holy Valley), where he remained for two years until he began his novitiate and was given the name "Nimatullah". During the novitiate, he deepened his life of personal and community prayer and dedicated time to manual labour, while also learning to bind books. Nimatullah was especially noted for his love of the Blessed Sacrament. During his free time - frequently at the sacrifice of sleep - he was often found in the chapel on his knees, arms raised in the form of a cross and eyes fixed on the tabernacle. On 14 November 1830 he made his religious profession and was sent to the monastery of Sts Cyprian and Justina in Kfifan to study philosophy and theology. On 25 December 1833 he was ordained a priest and became director of the scholasticate and a professor. During the two civil wars of 1840 and 1845, he suffered greatly with his people. His brother, Fr Elisha, suggested he withdraw to a hermitage, but he replied:  "Those who struggle for virtue in community life will have greater merit". He observed that the ordinary, everyday life is a continuous martyrdom, since the monk must always be a model to his brother monks, guarding himself from becoming a source of scandal; instead, the hermit lives alone, away from all external temptations. It was also a decisive moment in his spiritual life, and he offered himself to God for Lebanon and his Order. His motto was:  "The greatest is he that can save his soul", and he would often repeat this to his brother monks. Our Lady of Good Help Parish Edmonton Children will held a “Christmas Concert” leaded by HananSamia and FaridSalloum on the organ on the 21st of December 2008 after the Holy Mass. All are invited to encourage our children in praising the divine infant Jesus Christ Our Lady of Good Help Parish Edmonton & Our Lady of Peace Parish Calgary will start the Christmas Novena starting from Monday the 15th of December 2008 at 7:30pm. All are invited to attend and share the joy of Christmas prayers. Merry Christmas