GIVE THANKS. Our Lady of Lebanon. Maronite Catholic Church. The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. Psalm 107. Sunday November 29, 2015

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1 Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church 950 North Grace Street, Lombard, IL Tel: / Fax: Rev. Fr. Pierre El Khoury Cell: The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth Sunday November 29, 2015 Thanksgiving Day is a time for family gatherings, remembering our blessings, and offering thanks to God for the bounty we have. May this Thanksgiving Day be filled with joy in your homes, your travels, and your gatherings here and away. May God Bless us all as we give thanks, and remember the homeless and poor when we pray over our tables of plenty. We thank you, Father, for the gift of Jesus. Thank you for creating us and the gift of life. Thank you for yesterday, today, & tomorrow. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows. May we live every day mindful of all that has been given to us. Amen. GIVE THANKS To the LORD, for He is good: His mercy endures forever. Psalm 107 Page 1 of 7

2 Gospel of Luke 1:39-45 During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled. Do you recognize the presence of the Lord Jesus in your life? Blessed are you if you see and recognize the Lord with the eyes of faith. The word Blessed [Makarios in Greek] literally means happiness or beatitude. It describes a kind of joy which is serene and untouchable, self-contained, and independent from chance and changing circumstances of life. Mary was given the blessedness of being the mother of the Son of God. That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as her Son died upon the cross. To be chosen by God is an awesome privilege and responsibility. Mary received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow. Her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises. The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which enables us to bear any sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can take away. Do you know the joy of a life given over to God in faith and trust? When Elizabeth greeted Mary they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God s gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us. Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me joy in seeking you more closely. Increase my faith in you, my hope in the joys of heaven, and my love for You as my All. Amen. Page 2 of 7

3 REMEMBER IT Blessed are you among women, And blessed is the fruit of your womb Luke 1: 42 Deacon's Corner "Love the Lord, thy God, with your whole heart" Sometimes we need to remember that all that we have has not been accomplished by ourselves alone, but with the Grace that He has bestowed upon us. So looking forward to this week, we know that Thanksgiving is coming. Thanksgiving always sparks in me the beginning of the Holiday Season of Christmas. And with all the hustle and bustle that comes with the Holiday Season, let us always take this opportunity at Thanksgiving to pause and thank God for all of the blessings He has bestowed upon us. Some might say that the past year was not a good one or you had challenges that you wish had not occurred, but I strongly suggest that we tell Our Lord "Thank You" for all that He has given us. And if you don't do this already, use this Thanksgiving as a "kick off" of a new dimension of your own spirituality to be more thankful than you have been before. Don't be happy with what you have done in the past, but aim to improve your life by including Jesus Christ in your daily thoughts, prayers and activities by remembering to say "Thank You" to Him all day long and I promise that you will feel better at the end of each day. Rest In Peace Sunday, November 29, a forty Day Memorial Mass will be offered for the rest of the soul of Antoun Youssef Dakhoul, father of Edgar and Albert Dakhoul. Page 3 of 7

4 OLL Kitchen's Corner Recipe of the week: Green Bean Casserole PREP TIME 10 min COOK TIME 20 min 6 servings Ingredients 1/3 stick butter 1/2 cup diced onions 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 2 cups sliced green beans 3 cups chicken broth 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup 1 (2.8-ounce) can French-fried onion rings 1 cup grated Cheddar Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Sauté the onions and mushrooms in the butter. Boil green beans in chicken broth for 10 minutes and drain. Add the green beans, mushroom soup, onion rings, and House Seasoning, to taste, to the onion mixture. Stir well. Pour into a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, then top the casserole with the Cheddar and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the casserole is hot and cheese is melted. Happy Thanksgiving!!! Page 4 of 7

5 Phoenician 97th ANNUAL APPRECIATION AND INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS DINNER & CHRISTMAS PARTY Club Of Chicago Friday, December 4, 2015 Diplomat West 681 W. North Ave Elmhurst, IL Cocktails: 6:30PM (cash bar) Dinner: 7:00 PM Ticket: $45.00 Adult $25.00 Children under 12 Awards Recipients: Archpriest Nicholas Dahdal Father Pierre Al Khoury Father Ezzat Bathouche ARABIC AND AMERICAN MUSIC For information and tickets please call: Patricia Antoon Fahim Shadid Cheryl Ghassan Nick Malik Mary Barbari Nadia Yammine Please mark your selection of entrée below, make check payable to the Phoenician Club of Chicago and mail no later than November 29, 2015 to: Paul Ghassan 1245 Ardmore Dr. Naperville, IL No tickets will be sold at the door, please plan ahead. Name:... No. of Tickets... donation $... Amount Enclosed $ Chicken Marsala Fish Tilapia Kids Meal Proceeds from this event will be used for our scholarship recipients Page 5 of 7

6 Mass Celebration The Visitation of the Virgin to Elizabeth: Page 38 Anaphora of Saint Mark: page 835 Sunday Readings 1st Reading: Ephesians 1:1-14 (God s plan of Salvation) Holy Gospel: Luke 1:39-45 (The Visitation) Mass Intentions 9:30 A.M. George J. Hanna (Req. by Lillian Hanna) Nicolas Dandan (Req. by Karam Karam) 11:30 A.M. Antoun Youssef Dakhoul: 40 days memorial (Req. by Edgar & Albert Dakhoul) Youssef Farid Abboud (Req. By the Abboud Family) Schedules 9:30 A.M. Mass 11:30 A.M. Mass Altar Servers Readers Ushers Andres Ballines, Leila Nehra Bobbi Sfire Robert Antoon, Frank Kermend Estifan Azzo, Cassandra Chahoud, Yasmina Mulcahey, Ramez Sayegh Nadia Haddad (Arabic) Julie Akouri (English) Elie Masud, Naji Abiad, Robert Tatian, Sam Sweillem Page 6 of 7

7 Announcements NEW YEAR S PARTY Our Lady of Lebanon will host a New Year s Eve Party on Thursday, December 31 st in the Shaker Hall from 7 PM to 1 AM! DJ Dani will provide the music. To purchase your tickets, or for more information contact Elie and Ferial Masud ( / Elias.Masud@gmail.com), and for the annual holiday raffle tickets please see Tony Kozaili after Mass. CHILDREN S CHRISTMAS PARTY Next Sunday December 6, after 11:30 Mass, is the children s Christmas party. All are invited to bring their children and celebrate the joy of Christmas. BREAKFAST WITH ABOUNA Please mark your calendars to attend a breakfast with Abouna followed by a spiritual talk on The Spirit of Christmas, Saturday December 12 from 10 AM to 12 Noon. There is a sign-up sheet in the lobby for those willing to attend. All are invited. All are welcome. BAKE SALE Our annual Christmas Bake sale is on Sunday, December 13th. All pre-orders need to be submitted no later than December 1 st 2015, which is next week. We appreciate your generosity and your support! For more info please call Mrs. Madeline Malek ( ). CHRISTMAS CONCERT Sunday December 20, after 11:30 Mass, our choir will be presenting a Christmas Concert. All the children who are interested in singing and joining the Christmas Concert, please see Mrs. Julie Kozaili after Mass. Joseph Basil Sarah Bolis Helen Dandan Linda T. Fischer George Gage Regina Gage Richard Gorra, Jr. Let us remember and pray for Our Beloved Ones who died during the month of November Saleme Gossan William Halowi George J. Hanna Anton Ibrahim Joanne Ibrahim Herbert Jage Theodore W. Jage Nasafe Kassis Farida Khattar Robert D. Kooiker Thomas A. Neely Selma Jage Vokal Joseph Windsor Collection: Sunday November 22, 2015: $ 1, 631 Page 7 of 7