Bulletin: Vol. 28 No. 01 January 5th—January 11th, 2019

Sunday 8:30 A.M. English

11:00 A.M. Bilingual; English/Lebanese

Monday No Mass

Tuesday - Friday 9:00 A.M. English

Saturday 5:30 P.M. English

Reconciliation Saturday - 4:00 - 5:00 P.M.

Eucharistic Adoration Sunday: 2:00 P.M -7:00 P.M.

Rev. Assaad ElBasha, M.L.M., Pastor Mass Schedule

Monday - Friday: 9:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.

Saturday: 9:00 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.

Altar Boys: Joseph Marincel

817-491-0763 Adoration: Sheila Hughes

817-430-3066

Choir: 8:30 A.M. Helen Marincel

817-491-0763 Library: Sharon Wood

214-497-0783

Choir: 11:00 A.M. Roula Vasquez

972-832-8507 Respect Life: Maribel Harmjanz

940-255-2543

RCIA: Sue Marincel

817-491-0763 Youth Ministry: Sean Widmer

469-323-5865

Lectors: 8:30 AM Mark Caputo

469-230-1533 Religious Ed / SE: Sue Marincel

817-491-0763

Lectors: 11 AM Trevor Rask

503-701-2236 Ushers Robert Kramer

214-488-5635

Parish Council Mouhib Helou

817-845-9953 Legion of Mary Rose Onoh

214-289-4300

Epiphany Prayer

Father in heaven, Your Son was baptized in the Jordan River to anoint Him to proclaim the kingdom of God. Move us to repent and to believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Enable us in faith to cling to our Baptism and to God’s holy and precious gift of grace. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Daily Scripture Readings Jan 6th-Jan 12th

Sunday, 1/6: Tit 2:11-3:7 Lk 3:15-22 Monday, 1/7: Col 1:24-29 Lk 7:18-30 Tuesday, 1/8: 2Cor 10:12-18 Mk 1:1-8 Wednesday 1/9: 2Cor 11:1-6 Jn 1:19-28 Thursday, 1/10: 2Cor 11:7-15 Jn 3:22-30 Friday, 1/11: 2Cor 11:18,22-30 Lk 3:31-36 Saturday, 1/12: 2Cor 12:1-10 Mt 14:1-12

“For as many of you have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.” Galatians 3:27

Faithful brothers and sisters, baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, believers in Lord Jesus, our blessed Church lives in a time of crossing through Baptism. This time brings us into the essence of sal-vation through Jesus Christ, who made our crossing from death into life to save every human being com-ing into this world. Baptism, beloved brothers and sisters, is the gateway onto the road of salvation lead-ing toward new birth. It is not through nature that we are reborn, but through adoption, and thus we may stand before God and say, “Abba, Father.” The message of Christ started on the day of His baptism, and, similarly the Christian and Apostolic life of man starts on baptism, and thus man becomes the son of the Father, the brother of the Son, and the companion of the Holy Spirit. Beloved brothers and sisters, the Greek origin of the word “Baptize” is “Immerse.” We live in Jesus Christ though our “immersion” in the Holy Spirit. Immersion and crossing renew the very depths of our being in the image of Christ

through whom we live. Just as the Holy Spirit shaped the physical image of Christ inside the womb of the Virgin Mary, so He shaped in us the divine image of Christ. The imprinted image of the Son of God made ours glow, according to the words of Saint Paul to the Galatians, “For as many of you have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.” When we put on the image of Christ we are freed from the slavery of sin (death), and this is the second fruit after faithfulness. Saint Paul clarified this in the Epistle to the Romans (6:3-11): “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death...Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death He died, he died to sin, once for all, but the life He live he lives to God. So you must also consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. This crossing fosters a deep unity between man and the death of Christ , and grants in the power of God life and spiritual fruits. Thus man becomes Light, attains sainthood and is a wit-ness to Jesus Christ, “the Son of God” (John 1:34).

~ Fr. Jean Moutrane, Parish of St. Barbara—Zahle

The Meaning of Christ’s Baptism Jesus’ baptism not only is deeply intertwined with the salvific events of the Passion and of Easter, but it also reveals him to be a new and greater Moses. In the Easter Vigil liturgy of the Roman Rite, the paschal candle is plunged into the waters of the baptismal font, much as Moses stretched his staff over the waters of the Red Sea, which God parted (Ex. 14:21-31). This created a means of escape for God’s people from the stampeding armies of Egypt and its Pharaoh, which are types of sin and Satan. Saint Paul, looking back at this event, refers to it as a prefigurement of Christian baptism (1 Cor. 10:2), which frees us from the rule of sin and death. The baptism of the Lord also reminds us, of course, of our own baptism. The Church teaches that baptism not only lets us participate in Jesus’ victory over sin and death, but calls us to our own personal holiness and aposto-late (sharing our faith). When you boil it all down, this is the essence of how we fulfill our baptismal mandate to become saints. Who are the saints? The word “saint” derives from the Greek term hagios, which means “the holy ones.” Being a holy person just means being, with God’s con-siderable help, the person you were created to be. The Bible says, “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14, NIV). This is also why we need to share our faith! If we want everyone we know and love to get to heaven, if we want them to see Jesus, they must become saints as well—no exceptions. The world tends to value the letters at the end of people’s names—M.D., M.B.A., Ph.D. But Catholics care most of all about the letters we hope one day will come before our names: “St.” This was the ultimate reason the Lord was baptized, establishing the sacrament, and it’s why we are baptized, too. Written by Cale Clarke

Due to the early Bulletin Deadline, we are unable to print the collection numbers for last

week.

Community Em_rg_n]y R_spons_ T_[m Cl[ss_s Please prayerfully consider taking these classes with your spouse and children over the age of 15, so that if any kind of emergency occurs, you will be able to take charge, organize and help you family, friends, fellow parishioners and your neighbors in a time of trouble. If you are interested in signing up, please email tim@oflahertyproductions.com.

The CERT Training will be held on three consecutive Saturdays in a row in March 2019. Two Saturdays will be classroom training, and the third Saturday will be a live exercise in Dallas.

Saturday March 16th—Classroom Training - Our Lady of Lebanon Parish Hall - 8am to 5pm Saturday March 23rd—Classroom Training - Our Lady of Lebanon Parish Hall - 8am to 5pm Saturday March 30th—Final Exercise is held at the Dallas Fire & Rescue Academy in Dallas - 9am to 12pm

Requesting A Divine Liturgy

Liturgies are offered for the living or departed as a means of mercy to their souls. If possible, liturgies are scheduled on the date you request, otherwise the nearest date that is open. Please schedule your Mass Intentions by contacting Sara in the Church Office at 972-436-7617 or LadyofL719@gmail.com.

Join the Youth Group!

Teens ages 13 & up are invited to participate in our Youth Ministry pro-

gram. Meetings are held in the Parish Hall on Sundays from 9:45am—

10:45am.

Contact the Parish office for more Info! LadyofL719@gmail.com

Are You Missing Out?

Have you moved or recently changed your address? If you are not receiving regular mail or email from the Church, kindly complete a Change of Address form located in the lobby of the Church and return to the Parish Office. Don’t forget to provide an email address! These are used only to inform you of par-ish events and for any major events or emergencies.

Father in heaven, who at the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed Him your beloved Son and anointed Him

with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into His Name may keep the Covenant they have made and

boldly confess Him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God in glory,

everlasting. Amen.

Save the Date! Roe Memorial Events

January 19, 2019 Join Bishop Burns & the Catholic Pro-Life Committee “On the Road to Victory!”

• 8:00 a.m.—Rose Memorial Rosaries • 8:30 a.m.—Youth for Life Rally • 10:00 a.m.—Rose Memorial Mass with Bishop Burns • 12:30 p.m.—North Texas March for Life • 2:30 p.m.—Reception and Exhibits

For more information, visit www.prolifedallas.org/roe or call 972.267-LIFE (5433)

2018 Contributions If your annual gifts to your church total $250 or more, and you plan to claim the gift as a deduction on your tax return, the IRS requires that you have a letter or receipt from the church that received the gift. By the end of January 2019 all donors –who donated financially to the support of Our Lady of Lebanon– will

automatically receive a statement from the Church stating their names and the amount of gift received –through checks or weekly offering envelopes– from

January 1st, 2018 until December 31st, 2018. It is wise to keep the church statement with your tax records,

just in case the IRS questions your itemized deductions. Statements will be mailed from Our Lady of Lebanon no later than

January 31, 2019.

My New Year’s Resolution I resolve to read more, learn about new Saints, and deepen my faith. I’ll make it easy this year and go to the Church library. Our Church Library has thousands of books to choose from. Won’t you join me? One book a month, that’s my goal. Anyone else up for the challenge?

The library is open Sundays 9:45—11:00 am

Parishioners, please remember that daily Mass is cancelled if the Lewisville ISD closes for the day due to bad weather. We do not want our parishioners to risk injury trying to attend Mass.

Attention Parents

Due to our long liturgy please remember that children may have a hard time sitting still. If they are having a hard time, please do not hesitate to take them into the chapel or the lobby for some breathing room. We implore all parents to be considerate of other worshipers during the Divine Liturgy.

Annual Respect Life Mass The Annual Respect Life Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Olson on Monday, January 21, 2019 at St. Patrick Cathedral in downtown Fort Worth. Please

join us at 6:30 p.m. to pray for mothers, fathers, families and babies. A reception will follow in the Pastoral Center.

Fr. Assaad is attending the Eparchy Retreat this week. There will be no

daily masses January 7th—11th.

CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church #989776 719 University Place Lewisville, TX 75067 TELEPHONE 972 436-7617 CONTACT PERSON Mattye Thompson SOFTWARE MSPublisher 2007 Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Windows XP Professional PRINTER HP Laserjet CP1215 TRANSMISSION TIME Tuesday 12:00 SUNDAY DATE OF PUBLICATION January 31, 2010 NUMBER OF PAGES SENT 1 through 4 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS