New Year's Liturgy at the Mariamiyah Patriarchal…

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2024-01-01

 

His Beatitude Patriarch John X led the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the New Year and Saint Basil the Great at the Mariamiyah Patriarchal Cathedral in Damascus, in the presence of their Eminences, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Efraim (Aleppo) and Metropolitans Gregorios (Homs), along with their Graces bishops Romanos (Hannat), Moussa (Al-Khoury), Ioannis (Batach), Moses (Al-Khosi), and many priests and deacons from the Archdiocese of Damascus. His Beatitude delivered a festive message for the New Year, beginning with the prayer, "Bless, O Lord, the course of this new year," and emphasized that the focal point of our lives and our time is the Lord, the Creator.

His Beatitude prayed for goodness and righteousness according to the Lord’s standards, the One who knows the depths of all things and sees beyond souls and places.

His Beatitude lifted prayers:

For Syria and its people who suffer from the effects of the devastating war, stating, "As Christians, we are an integral part of this country. We do not adopt the logic of majority and minority; we are all children of this land that embraced us. We were not visitors in the past, and we are not guests in the present."

For Lebanon, urging everyone to take responsibility and elect a president for the republic. He emphasized that the Lebanese people are tired of the language of blame-shifting and called for adopting the logic of dialogue and relying on the constitution to overcome the current crisis.

For the Crucified Palestine, especially for the people of Gaza, longing for the peace of the Child of the Cave. He stressed that hope and reliance should be on the Lord to roll away the stone of our narrowness and make us partake in His resurrection.

For all the abducted, including Metropolitans Paul and Youhanna, and everyone awaiting the dawn of resurrection.

His Beatitude concluded his address saying, "In the dawn of the new year, we ask the Child of the Cave to extinguish the fires of wars and put them out throughout the world. May the new year be a beacon of hope for all of us, our present brothers, and our children in the homeland and abroad."