OUR LADY OF LEBANON



"The just man shall fluorish like a palm tree,
like a Cedar of Lebanon shall he grow." Psalm 92:12


Lebanon is a land of exceptional beauty and history. Situated on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the Lebanon mountain range rises majestically from the sea to snow-capped mountain peaks that reach over 10,000 feet. Nestled in the mountains in the north are the famous Cedars of Lebanon, often referred to in the Bible, such as in the Books of Kings, Psalms, Song of Songs, and the Prophet Isaiah.
Jesus and Mary visited Lebanon during his public ministry.

Lebanon has a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and she has become known there as Our Lady of Lebanon. For, while she was living, she visited there with her Son! There is a sanctuary in the south of Lebanon dedicated to the Virgin of Mantara, a place where Mary stayed awaiting her Son, when Jesus went to Tyre and Sidon. The Basilica of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church is located in Harissa, a small town about thirty minutes north of Beirut, the capital city. The Blessed Virgin Mary was named the Queen of Lebanon by the Maronite Patriarch in 1908 upon completion of the Basilica. The Shrine was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1997. Located between Jounieh on the coast and Bkerke, Harissa is surrounded by numerous churches and monasteries.

Jesus Christ visited Tyre and performed a miracle for the Syro-Phoenician woman's daughter, as noted in Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30. He then went by way of Sidon on to the Sea of Galilee (Mark 7:31). The Gospel of John 2:1-12 describes Jesus performing his first miracle, when he turned water into wine at the request of his mother Mary at the wedding feast of Cana in Galilee. The Cana southwest of Tyre in Lebanon today was located in the region of Galilee at the time of Jesus. The church historian Eusebius of Caesarea in 339 wrote that Cana of Galilee is the Cana south of Sidon. No one can say for sure in which of the towns named Cana the miracle of the wedding feast took place. But the fact that Jesus went down to Capernaum [John 2:12] suggests the wedding at Cana took place in Cana of Lebanon, for Cana of Palestine is south of Capernaum, and Jesus would have had to go up to Capernaum were it Cana of Palestine! There is a grotto in Qana, Lebanon with large stone water jars as well as a sculpture symbolic of Jesus and the Twelve Apostles.



The Eastern Catholic Maronite Church of Lebanon originated from St. Maron, a monk in the fourth century who left Antioch for the Orontes River to lead an ascetic life. He soon had many followers that adopted his monastic life. Following the death of St. Maron in 410, his disciples built a monastery in his memory and formed the nucleus of the Maronite Church. The martyrdom of 350 monks, for remaining true to Rome and the Council of Chalcedon (451), led the Maronites to seek refuge in the mountains of Lebanon. The Crusader Raymond of Toulouse discovered the Maronites near the Cedars of Lebanon on his way to Jerusalem in 1099. The Maronites, because of their monastic origin, have been able to withstand intense pressure and persecution to preserve their Church and maintain the Christian culture of Lebanon - right to the present day. The Patriarch of the Maronite Church resides in Bkerke, near Harissa, leading his worldwide flock of over three million faithful, in countries such as Lebanon, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The Maronite liturgy still celebrates the Mass in Aramaic, the language of Jesus.



Phoenicia was founded when families inhabited the land around Byblos about 6000 BC. The Phoenicians were a peaceful, seafaring people expert in navigation and trade, and, beginning around 3200 BC, were the first to explore the Mediterranean Sea in boats made of cedar. Sidon, Tyre (2750 BC), and Beirut sprung up as trade flourished. The Phoenicians developed the alphabet around 1400 BC in order to communicate with the diverse cultures and tongues of their trading partners. The Phoenician alphabet was widely received, as it was only 22 letters based on sound, as opposed to the myriad of symbols in cuneiform and hieroglyphics prevalent at the time. They established a port on the island of Pharos near Egypt, a trading center on Santorini in the Aegean Sea, and a colony in Crete; and later, around 1200 BC, colonies in Cyprus and Carthage (in North Africa), and trading posts in Sicily, Malta, and Cadiz on the Atlantic coast of Spain. Phoenician artifacts have been identified in Brazil and North America.

The legend of the Phoenix, the bird consumed by fire only to regenerate, is based upon the Phoenician people, whose land was occupied and towns destroyed many times by warlike peoples, only to regenerate time and again. In fact, the Greeks called the Phoenicians phoinikes, the singular of which is phoinix. The Romans spelled it phoenix!

The word Bible, which means "the book," is derived from the city of Byblos, which was a source of papyrus, the writing material for early books. The land was known as Phoenicia at the time Jesus lived, as we learn from Acts 21:2-3, when St. Paul stayed a week in Tyre after his return from his third missionary journey. St. Paul also stopped in Sidon on his fourth missionary trip to Rome (Acts 27:3). Phoenicia gives all the people of Lebanon a unique heritage to their country.



Lebanon is the crossroads of the East and West. The Lebanese people are noted for their adaptability and hospitality. Arabic, French, and English newspapers fluorish in Beirut, as many Lebanese speak all three languages. The Lebanese people have migrated all over the world, reflecting their Phoenician heritage. The intellectual ties to the West are reflected in the presence of two major universities, the American University of Beirut, founded in 1866, and L'Universite' Saint Joseph, founded in 1870. Lebanon is the birthplace of Kahlil Gibran, the author of The Prophet, a book of poetry that has sold nearly ten million copies in twenty languages worldwide. The country is unique, for one can go skiing in the mountains in the morning, and swimming in the Mediterranean in the afternoon. All share in traditional Lebanese cuisine, which represents the classic Mediterranean diet. Famous for their health benefits, Lebanese prepared dishes such as grape leaves, kibbeh, tabooli, hummus, falafel, baba ghanouj, and baklawa are enjoyed the world over!


Our Lady of Lebanon, please pray for peace, peace in our hearts,
peace in our family, peace in our land, and peace throughout the world.


REFERENCES
1 Sara Mary Haddad, Family Notes and Recipes.
2 Father Seely Beggiani, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Seminary, Washington, D. C. The Maronite Church. New Catholic Encyclopedia, Second Edition. Catholic University of America, Thomson and Gale, Washington, D. C., volume 9, 2003.
3 Sanford Holst. Phoenicians - Lebanon's Epic Heritage. Cambridge & Boston Press, Los Angeles, California, 2005.

Jesus
Mary
The Bible
Kahlil Gibran
The Eastern Catholic Churches