Marian month in Lebanon: a glimmer of hope in tough times

Next Sunday is the feast of Our Lady of Lebanon – the event comes at a time when confidence in politics is low. But Patriarch Sfeir said: "Our situation is still better than that of other countries in the region."

Beirut (AsiaNews) – The month of May in the country of the Cedars has a special aura about it, owing to the devotion to Our Lady permeating the life of the Lebanese people. Tens of thousands of people, even non Christians, go every year to the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, Kesrouan district. The shrine is found near the Seat of the Maronite Patriarch in Bkerke, set up by the Maronite Patriarch Elias Houeik in 1905, on one of the most beautiful slopes of the Lebanese mountains. John Paul II also came here, in May 1997, during his trip to Lebanon, when he delivered the post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "New Hope for Lebanon", and entrusted youth to the maternal protection of Mary, Mother of God and of Lebanon.

This year, the Sanctuary of Harissa has been vested with a new look, thanks to restoration works undertaken in the great basilica with the help of many Lebanese, Muslims and Christians.

This year, the Maronite missionaries, who have watched over the sanctuary since it was built, have organised a series of initiatives to implore for God's mercy and the intercession of Our Lady, who "will never abandon her children". This assertion is repeated time and again by many Lebanese, who still have the custom of gathering in their homes with relatives to say the rosary and to pray to Our Lady, considered to be "the only refuge" for all Lebanese. This is especially true for this difficult period of the nation's history, thanks to dramatic developments in the political context. But although the country is passing through tense times, the Maronite Patriarch, Nasrallah Sfeir, claimed it was still better off than neighbouring countries. Yesterday he said: "It's true Lebanon is facing problems but it must be said that all countries in the region face the same plight and our situation is anyhow better those in Iraq and Palestine."

Fr Elia Kmeid is rector of the Marian Sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, a church hit by three bomb blasts on 27 February 1994 during mass, when 11 people were killed. "Our church is always full of people," he said. "We have four masses every day. People take refuge in our church to ask for the intercession of Our Lady who saved the lives of many on that black Sunday of 27 February 1994." Fr Kmeid repeated the words of John Paul II, who had described the crime as an "offence against God, man and Lebanon's noble history." He continued: "Youth flock to the church because they no longer have faith in politicians and their projects, and in Our Lady, they find the only guarantee to remain in the land of their fathers. Many come to this martyred church and spend nights awake near the icon of the Mother of God."

"We want peace, the true peace that comes from faith in God," said Imad El Achkar, one of the youth responsible for organising May activities. "We no longer have faith in our political leaders. Why should we follow political schemes that have failed? When I come to church, I spontaneously take out my rosary beads and start to pray, because I am convinced of the effectiveness of prayer, the only way to save Lebanon."

Next Sunday, the first of the month of May, the feast of Our Lady of Lebanon, Cardinal Sfeir, as he does every year, will go to the shrine of Harissa. He will preside over the Eucharistic celebration and the procession with the icon of the Madonna, in the presence of the highest authorities in the country. The profound ties between Lebanon and Our Lady will surely be highlighted today by Maronite bishops in their monthly meeting held the first Wednesday of every month, under the chairmanship of Patriarch Sfeir. In a recent declaration, the latter warned against the "migratory flux that risks emptying Lebanon of its real richness, that is youth." The patriarch launched a strong appeal to all Maronites not to abandon Lebanon. In a meeting with representatives of the Democratic Christian Union, he expressed confidence in the country's future, on condition that "the union of Maronites make of their souls a church for the homeland, and do not make the homeland a tool for their use."

• LEBANON
• marian
• month
• shrine
• sfeir
• lack
• of
• confidence
• emigration
• youth