u/sword_of_michael

The prices made me double-take too, don’t get me wrong. I know the books are a bit expensive for most people and it’s going to be a struggle for a lot of us to afford them.

That said, there are some things to consider.

- You don’t have to buy the new books right away. There’s a grace period for the old books, you can try to save up for the new ones until then. If you don’t have a book and want to use one, pick up a used copy of the old LOTH or even Christian Prayer. I’m sure there are and will be plenty of copies on the used market.

- You don’t have to buy all of them all at once. You can buy the first volume stand-alone and then purchase the other volumes as they are released.

- You can still use apps like iBreviary if you can’t afford the books. I know it’s not the same as flipping a physical book, but if the prayer is more important to you than the product, then that should tide you over until you can afford the books.

- If you still want the new LOTH in book form and won’t be able to afford the four volume set, get the upcoming diurnal from Midwest Theological Forum. It’s going to have everything you need to pray all the hours except Matins, which can be supplemented with iBreviary.

- Ascension’s products are very high quality. They’ve taken a long time to get these new books right, paying for services from 2k denmark for a highly readable and comfortable typeface, and paying for high-quality sacred art. They’ve even been regularly asking for feedback from us as they’ve been developing these books, and they listened, especially when it comes to the number of ribbons.

Please, give Ascension the benefit of the doubt. Support them and buy the books if you can. If you can’t, use the resources available to you.

Greetings!

Over the last six months or so I have been working on creating a resource website for english-speaking Maronite Catholics, especially those located in the United States. It consists mostly of links in order to limit possible errors in information contained on the website, with a few exceptions being pages I wrote for the liturgical calendar, fasting, and holy days. For the latter, I tried to provide citations where possible.

Please check it out and let me know if there’s any way I can improve it, or feel free to suggest more links for me to add. Thank you!

Greetings,

I have been doing some digging online for more Maronite devotions and prayers. I have seen mentioned this book called the A Book of Blessings & Prayers, but I cannot seem to find an actual copy. Someone linked to it a few years ago in r/EasternCatholic, but the link is no longer valid, and my google skills are unable to procure a link elsewhere. I'd appreciate any information available about this publication.

Happy Easter!

Greetings brothers and sisters!

I come again with another question regarding the Maronite ritual for the mystery of penance. I recently reviewed the official ritual published by the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn, and it seems like the text used is pretty similar to the Latin ritual. However, when my priest pronounces absolution over me in the confessional, he says the following:

May God have mercy upon you, and may He guide you to everlasting life through the authority of priesthood which was entrusted by our Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples who, in turn, entrusted it to their successors until it was given me; I who am weak and sinful, absolve you, brother (sister), of all the sins that you have confessed and are repentant of them, as well as of all the transgressions which have escaped your memory, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

My question is, has this formula ever been used by the Maronites? From what I could tell from some googling, that seems to be the prayer the Syriac Orthodox use.

Thank you in advance!