What to expect at a Maronite Catholic Divine Liturgy?

[SalesianSDB]

I am home from school for the summer and nearby there is a Maronite Catholic parish. I have been interested in Eastern Spirituality for a while and thought it would be beneficial to attend a Divine Liturgy there at least once in the summer (and if it helps spiritually, maybe go there on a regular basis).

I’m a cradle Roman Catholic and have no idea what to expect if I go to an Eastern Divine Liturgy and don’t want to go in there totally blind.

So what can I expect from a Maronite Divine Liturgy? What can I do to best prepare for this experience?

Hopefully this will help with some spiritual dryness I have been experiencing.

 

[Louishacker]

If you would like a preview of a liturgy you can watch: youtube.com/watch?v=TdrEsc8IPYY

The liturgy is celebrated ib Arabic and English. The words of the consecration of the bread and wine are sung in Aramaic, the language of Jesus!

 

[marymary1975]

My grandmother is Maronite and my understanding is that is basically the same but they use Arabic and arameic during the liturgy.k

 

[Angel_Gabriel]

The Maronites are heavily latinized unfortunately and it will probably feel very familiar to you if you regularly attend the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite Mass. I’m not a Maronite and have never attended in person their liturgies but I have seen some on youtube and of course have read about it here on CAF.

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

In my experience the Maronite Mass/Qurbono/Divine Liturgy reflects the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite only in the bird’s-eye overall structure. You’ll have the “Liturgy of the Word” and the “Liturgy of the Faithful/Eucharist,” and that’s about the extent of it. There are other trappings that, unfortunately, also reflect other modern innovations (e.g. Mass “facing the people” and poor translations), but otherwise it really is completely different from the Ordinary Form and ought to be taken on its own terms, not compared to other liturgies - unless, of course, one compares it to the form(s) of the Maronite liturgy that have previously been celebrated.