Bzommar, Lebanon

On Sunday the 17th of August 2008, on the feast of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Bzommar, the Catholicos Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX celebrated the Divine Liturgy after which the Blessing of the Grapes took place.

In His message, His Beatitude stated that the Blessed Mother of God loves each and every one of us unconditionally and in spite of our weaknesses and it is essential for all of us to learn from her and grow spiritually from Her path. His Beatitude mentioned that “to love” means to embrace hold on to what is good and kind, and therefore try to find solutions to problems with a Christian approach. His Beatitude said, “Love is a jewel that everybody needs in order to live a happy and content life”, emphasizing that the true Christian is the one that finds the Love of Christ in his everyday life.

Referring to the Blessed Virgin, His Beatitude said that throughout all Her life, Mary   fully cooperated with the divine will; she intimately shared in Christ’s mission and was the first to enter into glory after him, in body and soul, in the integrity of her humanity.

His Beatitude ended His message by saying, “let the love of Our Holy Mother which has no boundaries and is absolute, guide us through every day of our lives.
At the end of the celebration, the Blessing of the Grapes took place, after which a procession lead by the H.M.E.M. marching band headed towards the recently renovated wine cellar, which was inaugurated and blessed by His Beatitude.