Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Was the Maronite Thanksgiving Meal a part of the Maronite Tradition?

(A) No, the Maronite Thanksgiving Meal is something new.

Q. When did it begin?

(A) During Lent 2004, Fr. Antonio Elfeghali had to explain on different occasions what would have happened at the Last Supper, and how Jesus would have celebrated the Passover meal.

On Good Friday, April 9, 2004, Fr. Antonio was at the Church of St. Maron in Detroit when he first thought of doing something for the Maronites based on their history and experience.

Q. Why do only parents start reciting Psalm 78?

(A) It is the responsibility of the parents to teach their children about their history and heritage. They need to pass it to the next generation.

Q. What does the large candle represent?

(A) It represents Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.

Q. Why does the woman light the large candle?

(A) The woman represents Mary, the mother of God. Mary, by her “yes”, brought the Light (Jesus Christ) into the world. The woman lights the large candle that represents Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.

Q. What is the role of the woman during the Maronite Thanksgiving Meal?

(A) During the Maronite Thanksgiving Meal, the woman takes the role of Mary, preparing the environment, bringing light to the family, strengthening the faith of her children, making them appreciate the Church, teaching them the importance of being peacemakers, and making them taste the sweetness of Faith, Freedom, and Independence.

Q. What do the three small candles represent?

(A) The three small candles represent the Faith, Hope, and Love of the first Christians in Antioch.

Q. Did the dialogue between God and Maron literally happen?

(A) No, it did not literally happen. But if you look back at the history of the Maronites and about who are we today, you realize the depth of Maron’s vocation and the importance of his charismatic mission.

Q. Why does God in some instances say “we” instead of “I”?

(A) “We” represents the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Q. Why does God in other instances say “I” instead of “we”? 

(A) Each “I” represents a person of the Holy Trinity.

The “I” in “I Am the compassionate Father” represents the Father.

The “I” in “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” represents Jesus Christ, the Son.

The “I” in “I Am your Consoler and Comforter” represents the Holy Spirit.

The “I” in “I, the Lord, will be their God” represents the One God.

Q. I do not like the idea that God would deliver his people to their enemies. Why would God do this? Can you explain this to me?

(A) It is not God who would cause this to happen. God is Love. But it is our sins, our divisions, and our separation from God that bring disasters to us. We easily become vulnerable to our enemies, because we separate ourselves from the spirit of God. God allows our enemies to dominate us so that we may repent and turn our hearts back to the Lord.

Q. Why do we recite the Our Father after Maron’s dialogue with God?

(A) It is the beginning of God’s call and Maron’s vocation. It is the beginning of Maronite History. It is more than a prayer; rather it is St. Maron and the Maronites’ project of life. It is the beginning of a deep relationship between the Living God and Maron and the Maronites. God would be a Father who is in Heaven. St. Maron and the Maronites’ project would be: “Thy Kingdom come in the midst of the Maronites. Thy will be done throughout the history of the Maronites. Give the Maronites this day their daily bread. Forgive them their trespasses throughout their history as they forgive those who trespass against them. Lead them not into temptation, the temptation of divisions or separation from God, but deliver them from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are God’s forever.”

Q. What does the bell represent when the leader rings it?

(A) It represents a certain danger (an attack, a persecution). 

Q. What does it mean to blow out the first candle, then the second and the third?

(A) The first candle is the candle of Faith. It represents the Faith of the Maronites. When the leader blows it out, it means that the Maronites’ Faith is attacked.

The second candle is the candle of Hope. It represents the Hope of the Maronites. When the leader blows it out, it means that the Maronites’ Hope is attacked.

The third candle is the candle of Love. It represents the Love of the Maronites. When the leader blows it out, it means that the Maronites’ Love is attacked.

Q. What does the salt water represent?

(A) It represents the tears of our ancestors. At the Last Supper, Jesus would have dipped the piece of bread into salt water to remember the tears of the people of God, which they shed in Egypt in slavery.

Q. Why is the second piece of bread wrapped in a cloth?

(A) At the Last Supper, the second piece of bread would have been broken, separated, wrapped up in a cloth, and hidden. After dinner, Jesus would have taken the hidden piece of bread, given it to his disciples, and said: “Take this and eat it. This is my Body.”

The piece of bread which was broken at the Last supper represented Jesus Christ, who was broken, separated, wrapped up in linen cloth, and hidden in a tomb. Jesus made the second piece of bread a real food, his holy body.

In the Maronite Tauditho Meal, the bread represents Bet Moroon, which was broken. After dinner, the Maronites take the hidden piece of bread wrapped in a cloth and eat it. It represents the spiritual food given to the Maronites through Maron, Bet Moroon, and the Maronite Church.  

Q. Why do all pray Psalm 79, 23 in the first section of the Maronites’ history?

(A) Psalm 79 helps us understand the pain and sufferings our ancestors experienced in Syria.

Psalm 23 helps us understand the trust and confidence our ancestors had when they reached the mountains of Lebanon.

Q. What does the wine represent?

(A) It represents blood, sacrifice, and martyrdom. In the Maronite Tauditho Meal, wine represents the blood of our martyrs.

Q. Is there any similarity between the number of cups in the Maronite Tauditho Meal and the Passover meal?

(A) In the Passover Meal, there are four cups: The cup of sanctification, the cup of deliverance, the cup of redemption, and the cup of consummation.

In the Maronite Tauditho Meal, there are also four cups: The cup of faithfulness, the cup of freedom, the cup of independence, and the cup of salvation.

Q. What do these four cups represent?

(A) The first, second, and third cup represent the martyrs who died to defend the Maronites’ Faith, Freedom, and Independence. The three cups represent the suffering and pain of our ancestors for the sake of eternal salvation. The fourth cup represents the achievement of eternal salvation. It represents the joy of salvation.

Q. What does “the soldiers of Christ” mean?

(A) “The soldiers of Christ” certainly does not mean soldiers who proclaim Holy Wars, but it means Holy people, faithful to the Gospel and to the Church.

Q. What do the three large candles that the woman lights represent?

(A) They represent the Faith, Hope, and Love of the Maronites, which became stronger.

Q. Why does Feereh include these fruits?

(A) The apples, raisins, nuts, etc… can be found in Lebanon, the country which God gave to the Maronite Church as a refuge.

Q. What does “Maurorae” or horseradish represent?

(A) The horseradish is a bitter herb. It represents the bitterness our ancestors experienced under humiliation or occupation. At the Last Supper, Jesus dipped the piece of bread in bitter herbs and gave it to Judas to taste the bitterness of his betrayal. At the Last Supper, the disciples would have dipped the piece of bread in bitter herbs to remember the bitterness of slavery that the people of God experienced in Egypt.

Q. Why do all pray Psalm 85 and Luke 4:18-19 in the second section of the Maronites’ history?

(A) Psalm 85 helps us understand the pain and sufferings our ancestors experienced in the mountains of Lebanon under the Mamlooks’ oppression.

Luke 4:18-19 helps us understand the vocation and mission our ancestors had when they mixed with other minorities in the mountains of Lebanon.

Q. What does the rose surrounded by thorns represent?

(A) The rose represents the Maronite Church. The thorns represent the disasters that happened in the Middle East between the 13^th and 16^th centuries.

Q. Why do all pray from the book of Lamentations and Zephaniah in the third section of the Maronites history?

(A) The book of Lamentations helps us understand the pain and sufferings our ancestors experienced in Lebanon under the Ottoman, Syrian, and Israeli oppression.

The book of Zephaniah helps us understand the joy of the Maronites when they see their Church growing inside and outside of Lebanon.

Q. What does reconciliation mean in the Maronite history?

(A) After the Maronites’ last divisions (1990), Pope John Paul II called for a special Synod for Lebanon in 1993. That Synod prepared the Maronites for repentance and reconciliation.

Q. What does it mean to forgive enemies?

(A) Certainly it does not mean to remain passive. The Maronite Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir gave a wonderful example of how to love enemies: by being wise and meek at the same time, speaking the Truth as it is without attacking them.

Q. What does the olive branch represent?

(A) It represents peace.

Q. What day do we celebrate the Maronite Tauditho Meal?

(A) Most people, who experienced the Tauditho, would like to celebrate it on the night vigil before the Feast of St. Maron or on the Feast day of St. Maron, February 9^th.