Father David preaches in Tarshiha for Lent

The large Greek Catholic parish in the Arab town of Tarshiha, next to Maalot, in northern Israel, invited Father David, Vicar for Hebrew speaking Catholic in Israel, to preach on the Book of Jonah. Almost one hundred faithful from the community attended the hour and a half long lecture in Arabic, which focused on the Lenten message in the Book of Jonah. Father David underlined not only the need for repentance but also the call to a renewed awareness of the Christian vocation in the Holy Land.

The teaching followed the beautiful liturgy of the Acathist that is celebrated each Friday of Lent in the Greek Catholic Church. In this liturgy, the faithful chant the series of hymns that honor the Virgin Mary, underlining her purity and obedience to God.

Father David had previously been invited to Tarshiha, where he had preached on the nativity of Jesus Christ during the period of Advent, before Christmas 2010.