Friday, June 23, 2006

 

Newsletter No. 26



In this issue:
Peace of the Heart
Sayings of the Fathers
How Many Times ...
An Article I liked
The Fiery Spirit
Happy Birthday wishes

PEACE OF THE HEART

By H H Pope Shenouda III
Peace of the heart is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit dwells in one's heart, it gives peace to this heart, as the Apostle says, "and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding..." (Phil. 4:7)

Peace was a gift from the Lord Jesus to the people, as He said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you." (John 14:27) The one who is full of peace does not get troubled, or worried or disturbed, no matter how much pressure is on him from the outside.
His peace does not depend on the outer circumstances but on his confidence in God's protection and care and his faith in God's promises.

As long as the Lord exists, works and protects, there is no need to fear. For this reason the prophet David said, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." (Ps. 23:4) His source of peace is his feeling that God is with him.

The Disciples were troubled when they were in the boat and they thought that the Lord was asleep, while the sea was high. They lost their peace. The prevailing factor was the outer circumstances and the feeling that God's work was not there. Therefore, the Lord arose and rebuked the wind and restored their peace to them.

Be firm inside, steadfast in your faith, then nothing from outside will shake you. Be like a house built on the rock, no wind or rain will affect it, as it is firmly built. A good ship is never harmed by strong waves that hit it. But when does a ship get affected? When there is a hole that lets water inside it... Do you have a hole that would let water leak into yourself and drown it… St Anthony was an example of peace of the heart.

The Apostolic St Athanasius, said about him "Anyone with a bitter soul, and disturbed thought, will have his heart filled with peace when he sees the face of St Anthony." The one who is full of peace could flow over to others, granting them comfort…

Live then in peace, you will be comforted and live in confidence and calm, in good health, both spiritually and physically...

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Sayings of the Fathers

"It is always possible to make a new start by means of repentance. 'For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again' (Prov. 24:16). And if you fall again, then rise again, without despairing at all of your salvation, no matter what happens. So long as you do not surrender yourself willingly to the enemy, your patient endurance, combined with self-reproach, will suffice for your salvation. 'For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient,' says St. Paul, '...not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us' (Tit. 3:3,5). + Saint Peter of Damaskos +
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Contents


An article I liked

DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD: (suscoptc.org- Continued from issue No 25)

The passage states that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. St John is not the only one to say that if we love the world, we cannot love the Father. Let’s examine the other passages in the scriptures that speak to this truth. "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4) "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Mt 6:24) In order to understand why loving the world makes it impossible to love the Father, we need to first define the love of the Father. According to St. John, the love of the Father means keeping His commandments, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (1 John 5:3). - It We Love the World, We Can Not Keep His Commandments Examples: If you are overcome by "lust of the eyes", you will not keep God's command to help the needy. Consider this verse "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (1 John 3:17) If you are filled with "the pride of life", you will consider yourself more important than others. You won’t be able to keep the command to imitate Christ. Consider this verse. "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." (Phil 2:3-5) Why else should we not love the WORLD???? 4) Because of Where the World is Going. - According to the Passage, The World is Passing Away Consider these verses: "Because "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away." (1 Peter 1:24) "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." (James 4:14) - In Contrast, He who Does the Will of God Abides Forever. Even his/her "works" will follow them "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' " "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labours, and their works follow them." (Revelation 14:13) 5) CONCLUSION Let us live in the world while preventing the world to live in us. Let us be "a spring shut up and a sealed fountain" from the world of sin (Songs 4:12) while remembering that our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20) If we carefully consider what the world is, what loving the world does and where the world is going, we will understand why we are called to "Not Love the World". It important to note that the journey does not end here. Not loving the world is just the beginning of a greater purpose in our life... Loving the Father, that is. Glory be to our Lord and Saviour Forever.

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The Fiery Spirit
By Fr. Tadros Malaty

YOU HAVE DOVE’S EYES The work of the Holy Spirit is to imprint His spiritual vision in you. Thus, the Bridegroom will say to you, “You have dove’s eyes” (Song 1:15). If you stand close to a friend and look into his eyes, you will discover your image imprinted in his eyes, as you are standing close to him. That is how the Lord Jesus sees the image of the Holy Spirit (the dove) imprinted in your eyes. As long as your heart is in continuous contact with Him, realizing His capabilities and is cooperating with Him, He will always be active in you. Do not be afraid of your weaknesses, as your eyes are “dove’s eyes,” a sign that the Holy Spirit dwells within you. He is the One who is working in you, who transforms your weaknesses to power or to dynamite, and destroys the power of evil. He does not destroy your heart or your efforts, but destroys the evil in order to establish God’s Kingdom in you. My dear youth, you have “dove’s eyes” as the Holy Spirit, who is in the shape of a dove, is manifested deep inside you. It is not surprising that the Holy Spirit, who is active in you, is referred to as a dove. In the beginning the Holy Spirit hovered over the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2), similar to a mother-dove who stretches out her wings to gather to her bosom the eggs in order to hatch them, or stretches her wings in order to protect her little chicks. My dear youth, the role of the Holy Spirit is not only to nourish you with divine love, but to fill you with a kind of maternal affection. You will be full of tremendous love to the extent that you would want to embrace the whole world, and you will be filled with this internal urge and desire to extend this fiery love to the whole universe. This kind of love-giving does not know any selfishness, unlike the suffocating and domineering love of some parents, where the children despise this imprisoning and stifling-love which is full of selfishness, and long to get rid of it! But the Holy Spirit lavishes on you sincere, charitable, generous and spiritual love, where the believer asks for nothing from those who are dear to him, but to see them crowned with glory just as he himself long to be. Moreover, he rejoices and feels glad that everyone surpasses him, even concerning eternal reward. This Spiritual affection cannot be attained unless your life is holy and blessed. Both love and holiness are the essence to a spiritual life, a new life with Jesus Christ who is holy and full of true love! That is why our Lord sees your eyes as those of doves. One eye represents Spiritual love, the other symbolizes holiness. Thus the eyes carry the same image of holy love or loving sanctity.
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The Corner wishes
Stephenie
a very
Happy Birthday

Contents
End of Issue No. 26

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Saturday, June 17, 2006

 

Newsletter No. 25




THE SPIRIT OF STRENGTH AND
THE STRENGTH OF THE SPIRIT!
Fr. Tadros Malaty

Our Lord Jesus Christ came on earth not to present us with mere commandments, but to renew our nature by His Holy Spirit, and to establish His kingdom in us. He came in order to convert our inner beings, which are void of beauty, into a unique, glorious spiritual world. In other words, He crucified our old man, who was in the image of the earthly Adam, and bestowed on us a new man, in the image of the new heavenly Adam. For this, Jesus advised His Apostles not to quit Jerusalem until they received a Power from above (Acts 1:8). In the Greek language the word “power” is derived from the word “dynamite” or “dynamic.” So our Lord advised His disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, to start their evangelistic work, without the power of the Holy Spirit. He asked them to rely on the Holy Spirit within them, as He shatters the solid sin with dynamic divine power, and creates a new celestial heart suitable for His abode. This dynamic power should be the motivating force of their work, as the Holy Spirit knows no laziness or rest, as He is an influence of love who works unceasingly.
Thus, my dear youth, do not fear the lust of the flesh or sin with all its temptations, or the whole world with all its burdens, as you have attained the Holy Spirit in the Holy Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation (Mayroun), who works in you with all power! If you accept the work of the Holy Spirit in you, and ask His assistance at any time, trust that He will support you.


YOU SAY GOD SAYS BIBLE VERSES
You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)


Contemplation on the Psalms: (thanks for sending these notes)
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.
A man is blessed when he does not go near or share company with the ungodly. You will be blessed in all aspects of your life. Blessed within your family, school, work, sport, career choices .. Food will be provided and the holy man’s life will be blessed in all aspects. Other people will look from afar and have a curious eye at the difference in their life and yours. Even by just walking in the midst of Godly people, they immediately feel something different; that they are at peace.
The spiritual man stays away from all things that can take him away from God and His presence in his life. It will be a blessing to him on the long run if he faces any trials. God will rescue him. He will ease his path allowing him to be elevated higher in his spiritual life.
In this world the counsel of the ungodly are seen as strong, powerful and prevailing, but God raises His own people, like David.
Sayings of the Fathers
"Do not ask for love from your neighbor, for if you ask and he does not respond, you will be troubled. Instead show your love for your neighbour and you will be at rest, and so will bring your neighbour to love." + Saint Dorotheos of Gaza +



The Spirit of God, the Friend and Companion
By Fr. Tadros Malaty

LOVE AND PROTECTION… THE NEED FOR A COMPANION Dear youth, how many times have you suffered from an agonizing experience of loneliness and isolation? This tortured loneliness where no one shares your inner feelings and understands your thoughts! Even if you are surrounded with family and friends this inner anguish still exists! How many times have you secretly and bitterly cried out: • I suffer from loneliness, who can save me from such a feeling? • Who can enter my life with sincere friendship free of selfishness? • Who can accept me for what I am, with all my weaknesses and goodness? • Who can love me without asking for anything in return? I am depressed and feel as lonely as an orphan, I am in desperate need of assistance! Jesus Christ answers the plea: “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you” (John 16:7). He is the only One who can enter your heart and accompany you throughout your way. How can this take place? The Spirit of God in the shape of a dove “was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2), in order to create from your heart (the rugged and desolate earth) a new beautiful world where the touch of God’s love, His work and beauty are manifested. The Holy Spirit embraces you with His godly love and transforms your inner corruption into God’s joyous Kingdom. Where you felt loneliness in your heart, the Holy Spirit will now build God’s Kingdom within you, that you may enjoy fellowship with God and the fulfilling state of being in the presence of angels. He will carry you as on His wings to find comfort in your heavenly Father’s tender bosom. The Spirit of God is not merely a divine energy working in your life, but He is rather a Friend who accompanies you wherever you go, and removes the dreadful feelings of loneliness. That’s what we got in touch with even in the Old Testament, where the Spirit of God appeared as a cloud that sheltered the children of Israel by day, and in a pillar of fire that gave them light by night and accompanied them permanently. Sometimes He led their way as a commander would lead an army. Other times He walked behind them to protect them from backward hits. On other occasions, He walked with them to bless them along the way. What a wonderful companion and friend!



An article I liked
(suscopts web site)

(suscopts web site)
Do Not Love the World (1 John 2:15-17)
1) Introduction
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15-17).
In multiple occasions, Our Lord warned us from loving the “world”. He taught that we are NOT of this world just as He is not. Our beloved Church exhorts us in every Liturgy after the readings of the Catholic Epistles with the same message.
But why should we, Christians, not love the world?" let’s find out.
2) Because of What the World is - The "World" in this passage…
It is NOT the "physical world" i.e. God's creation for it is "very good"
Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. Gen 1:31
It is NOT the "human world" i.e., mankind for God Himself loves the world of men For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 So what is the world that we are called NOT to love?
It is the world of "sin", the world of "evil" i.e., the "sphere" in which sin, evil, and Satan dominates. Just as the phrase "the world of sports" describes the domain in which sports dominates, so this "world" is one in which sin dominates
- According to the passage, three Things in Particular Make up this "World"
1. "The lust of the flesh"
- Sexually (fornication, adultery, licentiousness)
- Socially (hatred, contentions, jealousies)
2. "The lust of the eyes"
- This can be summed up in one word: "covetousness" or "materialism"
3. "The pride of life"
- This would include pride based upon such things as past accomplishments, money, status, power..etc
- A Noteworthy Observation...
Each of these three things often strikes harder at different times in our life:
The YOUNG are most often affected by the "lust of the flesh"
The MIDDLE-AGED are usually afflicted by the "lust of the eyes"
The AGED are likely to be plagued with the "pride of life"
Whether it is immorality, materialism or pride, it is still part of the "world" we are not to love!
Why else should we not love the WORLD???? (to be continued)



A Story I liked
A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow... He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by...the little boy had grown up, And he no longer played around the tree every day.One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad. "Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy. "I am no longer a kid, I do not play around trees any more" The boy replied. "I want toys. I need money to buy them." "Sorry, but I do not have money... But you can pick all my apples and sell them. But you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money. " The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.One day, the boy who now turned into a man returned and the tree was excited "Come and play with me" the tree said. "I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me? " Sorry”, But I do not have any house, you can chop off my branches to build your house. " So the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the man never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.One hot summer day, The man returned and the tree was delighted. "Come and play with me!" the tree said. "I am getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. “Can you give me a boat?" “Said the man”. "Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy. " So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time. Finally, the man returned after many years. "Sorry, my boy. But I do not have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you... " The tree said”. "No problem, I do not have any teeth to bite " The man replied. "No more trunk for you to climb on" "I am too old for that now" the man said. "I really cannot give you anything… The only thing left is my dying root,” The tree said with tears. "I do not need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years" the man replied. "Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest, Come, come sit down with me and rest. " The man sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears... This is you and the tree is your parents. !!!!!

Congratulations Dr. Meriet Mahroos

On your wonderful achievements, and on receiving this well deserved title “officially” last week.
May our Great God and Saviour guide your steps always and give you the success in everything you attempt, all in His Beloved Name, amen.

The Corner wishes
Flo and Davina
a very
Happy Birthday

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