Sunday, July 30, 2006
Newsletter No. 31
In this Issue:
St. Joseph, the Righteous
Sayings of the Fathers
A Story I liked
An Article I liked
You Say ... God Says
Congratulations
Happy Birthday wishes
On the 26th of Abib, the righteous man St. Joseph, the carpenter, who was worthy to be called the father of Christ in the flesh, departed at a good old age. The Holy Gospel bore witness that he was a righteous man, and God chose him to be betrothed to the all-pure, our lady, the Virgin St. Mary.
When he finished his course, his strife, his toil in the journey together with the Lord and the Virgin Lady from Bethlehem to the land of Egypt, and the tribulations that befell him from the Jews, he departed in peace.
When the time came for him to depart from this world, to the world of the living, the Lord Christ was present at his departure, and laid His hand upon his eyes. He extended his arms, and delivered up his soul, and was buried in the tomb of his father Jacob.
All the days of his life were one hundred and eleven years.
His departure was in the sixteenth year of the advent of the Lord Christ.
May his prayers be with us, Amen.
You are not to pay attention to visible things let them be as though they did not exist; but you must pay attention to invisible things; for the former are temporal, and the latter eternal. Besides this, if you seek the invisible, then God will provide the visible for you, as He has done until now.
+ St. John of Kronstadt +
The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in any way he could.
One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?"
The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water."
The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he could get back to the house.
The grandfather laughed and said, "You will have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.
This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was "impossible to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket instead.
The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You can do this. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.
At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.
Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!"
"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket"
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out.
That is the work of God in our lives. To change us from the inside out and to slowly transform us into the image of His son.
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An article I liked
St Joseph, the Carpenter
During the holy days of the Nativity Fast, as we prepare ourselves to receive the Word Incarnate, we tend to focus on the Baby Jesus and His blessed mother Virgin Mary. We sing praises to our Lord Jesus Christ and we venerate St. Mary as we chant the Kioahk Praises.In the churches, replicas of mangers are up and the icons of the Nativity and the Holy Family take center places. In all this festivity, we tend to overlook the role of a very important member of the Holy Family during these events, St. Joseph the carpenter.
Born in Bethlehem of Judea, St. Joseph came from the royal lineage of King David. Both St. Luke and St. Matthew mark his descent from David, the greatest king of Israel (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38). The Scriptures do not tell us why or when originally St. Joseph left Bethlehem and chose Nazareth to be his place of residence, but it tells us that he was a carpenter (Matthew 13:55).
According to tradition, when St. Mary, who was dedicated to the temple, completed twelve years in the sanctuary and could not stay there any longer, the priests announced through Judea that they wished to find in the tribe of Judah a respectable man, to espouse her. St. Joseph was among the candidates. A miracle revealed the choice of St. Joseph God had made. When the priests gathered twelve righteous men from the tribe of Judah and took their staffs inside the sanctuary, a dove flew up and stood on the staff belonging to St. Joseph. They immediately knew that this was God’s will. The righteous St. Joseph took St. Mary to his house. Both spouses intended for this betrothal to be virginal marriage.
When St. Joseph discovered St. Mary was pregnant, he knew the child was not his. St. Joseph knew that a woman accused of adultery could be stoned to death. Being a compassionate man, full of love he did not want to defame her for "Love covers all sins" (Proverbs 10:12). Being sensible and discreet he did not show annoyance nor behaved in anger but behaved with prudence "A fool’s wrath is known at once, But a prudent man covers shame" (Proverbs 12:16) and decided to put her away secretly (Matthew 1:18,19).
"But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit…" Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife." (Matthew 1:20-24) St. Joseph did not doubt the angel of the Lord but in full faith accepted his words and kept St. Mary with him.
A few months later, Caesar Augustus issued a decree ordering the entire world to be registered everyone in his own city. For St. Joseph and St. Mary, this meant to travel from Nazareth of Galilee to Bethlehem of Judea. Upon their arrival in Bethlehem "the days were completed for her to be delivered …." and "there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:1-7). St. Joseph was there with St. Mary at the birth of our Lord. He
was there when the shepherds came to greet the Newborn. He witnessed the wise men offering gifts to the Child. He took full responsibility of the Mother and Child.
St. Joseph was a modest man not with great means for when the time came to present the Child Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24). He was present at the temple, saw Simeon the elder carry the Child and prophesy about Him. Both St. Joseph and St. Mary marvelled at those things spoken of the Lord and they both received Simeon blessings.
St. Joseph was man of faith, obedient to God in everyway. When the angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him" (Matthew 2:13). He did not hesitate but immediately left everything he owned, all his relatives and friends, and fled to Egypt, a strange country. He took full responsibility of the Child although he is not His real father. It did not occur to him that his own life and the life of St. Mary were not in danger, but only the Child. He could have resented this move but he did not. In all obedience he went to Egypt and waited there submissively until the angel of the Lord told him it was safe to go back (Matthew 2:13-23).
Upon their return from Egypt, the Holy Family settled again at Nazareth. St. Joseph supported himself and his family by his work. We do not know many details about their life in Nazareth except that they faithfully followed the religious practices commanded by the Law. Being a pious man St. Joseph traveled with his family each year to Jerusalem to observe the Passover, "His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover" (Luke 2:41).
St. Joseph raised the Lord Jesus, loved Him and cared for His safety. St. Matthew records an incident that took place when our Lord Jesus Christ was twelve years old. On their way home to Nazareth after celebrating the Passover in Jerusalem, St. Joseph and St. Mary discovered the absence of the Lord Jesus from among the company. Anxious for His safety they immediately returned to Jerusalem to look for Him. Three days had passed until they found Him sitting among the teachers at the temple listening to them and asking them questions. St. Joseph definitely treated the Lord Jesus as his own son; For the people of Nazareth had said of the Lord, "Is this not the son of Joseph" (Luke 4:22).
This incident of the Passover is the last account mentioning St. Joseph in the Holy Gospels. Tradition tells us that St. Joseph had died before Jesus entered public ministry. Our Lord was about sixteen years of age when His foster father St. Joseph departed. The Lord Christ was present at his departure, and laid His hand upon his eyes. St. Joseph extended his arms and delivered up his soul. He was buried in the tomb of his father Jacob. All the days of his life were one hundred and eleven years. His departure was on the twenty-sixth day of the month of Epep. May the blessings of the righteous saint be with us all Amen.
H.G. Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
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You Say ... God Says ...
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)
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Congratulations
Daneil Kiriakos for your Baptism
your spirit and body, amen.
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The Corner wishes
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End of Issue No. 31
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Newsletter No. 30
In this Issue:
God Won't Ask ...
Sayings of the Fathers
A poem I liked
It Depends ...
An Article I liked
You Say ... God Says
Happy Birthday wishes
- God won't ask what kind of fancy car you drove. He will ask how many people you took to church who didn't have transportation.
- God won't ask the square footage of your house. He will ask how many people you helped who didn't have a house.
- God won't ask how many fancy clothes you had in your closet. He will ask how many of those clothes you gave away.
- God won't ask what social class you were in. He will ask what kind of "class" you displayed.
One cannot possibly understand the teaching of the saints unless one has a pure mind and is trying to imitate their life. Anyone who wants to look at sunlight naturally wipes his eye clear first, in order to make some approximation to the purity of that on which he looks...Similarly, anyone who wishes to understand the mind of the sacred writers must first cleanse his own life, and approach the saints by copying their deeds. Thus united to them in the fellowship of life, he will both understand the things revealed to them by God and will receive that which is laid up for saints in heaven.
+ St. Athanasius +
Today, upon a bus, I saw a girl with golden hair
I looked at her and sighed and wished I was as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle.
She had one leg and used a crutch
But as she passed, she passed a smile.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine
I have 2 legs, the world is mine.
~~~
I stopped to buy some candy
The lad who sold it had such charm
I talked with him a while, he seemed so very glad
If I were late, it'd do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me,
"I thank you, you've been so kind.
It's nice to talk with folks like you.
You see," he said, "I'm blind."
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 eyes, the world is mine.
~~~
Later while walking down the street,
I saw a child with eyes of blue
He stood and watched the others play
He did not know what to do.
I stopped a moment and then I said,
"Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word.
And then I knew, he couldn't hear.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 ears, the world is mine.
~~~
With feet to take me where I'd go.
With eyes to see the sunset's glow.
With ears to hear what I would know.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I've been blessed indeed, The world is mine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This poem after all, is just a simple reminder....
We have soooooo much to be thankful for!!!
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It Depends...
Two fish and five loaves of bread in my hands
are a couple of fish sandwiches,
Two fish and five loaves in Jesus’ hands
will feed thousands.
It depends whose hands it’s in!
Nails in my hands might produce a bird house,
Nails in Jesus Christ’s hands will produce
salvation for the entire world.
It depends whose hands it’s in!
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A Touching Story!
I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called "Smile." The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway, so, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally. Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special play time with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved. As I turned around I smelled a horrible "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was "smiling". His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance. He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue eyed gentleman was his salvation. I held my tears as I stood there with them. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, "Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm). Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you." I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, "I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope." I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That is why God gave you to me, Honey. To give me hope." We held hands for a moment and at that time we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give. We are not church goers, but we are believers. That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love. I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand. I turned in "my project" and the instructor read it. Then she looked up at me and said, "Can I share this?" I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God, share this need to heal people and to be healed. In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald's, my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student. I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE. Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.
H.G. Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
You Say ... God Says ...
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Newsletter No. 29
In this Issue:
God blessed us with this history
Sayings of the Fathers
A poem I liked
Meditations
An Article I liked
Congratulations
Happy Birthday wishes
Copts throughout the ages (1)
Among the students of Athenagoras were Pantaenus and Clement, both of whom succeeded him as Deans of the School, but outshone him as leaders of thought. Athenagorus was succeeded by Justus who had been appointed by St. Mark himself and who, in due season, became the sixth successor to the Evangelist. On his accession to the Chair of Alexandria, Justus appointed Eumanius Dean, and he, too, became an Alexandrian Pope in turn. The tradition was repeated in the case of Marianus who took his office as fourth dean of the School of Alexandria, then had the honour of becoming the eighth head of the Church.
Towards the end of the second century, when Christianity in Egypt had already had a long and substantial history behind it, Pantaenus was selected Dean of the school of Alexandria. Later he was singled out for a missionary journey to India by the Pope at the time; Abba Demetrius (12th Pope of Alexandria). He responded to this honour by readily accepting it, and entrusted the School to his illustrious pupil Clement.
"Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you will honour your patience."
+ St. John of the Ladder +
It's not to hurt people or tell them their worth.
Everyone was put here with an equal chance,
Take a look around you, take a good long glance.
Some were meant to heal, and some to teach,
Some are used to build, and some to reach.
You may not know your purpose just yet,
God will tell you, when he knows you are set.
Don't rush your fate, it has already been planned.
And God will always be there to lend a helping hand.
You will go through times that are really rough,
But you will always have someone, when the going gets tough.
Don't judge others, for when you do,
There is always someone else, judging you.
Think about things before they are said,
Say your prayers before going off to bed.
Take time just to sit, and observe all things,
A flower and it's petals, or a bird and it's wings.
For when you just look at what is around,
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On our spiritual journey there are different paths we come across day after day. God says quite frankly follow me today as you are going to carry your cross.
Then we come to choose the path, when it comes to the spiritual path we carelessly try to avoid watching it. And of course Satan is present using full force to push us away from this precious path. Sometimes, we stand on the sinners’ road looking and telling ourselves, this is the wrong way. We are caught in the midst of the sinful way. Many times we just freeze, standing there. But, we should not, we have to steer back and go to the right way; God’s way. We should watch out as to which path we must take.
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Sunday, is the Lord’s Day (suscoptc.org)
“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps 118:24)
Since the early years of Christianity, the believers consecrated the first day of the week (Sunday) for worship, rejoicing, and celebrating the glorious resurrection of our Saviour.
· “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” (Acts 20:7)
· “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” (1 Cor 16:2)
The Spiritual Concept of the Lord’s Day:
St. Paul said, “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.” (Rom 14:5,6) – Thus, the Lord should be the focus and the goal of keeping a certain day or not. Moreover, St. Paul warned against Jewish customs, “Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come” (Col 2:16,17). – He also rebuked the Galatians who followed the Judaizers saying, “How is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have laboured for you in vain” (Gal 4:10,11).
The Day of Divine Rest:
It is written in the Holy Book of Genesis, “God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” (Gen 2:3) – Thus, the sanctification of the seventh day was because in it God had rested. However, we know that creating the universe was not tiring for God; He simply uttered His word and creation came into being. When the Son of God took flesh and became man, He became subject to exhaustion and weariness, “Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well” (Jn 4:6). The peak of our Savior’s physical and psychological exhaustion was on the cross yet after completing our salvation and redemption He rose from the dead on the third day and it became the real day of Divine rest for “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). – Therefore, the eighth day (Sunday) is the true day of rest and thus is sanctified by all Christians.
Some Sayings of the Church Fathers:
· “Those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death.” (St. Ignatius Bishop of Antioch – 107 AD)
· “Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead.” (St Justin the Martyr – 155 AD).
H.G. Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
Congratulations
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Newsletter No. 28
In this Issue:
The Apostles’ Feast
Sayings of the Fathers
How does the church honour “The Twelve Disciples; The Saints”?
NADY TIME ...
An Article I liked
Commemoration
Happy Birthday wishes
This day is a memory of the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul, which is considered by the church as a heavenly feast. In such occasions, we are closer to the saints, and as st. Dorotheos said: “the closer we are to the saints, the closer to Jesus. And as we are closer to Jesus, we surely are closer to the saints.
"Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you will honour your patience."
+ St. John of the Ladder +
This is how; for example:
On both sides of the “Last Supper” icon on the iconostasis, we usually find icons of the twelve disciples. They assure us of the apostolic nature of our church. It is established on the apostolic faith, and continues to exist in an apostolic way, and is shepherded by apostolic pastors.
In this figure of the cross, every edge is tri-winged as symbol of the Holy Trinity. The total of twelve wings represents the twelve Disciples of the Lord, or the Kingdom of the Holy Trinity in corners of the world.
The “Ambon”; (a high building which the bishop or priest stands on, when preaching to the people), usually rests on twelve columns, which symbolise the twelve Disciples; it is made of marble, stone or wood and is decorated with Icons of Saints.
“The DIDACHE, or the Lord’s instructions to the Gentiles through the twelve disciples”, was produced during the years 100 to 150, and offers us an excellent picture of the Christian life in the second century..
The central part of the “Eucharistic Bread; i.e. the korban” is called "Despatikon" meaning "Lordly." Around the "Despatikon" there are twelve crosses referring to the twelve disciples.
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A BIG “thank you” to the parents who helped with the church’s winter club; “the nadi”, in the last two weeks. And well done to the servants who have been creative and diligent.
May God bless and reward everyone’s efforts and contributions.
Sunday School
The Didache; the church’s “manual” (suscoptc.org)
Historical Evidence of the Lord's Instructions Taught to the Nations through the Twelve Apostles:
+ The Didache may be the oldest of known documents of Christian antiquity. It has been said to be undoubtedly the most ancient church "manual" in mankind's possession. In the early church, historically recorded, particularly in the nation of Egypt.
+ The Didache was held worthy of great respect and is documented as often quoted from by St. Clement of Alexandria as well as St. Athanasius the Apostolic.
+ The Didache entails educational teaching and church order specifically Christian in characterization. This means there is no evidence of Jewish indoctrination, nor does it address Judaism as the first problem encountered within the early Christian Church's conception.
+ The Didache's language is simplistic which places it written at a time period very close to the Apostolic Era. This is postulated to be the initial period of change from the writings of the New Testament to those writings of the Church. Many theologians date the book written in its entirety sometime about the last third of the first century making its accuracy of teaching valid.
+ The Didache further refers to the stability of the Church, which had been realized as the Apostolic Era drew to a close, as well as it makes reference to many quotes from the Holy Gospel of St. Matthew.
It has no known author, nor does the Didache directly point to apostolic authorship. Rather the inner writer writes about the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ as taught to the nations by the apostles. Therefore, it can be correctly surmised that the Lord's teachings to the apostles were shared with the Gentiles through evangelistic efforts.
Its place of origin is stated by many scholars to be Alexandria, Egypt.
What evidence concurs with this?
Alexandria, Egypt was said to use the apostolic church order (the Egyptian church order) which is found under the Christian church ethics section of the Didache, statements within the Didache were quoted by Egyptian authors such as St. Clement of Alexandria with history recording this, and further evidence supporting this is the Egyptian Bishop Serapion in the 4th century used it in His Grace's Eucharistic Prayers.
What purpose does this document give to the Christians today?
It gives evidence pointing to the apostolic beginnings of our Church first and for most. It did not reveal evangelism's teaching of the day but rather revealed the treasures of the Christian life at the end of the first century and in the second century with the rituals of that time, instructions of organization, and regulations for liturgical functions. It gives rise to the human imagination of how church law in the East and in the West originated. Specifics are astounding such as baptism was undeniably practiced by immersion (it spoke to running water in the rivers and immersion). Baptism by pouring water from a vessel or from the hand was allowed only in cases of scarcity of water or to sick persons who could not leave their beds. Fasting was necessary on Wednesdays and Fridays. Receiving the Holy Eucharist regularly was essential.
+ The Didache is not considered a book of the New Testament. Pope Athanasius emphasized that it was not canonized. Its purpose to us may lie in the fact that the Lord's teachings to the apostles were simply recorded by an inner unknown writer as a result of the apostles' evangelistic efforts following the Pentecost. It gives us perhaps a look into how the Lord Jesus Christ shaped His disciples for church greatness.
+ The discovery of the Didache was only a whisper of the teachings and the extraordinary talents which lay within the apostles. The disciples were twelve ordinary men similar in human likeness to many of us today. The disciples were twelve men who could not fathom the power of God, who struggled with their own sins, had difficulty with absolute commitment, yet, who found faith. With this ever challenged faith a handful of common fishermen, a despised tax collector, and a political zealot- together comprising twelve men- become a force that would forever impact the world. This is not fiction or myth. They were not earthly prophets or saints. They were not priests or religious scholars of the day. They were not even educators or orators. They were unremarkably human, but with faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ they conquered the world in His Name and that's an undeniable, undisputable historically recorded fact!
May we all give homage to those who did what He wanted them to do and ask to be worthy to pray:
"Just as You were with Your disciples, O Saviour, and gave them peace, graciously come also and be with us, and grant us Your peace, and save us, and deliver our souls" (2nd Watch, Midnight Prayers).
May we humbly ask that His blessings be upon us all,
H.G. Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven. (II Corinth. 5:1,2)
The Corner wishes
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Newsletter No. 27
In this Issue:
A Short Prayer
Sayings of the Fathers
You Say ... God Says
IT'S NADY TIME ...
An Article I liked
The Fiery Spirit
Happy Anniversary wishes
By H H Pope Kirollos VI
"Let us know the great goodness of God for those who sincerely take refuge in Him and who correct their past faults, by repentance, and let us not despair of our salvation. In truth, as it was proclaimed by the Prophet Isaiah, God washes those who are dirty with sin, whitens them as wool and as snow and bestows the good things of the heavenly Jerusalem on them." + Abba Paul the Simple +
You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)
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THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT (suscoptc.org)
As we stand to pray the Agpeya every morning, the Church puts before our eyes this passage from the Holy Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:1-6). Reading this passage is a daily reminder that our main obligation is to keep the unity of the Spirit in our church. This can be fulfilled in two steps, first by our behavior towards each other and second by keeping the one true doctrine. Our teacher St. Paul draws our attention that as Christians, members of the same Church, we do have unity of the Spirit. However, the challenge we are facing is how to keep this unity. To actually keep unity is to become one in spirit. Oneness does not come from being together in the same church, or from knowing each other's name, or attending church members' birthday or graduation parties or going out and eating together. An outward unity, which does not secure peace, cannot be the unity of the Spirit. Oneness is produced by the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit, given to us by the Lord Himself, is the spiritual bond that holds us together. When Christians do not live in harmony with one another they are tearing this bond holding them together. In allowing the Holy Spirit to live within us and work in us without resisting or quenching Him we are submitting ourselves with all lowliness and humility to the will of the Lord. St. Paul puts before us three qualities essential in everyone in order to be able to keep the unity of the Spirit.
1. Lowliness or humility entails seeing one's self aright with all honesty. Lowliness is the willingness to die to self by submitting first to the Lord Jesus Christ and second to others. When we submit to God, He will give us that humble spirit that Christ Himself had when He left His throne in glory, came down to earth and died on the cross for the sake of other people. Lowliness is, truthfully believing that others are more important than one self. "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself" (Phil 2:3).
2. Gentleness is an ability that grows out of lowliness. It is expressed in the calm spirit we have at all times when dealing with others even those who are talking about us wrongfully or hurting us.
Gentleness could also be translated "meekness" and meekness is not weakness. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us to imitate Him "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Mt 11:29). Our goal is to be one day like our Lord Jesus Christ. Once we achieve this gentleness we will find rest both within us (for our souls) and with others. A humble and gentle spirit will strive to protect and preserve the unity of the Spirit while sparing us from trying to defend our rights or enforce our opinions. Believe that God is in control and He will not only defend you "But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them" (Ps 5:11) but He will conform you into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Longsuffering is the product of the combination of lowliness and gentleness. It is the ability produced by the Spirit that enables us to take the unkind words that are said, and the unkind deeds that are done. Not only can we take them and tolerate the people who did them, but also we can love them in spite of themselves and not give up on them because there is still hope that God can change their hearts. Taking these three qualities and summing them up, they come into one word, forbearance. St. Paul says we must bear one another in love. To bear is to endure and not let any provocation knock us down. St. Paul puts on view that being member in the church does not make us automatically perfect for perfect people don't need to be endured or forgiven. St. Paul does not explain how 'perfect people' can live together in unity, but how imperfect Christians can maintain the unity of the Spirit, namely, by enduring each other in love. "Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do" (Col 3:13). All of these are characteristics of our Lord Jesus Christ, which combine to produce the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ in us. Only when we have these characteristics do we find ourselves able to keep the unity. Anything that infringes on that unity is sin for it is tearing down what the Holy Spirit is seeking to bind together. Thus first we preserve the unity of the Spirit,
firstly in the way that we are diligent in our behavior towards each other.
Secondly in the way that we should be willing to adhere to the true doctrine.
Notice that St. Paul in this passage to the Ephesians uses the word "one" seven different times "one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all." These seven words frame the doctrine that defines the Christian Church, the body of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1. One body: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body; whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor 12:13). All Christians, whether they were Jews or Gentile, male or female, slave or free are members in the body of our Lord Jesus Christ partaking of His Holy Body as the Holy Spirit works in the Church through the holy mysteries to unite man with God. "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another" (Rom 12:5) and "let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful" (Col 3:15).
2. One Spirit: Unity is led by the One Spirit of God to unify His people into one and prevents divisions among them making them one spirit with the Lord "But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Cor 6:17). The One Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of God; the spirit of adoption as sons of God, which motivates and governs all who are of the One Body, in vital union with the one Head, our Lord Jesus Christ
3. One hope: The hope of our one calling which is our heavenly inheritance enjoying the eternal glory "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe" (Eph 1:18). One hope which inspires all the members of the one body of Christ, who have the one Spirit of the Truth, is the hope of eternal life by the resurrection. "That having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7).
4. One Lord: St. Cyril the Great says that God wants us to unite with one another in the same way the Holy Trinity are One. God wants everyone to be united with Him as His children and call all saints in one perfect man.
5. One faith: The Church's duty is to offer the true faith to the world. This faith is a treasure that should be kept through the ages without divergence or corruption. St. Ireaneus in his refutation to the heretics says "And this is most abundant proof that there is one and the same vivifying faith, which has been preserved in the Church from the apostles until now, and handed down in truth."
6. One baptism: In baptism we become members in the One Body of Christ we are buried with Him to be raised with Him as the heavenly bride to the One Bridegroom. This is the baptism commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ (Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15-16), and preached and commanded by His apostles (Act 2:38; 10:48)
7. One God and Father of all: One God the Father of all, above all, through all, in all. The Father, Who together with the Son and Holy Spirit, makes up the "Godhead". Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed to us God the Father. He taught us how to pray saying "Our Father" God desires for us to be His children and treat Him as our Father. "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven" (Mt 5:44,45). We do not keep the unity of the Spirit by how we behave towards each other only but also by how we
believe the doctrines of God. If we divert from these doctrines, automatically we infringe upon the unity that the Spirit has given us. Let us be lowly, meek and gentle. Let us be longsuffering and forgiving while keeping the true doctrines of the Church that the unity become real in our church, and we will not bring any disrespect upon God who called us into His kingdom and glory.
My wonderful Companion!
Spirit of God, be my sole Companion!
Guide my steps, and lead me to a victorious battle!
Shelter my heart as a cloud,
that protects me from the heat of temptation,
and cool me with Your rich oil of grace.
Spirit of God, grant me a new and rejuvenated outlet,
so that I may be saved daily,
from the slavery of the devil,
and pass through the cruel wilderness of this world,
and enjoy the heavenly Canaan.
Spirit of God, I beg of You to stay behind me,
to protect me from the unknown!
Defend me, O Spirit of God,
as I do not depend on the strength of man,
prestige, power or any materialistic matters.
Enter my heart, O Spirit of God,
so that I may rejoice in Your glory!
The world then will find no room in my heart,
neither will sin be able to overpower me,
nor the enemy to lure me away from You,
as I will rejoice in Your grace!
Spirit of God, escort my footsteps, wherever I go.
Bless my heart, thoughts and senses.
Bless my inner and outer deeds.
Bless me, O Holy One!
Spirit of God, be with me and within me!
Guide me and I will follow You.
Defend me from the unknown.
Abide in my heart and escort my movements.
For You are my wonderful and sweet Companion!
