Author: matthew

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The Significance of Christ’s Tears

Article by David Beshara based on
Sermon by Fr Mark Basily
Link: http://www.stmark.com.au/sermons/sermons/the-significance-of-christs-tears/

After listening to Fr Mark’s sermon, it is incredible to see just how much meaning is contained within these two words “Jesus wept”. By sharing in our human emotion, Christ reveals an overarching message; He loves us. There is no greater love than what our God portrays to us, through Jesus Christ His Son. Even the Jews who were watching the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection, when they saw Christ weeping, they said “see how much He loved him.” Fr Mark reveals to us five messages from this short verse that allows us to really grasp a glimpse of the depth of God’s tremendous love for us.

Points:

1. Christ is sensitive to our tears
   
   As humans we respond to people’s emotions and actions. When we see someone laugh, we laugh. Yawn, we yawn. So also when the bystanders were crying, Christ cried. This powerful verse, “Jesus wept”, reveals to us that God is moved with compassion when we shed tears. In the Song of Solomon, God reveals a characteristic about Himself that he cannot bear tears when He says to His beloved “Turn your eyes away from me, for they have overcome me” (Songs 6:5).So how does this apply to us? When we shed our tears before God, it hurts Him. If you reflect on your own personal life, when you shed tears in prayer, often you will find that a miracle takes place soon afterwards. So God teaches us that tears move His kind and compassionate heart, which subsequently portrays His Divine love towards us.
2. Unlike other gods, God shares with us the human condition
   The notion that our God shares with us the human struggles and tribulations, through our Lord Jesus Christ, is one to take comfort in. He is not a God who looks down from Heaven and watches our suffering as some sort of show but rather shares in our troubles. The proof of such is the incarnation. The Logos assumed humanity “and shared our nature, becoming like us in all things, yet without sin” (St Gregory of Nyssa). This ‘sharing in our nature’ gives us comfort that Christ understands our pains and allows God to become more approachable, through Jesus Christ. Through the incarnation, Christ sends us a divinely powerful message that He loves us.
3. To bring comfort to the Mary and Martha
   When the sisters saw that their God was moved they themselves were comforted. In turn we ourselves, as Christians, are called to bring comfort to others. We can learn this lesson practically from his grace Bishop Yostos. When he came down to Sydney, he asked all the churches to give him a list of the sick in hospital so that he could visit them. How marvelous that a bishop came to show love to a congregation he isn’t even responsible for? How much more has Christ shown that He loves humanity, through the comfort brought about by His precious tears?
4. It’s okay to shed tears, but in a Godly manner
   By Christ’s weeping, He teaches us that it is okay to cry but it must be done in a Godly manner. The Greek word used to describe Mary and Martha’s weeping was one of wailing. In contrast, the Greek word used to describe Christ’s weeping is translated to mean ‘shed tears’. So we learn from Christ that our actions must be done in a Godly manner, including weeping.
5. Christ is disturbed by the consequence of sin; death
   Christ’s weeping reveals to us that He is disturbed by the consequence of sin, which is death. He weeps not only over Lazarus but also over the condition of humanity and how sin has destroyed his original creation. When we see that God is disturbed by sin, it’s a safeguard against it. Like a child who cannot bear to see his father upset at him, so also we, being the children of God, should be agitated when we sin against Him because it troubles Him.

Glory be to God, Amen

The Fast of Saint Mary

By Anthony Bebawi

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; One God. Amen

We have entered into a season in which the whole church together starts to again attain to the spiritual heights which were reached during the season of Great Lent- a season beginning with St Mary’s fast and ending with the incarnation of the Son of God. The period of St Mary’s fast, in particular, is a time in which the members of the church body are filled with the desire to fast for longer periods, to attend more church services and to care for those things which are spiritual rather physical. It almost feels like the members of the church, me being the first to be guilty of this, awaken from the slumber which began after the Resurrection.

Why is this the case?

It is because of the fact that she was just like one of us, a human just like the rest of us, yet she bore the Saviour of the world and was lifted higher than the heavenly hosts and, as it says in Psalm 45, “At Your (Christ’s) right hand stands the queen in gold…” We venerate the mother of God for she represents the path to perfection – for although we are called to imitate Christ, we cannot attain of this perfection without the intercessor of the human race.

So, in considering this period of St Mary’s fast, let us look at three of the qualities which granted St Mary the honour of being called the Theotokos.

1. Obedience

In the first chapter of St Luke’s gospel, in the recount of the Annunciation, St Mary says “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). This single phrase said by St Mary is the single greatest act of obedience performed by any member of mankind, for in saying this she accepts, by her own free will, to bear the suffering which lays ahead of her; to follow her Son even to the Cross;

“Whereas Eve once disobeyed, St Mary now obeys; whereas Eve closed herself to God, Mary opens to His will” (St Theophylact of Ohrid).

It is through this obedience that humanity was saved and it is also through obedience that we may also be saved, for in obedience humanity’s corrupt will is not allowed to impose itself – in becoming obedient your will is only able to do the work of Him who sent you (John 4:34).

Let us be attentive in remaining steadfast in our obedience, for when Moses was not obedient in his instructions to speak to the rock, he was denied entry into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:8-12). So we too, are denied entry into the eternal Promised Land if we are not obedient in following the instructions set before us by God.

2. Humility

Immediately upon hearing the news of the conception of the Son of the Highest in her womb, St Mary did something that, according to the wisdom of the world would not be considered normal. In Luke’s gospel it says that “…Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah” (Luke 1:39). Now, the specific use of the word haste has one major repercussion on our understanding of the Character of St Mary; it indicates how little she cared for herself and how much she cared for others.

Despite the fact that she was pregnant at the time, St Mary took it upon herself to journey to Elizabeth to care for her needs. Now, when we think journey in this sense, it might sound like a short journey but the distance from Nazareth to Judah was approximately 160km and this was either done by caravan or on foot and took at least 3-5 days. Thus the fact that she left in haste makes this all the more astounding.

Now, upon reaching the house of Elizabeth we have the interaction between Mary and Elizabeth in which the child in Elizabeth’s womb leaps upon hearing Mary’s greeting. Then we have what is called the Magnificat or the Prayer of St Mary in which St Mary says:

“For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name” (Luke 1:48-49)

When we generally think of humility the first thing that comes to mind is to regard one’s self as bearing no gifts; an idea that almost denies the grace by which God grants to each person their own capabilities. But from St Mary we read the true means by which a person may attain to heavenly humility, for she considered herself to be blessed, yes, but only account of the mercy of God and His love towards His creation – “For He who has mighty has done great things for me…..”

St Mary then stays with Elizabeth for three months (Luke 1:56). Notice here that this would mean Elizabeth had reached the time of her labour for Archangel Gabriel announced that “this is now the sixth month for her [Elizabeth] who was called barren” when he appeared to St Mary in Nazareth. This almost seems like a strange thing for St Mary to do; you would expect her to stay to help Elizabeth during her delivery considering that she came to Judah in haste. But when we consider the humility of St Mary, the reason for this becomes clear – It is to hide her service from the relatives of Elizabeth.

For St Mary did not desire the praise of man but rather that of God, seeking before all things the kingdom of heaven despite the great glory bestowed on her of carrying the Word of God, and in doing so she followed the commandment:

“…when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:3)

3. Prayer

St Theopan the Recluse says that the principal thing in prayer is “to stand before God with the mind in the heart, and to go on standing before Him unceasingly day and night, until the end of life.” Who other than St Mary has reached the perfection of this virtue? For she spent her youth away from the desires of the world and devoted herself wholly to the service of God. It is in this time that Mary was tested and found worthy of bearing the Son of God for within a year of her having left the temple, the Archangel Gabriel came to her to bear the good news of the coming of Christ.

Through her well known prayer, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), St Mary glorifies the Lord as one who has seen Him face to face, announcing the characteristics of God. His greatness, mercy, compassion, holiness, justice and richness towards His people and all of mankind.

St Mary’s life was one of prayer in which she continually stood before the face of God till the end of her life, trusting Him in all things. Even when she stood before the cross of the Son of God she did not despair, but trusted completely in His plan, knowing that no matter what was to occur that God had ordained it to be so.

Because of her great faith in the power of God, her prayer was always accepted before God. In the wedding in Cana of Galilee, she intercedes on behalf of the bridegroom to the Son of God and although He says “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4), the request is carried out for the sake of her who is called the Intercessor of the human race. Thus, let us also ask for her intercession so that we who still live in the sins of this world may have our prayers accepted before the throne of God

During this fast, let us look at the example St Mary set for the rest of the human race and attempt to practice the virtues which made her worthy of bearing the Son of God. Virtues that in turn make us worthy of bearing the Holy Spirit which dwells within us and being counted among those who inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Glory be to God forever. Amen,

Strength in Numbers

By Marc Bastawrous

“If God seems far away, find someone to pray with and for you. You will experience His Presence and that will become your reassurance. He never, ever, leaves His children orphaned.” – Fr. Johannes Jacobse

Only a short while ago while I was driving home, I noticed a large sign, possibly a part of some sort of campaign connected with the most recent election, I couldn’t be sure. The sign read: “If we want to be heard, we must all stand up as one and be counted,” or something along those cliché lines. I must have chuckled to myself at the lack of creativity in the slogan multiple times as I drove home and yet, it got me thinking. What if the slogan actually bore some substance when placed in the context of our own spiritual lives? Maybe this campaign was onto something.

My mind was immediately reverted back to a promise that Christ Himself made to the disciples saying, “where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there in the midst of them,” (Matt 18:20). Beautiful and cliché as it is, how often do we truly come to the Lord and claim this promise? Christ here literally offers us the simplest and most easily accessible way of entering into His divine Presence – invite a friend with a similar goal. When thought of in this regards, it then makes perfect sense that almost every single liturgical prayer in our church is in the plural – “Our Father,” “Let us give thanks,” “Truly we believe,” why? Fr. Daniel Fanous puts it simply, “because we are a community. When I pray, when I worship, I do that on behalf of my community.” In order to make manifest this communal spirit, we must invite Christ who is the “bond of perfection” spoken of by St Paul in Colossians 3, into our assemblies.

Of course, that’s not to say that God does not hear our own silent prayers uttered in the quietness of our rooms, but there is a fire that rushes to the Heavens and penetrates the ears of our Lord when two or more cry out to Him. St. Therese of Liseieux writes, “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; a simple look turned to Heaven, it’s a cry of recognition and love, embracing trial and joy.” Imagine then the flame that a multitude of hearts joined together in prayer could muster.

There is a very relevant story about a monk who once learned of this power in united prayer in a very harsh way. If you’ve ever spent time in a monastery you would have noticed that at sunset (roughly 5pm every evening) all the monks, brothers and residents at the monastery gather in the church to pray the Sunset Prayers together. This particular monk began to get agitated with this tradition complaining that it didn’t feel like prayer and that his mind was becoming scattered all too often by the distraction caused by those around him. Thus he made the decision to stop attending these sunset prayers and instead pray in isolation. Until one night he was awoken in a vision by an angel of God. This angel took this monk and led him to a pillar of fire where joyful shouts and praising could be heard to the monk’s delight. Then the angel led him away and took him to a candle flickering on its own, one gust of wind away from being blown out. The monk begged the angel to take him back to the pillar of fire to which the angel responded saying, “You decided to leave this pillar in the first place in order to be a candle out in the cold alone. Go back to your brothers the monks.” It is a beautiful image. A pillar of fire constructed for God. How could He ever reject this monument set up in His name?

The youth of our church were taught a beautiful lesson in this fire of cohesive prayer on a trip to Kenya, Africa a couple years back. One morning a week into the trip, Bishop Paul, who leads the service in Kenya, called an emergency meeting with all of us in the chapel. After leading a short bible study he then told us that all service would be cancelled that week, as we were not taking things seriously enough. He began bombarding us with condemning questions like, “do you not care about the Kingdom of God? Is service to Christ not important enough for you?” stating that we had only come for an experience rather than service. He concluded with a line that stuck with all the youth that day, “You are not a blessed group, a blessed group brings rain to a country like this which is in need.” Harsh words right?

Needless to say, the moment he left that chapel many tears were shed, but he was right. We were skipping our quiet time, we were coming late to bible study and we weren’t praying for the service. So that is precisely what we did. A group of 60 youth from St. Marks Church spent the entire day in the Monastery at Maseno, Kenya, in prayer – as one voice. That night we each split up into groups of 8 and had prayer meetings. I distinctly remember being in a group with Fr. Bishoy, a Kenyan Priest, and 7 other men who were encouraged by him to take shifts throughout that whole night in prayer. So one would pray from midnight – 1am, then the next from 1am-2am and so on until the sun rose the next day. The next morning, at the break of dawn, we awoke to the most joyful curtain of rain beating down from the heavens – our prayer had been answered. Not prayers, but prayer – one prayer, a multitude of voices.

So I guess, the electoral campaign was on the right track. To be heard we must unite. We are a church, each a part of a Kingdom set firmly on the earth in honor of the King Himself; united by His ordinances and law.

If there was one thing I would change in the slogan however, it would be this: “If we want to be heard, we must all kneel down as one and be counted.”

Glory Be to God Forevermore. Amen.

Seeing Christ in Others

By: Sarah F

Seeing Christ in others is an interesting ideology. Does it mean to perceive every individual that you come across as Christ? Is that even possible to see every individual as Christ? Some would say that there are individuals that represent the complete opposite of Christ! How then can we see Christ in them?

Each individual, regardless of whether they appear good or bad, has an innate desire for happiness. However, this yearning can only be fulfilled with Christ. Not everyone seeks the same way to fill this desire, some resort to Christ whilst others to worldly desires. Despite bearing on outward façade of contentment, internally people may be warring between themselves feeling a metaphorical sense of hunger or thirst, estrangement or nakedness, sickness and imprisonment.

In Mathew 25:35-50 Jesus says, ^{35 “}for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Christ is directly warning us that what we do to any individual we come across, we do to him. That is to say, regardless of the outward appearance, whether good or bad, religion or belief, parents or strangers, the way in which we treat people is a measure of how we treat Christ.

God asks of us to be filled with love in order to love and to see Him in others, however the only way to achieve this is to be filled with Him who is Love. This evident in Matthew 22:36-40

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’. ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself ‘.⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Glory be to God, Amen

 

 

 

Hell

By: Shenouda Girgis

Talking about hell is a touchy topic and one that many people don’t delve too far into. To be honest, I didn’t know much about it before preparing for this blog. The study of hell is quite difficult to initiate- its oppressive, innately negative and lacks the lustre of delving into scripture or a juicy piece of theology. In short, studying it is a bit hard to justify. In fact, I could only nod my head in agreement in retrospect.

Imagine a person who says, “I don’t want to be friends with other people; I want to be alone,”…
they then take baby steps to sever themselves off from those around them…
and then eventually they take mammoth leaps to absolutely and decisively choose themself over all other people.
Then this is going to hell.

Said another way, the essence of sin is separation from God, the desire to achieve competency away from the divine. It is the urge to be self-sufficient, to be able to discern between good and evil apart from the Creator. Some call it self-righteousness. This is the ultimate denial of being a creature of God. Now, by correlation, sin and hell are the same thing, a separation from others and God. C.S. Lewis depicts hell in ‘The Great Divorce’ through a quiet, grey, overcast town where people keep moving further and further apart from each other.

An old saying is that one would choose ‘heaven for the climate but hell for the company’. This is a deplorable myth. Hell is boring and uneventful to the extreme. But then how can heaven be interesting or exciting if we are reclining on marshmallow clouds, dipping our golden fingers in pristine rivers and tuning our ever new silver harps? But let’s try to consider what it means for human beings to flourish. Just imagine what it would be like for yourself and for us as human beings to act together without the frictions and subtractions caused by sin. What potential? What excitement? What room for growth and prosperity? As St Paul says, “from glory to glory”; our limitations would be nullified, our potential limitless. C.S. Lewis leans forward on his Cambridge armchair and beckons, “Come further up, come further in!” (The Last Battle)