Author: ramez

Standing Before God

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Mark Basily

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Passage Luke 1

We are presented with the opening of the gospel of St Luke. Each character is introduced by St Luke with an underlying tension; a problem personally applicable to each one.

He starts with Zacharias; “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.”

What an amazing way to be described, and yet, they had no child. Elizabeth was barren and they were both advanced in years. This is a real problem. You would think that living a righteous and blameless life would lead to blessings, especially a priest. This would be a real point of hurt for them.

The gospel begins with this tension. This same tension is lived in many of our lives. We carry very similar questions; “I am doing all that I can do, I’m praying, I’m coming to church- why does this problem exist?”

“I asked God to help, but I heard nothing. I’m praying, I’m trying my best but I feel I’m going nowhere.”

Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth’s story unfolds with this tension. ^“So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, ⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.”

And then Zacharias receives news that his wife, Elizabeth will have a son. If we look back upon the context under which this tension was released, we note some key points of resolution to the tension they faced for so long. It was Zacharias’ first time in the altar burning incense. He had the opportunity to present himself before God. The first clue is that tension is released when we stand before God.

Fr Dawood Lamey once said when addressing priests and asked, “Do you know why God chose you to be a priest? For your own salvation, so that you can stand before God at the altar, not because you are not here to save, but so that you may be saved before the altar.”

The first thing that released Zacharias from the tension was standing before God. And who was behind him? The whole multitude of people were praying outside the altar at the time of the raising of incense.

I once asked for Fr Yacoub’s guidance during a matter that someone had come to me about. His response was that we make a canon of prayer. I figured it must for the person to pray, but he meant the seven priests. Perhaps we pray the midnight prayer every night and a certain number of liturgies throughout the week for this purpose. And make sure that the person doesn’t know that we are doing this.

The whole multitude was standing behind in prayer. There is so much power in this. In that context, resolution begins to take place to ease the tension in Zacharias’ life.

“And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.”

Sometimes we rush prayer, we can’t wait to get out and get to sleep, as quickly as possible. What if we linger? An extra psalm, an extra matania, more time with the Lord. I don’t want to leave just yet. The Agpia helps us to spend more time, and to linger with God.

One time, I was praying with Fr Augustinos and he pulled the most mangled Agpia I had ever seen. Held by three elastics and a missing front cover. Such an overused prayer book. What’s the condition of my Agpia? Let us to learn to mangle our Agpia by lingering more with God.

In Psalm 73, King David says, “I am a beast, presented to the Lord. I was like a beast before You, nevertheless I am continually with You, You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel and afterward receive me to glory.”

In the same psalm, after calling himself a beast, it was too painful to understand until I entered into the sanctuary of the Lord. Only then, could I understand. The solution to any tension in our life is found in the sanctuary of the Lord. It is found by presenting ourselves to the Lord as a beast. Insufficient faith, insufficient knowledge, but then I begin to understand. Then my tension is resolved.

Full sermon available here

Seeking Purpose

By Maria Hakim

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11.

One of the greatest struggles of humanity is finding purpose. To choose the best and most fulfilling path. In doing so, we may look to our achievements as a method of validating our purpose. However, it’s a dangerous path that will inevitably lead to a self-seeking cycle. An attempt to quench an unquenchable thirst for feeling constant pleasure. And that terrible feeling of emptiness and loneliness will eventually creep in. Moreover, we are more precious than to give our self-worth to the ‘treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal’ (Matthew 6:19-20). The temporary things of the world we pursue with our abilities are not reliable.

 But did not Christ use the parable of the talents to encourage us to utilise our abilities? Are we not fulfilling His parable? Yes, we have every right to use them, but it is so easy to fall into the trap of prioritising these temporary joys. The amazing thing is, God knew from the very beginning that because of our nature, it would be one of our greatest struggles: ‘Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails’ (Proverbs 19:21). So, He gave us the simplest set of instructions for the times we slowly regress to the lifestyle and trajectory the world has set out for us.

‘For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”’ Galatians 5:14

Quite simply, love in God and others may be the very answer we seek. ‘Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others’ (Philippians 2:4).  Use your talents for service. This cannot be achieved without having love. For with love in service to others, you are working towards something great, both in your relationship with God and for yourself. Purpose will weave itself in. Essentially, it is the answer to direct our earthly and spiritual lives.

Of course, it doesn’t seem right that the answer appears so simple. But think of it this way:  Look at the beatitudes. Look at the ten commandments. Pivotal principles in our faith. And think to yourself, would having selfless love and devotion make them easier to achieve? For with love comes respect, sacrifice and clarity of mind. In contrast ‘for where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice’ (James 3:16). There is no controversy in this. In fact, democratic socialism, a political philosophy that our secular society values, is all about altruism. A concept that moral goodness lies not in the devotion to self, but in concern for others, to which it is then society prospers. Although the term was not formulated until the 19th century, these values were already ingrained in our bible. 

When service begins, Love grows in us. It seeds itself and is nourished in our actions and devotions. Before you know it, it becomes easier to serve God. More enticing to fulfil His Word, and to be a reflection of Christ by the purposive instructions he has laid out for us. In return, God does not let this go unnoticed. The closer you get to Him by fulfilling his commandments, the more opportunity you give him to works on His plans to ‘prosper you’ and ‘give you a future’.

How amazing would it be to contribute to bringing someone to God or to be a light in their lives where struggle is a constant battle? Can this not be the greatest worth? Even more so, the love, devotion and selflessness in our hearts will radiate and touch not only others but every aspect of our lives.  For Christ says, ‘a city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house’. Think of the basket as the life we weave for ourselves on earth. The more we focus on it, the more layers we build. It begins covering the light underneath and harder to reflect the values and principles of Christ. As a result, it requires more effort in our spiritual lives. If you have more earthly blessings the basket gets thicker, so you have to work harder spiritually to strengthen the light through love and service. As we strengthen this light, we see a clearer path for ourselves and reflect a stronger light that reaches further out to others, bringing more people to comfort in Christ or even in the care we show them.

God has us in this world to humbly serve others as He came to earth once to serve. Therefore, He has left us in charge of caring for one another where in service, you may ‘unwittingly entertain angels.’ This may be taken literally for the time angels have disguised themselves as humans, but also figuratively, angels can be servants of God. We may unwittingly attract, with our passive or active services, people that have the capacity to show endless dedication and service to God. We could essentially be a beacon of light to those that have dwelt in darkness. It is the love and selflessness we have for others that not only attracts more people to God but gives us worth: “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge … but have not love, I am nothing” – I Corinthians 13:2.  

We truly lose value when we purely live for ourselves with no consideration of God or others. There always needs to be some practical approach and quite simply ensure you achieve even the slightest acts of humility and service. It will never be a show of weakness, it is in fact a strength that is unparalleled. For what may seem like ‘the foolishness of God is wiser than men’ (1 Corinthians 1:25). In essence, what may seem like vulnerability and weakness to the world is the wisdom of God. It is the ability to resist all show of pride that is admirable. God has given you talents, and it is your capacity to humbly apply your talents to the benefit of others that reaps the greatest reward.

One of the most important principles I have learnt it is that life begins to lose value and purpose when you purely live for yourself and that is an easy and gradual process to fall victim to. That’s why you should consistently live for others, even in the smallest actions. It is then that service gradually loosens you from the values of a world that convinces you that joy and self-worth is given purely by enjoyment and self-achievement. They amplify and inflate a portion that should be enjoyed in small doses to the point where it masks any concern for others and the true purpose God has given you. Then eventually you’re caught in the endless current of finding your purpose.

“Our hearts were created for God, and so they remain restless until they rest in Him.” As St Augustine beautifully puts it, we will always remain restless until we fulfil God’s purpose. One biblical character that desired to rest in God was David, “a man after God’s own heart”. If like David we desire to find purpose, it is to seek God’s heart and that it to pursue he’s greatest commandment – service to one another.

To conclude, one important thing to note is Christ’s response to his disciples in Matthew 25. This also happens to be straight after His parable of the talents. The disciples ask Christ, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?…And the King will answer … ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:35-40). God’s purpose can remedy the emptiness and lack of self-worth we will always attempt to fill in validating ourselves.  If we persist in our love for God and others and his simple commandment, we will reap the most benefits from our lives. We not only achieve His good purpose but the greatest and most fulfilling purpose we can have.

The Devil Made Me Do It

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Samuel Fanous

Matthew 4:1-11

As we start losing motivation to sustain our spiritual goals, an important reminder is the story of Christ’s temptation from the devil after He had fasted 40 days and nights.

Christ was baptised in the Jordan immediately before this encounter. A voice came from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). This was the glory that proceeded this passage. After the glory, immediately, “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1).

In any spiritual life, progress is typically accompanied by temptation and difficulties. The devil looks upon our progress and ensures we are stopped us in our tracks.

All too commonly with those on the cusp of their spiritual life, as they are about to make a commitment to Christ, things begin to fall apart. Everything goes wrong. How can someone be making a lifelong commitment before Christ and then see everything around them falling apart?

God allows this to happen for our benefit if we overcome. If we don’t make it through, then we are not worthy of the prize. If we do get through, then it demonstrates our zeal for the prize and this is how we achieve it.

We can expect life to become harder if we are trying our hardest spiritually during lent. The typical temptations faced by humanity are the same in which the devil tempted Christ with.

After fasting for 40 days, we can expect Christ to be hungry. The devil comes to Him, tempting Him with food. He says, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

In Lent, that can mean breaking our fast. It can mean concluding that fasting is too hard with so many commitments. We can also break the fast in other ways despite maintaining the right food. We can live life to satisfy the pleasures of the body. We can live life for the lust of the flesh. Temptation during this time comes from things that I thought were long dead are revived in me when I try to engage in my spiritual life.

If we give in to these pleasures, our spiritual progress is halted. Now is the time to increase our fasting, our abstinence. Fasting is not abstinence from food only, but from the life of the flesh and the pleasures of the flesh.

Now is the time to reduce the amount of television I watch, to reduce my time spent on Netflix, on social media. We can unwind my watching television, or we can unwind by spending quiet time with the Lord. I can give what little free time I have on something mindless, or I can attempt to make use of it spiritually.

We all have thousands of excuses to demand me-time. This can develop into a pattern over years and becomes difficult to break. During Lent, we can devote me-time to time with God. Me-time can be prayer time.

The second temptation involves power. The devil takes Christ upon a very high mountain and says, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

You can have it all, if you just sell your soul to the devil. The modern day translation would be, you can have it all, if you sacrifice your Sundays, or you can have it all, if you work hard enough, sacrificing your time in prayer. Forgot all your spiritual goals, because you cannot do both. You cannot achieve everything spiritually while achieving the status you want on earth. You can have all the money you want, if you lie and cheat and steal your way there. You have to sell your soul to the world to achieve what you want. This is a never-ending temptation and so, the question we must ask ourselves is, “What am I giving up to achieve the things I want in this life?”

If we devout our entire lives to anything of this world, what will we have to show for it in the end times? Jesus asks a similar question when He tells His disciples of the second coming; “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:36-37).

For us, we need to be careful not go along with the flow of life. Lent is a good time to take note of my goals in life? Good family, good house, good status? Sometimes we don’t even know our goals. Think of a normal day in the last week, how much of your mental and physical time were spent on things of the world? Maybe 10-12 hours. Think on that same day, did I spend thinking about God, the Bible, my spiritual life? Maybe 10-12 minutes if we’re lucky.

If this is the truth, then this is our answer. If we spend all day in the world, and one minute is given to God throughout the day, you know where your goals lie. If you are forced to spend most of your time at work, contemplate on Him while you are there. Find a church in your lunch break, pray there. If you spend your time looking after young children, find God while your feeding, bathing, playing. Whatever you’re doing, take God with you. Your goal will still be God and spiritual things.

The final temptation is the one where I do not need God. I don’t need God to be a good person, I don’t need to go to church for that. If I convince myself that I am a good person, that is all I need. If I throw myself down from a pinnacle then I will be saved by my good deeds. This is the hardest thing to breakthrough – the awareness of my own sinfulness. The one that confesses of murder has a much greater chance of going to heaven then the one that confesses that they are a good person.

The lack of insight into ourselves is the biggest problem, and this is nothing short of pride. The woman caught in adultery was not condemned by Christ, but the Pharisees who never did anything wrong were condemned; they were called snakes and brood of vipers! They did not understand themselves.

Think to yourself- have you ever shed tears of repentance? Have you ever felt remorse for your sins? Have you ever felt joy at the undeserved grace on the Cross? If this does not mean anything, then it makes the heart further from Christ than the worst of all sinners. Only by contrasting myself with the glory of God will I know who I am.

In the presence of God, you will know who you are. Only in the presence of God that we can describe ourselves as St Paul does as, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15), but also, “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:17).

Let us remain steadfast and work harder that in all tribulation we are glorified in Christ.

A Lent Like No Other

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Elijah Iskander

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Passage: Matthew 6:1-18

As Lent approaches, we generally have one of three reactions. Sometimes it is excitement, at the opportunity to wake up from my spiritual sleep. Sometimes, it is nothing, we are indifferent toward the fasting period. Sometimes, it is resentment – it is going to be long, it is going to be hard, I’m going to spend my time looking through ingredients. On the eve of Lent, it is good to reflect upon which of those three categories I fall into.

Fr Bishoy Kamel writes about the Journey of Lent;

“The forty days of fasting is a gift from our Lord who fasted for us, and a gift from the Church to her children that they may struggle and become liberated from bitter slavery – the slavery of hatred and grudges; the slavery of worldly desires, idleness in prayer and obedience of the commandments. The Great Lent is a time of rejoicing for the children of the Church, to pass over the weakness of the soul, particularly very difficult matters which we cannot solve. Our Lord, who is fasting with us, will over with the Cross to His church and show the glory and the power of His Resurrection.”

Lent is a gift, a time of liberation, a time for the unsolvable to be solved, for our Lord is fasting with us and for us. If we were to ask Fr Bishoy how he felt about Lent, we have his answer here.

He also adds that fasting is not a prison to the senses, but a soaring without hinderance toward contemplation about the Lord. This is a time for all of us, as a church, to soar, without hinderance, in contemplation of the Lord. It is a gift, it is a liberation, it is a time for the unsolvable to become solvable.

When I consider Fr Bishoy’s thoughts of Lent, I feel like I have been fasting wrong my whole life. How many Lents in my life have come and gone and I don’t experience any of this? We are assured that we aren’t the first to think in this way. The people of Israel also thought the same. They questioned Isaiah in chapter 58, on the famous chapter on fasting.

Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?

Isaiah 58:3

Why have so many Lents come and gone, and I do not even know in the slightest what Fr Bishoy is talking about?

The Gospel on the Sunday before Lent gives us a number of clues. We are instructed to do charitable deeds, to fasts and to pray. There are two phrases that are repeated and emphasised by the Lord.

Regarding charitable deeds, the Lord says, “do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” – Matthew 6:3

He goes on to tell us how we should perform charitable deeds. “But when 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 6:4

He tells us not to be like the hypocrites; “For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” – Matthew 6:5

But we do not pray in this manner. “You, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” – Matthew 6:6

Again with fasting, He tells us, “do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” – Matthew 6:16

If we want to fast properly, the Lord tells us, “anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” – Matthew 6:17-18.

He uses the exact same two phrases throughout. When I fast, when I pray, when I do charitable deeds, I need to determine which of the two categories I fall into – will I have my reward from the praise of men, or will my Father who sees in secret reward me openly?

St John Chrysostom says very simply, “because the Lord is invisible, He would like your prayers to be the same.”

Can this Lent be a time where I taste that this is a gift from the Lord? That I taste that this is a time of liberation? That this is a time for the unsolvable to be solved? That this is a time where I can complete unhindered?

One of the keys is that I must pray, I must fast and I must do my charitable deeds in secret. Can I perform my charitable deeds not looking for praise? For if I am praised, then that is my reward.

The church is very active during Lent, when I attend church services, am I attentive? Do I pray more frequently at home, where no one can see?

What am I doing with my fasting in secret that is different? It could be abstaining for a period of time, giving up other things that I enjoy. Whatever hinders my soul from contemplating on the Lord are things that I consider putting aside for the period of Lent.

The promises of an acceptable fast from Isaiah 58 are something that we can all strive for;

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

Isaiah 58:7-9

I will fast, I will pray, I will endeavour to do my charitable deeds in secret so that the Lord may reward me openly. May we beg the Lord that this Lent does not just pass us by, that this time is different. This time we see the joy, we see the liberation, we see the solution of the unsolvable, we contemplate on the Lord, and I focus on building my spirit in the secret place so that in the secret place I may cry out to the Lord and He responds, “Here I am.”

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