Author: ramez

Contemplations on Good Friday

By Shery Abdelmalek

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The ultimate day that defines Christianity. God could have come in all His glory. He could have showed us the extent of His might. But where would that leave us? Ashamed. Unworthy. Hopeless. Instead, He came as the Son of a Carpenter, a role model, a teacher, the very definition of love. To guide us by example. The events of Good Friday are the last messages of hope and love God gave us before His return to His eternal Kingdom. “He shed tears not only from His eyes but every pore in His Body in such abundance that they appeared as great drops of blood, as proof of His great love for you… It was love that made the Cross more desirable than the throne of glory. [He] embraced it with longing, just as a Bridegroom embraces his bride, for in the Cross is your eternal life.” – Fr Manasseh Youhanna.

Jesus had spent 33 years righting the wrongs of the Jews. He has told them of their hypocrisy, He showed them that love is not confined to the law of Moses, yet in the first hour of Good Friday, He does not speak a word. Just as the prophecy of Isaiah (53:7) said, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”  Jesus did not stand before Pilate as a criminal, He stood as a sacrifice. He willingly offered Himself for the sins of the world. It was at this that caused Pilate to marvel, Jesus was no criminal. Jesus could defend Himself. Pilate knew this. When questioning our Christ, surely Pilate had heard of Jesus and knew the beauty of His wisdom. Surely he knew that in His silence was greater wisdom than he could comprehend. If this were not the case, he would not have sent Him to Herod.

Pilate and Herod struggled to find cause to put Christ to death, yet the Jews continued to conspire. The Jews may have mocked Christ for healing on the Sabbath, for cleansing the Temple, for raising the dead, for casting out demons, yet to eliminate the stumbling block of Love that was Christ’s coming, they began to break the Law of Moses. Their complaint against Christ was a matter of religion, it had no place being dealt by any governor.

What accusation could you present against the One who was holy and without blemish? The Jews resorted to blasphemy. They deemed Him worthy of death is accordance with Leviticus 24:16 that reads, “One who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer” (Leviticus 24:16). Anyone who has been to grade 1 Sunday school knows that Christ was not stoned. Where in the law is crucifixion stated as the punishment for blasphemy? Where in the law does it say it is okay to crucify for any sin? The Jews needed Pilate to rule in favour of crucifixion because they could not. The Pharisees were too holy to crucify Christ, the law had to find Him guilty.

Even if crucifixion was deemed tangible, whose idea was it to scourge Him before His crucifixion? The scourge was made from pleated bulls hide, knotted on the end with a piece of bone inserted into each knot. Many died from the scourging alone. He was beaten and bruised, “from the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores” (Isaiah 1:6). They placed a crown of thorns on His Head to mock Him further. Thorns were pushed violently down onto His Holy Head, causing blood to gush down His Face. They pierced His Holy Head for no reason, Pilate had not allowed for it, nor the Jews used it in the past. “If a single thorn can make a young person or woman cry in agony, or send a wild beast of prey howling and darting through the forest, how can we perceive the enormity of pain You endured, My Lord?” (Fr Manasseh Youhanna).

This was could not be about blasphemy, this was about pride. The Pharisees – the ones that knew and understood the Law – were meant to be God’s favourites. They knew so much about God, they thought they were almost God. They had no sin, no need for a Saviour. But now Christ comes, and He chooses the lepers, the blind, the mute, the lame to reveals His glory to.

Why did the Jews fight so hard? They were afraid of change. Change is the very reason why each and every one of us is here today. The ways of the old man need to be put to death. The sins and all that holds us down to this earth, need to be left at the foot of the Cross. Before your very conception, Christ would come down and die for your sins. All that is left is for us all to leave our sins behind and be resurrected with Christ. That brings us to the sixth hour. We can’t be like the Pharisees that proclaim greatness to the people yet despite a tax collector who cries for mercy. We are all in search of mercy. On this day is the time to empty ourselves. Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Pilate decided to release one prisoner as was customary on the feast day. He gave the people the choice of Barabbas or Jesus Christ. He picked the worst of criminals, deserving of death according to Roman law, in hope that Jesus would be set free. The people chose Barabbas having been stirred by the Pharisees. How could the Pharisees be so blinded by pride to allow a criminal back into the community? Moreover, how many times do we choose Barabbas over Christ? How many times do we neglect Christ because He’s not “cool” enough, because the sin is too hard to stop, because it is too much effort to fight? “How should we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:2). Be sober minded and fight to remain with Christ. Pour out in repentance on this day so that you are raised with Christ. To live in Christ is to live free. The devil may persuade us to remain the same because the spiritual life is a battle. “You’re okay.” These are all lies. “Do you think that only the children of God experience hardships, but those who suffer least are the believers. Their cross is fleeting, light-bearing and fruitful, for they bear it in this life only. After death, they will have rest from all their afflictions, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes (Rev 7:17)” (Fr Manasseh Youhanna).

Today, on the Cross, is your incentive to fight. Today, nothing can separate us from the Love of God. It is finished. “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Christ suffered alone on this day so that we would never have to endure any tribulation alone again. We look to St John the Beloved because he stood at the foot of the Cross, but where was he when Christ fell under the weight of the Cross as He carried it up Golgotha? Jesus knows the height of human suffering, not to belittle our suffering, but so that we know there is no One better to turn to in times of need. “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:15-16).

At the ninth hour, Christ speaks His final words upon the Cross and fulfils all prophecies. “Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22). When it comes to our purpose and the meaning of life, we cannot look past Christ in His final moments. As He breathes His last, He forgives His torments in the very moments they mock Him. He offers paradise to the thief on the right hand as soon as he repents. He remembers His mother and ensures she is taken care of by His disciple, John the Beloved. He cries out to God so that we know where to turn at the first sign of distress. He fulfils the final prophecies before breathing His last. As we look on the events of today, let us remember His suffering, let us beg to share in His suffering and rejoice in our salvation.

“The excellence of the benefit of sitting at the foot of the cross. We merit this if we live a life of faith and godliness, for he who lives tarnished by guilt and heedless of repentance is unqualified to stand before the cross of Christ, which is the ladder of salvation. Standing before the cross indicates a feeling of the need for help of the crucified One. Those who have regretted their sins and have crucified the body along with their passions and desires, derive from their presence before the cross, strength to resist the devil who will flee from them (Js 4:7) because at the cross they see the one of God victorious over the powers of evil.” – Fr Manasseh Youhanna

Let’s Get Personal About Lent

A collaboration post with Spiritually Grounded
by Marco Attia

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Undoubtedly, the Lent is the holiest time of the year, with many Christians dedicating this season to fasting and prayer, just as our Lord Christ had done when He fasted for forty days following His Theophany. Through the blessed Lenten journey we observe Christ’s earthly ministry. We follow our Lord from His baptism in the Jordan, all the way to the foot of the cross, and beyond. In essence, we witness the means by which our Lord set about to restore man to his former glory. The Lenten journey is therefore a season of renewal for each of us, a time where we get serious about our walk with Christ, and personal about our spiritual progress. So with that in mind, let’s go and get personal.

Let’s Get Personal About Lent

The church in all wisdom has established this Lenten season in order to grant us the opportunity to enrich our faith and deepen our walk with Christ by doing more…

more fasting

more praying, and

more almsgiving.

These are the spiritual practices that the church advocates in this blessed season, and for good reason. Each of these practices is essential to enriching our walk with Christ, so much so that together, prayer fasting and almsgiving are commonly referred to as the three pillars of Lent. The chant below illustrates just how these great pillars work together to fill our hearts with a desire to commune with God.

With that in mind, let’s take a deeper look at each of these great pillars as well as other personal and practical ways by which we can grow this Lent.

The Three Great Pillars of Lent

Fasting

Fasting is not only an ascetic practice by which we can control the urges of the body, rather this ancient practice brings with it great power and spiritual blessings. Fasting brings tremendous rewards for those who seek to deepen their relationship with God, since it puts the body under subjection in order for the spirit to be lifted. Since Adam broke communion with God through an act of disobedient eating, Christ, the second Adam, placed great emphasis on fasting as a means by which we can restore the communion with God which we once had.

St Clement of Alexandria beautifully describes the mystical power of fasting and its effect on our life in Christ:

Prayer

The teachings of Christ, as echoed by the early church fathers is that fasting must be accompanied by prayer if it is to be of any use whatsoever.

Therefore if you are not praying, do not attempt to fast!

Prayer however, when combined with fasting, elevates the soul to the Kingdom of God. For fasting frees the flesh from all worldly desires in order for the soul to connect with the Lord in prayer. In other words, prayer and fasting work together to liberate us from the bondage to our ego in order that we may be free to worship the One True God.

Such liberation is depicted in the ancient letter to Diognetus,

And when it comes to prayer, notice the striking imagery found in the Holy Bible which portrays the significance and grandeur of our simple prayers in the sight of God:

‘Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.’ – (Revelation 5:8)

‘Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.’ – (Revelation 8:3-4)

Not only that, but in Psalm 22, the Psalmist David depicts the Lord Himself as being enthroned in the praises of His people. Such is the prominence given to our prayers as they are offered before the Lord.

Almsgiving

The Lent season is also a time when we ought to focus more intently on almsgiving. Through almsgiving we honour the greatest of the commandments (Matthew 22:36-40) and show love to our fellow man. Our Lord Christ had pity and mercy on us when He gave His life for our sake. Christ’s sacrifice was the ultimate expression of almsgiving, since the very word stems from the Greek word meaning ‘pity’ or ‘mercy’. In giving alms therefore, we imitate, at some basic level, the sacrifice of our Lord on the Cross.

Saint Basil who had much to say about the topic of almsgiving has this to say:

Do all things with Sincerity

Although the three great pillars of the Lent are capable of transforming our lives and nourishing us spiritually, they must only be exercised with sincerity and humility. For God does not look at the outward appearance but what’s in the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). The Scribes and the Pharisees fasted, they gave alms, and they prayed, but they were condemned the more so for doing so:

Fasting

“Moreover, when you fast, 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. But you, when you fast, 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 6:16-18)

Praying

“And when you pray, you shall not 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. But 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 6:5-6)

Almsgiving

“Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, 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. But 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 6:2-4)

Other practical ways to grow this Lent

Besides keeping the three pillars of Lent, there are many other ways by which we can grow closer to God in this blessed season. Below are ten practical ways, but there are certainly many others that you can work through under the guidance of your spiritual father.

1. Read a spiritual book.

There are many suitable books for this season, but my personal recommendations include:

• Ascending the Heights – John Mack
• Orthodox Prayer Life – Fr Matthew the Poor
• The specified Lenten service readings of your church

2. Read the Bible.

Particularly the books which are ideal for this season such as Isaiah, Proverbs, Psalms, Jeremiah, and of course the Gospels.

3. Attend Bible Study at your church.

And in particular seek out spiritual, ascetic or life lessons to apply during Lent.

4. Develop a spiritual habit.

Focus your attention on developing a spiritual practice. The Lenten season is the ideal time to make a habit stick. You might want to consider adopting a morning/evening prayer ritual, committing to scripture memorisation or any other spiritual habits.

5. Focus on defeating a recurring sin.

This is the time of year in which your fasting and prayers could be directed at overcoming a sin with which you have been struggling.

6. Develop a virtue.

Pick a virtue that you’d love to develop and make an intentional effort to practice it daily. Humility for instance is a wonderful virtue to practice, and it is fitting for this season when you consider how the Lord emptied Himself of Glory for our sake.

7. Repentance and Confession.

This is the season of repentance! Use it to your advantage and return your heart to God. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (John 6: 37)

8. Commit to a service.

There are many services in the church which you can choose to get involved with. As mentioned this is the season of almsgiving and the church provides many avenues for you to do so.

9. Commit to the Lent services.

Make the pledge to commit to attending as many of the Lenten services as is possible. Or if you are unable to attend the services, perhaps you can aim to complete the readings assigned to the services.

10. Keep a spiritual journal.

Spiritual journaling is certainly an undervalued spiritual practice. Perhaps you can endeavour to keep a spiritual journal throughout this season in order to keep focus on your spiritual progress and practices.

The aim of these practical steps is to ensure we utilise this holy and precious season of Lent, for as St John Chrysostom instructs:

‘The fast of Lent has no advantage to us unless it brings about our spiritual renewal. It is necessary while fasting to change our whole life and practice virtue.’ – St John Chrysostom

May God bless your attempts to deepen your relationship with Him in this blessed Lenten season.

See Original Post at:

Let’s Get Personal About Lent

Finding Christ in the Prophet Jonah

A collaboration post with Spiritually Grounded
by Marco Attia

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With the fast of Jonah fast approaching for both the Syriac and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, it is a suitable time to reflect on the character of Jonah and the events of his life. The 3-day fast which commemorates the repentance of the Ninevites at the hands of their reluctant hero Jonah bids us to recall the all too familiar story of Jonah and his adventures at sea (as well as below it!). And whilst it is easy to see how the prophet Jonah resembles each of us in his many failings and shortcomings in his dealing with God, the unwilling prophet seems like the most unlikely character to prefigure Christ Himself, but that he does…

Jonah – the only messenger of God who was unhappy to see God’s call to repentance being heeded by the Ninevites, in many ways is a type of Christ. And it is Christ Himself who identifies Himself with Jonah when He was asked for a sign by the doubting Scribes and Pharisees (Matt 12:40-41). The very fact that Jesus likened Himself to Jonah puts the prophet in the limelight with many of the patristic exegetes.

St Cyril of Jerusalem for instance, contemplates on the many aspects of Jonah’s life that closely resemblance that of Christ’s,

‘Jesus was sent to ‎preach repentance; Jonah also was sent: but whereas the one fled, not knowing what should come to pass; ‎the other came willingly, to give repentance unto salvation. Jonah was asleep in the ship, and snoring ‎amidst the stormy sea; while Jesus also slept, the sea, according to God’s providence, began to rise, to show ‎in the sequel the might of Him who slept. To the one they said, “Why are you sleeping? Arise, call ‎your God, that God may save us;” but in the other case they say unto the Master, “Lord, save us.” Then ‎they said, “Call upon thy God”; here they say, “save Thou”. But the one says, “Take me, and cast me into the ‎sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you”; the other, Himself rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a ‎great calm. The one was cast into a whale’s belly: but the other of His own accord went down, where the ‎invisible whale of death is. And He went down of His own accord, that death might cast up those whom he ‎had devoured, according to that which is written, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; and from ‎the hand of death I will redeem them”.’ – St. Cyril of Jerusalem

But why is this so? Why would the Son of God find it suitable to identify Himself with the less-than-perfect prophet Jonah? For starters, there is a massive contrast between Christ and His earthly ministry, as compared to that of Jonah’s. In contemplating the stark differences between Christ and Jonah, St John Chrysostom eloquently highlights the shortfalls of the type (Jonah) as compared to the original (Christ); emphasising that the type will always fall short in comparison to the original.

‘For Jonah was a servant, but I am the Master; and he came forth from the great fish, but I rose from death. He proclaimed destruction, but I am come preaching the good tidings of the kingdom. The Ninevites indeed believed without a sign, but I have exhibited many signs. They heard nothing more than those words, but I have made it impossible to deny the truth. The Ninevites came to be ministered to, but I, the very Master and Lord of all, have come not threatening, not demanding an account, but bringing pardon. They were barbarians, but these – the faithful – have conversed with unnumbered prophets. And of Jonah nothing had been prophesied in advance, but of me everything was foretold, and all the facts have agreed with their words. And Jonah indeed, when he was to go forth, instead ran away that he might not be ridiculed. But I, knowing that I am both to be crucified and mocked, have come nonetheless. While Jonah did not endure so much as to be reproached for those who were saved, I underwent even death, and that the most shameful death, and after this I sent others again. And Jonah was a strange sort of person and an alien to the Ninevites, and unknown; but I a kinsman after the flesh and of the same forefathers.’ – St. John Chrysostom

Ultimately, the prophet Jonah, like several other men in Scripture, is granted the honor of prefiguring Christ. Undoubtedly this is not on account of Jonah’s righteousness, rather it is likely due to Jonah’s defining, climactic and sincere return to God in heartfelt repentance. Regardless of Jonah’s many foolish actions, it was his repentance that ultimately pleased God, spared his life, and gave him the opportunity to fulfill God’s request. In short, God rewarded Jonah’s repentance in the belly of the great fish by intervening to overcome his eminent death; typifying the Lord’s defeat of death and glorious resurrection.

See original post at

Finding Christ in the Prophet Jonah

NEW YEAR, NEW ME

by Shery Abdelmalak

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Oh man, this is definitely going to be my year, I can feel it!

*Slightest of inconveniences*

Nah, it’s done, this year will be the worst year, EVER.

Why do we let a point of time determine the quality of our lives? St James warns us of a life of apathy where we become like waves of the ocean, driven and tossed by the wind (James 1:6). In Ecclesiastes 1:15, this is described as, “the crooked that cannot be made straight.” The crooked way is described by St Basil the Great as an inclination to stray from the path of salvation, whether that be by excess (e.g. boastfulness) or deficiency (e.g. dejected through humiliation and affliction). On the contrary, to be upright in heart is to direct one’s endeavours toward means of virtue, and not to one’s self.

A common misconception of pursuing one’s spiritual life is that it will be tedious and full of struggles. Yes, it may be hard to start. Yes, it may be extremely confronting, but fear not, these sources of perturbation are alleviated when Christ is truly sought above all else – when He is put above our own egos and our own self-doubts.  Put on the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:11) that gives us the power to trample over serpents, scorpions and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Fr David Shehata reminds us this new year of a crucial consideration; everybody ends up somewhere in life. A few people end up somewhere on purpose.

There is no reason we cannot fulfil this. Stop making the devil’s job so easy because you refuse to fight your own will, let alone any obstacles the devil may tempt you with. Have a vision with clear reasoning so that when you come to read the Bible, when you come to pray, when you come to serve, it is done with purpose and reflects where you want to see yourself come this time next year. His promises have never changed. He has never changed. Those promises that He gave to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to all the generations that came before you and I are still true. In this world, you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world (John 16:33). While this primarily provides comfort, there is a challenge involved. Strive to overcome the world and the hold it has on you.

When Jesus tells us that there will be tribulation, He does not tell us to avoid tribulation or to fight tribulation; He tells us to focus on Him, for He was overcome the world. In modern day psychology, this displays the benefits of positive reinforcement over a fear of negative punishment and associated consequences. Studies have shown children are more likely to continue in good behaviour if this is praised in comparison to punishment of bad behaviour. Punishment results in confidence depletion, with little impact on promoting good behaviour. St Paul uses the same method in his epistles to the early churches. While acknowledging the difficulties the Ephesians faced, he emphasised the following;

“Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”- Ephesians 4:22-24 NKJV

If you are avoiding the vanities of this world, then you are choosing a difficult path that is unlikely to cause any change in behavior. BUT to focus on Christ and to always look toward Him, you will find great difficulty in ever looking back to what once brought you pleasure in the world, if love and purpose is continually renewed in Him.

St John Chrysostom also reiterates this saying, “When the thorns are plucked; the field is still unproductive and will bring forth weeds. Hence, it has to be occupied with what is good. Anger is removed and is replaced by kindness; bitterness is removed to be replaced by compassion; evil speaking and malice are taken away to be replaced by forgiveness.”

In 2018, may we learn to walk in imitation of St Paul;

To walk in love (Ephesians 5:1-2)
What else attracts people to Christianity but love? The kind of love that knows no bounds is what we strive for.

To walk in light (Ephesians 5:8-10)
The fruits of the Spirit can only come to the one that is empty of their own ego and filled with Christ. Only in a state of humility will virtues grow.

To walk in wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-17)
To be wise is to make use of your time and recognize that it is finite in nature. The wise do not allow a single day go to waste where they have not sought Christ and entreated Him to reveal Himself, that He may replace our weaknesses with His glory.

And to walk in unity (Ephesians 4:1-3)
As members of the Body of Christ, we are knit together in love. Each to their own role that come together in the beauty of harmony. The early church as described in Acts 4:32 is the perfect example of this; “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.”  For all clothing, all money, all talents, all wisdom, all skill that you have that could better provide for another, then that is not your own, but theirs. If God has entrusted it to you, then it is so you can serve your brothers and sisters. Do not bury your talents in the sand through boasting. Use these for service and for His glory lest we become like the lazy and wicked servant Jesus spoke of in His parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30).

God Became Man

by Anthony Bebawi

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We again find ourselves approaching the time of year in which we celebrate the Incarnation of the Son of God, the Logos, who came and took on the form of His creation to achieve for us the salvation we could not hope to gain ourselves. Looking back, I wonder if I truly understood what this actually meant. It is all well and good that we celebrate this event, for as we see in the Gospel according to St Luke the angels could not stop themselves from proclaiming in awe “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14), however I feel that every time I attend the liturgy on the eve of the feast, there is something I look over without truly realising its true value – God became man. What does this mean? How could God become His creation?  To use a metaphor, it is equivalent to saying a carpenter became a chair. When it is put in this way, the incarnation becomes all the more amazing. In order to, God willing, assist in finding some way to understand the incarnation (as much as we are able) let us consider a few points.

Firstly, in contemplating the incarnation we must accept a concept which sounds strange to unfamiliar ears – the incarnation is not meant to be understood. When reading St Luke’s recount of the Incarnation, we strangely do not read of any crazy reactions from St Mary, St Joseph or even St Elizabeth upon hearing the news of Christ’s coming; in particular, St Mary’s lack of questioning is almost surreal. If we turn to the first chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke, after the Archangel Gabriel announces the good news, we read:

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man? “And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:34-37)

The only thing that St Mary questions regarding the birth of Christ is “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” Even then, the response of Gabriel raises questions that I don’t think I could even begin to ponder. How was she then able to find comfort in those words? The answer to this and the first thing we must have when contemplating the incarnation is faith. It is by no mistake that St Paul says “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”(2 Corinthians 5:7) We are asked to accept the providence of God knowing full well that we may not understand what it is that may be planned for us. This, contrary to what we may be told, does not make us weak, but in fact makes us strong for we know that whatever happens to us, it has been allowed having first passed through the Hand of God. Thus, no matter what lays before us (and in the case of St Mary, the answer of the angel), knowing that it has been established by God should in fact grant us the same comfort Mary had. For as St John Chrysostom says:

If the Son of God has become a Son to David, therefore do not doubt, you son of Adam to become God’s son. If God has descended to such depths, then He has not done this in vain, but rather to raise us to the highest! He was born of the flesh so you would be born a second time according to the Spirit. He was born of a woman, so you would become a son to God.

The last line of St John Chrysostom commentary in fact brings us to the main point of this blog – what it means for God to become man. During Saturday Tasbeha (midnight praises), in the Psali, we chant “He took what is ours and gave us what is His” a phrase taken from St Athanasius’ book ‘On the Incarnation’; a work I will heavily quote in order to learn the meaning of the Incarnation from one of the church’s greatest theologians. For us to do this we must first touch on a little bit of theology (hopefully I don’t lose too many people).

We begin with the fall of man. Man, as we read in Genesis was made in the image of the Trinity: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26 – partial quotation). However by disobeying God (through the deceit of the devil), man corrupted the Divine image which they held for they no longer were in union with God who was the source of their being. As a result of their free will (a thing which would not exist unless man was able to reject God, as well as accept Him) man faced corruption and death which propagated throughout generations becoming ever worse; similar, if you would like, to the way one mouldy apple can ruin an entire basket if left among the good apples.

God faced a Divine Dilemma (if it is possible to say that God could face a dilemma) upon which St Athanasius comments saying:

It was unworthy of the goodness of God that creatures made by Him should be brought to nothing through the deceit wrought upon man by the devil; and it was supremely unfitting that the work of God in mankind should disappear, either through their own negligence or through the deceit of evil spirits.

So, there was only one solution; God the Son was forced to take flesh and be incarnate in order to correct the corruption inherent in the nature of man. As St Athanasius puts it, the corruption could not be corrected by repentance since this could not stop men form sinning, causing then death, as this was their nature; the only way the corruption of man could be fixed was by God coming in the form of man to correct it in Himself. How so? By being the first to overcome death, having resurrected after His crucifixion.

What does all of this mean? To put it simply, the incarnation was the means by which man was able to overcome their weakness and attain to that which was lost to them i.e. they are again able to be in unity with God, returning to the original likeness they were created in. This feast of the Nativity becomes for us all the more amazing due to this fact. It is not simply the foreshadowing of the Passion, but a strong depiction of God’s selfless love for mankind for God the Son took on our likeness, knowing full well that we were corrupt; being God, yet willing to take the form of His creation (carpenter becoming a chair) in order that creation which he shaped and knew from the beginning would not be placed under the sway of the evil one.

To conclude, I would like to end with yet another quotation from St Athanasius that many of you have probably heard:

“God became man so that man could become god.”

+ Glory be to God forevermore. Amen +

A Fool on Earth but Wise for Eternity

by Shery Abdelmalek

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Text: Matthew 25:1-13

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The message to this parable is clear – Watch for you do not know the day and hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Simple enough, yet where we tend to get caught up is the part where the foolish went to the wise, and were turned down. The wise literally had salvation in the palm of their hands yet chose not to give it to the foolish. What kind of Christians are these “wise virgins?” Jesus taught us to lay down our lives for our friends yet they ask you for oil and you say, “No?”

The modern day dilemma that stems from this same line of thinking is, how can a loving God allow His children to be condemned to hell? The answer to this one is easy – because He is a loving God. He gave us free will so that we would not blindly follow His every command. He is no dictator. He is the author of love. If you are moved to compassion for those that go to hell, how much more do you think it pains God to see His children choose death over life? Think of the most excruciating pain you could imagine – this is worse.

If excruciating comes from the word crucifixion, we can take that as an example of the height of human pain. Nails through the hands and feet, suffocation as the body struggles to lift itself up to breathe, organ failure, elbows that dislocate under the pressure of holding up the entire body. This is just the start. Jesus spoke while on the Cross – while the two thieves on either side of Him were struggling to life their bodies up to breathe. Jesus prayed for the salvation of those that mocked and condemned Him to death. The pain of crucifixion was not what phased our God though. He fell under the weight of the Cross. Not because it was physically heavy, but because on it laid the weight of the world’s sin. Yours and mine alike. He carried it all – when He prayed in Gethsemane while sweating blood, so that we could spend eternity with our Creator. You don’t think He is not phased by a child lost to sin? He feels that same pain at the loss of every child. How dare we question that He is a loving God.

If you truly believe that their fate is not fair, pray for them. Don’t turn the question of “How can a loving God allow His children to go to Hell?” into some kind of trivial pursuit. Pray so hard that it pains you at their loss. Even at the height of your prayers, you will not feel the pain He feels, but you will learn to love that little bit deeper. Your love that is limited will imitate His limitless love just that little bit more. This life cannot be separated from the hereafter. You keep living the life you lived on earth. Those that choose the path of sanctification with the heavenly over the earthly, naturally move on to heaven. Heaven is home. For those that choose to satisfy the wants of their earthly beings above all else, how could God then stop them and say, “No, come home with Me instead,” when they have lived a life of continual rejection of Him? Look back on your own life, and all the obstacles and challenges you have faced, that have led to the strengthening of your faith, do you not think that God did not try to reach out to them just as He reaches out to you? Of course He does.

So back to our parable – the wise virgins that refused to share their oil. They could not share it because it was not their own. The oil was good works, and salvation was the reward of their works. This could not be given away. This is the oil of love and compassion that comes from living a life at Christ’s feet. You can’t give away your salvation to someone else.

In those wise virgins, “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are might.” (1 Cor. 1:27 NKJV). From a worldly perspective, the foolish virgins were the wise and the wise virgins were foolish. The wise virgins spent their lives collecting oil while the foolish virgins did what pleased them, knowing that when the time of the Bridegroom came, then they would collect oil. In the same way we live a life full of compromises and lukewarm faith, because our time has not yet come. Do not use your human logic against the wisdom of God, “for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” (Matthew 25:13 NKJV)

The wise and foolish alike had one thing in common, they were all virgins. The virginity of the foolish was yet not accredited to them. This suggests that their virginity was for worldly profit – for the praise of men and not of God. Their very enquiry to the wise, that their good works which they gathered, could simply be handed to another, is suggestive of their superficial and dim views of salvation. In school, you can ask someone for the answers to a test, but you cannot ask them for the knowledge you have gained in finding those answers for yourself. This was the attempt of the foolish virgins. They had tricked the nations into believing their faithfulness their whole lives, to the extent that they thought they could trick the Bridegroom also. God looks at the inward not the outward, He weighs the intention over the action.