Author: ramez

How Does God See Sinners?

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Elijah Iskander

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Luke 5:27-39

Many times when I find myself drowning in sin. A common thought that may cross my mind is that God is looking down in disappointment. Sometimes I think that God is ashamed of me. I think that He is disappointed in me. I think that He will turn His face away from me.

We see a different reaction when we are introduced to Matthew the tax collector in the Gospel of Luke. When the Lord meets Matthew, we see a glimpse of how He sees the sinner and in particular, the repentant sinner.

Ultimately, this story is what led to Matthew’s discipleship. The people of the time would have some thoughts about Matthew. As a tax collector, this came with the stereotype of being greedy and selfish.

The role of the tax collector was to take taxes on behalf of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire may require $10 for example, but the tax collector would take $15 and give themselves a profit of $5. This is where the characteristics of greed and dishonesty came to resemble the tax collector.

Even worse, they were seen as traitors for they were originally from the Jewish nation and the people they were taking taxes were their own people. The Jewish nation is already upset that they are under the bondage of the Roman Empire. Now, the Roman Empire imposes taxes by hiring one of the Jews’ own people to defraud and betray their people for the sake of money. They were profiting from the oppression of their own people.

If you were to think about the image of the tax collector, the people would immediately label Matthew, and others, as greedy, as evil and as worthy of criticism.

Our Lord has a different perspective when He looked at Matthew. He says to him, “follow Me.” When the whole world saw evil, the Lord saw the potential for good. We see a magnificent reaction. Matthew immediately prepares a banquet for the Lord, an act of generosity and hospitality.

When the world sees no possibility of good, the Lord sees goodness. With one simple invitation to follow Him, Matthew immediately rose up. The Lord looks at me in the exact same way. I may be drowning in my sins. Others may look at me and think that I am beyond help, but the Lord can see beyond this. He sees my potential for good. He can see the good within me.

Saul was also another character that would’ve been viewed similarly. The Lord saw good in Saul and he become St Paul. Jesus saw good in the Samaritan woman and she became an evangelist. Jesus saw good in the right hand thief and he became the first to enter heaven.

When we are sinful, and come to the Lord in repentance, never should we think that He looks at us in disappointment, shame or anger. The Lord looks at you and I in our repentance and sees goodness. It may be disguised or deeply hidden, but it is there.

The people may have also looked at Matthew and seen a terrible person with a punishment awaiting him. He was benefiting from the oppression of the people. He was dishonest, but his time will come when he pays the price. The Lord does not respond in punishment to the repentant sinner. The Lord is a Physician; He heals the soul. Notice, He doesn’t excuse Matthew’s behaviour. It is what it is, but the Lord is there to heal.

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

Matthew 5:31

We all have spiritual illnesses. Everyone else may look at our anger, or our selfishness, and think that our time for punishment is coming. The Lord looks at our ailments and says, “I am here to heal.”

The people criticised Matthew but the Lord defended him. When I see someone close to me make a mistake, I may be inclined to criticise them…

What were they thinking? I would never do that!

This is exactly what the Pharisees did – “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (Luke 5:30). The Lord answers in defence of the repentant sinner, for He was there for healing.

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

Luke 5:31

The Pharisees attacked Him again for not keeping the period of fasting and the Lord again defends those who were with Him.

Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.

Luke 5:34-35

When the world looks at someone worthy of criticism, the Lord looks at somebody in need of defence. Imagine if you have the Lord Himself defending you! Too often, we place too much reliance on worldly connections. I rely on my boss, or even in church, I look to head servants or the priests. Where will this lead you?

It is better to have the Lord as my defence. How do I achieve the defence of the Lord? A truly repentance heart, a heart that is ready to respond to the Lord’s call. A heart that knows it is sick and in need of the Physician. A heart that does not criticise others, for the Lord defends me when others criticise me.

Let us pray that Lord looks at us the way He looked at Matthew. Let us pray that He sees our potential, beyond our sins. Looks past my greediness and sees my ability to give and hold a banquet for His people. Looks past my sickness and extends His healing hand, for He is the good Physicians. Looks past my actions worthy of criticism and defends me. We hope to please God and not men.

Glory be to His Name forever, Amen.

Living Faith

Translated from a sermon by Fr Louka Sidarous

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Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Matthew 24:35

If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Matthew 17:20

Christ did not give this command so that we would think that we would become superheroes if we have faith! The idea is not about moving mountains at all, so it’s not faithful people walking around moving mountains and performing miracles and wonders. Not at all.

Throughout our journey in life, our stronghold is the virtue of faith. People think that faith is a matter of believing that God exists and believing in His qualities but that alone is not faith. The demons know a lot more than we, as human beings do. They know God, they know His qualities and they know what He is capable of as God. They used to be His angels and they know Him very well. This is why St James writer of the epistle says, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble!” (James 2:19). Does this mean that they have faith? Moreover, does this mean they have faith that could move mountains? Definitely not!

So what can I do? He asks, “do you have faith?”

and you answer, “yes I do.”

“How do you know that you have faith? can you see your faith?”

The answer to this question is yes you can see your faith. You can see faith when you live in faith. Living faith is shown through action. This is what true faith is. True faith means that I believe that God looks out for me. This is the way in which we ought to live. True faith means I feel and believe that God will not forget me.

I asked you to show me that you believe in your everyday life, what would you show me? If I pray to God, “arrange my life as you deem fit,” how do I show this? Am I worried? Do I plan out my life as if God does not exist? Sometimes our actions show that we do not have faith. We often tell ourselves we have to take action whenever it suits us, through whatever means – even if that means bribery, lying, stealing or even worse. Where is God in all this?

We tell ourselves that we believe that God exists and He surrounds us everywhere. But our actions say otherwise, why do we begin to act like the hypocritical Pharisees? At Church we act one way, at work a different way and behind closed doors in another. Do we not realise that God can see everything? This way of living is not a faithful way of living. We believe that God is everywhere but our behaviour does not agree with our beliefs. If we believe that God is always with us, we would be careful with how we conduct ourselves no matter where we are, knowing that God is always there.

Some say, I believe that God is always with me, but still feel afraid. Why are you afraid or in distress if you say God is with you? He says, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:7)

If you have true faith, you will live this through your daily life regardless of the external circumstances. While there are other people that say they are faithful but they do not know God, although they may always speak of God and be very knowledgeable.

The Saints that lived on Earth, lived a truly faithful life. Some of them lived in the wilderness and in deserts, their faith is what strengthened them. Others through their faith, trampled and prevailed over devils. While those who were martyred went through gruesome suffering and torture, however, they never lost patience or perseverance through their faith.

We should live in faith just as these Saints did and it will be for our benefit. Our faith will be tested just as Abraham’s was. One of the most difficult tests was when he was told to take his son and go to the hill to offer him up as a sacrifice. What makes this even harder is that the sacrifice was to be made 3 days from when he was told; this allowed him to think and overthink in his head before the actual sacrifice.

Abraham’s faith strengthened him and he did not forget the promises of God in which he was told that he will have many descendants and they will be blessed. Abraham believed that if Isaac was to die, the Lord would raise him up; to fulfil His promise to him (although he hadn’t heard of people resurrecting at the time). This shows us the strength of his trust in God. Tests of faith can be very difficult but those who have true faith will succeed, just as Abraham did.

There is a great blessing in being faithful and simply trusting God’s words. Never question the Lord’s promises or alter them to suit you and your circumstances; His words are alive. Put your complete faith in God and not in man or princes, the days of a man comes to an end; but God lives forever.

There is nothing that can strengthen your soul but faith, from birth to the last breath you take. As I have said before, faith is not just believing in God but complete reliance and surrender of yourself to Him. The reason for this is because what He knows is so much better than what I know, and the difficult times he chooses for me is better than the things I choose for myself.

Everyone experiences hardships in life, but those who are truly faithful stand out and their secret is the virtue of faith. This is to trust in God’s timing from the bottom of our hearts, remembering the words of our Lord every step of the way. When you open the Bible you realise that He will never leave not even for a second, you will live under the shadow of His wings, surrounded by His mercies, compassion and Love. We need this faith to be alive within us, but the mind can be a hindrance – always planning and always thinking of tomorrow.

No one that has put their trust in God has been disappointed, and no one has had true faith in their heart and God has let them down. He came down to this earth to die for us, we are His beloved and He always wants what is best for us; He gives us no reason to be afraid or to doubt. Faith is believing that God loves me, and this world is not worth it. The whole story written from Adam to the coming of Christ, shows us that living in faith is a life spent in communion with God. A true honest relationship with Him; obeying His every command regardless of what others may think of me. Let your life be led by faith, every day, in everything you do, in every interaction, in every circumstance and do not be afraid – because where there is faith, fear cannot exist. Glory be to God forever, Amen.

Number the Days

By Kristy Soliman

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If there’s one word to describe the lives of many today it would be “overload”. Overload is a reminder of the weight that is placed on our shoulders because of simple everyday life. We constantly fall under so much pressure, whether it’s from school, work, university, or just life in general, leaving us feeling overwhelmed, anxious & overcommitted. Our tanks are left empty, and we are running on the toxic fumes that begin to slowly kill us from within.

Imagine this: it’s January 1^st and you’ve decided “New year, New me! Time to get in shape”. It’s your first time at the gym and you’re as motivated as ever. You’ve decided to start on a treadmill setting it at the highest speed possible. You’re running and running as fast as you can to keep up with the machine because you know once you stop, you’ll fall off the back and it’ll hurt. You’re looking for the button to try and stop the machine so you can take a breather but can’t find it. Hours go past and you’re exhausted. This is like our life – we’re constantly running for days, weeks, months even years. Running while carrying heavy backpacks full of “important” things in our lives, things like family, study, career, financial plans, personal goals, and the classic “to-do” lists. All that running starts catching up to us. We’re worn out, tired, exhausted.

God warns us in the bible about the concision of life. Psalm 90:10-12 says:

“As for the days of our years, their span is seventy years, but for we stay strong, perhaps eighty; And most of them are labour and pain; for meekness comes upon us, and we shall be chastened. Who knows the power of Your wrath, and who knows Your anger because of Your fear? So, make known Your right hand to us, that we may number our days, and our heart may be bound with wisdom”

So how do we number our days? I believe the simplest answer is prioritise your life based on what’s truly important. As a Coptic Orthodox Christian our number 1 priority should be our relationship with God. Psalm 62:1-2 says, “Shall not my soul be submissive to God? For from Him is my salvation.”

When we recognise that our time on Earth is limited then we can appreciate the true essence of life on the path of righteousness, preparing for what comes after in eternal life. I pray that the Lord is able to teach every person on Earth to “number the days” and gain a heart of wisdom preparing us for everlasting life.

“My Lord Jesus Christ …
Make me worthy to go along the way of the saints.
Keep me firm in the Orthodox faith,
to keep the commandments and not to
care about what is in this world.
My Lord Jesus Christ, protect me.
My Lord Jesus Christ shelter me in the shadow of Your wings.
My Lord Jesus Christ, save me from the falls.”

St Pope Kyrillos VI

A Branch on the Vine of Christ

adapted from a sermon by Fr David Shehata

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Passage Luke 20:9-19

On the final days of Christ’s ministry, the chief priests and the elders come to Him questioning His authority. Christ does not respond in  the way they wanted, but with the parable of the vineyard.

At any point when Christ provides a parable, this is a story that we too, can benefit from. This parable is said by the early church to describe the entire Old Testament along with the New Testament in a short story.

For Jewish listeners at the time, this would not have been unfamiliar. This story resembles Isaiah chapter 5.

My Well-beloved has a vineyard
On a very fruitful hill.
He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes

Isaiah 5:2

The Lord did not use any vine, but the finest. He has encapsulated it with a wall so that it does not succumb to predators. What more could He do to keep it out of harm’s way? He has done everything possible for its protection. Naturally, it should bring forth good fruit.

The Lord expects from His vineyard, some fruit as a result of His labour. The Lord expects the same from each of us also. God has provided everything in my life for the produce of good fruit. This is the expectation of each of us.

In the parable, the master of the vineyard has not asked for a lot of fruit from his workers, but some of it. This is what the Lord asks from us. Not that we give Him everything in its entirety, but some of the fruit so that He may be partakers with us of the good fruit. He is not here to be a Dictator, but in His humility, He gives us everything so that He may share with us in the produce.

Where else in the Gospel do we hear of His work in the vineyard? He also describes Himself as the vine and we are the branches.

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

John 15:1-2

Fr Matta El Maskeen comments on this – If we think of God as the vine and us the branches, can you have a vine without branches? You can, but it wouldn’t be considered a vine without the branches. Can you have branches without the vine? No, because there would be no life left within them. In God’s humility, we are extensions of the vine. The Lord wishes this of you and I. He wishes for us to be involved in His Love and affection. He wants us to be a part of Him.

A common question that many of us will ask is, “What does God want from me? What is God’s Will for my life?”

From this passage, we can infer that God’s will for my life is to bring forth fruit. The master asked for some of the fruit in the parable. He wants the same from us. He wants to share in the good fruit that He has given us.

What does this mean? It means the Lord cares for us and wants to see us succeed. He has fashioned our lives so that we may share in the fruits that we produce with Him.

Where did the vinedressers go wrong?

One mistake was that they thought the owner was far away. So far away that he forgot about them. There is a rule in Jewish tradition that if the owner of the vineyard hires vinedressers and does not return for three years, then the vinedressers would own that vineyard. In this parable, perhaps the vinedressers had plans to own the vineyard. They mistakenly thought that the owner lived far away and forgot about it completely.

We make the same mistake in our own lives. Sometimes we think that God is far away, we think He does not exist and so, we are able to do as we please. We feel we are an authority to ourselves and not accountable to anyone.

The second mistake that the vinedressers made was that they thought he would not return. This made them behave in terrible ways. They would beat the servants of their master. They lost all accountability. Finally, they killed even the son of the master, for they felt that God had abandoned them.

Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine, And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.

Psalm 80:14-15.

When King David felt alone, he cried out for God’s return. HH Pope Shenouda III would say that when we remember the presence of God, we will not fall into sin. When we forget His presence, that is when we succumb to sin.

This parable is a reminder that God is ever-present. God remembers me and He loves me. He is going to return to me, and He is always with me. I need to remind myself that I do not own anything in my life. I am a steward, just as the vinedressers were.

Do I think that I am the owner of my life? My home? My business? My family? Do I own even my intellect? Sometimes even those that feel strong and in control of their health can pass away through unbelievable means. Many times we find those that own businesses of multi-millions can lose even this. The lockdown is pivotal to unseen losses.

I need to be prepared to account for my stewardship in this life. For all aspects, am I able to demonstrate to the Lord how I used my gifts on this earth for His glory? Did I help my family grow in virtue? Did I demonstrate charity in my wealth? Was I able to use my mind to glorify God? God has given us everything so that we, as stewards can give back to Him the fruits of our labour.

How to See Miracles

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Elijah Iskander

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One of the beautiful things about the Bible is that it gives us principles to live by. Whenever we are faced with a situation or need an answer, we can always turn to the Bible. The Bible may not the exact same dilemma that is presented before us, but it has the basic principles that are applicable to any situation.

The passage we read in John 11:1-45 gives us a series of principles that are applicable to our lives. These all point toward seeing miracles and seeing the Hand of our Lord moved. We all need some sort of miracles in our lives. This might be for myself, for a friend, a colleague, anyone I know.

In the reading of the raising of Lazarus, we read the conditions that must be fulfilled for a miracle to be completed.

For God to extend His Hand, we must be humble.

The passage opens with, “Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick” (John 11:1-2).

St John gives us a brief introduction to the characters of the story but he then focuses on Mary. It was Mary who humbled herself, who sat at His feet, who washed His feet with her hair. This is how she is described by St John.

Then we see her humility in this story when there is news that Christ has come. She rushes and comes to Him as quickly as possible. Again, pours herself out before Him and kneels before Him.

St Paul was known to work unusual miracles and unusual acts of healing (Acts 19:11). How was he able to do this? St Paul himself answers this question when writing to the Philippians. This is what he modelled his life on, emptying himself before the Lord.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:5-8

He emphasises that Christ emptied Himself, and made Himself of no reputation; a simple Bondservant, and was later glorified. This is how Jesus lived, and this is how St Paul lived and in turn, this is how St Paul was able to perform unusual miracles through the Hand of God.

If I want to see the Hand of the Lord in a very clear and mighty way, I must approach Him with a broken and contrite heart, in complete humility.

I must approach Him in faith.

In this story, we see faith that overcomes human obstacles and in particular, the barrier of time.

Jesus first hears that Lazarus is sick, and so He remains where He is a further two days. Surely, if the Lord hears of one in need, He should leave immediately. After those two days are completed, He doesn’t go to see Lazarus, but to Judea. Somewhere else completely. When He finally makes His way to Bethany, where Lazarus has been dead in a tomb for four days. Maybe in their minds, He just wanted to see the body one last time.

Our Lord is before time, beyond time and above time. Time is nothing to our Lord. If I have an addiction my whole life, then I should not worry for my Lord is above time. If I am having fights with my wife, and these extend to even when we were engaged and after 25 years of marriage, can I expect anything to change? Time is nothing! Those 25 years are nothing, for my Lord is before time, beyond time and above time.

If we want to see miracles, we must approach the Lord with a disregard for time. When the world says that it is impossible or that it is too late, I remember that my Lord is before and beyond and above time. With faith, I disregard the factor of time.

I must do my part.

The Lord tells the people, roll away the stone, and then He raises Lazarus. Similarly, in the feeding of the 5000, He says bring me the 5 loaves and 2 fish and then He feeds the multitudes. When St Peter toils all night and does not catch any fish, the Lord tells him to first cast his net into the sea once more before they are overwhelmed by the amount of fish the Lord has provided.

We see the same even in the Old Testament. When Naaman the Syrian wanted to be healed of his leprosy, Elisha the prophet told him to first wash in the Jordan River. I do what I can, and then God does what I cannot do. God will not do our part for us.

It must be for my ultimate salvation.

In the final part of this story, we see the response of the people that witnessed the miracle. Many of the Jews that witnessed the miracle believed in Him. The purpose of miracles in not just to relieve my pain, or to solve my problems. God is dealing with His people so that He can reveal Himself to us, so that we may be edified, so that we are ultimately with Him. A miracle will never happen if it is for worldly purposes only. I have a problem that needs a solution. But I must see the Hand of the Lord as a result. I may make promises to the Lord. I will turn away from sin, I will cling to the horns of the altar. For the Jews that saw the miracle, they then believed.

If I want to see miracles, I must humble myself before the Lord, I must have faith that God is above time, I must do my part and allow God to do His part, and as a result, it should lead to my ultimate salvation and the salvation of others.

May the Lord allow us to see miracles and glory be to His Name, Amen.