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Learning Patience

Learning Patience

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Michael Fanous

Passage Luke 20:9-19

The Lord uses the analogy of the wicked vinedressers in a parable that recounted the story of Israelites and God up until this point in history. The Lord set up everything nicely and entrusted the land to the vinedressers.

In the Old Testament, the Lord gave the people the law and the commandments. He was always amongst them and created the entire earth for humanity to inhabit. Similarly, the vinedressers wanted the gifts that God had to offer but they didn’t want God Himself.

Israel was God’s chosen people in the Old Testament. He gave them the land, the tabernacle, He dwelt among them, and despite all this, they still rejected Him. Today, people are given so many gifts and benefit immensely from these gifts, yet they continue to reject the source of these gifts. People want the good in life without God, the Provider of goodness.

This could be an issue we face from time to time. When we want the gifts of God, but we don’t always want God. God is patient with all His children. In the Old Testament, He sent prophets, Kings, priests, all people that could voice His Word. The message was clear – to strive for godliness and righteousness. And yet, they rejected Him. To the extent that the prophets were beaten. Isaiah was sawn in half. Zachariah was murdered between the temple and the altar. Jeremiah and Ezekiel were stoned.

All the prophets that were sent suffered and were destroyed for the message they preached. The Lord remains patient with them, and us, to the extent that He sent His Own Son, so that they may return to God. He too, was crucified. God is very patient with us all. He asked for a small amount of fruit among the entire produce, and even that was rejected. The vinedressers believed they were the owners and didn’t need Him.

In the fullness of time, Christ found someone patient and longsuffering who was the virgin Saint Mary. When she was born, she was given as a servant of the temple to do all the tedious jobs that no one else wanted to do, like clean after the animals. When she grew up and it was time for her to leave the temple, they needed somewhere for her live. Throughout this, she was patient. The angel came to her and told she would have a Son, but she wanted to remain a virgin. This was the ultimate answer from God, she was a virgin but still a mother.

Patience was exhibited when she gave birth in a manager. She suffered in her travels to Egypt by night which was a foreign land where no one wanted them. She suffered greatly, the height on this was Christ on the Cross and the accusations that followed.

All the glory that she was given was not something that she took to heart, but she gave glory to God. When she was told she was to be the mother of God, she called herself the maidservant of the Lord. This is all glory that she did not take upon herself. The miracles that followed did not cause her to esteem herself.

What do we learn from St Mary? Long suffering. When we are impatient when we are asked the same question more than once. This is the time to pursue long suffering. Are we impatient with the Lord and our requests of Him? We must recognise the importance of patience. The Lord teaches us, “By your patience possess your souls” – Luke 21:19.

Patience is a virtue we all need. When tribulation passes us by, in patience we trust that Lord will solve it. We need to be patient in order to attain peace with others. The Lord is telling us to be patient, to be like His own mother.

In the coming two weeks of fasting, let us practice patience with everyone. Let us wait on the Lord to give us joy. And in turn, imitate Saint Mary. People learn from the patience they see in others.

A Common Enemy

By Annalisa Boyd

Original post found at Phoebe Farag Mikhail’s blog Being in Community (June 5, 2020)

We have a common enemy and it is not a race or a religion or class.

The enemy is a chameleon. Where it can destroy because of race it does. Where it can destroy because of class, it does. Where it can destroy because of religion or region or accent, it does. But it is the same enemy. If we stop long enough we can turn and stand together and fight together against the common enemy, Satan.

**“The Great Reconciliation,” an imaginative icon of St. Stephen and St. Paul by Annie Africa Claudius**

Where God brings love, he brings hatred. Where God brings unity, he brings division. Where God brings hope, Satan brings hopelessness and despondency. God call us sons and daughters…co heirs, Satan calls us illegitimate.

Where God focuses on oneness in Him, Satan encourages us to focus on our differences and to categorize the value of a man or woman or child in any way that breaks us away from the truth and isolates us from love.

We can NOT remain silent but we must make sure we are fighting the right enemy. If we fight each other we will not have the strength to stand in the end.

May God give us courage like those who have left the world behind to follow Him in hope and love.

May God make us like the saints amd martyrs who had hope in the resurrection and the world to come.

May God remove the scales from our eyes like he did for Saint Paul who held the coats of those who murdered Saint Stephen and then united Jew and Greek into one faith.

May God have mercy on us all!

(c) Phoebe Farag Mikhail (2020). Being in Community. A Common Enemy by Annalisa Boyd. Original post- https://beingincommunity.com/a-common-enemy/

Raising Lazarus

Raising Lazarus

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Elijah Iskander

There are so many characters with varied roles in the story of the raising of Lazarus that we can learn from.

Two of the characters we meet are Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. Martha runs to the Lord and says, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). She had some understanding of who Christ was, but she didn’t have a complete understanding. She knew Jesus was powerful and had authority over death but she also had a misunderstanding that His power was limited by distance. IF You were here, perhaps she didn’t know the number of miracles He did when He healed from a distance. The centurion’s daughter for example.

When Jesus tells her that he will rise, she responds with theological insight when she says, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:24). Jesus clarifies that He meant beyond this.

Her sister, Mary, comes to the Lord with the exact same sentence, word for word. Jesus doesn’t seem to engage with Mary theologically as He did with Martha but simply completes the miracles.

Regardless of if I am Mary, coming to the Lord broken-hearted with no understanding or if I come to Him with questions, concerns and debates, He still comforts me in the language I understand best and is for my benefit.

Another character that is easily missed in this story is Thomas. The one known as, “doubting Thomas,” has a powerful role in this story. When Jesus informs the disciples that Lazarus had died and they must go to him, Thomas replies, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him” (John 11:16).

Earlier in the Gospel, Jesus makes a bold claim of divinity, saying that He is the Son of God. The Jews hearing this want to kill Him for making Himself equal to God. And now the disciples see that Lazarus has died, that the Jews are surrounded in the area after they had just escaped from them. It would natural for the disciples to think that if they went to the Jews, they would kill Jesus. Thomas concludes the same but sees this is an opportunity to follow the Lord even unto death.

Are we like Thomas, ready to follow the Lord regardless of the cost and consequences? For Thomas, this became an accidental prophecy of his own martyrdom. Doubting Thomas, in this instance, proved to be brave and courageous. What can we learn from Thomas’ example today? Even if I must sacrifice for you, Lord, I am ready. Let us also go that we may die with Him. Let us aspire to have the courage of Thomas.

The compassions of our Lord are magnified in the shortest verse of the Bible which reads, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). When He saw His beloved weeping, He also wept. How can we perceive the depth of this verse? He groaned in the Spirit and was troubled. The Comforter, the Counsellor, weeps and is troubled. This gives us an insight into the compassion of the Lord and how much He loves us. We call Him, “Abba, Father” which is to say, “Dad.” This is a real mystery, a compassionate father or mother carry the burden of their children’s needs, even if it is nonsense, even if it is not a big deal. Jesus does not take humour in our requests but He shares with us every feeling that distresses us.

Can I bear the burdens of others? Can I share in the joy and sorrow of others? The Creator wept, groaned and was troubled.

We see a final group that responds saying, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:37). Does this not sound like those who mocked Christ on the Cross saying, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him” (Matthew 27:42). Do I see myself in this group? Lord, if You are so powerful then why did I fail my exam, why did I endure such hardship, where were You in my struggles?

This brings about the second groaning within the Spirit of our Lord, perhaps this was not sharing in grief but in the hardness of their hearts, their utter lack of faith.

Which of these characters am I like?

Mary, who approaches the Lord in broken-heartedness
Martha, who approaches the Lord with a question and incomplete understanding
Thomas, who was ready to die for the sake of the Lord
The Jews, who questioned why Jesus would not save Lazarus from dying
Jesus, who we are called to like. Full of compassion and sharing the burdens of others. Groaning and weeping for those that are pained
Lazarus, the one raised from the dead

St Augustine describes the difference between the raising of Christ and the raising of Lazarus. When Jesus rose, the woman found the linen folded and left behind. Lazarus rose while still bound in linen. Simply because Lazarus will need those again, but Jesus will not. In whatever earthly things we receive from the Lord, we will eventually lose. If I am healed, I will be sick again. If I have a job, a time will come when I don’t have a job. Whatever earthly things we have, will be taken.

When I come to the Lord, let me ask for the imperishable. For any worldly concern, I bring forth before the Lord, He cries with me, He shares my suffering with me. Let me ask of something that is fitted for the Giver. Lord, teach me to pray.

Pope Kyrillos would wake up at 2am for his formal prayers would end at 10am and he has a constant dialogue with God. When people asked how he had such great insight, his response was simple, if you spend time speaking with God more than anyone else, He will speak to you. Lord teach me to imitate Pope Kyrillos.

For any wrongdoing, help me to let is go. Teach me to sacrifice, to love, to be humble. We pray for things worthy of the Giver.

Sensitivity For Others

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Samuel Fanous

Passage: Luke 9:10-17

The words of the Gospel today from Luke 9 begin with a realisation about something that’s happened. The disciples had been travelling with Jesus and multitudes had been following to hear him speak. And then it says, “when the day began to wear away” – when the people were exhausted and the day had come to its close, the disciples said to Christ, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”

You hear those words – “send them away” – and they can sound arrogant. It almost sounds as if the disciples are annoyed – that they’ve had it with these people that they’ve been with for an entire day, even days perhaps, following them, serving them, caring for them. So in annoyance, they say: “send them away”.

But one of the most remarkable this is that this is not how the early church read these words. St Cyril of Alexandria in the fourth century spent almost an entire homily talking about these words, “send them away”. He said

“[the disciples] seized with love toward the multitudes, and beginning to have a concern for the people…”

They were beginning to have concern for them.

When they say, “send them away”, they aren’t doing it out of annoyance or frustration or arrogance – they’re doing it because they’re starting to feel people. They’re starting to become sensitive to the needs of people. So they ask the Lord to send them away to the surrounding towns before it gets dark so that they can go and eat and sleep – because this is a deserted place. It’s likely the multitude themselves hadn’t realised it – it had just started to get dark, and perhaps they were distracted, unaware of their needs that would come in just a few hours. So the disciples start to become very sensitive – St Cyril is very specific that they “seized with love… beginning to have a concern for the people”.

St Cyril goes on to say,

“for to draw near, and make supplication on the people’s behalf, is an act becoming to the saints”.

To be sensitive to people and their needs is the beginning and act of becoming to the saints. So from here, Christ commands the disciples: “You give them something to eat”. Christ could feed the multitude, but he wanted the disciples to share in that. They told Him that they had no more than five loaves and two fish, so He takes those, blesses them and gives them out to people in groups of 50, to feed perhaps 50,000 people – an event which we call the Blessing of Multiplication or the Blessing of the Little – a remarkable miracle which would’ve reminded people of the days of Moses when Manna would come from heaven and the people would eat from it.

All of this comes first in the beginning of sensitivity. Sensitivity to others, and not myself. It creates the space in which God can work, can heal and can love through us. But that sensitivity requires me first to move out of myself. It means I have to move out for my own lusts, desires, ambitions – I have to see others.

If we do not see others, we cannot be sensitive to them. We can’t feel them or their needs. If we see ourselves, we only care for ourselves. This is actually where the word “narcissism” comes from – it’s a word that we painfully throw around at others who are quite self-absorbed – but actually, the word “narcissism” comes from one of the Greek gods in mythology, Narcissus, a handsome young Greek man who was being chased by a woman, the nymph Echo, and rejected her.

He didn’t want to be loved or to love somebody else. She wasn’t beautiful enough for him. One day after hunting he came before a pool of water, and he sat down in front of the pool, as he went down to drink, he saw himself. He looked at that image, and couldn’t stop looking at it because it was so beautiful. Eventually, after hours of staring at his own image in the water, he realised he couldn’t consummate his love. He couldn’t embrace the person. And so after gazing, enraptured in his own image, he killed himself – because he couldn’t attain the object of his desire. And that’s where we get the word narcissism – somebody that was so self-absorbed, all they could see was themselves.

Yet Christ is the exact opposite. Something that always strikes me in the gospels is that if you pay attention to the words carefully you see how many times Christ sees people. How many times, the evangelists stop to make a point that He looks and sees somebody.

“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers” (Matt. 4:18). He saw Nathaniel, and said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” (John 1:48). With the paralytic man, it says, “When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”” (John 5:6). In Matthew, Jesus “saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). When Christ sees the rich young man and is asked how he can be saved, it says, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him” (Mark 10:21). When Jesus looks up at Zacchaeus, it’s up in the sycamore tree, and he is hiding because he is so embarrassed as a tax collector to be seen by people. It says, “when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” (Luke 19:5).

These are just a few examples – the gospels are littered with them. Christ sees us. He is sensitive to our needs. He feels our needs. He looks beyond himself, He sees others, and so He is sensitive to our needs. Sensitivity to others is the beginning of saintliness. It is the beginning of drawing near to Christ and becoming like Him.

Many years ago, perhaps when I was in my first year of university, I didn’t attend university very much. I was a very poor student – I was probably attending about half an hour a week – so I had nothing to do and took up many hobbies that no 18-year-olds do.

One priest had asked me to help him – so I used to pray one liturgy every Thursday morning from 5-7 a.m., and afterwards I would drive around this elderly priest to help him give people communion, sometimes for four or five hours, sometimes until 2 p.m.

And every time after we’d finished the liturgy, I would watch this priest take the Eucharist and put on his head, and I’ve never seen anyone do what he does. He would refuse to drive – he let me drive – and he would sit in the car with the Eucharist on top of his head for five hours, going from place to place with incredible reverence. Often I would drive in silence for hours because I didn’t want to disturb him, until we’d visit the very last person receiving communion, after which, I would try to go to the drivers seat but he would refuse to give me the keys and let me drive, and say the exact same words: “before you drove because you were driving Christ. But now it is Yohanna, and I cannot allow you to drive Yohanna.” He would refuse to let me drive him, ever – but I could drive when Christ was on top of his head. This went on for a year, every Thursday, until one Thursday we came to the last communion. He told me to park the car and stay in the car, because the person he was visiting had a personal issue that he didn’t want anyone to know about except for his priest.

So as I went to park the car, I went straight into a brick wall and knocked off the bumper bar. So I sat there for a nervous half an hour trying to find the way to bring the bumper bar up, so the priest wouldn’t notice that I knocked off his bumper bar, until eventually, the priest came after the last communion as I was down on the ground trying to fix it, and in just one glance, he saw what the situation was and he looked away. I opened my mouth to begin to apologise – but he just laughed and said, “it’s nothing”. He went into his pocket and threw me the keys, and said “quick, let’s drive”.

For a year, he refused to ever let him drive him after communion, because I couldn’t drive Yohanna, I could only drive the Eucharist. But after I crashed his car with the bumper bar hanging off, he threw me the keys just so I wouldn’t be upset.

He was sensitive. Because he feared that I would become upset or feel guilt or shame because I crashed his car, he gave me the keys and let me drive him. In that moment, I possibly receive the greatest lesson of my life.

To become sensitive to others. To feel them. And that means, forgive me, we need to look very carefully at ourselves. Do I see others or do I see myself only?

How many times each day do I see others? Do I feel for others? Do I live for others? How many times a day, if at all?

And yet if I don’t go out of myself – beyond my desires, needs and ambitions, and I cannot see or feel others, I cannot be sensitive to their needs or feel for them. And if I don’t live for them, I don’t live for Him.

But if I see others, if I feel their needs much more deeply than they themselves feel their own needs, and I live for them, then I live for Christ. And that is why St Cyril of Alexandria says, being sensitive to others is an act of becoming of the saints. It was the entire beginning of the Blessing of the Multiplication story, with the disciples becoming sensitive to others.

So let us all, as one church, especially in the coming weeks, let us train ourselves to become sensitive to others. To see others and to feel their needs. To look beyond ourselves and our needs, but to see others.

Glory be to God Amen.

Put Off Self Will, Put On God’s Will

The New Man: Part 5

By Sandra Salib

Walking into an Orthodox church is an overwhelming experience – the incense, the candles and architecture never fail to grab your attention, transporting you to another place – a heavenly sanctuary, the House of God. Slightly elevated, ornamenting the walls of the church are icons, saints who are the exemplars of the spirituality we strive for, seemingly peering at the people entering. It is often said that these saints are amidst the church congregation, praising and praying with us, but they appear to reflect a spirituality which seems so above us, so distant and out-of-reach. We sit in church pews, longing for change, yet as soon as we walk out of the heavy, wooden doors, we are back in the world, as if returning to reality from a dream, unscathed.

It wouldn’t be contentious to say that our world today is a busy one. We’re occupied – working, studying, going out, getting fit – and while all these pursuits seem to be for our own growth and development, it puts us in a selfish oblivion, so distracted that we fail to consider anything that lies outside of our personal bubble.

The saints we see in icons are amidst us. To this day, 260 million Christians around the world are persecuted for their faith. They are martyrs of the present day. Needless to say, improving their lives isn’t in the question. Having a life at all is what consumes their minds.

Everything they’ve wanted – their desires, passions, hobbies – are all trivial. Their own will means nothing – they are subject to the will of another without question.

We are lucky enough, in the Western world, to have the liberty of choice. We have the freedom to believe what we want to believe and do what we want to do.

But to choose to submit your will to another?

In a world that upholds the autonomy of the individual, that can be hard. Very hard. It’s almost like social suicide. You are fortunate enough to get to choose what you want, lay out your whole life for yourself, and then you’re going to let someone dictate your life for you? It doesn’t make sense. And who are you going to listen to? A supernatural being in the sky who you’ve never seen? It’s a hard pass.

But is this who our God is? Is this how we, as his children, see him?

Our God is a loving, kind Father. Our God is all-knowing and all-powerful. Our God shepherds us and guides us to the path where we should go. He cares for us, and knows the details of our futures more than we could imagine.

This isn’t how we see His Son. Jesus, begotten of the Father, came down from heaven so that we may have a personal relationship with him. He lived a life of humility, and submitted His life to the Father as an example for us.

This isn’t how we see the Holy Spirit, who moves through our hearts like the wind, leading and guiding us as a soft breeze, whispering where we should go.

Of course, we know God is a mighty, powerful being. But the way in which he so freely loves, and gives, and has compassion, surely does not characterise a fire-and-brimstone, wrathful entity. It illustrates an image of a God who walked upon a fork in the road and, like us, had a choice. There wasn’t even much of a choice at all – He knew the journey would be difficult. He knew he would be spited and spat upon by generations upon generations of these creatures whom He loved and created. But this God, who we push to the side, this very God took the narrow path, and submitted His power and glory for us.

When we put on God’s will, we put on the armour of God: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

But we must also feel protected by this armour and let our guard down, to let God’s Spirit move through us and guide us. So that we can be still, and listen. To put away our pride and to feel prepared, as the five wise virgins, as the faithful servant waiting for his masters’ arrival, as the wedding guests dressed appropriately for the great banquet. We need to take off our self will, to let go of the wheel and trust that God will lead us to the path where we should go.

To live as God intended us to will always be one of the greatest struggles for man. But our life is a path full of decisions. And when we come across a fork in the road, we should see Christ running, without hesitation, down a rocky, narrow path and never looking back. With His hands raised, calling out your name, running to bring you in His fatherly embrace. For He, a deity, submitted all for our weak, mortal selves so that we could have salvation. Is submitting to Him for our own selfish good not the least we could do in return?

A Life of Fulfilment

A Life of Fulfilment

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Mark Basily

Passage: Luke 9:10-17

We read about the enlightenment the disciples experienced when the Lord multiplied the five loaves and the two fish. This story is mentioned in all four gospels and is recounted on numerous dates in the church’s calendar.

Just before the blessing, we read an important encounter between Jesus and His disciples. Jesus sends the disciples out to preach, to heal the sick and to proclaim the Kingdom of God. He tells them not to take anything with them- just go and preach.

They do as the Lord says and they return excited from what they had seen and witnessed in the ministry. And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida (Luke 9:10).

And then we continue into the story of the five loaves and two fish. When the people of Bethsaida knew that Jesus had entered their city but was in a deserted place, they travelled to see Him. Jesus spent the whole day with them healing the sick and preaching about the Kingdom. The day wears away and the miracle follows.

What takes place here is like a sandwich. You have preaching and healing in the beginning, a day full of ministry and high activity. This is followed by the next layer, of more people flocking to Christ and more healing, preaching and ministry.

But in the middle, we find Jesus takes the disciples away privately to a deserted area. This is the meat in the sandwich of this story. Oftentimes, we can forget this vital part. Imagine eating a sandwich that was just bread. No one eats a bread sandwich, there must be something to give it flavour. Our lives become as dull as a bread sandwich if we go from activity to activity. Bread on bread. There’s no meat, no filling.

It is important that we learn to apply this to our spiritual life. After every activity, there needs to be a layer where I spend time with God. I tell Him about all that I have done and He takes me away to a private place. It is a very beneficial spiritual exercise to meet with Christ at the end of each day.

We learn to imitate the disciples that came to Christ at the end of their ministry and told Him all about what they had done. In our evening prayers after we have prayed our formal prayers (e.g. from the book of hours/Agpia) that we tell God about our day. It is good to give God a run-down of all that happened.

“This morning I woke up and everything was okay but then I got frustrated with one of the kids, I could’ve been gentler. I got to work and had that meeting, thank You for giving me the strength and wisdom to navigate through what was so daunting before I entered. By the time I got to lunch, I forgot that I was meant to be fasting, sorry, God.”

Or, “I went to school today and I got my results for a test, thank You for helping me. When I was in the playground with the boys and I guess, I was a bit rough.”

When you give God a run-down of your day, you will quickly see the areas where you give thanks for His providence and guidance, or repent and need change, and then, it is as if God takes you away to a deserted place away from this world and it troubles. From there, I can start with my next job, ministry, or activity. Between each layer of activity, we need to give it substance, we need to have quiet time with Christ.

A newly married woman once told me that her husband has a habit of waking up at 5am to spend time in prayer and reading the Bible. He then starts getting ready for work. When he comes home from work, the first thing he must do is to go his prayer room and spend time with God before anyone else.

After each activity, I make time for the Lord and tell Him about all I have done and He, in turn, takes me to a deserted place away from the world. This provides the context of blessing. This is where we draw near to the Lord.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him – Psalm 145:18.

We draw near to the Lord when we tell Him about all that we have done and that provides blessing and enlightenment to our lives.

Friendship is…

Friendship is…

Reposted from Lilies and Thorns blog

”You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” “Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.” “You become who you hang out with.” “If you want to see your future, look at your friends.” “When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends” “You are who you are, by virtue of the company you keep.” Any of these sound familiar? Friendships are a crucial part of life, and the influence of friends on you is undeniable.

Friendship is First Loving Yourself

We should all aim to have a friendship like David and Jonathan. “Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.” (1 Samuel 18:3) First, it’s important to note that they loved their own soul, and therefore were able to love each other with that same vigor. We should not be looking for someone else’s validation in a friendship. Before we chase love from others, we have to know our worth, and love ourselves first. We should not be looking to friends to fill the insecurities we have. Yes, they will encourage us and help us reach a better place, but getting rid of our insecurities is a journey between us and God.

If we fail to first love and invest in ourselves, we risk unknowingly placing a burden on our precious friends to fill that void for us, and this can be fatal to friendships. By knowing where we stand with God, we organically attract friends who are able to complement our beliefs, ambitions, and lifestyles.

Friendship is Built on Similar Values

Another common saying is “birds of a feather flock together.” This just means people who have the same interest and values tend to stick together. I can definitely attest to this in my life. I’ve had many friends throughout the years, but the one group of friends that I’ve kept for over 20 years are the ones I met in church. I’ve changed neighborhoods, schools, and even church parishes, but I’ve never changed my faith. Faith is an extremely strong tie that can withstand any time and place. So I hope you can find a God-loving group of friends that can help you stay on the right track. I’m not saying don’t have non-Christian friends; as long as they’re not a bad influence, have all the friends you want. You want friends to bring you closer to Christ (as you should also be doing for them), not further away from Him.

Friendship is Investing Both Ways

We’ve all had friends that make more withdrawals out of the friendship account than deposits. Some people require a lot of energy and attention, but don’t provide the same in return. Sometimes those friendships can leave us feeling drained. The seemingly Christian thing to do is to keep loving and giving, but I recognize we’re all human and might not always be able to handle the load. So maybe it might be time to cut back on the abundant giving, and don’t have such high expectations. I’m not saying cut them off, I’m just saying find a happy middle ground where you are both putting in the same effort into the friendship, that way there is no resentment or heavy feelings.

Friendship is Knowing What Load to Carry

“Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33) I’m cringing as I write this part, but the truth can be hard to face sometimes. There are times when friendships do more harm than good. I like to lean towards giving the other person the benefit of the doubt, and believing they have good intentions. But sometimes those intentions fail to show in their actions. If you find yourself in a friendship that is affecting you negatively, then it might be time to move on. I say this with caution, and urge you to consult your father of confession to seek guidance in the situation. I do not want you to stay in an unhealthy friendship (or any relationship) because you feel obligated to carry someone else’s load, when you can barely carry your own, and in fact, it is weighing you down.

Friendship is Edifying

Edifying friendships are the most beautiful friendships, and I pray you can all find them and keep them. My longest friendship started about 20 years ago, when I moved to America. Throughout the years we have journeyed together through middle school, high school, college, singleness, marriage, and now motherhood. We’ve leaned on each other countless times, always drawing strength from the Lord to give to each other. Our friendship was a two-way street of giving and taking. We’ve shared wonderful memories and hard ones too.

We’ve had our ups and downs, just like any normal friendship. We’ve had times where we didn’t see eye to eye, or misunderstood each other. But the one common thing that kept us together was our common love for God and each other, because “A friend loves at all times.” (Proverbs 17:17) In every situation we tried to see the best in the other person. We constantly communicated, even when the conversations were hard to have. When we found ourselves in uncomfortable situations, we stopped and tried to mend it. Not saying our friendship is perfect, but perfectly imperfect. And that’s the beauty of it.

God gave us friends so we can lift each other up.

“Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

We can try to convince ourselves that we can go through life alone, but man, that can be super hard. Truth is, we need each other. The Bible says so, and even Christ sent out the apostles in groups of two.

If you are in a season in your life where you don’t have a strong friendship(s), then by all means ask God to send you a friend or two. Doesn’t He say, “Ask and it shall be given to you”? (Matthew 7:7)

I pray that you can all have fruitful and edifying friendships that bring you closer to Him, as well as be a great friend that someone can depend on. We should all be holding each other’s hands so we can help each other reach His.

“Ointment and perfume delight the heart, And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.”
Proverbs 27:9

Because He first Loved Us

Because He first Loved Us

By Pola Fanous

We love, because He first loved us. And how could it be any other way? In John 5:19, Jesus makes it clear that: “… the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do.” It is only in imitation of Christ that we are able to love at all. Just as it is only by following Him to Golgotha, that we rise into Paradise with Him; only by sharing in His crucifixion, that we share in His resurrection. As spiritual beings, we know that love is the most natural thing on earth and in heaven. When we reject our divinity, we banish ourselves from the paradise of joy and are limited to primitive modes of being. We become mere self-centred animals to whom love is foolish and selfishness is wisdom. The charity at the heart of Agape love goes against the ethic of self-preservation in evolutionary theory. How fortunate we are, then, to have the wondrous example of Christ to protect us from selfishness:

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”
John 13:14-15

As Christ loves and protects His Church – evermore – so too does a godly husband love his wife! Without our God and his eternal and enduring example, how could we begin to stand a chance? St John Chrysostom, drawing on Christ’s example, advises husbands on how to address their brides:

“I have taken you in my arms, and I love you, and I prefer you to my life itself. For the present life is nothing, and my most ardent dream is to spend it with you in such a way that we may be assured of not being separated in the life reserved for us… I place your love above all things, and nothing would be more bitter or painful to me than to be of a different mind than you.”
St John Chrysostom, 20th Homily on Ephesians

In reading these words, my heart not only rejoices, but I marvel at the enormity of our God who is love in all its forms, including Eros! In Song of Songs, we see Christ’s intimacy with the Church demonstrated in erotic poetry so beautiful it eclipses the thousands of love poems I’ve read: “

Your navel is like an elaborate bowl… Your two breasts are like two fawns, the twins of a gazelle… And the fragrance of your nose like apples… Set me as a seal upon your heart.
Song of Songs 7-8

We must not forget that not only is Christ our example, He is Love incarnate. We cannot love without knowing love, and so, we cannot love without knowing God;

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:7-8

Indeed, St Simeon the New Theologian writes of the Holy Spirit as the embodiment of God’s love – moving us, stirring us and inspiring us:

O Holy Love, he who knows you not has never tasted the sweetness of your mercies which only living experience can give us. But he who has known you, or who has been known by you, can never have even the smallest doubt. For you are the fulfilment of the law, you who fills, burns, inflames, embraces my heart with a measureless love. You are the teacher of the prophets, the offspring of the apostles, the strength of the martyrs, the inspiration of the fathers and masters, the perfecting of all the saints. Only you, O Love, prepare even me for the true service of God”
Saint Simeon the New Theologian, 11th c, Homily 53

Here, St Simeon speaks of Phila – the form of love most commonly called friendship. This too, must first be shared between man and God – for what greater friend have we than the King of Kings? In Exodus, God spoke to Moses like a man speaks to a friend; in James, God calls Abraham his friend. In John, God goes one step further, revealing that we who do his will are counted as his friends:

“You are my friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from my father, I have made known to you.”
John 15:14-15

It is clear then, that love as Agape, love as Eros and love as Phila – are all spiritual forms of love, all beautiful, all sanctified, all demonstrated and gifted to us by our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. However, we must also remember one final form of love – love as divine and perfect grace! We are only alive today because of God’s perfect sacrifice on the cross, his saving love towards us.

In short, we love because He first loved us: on every level, in every form, in every way. Glory be to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords: our rescue, our hope, our example and always – Our Love.

No Adults Allowed

No Adults Allowed

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Yacoub Magdy

Passage Matthew 18:1-9

The Lord makes a condition to be accepted into the kingdom of heaven – to become like little children. He further emphasises His point saying, “Assuredly, I say to you…”

We will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless we are first converted into little children (Matthew 18:2). It is not optional, it is a necessity. We must convert ourselves to the status of little children if we wish to enter the Kingdom.

There are some places that write children cannot enter, or there are age restrictions. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the restriction is the opposite – no adults allowed. Big heads and high positions have no place in the Kingdom.

For this reason, we must be converted, we must come back. The word return comes from the Greek word, metanoia, meaning to repent. To repent is to become a child once more and return to your Father’s arms.

For any servants of our church that gets married, I encourage them to invite their Sunday School kids to their wedding. Don’t follow the world that restricts children. In the church, we love to see children in the church and treating it like their own home. These are the angels we imitate to be accepted by God.

Many of the teachings of our Lord converted standard practices. Everyone thought that the rich were the blessed ones. In the famous sermon on the Mount, Jesus flips this around with the first beatitude that says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” The standards the world holds dear are different to the standards of our Lord. Now in the 21^st century, we accept this command, but think of those that heard it for the first time more than 2000 years ago. How could the poor be blessed? How could a child be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?

St John Chrysostom once said that the poor don’t need the rich but the rich need the poor. I cannot arrive to the Kingdom without dealing with the poor. The poor do not need the rich because they have God to cater for their needs.

To the servants, I plead that you do not use the language of leadership. There are many courses under the title of, leadership. Our Lord Jesus Christ never claimed to be a leader but called Himself a Servant. In Sunday school, we use the title of, servant. We do not have leaders. Christ made it clear that if you want to be first, you must serve; “whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28).

When St Augustine was bishop, he looked to those whom he served, he prayed, “Your servants, Lord, are my masters.” If we do not appreciate the weak, the poor and the children, then we have missed all of Christ’s teaching and we can have no share with Him.

When Christ washed His disciples’ feet, St Peter was astonished. How could the King of kings wash his feet? The Lord rebuked him and said it was a must; he could not be a part of Christ’s body unless Christ washed his feet; “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” (John 13:8). The principle is in that the higher bows before the lower; the adults bow before the children. The concept lies within strength and weakness. But Christ teaches us that if we are not weak, we cannot receive strength from God. St Paul famously says, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The most powerful Hand of the Lord will rest upon the one who declares their own weakness.

“Who is the greatest in heaven,” was a question asked by the disciples that came about from the way they would sit around Christ. On the right hand of the King would sit the greatest, and the lesser moving around in a circle, till the least would sit on the left-hand side of Christ. The Lord didn’t like this concept and made it very clear that this kind of teaching was of the world and not of God. The one that is greatest is the one that bows before others. My location is at the feet of those whom I serve. If any servant accepts the service without putting themselves at the feet of those whom they serve, then they have no share with the Lord.

We learn from the kids whom we serve. We learn simplicity, we learn faith that does not waver, we learn to trust without question, we learn humility from the least of these. Children accept orders when they are given. Be careful not to grow too high in your own self-worth. In the ordination of a monk to a bishop, the monk to be ordained is carried in by two stronger monks and bishops, one on either side. Historically, the bishops would try to escape this role. They escape because of the longer journey that befalls them from the rank of bishop to come down to a child.

The higher the position, the longer the journey, for the Kingdom of Heaven only has places reserved for the children. Never let your position in the church elevate your status in your mind to anything above a child. Understand how valuable the little children are and how valuable their prayers are in the eyes of the Lord. When you need something from the Lord, let the little children intercede on your behalf and see the power of their prayers. When they pray, they pray honestly and in full faith of the God they are praying to. Let us learn from them and become like little children so that we may inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Celebration of Service

Celebration of Service

Adapted from a sermon by Michael Iskander

Nowadays, we put so much effort into our jobs, our social life, our hobbies, our everyday mundane tasks. These may provide us with some sort of fulfilment or joy temporarily, however, once we have achieved that goal, that friendship, received that new promotion, we are constantly faced with the same question.

What next?

What do we do now, what is there to do, what else can give me a sense of fulfilment. This too can be said when it comes to death. We may grow old and pass away, but then what next? What happens afterwards?

The feast of the apostles has just passed, a day full of celebration and joy. But what exactly is being celebrated? This is the day we commemorate the martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul. Yet within the Church we sing joyful praises, there is a lively and jubilant aroma that fills the Church. Usually we associate death with mourning and despair. However, as Christians, we should in fact join the Church in these celebrations, since we know that due to Christ’s blood, we have so much more once we pass away.

We also celebrate this day as the apostles are the spreaders of the Gospel. They have seen Christ’s teachings and continued to preach them to both Jews and Gentiles to allow for our Church to still be standing today, and hence we celebrate them. Similarly, we also bear the same responsibility as them to ensure that we keep true to the doctrine of the Church to ensure Her longevity till His Second Coming.

Therefore, since we celebrate the apostles, we must also aim to serve they did to others. We are not only called to serve Christ, but to serve others also. We read in Matthew 25 that,

“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 25:40

Thus, in order to truly serve Christ, we must first serve those of the world, just as the apostles whom we celebrate, spreading the good news that is Christ. If we truly desire genuine fulfilment in our everyday lives, service is the only answer.