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The Unforgivable Sin

The Unforgivable Sin

By Daniel Ishak

“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Matthew 12:32-33

When reading through the Bible, one of Christ’s most attractive attributes is His abundant forgiveness. The gospel are filled with stories of people who have been judged by men, but then forgiven by Christ. When they brought the adulterous woman before Him to be stoned, Christ looked to her with a sense of compassion and forgiveness, and told the scribes and Pharisees “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” (John 8:7). When everyone judges, Christ forgives.

But there is a sin that our forgiving Lord says cannot be forgiven: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. (Matthew 12:32)

At first glance, this seems so uncharacteristic of our forgiving savior. But when we take a closer look at who the Holy Spirit is, and what His role is in my life, we can begin to see why Christ was so strict in warning us of this sin.

Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is God. He is the third Person of the Holy Trinity and equal to both the Father and the Son. He was there at the beginning of creation, and since then has been present throughout the Old Testament, and continues to be active in the New Testament. He is not only God in heaven above, but also God who lives inside me. Jesus told the apostles, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18).

What is His role in my life?
Living inside of me, the Holy Spirit has many important roles: two of His most important roles are leading me to Christ, and driving my transformation and repentance.

The first role of the Holy Spirit is to lead me to meet Christ. When Simeon the elder saw Christ in the temple, it says that the “the Holy Spirit was upon him…He was led by the Spirit to the temple” (Luke 2:25). The Holy Spirit led Simeon to the temple to meet Christ. He has the same role in my life today – He leads me to meet Christ. There’s a beautiful quote which states, “Just as the air remains in itself invisible to us but acts as the medium through which we see and hear other things so the Spirit does not reveal to us His own face but He always shows us the face of Christ.” When I lose sight of Christ and fall astray, the Holy Spirit leads me back to the temple where I can see Christ.
The second role of the Holy Spirit is to transform my life. We see this clearly in the life of St Peter, an iconic example of spiritual renewal. When told by the servant girl in the High Priest’s house that he was a follower of Christ, Peter gave in to cowardice and denied Christ. However, when the Holy Spirit came upon him on the Day of Pentecost, his weak faith was transformed into perfect faith. He no longer feared people, and so preached to three thousand people, then to five thousand and after that to the Sanhedrin! We see a transformed St Peter. What happened in this period? It was the reception of the Holy Spirit. St John Chrysostom says about St Peter that “He raised his voice, he spoke with great confidence that they might perceive the grace of the Spirit. He who could not endure the questioning of a poor girl now discourses with such great confidence in the middle of people all breathing murder upon him. This in itself became an indisputable proof of the Resurrection, for wherever the Holy Spirit is present; people of clay are changed into people of gold.” Likewise, the Holy Spirit is the Person who drives my repentance and transforms me.

What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the complete and continuous rejection of the Holy Spirit and His power in my life.

As we saw above, the Holy Spirit is the one who shows me the face of Christ, and who drives my repentance – and so when I make this conscious decision to reject Him continually, my heart eventually becomes so hardened that I will never repent, and as a result lose my chance of salvation. It is the complete and continuous rejection of the Holy Spirit that is the deadly sin, as it is rejecting His power to transform me and lead me to a repentance that produces eternal life.

There’s a big difference between a man who falls in sin, but is repentant, and desires to overcome his sin, and the man who fall in sin – aware of his wrongdoing – and refuses to repent. The problem with the latter is that eventually his heart becomes hardened, and it is impossible for him to respond to God’s word. An example of this type of character is Pharaoh from the Old Testament. In Exodus 9:12, it says that “the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them.” God kept warning Pharaoh, sending him soft plagues in the beginning, and then the warning signs became increasingly harsh. However, Pharaoh was unrelenting. His heart became hardened, to the point where he could not heed the warning given to him by Moses and Aaron anymore. Likewise, God sometimes sends us little lessons in our lives. However, if we do not respond, our hearts can become so hardened that we no longer have the will to repent and thus, gain eternal life.

That is why we need to be mindful of the Holy Spirit and be conscious of His signals in our hearts so that we do not blaspheme against Him. He is continually trying to show me Christ, and to lead my transformation and repentance. Let us respond to Him, so that we do not be at risk of the grave sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

The pastoral irony of all this, of course, is that any Christian who asks a priest with trembling whether or not he has committed the unforgivable sin cannot possibly have committed it, for the question proves that the one asking it loves Jesus and fears being separate from Him. Let such devout souls fear nothing. They have clearly been caught in the fishermen’s net, along with other fish. Let them persevere in their devotion, and rest assured of final forgiveness.

– Anonymous early church father.

May the Lord make us people of gold, a responsive people who continually repent and are welcoming of the Holy Spirit in our lives, singing with David the prophet, “do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me.” Having the Holy Spirit stay with us will then allow us to gain the kingdom and see the face of Christ eternally.

Glory be to God Amen.

Bears in Alaska

Bears in Alaska

By: Christopher Nour

I was 22 the first time I experienced ‘fear’.

We can all say we’ve experienced fear at various stages in our lives. Whether it be the fear of failing an exam or subject, a fear of failure, a fear of breaking the law or general phobias such as a fear of heights. In my 22 years on this Earth I have experienced all of these. From failing an exam, to having a police car pull me over for mobile phone use or speeding. I believed that I had experienced the full spectrum of human emotions by the time I had reached the age of 22! How very wrong I was. This is how it started:

There is always a sense of adventure within me, fuelled by my willingness to explore the unknown and my ‘risk taking nature’, as I’m told by my family and friends. This brings us to a 24 kilometre hike to two of the most gorgeous lakes in all of Alaska – Eagle Lake and Symphony Lake. I began my hike just after midday leaving my car in the parking lot. I brought my tent, sleeping bag and pad, a stove, cookware, food, water, camera and drone. All packed! And so my hike began. Along the way I passed numerous people, around twenty to thirty, all heading back to the car park. No one seemed to be going in my direction, which lead me to believe that I would have the lakes to myself. That’s good I guess, right? What could be better than spending a night in this serene wild? After crossing 3 bridges, walking through mud, resting on several rocks, snacking on lots of beef jerky and crossing a painful, …….NO!,…. horrendous granite boulder field capable of breaking your knees and ankles like twigs of wood; I made it to the most perfect little island that would be my home for the next 12 hours.

I arrived steaming hot having lugged two backpacks, and the mental battle I was going through to make it there and not just quit was exhausting! I decided for the quick setup option which consisted of my tent being put up as bare as possible (to allow a nice breeze to enter). I quickly filled up the pot with water and brought it to a quick boil to cook my all time, nutritious and extremely healthy “Mac n Cheese”. I ate, had some more beef jerky, some PowerAde and packed my food away in my dry bag. Now ‘101’ to camping in Alaska is to NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER!!! Sleep with ANY food, or scented items (including sunscreen, lotions etc). This is to prevent bears coming into your tent looking for food. I continued to carry my dry bag containing my food and scented items some 200 meters away from my camp site. DONE! Time for bed!

I quickly ripped off my hiking boots and sweat dripping socks and went in for bed at 9pm. I brought my Bluetooth speakers, Satellite phone and Bear spray with me into the night. Oh what a peaceful sleep it was. 10pm, 11pm, 12pm, 1am, 2am…

At 2am in the dead of the night, I awoke to the sound of beautiful crashing waves on the lake that I’m literally inches away from (remember it’s an island that my tent is set up on). As I lay on my sleeping mat contemplating what a serene experience it is to be camping alone, with no one for at least 12km’s and the sounds of these crashing waves, I start to consider how these waves are occurring. I begin to register what is happening…

I am sleeping on a lake! There is a little wind but not enough for the waves to be splashing this much… I prop myself up onto one elbow and listen harder. I hear something running… Something big is running through the water, causing these waves… I can feel its weight through the blown up air that I’m lying on… I hear the sounds Tsh Tsh Tsh Tsh, as the running object comes to a stop, and then the undoubted sound of a fish splashing on the surface of the water. As I lay there wondering, No!, not wondering, but furiously thinking about what on earth is outside, I confirm the worst thought that can enter any campers mind.

There is a bear. Probably a Grizzly bear (due to the size), 10 feet from my tent – fishing!

All of a sudden there is an enormous grunting and snorting sound that fills the mountains surrounding me.

GRSHHHHH!!!

And then the sound of a beast filling its lungs with litres of air fills me with fear.

What do I do?!?

My heart is pounding against my chest, through my fingers and my ear drums. For a few moments I mistake my beating heart for the bears coming towards me!

“Fight or Flight” instincts take control of me and I choose flight instantly. But where would I run to? I am 12 km’s away from my car, and that’s not a direct path, I must go across rivers, boulders the size of small cars, through mud and past more bears, deers, wolves and all other creatures that walk this earth. There was nowhere to seek protection. If I jump into the lake and swim into the middle I will either die from severe hypothermia (a glacial lake is between 1 to 5 degrees Celsius) or from the bear swimming after me (bears are tremendous swimmers). I remember the satellite phone I have and whip it out putting it into the SOS mode. If I press ONE button the US Coast Guard, Police or Ranger will be here by helicopter. But I haven’t been attacked! And this will surely take time and communication must occur before they decide to come. I decide to ditch the SOS button in fear of being a laughing stock in Alaska and in Australia for the news headline “Australian hiker rescued by helicopter due to bears in camp”.

I stay frozen in the position listening to the bear continuing to fish inches away now from my tent. I’m stopped mid-thought by the sounds that I’ve been hearing for the past 15 minutes on my left, suddenly occurring on my right.

There were two Bears on either side of my tent now! The sounds had doubled! More splashing, more running, and heavier breathing and snorting.

FOR THE FIRST TIME in 22 years I felt a new emotion. Something I have never experienced before. I’m frozen in my tent, trembling, my head about to explode with ideas of how I was going to die. Trying to cry but unable to bring tears out, I prepare myself for my death. I quickly beg the Lord to forgive me and my never ending sins, the big and the small, afraid to be refused heaven for forgetting the smallest details! I bargain with the Lord telling him if he were to keep me alive I would fix the wrongs and do good! I apologise to my parents and brother for what I will put them through and for being in this situation. After having taken care of the important stuff, I think of how the martyrs are sent off when death is imminent – anything to bring peace to me. I try and remember any hymns from church to sing to myself. However none come to mind… except for “My Coptic Church”.

As I ever so slowly put my head back to the floor in fear of making too much noise that the bears come, I start to sing “My Coptic church” silently. I can only remember the first 2 verses and the harmoniously simple tune. So I start to improvise and make up my own verses praising the Lord and his Church. I don’t know how but 1 hour later I fall asleep; too tired from the hike and the mental battle I had just competed in.

I open my eyes! Its daylight! I get out of the tent and walk to where hours before two adult Grizzly bears were standing, each weighing between 250 to 400kg and capable of tearing me limb to limb. I thanked the Lord ever so much for granting me to survive and to live. I walk back some 3 kilometres and find two campers who were camping out with their dogs. As I see humans I feel like embracing them with a hug!

I had been given another chance. I had to fulfil my promises!

The Lord watched over me!

Self Denial

Self-Denial

By Fr Yacoub

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2

In many aspects of modern day life, there exists a clear disparity between the life Christians are called to lead, and the life lived with the influence of Western culture. This distinction is not seen any more clearly than by looking at the quality of self-denial, a concept that is highly foreign to many Western cultures.

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” – Philippians 2:3-4

This idea of denying oneself – forsaking personal desires for the interests of others – is unfamiliar and even unacceptable in most perspectives. Notions of submission have highly attached negative connotations in modern society, and are associated with feelings of weakness and limitation. Contrary to this perspective, true Christianity sees things differently.

Self-denial may be considered a core value in Christian life, led and taught to us by Christ on Earth. With the mindset of “not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42), Christ set the perfect example, a didactic life of denying oneself.

But what benefit does self-denial have? In a modern day society crowded by those blowing their own horns, gloating in their perceived success and absorbed in their own selves, where does self-denial fit? Let’s explore.

Inner peace
Denying oneself allows a grace and gift of true inner peace. How can anything disturb someone, who denies themselves to live for the Lord? Self-absorbed sins of envy, jealousy and bitterness will dissolve. With the “helmet of salvation” Ephesians 6:17, the obsession with oneself is displaced by the focus on the Lord… a recipe for true peace.

Forgiveness
One who truly denies themselves will only have forgiveness in their hearts. It is a barrier, a protection of the anger that can lead to grudges and enmity with neighbors. How can you get angry if someone hurts your “dignity or status”, if you deny yourself?! You will be satisfied, no matter what one may do to you.

Loved by all
Paradoxically, the act of denying yourself draws hearts of love and friendship. You will be a friend of Heaven and Earth. Let’s consider a married couple. In the wedding ceremony, they recite vows from St Paul’s epistle. What is this commandment really saying? Self denial. If a spouse truly denies themselves for their partner, the only result is for the partner to submit. In The Paradise of the Monks, it is quoted that “the best thing for two people living together, is self-denial”. Let us use this not only with our spouses, but in everyday life with all. Trial with the grace of God, and see.

Let us shift now to the question; “How do I really know if I am denying myself?”

We see many attempts and examples, most with pure intentions of humility, but oftentimes misguided. Some may say, “On a table with issues being discussed, I do not join in. I keep my opinion to myself, it is a way of humility.” This has many risks – you may sit and feel yourself higher than those around discussing – the exact opposite of intended humility.

Again, one may say “I always wait to be last in anything, it is a way of humility” – of course this may be for some, but again it carries the same risks. So how do we truly deny ourselves?

I heard from a priest conference once, the following words.
The only way to acquire true humility and self-denial is to accept accusation and abuse from others.

There is a reward for those who are truly humble, and that is grace from Our Lord.

In his last visit to Australia, HH Pope Shenouda III came to St Mark’s Church. I needed him to help me in my spiritual life. He invited me in front of the congregation and kept humiliating me. He continued to ask, “What is this?! Where are the youth?!” I knew the youth to be upstairs in the English church, watching the event by TV connection, but I didn’t say so. I responded “I will look for the youth Saydena”.

Meeting him the next day in the monastery, I asked him “Are you truly upset with me Sayedna?”. In his wisdom he responded, “Father, is it better for me to praise you and say ‘you are a good priest, you have a good church’? Or for me to use this opportunity for you to improve in your spiritual life? You can be satisfied that the church if full of youth, but how will you grow? Will you look for the lost sheep?”

This is the culture of the monks in Egypt. They are tough with each other, to allow each other to grow. From Sayedna’s firmness, I have stayed many nights thinking and apply what he said. To survive and strive in this culture if firmness, humility and self-denial is not only beneficial, but completely necessary. Let us adopt these characteristics.

One may ponder on the difference between self-denial and low self esteem. There exists one clear and important difference. Though you may have low self-esteem, it is imperative to know that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13. We are weak alone, but vessels for the glory of God through His grace.

We pray that the Lord grant us grace to deny ourselves as He did. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. With His life as the perfect example, let us live for His glory alone.

Glory be to God Amen.

The Significance of Christ’s Tears

†
The Significance of Christ’s Tears

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

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

Points:

Christ is sensitive to our tears

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

Glory be to God, Amen

The Fast of Saint Mary

The Fast of Saint Mary

By Anthony Bebawi

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

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

Why is this the case?

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

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

1. Obedience

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

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

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

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

2. Humility

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Prayer

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

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

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

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

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

Glory be to God forever. Amen,

Strength In Numbers

Strength in Numbers

By Marc Bastawrous

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Glory Be to God Forevermore. Amen.

Seeing Christ in Others

By: Sarah F

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Glory be to God, Amen

What is Hell?

Hell

By: Shenouda Girgis

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

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

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

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

From Saul to Paul

From Saul to Paul

God desires all souls to be part of His flock, regardless of how far they have strayed. He even yearns for the salvation of the wolves that devour His sheep. We see this in Saul who later confessed that he “persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it” (Gal 1:13). In fact, God sought Saul personally and even appeared to him while he “was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1).

Upon hearing the Lord call him by name (Acts 9:5), Saul trembled and immediately fell to the ground. The Divine light blinded him but revealed the great darkness in his heart – it helped him see his own sins and weaknesses. All the men who journeyed with Saul heard the voice, but only he was able to discern every word. Thus, we can say that it was a personal encounter for Saul who accordingly considered himself as one who is chosen by God. “Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me.” (1 Cor 15:8) This special encounter also helped him realize God’s plan for salvation, accept the incarnation of the Divine Word, confess His Deity and personally experience His power. Thus, St Augustine spoke of St Paul saying: “His eyes were shut to the vanities of this world, yet his insight was enlightened. What was once a vessel for perdition became a chosen vessel of God.”

It’s hard to imagine the drastic Saul to Paul transformation. How can a notorious persecutor of Christians preach the very Name he sought to destroy? How can one who sought to demolish the church, pray and weep for its growth for many years? How can one so determined to torture, kill and torment Christians, eventually die for Christ’s sake? How is this possible? What triggered this radical transformation?

We cannot deny that none of this would have happened if the Lord didn’t appear to Saul. Thus, what triggered this magnificent transformation was a personal encounter with Christ. The same applies to our own lives. Too often we rely upon our own strengths and power – as if we can put an end to our sins and bad habits on our own. But the truth is, we can’t. The Lord clearly told us: “without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Thus, we need to earnestly seek the Lord for healing and change – only He can transform us.

It is also important to note that Saul could not have ascended to the work of the Apostles, without first falling to the ground and bowing in contrition. He was blinded that he may feel in need of someone to lead him by the hand. Saul, who once thought of himself as mighty and capable of destroying the Church, experienced weakness and utter helplessness. He entered Damascus, not haughtily but silently. He felt in need of the rich grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to start a new life. This was a very humbling, but necessary experience – not only for Saul, but for every Christian. Thus, we see that humility and repentance are essential cornerstones of the spiritual life and service. The humble confess their weakness and do not rely on their own wisdom, but the power of God. Unfortunately, we often complain that there are too many disputes in our services and that the servants are not co-operating together. Could this perhaps be a sign of pride? Although St Paul was given the honorable rank of an Apostle, he was very humble and considered himself “the foremost of sinners” (1 Tim 1:15) and “the very least of the apostles” (1 Cor 15:9). How many of us can dare say we have such humility?

The Lord told Saul to go to Damascus to learn the way of salvation through the Church. However, God did not wait for Saul to go to Ananias but rather instructed Ananias to seek him. In this we see the beautiful image of a loving Father running up to His son with arms wide open, ready to embrace him and welcome him into His flock. The Lord appointed Ananias to guide Saul that he may not fall into the trap of self-sufficiency and teach us the importance of obeying the instructions of the Elders. St Augustine says: “Let us beware of such dangerous temptations of pride, and let us rather consider the fact that the Apostle Paul himself, although stricken down and admonished by the voice of God from Heaven, was yet sent to a man to receive the sacraments and be admitted into the Church.”

The Church in its wisdom, likewise appointed for us confession fathers, spiritual guides and servants who are much more experienced than us in the spiritual life, to guide us. After all, it seems very logical for a person desiring to climb a mountain for the first time to go with a companion or guide who is familiar with the route. Yet, how often do we try to walk through our spiritual lives without seeking the guidance of our spiritual father? Many of the desert fathers used to say that a man “needs only to entrust his entire will into the hands of his father. Then he will be blameless before God, for God requires nothing from beginners as much as self stripping through obedience.”

But after all the harm and pain he inflicted upon the Church, how could Paul possibly call himself an Apostle and bondservant of Christ? How was he freed from the guilt of his past mistakes… wasn’t he ashamed to look into the eyes of those he once sought to destroy? Perhaps he even killed some of their loved ones!

No doubt, the enemy of good did not relieve the new believer from such attacks. However, St Paul did not allow such feelings to hinder the spreading of the gospel. In Philippians 3:13, St Paul mentions the secret to his power after his transformation – “but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead”. We too need to learn how to move past our sins and mistakes after we confess them. In the book of Isaiah, God said: “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25) If God wants to forget our sins, why should we keep remembering them? I don’t mean that we shouldn’t use them to learn from our mistakes but rather quickly confess them and then not allow them to hinder the spreading of the gospel or stop us from serving.

St Paul’s transformation depicts the power of God who can take a fierce wolf and transform it into a docile sheep that longs to be slain for His sake and suffer for the rest of His helpless lambs. It serves as a beautiful reminder that no matter where we are right now, there is hope. God’s power is limitless – He can transform us, use us, work through us – take us through an extreme makeover… All we have to do is ask!

Glory be to God forever. Amen

Townsville Snapshot

Townsville

Townsville, located in North Queensland, is currently home to 45 Coptic Orthodox students studying at James Cook University and 10 families. FOCUS JCU is a group that promotes fellowship and enables the youth to celebrate, cultivate and stay close to their Orthodox origins. The youth in Townsville gather for daily prayers as well as weekly Bible studies, yo
uth meetings, midnight praises and social outings. The words of David the Psalmist are indeed true, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

As all drastic changes in life, living away from home is initially challenging but an undeniably rewarding experience. The greater sense of independence and responsibility prompts the youth to rely more on God as their Father who protects them and supplies all their needs. The youth cannot deny the significant spiritual, physical and social growth they undergo when living interstate.

Initially, when there were only a few students and families, a priest was flown up every 3-4 months to pray a mass in a hired college hall. However, over the last 4 years, God has blessed the congregation in number of ways and granted them their own church in 2012, St Mary and St George Coptic Orthodox Church. By the grace of God, the services have dramatically increased to meet the demands of the rapidly growing congregation. We are excited to announce that we have initiated discussions with builders to establish a multi-purpose function centre on church grounds for Sunday school, functions and a place of residence for priests visiting every fortnight.

Glory be to God Forever, Amen