Tag: blessing

Owe it to God

Talents, Blessings and Spiritual Gifts Part 3

Owe it to God

By Ereeny Mikhail

God shows us that the differences in our talents, blessings and spiritual gifts are all puzzle pieces that complete a greater purpose. But before we understand the meaning of all this, let’s explore blessings and spiritual gifts.

Differently to a talent, a blessing (n). is described in the Oxford dictionary, as something that is good or helpful. So, living in a country that is not in a warzone is good, having a roof over our head is good, having decent health is good and so on. Yet, often we feel we are in a shortage when it comes to blessings. Sometimes we wish we had more money or looked a certain way or was doing a certain thing. We work hard to try to apply the secret recipe to increase our blessings and double them but find ourselves still hungry for more.

However, it is important to recognise that although working hard to increase our blessings is important, it is also essential not to get consumed in this. St Paul in Philippians 4:19 states, “God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” If we are applying the secret recipe then we must know that we are not in shortage. God is supplying all our need and we do not need more than this. On the contrary, we should be utilising our blessing for Christ, just as the woman with the two mites did; “but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” (Luke 21:4)

Further to this, it is essential to re-evaluate our standards. There isn’t a level of any vain thing that we need to live up to except our own and Gods. If we do so, then there is nothing we lack.

This means, if God has given us a body and mind in good health, then we must use these to the best of our abilities. But let’s consider that someone may not feel handsome or beautiful because they have gained a significant amount of weight due to overeating which has affected their health. I think then perhaps they must recognise that they are not using their blessing, of good health, that God initially gave them as best they can. Our body and mind are a temple of Christ and we should treat it as such. “…he will be a vessel for honour, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” (II Timothy 2:21) If we do not feel that we are doing enough with the blessings God has bestowed on us, including taking care of our ‘sound mind’ and body, then we must. This is His vessel that we must make useful and prepare it for His good work. If we are doing so, then there is no more we need. There is no other standard we need to live up to.

Contrastingly, a spiritual gift is often differentiated from talents and blessings, as they are given to those who accept and believe in Christ. It is made for the “edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). Though, it is important to note that talents and blessings, can be used as spiritual gifts.

This differentiation lays in the fact that the spiritual gift can be lost. The talent remains, but it cannot used for edification if it is degraded. St Paul states in Romans 12:4-8 “For as we having many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts different according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them; if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Each of our spiritual gifts is different and useful and all for the purpose of ‘edifying’ the body of Christ. There is no one better or worse than the other. Thus, let us keep these spiritual gifts by recognising this.

What is the meaning of all this? Talents? Blessings? Spiritual Gifts? St Paul tells us in I Corinthians 12:14-20: “For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.” If we all had the same talents, blessings and spiritual gifts we could not function. Imagine saying, the architect is more important than the builder. So, if we were all architects, then who would build the house? Or what if we said being a good speaker is more important than being a good listener. Then who would be listening to us when we speak? Every talent, blessing, and spiritual gift is important to complete the cycle of life. It is all important for the greater purpose, that is Christ.

Conclusively, we need to remember that we are all clay in the Hands of the Potter, moulded for His use. Let us acknowledge that:

“Our gifts and talents should also be turned over to Him. They should be recognized for what they are, God’s loan to us, and should never be considered in any sense our own. We have no more right to claim credit for special abilities than for blue eyes or strong muscles. ‘For who makes you different from another? And what have you that you did not receive?’”

A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

The Secret Recipe

Talents, Blessings and Spiritual Gifts Part 2

The Secret Recipe

By Ereeny Mikhail

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man travelling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. And likewise, he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his lord’s money.” 

Matthew 25:14-18

Three particular things strike me about this parable.

The first thing is the fact that they ALL received talents. He did not leave one of them with nothing. So, I think when we state that we have no talents, we are offending God. We are acting as that foolish servant who claims God to be a ‘hard man’. God gave us each according to our own ability.

Secondly, the way the servants and lord reacted to the number of talents is so important. The servant with two talents did not look at his neighbour with five talents and think about how much more than him he had. He focused on himself and went and made two more. And as we know later in the parable, the lord of the servants rewards the servant who doubled his five talents into ten, and the servant who doubled his two talents into four, equally. And the servant with the one talent ends up with nothing and is cast out. The significant thing to take from this is the lord did not look at the servants and think he only has four and the other has ten. The number of talents is not what we should be looking at and it is not how God will judge us in the coming days. Rather, it is how we utilised the talents he gave us.

Now let’s twist the story a little bit. Imagine if the servant who didn’t use his talents was the one with the five talents. And the servants who doubled their talents were the ones with the two and the one talent. The master of the house would have reacted the exact same. The servant with the five talents would have been cast out. It is in fact better for someone to have one talent but to use it and increase it than to have five talents and use none of them at all and waste them.

Finally, another message we can take from this parable is, exploration or investment. The servants with the five and two talents did not just get excited and think about how much they had. They chose to act wisely and put in the effort to increase their talents.

Think about it as an investment of money in the bank. You place the money there and over time it continues to increase. You act wisely with what you have, rather than just celebrate your talents.

More importantly, the effort these two servants put in is essential. They went and actually explored how to increase their talents. So perhaps your talents are sport and being a good speaker. This does not mean you settle for the two talents and thank God only. It is fundamental that you find ways to use these talents in more than just the one way. I think about the sportsmen or sportswomen who sign the cross before a game. This must spread waves into the world. Maybe that day someone will pray for the first time in a long time. Or if you are a good speaker, don’t just use it for your job. Use it to speak at your church or preach the name of the Lord to others. Perhaps if you feel you cannot expand on these talents, then it is essential to explore yourself more and find more talents in order to increase what the Lord gave you.

We must realise talents come in different forms. We must recognise the talents God has given us and not disregard them. We must always ensure that we do not compare our talents to others. We must ensure that we explore these talents and invest in them. This is the secret recipe to all talents, blessings and spiritual gifts.

The Comparison Game

Talents, Blessings and Spiritual Gifts Part 1

The Comparison Game

By Ereeny Mikhail

“I don’t think I am talented at anything.”
“If only I was prettier or smarter.”
“If I am not one of the best at it, then I am not talented.”
“I just wish I had more money.”
“But so-and-so is more spiritual than me.”
“I am not worthy enough.”

How many times have you heard someone you know say one of these statements or something similar? In fact, I think most of us have fallen into that trap at some point in our lives. In this day and age, we are exposed to so much information and content via the internet, social media, books, talks and the like. And often, the line between what is true and false, right and wrong, and good and bad, becomes blurred. We see an incredibly talented individual and we think there’s no point trying because we will never be as good. We see people share their success and think what we have is not enough. And we see one another spiritually progress and feel we are left behind, drowned in our own sin.

One of the greatest pitfalls of how we perceive our talents, blessings and spiritual gifts, is comparison.

The Oxford dictionary defines a talent (n). as ‘a natural aptitude or skill’. This natural aptitude or skill can come in many forms. Some of us are good speakers, some of us are artistic, some of us are financially gifted, some of us are talented at sports, some of us are musically inclined and so on. However, what I find most striking about the definition is it does not in any way state that we need to be at the top of the game. We simply should just know how to do a certain thing to be talented. St Paul, in II Corinthians 10:12, states, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they are measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

Take this for example, two women take a painting class together. Both women had good paintings, and enjoy painting, but one painting is totally abstract, and the other is perfect to the last stroke. Now, let me pose the question. Who is more talented? Is it the woman who had an abstract painting or the woman who is a perfectionist? The answer is actually both. Not one painter is better or more talented. Both are there for a purpose. One artwork is for the person who enjoys looking at something relaxed and expresses a bit of chaos in their art. The other is for the eye that loves to see everything in a particular place at a particular time. The point of the story is talent is not defined as something you are better at than someone else. It is defined as something that someone just naturally knows how to do, which in this case, both women enjoyed the activity, and knew how to do it, in different ways.

Sometimes the key to recognising your talent is stop comparing your talents to other people. That very person that you look at and think that your talents are insignificant compared to, probably looks at you in the same light. This breeds jealousy, contempt, insecurity and so much more that is harmful to our inner selves.

Further to this, what kind of friend do you want to be? The one that compares yourself and is trying to do better than those around you, or the one that supports, encourages and tries to build the talents of those around us?

When we stop comparing ourselves to others, we begin to see the beauty in the differences we possess. We see each individual as part of the body of Christ. A fearfully and wonderfully made masterpiece, that could never compare to another.

Called to Blessings

Called to Blessings

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Augustinos Nada

Passage Luke 6:27-38

What is expected from us as people of God? The Lord gives the sermon on the Mount as instructions on how to live as Christians; how to live as the children of God. These may seem completely different to what the world teaches us. He is saying, “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.”

Human nature tells us that this is difficult to accomplish. It is difficult to love an enemy, to do good to those who do evil. The Lord is trying to give us an understanding that a person of God is different. We need to be different. If we want to have a life in Christ, to love Christ and to love the church, there are higher expectations placed. You have to shine differently to others. This is why He says, “you are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). We may be living in the darkness of the world, but it is the duty of a Christian to take light from Christ and shine in a dark place.

What Christ is asking of us today is to go the second mile. To push harder when human nature tells us it is enough. It is not easy to love those who hate you, to bless those who curse you, to pray for those that spitefully use you.

The world teaches us to not associate with those that hate us, we should not love them, we should not pray for them. St Charbel is a 19th century saint of the Maronite church that many miracles are attributed to. He was a hermit monk that lived in the mountains of Lebanon. The Turks were invading the country at that time and they were persecuting many of the Christian monasteries. The Lebanese monks were very strong and full of zeal for the faith. They decided to take arms against the Turkish armies and defend their monastery. These monks went to St Charbel wounded and hurt, seeking his advice. St Charbel was greatly disturbed when he saw them and said, “What are you doing? The Lord calls us and says, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you, so you haven’t done what the Lord has instructed you.”

It was from that moment that the monks changed their approach to the persecution. They were not loving the enemy but fighting them. It defeated the purpose of the Christian faith to hate your enemies.

The Lord continues, “to him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.” Do we give to anyone that asks of us? Do we give the clothes on our back in addition to the clothes that were taken from us?

“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”

We love those who love us because it is easy to do, but the Lord is telling us this is of no credit to us. He goes on to talk about specific characteristics of our Christian faith. You cannot reach these levels unless there is an internal change. I have to be a certain person that understands the love of God and has a strong relationship with my Lord. I must strive daily to build virtues of love and forgiveness. It requires a person that has such great love for the Lord that these difficult commands become second nature. If you live a life of sin, it is impossible to forgive your enemies. If you are living a distant life from God, there is no way you can pray for those that hate you. If you live a lukewarm life, you will not bless those that curse you, or pray for anyone that spitefully uses you. If you don’t have a relationship to please God, these things become impossible.

In my own internal struggle, I must look within myself and see if I have any kind of hatred or animosity concealed within my heart. It’s okay to stay away from them but if they are near to me, do I retaliate? Do I seek revenge? Do I wish bad things for them? For me to be a person that loves my enemies and does good to those who hate and prays for those that spitefully use me, I need to be a changed person.

We see this in many of the saints. St Moses the Strong was a thief and head of a gang that murder, stole, committed adultery – an extremely violent person. He was the opposite of what the Lord commanded in the Sermon on the Mount. A man full of hate and of the world. What made him transform into a saint?

His repentance. His life with God. His struggle to overcome wrongdoing.

It may take time, but if we have the willingness then the Lord will give us strength to overcome.  Everything that the Lord tells us is a reflection of His character. If He tells us to love those who hate us, it is because He loves those who hate Him. If He tells us to do good, it is because His goodness does not depend on our deeds. He says bless those who curse you, because He blesses those who curse Him.

All these qualities are exemplary of how the Lord deals with you and me. He will never hate you, no matter what you did against Him, He continues to do good. On the contrary, He loves you even more. He shows boundless mercy, He tells us to forgive so that we may be forgiven. We know that He forgives us all, even on the Cross, He says, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

What amazing forgiveness. He was suffering and in pain but His focus was on their forgiveness. This was the greatest act of forgiveness and when we look at Christ on the Cross, surely we can look within ourselves and see why I need to forgive, why I need to love those who hate me, why I need to pray for those who use me, why I need to bless those who curse me.

A lot of people will come and say, “Abouna, it is hard to forgive those who hate me.”

But the early church fathers teach us the best way to overcome wrongdoing is to pray for them by name. Sometimes it may be difficult at the start, but if you are encouraged enough to name that person in your prayers, do you not think that God will hear you?

That person will change before you. Their evil will turn to good. Their hatred will be dispersed. And your heart will change toward them also. God will channel inner peace within you to accept the circumstance. When you feel the grace of God within your heart, nothing of this world can move you. The peace of God supersedes all your troubles on earth. The trick is to mention that person in your prayers by name.

Dear Lord, remember ____ make them a person that I can love again. If they are at fault in any way, help me to forgive them. Make them the person that You have called them to be.

When we mention them by name, it breaks our pride. We stop thinking that we are owed an apology. They may never apologise, but if this is what you truly need to forgive, it becomes more probable when you pray for them by name. They could change toward you, and more importantly, you want good feelings toward them to flourish in your heart.

With any difficult instruction, there is always reward from our compassionate Lord. “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you”

If you do good, good will come back to you. So often in our church, giving is the most powerful tool. We always see how God repays those who give. He can’t help but give back to those who give in love. Practice giving and see how God will give to you. If God hasn’t given back to you, remind Him of His promises. All of God’s promises are justifiable before our eyes.

✨ Full sermon ✨

Moving the Heart of God Like Saint Mary

Moving the Heart of God Like Saint Mary

by Shery Abdelmalak

 If you were to ask your typical Coptic Christian what Saint Mary meant to them, they’re likely to have a story for you. When I was younger I was always told that Saint Mary roams the earth, collecting prayers, making intercessions for her children all around the world. Her work on earth is endless. Her compassion is second to none and moves the Hand of God to action on our behalf.  

As a child, hearing stories about Saint Mary didn’t make me want to ask for her help. It just showed me that she was really busy, and if I wanted help then maybe I should ask a different saint that wasn’t so busy. It all seemed logical; they’re all saints after all, aren’t they? There is something very special about Saint Mary that I still don’t fully understand. Saint Mary isn’t waiting for us to ask for her help. She is roaming the earth looking for the broken, the lonely, those in despair, those in sorrow – and praying for those that don’t even know where to start. Lucky are the ones that go straight to her, but for those that don’t, Saint Mary fights for you too, I want to say she fights for you even more. 

It was for her sake that Jesus’ first miracle took place during the wedding of Cana of Galilee. When the wine ran out at the wedding, Saint Mary immediately went to Jesus, with faith that He could fix all. He responded saying, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4).

Jesus’ time was yet to come because those in need did not request His help but rather, His mother approached Him on their behalf. Saint John Chrysostom says, “When a person is needy, he becomes thankful upon receiving help, whereas someone who does not feel needy will not have any clear feelings towards a benefit he receives.” 

Jesus preached this to us and the church enforces it endlessly – come to Him when you are in need and He will be sufficient for all your needs. He promised us, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”(Matthew 11:28). Rest is freely given to the one that that comes to God, but we have to come to Him first. The beauty of Saint Mary and her immense love is that her intercessions start at your moment of need, even before you ask.

The Wedding of Cana was the perfect example of this. Saint Mary was the one that came to Jesu, not those in need. This miracle was likely to be witnessed by a small group; Jesus, Saint Mary and the servants that brought the pots of water to Him. Jesus acted knowing that the master of the feast and the bridegroom would have been unaware of the miracle that had occurred for their sakes. Had they have known, they would have felt great humiliation knowing that at their wedding feast, the wine had run out.

We know that humiliation, when given to God, breeds humility. But who is to say that the next time I see humiliation, I will immediately run to God instead of first trying to cover it up? Tribulations can have polar affects depending on how they are approached. Saint Mary had compassion on them so that they would learn their human weaknesses elsewhere, and not from their humiliation.

Like the bridegroom, we don’t always know. We don’t always see our human states. We may recognise our faults and attempt to overcome them on our own merits, rather than seeing that true healing comes when we empty ourselves of all pride and humiliation alike. We can be so afraid of the shame of our human weaknesses that we don’t look up to Him and beg for His mercy.

This is why we plead for the intercessions of Saint Mary. Saint Mary who interceded at the wedding of Cana of Galilee continues to have compassion on the nations of the undeserving, and pleads for us accordingly.

Hence, we remember the assumption of Saint Mary’s precious body that could never remain on our undeserving earth. The fast of Saint Mary was instituted by the people for their love of Saint Mary and complete faith in the power of her intercessions. This love continues till this day as the congregation not only willingly fasts, but desires to extend the period of fasting (with some fasting 3 weeks instead of the set 2 weeks). Her intercessions are also the reason why we call her, “the gate of heaven.” Saint Mary was the gate by which Christ entered the world and in turn, gave us Life. In the same way, her intercession continues to be the gate of salvation and thus, we fast in thanksgiving and in complete admiration of who she is and the blessing of her example.

Saint Mary is the definition of all things beautiful, of all things wise, of all things noble, of all things true. As I try to do the unattainable – writing to do her justice – I can only pray, that you, reading this, be on the lookout for her, for she is never far away from those in need, and thank her for the prayers that she has prayed for you, before you even knew you needed help. Not to mention the multitude of prayers and blessings that she desires for you. May her blessings be with us and glory be to God forever, Amen.