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On Tuesday, the Seventh Week of the Great Lent

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Read after the Liturgy's Gospel

On Tuesday, the Seventh Week of the Great Lent

Includes warning against futile glory and an exhortation to seek God’s glorification and running away from people Inspired by His saying Almighty in the Bible’s chapter: “…for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:43)

The futile praise is a beast with so many heads because of our chronic diseases, as some people love leadership because of it, while others seek money, power and might, or education. Some pretend to be merciful, to fast, and pray in the streets. Others chase one another – wanting to overpower the other. This disease continues throughout our present area. For example, prior to a person’s death, they leave a will so that when others read it after his/her departure, they can say, ‘this person died, and they left great things after their departure…’

The strange thing about this disease is that its cure is its opposite, and that is why it is not easy to cure. One word cannot serve to resist the two opposites; therefore, let us discuss one of the characteristics and let it be the characteristic of those who pretend to give alms in front of people in order to be glorified. I want mercy and feel saddened by its corruption. I see it overwhelmed by futile glory as it destroys in the same way as some caregivers may manage to corrupt the ethics of the kings’ daughters; making her think that taking her father the king’s orders lightly is alluring as well as dressing up to please others, which may be too low to be governed by a king. She arrays her using jewelry chosen by the foreigner and that her father the king finds ugly.

Almsgiving in this parable is the king’s daughter and God is the king. Pretenses and hypocrisy can be likened to the destructive caregivers. The foreigners for whom she dresses up as they wish and not as the king wants are the ones in front of whom alms are given so that the giver may be seen by them.

The father (the king) orders that alms should not be seen – not even by those relatives who are as close to you as your hands. The caregiver, which is pride shows it to the foreign slaves. Sometimes it seems good and others seem ugly like the daughter of the king whom the caregiver lured when the latter comes out of her father’s palace to the roads, wearing obscene clothes. This is a befitting situation that people resent and do not respect, especially since most people resent the ones seeking to be honored by them. They look at their defects and disrespect them. It may be worthy to note that: the more you seek to be honored by them, the more they will take you lightly and abandon you.

As for God Almighty, as much as you seek to be honored by Him only, in return, He rewards you tenfold as is befitting. The futile glory is bad in every situation and especially in the cases related to acts of mercy; for you hear the One who rewards say to you that alas, you have taken your fee. This also hurts and belittles the poor ones, especially those who try to keep their poverty as a secret.

A man’s recounting of his alms is considered to be blame and appreciation, but what about his endeavoring to make it known to others – when he gives alms to the poor one who prefers to conceal his poverty. Is not God Almighty the giver of mercy? Isn’t He the One who takes the initiative to have mercy and the One who knows about it best? The One who resorts to it all the time and the One who preaches it to everyone? Those who learn verbal and scientific crafts do not look at the knowledgeable teachers without looking at those who do not know. This is because the loss shall be great if you mean to approve the intentions of the overseers while ignoring the teachers’ intentions. Do you not know that in this you imitate God? Do you not know that God Almighty’s intention was that you do not show off with your mercy, but rather hide it until He repays you for it in public? Has He not taught you this saying and that this is the way you should act? For He was merciful with people and cured their deceases while asking them not to tell anyone. What use is there from people calling you merciful?

I tell you that your loss in this quest is great for those to whom you show your heavenly treasures take the place of those robbing these treasures. In this way, you are intentionally wasting what you had stored up in heaven.

What a marvelous thief!! In heaven, no thief can steal, nor moth destroy the crops. However, this futile praise destroys and steals!! It can be likened to the worms that destroy your treasures. It is the thief who seizes your wealth, that which should not be stolen. This is why the devil has made a trap out of it to catch men from all races. Why do you not content yourself with the glory given to you by God Almighty and from those who receive from you? Would you only be content until you ask for glorification from others?

Know dear one that if you choose this avenue, you end up losing all the glory from the three sides, for God Almighty said, “I ordered you to give in secret.” He told you that the glorification of people has served as your fee and you have no more fees left to be given by God. As for those who received from you, most of them do not want their poverty to be known, and that is why they come to you in secret, when you are alone. If you make it public, then your favor to them was wasted as you disclosed what they shall be despised for by many others. As for the others before whom you pretend in order to be praised and glorified, they all despise you for your low intentions. Also for fulfilling the commandment not according to what you had been ordered to do, for your cruelty when showing mercy. You are facing their misfortune with acts of pride. You harm those you should have had mercy on and who wanted to remain hidden. If those were your friends, they would have blamed you in their minds and despised your act instead of liking it, if it had been in secret. If they were your enemies, they will speak openly about your adulation for they want to make your vices known. Adulation is a major vice so do not seek that someone sees you when giving alms and having mercy on others – except for God alone.

This happens when you do not seek for people to see you when giving alms, even the person to whom you are giving if possible. If this was your intention, then God Almighty shall honor you in public. How strange that this disease is so cunning in nature as it is so strong that it feeds itself. It wasted its own glory, which is the glory resulting thereof and reversed its effect.

We should then dear ones run away from people’s glory and seek only God so that we may be glorified by Him - Almighty, may He be glorified forever, amen.

The Departure of St. Junia, One of the Seventy Disciples.

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On this day, St. Junia, one of the seventy disciples, departed. He was born in Beth Gubrin (Jibrin) from the tribe of Judah. He was chosen by the Lord to be one of the seventy disciples, and received the Holy Spirit. He preached the Gospel with the disciples and suffered many hardships.

He accompanied St. Andronicus in his preaching of the Gospel as it is mentioned on the 22nd. day of Bashans. St. Junia buried St. Andronicus, and he prayed that the Lord would take him also, and he departed in the following day. St. Paul mentioned him in Romans Chapter 16.

May his prayers be with us. Amen.

The Saturday of Preparation

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The Saturday of Preparation: And You Have Declared it to Children

My Lord Jesus, grant me senses and the heart of a child, that you may prepare me to ascend to Your holy mountain.

That I may enter into Your embrace, that You may heal me and grant me strength, beauty, happiness, and joy

And You fill me with faith that moves the mountain of the ego, along with the sycamore of knowledge, that I may ascend without obstacles.

And you grant me vigil, alertness, and true repentance, that prepares me to be a dwelling place for You to live in.

You walk before me, so that I may destroy the armies of the enemy, and that I may see Your Heavenly City – this will grant me patience throughout the war against the enemy.

You place Your law in my mind and my heart, and You fill me with the fruits of righteousness

You fill me with the longing of Your love, that I may have the desire to depart from the prison of the body, to be with You.

You remedy my wounds and heal my lazy hands, so that I may sit at Your feet and hear Your words.

Read after the Liturgy's Gospel On Monday, the First Week of the Great Lent

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By St. John Chrysostom (The Golden Mouth)

Read after the Liturgy's Gospel

On Monday, the First Week of the Great Lent

Includes an exhortation to humble oneself, vilify pride and warn against it. Inspired by His saying in the Bible's chapter: "“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”                [Mark 9: 33-50].

You see my friend, diseases are cured by their anecdotes, and those who are ill are given the necessary medications according to what suits their illness. The same is for our spiritual lives, we are given not as per our requests or desires of this perishing world, but what will uplift us to the heavenly. Our Lord remedied those who were seeking promotions and headship over the others by saying: “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) and for those who love money and the vein glory, He said: ““Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” [Matthew 6:1-18].

He also said: ““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” [Matthew 6:19-21].

He also said: “Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?”34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” [Mark 9: 33-35]. He mentioned both issues so that we may escape from the bad and seek the good. He mentioned the gentiles because they were rejected because of their bad deeds.

This futile headship then is the headship of fear and coercion and it shall therefore perish quite quickly. As for the headship resulting from humility, it is a choice and shall accordingly prevail. Most of the great saints who humbled themselves were greater than all people. Their passing away from this life did not abolish their honorary status; they are remembered even more until the end of times.

I am astonished by someone who takes pride in the futile headship because people do not see the reason for his pride. He imagines that there is no one in his rank and that no one deserves it but him. As for his seeking headship and perishing honour, he acts upon it in front of everyone and asks for it from them in return. He asks to be honoured by those who do not see the reason for it. He is enslaved by many weaknesses such as anger, envy, as well as seeking headship and honour.

As for the humble man, he does not care about any of this, who is the higher one then and who is the lower one.

Indeed, the bird which fell in the hunter's hands is not the superior one, but the bird that did not fall is the superior one. Our Lord told us so when He said: "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” [Luke 10:19].The one who was strong and high above has fallen with his haughtiness. The man who has been weak on earth has risen with his humility and the heavens were set up for him as his new land. Then I may ask: who is the one who gets humiliated? Is he the person whom God alone resists? Or is he the person whom God Almighty helps? We know it is the resisted one and not the one helped by God. The Bible mentions: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” [James 4:6] and "Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble.” [Proverbs 3:34]. He also said: "For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.” [Isaiah 66:2].

Which one of them is then pure and superior? Whose offering shall be accepted by God? And whose offering shall be rejected? David the prophet said: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.” [Psalm 51:17]. He also said: "The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure.” [Psalm 101:5]. The haughty is punished by the devil as the apostle said: "…not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.” [1Timothy 3: 2 and 6]. He may be punished down here before the eternal punishment as well, like what happened to Pharaoh who felt conceited and said: "And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.” [Exodus 5:2] and he was belittled by the frogs and the flies before he drowned in the sea, along with his soldiers, their chariots and their horses [Exodus 14:28]. As for Abraham, he was the complete opposite, he said: "Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: [Genesis 18:27]. He kept on getting promoted higher and higher due to his persistence on remaining modest. He fell into the hands of the Egyptians and others but still emerged triumphant.

The first human asked to be equal to God, which is far above man's rank, and so he lost all what he had. Therefore pride actually pulls you down. As for modesty, it does not belittle us, instead gives us what we lack.

We should endeavor to escape from pride and hold on to modesty in order to rest throughout these days, and be honoured in the Eternal Life; through the mercy of our God, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to Him be glory, honor, exaltation and power, now and forever with His Righteous Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The church of St. Mari-Marouta

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The church of St. Mari-Marouta

During the renovations of the monks’ cells located below the northern fence, the foundations of an ancient church were discovered, in front of the El-Sourian church. This ancient church is the church of St. Mari-Marouta. The discovery was made to the south of the baptistery that is present at the end of the chancel of the Maghara church. St. Mari-Marouta’s church dates back to the eighth century, and from the inside it spans an area of, 6 m in length and 3.85 m in width. It extends from the eastern side of the monastery (where the monastery’s current office is located), all the way to the Maghara church’s western wall.

          A wooden iconostasis was constructed as a partition between the altar and the church’s nave. The church’s external walls are adorned with mosaic icons. On the church’s western wall there is a very unique mosaic icon that depicts St. Miriam giving St. John Kame the Priest, three dinars. On the church’s eastern wall there is a picture that depicts St. Mari Ephraim the Syrian. The church’s main door is located on the church’s western wall. The outside of the door is adorned with a mosaic picture of St. Mari-Marouta El- Souriany. St. Mari-Marouta’s church is located southwest of the Maghara church. The Maghara church also has a second entrance in its chancel, leading to St. Mari- Marouta’s church.

His Grace Bishop Metaous prayed the first Holy Liturgy on the church’s altar on the day of 10/10/2017.

The Immersion Basin

The immersion basin is 80 cm deep, 2.1 m wide, and 2.1 m long. It used to be filled with water, and the Holy Lakan prayers were recited upon it during the feast of the Epiphany. The Christians who lived during this time period used to step into this basin to take the blessings of the holy water, as a symbol of when our Lord Jesus Christ stepped into the Jordan River. This basin is considered an ‘immersion basin’, and not an official baptistery.