Spiritual Contemplations for those who serve the Lord |
Communication in its simplest definition is the act of transferring information. Every communication involves a sender (or senders), a message (or messages) and a recipient (or recipients). Communication was created by God as a fundamentally important means to the existence and survival of His creation, sharing with them His ideas, information, views, facts, feelings and they alternatively with each other. The Old Testament is full of incidents of God's communication with humans starting from Adam to Abraham, Moses, and all the prophets just for the purpose of sending messages and sharing His mind and purpose. Therefore, it is necessary not to think of communication as a modern innovation limited to and enhanced by the modern technological means. Communication and Service Since God Himself shad sensed the importance of communication, therefore, we His servants must follow His footsteps and communicate with those whom we serve. Communicating here does not mean learning how to use the modern means of social media but communicating in the sense God has meant it to be as for example, when He sent Moses saying to him: “Then Moses said to the Lord, 'O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.' So the Lord said to him, 'Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.' But he said, 'O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.'” (Exodus 4:10-13). Another example is Jeremiah: “But the Lord said to me: 'Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,' says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: 'Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.'” (Jeremiah 1:7-10). Three Important Cornerstones of Communication 1-Communicating with God Communicating with God, in its rudimentary meaning is standing before God and continually remaining in His presence. “This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet you to speak with you” (Exodus 29:42). “But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood,' says the Lord God” (Exodus 44:15). Those two incidents prove that God stresses the importance of standing before Him and communicating with him our hearts' desires conveying through prayers and supplications our needs and the ones of those whom we serve. For a servant, communicating with God means:
A servant who excels in communication with God will earn wisdom, discernment and immeasurable peace. 2- Communicating with Co-servants A servant may be highly qualified and skilled; but if he does not possess good communication skills, all his ability becomes irrelevant. A servant must realize the importance of effective communication with the other servants serving with him in the same service. Unfortunately, ignoring this aspect of communication, either intentionally or unintentionally, becomes detrimental leading gradually to big problems, opening the door wide to Satan to plant the seeds of strife and dissension that will ultimately lead to loss of love and compassion. Communication can be conducted in various ways: verbally, nonverbally, visually or through writing. If any of these means are misused or abused through authoritarianism, disrespect, domineering, ignoring of others' opinions, belittling the service of others; then the result will ultimately be bad communication or the complete lack of it. On the other hand, transparency and openness are the best tools of successful communication. St Paul practiced and taught good communication as it is obvious in his words to the Ephesian elders, “From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them: 'You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.'” (Acts 20:17-21). Effective communication brings about:
3- Communicating with those whom you serve Communication with those whom you serve, the backbone of service, has totally different facets because a servant is chosen not for the purpose of implementing his own agendas and opinions. Rather a servant is primarily God's servant of God's children and their shepherd. Christ has given the specifications of the good shepherd '"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.'” (John 10:11-16). A servant is said to have accomplished successful service when:
Conclusion The essence of true love is defined by St John, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him” (1 John 3:18-19). The meaning of unreserved devotion to service is expressed by St. Paul, “What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:15-16). Both St. John and St. Paul have lived in an era wherein none of the present means of fast communication had existed; yet their messages have spread throughout the whole world in the most powerfully effective, concise, emphatic friendly, appreciative, polite emotion-controlled ways. How much more successful could service ever be! That achievement is described as success beyond success. * Adapted from The Monthly Message to the Fathers, the Priests - Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States - November 2021
The Need for Self-Evaluation Every servant should look at self-evaluation as a necessary process carried out not only at the end of a fiscal year but as a continuous endeavor that throws light on his performance and the success or failure therein. Self assessment requires sitting quietly with oneself, developing self awareness that leads to evaluation of performance, productivity, achievements and hence the required improvements. In addition to the assessment, correction and direction of the Holy Spirit,; self evaluation requires emphasis on three important dimensions: 1. Goals 2. Emotions and motives 3. Performance 1. Assessment of Goals A servant's goals in service, both for himself and for those whom he serves, must be spiritual in nature entirely stripped of personal or earthly gains; always pointing towards Jesus Christ and spiritual accomplishments under the direction of Jesus Christ's teachings. St. Paul emphasized this concept saying, “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). Focusing on spirituality as a primary goal, safeguards against dispersion of thoughts and loss of peace. In addition, remembering that service is from the Lord directed to the Lord, will confirm the need for the Lord as the one and only one goal; as Lord Jesus Christ Himself has confirmed “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.'” (Luke 10:41-42). It is important to know that spirituality does not stand in the way of diversification and innovation in service provided spirituality remains the main goal. The best example in balancing out a spiritually directed service is St. Paul as revealed in his words, “to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). Any service that has the salvation of souls as its primary goal is a quiet, faith-charged service full of consolation and satisfaction. 2. Assessment of Emotions and Motives In general, self-appraisal is not an easy task. It requires honest and thorough critical reflection on oneself. Such reflection helps synthesize emotions and motives of the heart and analyze the modes and causes of actions in order to gain control over one's own spiritual growth and promote it. “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:11-12). A faithful servant should be honest with himself not allowing delusion to creep in his heart because of people's praise. Critical reflection helps a servant analyze the motives behind his service whether they are for financial gains, love for authority, egoistical satisfaction; all of them being anything but spiritual and all them being far away from the real godly goal in service which is the glory of God and not the self. Solomon gives the most outstanding sequence in conducting critical thinking and the therapeutic steps to be taken thereafter “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:23-27). The "servant" status is neither guarantee nor immunity against change of motives and personal agendas. In fact, replacement of goals with new earthly ones can easily take place and any servant is very much exposed to abominable changes of heart. Judah Iscariot is an example of a perverted heart. His presence and service with Jesus Christ in very close proximity did not stop him from selling his Master. King Saul is another example of a perverted heart. Although God had given him a new heart and zeal for accomplishing God's mission, yet gradually his heart started to change becoming filled with envy and jealousy against David to the extent that he wanted to kill him. St. Paul urges the Philippians to follow his example and pattern “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). This proves the constant need for revising our goals and motives always praying for God's protection repeating with David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). 3. Assessment of Performance Performance incorporates a servant's manner and style of conducting service which is in direct relation with his personality. Examples of different performances resulting from different personality profiles appear in different styles of management ranging from very strict to very lenient, very spiritual to very dialectical and very rule oriented. Hence, for the boat of service to sail smoothly in a sea of ups and downs and lots of turmoil, a servant may need to avoid rigid imposition and make some personality adaptations if his work in some areas is not adequate before his service fails and he gets to be blamed. This does not mean that a servant changes his personality to the extent of becoming pleaser of men. Rather, he should ask the Holy Spirit's wisdom and guidance to fulfill his primary goal which is relaying faithfully the message of the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of souls taking St. Paul's service as an example of a balanced service feeding milk to those who were not ready to receive solid food, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not carnal?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-4). Conclusion The best example of a servant who has adopted critical thinking as a route to self-evaluation, assessment of performance under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and stability of goal is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
This is clear in His words to the apostles wherein and thereby he has established a number of norms. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:12-15). The Lord Jesus knew when and how to cater for the needs of different genres of people addressing His disciples differently than the multitudes of people or the Pharisees and Sadducees. Since variables are too many and the constants are few, priests should remain constant to the constants i.e spirituality in service while revising their production according the requirements and needs of the time of their service. David describes the various manners God uses saying “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; with the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. You will save the humble people; but Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. 'For You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.’” (2 Samuel 22:26-31). “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence” (2 Samuel 22:2-3). May the Lord guide us with His Holy Spirit while we revise our goals, assess our performances in our service and make the necessary adjustments. People needs guidance from servants. They get teaching from their mouths considering it the Church teaching. Therefore, we need to observe the purity of our teachings which we give to people lest we offend those who put their trust in us. St. Paul mentioned this in his talk to servants saying, “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” (Romans 2:21-22) In his trial when St. Paul was talking to the chief priest who gave an order to strike him on his mouth, St. Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?” (Acts 23:3)
1. To be out of pure conduct “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct” (Hebrews 13:7) This is according to what our Lord said, “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye” (Luke 6:42) The plank in your eye is hindering you from clearly seeing the mistake in your brother to guide him. Therefore, Lord Jesus Christ likened whoever does this with a blind leading a blind. This is the wrong teaching of the Pharisees which people observed in them and about whom Jesus Christ said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers” (Luke 11:46) Therefore, St. Paul said to his disciple, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine” (1Timothy 4:16). Our fathers, the Church teachers, had this good conduct, which is righteousness, otherwise their teaching would be abstract theological theories that only increase one’s knowledge (knowledge puffs up) It is hard when people feel that our teachings are directed meaning they are connected to certain persons, certain benefits, or compliments. Therefore, we accept the teaching of a certain person because of his rank while we refuse the same teaching from another person as our teacher St. James says, “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality….. and become judges with evil thoughts? ……. but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James 2:1-9) Therefore, the Holy Bible warns us not to fall under the curses of this contradiction. In such case, we take a curse from the Lord instead of taking a blessing, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20) 2. To be paired with good deeds Our Lord said, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46) What matters is not what we say but if we do what we say. When the Lord gave a metaphor of those who do and those who do not, He gave the parable of the wise man who wanted to build a house, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27) Whoever notices the difference between the two will find no outward difference as both built two houses seen by people. But the difference between them is a hidden difference that people cannot see which is the foundation. Is the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Rock, the foundation of our teaching? The only thing that illustrates the difference between the two buildings is the coming floods (the tribulation). Sometimes, God allows tribulations to come upon us to purify His church from impurities (strange teachings), to characterize the believers and saints and to steadfast them. Our teacher St. Peter emphasizes this meaning in his saying, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you” (1Peter 4:12) In the first book of Samuel, we find David the prophet talking with assurance about his trust that God would give him victory over Goliath. This trust is coming from a practical experience he got when he struggled with a lion and a bear. There is a huge difference between a servant who talks out of practical experience in God’s work with him and another one who talks without this experience. 3. To be taken from the Church In the book of Acts, when the Council of Jerusalem was held, the apostles said nice words, “Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment” (Acts 15:24) What the Fathers said shows that the sound teaching must have reference from the Church. St. Paul himself presented his Gospel to the Apostles, who seemed to be pillars, lest he taught his own teaching instead of the Church’s. St. Paul reminds us that we were handed an unshakable kingdom. Preaching the Kingdom is a tradition handed to us by the church. He warns us to be carried not by strange teachings, “Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:9) Unfortunately, teachings are plenty nowadays. Some of them are cheap and others are precious. But among all these teachings, we must know those of the Church. Even the sayings of the Fathers, although they are deep and dense, yet we must understand them through the Church understanding. If the sayings of St. Paul were distorted by some people who do not understand or study well (as our teacher St. Peter said), we would rather be cautious when we study and understand the sayings of the Fathers. 4. To acquire the virtue of discernment This is one of the most important virtues through which we can discern the teaching offered to us and to discern the one we give to people. We ought not offer everything, and you may mention sound information and right words that are not convenient to the listeners. Therefore, St. Paul says to the Corinthians, “I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able” (1 Corinthians 3:2) Our Lord Jesus Christ rebuked the Pharisees because they were able to discern the face of the sky and were not able to discern the times. In the book of Acts, there is a nice story about a servant named Rhoda. This girl was able to discern the voice of St. Peter although she did not see him as he was behind the door. Yet, she entered inside telling everybody that Peter was outside. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “My sheep hear My voice” (John 10:27) Job did not accept the words of comfort from his friends because he did not feel they were God’s voice to him. Therefore, Job’s friend became like students who memorized the curriculum and rules without understanding how to apply what they knew. May the Lord grant us to be honest in our teachings and to observe its purity. Amen *Adapted from the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States - Monthly Message for the Consecrated May 2021
While on earth, our Lord Jesus Christ sent out two missions. One to be conducted by the twelve disciples and the other by the seventy apostles He later on had chosen. Before sending those missions out in the field of service He established very important precepts which were to be followed by the first disciples and apostles and by the church up to this present day. God is the Caller "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you" (John 15:16). These words, from the blessed mouth of our Lord, confirms that service is a calling from the almighty that needs subsequent joyful and willing compliance, obedience and submission. Two by Two The Lord instructed His disciples to go out in pairs. The number two has its significance in both the old and new testaments. In this particular incident, number two signifies solidarity, support, encouragement, empowerment and uplifting. Although our Lord openly contended that "the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few" (Matthew 9:37), which would logically make single mission more economical and productive; yet our Lord at that point in time was more concerned about the quality of service rather than quantity believing that God is capable of sending more workers to His field. A Compensatory Plan Sending His disciples out in couples reduced by half the coverage area of service. Knowing the vital indispensable need for more servants would not be met except by prayers, "Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" (Matthew 9:37-38). This command was not given to the disciples only but to the Body of Christ throughout the centuries. How many times do we remember to pray for more faithful servants? Required Consecration An answer to God's calling to serve must be followed by consecration of one's life. This consecration can be either:
Qualifications for the Calling Meekness The first prerequisite is meekness in order for the mission to succeed. Our Lord realized how rough and crude the road would be but also knew the landmarks on those rough roads. "Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves" (Luke 10:3). His words presupposed the preexistence of wolves to which the lambs would be sent. Safety and security of the lambs were not promised. However, conversion of the wolves into lambs was feasible. Christ's followers should not lose their meek nature in the midst of ungodly people but trust they will certainly affect the unruly and change their nature. The Master of the game is our Lord Himself and we are to learn directly from Him, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). Readiness The second prerequisite, readiness for service, is manifested in the willingness to sacrifice personal comfort, time, money and even life. St. Paul laid it down clearly when he said, "As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.'" (Romans 8:36). The ceremony of bishop ordination symbolizes very vividly this concept of laying down the self. The bishop to be ordained gets escorted by two other bishops who pull him by the end of his sleeves up to the altar thus indicating what persecutions, pain and sufferings await him just like his Master who like a sheep taken to slaughter did not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:7). Joshua, son of Sirach says, "My son, if you draw near to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation" (Sirach 2:1). A true servant's role is to carry the others' burdens, weaknesses, infirmities and sins causing them to become his, and after that struggle and strive before God in order to be healed from them. St. Paul says, "We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves" (Romans 15:1). During the Divine Liturgy, the priest prays in the inaudible prayer of preparation, "Receive this sacrifice on behalf of my sins and the ignorance of my people" thus calling what people committed as ignorance and his, as sins. That is the epitome of submission and readiness to suffer on behalf of the others. Another symbolic item is the crosses on the priest's tonic. For while the back cross is smaller than the front to signify the sins of the congregation, the front one is bigger to stand for his own sins. Rejection of the earthly Materialism is a big hindrance to service. Our Lord's instructions in this area were loud and clear "Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road" (Luke 10:4), thus indicating the need for complete liberation from concern about material needs. His cross examination of the disciples after coming back from their mission was whether they needed anything "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Since He is the provider, get preoccupied and concerned about the Provider and stop worrying about the provision. A church that relies on her richness and monetary funds puts her faith at risk. Depending on money as a primary source for spreading the Word of God is against our Lord's teachings. It is quite surprising to see a congregation standing crippled before the advancement of their church service because of money. "We do not have the money for it." Such people do not realize the power that exists in this lack. In a similar situation, St. Peter's answer to the crippled man "Then Peter said, 'Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.'" (Acts 3:6). Preoccupation with the Spiritual message The message: "The kingdom of God is near" is the core of service. Advancing the Lord's kingdom and leading people to repentance and reconciliation was the disciples' major concern according to the Lord's directions. After the disciples service had extended, and fearing getting too much involved in what was beyond their scope and focus, they decided to delegate others to carry on with the social part of service including caring for the widows and the poor (Acts 6). What to Expect on the Journey When sending His disciples out on their first mission, our Lord gave them instructions not to take with them any provisions but to trust to have their needs met "And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house" (Luke 10:7). Every city they entered they were to eat and drink as they were given them; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. "Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you" (Luke 10:8). He forewarned them against rejection and gave the solution. "'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.'" (Luke 10:11). While refusing to take anything from such people who rejected them, they were still to relay the spiritual message that "the kingdom of God is near" and that people should repent and confess their sins. The message for us today is that the church still remains open in spite of people's hard heartedness and resistance. Meeting Needs and Expenses When the disciples returned back, He rhetorically asked them whether they lacked anything. Our Lord wanted to hammer in the need for faith in God the provider. The church does not put any burden on people except that of love and sharing the good news of Salvation. However, it is in people's advantage and blessing to contribute with their financial resources towards building churches and supporting service. St. Paul expressed this concept clearly saying, "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account" (Philippians 4:17). Also that explains the church's stance from money that comes from sinful gain or worldly resources. A sinner's donation is a defiled one. In 1 Chronicles 21:18-26, King David refused free service for God. "Then King David said to Ornan, 'No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.'" (1 Chronicles 21:24) asserting the fact that it is the congregation's duty to meet their church's needs and finance their projects without relying on outside sources. It is sad to say that nowadays many churches are no more houses of God preaching the message of repentance and reconciliation. Many church buildings have been converted into places of social or business activities. Attending to Other's Needs In order for God's message of Salvation and Reconciliation to make sense and be accepted, attention must be directed to their physical needs. In order for people to listen, they must be healed first of their infirmities. That was our Lord's command, "And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'" (Luke 10:9). Even if total physical healing does not take place, yet praying with a sick person matters much and alleviates at least psychological pain. St. Paul went about performing healing miracles while he himself was denied one and the Lord told him, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Content of the Message
The Outcome of the Mission Joy As expressed in the disciples words "Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.'" (Luke 10:17) and recognized and admitted by the Lord Himself "And He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.'" (Luke 10:18). However, the secret of Christ's true joy is to see all His sheep having arrived safely to the shore without damage of straying "And again: 'I will put My trust in Him.' And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.'" (Hebrews 2:13). Eternal life "Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). More important than the joy incurred by the gifts of the Spirit and success in service is the fact that our names are written in heaven because of the work of Salvation in us. While the first may put us in danger of perdition because of pride or too much trust in the gifts and the self, the second grants us everlasting life and permanent Salvation and Redemption. St. Paul was cautious of this truth about the risk of losing one's salvation. So, he decided to "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27). Conclusion Service is not only for priests and deacons. There are different types of service. Any Christian person believing in Christ and having renewed his life and put on the new man is called for consecration and service. Consecration can be total or partial. Service has a price tag that comes with it. Our Lord said "But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 9:62) but bear the cross and follow Him looking forward to the honor and glory that awaits those who serve with patience and faithfulness. *article by HG Bishop Youssef www.suscopts.org
In this post, there are thirty sayings concerning service. Read every day one saying and make it the subject of the whole day's meditation:
The importance of the ministry comes from its strength, depth, love and giving. The way it affects and changes people! The Effective Word This was clear in the Lord Christ’s service, Glory be to Him. We should take notice of the Lord Christ’s invitation to St. Matthew, “And as He passed by, He saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collector’s post and said to him, “Follow me”. And he arose and followed Him” (Mark 2:14), (Mattew 9:9). It was just a word said to a person responsible for tax collecting. As a result, he left his job, arose and followed Him without even asking where to? The same powerful invitation was used when calling the four fishermen disciples. As it is written, “And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, "Come after Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.” (Mark 1:16-20). Through the power of the Word, they left everything and followed Him immediately, without any hesitation, delay or argument. They left their father, their nets, and everything. St. Peter summarized it all by saying ..."See, we have left all and followed You." (Matt 19:27).
His words had the power of convincing even those who argued with Him. When He explained to the scribes and Pharisees how a person is allowed to do good deeds on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-12) and about the Resurrection, it was written “......He forty had silenced the Sadducees” (Matthew 22:34). Also, “...no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.” (Matthew 22:46). His words also influenced others because of their warmth and love. When he said to Zacchaeus, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." (Luke 19:5). A word, so deep and warm, led this person to repentance, so that he said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house” ( Luke 19:8, 9). All this because of one strong, warm word spoken by the Lord. The same powerful words characterized the ministry of our Fathers, the Apostles. A sermon said by St. Peter the Apostle on Pentecost, attracted three thousand people who were baptized that same day (Acts 2:37-41). The strength of the word also appears in St. Paul’s ministry, even when he was captured and judged before Felix the governor “Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid...” . (Acts 24:25). Also, King Agrippa said to St. Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." (Acts 26:28). The Power Of Giving Some servants like the easy service, with no troubles or effort, but the power of the ministry appears in bearing its hardships, in love, giving and rejoicing. An example of this is St. Paul the Apostle’s ministry “...in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness (2 Cor 11:26, 27). * Adapted from HH Pope Shenouda III's The Spiritual Ministry - Chapter 4
There is no place for liars in the kingdom of heaven as it is written, “But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie” (Revelation 15:22). As people consider the servant to be the representative of heaven on earth, they expect him to be adorned with all heavenly virtues including the virtue of credibility. There is no a single person on earth who had not been hurt, at least once, by lack of others’ credibility. Many had completely lost their trust in others due to their incredibility. Nevertheless, the last person on earth they expect to be incredible is the servant. He is the man of God about Whom it was said, “For He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). Therefore, people expect the servant to be faithful like His Master whom he serves. Credibility has many types: (1) Speaking the truth: It is inconvenient for a servant to lie, manipulate, and prevaricate under pretext of wisdom. “This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic” (James 3:15). (2) All the truth: Pope Shenouda wrote an article about “Half-truths” saying, “There is no in half-truths any fairness towards truths. Although they seem credible, yet they do not give a comprehensive concept about truth as it is”. Many servants use half-truths as a way to avoid a certain embarrassing situation. When he is asked about someone or something, he doesn’t reply with the entire truth but with only a part of it. A servant cannot be blamed if he abstains from answering a certain question, but he would be blamed if he gives a half answer that gives a wrong impression to the one who asks that this is all about that matter. People can understand well a servant’s abstinence from answering as a part of keeping confidentiality, yet they do not forgive his incredibility, and they even become offended by it. (3) Keeping promises: St. Paul was so keen to keep his word to the Corinthians realizing that taking things lightly i.e. not keeping his promises would lead him to lose their trust in him. Hence, he wrote to them saying, “Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1:17-20). Examples of situations in which a servant does not keep his promises are the following: promising to pray for a certain matter, promising to visit a certain child, promising to call a certain person and check on him, promising to intervene in a certain problem…etc. (4) Consistency: Inconsistency is one of the things that make people offended the most by a servant. He, for example, may attend a meeting with his fellow servants and agree with them about certain arrangements and after they start going in the direction they agreed together upon, he suddenly changes all what he said before. This would leave them confused, frustrated, and losing trust in his credibility. (5) Credibility of deeds and avoiding hypocrisy: St. Paul speaks about people departing from faith in latter times saying, “speaking lies in hypocrisy…” (1 Timothy 4:2). This means that hypocrisy is a type of lying. Pretending is also a type of lying. Jesus Christ Himself rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Therefore, a hypocrite priest who would pretend to be righteous and holy would lose his credibility not only in the eyes of his people but also in the eyes of his fellow priests and his father the bishop. The most thing that offend people from the part of a priest is finding him doing the totally opposite of what he preaches. (6) Using accurate words with neither exaggeration nor hastening: Pope Shenouda speaks about this saying, “An accurate person is accurate in his words. He weighs every word before uttering it. He evaluates its meaning and convenience for the listeners in advance. The one who talks and then regrets what he said is described to be inaccurate in his speech. Also, the one who is blamed by others for what he says and pretends that he didn’t mean it is an inaccurate person. An accurate person says what he means, and means what he says. Hastening in speaking is among the causes that lead to inaccuracy. We mean by hastening either hastening in giving an opinion, hastening in judging people, or hastening in becoming angry. The one who takes his time, weighs each word before uttering it is the most accurate person. He has a balanced way of thinking that allows him to choose the convenient words, and to calculate the possible reactions to them. He cannot be blamed for a single word he says”. (7) Credibility of teaching: A servant must not pretend to know matters he did not study. He must not hasten to answer a question before being sure of its answer. He must not attribute a quote to a certain saint he is not sure about. Being inaccurate in teaching may lead the servant to lose his credibility in the eyes of people who do not trust him anymore. *Adapted from HGBY monthly Clergical letters - September 2017
Last month’s article, the first part of this topic, included an introduction to the problem and danger of spiritual slackness on a servant’s life. The two main reasons mentioned previously were: 1. Lack of love for God. 2. Loss or Deformation of the goal This article discusses some other obvious reasons: Forgetting or Forsaking Repentance Repentance is a perpetual life fortified with the spirit of mortification, contrition and remorse before God, accompanied by perpetual remembrance of one’s weaknesses and feeling of utter need for grace, protection of the Holy Spirit and God’s defense. Despite the forgiveness procured for his renowned sin and the assurance granted by God through Nathan, “So David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the Lord.' And Nathan said to David, 'The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.'” (2 Samuel 12:13). David continued to remember his sin and weaknesses saying, “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” (Psalm 51:3), hoping for repentance, contrition, alertness and steadfastness in order not to fall again or lose his spiritual fervor. An assertion of this concept is St. Anthony’s favorable quote “if we forget our sins, God will remind us of them. If we remember our sins, God will disregard them.” Hence, it is dangerous to lose emotional sensitivity to self scrutiny as well as to the need for self reprimand. It has become essential for us to renew the feelings of repentance through atoning prayers as the ones listed in the Agpeya “Yes, Lord, grant us in that Hour to be without fear, anxiety or condemnation; and do not judge us according to our iniquities” (The Absolution of the Midnight Prayers). It is hazardous to enter into a spiritual comfortable zone that leads to feeling rich and self satisfied with our spirituality. All these are deluded and deluding feelings against which the Holy Book or Revelations warns us saying, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see” (Revelation 3:17-18). It is good to recite St. Makarious' words, “Blessed is the one who sticks to Repentance until he meets the Lord.” It is strange to see people leave themselves for long periods without repentance, self search or confession. Thus the required measuring norms of self analysis will eventually lose accuracy. As a result the person will continue to do wrong, taking refuge in excuses, and justifications to errors in order to absolve the self. All these are dangerous slimy ways by Satan that lead to spiritual apathy. Loss of Discipleship A life of discipleship assists us in becoming quickly aware of the precipice and danger of gradual spiritual weakness. Adopting discipleship willingly and submissively will provide supportive and protective counseling and advice that will safeguard against slackness and the drifting away from principles. A perpetual life of discipleship can be likened to a censor full of glowingly ignited coal waiting to be fanned and incense to be added so that the coal may remain hot and the incense filling the spirit with the sweet smell of the expensive perfume of repentance. How odd it is to see a servant rejecting discipleship because his ego has been quieted with the honor of teaching. To such servants, St. James says, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:1-2). Discipleship is a powerful weapon against spiritual dryness. Superficiality of Worship It is dry ritualistic worship void of spirit, satisfied with to-the-letter performance and mere external movements without experiencing the fervor and awe of grace. Such type of worship creates boredom and weariness. This in turn brings about repulsion and rebellion against religious environment, spiritual values and literally all the corners of worship. Therapeutic practices for this type of spiritual sluggishness:
Appearances and Egoism The self is a big hindrance before spiritual growth. A servant might be tempted with the thought that he/she is indispensably important in church and that without them service would not advance, having forgotten that from stones God can get sons to Abraham and that he had chosen his disciples from common uneducated fishermen to make them fishers of men. A very clear example of God’s preferences is what He did with Elijah after his victory. For after he had killed the prophets of the Baal, God told him “Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place” (1 Kings 19:16). It seems that God wanted to exempt Elijah from the danger of feeling great in his own eyes. Likewise, St. Paul was given a thorn in his flesh so that he might not grow conceited because of the many revelations. We, also, if we live with God’s word as the Holy Bible says, we will arrive at implementing the words of St. Gregory’s the Great, “When you read the Word with awe, the soul will wake up to its hidden folds. Then a sword of sorrow and pinches from the conscience will pierce it leaving it with no choice but to weep and wash its sins in its tears.” …“Look into yourself to see God united in you… If you get to see Him, snatch yourself from your sight to see God alone living all the time in you.” So the essence of this truth is that you see in yourself…snatch yourself from your sight. Contrary to the life of appearances and superficiality is a life of depth, circumspection and closeness to God in the depths of the heart. That is the requirement for expelling all spiritual dryness. An outward person finds joy in external movements and appearances because this is his only measuring stick for service and activities. On the other hand, an in-depth person seeks his own salvation and that of others. * Adapted from HGBY monthly clergical spouse letters - September 2013
1. Discipleship of Thoughts Within man there exists a huge, creative, constructive mental energy freely granted and furnished by God in order for man to think of all that is good, pious and of good reputation. St. Paul says to the Philippians, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8). Therefore, it is necessary for thoughts to be brought under discipline according to the course of Christian perfection in order to obtain the trophy of Grace and gain protection against prodigality, ignorance, and loss. The sources of thought discipline are numerous:
Here we ought to remember that we need first and foremost to acquire humility because discipleship of the mind needs humbleness of the mind. On the other hand, when will the time come for a proud, arrogant, stubborn, stagnant, counseling-rejecting mind to be disciplined? 2. Discipleship of the Senses and Organs The human body is a magnanimous entity with members, senses, feelings and propensities that need to be disciplined to become healed, straightened and stabilized in the path of righteousness; in order to know how to proceed in every good deed. The best source of accomplishing this comprehensive discipleship is in the church environment with her Orthodox worshipping and celebrations that are rich occasions, feasts and prayers.
3. Faith and Dogmatic Discipline Since their inception in the bosom of the church, the faithful believers receive their dogma and doctrines passed on, once for all, from the saints. However, this faith edifice needs to be established through the believer’s continuous discipleship on the teachings and sayings of God and the fathers. These sayings nourish and confirm the beliefs protecting them from doubts and backsliding. The best source of dogma discipleship is the liturgical life in our great Orthodox Church enriched with the mysteries, dogma, and grace witnessed for by the Holy Spirit. One grows theologically and dogmatically whenever educated and disciplined on the thoughts of St. Cyril the Great, the Pillar of Faith, St. Athanasius the Apostolic, St. Dioscorus, the Defender of Faith, St. John Chrysostom, the Hero of Orthodoxy, and St. Gregory, the Theologian. Also, the faithful gets disciplined through the actual living of the church feasts such as the major feasts that highlight our Christian dogma. Some of these dogmas are the Incarnation, the Annunciation, the Cross, the Redemption, the Resurrection, the work of the Holy Spirit. Every major feast is a school by itself from which we draw firm teachings concerning our dogma. To be a disciple of dogmas is not just mere intellectual lectures on theology but rather a life lived primarily through the church. Therefore, it is the duty of servants to very early give those whom they serve to drink from these dogmas through a regular church life. 4. Personality Integrated Discipleship Man benefits from lessons offered by life itself. For example, St Anthony benefited from the words of the naked woman about to swim in the sea. Because of her words, he entered the desert taking her reproaching reply as if sent from heaven. St. Ephraim, the Syrian, learned from the woman staring at him who asked him to look at the ground from which he came. He benefitted from her words and trained himself to be humble.
*Adapted from HGBY monthly Clergical letters - Nov. 2012
We should seek to have wisdom. ‘The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom’ and ‘no one will be strong enough to overpower the soul that is nailed down by the fear of God, because to be nailed down is to be more securely fastened than to be rooted. In fact, the prophet prayed for this when he said, “Nail my flesh with your fear.” A good leader always walks in the fear of God and uses wisdom to discern between what is right and wrong in order not to break a vow or a commandment. We should learn from King Solomon who, before the beginning of his leadership, prayed for wisdom; but in our case we do not seek wisdom in order to judge others, but rather that we may adequately judge our own thoughts and actions. Therefore, ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.’ We should not be driven by our emotions. ‘The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent man ignores an insult.’ How often have we regretted our reactions when faced with something trying? Making decisions based on our emotions is a behavior unbecoming a leader. Our hurt and frustration should never affect our faithfulness towards our responsibilities - ‘Observe now first of all that rational judgment is sovereign over the emotions by virtue of the restraining power of self-control.’ We often get defensive when we feel criticized, or at times we even “cover all bases” by defending ourselves before anyone has a chance to say anything negative about us! Rather than doing this, let us follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ who remained silent in times of trial – ‘See how many things they testify against You!” But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.’ Our Lord Jesus Christ was never quick to react to anything, ‘but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously’. We should live by example. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.' Do our actions always please and glorify God or are they sometimes done for our own pleasure and glory? Do our actions speak louder than our words or are we simply good preachers who do not practice what we preach? Can we truly say, ‘Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ’ or are our actions found wanting? My beloved, ‘You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?’ How can we justify ever being hurt or offended by others, when we ourselves do the very same shameful things? Ah! But our memory is always sharp when it comes to remembering the wrongs others have done to us and ever so weak when it comes to remembering our own mistakes. In the past, the saints fled from glory and eagerly accepted the cross, but nowadays we more often search for the things that will give us praise and shun the cross. If we do this, and are troubled when things seem difficult, then why do we expect so much of others? In any case, our faithfulness to God is not contingent on the behavior of others – whether they do or do not do – it is between us and God alone and instead of wasting time observing others, we should be the good example ourselves. We should be true servants. ‘Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Consider, our Lord Jesus Christ who came to us ‘taking the form of a bondservant’ in perfect obedience to His Heavenly Father and earthly family. Although God, He did not live amongst us as an authoritative man but as a true servant, always there in times of need, never asking anything of us which He did not first do, perfectly Himself. A leader should not be afraid of being humble, as though such a thing would be a threat. Pharaoh did not feel threatened by Joseph, and by this Egypt became the most powerful country in the world. Saul, on the other hand, was very threatened by David and so lost everything, which he otherwise would not have. ‘Before He humbled himself, only the angels knew Him. After He humbled Himself, all human nature knew Him. You see how His humbling of Himself did not make Him have less but produced countless benefits, countless deeds of virtue, and made His glory shine forth with greater brightness. God wants for nothing and has need of nothing. Yet, when He humbled Himself, He produced such great good, increased His household, and extended His kingdom. Why, then, are you afraid that you will become less if you humble yourself?’ My beloved, ‘fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.’ Let your obedience and your good works be done in the presence of God and not for the sake of man. Be a good leader in your spiritual life for the sake of your salvation, not for the sake of your elders. Be wise and humble, be strong and a good example and ‘above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.’ May we all become the image of our Lord Jesus Christ and follow His perfect example. *Adapted from HGBY Monthly Message for the Monastic and Consecrated Servants
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