Becoming gods by Grace

Becoming gods by Grace

Fragrant oil

ليس لي يارب طيب أسكبه هاك قلبي النجيس لك ارفعه هو بخس ليس أهلاً بتقدمة لكنه أثمن بل كل ما أملكه إيماني يقين أنك برحمتك تقبله بل تطهره بل تقديساً تقدسه بل بتواضع وحب عجيب تسكنه عجباً أتقدمتي أم هبتك أن ارفعه؟ من يدك حقاً كل شيء نصنعه صدقاً بنعمتك كل عمل نتممه وكل خير من حنانك ترسله ولكل ليل تنثر فجراً يبدده فمن كل أسرٍ سبى قلبي تنقذه فيا ليت لي يا رب قلب أسكبه أو دموع أو صلاة أو تسبيح أرسله ليس سوى ذاك الضعيف ارفعه هو ضعيف حقاً انما، بذرة حبك تسكنه

O'Lord, I have no fragrant oil to pour Here is my wicked heart I left up it is cheap, no worthy of an offering! but it is my valuable, even all what I own my firm faith that, in your mercy, you accept it even purify it, and make it holy! even in humbleness and strange love, you dwell in it! Is it my offering or is it your gift that I lift it up?! Indeed everything we do is from you. Truly every accomplishment is by your grace! Every goodness is sent by your compassion. and for every night you send a sunrise to end it from every captivity you saved my heart Oh how I wish I have a heart to pour! Or tears, or prayers, or a praise to send! I have nothing but that weak to left up It is weak indeed, however, the seed of you love is in it!

Sunday Psali for the Virgin (English)

moving backward

more here

Curfew in Philly due to teens' violence, violent protests in England, a massacre in Norway, Genocides in Syria and Libya, Egypt is already gone with the wind ...

economical depression, conflicts, scandals, crises, collapses ...

wars, strikes, crimes, catastrophes of an angry nature ...

diseases, hangers, droughts, hungry souls and spirits ...

looks like we (human race) are moving, with steadfast pace, backward. Towards violence, anarchism, poverty, barbarism and hating the other. All of which, believe, are rooted in selfishness, greediness and pride. Both on the individual as well as the social levels.

We need to take stand, starting by oneself. To get outside oneself...

Apostolic Age - Ministry

"So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor wth all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:46,47 NKJV)

Reading the Book of Acts, one stands amazed in front of the the ministry (i.e., service) in the apostolic age, which enjoyed many blessed merits! Specifically, the service in the apostolic age was, among other merits:

+ Prayerful [Acts 1:14, Acts 2:42, Acts 3:1, Acts 4:24, Acts 12:5, Acts 16:16]

+ Praiseful [Acts 2:47, Acts 16:25]

+ Liturgical [Acts 2:42, Acts 2:46, Acts 16:5, Acts 20:7, Acts 2]

+ Oneness of spirit [Acts 4:32, Acts 5:12]

+ Meekness and obedience [Acts 8:26, Acts 9:10-17, ]

+ Led by the Holy Spirit, and full submission to God [Acts 8:29, Acts 10:19, Acts 13:2, Acts 15:28, Acts 16:6, etc.]

and therefore it was:

+ Joyous in midst of tribulations [Acts 5:41, Acts 13:52]

+ Powerful [Acts 4:31, Acts 4:33, Acts 13:10,11]

+ Continuous [Acts 2],

+ Miraculous [Acts 3, Acts 5:12, Acts 9:33,34, Acts 9:37-40, Acts 12:11, Acts 19:11,12], and

+ Zealous

While these all merits are different aspects of ministry, they are all essentially rooted, or rather blossoms out of the same virtue: strong love towards God and towards His creature. Each of these merits is a subject by itself to meditate and discuss. In this article, we focus on the Holy Zeal in ministry [1].

"Cursed is he who does the work of God with slackness" (Jeremiah 48:10 - SEV)

We will try to answer three questions: (1) what is the holy zeal & what are its symptoms? (2) why is holy zeal important to my service? and (3) how to attain the holy zeal in my ministry?

What is Holy Zeal

Holy Zeal is a fiery spirit; a fire of purification that eats the sin, a fire of jealous love towards people, a fire of submissive love towards God.

The Holy Zeal is that fire that first eats up the sin in my heart, this is the essential first step in the spiritual path which is yet a gift of God the Holy Spirit. That is why our Lord Jesus Christ commanded the apostles to wait until they are first baptized by the Holy Spirit [Acts 1:6], Who appeared in form of divided tongues, as of fire [Acts 2:4]. The best example is when our Lord Jesus Christ made a wipe of chord and drove the sellers and money chargers out of the temple. We are the temple of God [1Corinthians 3:16], and when the apostles saw this they recalled the verse of the psalm: "the zeal for Your house shall consume Me". (Psalm 69:9). Similarly, the Holy Spirit moves in us a fire of repentance to drive out of our hearts all envy, temptation, hypocrisy, malice and the remembrance of evil [Liturgy of St. Basil].

The Apostles ministry was based on this fire of continuous repentance, and they always called others to do like them. For as we grow in repentance, the fiery spirit of repentance grows in us a fire of jealous love towards mankind. Jealous here means that we love them, and care about their salvation so much to the extent that - as if - we feel jealous if they don't care about their own salvation, or simply put, are away from God. St. Paul epistles are full of examples to demonstrate this trait of the Apostles ministry. For instances;

+"Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?" (2Corinthians 11:29)

+ "For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen[a] according to the flesh"(Romans 9:3)

When we have such loving fire of zeal, we imitate our Lord Jesus Christ who "who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1Timothy 2:4), "For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29)

The main motives behind the apostle fiery spirit in repentance, i.e., hating sin, and in calling all the world to repent, i.e., loving people, is their fiery love to God. A servant is essentially a person who tasted the mercy of God, and God's love towards mankind, which ignites a fiery love back towards God, towards his children, towards all mankind and all the creature. That is, through repentance, one realizes the immaculate love of God and the sweetness of His fellowship. Then the servant roams proclaiming "be reconciled to God" (2Corinthians 5:20), seeking God's Kingdom, forsaking the world and its matters, fully submitting to God in love, chanting in joy with the psalmist "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You." (Psalm 73:25)

Why Holy Zeal

When the servant reaches the level of forsaking worldly matters for the sake of Christ, the servant fulfills God's will in her/his life; "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1Thessalonians 4:3), and works with God: "we are God's fellow- workers" (1Corinthians 3:9) in establishing His Kingdom. And what is more sweet and more beloved and more beautiful than fellowship with God in His ever ceaseless work? [John 5:17] It is indeed a downpayment of Heaven on earth.

The main gaol of the Holy Zeal is repentance. First my own repentance, then my brethren repentance. Thus, the Holy Zeal helps the servant to walk in the path of their salvation, in and with Christ. It also pleases the servants heart to work and see God's kingdom being established, in Christ. It also lefts up the servants hearts towards a full submission and unity with God, which is the ultimate goal of our existence!

The Holy Zeal also turns God's anger away from sinners. "The Lord said to Moses, Phinehas son of Eleazor, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned My anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for My honour among them, so that in My zeal I did not put an end to them" (Numbers 25:6-11). We saw also Moses interceding on behalf the Israelites that God forgives them, or else erase his, Moses', name from the book of life! What a true and zealous love!

Finally, and as we began, if we are to labour with God, we need to be prepared with Holy Zeal for "Cursed is he who does the work of God with slackness" (Jeremiah 48:10 - SEV) How fearful is this verse to the servants of God! But indeed I fall short and in my weakness I am many times lukewarm in service!

How Holy Zeal

"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24)

I better of be away from ministry lest I be condemned not being zealous righteously, right? WRONG! For God was clear in this regard:

+ "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul." (Ezekiel 3:17-19)

So how can I have Holy Zeal in my service?

Three steps:

1) Continuous and steadfast stand in front of God through prayers. For through prayers, we get closer to God, the true light. And as we get closer to the true light, we see our sins clearers, we repent and tastes God sweetness on higher and higher levels, we love God more and more, we love His creatures more and more, we get filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and the fiery holy zeal. After all, the Holy Spirit descended upon the holy Apostles on the Pentecost as they were gathered in one spirit in prayers in the attic.

2) Daily meditation in God's word. This is very crucial for a lawful service too. If through prayers we talk to God and gain power for service from Him, through His word, i.e., the Holy Book with both Testaments, God speaks to us, prevailing His wondrous secrets to us, and thus we attain the mind of Christ [1Corinthians 2:16] And since He is The Holy consuming zealous fire, the more we meditate in His word, the more we shall become on His image and likeness, in holiness, and in being a holy zeal ourselves. Again, this was indeed the Apostles methodology, like St. Peter who used Joel's prophecy and the psalms in his Pentecostal sermon, St. Phillip who started from the prophecy of Isaiah to evangelize to the Ethiopian eunuch, St. Stephen who summarized the Old Testament in his speech in the trial, and St. Paul who always quotes the Old Testament.

3) Holy Confession and Holy Communion. This was, in fact, the center of the Apostles ministry [Acts 2:42, Acts 2:46, Acts 16:5, Acts 20:7, Acts 2]. Through Holy Confession we remember always our need for repentance, which is the main gaol of our service, and the main goal of the Holy Zeal. Whereas as through Holy Communion we increase in our love to God and to our neighbor. St. Macarius of Egypt says that no one has salvation apart from her/his brethren. The Holy Communion is not only a communion with God, but it is essentially a liturgical communion, that is all believers are in communion together with God. Through Holy Confession and Holy Communion we maintain our humility (the root of all virtues), lest the honor of service, being fellow-workers with God, gives chance to the enemy to strike us through pride (the root of all vices), for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6 & 1Peter 5:5 & Proverbs 3:34 ).

May God bless and lead our service, and protect us all, through St Mary the mother of God intercessions and the prayers of all the saints.

+ + +

References:

[0] The Holy Book

[1] Pope Shenouda III, Holy Zeal

[2] Fr. Markos Milad, Sermon on Jealousy, Sep 16th, 1999

St. Moses The Strong - Glorification

+ In the church of the first-born, in the conference of the pure, standing in all reverence, The Strong Abba Moses

+ He was an idol worshipper, and was for a while a robber, wondered about the condemner, The Strong Abba Moses

+ Moses was of Berber, his life full of evil, but wanted to be justified, The strong ...

+ Thief murderer adulterer, he loved the other world, was washed by the Precious blood, The strong..

+ Moses the thirst heard, about the fathers the monks, in Scetis where the dwelled, The strong..

+ He wondered if there is a God, for whom is greatness and fame, my heart longs to His heaven, The strong...

+ Abba Isidore answered, Our God is Holy Mighty, to whom heads bow, The strong...

+ Our God is kind compassionate, took the form of a man, out of His love accepted humiliation, The strong...

+ Our God's promise is faithful, He accepts all repentants, He loves those of broken heart, The strong...

+ Submit yourself to Him, and put your past on Him, by grace you shall renewed in Him, The strong...

+ Moses immediately stood, as a parodical son accept me he said, repent me and I immediately repent, The strong...

+ In tears and invokations, in sighs and exhalations, and regression of all the past, the strong ...

+ He proceeded to Christ, in a regretting and wounded heart, and wanted to be relieved, the strong...

+ offered a true repentance, openly and without a relapse, its details are profound, the strong...

+ An angel appeared, erasing his sins, whitening his famous tablet, the strong...

+ Abba Macarius saw the angel, a sign that God forgave and saved him, and life was granted to him, the strong...

+ received the first sacraments, in water spirit and fire, removing all bonds, the strong...

+ repentance effect is wondrous, ignites the heart with flames, and the astray becomes near, the strong...

+ it converts the killer into righteous, the sinner into a chosen vessel, and the robber into a nobel one, the strong...

+ and repentance has effect, it makes the adulterer a virgin, and the rebeller accepted, the strong ...

+ slave of desires and shame, grace granted him honor, and became of the strongest free ones, the strong...

+ and The Holy Spirit led the mighty, from darkness to the light, and granted fruits to His beloved, the strong...

+ he longed to monasticism, and determined to walk in goodness, so The Holy Spirit planned his path, the strong...

+ in asceticism surpassed others, was serving the elders, in the humility of a watchful, the strong...

+ intentionally exhausted himself, walking several miles daily, to fill their water pots, the strong...

+ he walked his path, in steadfast and carefulness, he advanced in what is proper, the strong...

+ in virtues in prayers, in fasting in devoutness, in meekness and metanias (prostrations), the strong...

+ ascetic and faithful worshipper, his faith foundations are robust, that scares the devils, the strong...

+ he loved the brethren and they loved him, for priesthood they elect him, so they request to ordain him, the strong ...

+ so when they tested him, the priests did cast him out, he obeyed what they wanted, the strong..

+ he said to himself, you deserve it o' black one, o'gray skin you deserve contempt, the strong...

+ the Patriarch heard him, and knew his goodness, his humility and perfection, the strong...

+ in The Name of the Holy, he ordained him, and a voice was heard said Axios (worthy), the strong...

+ Blessed Moses blessed, you earned your Master's content, the Lord of the vine strengthened you, the strong...

+ once they asked him, to judge a mistaken monk, to the council to trial him, the strong...

+ moses the saint came, carrying a bag of sand, with heavy heart he came, the strong...

+ they asked him, what is he carrying, "I carrying my sins" he answered, the strong...

+ a famous and useful lesson, that the monks gladly understood, they forgave the broken monk, the strong...

+ We wish to live your life, we wish to be in your merits, remember us in your prayers, the strong abba Moses

+ In front of the High Throne, in front of the Lord the God, Remember our dear father, the strong ...

+ Abba Shenouda the honored, that God may grant him long life, to evangelize the Bible, the strong...

+ And Abba (...) our bishop, protect him O'Lord and us, by his prayers protect us, the strong...

+ Bishops and the Clergy, protect them O'Holy, surround with with hosts of angels, the strong...

+ Deacons and priests, servants everywhere, O'Lord fill them with faith, the strong...

+ Blessed Moses blessed, you earned your Master's content, the Lord of the vine protected and saved you, the strong Abba Moses.

God gave me difficulties to make me strong…….!

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shrivelled wings. It never was able to fly. What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly! I asked for Strength, And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong. I asked for Wisdom, And God gave me Problems to solve. I asked for Prosperity, And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work. I asked for Courage, And God gave me Danger to overcome. I asked for Love, And God gave me troubled people to help. I asked for Favours, And God gave me Opportunities. I received nothing I wanted, I received everything I needed! Trust in God. Always!

AGAPE LOVE DIVINE MINISTRIES

Come Discover Love Beyond Reason

All Copyrights 2007-2011 © Reserved By AGAPE LOVE DIVINE MINISTRIES

Perfect Pot & Poor Cracked Pot……….!

A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house." Each of us has our own unique flaws. We are all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father's table. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste. So as we seek ways to minister together, and as God calls you to the tasks He has appointed for you, don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and allow Him to take advantage of them, and you, too, can be the cause of beauty in His pathway. Out boldly, know that in our weakness we find His strength, and that "In Him every one of God's promises is a Yes". But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. Isaiah 64:8 (NKJV)

AGAPE LOVE DIVINE MINISTRIES

Come Discover Love Beyond Reason

All Copyrights 2007-2011 © Reserved By AGAPE LOVE DIVINE MINISTRIES

Attachement

Did you ever experience having a request from God; a request that is holy and pure, a request that many holy people from the Bible had and also many saints, YET, God didn't grant it to you? As if He is not listening or ignoring you? Hannah also did.

In the liturgy yesterday (Wed of 5th week of Great Lent) one of the prophecies was from first chapter from the book of 1st Samuel. Hannah was asking God to have a child from her husband, a pure and holy request. God did command Adam and Eve to be fruitful. But as we read the story, it says about Hannah: "but the Lord shut her womb" (1Sam 1:5). And she wasn't a wicked person, nor her husband. At the contrary, they were godly people. How come that God responds oppositely to her request? What is going on?

We many times when asking for something holy and pure, we think that we should be granted what we asked, because it is holy and pure (a virtue, healing or improvement for a person dear to us, peace, success, etc.). We therefore want it so much and keep asking God to grant it to us. We may even start planning based on what we asked for. We often slip and get attached to what we ask for, that we desire it so much. When this happens, we no longer pray to talk to God whom we love, we no longer seek God Himself, but we are using God as "the magician who can achieve our desires". As if God is the jenny of Aladdin's lamp. Well, that is NOT the case.

When it is the case that we are so attached to the thing we ask for, and in that sense we are driven away from God, as Hannah was so attached to become a mother, God responds saying: "what have I to do with you? mine hour is not yet come" (John 2:4), just as He shut the womb of Hannah.

When God says His time is not yet come, we start wondering "How long, O Lord, do You forget me, for ever? How long do You turn Your face away from me? How long do I put these counsels in my soul, and these sorrows in my heart for the whole day? How long does my enemy exalt over me?" (Psalm 12:1,2). Only then, our attention, and hence our attachment, gradually shift from what we ask for to God and His hour. Only then, we pour our hearts truly in front of God, with tears and confessions, as Hannah did at the House of the Lord [1Sam 1:9].

When Hannah poured herself in front of God, she was freed from the attachment of her desire to be have a baby, as can be seen from her vow to give the baby to God all the days of the child's life. When that happens, the Lord responses saying: "Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me" (Song 6:5)

Only then, Hannah was granted Samuel, the kings anointer. And after Hannah gave Samuel to God, as she vowed, "the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters" (1Sam 2:21)

Way much more than what we originally asked for, only after our attachment was adjusted.

Mental Disability

This is an abridged correspondence between my weakness and Fr. Gregory regarding the salvation of mentally disabled people. The discussion is still open, please feel free to join us, we appreciate your comments.

remember my weakness in your prayers.

On Fri Jan 14th, Shenoda wrote:

Aghaby Fr. Gregory,

I recently found myself facing this question: Salvation is by believing in Jesus Christ. Where does believe or faith rests in me, my heart, my brain, my thoughts, my spirit, my soul, or... ? Wherever, I *choose* to believe and hence I am saved. Right?

Then, what about mentally disabled people, especially those born in another religion, say Islam? How could they be saved?

...I wonder if the church has an opinion though.

remember my sinfulness in your prayers.

+ + +

On Tue Jan 18th, Fr. Gregory replied:

The Lord bless you!

Shenoda,

You raise very good questions for which I'm not sure there are satisfying answers! But let me try and see if I can at least bring some light to bear on your concerns.

(1) The fathers talk about the nous--sometimes translated as "mind" but really closer to "heart" in the spiritual rather than physiological sense. Nous is the deepest part of the person where God dwells and speaks to him

(2) True obedience to God, and so salvation, is therefore not external to the person but internal. I am obedient from the deepest part of myself. Unfortunately because of sin I often live not from the deepest part of myself but only on the surface--and often not even there but pushed and pulled by forces external to myself. This is what asceticism--prayer, fasting, almsgiving but also confession and the sacraments--is so important. Through ascetical struggle I return to myself, I learn to dwell in the stillness of my own heart and, once there, I learn to hear the voice of God.

(3) This is true not simply for those of us who are Christians but all human beings. God dwells in the deepest place of each person's heart--speaking quietly, gently inviting, wooing really, the person to return to himself. If this journey is hard for the Christian, it is all the harder for those who do not know Christ and who suffer from wrong beliefs about God, the creation and themselves.

While not discounting the intellect or the visible works of the ascetical life, the real work of salvation is internal. People with mental or physical disabilities may not be able to express what they are experiencing in the depths of their hearts (even to themselves) but this doesn't mean that God is not active in them.

Unfortunately, we have become evermore accustomed to thinking even about faith in merely empirical terms. We forget that not everything which we know, we know from the senses. The work of grace in the human heart falls into the category of things we know but not through the senses. Rather what we know by faith we know from within ourselves--and to the degree that we have learned to dwell in our own hearts we are able to recognize God's work in the hearts of others.

Finally, whenever we look at another human being, or even ourselves, we should never despair for their (or our own) salvation. Rather than looking at all the reasons why someone is far from Christ, we should look at God' superabundant love for each and every human being. So the answer to your questions is this--don't discount science or the senses. But don't value these more than the love of God and His desire to draw all men to Himself.

In Christ,

+FrG

+ + +

On Mon Jan 24th, Shenoda followed up:

...

(1) Does that mean that the definition of the nous is different in theology (or spirituality) than it is in psychology? That should never be the case, right?
But at any rate, I guess I get the idea. Like, while thoughts dwell in the mind (physically, the brain's electricity), feelings are always referred to being dwelling in the heart. Of course it is not the physical organ, so, I guess this is the nous? Or may be nous is yet another "place" where God dwells?

...

(2) makes sense (that obedience is not external to me). However, when does my will play a role? Where does my will dwells also? And how is it related to thoughts and the mind? And, hence, where and what is the will of the mentally disabled people?
And yet, where and when does faith come to the picture? If God is speaking in my nous, and I need to "answer" back negatively or positively, what part of me that responds?

...

(3) This statement [People with mental or physical disabilities may not be able to express what they are experiencing in the depths of their hearts (even to themselves) but this doesn't mean that God is not active in them.] helped me a lot. Indeed as I recall the mentally disabled people that I ran by, like cashier or such, I always feel pity and sour, but I also feel and see as if they are not really disabled, but just that we can not understand them, and hence that they are alone and lonely (and that is where pity mostly comes from)... I recall many times I imagined myself getting married to a mentally or physically disabled person, just because I see the beauty of human creature, beyond the physical attractiveness (that was a while ago though). So, I kind of see what you are referring to that God is active in them, and that they are not able to express themselves.

+ + +

On Wed Jan 26th, Fr. Gregory responded:

(1) Psychology, as an empirical science, is not concerned with the nous as such but only with those aspects of human life that lend themselves to quantitative analysis. The nous is both a pre- and trans-scientific of talking about human behavior.

As pre-scientific, the nous helps remind us that there is something enduring in the ebb and flow of human behavior and the various shifts we see in personality over time and in different situations. Think the nous as the "integrating center" of the person.

As a trans-scientific concept, the nous helps us organize and evaluate the different aspects of human behavior that the psychologist studies. To use your example,the relationship between brain activity and thought is not causal but correlative. Yes, when I am angry a certain part of my brain lights up under an MRi--but that physiological is not anger. Nor can it be associated with anger without the intervention of a human person who tells me, "Now I'm feeling angry" while the MRI highlights brain activity.

Understanding the nous also helps us understand, as I said above, the relative human weight of behavior and emotions. What I mean by this is that while as a psychologist (or personally) I might be prone think that anger is the most important thing in the life of a person. Thinking about anger in terms of the nous, I realize however that while anger is real it is secondary, derivative really, and that is love which is most basic to the human person. And anger? It is a distortion of love.

Again, the nous as a construct is both its pre- and trans-scientific and it helps us keep in balance the often conflicting empirical data of psychology

(2) Terms like "will" and "nous" while they are often helpful in analysis of human behavior in a general sense, are less helpful when dealing with concrete questions such as the ones you ask here. My will as such doesn't dwell anywhere; the will isn't like my liver for example. Rather "will" like "nous" is a way of trying to express the mysterious relationship between God and the human person.

I hear God, and I call that hearing the nous; I respond (or not) to God and I call that responding the will. When we talk about a "darkened" nous or a "corrupted" will these are not physical realities bit spiritual that we stumble to express with physical imagery.

This is what makes the relationship between contemporary psychology and the mystical tradition of the Church such an interesting area of study. Both psychology and the fathers are trying to understand what it means to be human.

While both are concerned with the human person and do so with intellectual rigor, they approach their study with different methodologies and analogies. In the main, psychology tends to think of the human person mechanistically--as if we were machines or computers--while the fathers think of the person organically. The former expresses its findings empirically--borrowing heavily from physics--the latter express their findings poetically, borrowing from the Scriptures and ancient literature. Again, this doesn't mean that they are necessarily opposed to each other. It does however mean we need to sort through the differences and similarities with great care.

As for a book, let me suggest Christopher Jamison's Finding Happiness. A Catholic monk, Fr Christopher shows a keen understanding of the Church fathers, especially St John Cassian, and I think will help you think about some of what we've discussed here.

In Christ,

+FrG

Japan's 2011 Tsunami, and my sin

The Tsunami that hit Japan couple of days ago was just a terrifying catastrophe. Many people thought of the great flood in days of Noah, as they saw the waves wiping away a whole city! I personally thought of Sodom and Gomorrah when I saw them. God demolished Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sins. Does that mean that Japan is a sinful country?

"Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem;
See now and know;
And seek in her open places
If you can find a man,
If there is anyone who executes judgment,
Who seeks the truth,
And I will pardon her." (Jeremiah 5:1)

"And He (God) said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” " (Genesis 18:32)

God is welling to pardon the whole city if He found a single person who executes judgment. When Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah [Genesis 18:23,-33], God answer was clear: He won't destroy an evil city if there are 5 righteous people in it. That is the negative aspect. The positive aspect is that God also blesses the city for the sake of the righteous. We saw how God blessed the house of Potiphar because of Joseph, and saved Egypt and the whole world, because of Joseph.

The early church fathers teaches us that when we attain the Love of God, that is when we truly love God above anything and anyone else, we are filled with love towards all human kind, and towards the whole creature! St. Isaac the Syrian says: "What is a merciful heart? It is a heart on fire for the whole of creation, for humanity, for the birds, for the animals, for demons, and for all that exists." and also says: "and by such great compassion, the heart is humbled and one cannot bear to hear or to see any injury or slight sorrow in any in creation.".

While Jeremiah, Mordecai, and Nehemiah were Godly people, but when they saw, or heard, the tribulation on its way against their people, as a punishment for their sins, these Godly men considered the people's sins their sins. We that too with many other men of God, prophets and saints, such as Jeremiah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Abba Karas, Abba Poula the first Hermit, etc. Nehemiah, for instance, prayed: "...I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned." (Nehemiah 1:6) But indeed, there is no one without a sin. These Godly men might not participated in the general sin of the people, for which they are punished, but they have their own personal sins. We all do. However, as members, or rather organs, of the big family of human race, if one member is sick, the whole body is said to be sick. If one organ sins, we all sinned.

Similarly, when I see the world in affliction I realize how evil my sin is, causing these afflictions to the world. I know also that confession and repentance, of my own sins, and the whole family of human race, is the proper response I shall offer. The dessert fathers says about monks being the defenders, or intercessors of the whole wold, through their continuous repentance and prayers offered on behalf of the whole world. A monk, iconizes the human race how we are compelled to be.

The Kind Heart

Greetings to you who loves a lot,
Who took few and gave a lot

To draw a smile on a child’s face,
To make someone happy, you save no effort

You opened your heart to everyone,
They are countless; the people you host

You made your chest a home for homeless,
A nest for broken wings birds, and whoever gets lost

You offered your love to be,
A refugee to who feels lost

You make everyone around you happy,
And hide your pain and suffer a lot

You hide behind the scenes,
And help everybody whether they see you or not

You pour your tears to satiate the thirst,
And wash the feet of whose road is hot

But when your heart cries alone,
No one sees, as if you are not under the spot

For you are there, like air everywhere,
And no one appreciate it, unless it is lost

Written on June, 2006

You, whom my heart loved!

You whom my heart loved, and used to love her accompany!

And used to think it is impossible, for seconds, from you be away!

You to whom I always inclined!

You to whom I always said:

I adore you! I worship you! You are my whole life!

I dispensed you! I adore someone else!

regretting your companionship!

no room in my heart..

for you to live , for you to live, oh my sin!

Here Jesus owned and attracted me! He is the One who truly loves me!

And the end of His love is not Woe! Nor a misery that destructs me!

And if once my heart longed for you! I will go away, depart and neglect you!

Until one day I shall kill you!

For other than Jesus, I shall not kneel down.

I dispensed you! I adore someone else!

regretting your companionship!

no room in my heart..

for you to live , for you to live, oh my sin!

This is the translation of the below Spiritual Song, enjoy reading while listening to the touchy music.

سكت الكلام

مش عارف أقول إيه يا ربي ... تاه الكلام عني

مابقتش عارف اللي فقلبي ... ولا حتى عارف قلبي

جوايا فراغ كبير ... بيسرق مني عمري

وزمن قديم حزين ... سرطانو بياكل زمني

والبحر هايج عالي ... موجه بيغرق حلمي

والفرح اللي عالقمة ... ماهواش فرحي

والزيطة واللمة ... ماحاشتش همي

مفيش غيرك إنت ... اللي تداوي جرحي

إنت يارب وحدك ... اللي تفرح قلبي

مفيش غيرك يقدر ... يملى فراغ قلبي

أترجاك إقبلني ... وفحضنك سكني

ورجع كلامي ليك ... وفي ملكوتك إذكرني

Press Release from H.H. Pope Shenouda III regarding January 25th Revolution

copied from Tasbeha.org

Tuesday, February 15th 2011

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III met with a small committee from the members of the Holy Synod on Tuesday morning 15th February 2011, and they issued the following statement:

The Coptic Church salutes the honest Egyptian youth, the youth of 25th January, who led Egypt in a strong peaceful revolution, in which precious blood was shed, the blood of the martyrs of the nation who were honoured by Egypt's leaders and army, and also honoured by all the people and ourselves. We offer our condolences to their families and relatives.

The Coptic Church pays tribute to the valiant Egyptian army, and also pays tribute to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces for what it has issued of official statements regarding the security of Egypt both internally and externally. We support its decision in dissolving the People's Assembly and the Shura (Consultative) Council, and its call for security to reign.

We all believe that Egypt must be a democratic and civil nation, choosing members of its parliament through free and fair elections, having representatives from all facets of the people. We support all of Egypt in its fight against poverty, corruption and unemployment, resisting anarchy and destruction, and for the foundation of security and safety, the principles of social justice, and the unity of nationalism, and the curtailing of corrupt and unlawful people. And the Coptic Church prays for the great Egypt, which has a glorious history and ancient civilization, and we hope that the Lord will keep Egypt safe and spread in it calmness, stability, security and prosperity.


H.H. Pope Shenouda III
Pope of Alexanderia and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
Head of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church

Child Prodigies Astound: Mini-Mozart to a Three-Year-Old Pool Player - ABC News

WOW! See the painting of the 8 years old kid, the pool shots of a 3 years old, and the piano master 12 yrs old girl! I feel I wasted my life in vain!

http://abcnews.go.com/US/child-prodigies-astound-mini-mozart-year-pool-player/story?id=12922378

I reject you my age!

It is a very beautiful profound song (you can listen to it here) from 1988 by Medhat Saleh, here is my translation of the lyrics... for some reasons, I feel its words so much these days...

I reject you my age, my time and my place

I want to live on a different planet

in another world, where wishes still exist,

where human, is still human, living for the other!

This is a volatile world! strong are its winds!

it shakes my self, destroys me!

Without timing, it takes me far away,

from the meaning of my life, from my origin and identity!

and I am helpless! and I am helpless!

There is a big dam, high and horrible, high and horrible!

between me and my soul!

between my spirit and my path!

between my present and past!

and what I hoped and built, I lost in vain!

and I am helpless! and I am helpless!

Repressed and confined dreams are in my heart,

and ruins and orphan amputated destinies!

and bended hopes fighting in me,

as if it is not yet my moment!

In midst of people and crowd,

sense and mercy went astray,

and I lost m peace!

my place became narrow for me!

LIER O' MY TIME! LIER O'MY TIME!

I reject you my age, my time and my place

I want to live on a different planet

Credo: BISHOY ANDRAWES

The full article here

For Mubarak

I am so glad Egypt is now free of Mubarak Regime, that regime that ignited the sectarianism in Egypt, that regime that increased the gap between the poor and the rich in the society. I went to streets supporting the protests 2 weeks ago, and last Friday I went to streets celebrating the resignation of Mubarak.

BUT, now as I hear he is sick (comma & depression):

+ I pray that God heals him and grant him a honorable peaceful life.

+ I pray that Mubarak shall repent, and that God accepts his repentance.

+ I pray that I, and all protesters, be able to forgive and forget for Mubarak.

+ I pray that neither us, nor the new regime/government, shall do him injustice.

+ I pray that democracy finds its way through the current chaos, to achieve the real goals of the revolution.

+ I pray that God implant love and peace in the hearts of Egyptians, towards one another.

+ I pray that we be fair and NOT forgot the few good things that Mubarak and his regime did (in the early years of his rule). Or it would be disgracefulness.

O Lord, bless our lands, Egypt.

Egypt's Turmoil and OT Genocides

Is there such a "justified" killing?

If I am in the holy (to me being Egyptian) Egyptian land, would I be in the demonstrations? I believe so. But because of the absence of police, people had to defend themselves. And to do so, people took kitchen knives, staffs, white weapons etc. Thus, there is a chance to engage in a fight with a criminal, and kill someone... would I participate in killing? A similar question was raised last week in the OCF meeting, when an answer came out: yes! God commanded genocides in the Old Testament (OT)! Is this true? Did God command genocides?

With what is going on in Egypt, I had both questions in the back of my mind, and I believe I have an answer, at least for me. I will try to be brief here.

First, what happened in the OT is taken out of context. Because of many reasons that I try to summarize as follows.

1. Different "punishments". First, there has been different "punishments" in the OT. The great flood in days of Noah. The confusion of language in days of the tower of Babel. The rain of sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah in days of Lute. The 10 Plagues of Egypt in days of Mosses. And then, many "punishments" for the Israelites in the wilderness, and in Canaan. But these are actually calls, not punishments.

2. Call not punishment. God calls each person to return to Him in a gradual manner, according to our response. Gentle whisper first, then invitation, then a push, a warning, etc. The last way God calls us, is that He leaves us to our own desire, rather the wrong desire of our hearts, so that we start reaping what we sow: evil. We saw this with the Israelites many times, in the book of Judges, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc. Again, the goal is people's repentance; that once I see the result of my evil, I realize that I need Him. That is, God left up His support - for a moment - so that we taste how it is without Him. And hence, the door for repentance is always open.

3. Repentance door is open. A "genocide" was commanded to Jericho, but Rahab the prostitute - and all her family - were saved, because she believed and repented. Not only was she saved from the last call to Jericho (to repent), but also she was one of two ladies mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ, glory to His Holy name. Surprisingly, neither was our mother St. Sarah, St. Rebecca or St. Rachel... rather, the two were originally gentiles; Rahab and Ruth! This confirms that God didn't really command a genocide, but it was a call for people of Jericho to repent, and if they did, like Rahab, they would have been saved!

4. Last Call. Did God warn them before? Let us see. 400 years before, God sent them Abraham, who was salt and light among them, and they definitely heard about God's promises to him, which contained warnings and vows to them (and that is why Abraham is considered a prophet). They also had Lute, Melchizedek, and Job. They also witnessed the destroy of Sodom and Gomorrah. Then after 400 years, they saw the 10 plagues of Egypt, and how God split the red sea for them to pass. Yet, their hearts were uncircumcised and they chose not to repent. So, God delivered them to the desire of their hearts.

Now, and second, back to the main question, is there such a "justified" killing? Should I kill or not if I am a soldier in a war? Or if I am in Egypt right now, and need to defend my family?

"Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, ... for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse." (1Corinthians 8:4-7)

Thus, if I am a soldier, or member of safety committee in Egypt, and my conscious is pure that killing as self defense, or country defense, or nation defense, is valid, then it is valid for me. Yet if my conscious tells me that this is wrong and it is cutting the chance for a human to repent, then it is sinful, even if the priest, or patriarch said otherwise.

Bless you Egypt's Unrest!

I say: Bless you Egypt's unrest!

If Egyptian Police intentionally left their duty and released prisoners to terror innocent people, if indeed that was El Adly's plan to show us how insecure the country would go without this "regime", well, Thank you Adly & Bless you unrest!

for you gave us a chance to know that we don't need you to be safe!

for the chance to gain trust in our selves one more time!

for the pot where differences between all people sects did melt down!

for the chance that once again all Egyptians were united in their goal!

for the chance to realize that we care about Egypt more than anything else!

for the chance to realize that Egypt's safety is our priority!

for this historical chance, when Egypt for once, is secular!

for reminding us how great we are, the descendant of Pharos!

It is indeed the first time - since really long time - when people forgot their religion, their political views, their social differences, etc, and were one for one goal: we will keep Egypt safe! It is comforting to see how the youth and men went out forming organized committees to protect their people, the Egyptians! It reminds us with our power, together! It reminds us with our unity, and sharing of the nation, cause and goal, problems and dreams, we share our belonging to Egypt!

I, therefore, joyfully say: Bless you Egypt's unrest!

P.S.: Inspired by watching the Bless you prison movie couple days ago, where Nicoleta finds her path back to God in communist prison.

If I am in Egypt now

If I am in Egypt, I would definitely have went down to streets on Tuesday to protest, peacefully, against the ruling regime.

If I am in Egypt, I would have gone again on Wed and Thu to protest, again peacefully, against the regime.

If I am in Egypt, I would have never participated in any damaging or violence acts, and would have subjugated to curfew conditions.

If I am in Egypt, I would have fought the anarchic people who try to take advantage of such a great move, i.e., the peaceful protesting, and would go shoulder to shoulder with my fellow Egyptians, regardless of their political affiliation, however, I would have never gone shoulder to shoulder with the Muslim Brotherhood group.

I heard Ali, a college student who claims no affiliation to any political party, at El Arabia channel saying how it was peaceful, and that some youth from Brotherhood were mad and wanted to burn and damage, but they tried to stop them. He also condemned the way the police treated their peaceful move, from the very beginning of Friday. In sense, that is what pushed it to be non-peaceful. So, who is the main responsible for what is going on? The current regime, which should leave, but in lawful way, not through violence.

It would have been much more better, and much more efficient if we had continuous small peaceful protests until the elections are due. We should have protested with specific feasible requests before the elections, so that we guarantee fair elections. But what is happening now is a loss of the protest messages, as if we only want Mubarak to leave. Yes, we hope for change, not in authority, but in mentality of authors. I am afraid that violent change is NOT leading to a change of authority mentality, the other way around, it confirms it.

So, what? Should I protest or not? What would have I done if I am in Egypt? I am not sure, I really am not sure. I am confused in thoughts between longed desire for speedy reformation, and a hope for smooth peaceful such reformation. I am confused between rejoicing for the people wake up, and my sorrow for the blood shed and the damages. I am between my hope for a, finally, a change, and fear from that change. I am between looking forward for secular regime, and my fear from radical-fanatic- religious gang, i.e., Muslim Brotherhood. Sigh! I am confused... I don't know where is the goodness for Egypt... I just pray that whatever outcome will be for Egypt's goodness.

So, in conclusion, what to do now if I am in Egypt? Again, I would protest, again and again, but peacefully and never participate in any damaging or violence episodes. God bless Egypt.

"Blessed is Egypt my people" (Isaiah 19:25)