: A journey with the church fathers through!

Lent, Passion week, Pentecost.

Introdu ced: Bishop Moussa.
Author : Father Mikhail E. Mikhail
Publisher : The Bishopric of Youth Library.
^ P re ss : Al Geil printing House.
t
Le ga l D eposit : 5653/2003
= Jo ■.* 5-049-346-977
COPTIC ORTHODOX PA TRIARCHATE
ST. MARK COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
Cleveland, Ohio

A JOURNEY W IT H
THE CHURCH FATHERS
THROUGH

LENT PASSION WEEK

& PENTECOST

Introduction by:
H.G. Bishop Moussa
The Bishop of Youth

Prepared bv;

Father
Mikhail E. Mikhail, D. Min.
 H.H. Pope Shenouda III
Pope (117) of the Holy See of St. Mark
 INTRODUCTION

Through this series of our beloved father hegomen

Mikhail Edward Mikhail, we are going to study what the
church fathers said about the journeys of Lent, Passion
Week, and Holy Pentecost.
The journey of Lent, which is for repentance
and coming back to God
W: The journey of Passion Week, which is for
sharing in Christ’s passions.
"0. The journey of Holy Pentecost, which is the,
journey of the resurrection of the Living Christ,
who is risen from the dead.
The Lent consists of the Preparation Week plus the holy
forty days, i.e., seven weeks. It ends with the day of the
triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem (Palm
Sunday).
The Passion Week is that week before the resurrection,
when we follow the lerd in his pathway to the cross.
The Holy Pentecost lasts seven weeks. It starts with the
resurrection and ends with the Pentecost Day.
I hope the beloved reader earns spiritual bless out of
this precious book, which involves a treasure of sayings
of many fathers that enriched the Christian Theology and
inflamed the spirit of holy contemplation.
May the Lord blesses who collect these sayings to us as
a unique bracelet.
By the prayers of our beloved shepherd His Holiness
Pope Shenouda 111, who inspired the contemporary
renaissance of the Church.

Bishop Moussa
 The Lent
Preparation Week of lent
First Sunday of lent
Second Sunday of lent
Third Sunday of lent
Fourth Sunday of lent
Fifth Sunday of lent ^
Sixth Sunday of lent
Seventh Sunday of lent
 Chapter ^ T H E L E N T

^ Preparation Week:
We shall study what the fathers said about the three
basic aspects of spiritual discipline: Alms, Fasting, and
Prayer.
^ First Sunday of Lent: (M att. 6: 19-33)
What the fathers said about:
I- Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, but
in heaven.
II- No one can serve two masters.
Ill- Seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

^ Second Sunday: (M att. 4:1-11)

The temptation of Jesus on the mountain.
What the fathers said about that and about temptations
in general.
® Thi.rd Sunday: ( Luke 15:11-32)
The Parable of the Prodigal Son.
We shall learn about the influence of sin in man.

^ Fourth Sunday: (J o h n 4:1-42)

The Sam aritan W oman.
We shall learn about repentance and confession.

^ Fifth Sunday: (J o h n 5:1-18)

The Paralytic M an.

We shall learn about the forgiveness of sins.
 ^ Sixth Sunday: ( John 9:1-41)

Jesus Heals a M an Born Blind.

What the fathers said about baptism and spiritual
illumination.

^ Seventh Sunday:

The Trium phal E ntry to Jerusalem .

M att. (21:1-11)
M ark (11:1-11)
Luke (19:28-40)
John (12:12-17)
We shall learn about the Kingdom of Christ, and what
the fathers said about it.
After that, we shall learn about the journey of the
Passion Week and the Holy Pentecost.
 ( M atthew 6:1-18)

e* First: The Alms

Read M atthew 6:1-4
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds
before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no
reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when
you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before
you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the
streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I
say to you, they have their reward.
But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your
left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your
charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who
sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. ”

^ In his book ‘The Shepherd," Hermas said:

f “Do good deeds, and from the product of your work

that the Lord gives you, give all the needy persons
with a simple heart. Don't be very concerned about
whom to give. Give to all people, because God
 wants His gifts to be distributed to all people. Those
who take shall be judged before God, why and for
what reason they took. The needy ones who took
will not be condemned, but those who falsely took
will be punished”.
So, the person who gives is not responsible for that,
since as he received from the Lord he also gave to others
without thinking to whom it is worthy and to whom it
isn’t.”
^ St. flbba Anthony said:
t “Suppose you gave someone a pound of silver, how
happy will you be if you received it a pound of
gold?”
t “Those who are constantly looking for the heavenly
reward, always wish to offer alms to the needy”.
t Also he said: “ If your hand gives but your heart is
empty of kindness, then you have done nothing. The
question is not just giving, but to give in joy. If you
have nothing to give, it is enough to offer kindness
only to whom we love”.
In an interesting speech about the mercy,
St. John the Chrysostum said:
1“ “Mercy raises man to a high level and provides him
a great boldness toward God. Just as the queen if
she wished to enter to the king, nobody can stop her
or ask her where she wants to go, but instead ail the
courtiers will salute her. So, too, he who has mercy
and gives to the needy can enter to the King’s
throne without any obstructions and present himself
before Him, because God extremely loves mercy
and is always with Him.”
 ^ St. Jerome, in a letter to a Roman noble virgin
called Eustochium, said:
t “You have to avoid the sin of loving money,
because the Lord said: “I f you have not been
faithful in what is another m an’s, who will give
you what is your own?” (Lk 16: 12)
t 1 For what belongs to others is just a mass o f gold or
silver, but what belongs to you is the spiritual
inheritance, about which it is said in another place:
“A man’s riches may ransom his life” (Prov 11:8)

^ St. John ei-Tobboyssi of flssiut said:

f “He who loves the poor is like he who has an
intercessor in the governor's house. He who opens
his door to the needy, holds in his hands the key to
God’s door. And he who lends whomever asks him,
will be rewarded by the Master of all.”

Second: The Prayer (Matt 6 : 5,6)

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the
hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and on the corners o f the streets, that they
may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have
their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your
room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your
Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who
sees in secret will reward you openly. ”
^ About “shutyour door, ”St. John Chrysostum said.
t “God wants you to shut the door of your worldly
thoughts rather than your room’s door.”
And about “Prayer in secret,” he also said:
 H3 “God Himself is unseen, thus He wishes your prayer
also to be unseen.”

^ About the trust in answering prayer St Isqqc, the

disciple of St Anthony, said:

t 1 “When we pour out our prayer, we must trust that

we shall receive what we ask for, because we surely
believe that our prayer will reach God. The prayer
of a man is answered when he believes that God is
concerned about him and capable of giving him
what he asks for”
This trust is based on the promise of our Lord,
“Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that
you receive them, anclyou will have them. ” (Mk 11: 24)
About the question: “If God knows whatever we
need without asking for it, then why should we tell
Him about something that He knows?” i.e., why do
we have to pray and ask for something which God
knows that we need it? To answer this question,
St Jerome s a id :

t “Here we are standing not to tell but to supplicate

and appeal. There is a difference, in fact, between a
man that is telling something to whom doesn’t
know it, and asking something from Whom knows
everything. The former one guides the person who
speaks to him, while the latter one honors and
praises Him”.
The former explains the matter, but the latter asks for
mercy.”
 ^ About prayer, St. John th e S te p p e r said :
f “Prayer, in essence, is m an’s companionship with
God and a tool fo r unifying with Him. Yet, prayer
in action is a support to the creation and
reconciliation with God”.

t “Prayer is nutrition fo r the soul, and illumination

to the mind, an axe that cuts despair, as well as a
sign o f hope and vanishing o f sadness”.

t “Prayer is the angels’ acts, the food of all non­

incarnated persons, and the coming joy”.

t “Your prayer should be entirely simple and out of

affectation or adoration. Remember that the tax
collector and the lost son have both been reconciled
to God by just one phrase”.

f “The benefits of prayer is evident by the willingness

of all devils to erect many obstructions for us
within the scheduled times of prayer”.

t “When you pray for the sake of another person, and

your prayer is answered, don’t feel superior”.
Remember that the other person’s faith had worked and
supported your prayer.

St. John Caspian explained the connection

between the Bible and prayer, he said:
t Each of them supports the other through the action
of the Holy Spirit.
 t Also he said: “In the daily hour prayers, the person
who prays can convert the recitation of Psalms to a
personal prayer that matches his own relation with
God.”

t “In studying the Bible, the reader should not only

be concerned with just reading. Yet he should
convert the passages which he reads into a deep
contemplation”.
By doing that, the words of the Bible become a
personal prayer for him.”

Third: Fasting
“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the
hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure
their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you,
when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so
that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your
Father, who is in the secret place; and your Father who
sees in secret, will reward you openly. ” (Matt 6:16-18)

^ About “ anoint your head & wash your face ”, St

Severus of Antioch said:
'f “God is pointing here, by using the members of the
body, to the brightness and cleansing of the spirit.
God is directing us to wash ourselves and to be
clean by being far from the evil. Also, to be bright
and ornamented by doing the good, that enlightens
us through the spiritual grace”.
 About the goal of fasting, St. Theonus said :
f “The goal of fasting is to purify our hearts, that is to
look to God as a father who receives our love
Therefore, the enemy of good tries his best to spoil
this achievement by placing in our hearts boasting
and love of commendation from people, in order to
draw us away of God Fasting, then, becomes just a
formal action without spirit. We don’t fast for the
sake of fasting itself, nor for depriving ourselves,
but for the sake of self control and launching our
hearts toward the heavenly life”.

^ St. Mar Isaac said :

f 1 “Every struggle against sin and desires should be
started by fasting, particularly if the struggle is
against an inner sin”.

^ St. Basil the Great said :

t “We have been exiled from the first earthly paradise
because we didn’t fast. Now, we have to fast in
order to get back to the heavenly paradise. Fasting
enables us to recover what we had lost due to
Adam’s failure to fast, and reconciles us with God.”

^ St. John Chrysostum said :

t “Fasting will be useless if we went through it
carelessly without contemplation”.

^ St. Augustine said :

“Do you want your prayer to rise upward to the
heavens? Provide it, then, with two wings: fasting and
alms”.
 Also about fasting, St. John the Stepper, said :
t “Fasting is a purification for prayer, light for the
soul, a stimulus for the mind, and a polish for the
steadfastness of heart. It is an entrance for humility
and self-annihilation”.

f “Fasting provides a way for light sleeping and a

healthy body. It is a mediator to God and
forgiveness of sins. It’s a gate for pafradise and
heaven”.

f “Fasting is a tranquilizer for talkativeness, a path for

peace of soul, and a guard for obedience”.

^ St. Gregory, the Archimandrite of Cyprus,

said about fasting :

f “He who has a voracious stomach always has dreams

that annoy his heart. But he who reduces eating, becomes
clear hearted. As the sky is getting dark when cloudy, so
the mind also is darkened when the stomach is getting full
of food”.

^ St John €I-Tabayssi of Assiut, said:

t “Fasting of the body is to cease from food and
drink. Yet, the spiritual fasting means that man
should be hungry and thirsty for righteousness.”

T O
 (M atthew 6:19-33)
This Gospel dra\ys our attention to these three points:
First: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth
. . but in heaven.

Second: No one can serve two masters . . You cannot

serve both God and money.

Third: Seek first the kingdom of God and His

righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you..

^ FIRST : D on’t lay up fo r yourselves treasures on

earth .. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.

^ St. A ugustine said :

t “If the heart was stuck to earth, i.e. the man is
eagerly seeking earthly benefits in his deeds, how
could it be purified then, since it is already
wallowing in earth? But if the heart was directed
toward heaven, then it will be pure because all
things in the heaven are pure’’.
 Everything can get contaminated if it was mixed
with other substances of lower grade, even if this
other substance is pure in itself. Gold, for example,
could be contaminated if it is mixed with pure
silver. Our mind, too, could be contaminated with
fondness of earthly matters, despite the purity and
the beautiful arrangement of earth itself.”
About the same verse “Do not lay up fo r
yourselves”, St. John Chrysostum said :
t “As Christ gave us this direction, He declared the
positive side first, that is we can convert our
treasure upward in the heaven by giving to the
needy. He also announced the negative side by the
threat of whatever we keep here can be spoiled in
one way or another and therefore we loose it
forever, which was the intention of His saying: It
gathers for moth, rust, and thieves. If you escaped
from all these troubles, you couldn’t escape from
the slavery of your heart to it. Then, your heart will
be totally stuck downward, for where your treasure
is, your heart also will be there. So, let us establish
our stores in heaven^”
^ St. John the Stepper said :
°fr “All those who chose asceticism had, for sure,
abandoned the world either for their hope in the
coming Kingdom, or their love to God”.
f Also he said: “He who abandoned the world, has
been liberated from sadness. But he who is attached
to any worldly matter, will remain enslaved to it. If
such person lost what he loves, how much will be
his sadness for that?”.
 ■^ Father Theodorus 61-faraimy owned three
precious books. When he visited F ather M accarius
he asked him: •
1" “Father, I have three precious books that I and other
brothers benefit from reading them. But I’d like to
know what 1 should do with them. May I keep them
for our benefit, or should I sell them and give to the
needy?”
■^St. Maccarius answered him: “Both are good deeds,
but to possess nothing is the best of all”.
When Father Theodorus heard that, he went and sold
the books. Then, he gave their price to the needy.
^St.John €l-Taboyssi of flssiut said :
f “You enter the world by your interest in it, and you exit
from it by knowing God”,
f “The pure soul is, indeed, a dwelling for God”.
SECOND : No one can serve two masters . . You
cannot serve both God and money.
^ St. John Caspian mentioned some serious
examples of greed and love of money. He said:
t “Because of greed, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the
prophet, fell into lying. Thus, he lost the prophetic
spirit, and received leprosy for the rest of his life”.
t “Greed attracted Ananias and his wife Sapphira to lie
to the Holy Spirit, so they both fell down and died”.
t “Greed also drew Judas, one of the disciples, to
betray his Master. So, he lost his rank as a disciple
o f Christ and he com m itted su icide”.
Then, we have to be careful and to keep away not only
from gathering money, but also from eagerness for it.
 ^ Father Maximus the Confessor said :
There are three causes for love of money:
1. Love of pleasures.
2. The passing glory of the world.
3. Distrust and lack of faith.
The third cause is the worst of all.

St. John Chrysostum said :

Love of money has no mastery in itself. Yet it was
called master just for the misery of those who submitted
to it. Likewise, the stomach also has been called a god,
“Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and
whose glory is in their shame - who set their mind on
earthly things. ” (Philip 3:19)
This mistress, the belly, was not so called for her honor,
but for the misery of those who are enslaved to her.
^ St.Augustine said:
“He who serves money is submitting himself to a cruel
and destructive devil. As he was confused with lust for
money, he submitted himself to this devil and got stuck to
him, even though he disliked him.
For he who loves money is much like a man who loves
a maid of a hard person. Despite the fact that he doesn’t
like the master, he submits himself to his severe slavery
because of his fondness of the maid.”

St. Augustine also said:

t “Possess, but don’t be possessed. Take, but don’t
be taken. Be a master of your money, and not a
slave of it”.
t “If you own gold, you should be a master, rather
than a slave, of it.
 t “Gold and silver are good, but they are unable alone
to make you good. Therefore, you can only make
good things by using them”.
^ St. John the Stepper said:
t “Love of money is idolatry, the catching of diseases,
and the fruit of unfaithfulness”,
t “As the sea is never free of waves, so love of money
is never free of wrath and trouble”.
f “Don’t say that you save money for the sake of poor.
Remember that just two cents (Leptas) had
purchased the Kingdom of God”.
f ' “With Job, no love of money was there. So. he
continued to have peace even when he lost
everything”.
THIRD : Seek first the kingdom o f God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added to
you.
In a contemplation of St. Augustine about this
verse, he said :
t “The kingdom and righteousness of God is the
bread that we are seeking and the intention of all
our deeds. But, since we serve in this world as
recruiters who are eager for the kingdom of heaven,
we need the essential necessities for our life.
Therefore, the Lord said: all these things shall be
added to you”.
St. Augustine also said :
t “The earthly dwelling is for destruction, while the
heavenly dwelling stays forever”.
 t Also he said: “ Who doesn’t feel longing to be in
the city at which no friend can exit and no enemy
can enter?”
Someone asked Father John, the Persian:
"fr “Since we have done such a big effort seeking the
Kingdom of Heaven; do you think, Father, that we
are worthy to inherit it?”
Father John answered him, saying:
t “I trust that I’ll inherit the above Jerusalem, because
He who promised it to us is faithful, why then I
doubt?
I was hospitable like Abraham, meek like Moses,
righteous like Aaron, patient like Job, faithful like Peter,
and wise like Solomon. I believe, like the robber so did,
that He who gave me all these gifts with His
overwhelming goodness, will grant me His kingdom too”.
^ Father Isidores the Priest said :
t “If you wish to earn the kingdom of heaven, you
must have contempt for money and strive for the
divine reward”.
^ St. Cyril of Alexandria said:
t “Our Master, Who loves the good, wishes us to
avoid all temporary and earthly matters, to be far
from the love of body, of interest in passing profit,
and of disgraceful desires. We should pay no
attention to riches, and have contempt for collection
o f money and love of profit. We have to love
goodness and to love each other.
We should avoid storing up treasures on earth. We
should overcome wrangle and envy, and avoid
quarreling with our brothers. Yet, we should look
after all useful matters that are necessary for the
salvation of the soul”.
 The Temptation on the M ount (M atthew 4:1-11)
The temptation of our Lord Jesus Christ on the
mountain had a principle dimension in our salvation,
because it was an essential part of His divine salvation task.
Here, we are going to study what the fathers said about
seven questions:
1- The reason for temptation. Why temptation?
2- The role of the Holy Spirit during temptation.
3 - The place of temptation.
4- Who is the tempter?
5- The connection between temptation and fasting.
6- The type of the three temptations.
7 - The angels’ ministering to Jesus.

i- The Reason for temptation:

“ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil. ” (Matt.4: 1)

^ Father Serapion said :

f “The Lord, within His temptation, has taught us
how to overcome the devil”.
 St. Augustine said:

t “Our leader, Jesus, permitted the temptation for

Himselfjust to teach His children how they can fight”.

^ St. Gregory the Great said :

T “Truly it fits Him Who came to replace our death by
His death, that He also overcomes our temptations by
His temptations”.

2- The Role of the Holy Spirit in the

temptation:
“Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness”
(Matt 4:1)

St. John Chrysostum said :

It" “Not only Christ was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness, but also all sons of God who have the
Spirit in them. Because they don’t accept to stay at
rest, but the Holy Spirit moves them to achieve
great deeds.
Then they go out into the wilderness to fight against
the devil and resist all deeds of oppression inspired
by him. So, all godly persons.are getting out into
the wilderness to be tempted like that, as they have
neither worldly nor bodily desires”.

3-The Place of the temptation : (The

Wilderness)
God chose the wilderness to be the place of
temptation. About that, St. John Chrysostum said :
 t “Look where the Spirit led Him to be tempted! Not
into a city nor a public plaza, but into the
wilderness. It sounds like He was inducing the devil
by giving him more opportunity there; not only for
His hunger, but also for the place itself. In such
cases the devil fights well against people, especially
when he finds them left alone. For example, he had
tempted the woman (Eve) in the beginning when he
caught her alone, far from her man.
When the devil finds us with other people, gathered
together, he may not have sufficient confidence to
attack us. Therefore, we greatly need to gather
always together to avoid the attacks of devil on us”.

4- Who is the Tempter ? He is the devil.

St. John the Chrysostom said :
t “The devil almost gave up when he found Christ
fasting for forty days. But, since he recognized that
He got hungry later, he recovered his hope. “The
tempter came to him ” (Matt 4:3).
For you, then, if you were fasting and suffered from
a temptation, don’t say to yourself: I lost the benefit
of my fasting. Yet, if you fast and undergo a
temptation, you will overcome it by fasting” .

5 -The Connection between Temptation and

Fasting :
“And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights,
afterward he was hungry. The tempter came to him ”
(Matt 4:2,3).
 St Augustine said :
t “Whenever there are excessive attacks from the
tempter, we have to fast. Because fasting enables
the body to carry on the Christian duty of fighting
against the lusts of world, as well as it inspires the
soul to overcome temptation with humility” .
^ Father Hilary of Poitiers said :
f “The Master had fasted forty days. Therefore, the
church sanctifies that forty-day fasting for it is
already sanctified by the Master Himself The
church presents the “temptation” issue in the
commencement of fasting readings, to declare to her
sons that wherever there is a fight there will be a
war, and wherever there is war, a spiritual fight with
fasting and prayer should be there”.
6- The Type of Each of the Three Temptations:
First Temptation : (Tem ptation o f Bread)
“Now when the tempter came to Him, he said: I f you
are the Son o f God, command that these stones become
bread. But He answered and said: It is written, “Man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth o f God. ” (Matt. 4: 3,4)

^ St. Jerome said :

t “The first temptation was that of bread, or the belly
temptation. But as “A satisfied soul loathes honey”
(Prov 27:7), then the enemy will find no place
inside our souls as long as they are full with the
Master Himself, not just in a state of fullness only
but overflowing too. In that state, we can be able to
live a semi-angelic life, and no longer the stomach
has mastery on us”.

©
 ^ father John of Khronstadt said:
f “Be totally sure that the enemy attacks the heart
through the fullness o f stomach’’.

^ St. John Climakus said:

t “Be always the master of your stomach, otherwise it
will be a master over you. He who cares for his
voracity and, at the same time, hopes to overcome
sensuality, is much like he who tries to smolder fire
by oil”

Second Temptation : (On the pinnacle of

the temple)
“Then the devil took him up into the holy city, set
Him on the pinnacle o f the temple, and said to Him, ‘I f
You are the Son o f God, throw Yourself down. For it is
written: He shall give His angles charge over you, and
in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your
foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is written
again: You shall not tempt the Lord your God”
(Matt 4:5-7).

^ St. John Chrysostum said :

t “For the second time, Christ gently answered the
devil with the words of the Holy Bible, without
getting enraged or riled. He did so to teach us that
we can overcome the devil with endurance and
patience rather than doing miracles. Also, He
declared that we should not do anything for
boasting or passing glory only”.
 % St. Jerome said :
f “The bitter matter in this temptation is that the devil
can enter into the holy city and even up to the
pinnacle of the temple, i.e. to the highest holy places,
in order to fight against the sons of God. That means
that he never stop fighting against us wherever we are”.
^ St. Jerome also added :
t “The devil’s saying, ‘throw yourself down’, indicates
the permanent wish of the devil that all of us fall
down”.

Third Temptation : (The Easy Way)

“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly
high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms o f the
world and their glory. A nd he said, ‘ A ll these things I
will give You if You will fa ll down and worship m e”.
Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For
it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and
Him only you shall serve. ’” (Matt. 4:8-10)
^ About the words of Christ, ‘ Away with you, Satan’,
St. Anthony said :
t “It was a gift presented from Christ the Master to
the believers in Him. They can, as those who have
authority, use the same words o f Christ, Who is
living in them.
They can say, ‘ Let the devil be disgraced by these
words, for whatever the Lord said is for our use.
Therefore, when the demons hear words like that,
they must get away from us by the power of the
Lord who rebuked them with these words”.
 St. Jerome said :
t ‘‘The devil showed Him the glory of the passing
world. But the Savior descended to the lowest
places to overcome the devil by humility, as if He
says to him, ‘How much you are supercilious and
high-toned! For the devil doesn’t own the world
to be able to give its kingdoms. Yet, the only one
who can really give the kingdom for many is
God".
^ The Ministry of flngeis to Christ:
“Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came
and ministered to H im ” (Matt.4: 11)
^ St. Jerome said :
t “The triumph came after the temptation, and angels
came to minister to the triumphant, and to confirm
His honor”.

^ St. John Chrysostum said :

t “After your triumphs, that originate from His

triumphs, the angels receive you too, honor you,
minister to you, and act as guards for you in
everything”.
 THIRD

3 A SUNDAY

The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

About sin, H. H. Pope Shenouda III said :

t “Sin means death. It is separation from God, and
deprivation of Him. It is wandering and loss. Sin is
a defeat rather than a triumph. It’s uncleanness and
disgrace. It’s corruption of the human nature”.
We can find all these meanings in the parable of the
prodigal son:
Sin caused death to him, that is why the father said,
"For this my son was dead and is alive again. ”
(Luke 15:24)
Sin caused him wandering and loss. For that reason
also his father said, “He was lost and is fou nd.”
(Luke 15: 24)

And sin caused him uncleanness, disgrace, and

corruption of the human nature, as “ he would gladly
have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine
ate, and no one gave him anything”. (Luke 15:16)

3
The Parable of the Prodigal Son:
“A certain man had two sons. A nd the younger o f
them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion
o f goods that falls to me. ’ So he divided to them his
livelihood. A nd not many days after, the younger
son gathered all together, journeyed to a fa r
country, and there wasted his possessions with
prodigal living. ” (Luke 15: 11-13)
The younger son left his father’s home. He thought
that by this flight he is going to be completely free.

But, as St. Cyprian the martyr said :

"f ‘‘He who hasn’t the church as mother to him, cannot
be able to have God as father”.

Also he said :
t “He who stays out of the church, is out of Christ’s
camp”.

^ St. Ambrose of Milan said :

f “He who stays away from the church, wastes his
inheritance”.
This son was a fool in doing that, because he thought
that his situation outside his father’s home will be
better than inside it. He didn’t recognize the real
concept of freedom.

^ About that, St. John the Stepper said :

t “When sin enters the heart it brings foolery with it.
But the righteous hearts are full with wisdom”.
^ About the expression, ‘journeyed to a fa r country
St. Ambrose of Mi Ion commented:

f “ The farthest distance for a man is to be separated in

customs rather than in place. In such separation, he
doesn’t need to set off for different countries, but
just to carry different thoughts”.

^k St. Augustine said :

f “This departure indicates the desire of man to
depend on himself and his personal power, so he
looses the power of God. On the contrary, being
close to God and depending on Him to direct our
life, will bring us to be in the likeness of Him”.

$k That was the state of the lost son. About such state,
St. Augustine also said :
IP With sin, the tendency of man converts from the
Most High Creator to the low worldly creatures.

t “How very terrible was my transgression that 1 have

been sunk in it, listening to an unclean curiosity that
led me away from God”.

t “The road of sins may satisfy you because it is

broad and many are walking in it. Maybe you can
recognize its breadth, but you cannot see its end”.

f “Sin enters our life when the waves of the world

enter through the cracks of our weakness”.
 “But when he had spent all, there arose a severe
famine in that land, and he began to be in need. ”
(Luke 15: 14)

^ About that, St. Ambrose of Milan said:

t “The starvation that spread among that whole
country was not a starvation of food but of virtues
and good deeds. Does anything need more pity
than that?!”.
He who strays far from the word of God gets
hungry, because: " Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceeds from the
mouth o f G od." (Matt. 4:4)
Being far from a spring we get thirsty. Being far from
the treasure we get poor. Being far from wisdom we get
foolish. And, being far from virtue we die.
Therefore, it was normal for this son to become needy,
because he had left God “ In whom are hidden all the
treasures o f wisdom and knowledge. ” (Colos 2: 3) As
he left the depths of the heavenly gifts, he got hungry.
Actually, there is no way for the world to satisfy the
prodigal son because man always becomes hungry if he
doesn’t recognize that the eternal food is the source of
satisfaction.

M “Then he went and joined him self to a citizen o f

that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed
swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with
the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him
anything”. (Luke 15: 15,16)
 ^ Here St. Ambrose of Milan said :
f “It sounds like this man is indicating Satan (The
ruler of this world). He sent this son into his fields,
with which the buyer excused himself from the
kingdom feast. (Luke 14: 18). In such fields there are
swine, which the demons had asked to enter into
them, and the swine then rushed down the steep
bank of the lake of this world. (Matt.8: 32) The
swine usually live on awful things and filth.”
He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods
that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
The sinner always has no more interest than to fill his
stomach, as it is written: “whose god is their belly.”
(Philip. 3: 19) The food that fits for them is the pods,
which are soft from outside but empty from inside. It can
fill the stomach, but is without nutritive value. Also, its
weight is much more than its benefit.

^ His coining to him self:

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘ How many
o f my fath er’s hired servants have bread enough and to
spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to
my father, and will say to him, “ Father, I have sinned
against heaven and before you, and I am no longer
worthy to be called your son. Make me like one o f your
hired servants. ” (Luke 15: 17-19)
St. Ambrose said :
“He came to himself after he had been separated from
it, namely he came back to God. For coming back to God
is coming to self, and he who separates himself from
Christ resists himself.”
 St. Augustine said :
f b ‘He came to himself because he has been separated
from it. As he had already fallen away from
himself, then he should come to himself first, in
order to turn back to his initial situation before
falling.”
Also St. Augustine said :
t “As he deserted himself, he has already been
separated from his father. As he fell away from
himself, he went far toward the materialistic things.
Now he is coining to himself and, therefore, to his
father. Here, his soul will feel peace and security”.
^ St. Abba Anthony said to St. Abba Poemen :
t “This is the best work the man can do, to carry his
sin and put it before God, waiting till his last
breath.”
Also he said:
t “If the soul surrenders to God with all its strength,
God will cleanse it from all its defects and pains,
one by one, till it will be free of them all”.
About the coming back of the lost son, St. John
Chrysostum said :
t “We have to work also, even if we are away from
home. We have to raise ourselves up to reach our
Father’s home, without delay through the journey.
If we have the will, then our coming back shall be
fast and very easy. Only we have to leave the far
country, which is the sin. Let’s leave it to come
back fast to our Father’s home”.
“Someone may ask, ‘How can I come back?’ Just start
working, and everything will be achieved.”
 ^ Father Penophius said :
t “To overcome any sin, man should first get rid of
all causes that lead to it. This way, we can get
rid of our sins”.

^ About the phrase, “ Father, I have sinned against

heaven and before y o u ” St flligustine, praying to
God, said :

f “On the altar confessing to You, I put my heart as an

offering and praise for You. So light it with the
flame of Your love. And, don’t leave for me any part
of it that may remind me of myself. But, light me
totally and let me be melted into You, so I can love
You with all my strength.”

)$( The F ath er’s Attitude :

“But when he was still a great way off, his father

saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his
neck and kissed him A nd the son said to him, ‘Father,
I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and I
am no longer worthy to be called your son. ’ But the
father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and
put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals
on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and
let us eat and be merry; fo r this my son was dead and is
alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began
to be merry.” (Luke 15:20-24)
 ^ St. Augustine said :
t 1 “As he ran, he fell on his neck. For the Father never
• leaving His Only Begotten Son, Who always runs
toward us, we who were long lost, “That God was
in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. ”
(2Corinth. 5:19) Therefore, He falls on the man’s
neck, and bows to embrace the whole world with
His arms, i.e., with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Also he said :
t “The repentant shall be comforted by the word of
God’s grace that grants the hope of forgiveness sins,
which is fulfilled by the kiss of love that comes from
the Father when coming back to Him after a long
journey.”
^ St. John Chrysostum gave an explanation to
this part, very close to that o f St. Augustine, as he
said :
t “What does ‘he ran’ mean except that we cannot
reach to God through our virtue because the obstacle
of our sins. But, God can come Himself to the weak
person and, thus, falls on his neck”.
Also he said:
t ‘kissed him ’, means that the Father receives in joy
that person who confesses with his mouth, and
repents from all his heart.
St. John Climokus, the Stepper, said :
1* “We shall never get out of the transgression pit that
we have fallen into unless we descend to the bottom
of humility of repentance”.
Also he said :
f “When our conscious spurs us for our shameful
deeds, we should keep remembering them with
sorrow until the Lord sees our good and blots them
out.”
About the father’s receiving of his son, St.
Augustine said:
f “God blots out all my transgressions when I repent to
Him.”
Also St. Augustine said :
t “My Lord Jesus has liberated my soul from all
troubles and hardships of this world.”
^ About the peace that the son enjoyed after his
coming back, St. Penophius said :
f “The sign of the true repentance is that it brings
internal peace for the soul through the sorrow and
remorse for sin.”
^ Also he said:
t “Repentance without feeling internal peace can
bring despair and despondence that picks the hope
from the soul”.
^ H. H. Pope Shenoudcs III said :
t “If you feel despair from yourself, don’t feel
despair from the grace of God. If your deeds
couldn’t bring repentance to you, be sure that the
action of God for your sake can bring it to you”.
About encouraging repentance, also he said :
t “Remember always that you are a temple for the
Holy Spirit, so don’t bring sadness to the Spirit of
God that is in you, but be always a holy temple”.
 (Jo h n 4: 1-42)

® Read John 4: 5-10

“So He came to a city o f Samaria which is called
Sychar, near the plot o f ground that Jacob gave to his
son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus
therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by
the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman o f
Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give
Me a drink. ’ For His disciples had gone away into the
city to buy food.
Then the woman o f Samaria said to Him, ‘How is it
that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a
Samaritan woman?’ For Jews have no dealings with
Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, “ I f you
knew the gift o f God, and who it is who says to you,
‘Give me a drink, ’ you would have asked Him, and He
would have given you living water.”
 ^ St. Cyril, the Pillar of Faith, said :

t “Since the woman couldn’t recognize the essence of

the Only Begotten Son, that transcends the heaven and the
earth, and she had completely no knowledge about the
incarnated Word, then she simply called Him a Jew.
But for Him, He kept silent about this matter, for her
benefit, in order that He can start a conversation with her.
But, did He raise her to higher recognition of Himself by
telling her that she does not know who it is who asks her
for a drink, or how much is the grace that results from the
divine gifts?
Because if she knew that, she surely could not be able
to delay in serving Him. Yet, she would not let the Lord
asks her. So, He inspired in her, by that way, an extremely
serious desire for learning.
Now, look at Him while He cleverly manages the
conversation with her, without any excess. Although He
said to her that He is God, the woman was having trouble
comprehending.
To make her be surprised for the gift of God, He first
introduced Himself to her as the grace giver.
Since He said to her, “ I f you knew the gift o f God,
and who it is who asks you fo r a drink, you would have
asked Him, and He would have given you living water,”
then to whom does it fit to give what only God can give?
Isn’t it by nature God?

About the “living water,” S t. Cyril the Pillar of

Faith, went on saying:
 t “He called the life-giving gift o f the Holy Spirit,
‘the living water’, because the human nature itself,
although it is thirsty now to its roots after it has
become deserted and empty of all virtues as a result
of the devil’s cheating and lying, but this very
nature hurries to come back to its initial virtue, and
to pine for the life-giving grace. So, it can be
ornamented with many kinds of good deeds. Its
stem shall extend with virtues, and branches of
love, that are thirsty for God, shall grow to it.”
® Read John 4: 11-14
“The woman said to Him, ‘ Sir, You have nothing
to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You
get that living water? Are You greater than our father
Jacob, who ga ve us the well, and drank from it himself,
as well as his sons and his livestock?
Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks o f
this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks o f the
water that I. shall give him will never thirst. But the
water that I shall give him will become in him a
fountain o f water springing up into everlasting life”
The Samaritan woman suggesting that “Are you
greater than our father Jacob?”, is a very difficult
question to be answered. But the Savior, wisely avoiding
any excess, didn’t say to her directly that He is indeed
greater than Jacob. Instead, He inspired her, through the
nature of matter, to accept Him Who is above all.
So, He disclosed to her how great and incomparable the
difference between the spiritual water and the material or
touchable water is by saying: “Whoever drinks of this
water will thirst again”. But, as He said, whoever is filled
with My water will not only never be thirsty again, but
will have within himself a “fountain of water” springing
up to everlasting life.
Therefore, he who gives the greater thing is greater
than he who gives the lesser. And there is no way for the
defeated person to have the same glory as the triumphant.
We should also know that the Savior here called the
grace of the Holy Spirit, “the water” that whoever shares
in it will have the gift of divine teaching, that always
overflows in him. Thus, he will no longer need to be
taught from others. Yet, the teaching with which he can
inspire other people who are thirsty to the heavenly and
divine Word, shall be available for him.
There were some people like that; the prophets, the
apostles, and their successors in the apostolic ministry,
who are still here in our current life on the earth. About
those people it is written, “Therefore with jo y you will
draw water from the wells o f salvation. ” (Isaiah 12: 3)

^ Read John 4:15-19

“The woman said to Him, ‘ Sir, give me this water,

that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw. ’
Jesus said to her, ‘ Go, call your husband, and come
h e r e T h e woman answered and said, ‘I have no
husband. ’ Jesus said to her, “ You have well said, ‘I
have no husband,' fo r you have had five husbands, and
the one whom you now have is hot your husband; in
that you spoke truly.”
The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are
a prophet. ”
 Here, St. Cyril the Great said :
t “Again the woman kept talking and thinking only
about normal matters. She didn’t understand
anything of what she had heard. She simply
assumed that the intention of our Savior was to
release her from the trouble and effort of drawing
water with pails and jars, so she will not get
thirsty again. She imagined the measure of God’s
grace only like that, without trying to raise her
thinking to achieve the gifts that are surpassing
this world. So, Jesus said to her “Go, call your
husband, and come here. ”

^ About that, St. Cyril, the Pillar of Faith, also said :

t “He wished to disclose to her some hidden matters,
to make her recognize Him. Therefore, when He
said to her, “you have had five husbands, and the
one you now have is not your husband,” she said,
“Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.”

“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and

you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where
one ought to worship”. (John 4:20)
^ About that St. Cyril, the Pillar of Faith, said:
f “Since the Samaritan woman recognized that the
Lord is a prophet, and a Jew too, then she started
to be more proud with her native traditions. And
to show that Samaritans are more wise than Jews,
she said to Christ, " Our fathers worshiped on this
mountain.”
“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is
coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor
 in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what
you do not know; we know what we worship, for
salvation is o f the Jews”. {John 4: 21,22)
^ St. Cyril said :
t “Here the Lord is rebuking the foolishness of
Samaritans and Jews together, declaring that the
style of worshipping is going to be changed and
transferred to that which is real for both of them,”
as one of the saints had said:
“The presence of the Lord in flesh was indeed the
suitable time to change these traditions”.

St. Cyril completed:

t “Look how much His conversation was so delicate
and courteous. He led the woman’s mind to the
correct concepts about the Son, as He called God
“The Father.” Because without the existence of
the Son, we would never ever recognize the
Father.”
Then, Our Lord Jesus Christ continued His speech,
saying:
" But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth;
fo r the Father is seeking such to worship Hint. God is
Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in
spirit and truth. ” (John 4: 23, 24)
“Now He is talking about the present time for His
personal presence. He says that the model has been
converted to the real, and the shadow of the Law has been
transferred to the spiritual worship.
 He tells us that, through the Gospel teaching, the true
worshiper - or the spiritual person - will follow a herd
that pleases the heart o f the Father, and they will be
members in God’s home soon.
Because God is known as Spirit, in comparison with
the human nature, then He truly accepts those who
worship Him in spirit, who don’t carry in form or image
the features o f Jewish godliness. But, by way of the
Gospel, they fulfill the true and faithful worship as they
shine with virtue, and the straightness o f the divine
teaching.”
“The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is
coming (Who is called Christ). When He comes, He
will tell us all things. (John 4: 25)
Here the woman soared to thoughts higher than she was
accustomed to do. She reached to the expected hope that
Jews had previously told about. She declares her
knowledge that Messiah is coming in His given time. But
she didn’t say exactly to whom He will come, she just
accepted the common information without any
examination.
Although she was a woman who loves fun and has
carnal interests, she was not entirely ignorant of knowing
that He is coming to Israel as One Who brings better
teaching. Definitely, she had also found this information
in the stories that she heard about Him.
“ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.
(John 4: 26)
Christ doesn’t declare Himself to the unlearned or
completely ignorant souls. Instead, He indeed shines and
appears to those who are already eager to learn. But, as
they are indeed constrained with simple words at the
commencing of their faith, they afterward fly forward to
attain more perfect knowledge.
The Samaritan woman is an example of that type of
persons the Gospel reveals to us. Although she was slow-
witted regarding the true divine knowledge, she was not
entirely lacking eagerness to learn. For when Jesus first
asked her for a drink, she didn't immediately give Him
the water. Instead, when she found Him breaking the
national traditions of Jews, as she thought in the
beginning, she started to investigate the reason for that
demand, so she asked the Lord to explain to her, “How is
it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a
Samaritan woman? ”
But, with the progression of questions, she started to
move to the confession that He is a prophet. She received
His rebuke as a medicine for salvation. Then, in eagerness
for knowledge, she inquired again and said, “Our fathers
worshiped on this mountain, and you (Jews) say that in
Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
Again, He knew that the time is coming, and actually
has come, when the true worshipers, since they have
already rejected worship on the mountains o f earth, will
give a higher and more spiritual worship to God the
Father. Although the woman attributed the source of
knowledge to Christ, confessing that it fits only to Him,
she attributed the full knowledge of His coming to
herself, as she said, “1 know that Messiah is coming (who
is called Christ), when He comes, He will tell us all
things.”
 Do you see how this woman was ready to have faith? It
sounds as if She is ascending a ladder and jumping from
the lower steps of simple questions to much more higher
levels. So, it was fair to declare now to her that which she
was eager to know with more clear meaning. Then, He
started to tell her about the One Who has been kept as a
good hope, and now He stands in front of her, “I who
speak to you am H e.”

^ Finally, St. Cyril the Great, ended his explanation

by giving us an advice. He said :
t “Then, all persons who are concerned with teaching
in the church have to hand down the word of
teaching to the newborn disciples in such a way that
they can understand it. Thus, they can show them
Jesus more and more, taking them from the little bit
of education to the more perfect knowledge of faith.
It is wrong indeed to take an outsider, a foreigner, or
a newborn in the faith, and put him directly inside the
Veil, and let him offer “The Lamb” with unwashed
hands.
Also, it is wrong to crown a person who is not yet
educated with the honor of priesthood. All of those
people should be ready to face a great punishment in
the Day of J udgment. It is sufficient to say that.”
 The Paralytic Man
(John 5: 1-18)

“Afterward Jesus found hint in the temple, and said

to him, ‘See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest
a worse thing come upon y o u ”. (John 5:14)
This is an invitation to us from our Lord Jesus Christ to
live a life of repentance.
Here are some of what the Fathers said about
repentance:

^ St. John Sabba, the Spiritual Presbyter, said :

t “Repentance is the mother of life. Blessed is he

who has been born from it.
It enters to the adulteresses’ beds, and picks the
adulterers from there to give them birth as virgins
in Christ.
It converts the faithless ones to be apostles.
It picks up people from the streets to go to the
Kingdom, and from between the fences to enter
the banquet.
It can make the blind see, and can uproot the tree
whose fruit is the poison of death, and instead
plant the tree of life in our paradise.
 It is the mother of light. Whoever has been born
of it shall be granted wings of fire so that he can,
with them, fly upwards with the spiritual persons.
Whoever sought after feather but the hunters
deprived him from it, shall be granted another
fiery and flying feather, much better and lighter
than the initial one. It is a store for all treasures,
and whoever knocks at its door shall get
something from them”.

^ St. John Chrysostum, said :

t “Repentance is the evangelical path that the soul
crosses to reach the heavenly Kingdom”.

^ In a letter to the fallen Theodore, inducing him to

repent, St. John Chrysostum said :
t “To fall, this is a human matter; but to insist tosin,
that is a satanic deed. Falling in itself cannot
destroy the soul, but what can indeed destroy it is
holding onto that fall on the earth”.

^ St. Isaiah of Rsquit, said :

"fr “If you proceed to God to repent, don’t let thoughts
about your past sins annoy you, as long as you have
already confessed them”.

^ Also he said :
H" “As the soil cannot give fruit without seeds, as man
cannot make repentance without humility and labor
of the body”.
 ^ St. Augustine connecting repentance with fasting
and prayer, as he said in his prayer:

t “My Lord, O compassionate, help me. 1 hope to

overcome, through fasting and prayer, the
temptations of the world, the plots of the devil, the
activities of people, the interests of the body, the
fluctuation of times, and all other bodily and
spiritual oppressions”.

^ St. flbba Pachom, the father of the

monastic communities, said :
Keep away from desires of the body in order that you
harvest the fruits of a pure heart and God’s
commendation.
Keep away from those who follow their desires,
otherwise you will not find one who helps you; because
they can’t help you. So, quickly attain sorrow for your
sins, as well as tranquility that leads you to fear God.
Close your ears to all unclean matters, and be careful of
slander against others.

^ From the sayings of St. Abba Aursesius to his

disciples before his repose. He said :

t Now, brethren, since the Lord is so patient with us,

He induces us to repent; to fulfill which is written:
“Be sober, be vigilant. For your adversary the devil
walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he
 may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same sufferings are experienced
by your brotherhood in the world. ” (1 Pet 5 : 3-6)
Let us fight to plant the seeds of virtue, so that we can
harvest rejoicing later. Let us listen to St. Paul’s teaching:
“But you have carefully followed my doctrine,
manner o f life, purpose, faith, long suffering, love,
perseverance, persecutions, and afflictions”.
(2 Tim. 3: 10,11)
And to follow the saints’ footsteps:
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher o f our
fa ith ”. (Neb. 12:2)
^ Also St. Aursesius, in another meeting with his
disciples, said :

t “The Lord Jesus, Who is extremely merciful and

entirely good, cries out for us in the Gospel, saying:
“Come to Me, all who you labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you and learn from Me, fo r I am gentle and lowly
in heart, and you will fin d rest fo r your souls.”
(Mat 11: 28,29)
So, let us pay attention to the goodness o f God, that
invites us to repent. For it is written:" The goodness o f
God leads you to repentance. ” (Rom 2: 4), knowing that
God’s holy men encourage us to gain salvation, “But in
accordance with your hardness and your impenitent
heart, you treasuring up fo r yourself wrath in the day o f
wrath and revelation o f the righteous judgment o f God,
Who will render to each one according to his deeds.”
(Rom. 2: 5,6)
 Therefore, we should “ return to the Lord with all our
hearts.” (1 Sam.7: 3) And, according to Moses, who
reminds us saying: “ And you return to the Lord your
God and obey His voice. . then the Lord your God will
circumcise your heart and the heart o f your
descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul, that you may live. ■’
(Deut. 30: 2,6) '

About the fruits of repentance, St. Penofius said :

t “The everlasting salvation is not promised only for

repentance of sins, but it should be also
accompanied with deeds of love, “For love will
cover a multitude o f sins” . (1 Pet. 4:8)
Thus, we can get healed from all our wounds through
the fruits of repentance, namely, giving to the needy and
acts of kindness. For as it is written in the Bible, “ As
water quenches a flam ed fire, as alms wash our sins.”
(Joshua Ben Sirach 3: 33) And, as David also said, “ A ll
night I make my bed swim, I drench my couch with my
tears.” (Ps. 6:6), which reflects the sorrow of man for his
sins.
Here are some excerpts of what St. Penofius said
about repentance:
t “The repentant should no longer remember his sins
that he has already repented of, especially their
details, to avoid the probability that these details
may push him to fall again.
 t “Don’t forget the positive factor in repentance.
Remember the love and kindness o f the Lord, and
• the effectiveness of His blood in your life. Don’t
focus only on the sins that you have committed”,
t “Thanksgiving is very important in repentance. We
should give thanks to God for His mercy as a
forgiver of our sins”.
Whatever is our fight, it will be useless without God’s
merciful grace on our side. ’

^ St. John Caspian asked St. Penofius about the

aim of repentance and the sign of forgiveness. He
answered him saying:
Hr1 “The perfect and full description of repentance is
that we never ever return again and submit to sins,
which we have repented of, or we feel guilty of
them. The proof of the Lord’s satisfaction and
forgiveness is that we have already achieved a stage
at which we deeply reject the love of sin from our
heart”.
t “Anyone then should be sure that he is not yet
liberated from his past sins as long as any images of
these sins, or any other thing resembling them, is
still tempting him. i don’t mean enjoying the sins,
but just remembering them may annoy his soul,
while he should be devoting himself to tears and
getting rid of them. Therefore, man should not feel
that he has been liberated from his previous sins
and received forgiveness for them as long as his
heart still shakes and shivers with the temptation of
these sins, or even imagining them”.
t “The most reliable test to know whether we have
repented and truly received forgiveness of our sins
is to examine our conscience right now and before
the Judgment Day. Being in this body, such
examination can^ test our freedom from sins and
show us the grace of forgiveness.

t “In conclusion, our contaminated record of sins shall

be cleared as the pleasures and desires of this world
leave our hearts”.

In an essay about “Repentance and Forgiveness”,

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, said :
t “Sin is so terrible, and rebellion is a distressing
disease o f soul, it causes a hidden paralysis to the
energy o f the soul and makes it deserving of eternal
fire”.

t “The Creator is good, and He created us to do good

deeds. But the creation, with free will, has deviated
to the evil”.

t “Despite the fact that sin is so terrible, it is not a

malignant disease that cannot be cured. It is terrible
only for those who stick to it. But the one who
leaves it by repentance can be easily healed from it”.
f “God is a philanthropic One. He loves us so much.
So, you don’t have to say, “I have committed
adultery and fornication and many horrible sins.
Does God forgive me? Does He grant me pardon?”.
Listen to what the Psalmist is saying:
 “Oh, how great is your goodness, which You have
laid up fo r those who fear You. ” (Ps. 31: 19)
Your accumulated transgressions will never be beyond
God’s abundant mercy. And your wounds will never
overcome the surpassing greatness of the Healer. So, give
yourself faithfully to Him. Tell the Healer about your
chronic disease, and say as David had said,"Isaid, 7 will
confess my transgression to the Lord. (Ps. 32: 5)
Then, it will happen to you the same as to him, and
immediately you will say, “ A nd You forgave the
iniquity o f my sin. ” (Ps. 32: 5)
Then, St. Cyril of Jerusalem gave us an example for
the kindness of God with the fallen David, who had
repented and God accepted his repentance. He said :
t “Look to the blessed David, and see him as an
example of repentance. Although he was so great,
he failed.
One evening he got up from his bed and walked
around on the roof, leaving himself to look without
care. He felt a human lust and he completed his sin.
But he didn’t die for his sin, because he faithfully
confessed it when Nathan, the prophet, came to him
to heal his wounds. As David confessed his sin,
saying: “I have sinned against the Lord,” Nathan
said to him: “ The Lord also has pu t away your
sin;you shall not die. ” (2 Sam 12:13)
How great is the kindness of God’s mercy!
Here, St. Cyril of Jerusalem went on to say:

H8 “I think you can realize the benefit of confession,

and see how there is always a salvation for the
repentant”
V Finally, St. Athanasius the Apostolic, wrote
about man’s failure, grace, and creation renewal.

A bout the m an’s failure, he said :

f “The grace and gifts of the Spirit have been given to

the first man from the outside. But, man deviated
from contemplating on God, and he confined in
himself, preferring himself rather than God. Thus,
selfishness has been inflamed within people and
consequently the desires flared up among them.
Therefore, the soul of man has been transferred from
the spiritual to the bodily path, and he has forgotten
that he was created in the image of God.
The accumulation of desires obscured the mirror in
which the man can see the image of the Father, i.e.
the Word of God, in him. Consequently, this led to
the submission of his mind to only the sensual
matters and,. in turn, the mind got poisoned and
confused. As the man broke the commandment of
God, he was deprived from the light of his mind and
turned back to his natural state. Therefore, he became
a slave to the natural law of corruption, and mankind
got lost in the darkness of idolatry”.

A bout the Grace and Renewal of the Creation,

he said :
t “Now, it was necessary to restore, the unity of God
and man again by the renewal of man who was
created in the image of God. This task was carried
on by the Word, and has been fulfilled when “The
Word became flesh .” (John 1: 14)
 The Word took the man’s nature. Although His
human nature was similar to ours, it differs only in
that it has been enlightened and liberated from its
natural weakness due to sin. Despite the fact that
this nature was sentenced to corruption, it has been
invited to eternity.
Repentance would be sufficient in such a case, but only
if the rebellion was not followed by the corruption of
man’s nature: For repentance cannot take the man out of
his natural state, but only stops him from sinning.
Moreover, death has entered into the body and has been
given a dominance over it.
Also, it was possible for God to cancel the sentence of
death by just one command from Him. But this will not
be the proper way to heal the man, who had already been
accustomed to rebellion. All people, in such a case, will
remain sinning like Adam, and the grace will still be
coming to man from the outside. Thus, there will be no
guarantee to avoid the fall of anyone.
So, the Word took flesh, in order to renew the flesh
with life and keep it from corruption, not from the outside
but from the inside by being united with life.
The Word became flesh, resembling us in all features.
According to that unity of flesh with the Word, the flesh
has been liberated from all weakness and submission to
corruption.
The Word was not confined in the flesh, but He only
liberated the flesh from its limitation and tendency to sin.
 The M an Born Blind
The Baptism and Spiritual Enlightenment

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, “Archbishop of

Jerusalem”, in the 4th century.
One of his most important works and writings is
“Essays To Those Seeking Baptism. ” Father Cyril wrote
them in 348 AD, when he was a priest. At that time, he
was appointed by Abba Maximums, the Confessor, to
teach people about baptism.
About the necessity of repentance for adults
before baptism, he said :
t “You have been given forty days for repentance, and
have already had an adequate opportunity to put off
your previous shape, to wash yourselves from all
unclean matters, and to put on the bright garment o f
chastity. But if you still keep your evil intents, then
the one who talks to you will not be responsible. In
such a case don’t expect to receive the grace, for you
will go down into the water, but the Spirit shall not
accept you.
 If you take the way of hypocrites, the Holy Spirit
shall not baptize you, even if people now will do so
for you.
So, anyone of you who feels his wounds should hurry
to cure them. If anyone is fallen, he should raise
himself. And if you approach baptism in faith, then
men may do for you which is seen, but the Holy Spirit
shall grant you which is unseen”. (Introduction,
statement 4; Sermon 17: 36)
^ About Baptizing the Newborn Babies, for those
who object to baptizing of babies, on basis that
they are too little to recognize it, or for their
bodily weakness, he said:
t “Do you have a baby?! Don’t let sin then have a
chance in him. Let him be sanctified in his
childhood and consecrated with the Spirit from his
early days. Don’t have fears about “The Seal”
because of the weakness of nature”.
t “You, O mother who has little faith and weak spirit!
Tell me why did Hannah vow Samuel to God before
she gave birth to him?! (ISam. 1:10), then after his
birth, immediately she consecrated him to God. She
never had fears about body weakness, but she trusted
in God"

f “Hand your child over to the Holy Trinity, because

He is a magnificent and noble guard for him!!”
Baptizing by three plunges in water, from the view of
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, doesn’t only point to the Holy
Trinity, but also to the burial of Christ, who stayed in the
tomb for three days, and resurrection with Him too.
 ^ About the magnificence of the Baptism
Sacrament, he said :

f “How greatly magnificent is the baptism, that was

granted to you. It is the release of captives, the
forgiveness of transgressions, and the mortality of
sin. It is a new birth for the soul, a garment of light,
a holy seal that life-long lasts, and a chariot to the
heaven. It is the joy of paradise, the hail of the
Kingdom, and the adoption gift.”

^ To explain that the baptism is: To put off the old

man and put on the new man, St. Cyril said :

t “If there were among you lie who is a slave to sin, he

should completely prepare himself, by faith, to the
second birth in freedom and adoption. By putting
off his cursed enslavement to sins, and putting on
his blessed enslavement to God; he becomes worthy
to inherit the kingdom of heaven”.

t “You should put off “the old man which grows

corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Eph
4:22) through confession, in order to “ put on the
new man, who is renewed in knowledge according
to the image o f his Creator. ” (Col. 3:10)
You will take, by faith, the gift of the Holy Spirit ‘that
they may receive you into an everlasting home. ”
(Luke 16: 9)
Come to receive the mysterious seal, so that the Master
can easily recognize you. To be counted with Christ’s
spiritual flock. To have your place on His right hand, and
to inherit the life that has been prepared for you.
 But for those who are putting on an unclean garment of
their sins, they will stay on His left hand, since they
didn’t come through Christ to the grace of God in the new
birth o f baptism.
I do not mean by the “new birth” a bodily birth, but a
new spiritual birth for the soul. Our physical parents give
us birth in the flesh, while our spirits are given a new
birth by faith, for “The wind blows where it wishes”
(John 3: 8)

^ About the greatness of the new situation after

baptism, St. Cyril of Jerusalem said :

t “You will hot receive a corrupted shield, but a

spiritual one! From now until then you shall be
planted in an unseen paradise. You will be called
with a new name that you haven’t had before.
Instead of being “a catechumen” you are going to be
“a believer.” From now until then, “You are
grafted into a spiritual olive tree.” (Rom. 11:24)
Since you have been cut from the wild olive tree and
grafted into the cultivated One, then you were actually
picked from sins to righteousness and from uncleanness
to purity.
Behold, you now become a partaker in the Holy Vine.
Therefore, if you hold in the Vine, you will grow as a
fruitful branch; if not, you will be cut off and perished in fire.”
^ About baptizing with w ater and the Spirit, he
said :
f 3 “M an’s nature has tw o aspects: soul and body, so the
purification of this nature should carry two sides:
one is non-material for the sake of the non-
 materialistic part, or the soul; and the other is bodily
for the sake of the body. Water cleans body, while
the Spirit seals the soul. Thus we can approach God
with a heart sprinkled with the Spirit and a body
washed with water.
Then, when you go down into the water don’t think of
it just as a substance, but look to your salvation by the
power of the Holy Spirit. Without both of them you
cannot be perfect, as the Lord Himself said, “Unless one
is born o f water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom o f God”. {John 3: 5)

St. Cyprian, the martyr, said that entry to the

church is acquired through the Sacrament of
Baptism, or the Sacrament of Salvation, as he called
it. It sounds as if there was a special vision that had
been revealed to St. Cyprian in person at the time of
his own baptizing, that helped him later to
comprehend the fact of “The Church Unity.”
This is what he said about his personal baptizing
experience:

t “When the water of new birth washed away the dirt

of my past life, a pure and sublime light shined in
my heart, and then I smelled the descending Spirit
from the heaven inside me. So, the second birth has
made me a new man. Immediately, and in some way,
all my suspicions were vanished. What was before
impossible to perceive, became obvious now; and
what was confusing to my mind became very clear.
Now, I have the authority to attain which was before
inaccessible for me to reach. Also, I started to see
 signs regarding the sins of my bodily birth that have
long been enslaving me. But it is from God this life
that the Holy Spirit had inspired in me.”

In another essay, about the Holy Spirit in Baptism,

St. Cyprian said :
t “The Spirit is generously poured out. No obstacles
can obstruct His way, and no barriers can prevent
His Overwhelming presence. He flows without
stopping, and overflows in a way that covers all
people. Only we have to thirst for the Spirit, and to
widen our hearts for Him. Then, we will drown in
the flood of God’s grace, but only as much as we are
able to receive it.”

St. Anthony, the Great, connecting repentance

with baptism - considering repentance as another
baptism - as he said:
"f “The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, that we receive in
baptism gives us the ability to act in repentance, so
that we can turn back again with repentance to our
initial superiority.” (The Seventh Letter)

•^ S t. Cyril of Alexandria, wrote about the adoption

of us by God in baptism. He said:

t “For the Father receives us as sons, because He

spoke to Christ during His holy baptism as if He
received the man through Him, saying: “This is My
beloved Son, in whom l am well pleased. ”
(Mat 3: 17)
 Then, He Who is the Son in nature and in truth, the
Only Begotten One, when he became flesh like us, He
particularly proclaimed that He is the Son of God. He
didn’t do that to gain something for Himself, because He
is truly made for us the First-fruit, the Firstborn, and the
Second Adam.
Therefore, it is written, “AH things have become new
in H im .” (2 Cor. 5: 17) For as we have put off the old
man that was in Adam, we got the new one that is in
Christ.”

St.;'Athanasius,, the Apostolic, testified to the

truth o f the magnificent grace of adoption that has
been granted to man by the coming of Christ, and
the gift of the Holy Spirit; in his book against
Arius (2: 95). He said :
t “The Word became flesh. That has happened in
order to make the man qualify for divinity. We are
not sons of God in nature, but the Son, Who is
dwelling in us, is indeed the Son of God by nature.
Also, God is not our father in nature, but He is by
nature the Father of the Word, Who is in us. Who
(i.e. the Son) in Him and for Him we cry out,
“O Abba, Father” .
Therefore, the Father in the same manner calls sons in
whom He sees His own Son. He names them “sons”, and
He says to each one of them, “Today I give birth to you. ”
For giving birth is the matter that distinguishes sons,
while creating is a matter of all creatures. Because of that,
we were not first born but created; as it is written, “Let
Us make m an.” But later, when we have received the
grace of the Holy Spirit - after being created - then the
Bible tells that we are also born”.

c^St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Mi Ion, who

baptized St. Augustine, spoke about the white
clothes that a person wears after baptizing. He
said :
t “After that, white clothes were given to you, as a
sign that you were putting off the clothes of sins and
putting on the clothes of purity and chastity, about
which the prophet said, “Purge me with hyssop,
and / shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter
than snow”. (Ps. 51:7)
For he who has been baptized shall be clean according
to both the Law and the Gospel:
According to the Law, because Moses had sprinkled
the lamb’s blood with a bunch of hyssop. (Exodl2: 22),
and According to the Gospel, because Jesus’ clothes
became exceedingly white, like snow; when He showed
the glory of His resurrection (Mark 9: 3). The transfiguration
state is the same glorious state of the resurrection .
So, he who has been forgiven from his sins will be
whitened more than snow, as God said through Isaiah,
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow. ” (Isaiah 1:18)

About baptism and deserving to enter the kingdom

of God, St. Gregory, the Nesey, said :
 f “When you go down in the water, you will not find it
just plain water; but you should expect salvation
with the Holy Spirit. You will be able, then, to
achieve perfection without any obstacle. This is not
my own saying, but it is the words of the Lord Jesus;
Who has full authority in this sacrament as in all
others, He also said, “Unless one is born o f water
and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom o f
God.” (John 3:5)
Baptism, then, should not be only with water. For who
is baptized with water only is not worthy of the grace of
God, and cannot achieve it in full. And, he who doesn’t
earn the seal of water cannot also see the kingdom of
heaven, even if his deeds are good.

St. Clement of ftlexondrio, had designated the

6th Chapter, Volume 1, of his “Pedagogue" to
discuss the influence o f baptism on the believers’
life, especially their inner enlightenment with
knowledge instead of the ignorance that they had
been living in with sins. He said :
“I" “The darkness is folly that causes blindness and
prevents receiving truth and knowledge. But, folly
disappears as we receive enlightenment, and we
have then a clear sight.”
t “For us, who were baptized, the sins that obscure the
light of God’s Spirit have been already removed, and
we received a liberated, non-obstructed, and
completely enlightened discernment for our spirit.
With this discernment only we can recognize the
 divinity and see the Holy Spirit descending upon us
from above”.

t “It is the internal baptizing of sight that makes the

man's eyes capable to see the eternal light. For
everyone loves the one who is resembling him, so
the holy persons loves that One from whom the
holiness that owns light is sourced, “F oryou were
once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. ”
(Eph. 5: 8).

t “As the knowledge shines with enlightenment, it

extends its rays to our mind. So, we who were
before uneducated, become disciples.”

t “This enlightenment that we gain by baptism doesn’t

give us just theoretical knowledge, but it carries with
it the power of renewal and changing of our nature.
The grace in receiving such enlightenment is that our
character doesn’t remain as it was before gaining it.”

f “The Pedagogue creates man from dust, renews him

with water, and makes him grow with the Spirit.”

St. John Chrysostum, in a sermon to the

catechumens, who were nominated for baptizing,
had said :

f “Those who were captives before their baptizing,

they have become now: enjoying the dignity of
freedom, members of the church, who live in the
 delightful light of righteousness after they were
walking in the darkness of waywardness and sin.
They are indeed liberated. Nay, they are saints,
righteous, heirs, brothers of Christ, who will inherit
the kingdom with Him, members of His pure body,
and temples of the Holy Spirit.
Look how many the gifts and how precious the
promises that the Baptism Sacrament can give.
Most people think that it is only for forgiveness of
sin. But, we counted now just ten benefits for it that
can place the soul in a sublime situation and
unequaled majestic position.”

^ St. Augustine said :

t “With our birth of water and the Spirit we get
cleansed from all sins, either that of Adam in whom
all have sinned, or those of our deeds and works. By
baptism, we get washed from them all.” (178: 28)

® ^About the blessing of the Sacrament of Baptism,

St. Barnabas, in Chapter 11 of his letter, said :

t “Now, we have received baptism for forgiveness of

sins. We descended into the water full of sins and
dirt, then we ascended from it, nailing fear in our
heart and having hope in Jesus in our soul.”

St. Justin, in his letter to Trypho, Chapter 44, said:

t “We should explore and know the way in which we
can receive forgiveness of our sins, and to hope in
the promised inheritance of goad things. We have
only one way for that, to know Jesus and to be
washed in baptism for the forgiveness of sins. So,
we can start to live in holiness.”

^ St. Gregory, the Great, said :

t “The gift of baptism purifies the man of all his sins,

and washes him completely from dirt and spots that
have been stuck to him from sin.”

St. Basil, the Great, in his “Elementary

Teaching fo r Catechumens, ” Gh 16,said :
t “Baptism is the ransom of captives, the forgiveness
of transgressions, the death of sin, and the rebirth of
soul. It is an illuminated garment, an everlasting
seal* a chariot that leads to the kingdom o f heaven,
and a promise for adoption”.
 The Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem
( Palm Sunday )

first : Christ’s Entry to Jerusalem :

1- Read Matthew 21:1-3
“Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to
Bethphage, at the Mount o f Olives, then Jesus sent two
disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite
you, and immediately you will fin d a donkey tied, and a
colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. A nd if
anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord
has need o f them ’, and immediately he will send them.”
(Matt. 21: 1-3)

^ St. Cyril, the Great, said :

“God of all things had created the man on the earth
and provided him with a mind that is capable to be
wise and having the powers of comprehension, hut
the devil had cheated him. Although the man has
been created in the likeness of God, he could wander
from Him.
 So, the man became no longer able to recognize
God, the Creator and Maker of all things, and the
devil brought down all people to the lowest level of
imprudence and folly. As the blessed David realized
this fact, he bitterly wept and said, “Nevertheless
man, though in honor, does not remain. He is like
the beasts that perish.” (Ps. 49: 12)
The elder donkey here may probably symbolize the
Synagogue of Jews, as it has become the beastly one,
paying no adequate attention to the Law, and despising
the prophets and saints. Moreover, it is symbolic of their
disobedience to Christ, Who has invited them to faith,
and intended to open their eyes, by saying, “I am the
light o f the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in
darkness, but have the light o f life. ” (John 8: 12)
Undoubtedly, the darkness about which He spoke here is
related to the mind, and means ignorance, blindness, and
the severe illness of imprudence.
As for colt, that has not yet been employed, it
represents the new people who have been called from
idolatry to faith. Those people who were deprived by
nature from wisdom, and were wandering in darkness, but
Christ became their wisdom, “In whom are hidden all
the treasures o f wisdom and knowledge. ” (Col. 2:3)
Moreover, the colt was brought by means of two
disciples, who Christ sent for that purpose. What does
this mean?
It means that Christ had called the Gentiles to faith, by
shining the light of truth over them. There were two tools
serving Him in this purpose: the prophets, and the
apostles. The Gentiles have already been won to faith by
the apostles, who were using the words of the Law and
the prophets.”
 $ St. John Chrysostum, said :
t “It is amazing that the owner of the donkey and the
colt didn’t argue with the disciples, but he instead
obeyed them. So, how much more it is fitting for His
disciples to bring t t Him everything.’’

2- Read Mathew 21:4,5

“All this was done that it might be fulfilled what was
spoken by the prophet, saying:
Tell the daughter o f Zion, ‘Behold, your King is
coming to you, lowly and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the
foal o f donkey. ’ ” (M att. 21:4,5)

^ St. John Chrysostum, said

t 1“As the prophet, who is Zachariah, had realized the
malice of the Jews and their potential resistance to
Christ while He is coming up to the temple, he in
advance warned them, giving them this sign to
recognize Him”.

^ St. Jacob €l-Serrougi, said :

t “The prophet Zachariah had carried the harp of the
Spirit, and hurried to chant his prophesy joyfully
beyond Him. He strained his strings and raised his
voice, saying:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter o f Zion!. Shout, O
daughter o f Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to
you; He is ju st and having salvation, lowly and riding
on a donkey, a colt, the foal o f a donkey.” (Zach. 9: 9)
 3- Read M atthew 21: 6 - 8

“So, the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded

them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their
clothes on them, and set Him on them. A nd a very great
multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut
down branches from the trees and spread them on the
road." (Matt. 21: 6-8) 7

About these clothes, St. Jerome had spoken,

saying :
t "The clothes of the two disciples, which they have
placed on the animal, indicate the virtual teaching,
or the Bible interpreting; as well as the right o f the
church. Unless the soul be ornamented with these
matters and clothed in them, it will not be deserving
to carry the Lord.”

About the branches of trees, or palm branches, St.

Augustine said:
t “They indicated the triumph, as the Lord was coming
to overcome death by death, and to defeat the devil,
the master of the death, with His triumphant cross.”

4- Read M atthew 21: 9 - 11

“Then the multitude who went before and those

who followed cried out, saying:
“Hosanna, to the Son o f David!
Blessed is He who comes in the name o f the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!”
 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city
was moved, saying, W ho is this?’ So the multitudes
said, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in
Galilee ” (Matt. 21: 9-11)

St. Cyril, the Great, said :

t “The disciples praised the Savior of us all. They

called Him: the King and the Lord. They said:
Peace in the heaven and on earth.
Would we also praise Him, as the Psalmist had
done before, saying to Him, “O Lord, how
manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have
made them all. ” (Ps. 104: 24)

Also, St. Augustine said :

t “The heaven is the human soul. So, the work of

Christ, the Redeemer, had brought back to the soul
her inner peace and the enjoyment of flying up to
the highest, to glorify her Bridegroom.”

Second: Clearing the Temple

“ Then Jesus went into the temple o f God and drove

out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and
overturned the tables o f the money changers and the
seats o f those who sold doves.
And He said to them, “It is written, ‘ My house shall
be called a house o f p r a y e r b u t you have made it ‘ a
den o f robbers”. (Matt. 21:12,13)
 St. Ambrose of Milan said :
t “God doesn’t wish His temple to be an assembly for
salespersons, but a dwelling of holiness. He is
confirming that the priesthood service should not be
through exploiting the religion in trade, but through
free and voluntary giving.”

^ St. Jerome said :

t “The priests o f the Jews were exploiting the
Passover Feast, on which the Jews had to come
from everywhere all over the world to Jerusalem for
offering sacrifices. So, they converted the temple to
a trade center. They had set there tables for money
changers to offer loans to people for buying
sacrifices. They offered these loans without any
interest, because the Law was prohibiting that.
However, they were receiving, instead of interest,
some gifts which were actually a hidden interest.
This was indeed a dreadful scene, that the temple of
the Lord has been converted to another purpose, the
priests forgot about their spiritual job and turned
their mission to the collection of money.”

, St Cyril of Alexandria, said :

f “As the Jews were so concerned with Moses’ ritual
through their service in the temple, they had actually
performed it not in spirit but in mere letters. The
Lord then came to demolish the letter, and to set up
the new spirit.”
 Also he said :

• t “Although the Master had made a whip for clearing-

the temple, He in fact had sent His fiery Holy Spirit
to burn the deeds of the old man and produce the
new man through baptism, to remain continually
working in us in order to demolish our earthly man
and raise us as heavenly ones.”

Finally, St. Cyril the Great ended his speech, saying:

t “Who are the doves’ sellers except those men in the

priesthood who sell the gifts of the Holy Spirit (that
is figured as a dove) with money, where the
Simonian style is employed in ordination (i.e., to
gain the priesthood order by paying money), or
exploiting the spiritual service of God for the sake
of corporeal or incorporeal profits.”

Third : The Praise of Children

“But when the chief priests and scribes saw the
wonderful things he did, and the children crying out in
the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the son o f David”,
they were indignant and said to him, “Do you hear what
these are saying?” A nd Jesus said to them “Yes, have
you never read, ‘Out o f the mouth o f babes and nursing
infants you have perfected praise?’ ”
Then he left them and went out o f the city to Bethany,
and he lodged there. (Matt. 21:15-17)
 ^ Father Moses, Said :
t “The little children had not read the prophecies, nor
seen the miracles. Yet, their simple hearts have
been opened to the King. So their little tongues
started to announce their inner and glorious joy.
On the other hand, the chief priests and scribes
trusted in the prophecies, and they carried on the
interpreting of them. The Magi had come to
confirm them. Also, they saw the miracles. But
their rigid heart was closed before the King, and
was filled with oppression. Instead of praise, they
shouted angrily, “ Do you hear what those children
are saying? “
Really, the children had proclaimed the joyful
kingdom of God, while the chief priests in their
indignation revealed the kingdom of the devil, in
which there is no peace. Wherever the kingdom of
heaven is, there will be definitely-the eternal life
with joy. And wherever the kingdom of the devil is,
death and the tomb undoubtedly will be there.
Therefore, anyone who exists in the kingdom of the
devil can never give thanks to God; as the prophet
had told us, saying, “The dead do not praise the
Lordy nor any who go down into silence. But we
will bless the Lord, from this time, forth and
forever more. Alleluia “ (Ps. 1-15: 17,18)
About Christ leaving the City to Bethany and
lodging there, St. Jerome commented:
H3 “He was so poor, and entirely far away of luxury,
that he didn’t find in the large city, Jerusalem, a
shelter or house. So, He dwelt in a very small house
in Bethany with Lazarus and his two sisters.”
 Chapter 2
The Passion week

Covenant Thursday

Good Friday
 Clift# I Ike rvtim »eti

(Holy Thursday)

f 9nt/w ckiciicn :
St. Cyril the Great and Eucharist Sacrament.
As St. Cyril the great spoke about the communion of
believers in the divine grace, he always pointed to the
Holy Eucharist through which the believer shares in God
and receives Him in a new and mysterious way, but
indeed a real manner.
The believer can fulfill a new internal and real relation
with God the Son, through the Eucharist.
Although St. Cyril did not write a separate book about
the Holy Eucharist, still there are many indications of this
sacrament in all his writings.
 First : There are three basic Christological concepts in
St. Cyril’s teaching that enable us to understand the
salvation content in the Eucharist:
1- The Body of Christ is not just a body like any human
body, but it is the body of the incarnated Word, i.e. a
life-giving body.
2- Christ’s body is undoubtedly a life-giving body. It is
not so from itself, but only because the unity of the
body with the Logos. However, this couldn’t be
indeed possible without the Hypostasis unification of
the divine nature and the human nature to be in One
person.
3- Through the Eucharist, the believer is not only
receiving the grace of Christ, but Christ Himself, His
body and His blood. St. Cyril confirmed this fact
and stressed it, as he said that the bread in the
Eucharist sacrament is not just plain symbol of
Christ’s body, but it is Christ’s body itself. Also the
wine is Christ’s blood itself. The bread and wine do
not only acquire the life-giving power, but they are
really changed to be the body and the blood of Christ by
the Spirit of God.
Second : Since the body of Christ is presented to
the believers in the Eucharist, it is called “The real
spiritual banquet”, or “ The spiritual blessing”.
Although Christ is He who gives life to man, St Cyril
taught us that the Holy Spirit also is doing the same thing
in giving life to him. The change and conversion of bread
and wine is done by the power of God, yet this happens in
a mysterious way that cannot be comprehended by the
human mind, so we should accept this by faith and
without any argument.
 Besides the secret of the conversion o f bread and wine
to the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, there is another
secret that St. Cyril had pointed to. This other secret is
that Christ’s body does not decrease when it is broken
and distributed to a countless number of people in every
place all over the world at the same time.
Moreover, Christ Himself is present in each place
wherever the Eucharist’s sacrament is celebrated.
St. Cyril interpreted the presence o f Christ’s body in
every place at the same time to mean that Christ is present
in His full being, i.e. real presence, in all places. This
means that Christ, the undivided One, has a real presence
in each Eucharistic celebration everywhere and at the
same time.
This teaching is so important for our salvation, because
the role of the Holy Eucharist in salvation is fulfilled
when Christ, through His body and His blood, enters and
dwells in the believers who partake of the sacrament. This
means Christ comes and dwells in the person.
St. Cyril spoke about a particular internal relation, and
a unification of Christ with man. As the believer partakes
of the body of Christ, he becomes one with Him. He lives
as a part of Him.
Since God is life, then the believer who takes Christ in
the Eucharist, will take real life and share in God’s life.

In the Eucharist, the believer takes Christ as a holy

power that leads him to holiness. Also, it enables him to
attain the eternal life.
 St. Cyril, therefore, spoke about the Eucharist as a seed
of eternity, that grants immortality to man, and purifies
his body from corruption. He said:

t “Christ shall nullify the death o f the body for those

who receive Him as life to them. O f course, all the
believers are subjected to the death o f the body in
this earthly life, but the Eucharist becomes for them
a seed and an anti-corruption medicine for the
eternal life.
This is, undoubtedly, a supernatural gift that God
grants to the believers through the sacrament of the
Eucharist. However, this gracious gift cannot be
gained except by those who believe.”
For St. Cyril, the Eucharist is a real offering. Its reality
originates from the reality of the crucifixion o f Christ in
Golgotha. Christ is the offering in the Eucharist
sacrament. Yet, He is also the One who offers the non-
bloody sacrifice. So, Christ is the priest who offers the
sacrifice, as well as He is the non-bloody sacrifice too.

From a sermon of St. John Chrysostum, that is

read at the eleventh hour of Tuesday of the Holy Pascha:

"t1“Brethren, I like to remind you with what I have said

many times to you at the partaking of the holy mysteries
of Christ. As 1 have seen, you are in a terrible state of
relaxation and carelessness that necessitates weeping. So,
I weep indeed for you, and ask myself, ‘Are those people
knowing well to whom they are standing, or recognizing
the power of this sacrament?’ Then I find myself, out of
my will, angry. 1 was hoping that, through you, I can get
out of the tribulation of my soul. But, if I rebuked anyone
of you, he doesn’t care what I say. Yet, he grumbles
against me as if I had injured him.
Amazingly surprising!, that you don’t get angry with
those who injure you and steal your articles, as you do
with me who wishes your salvation. How much I’m afraid
and dismayed, because I know the punishment o f God
that will come upon you for your slightness toward this
magnificent sacrament. Do you know who it is that you
are going to receive? It’s the holy body of God the Word,
and His precious blood that has been poured out for our
salvation, and that if*anyone unworthy partakes of them
shall deserve wrath and punishment.

About receiving the Eucharist, St. Augustine said :

1- The Eucharist is a daily bread for you, that you
receive as life for both your soul and body.
2- You should touch the Body of Christ in order to be
healed from the flow of blood, that is the bodily
pleasures.
3- If you don’t want to be condemned for eating and
drinking, then you have to live a good life.
4 - Although the sacraments are offered by human
hands, they are sanctified by the Spirit of God that
acts in an unseen way.
5- This is the bread that you see on the altar, which
was sanctified by the Word of God, it is the Body of
Christ. And this cup, or actually that which the cup
contains, is the Blood of Christ.
 6- Whoever separates himself from the church and
doesn’t join the congregation at the time of the
sacrifice offering, shall be considered guilty.
7- Don’t approach the Lord’s body and blood, if you
feel in yourself that you are not faithful.
8- He who wishes to live with God and to gain life
should come and receive this Body, so he lives.
9- He who eats this food and takes this drink, shall
hold onto Christ and attain Him.
10- If the effectiveness of the mysteries were depending
on the holiness of servant or lack of it. then our
salvation would be depending on their will.
 I - About the crucifixion
^ St. Cyril of Jerusalem said :

^ The Cross is the glory of Christ:

Every work that Christ performed was actually for
glorifying the Universal church, but the greatest o f all
glories of the church is truly the Cross. Since St Paul had
realized that, he said, “May I never boast except in the
cross o f our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world
has been crucified to me, and I to the world ” (Gal. 6: 4)

Don't be ashamed of the Cross :

Don’t feel shame for the cross of our Savior. Instead
you have to be more proud of it. “For the message o f the
cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us
who are being saved it is the power o f God. ” (1 Cor 1: 18)
Also, don’t be surprised by the fact that all the world has
been redeemed. For He who had died for the sake o f the
world was not just a man, but the Only Begotten Son o f
God.
 •^His Passion and Crucifixion were not
fiction but true:
Jesus had truly suffered for the sake o f mankind,
because the crucifixion was by no means a delusion,
otherwise our redemption also becomes a delusion. His
death was not a fictitious death, otherwise our salvation is
fictitious too.
If His death was merely a pretense, then they would be
correct who said, “We remember, while He was still
alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will
rise. (Matt 27: 63)
His passion was true, for He has been really crucified
and we don’t deny that, instead we commemorate it and
we are truly proud of it. I confess the cross, because I
realize the resurrection. For if He was, after crucifixion,
still in the grave, perhaps I couldn’t confess the cross,
then I may deny it and try instead to hide the cross and to
cover my Master too. But, since the crucifixion was
followed by resurrection, then I don’t feel any shame to
proclaim it.

The Bronze Snake as a symbol of the

Cross:
The bronze snake that Moses lifted in the wilderness
symbolizes the cross. Moses had put the bronze snake up
on a pole so that everyone who was bitten by a snake
could be healed. So, by looking to the bronze snake with
faith, one could be healed.
 If the bronze snake can heal people, doesn't the Son of
God, being incarnated and crucified, save them?!
Amazing enough, life has usually been saved by means
of wooden object. At the time of Noah, for example, life
had been saved through a wooden ark. Also, the crossing
of the Red Sea was accomplished by means of the
wooden staff of Moses, with which he hit the water.
Does Moses’ staff have power and the Cross o f our
Savior doesn’t?!
By a piece of wood the bitter water became fresh at the
time of Moses. But for Jesus, water gushed out of His
side while He was on the wooden cross.

^ About “The Cross and Salvation,” St. Gregory

the Theologian, said:

t “Humanity has been saved through being unified

with God. So, the incarnation, along with
crucifixion, can fulfill salvation. The cross, then, is
an essential matter in the process of salvation”.
St. Gregory sees the cross as a sacrifice and a ransom,
in which Christ is the real lamb, the High priest, and the
reconciler, altogether. Christ has carried all the sins of
mankind in Himself, and for that reason He suffered. He
made Himself One with us. He is the head of our body.
He who is sinless didn’t get unclean by carrying our sins.

Our incarnated God went up on the cross by His own

will. Therefore, I glorify the cross and the nails with
which I have been liberated from my sin.
 ii - About the carrying of Christ to His
cross, as well as the passions that He
endured through crucifixion:
^ St. Cyril of Alexandria said :

t “There is a necessity for this fact, that Christ, the

Savior of all, has to carry His cross; because it was
said about Him by Isaiah the prophet, “For to us a
child is born, to us a son is given, and the
presidency will be on his shoulders”. (Is 9: 6)
The cross indeed is His presidency. With it, He had
become the King of all the world. So, it is true that, “He
humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even
death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the
highest place, and gave Him the name that is above
every name. That at the name o f Jesus every knee
should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory o f God the Father.” (Philip 2: 8-11)

I think that “Carrying the cross” , should be also

considered here. For when the blessed Abraham went up
the mountain that God had shown him, to sacrifice Isaac
as a burnt offering, he laid the firewood on his son. That
was symbolizing Christ carrying the cross on His
shoulders and going up to the glory of His cross. Christ’s
passion was indeed His glorification, as He Himself said
to us, “Now is the Son o f Man glorified and God is
glorified in H im ” {John 13: 31)
 On His way to be crucified. He fell many times under
the heaviness o f the cross, so they forced a Cyrenic man
called Simon to carry the cross with Him. This man was
symbolizing the church o f the New Testament that, in her
spiritual maturity, is required to share in suffering with
Christ for the sake of His kingdom.
It is a great glory for the believer to bow and carry with
his Master His passion, in order that he can get an
experimental knowledge with the resurrection power, and
its joy into him.

St. Jacob €l-Serrougi has a wonderful contemplation

about mocking Christ, taking off His clothes and
putting a purple robe on Him, as well as the crown
of thorns. He said:
t “The crucifiers stripped Him of clothes, like the
shearers do, but He kept silent “as a sheep before
its shearer
t “He left his garment to be taken so that those who
have been nakedly rejected from Paradise could be
clothed.
f 3 “They took off His clothes and put on Him a purple
robe, like blood in color, so that the murdered
groom could be adorned with it”.

t “Also they twisted a crown of thorns and set it on

H is head, which is fitting for Him who had come to
uproot thorns from the earth. With the thorned
crown He demolished the crown of the devil, who
wished to be god of creation”.
 hi - About the faith of the robber, who
was crucified. on the right hand of
Christ, in Him; and his request for the
Kingdom, and the promise of God that
he will be with Him in the paradise.-
^ St. Jerome said :

t “Christ Himself had brought the robber from the

cross to paradise to show that repentance works with
no delay. Therefore, He converted this man from a
dying criminal to a martyr”.

^ St. John Chrysostum said :

t “We should not be ashamed to take this robber as a

teacher for us, since our Master was not ashamed of
him, yet He entered him into the paradise.
Idon’t see him deserving only admiration, but I
bless him too, because he didn’t care for his own
pains and paid no attention for himself but for his
fellow man, trying to save him from going astray.
So, he became a teacher while he was on the cross.
Look how he fulfilled the Apostles’ teaching. He
didn’t care only for himself, but he tried his best, as
much as possible, to save the other person from
going astray and guide him to the truth”.
 St. Augustine said :

t “However, the cross itself, if we contemplate it well,

is a judgment seat. Here, the Judge is in the middle,
one criminal who had believed was saved, and the
other one who had blasphemed was condemned.
That is what was meant by “He is the Judge of the
living and the dead.” Yes, some people are on His
right hand and others are on the left”.

iv - About the crucifixion in the Skull

place (Golgotha)
^ St. Athanasius the Apostolic said :
t “Since mankind had been corrupted, then Christ had
revealed His body, so that where corruption is
shown, incorruption shall be there too. Therefore,
Christ was crucified in the Skull place, at which the
teachers of the Jews said that Adam had been buried
there.
(The word “skull” is translated from the Aramaic
word “Golgotha”)

^ St. Ambrose of Milan, confirmed that, saying :

t “The cross has been raised in the middle, as it is
thought above the very place of Adam’s tomb”.

v- About Christ's saying; "Father/

forgive them, for they do not know
what they do."
 ^ St. Augustine said :

t “For Him, the aim of crucifixion was to save and

forgive, despite what is coming on Him. So, He
didn’t consider that He is dying because of them,
but only that He is dying for them”.

St. John Chrysostum said :

t “Look, how He continued to be kind even in dealing

with those who crucified Him”.

t “He said, “Forgive them, ” because if they wished to

repent, He is merciful to those who repent, and He
wishes to wash their numerous sins”.

vi - About Commitment of spirit

The Scripture said:
“Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was
darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then
the sun was darkened, and the veil o f the temple was
torn in two. And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and
said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit. ’
Having said this, He breathed His last.” (Luke 23: 44-46)

^ St. Cyril the Great said :

t “Yes, the nature itself mourned within itself. The

sun had stopped shining. The rocks split. The
temple seemed as if it was coated with sorrow,
when the veil was torn in two from top to bottom”.
 St. Ambrose of MiIon said:

t “The sun had hidden itself in front of the violation

of the Holies, to obscure this evil deed that they
had committed. The darkness prevailed to blind
the eyes of disbelievers, till the light of faith shines
again.”

About the verse, “ A nd when Jesus had cried out

with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, into Your hands I
commit My spirit. ” (Luke 23:46)

^ St Ambrose said :
t “Since the Son rests in the bosom of the Father, then
He commits His spirit (the human one) into the
hands of the Father”.
t “Despite His being in the highest, He descended to
Hades, to enlighten and to liberate those who were
there. So, He committed His spirit into the hands of
the Father”.
t “He commits His spirit into the hands of the Father
in order to liberate the heaven itself from the bonds
of the darkness. So, there will be peace in the
heaven, and then the earth can follow it”.
t “He gave up His spirit with His own will, and for
that “He cried out with a loud voice. ”
 Chapters
The Holy Pentecost

First Sunday of Pentecost

Second Sunday of Pentecost
> Third Sunday of Pentecost
Fourth Sunday of Pentecost
Fifth Sunday of Pentecost
Sixth Sunday of Pentecos
Seventh Sunday of Pentecos.
 The Holy Pentecost’s Lectionary consists of seven
weeks. It starts from the Sunday of the Resurrection and
ends with the Pentecost Day.
1- First Sunday :
(The New Sunday, or Thomas Sunday):
(John 20: 19-31)
We shall study what the fathers said about the
appearance of the Lord on the same day of resurrection to
His disciples minus Thomas, and His appearance on the
next Sunday to them including Thomas. Also we shall
learn about the subject of faith.
2- Second Sunday:
(The Bread of Life) : (John 6: 35-45)
What the fathers said about the Eucharist sacrament.
3- Third Sunday:
(The Sam aritan W o m an ): (John 4: 1-42)
We shall study what the fathers of the church said
about the Holy Spirit.
4- Fourth Sunday:
(The True Light) : (John 12: 35-50)
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the true light that enlightens
the whole world. We shall study what the fathers said
about that.
 5- Fifth Sunday :
“I am the way, the tru th , and the life.”
(John 14:1-11)
What did our fathers say about that?
6- Sixth Sunday ■
.
Peace, Tribulation, and Overcoming the world.
(John 16: 23-33)
In this verse, our Lord Jesus Christ spoke to us about:
Peace, tribulation, and overcoming the world (or triumph).
We shall study what the fathers said about these points.
i - Se venth Sund ay:
The Pentecost Day
(John 17: 14-26)
We shall study what the fathers said about the Holy
Spirit and Pentecost Day.
 The New Sunday; or Thomas Sunday
In the first Sunday of Pentecost, the church celebrates
the last of the seven Minor Master’s Feasts, that is “The
New Sunday”, or “Thomas Sunday”.
It is called “The New Sunday” because it is the first
Sunday that has been considered to sanctify Sundays after
rejecting the old system.
Also, it is called “Thomas Sunday” because our Lord
Jesus Christ had appeared on this day to all His disciples,
including Thomas, in the eighth day after His
resurrection.
The church celebrates this day according to the
Didache (Apostles’ Rules), in which it is stated that:
“The eighth day after resurrection should be a feast for
you. For in this eighth day the Lord had comforted me, I
am Thomas. Since I didn’t believe His resurrection, then
He show ed me the prints of nails in H is hands and the
trace of the spear in His side.”
 The Gospel: John 20: 19 - 31.
A- His appearance to the disciples without Thomas:
1- “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day
o f the week, when the doors were shut where the
disciples were assembled, for fear o f the Jews, Jesus
came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace
be with you. ” When He had said this, He showed them
His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad
when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again,
“Peace to you! A s the Father has sent Me, I also send
you. ”
And when He had said this, He breathed on them,
and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. I f you
forgive the sins o f any, they are forgiven them; if you
retain the sins o f any, they are retained. ”
(John 20: 19 - 2 3 )

A bout the peace that has been given by C hrist to

His disciples as He said to them, “Peace be with you”

^ St Augustine said :
f “Peace means stability of mind, quietness of soul,
simplicity of heart, junction of compassion, and
source of love”.

H" “Peace is the sign of holiness”.

f* “Christ left peace with us in order that we may love

each other”.

f “Christ gives His peace to us in this world, and He

will grant us His peace in the promised Kingdom, too”.
 t "‘In Christ, and from Him. we acquire peace”.
t “ Peace shows man how to surmount his own soul,
and not to be proud”.
t “He who lives in holy peace is always living with
God, and he will have the fellowship of the saints
with God”.
^ A lso , St. Gregorv, the Bishop of Nozionzen, said :
t “In the first meeting of the Master, Who rose from
the dead, with His assembled disciples, who
represent the church, He offered them His
surpassing “peace”.
It wasn’t like an external gift but an internal one that
touched them in depth, as He said to them, “Peace be
with yo u .” So, He fulfilled what He had promised them
on His Passions’ eve, when He said to them, “Peace I
leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as world
gives do I give to you .” (John 14: 27)
^ St. Gregory also said :
t “We should honor the gift of peace that Christ had
left for us when He departed. The peace, which is
only from God, the source of peace, Who unifies all
things in one.”
St. John Chrysostum said :
t “First, He offers the fruit of the cross, that is
“Peace”.
^ St. Augustine said :
f “This is the true peace and greeting of salvation,
since the greeting itself takes its name from
salvation”.
 About “He showed them His hands and His
side”.

^ St. Augustine, said :

f 1 “Christ kept the prints of His wounds after the
resurrection to heal the wounds of His disciples by
them, as they didn’t believe thai He had risen when
He appeared to them and supposed Him to be a
spirit. Then He showed them His hands and His
side, as if to say: Although His wounds were cured,
their prints will remain!
He decided to keep the prints of His wounds for the
benefit of the disciples, to cure the wounds of their
spirits and the prints of their distrust by them. For,
despite His appearing before their eyes and showing
them His true body, they supposed Him to be a
spirit”.
^ St. Cyril, the Great, said :
t “The main reason to keep the wounds is to confirm
to His disciples that the risen body is the same body
that had suffered”.
^ St. Gregory, the Great, presented four reasons
to keep these wounds:
1) To build up His disciples in the faith of His resurrection.
2) The wounds remained to proclaim His redeeming
intercession to the Father.
3) To keep the believers remembering His love and
His mercy for them.
4) They remain to condemn the wicked men in the
Lord’s Great Day.
 & St. Ambrose of Milan, said
t ‘‘The disciples in their astonishment had supposed
that they saw a spirit. But the Lord, in order to show
them the truth of resurrection, said to them, “Handle
Me and see, fo r a spirit does not have flesh and
bones as you see I have. ” (Luke 24: 39)
So, how can we say that He was not in the flesh while
the prints of the nails and the trace of the spear (the Lord
did show them) were obvious in His body?!
The Lord has accepted ascending to the heaven with
the wounds that He had suffered for our sake. He didn’t
wish to blot them out intending to show the Father the
price of our liberation. Thus, He sat at the right hand of
the Father, carrying the ransom of our salvation.

“A nd when He had said this, He breathed on them,

and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. I f you
forgive the sins o f any, they are forgiven them; if
retain the sins o f any, they are retained. ’
(John 20: 22,23)

About that, St. John Chrysostum said :

"I" “As the leader doesn’t allow his soldiers to confront
the enemy unless they were first well armed, so our
Lord did not allow His disciples to start their
mission unless the Spirit first rested upon them.”
About the Holy Spirit, St. Augustine said:
f “The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the
Spirit of the Son. So, His action is the same in the
three Hypostases”.
 t “ The Holy Spirit is not the Spirit of the Father only,
nor the Spirit of the Son only; but the Spirit of the
Father and the Son’\

f “Our fellowship with God is the act of the Holy

Spirit as God’s love to us is poured out through
Him”.
t “The Holy Spirit dwells in the little children who
have received baptism, even they cannot yet
comprehend that”.
f “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit means insisting
on sin and refusing to repent”.
t “Forgiveness of sins is given only through the Holy
Spirit. Thus, it can be granted only by the church
that has the Holy Spirit”.
t “Let us be humble in order that the Holy Spirit be
with us, namely to let Him work in us”.
Regarding the Confession of Sins and Forgiveness
of them:
a- St. Anthony the Great, the founder of
monasticism, said:
t “If we remember our sins, God will forgive them.
But if we forgot them, God will remember them for
us.” '
b-O n the same point, Tertullian, said :
f “Heaven, and all angels there, rejoice in the
repentance of man. Oh, sinner, let it be now the
time for you to repent. Look how much joy there is
in coming back and repenting!
 c- About the Holy Spirit and forgiveness, St. Anthony
the Great, said:
t “The Holy Spirit, that works in us for repentance,
opens our heart with hope in God, the Giver of the
resurrection from the dead. So, He gives us the
ability to confess our sins with humility of spirit”.

t “If the soul surrenders to God with all its strength,

God will cleanse it from all its defects and pains,
one by one, till it will be free of them all”.
d - St. Cyril, the Great, said :
f “In which way or intention did the Savior grant His
disciples this honor that fits only the nature of God?
The Lord found it suitable that those who have been
granted His Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord God,
should have the power of forgiving or retaining sins
too. Thus, the Holy Spirit that is dwelling in them
will be the One Who forgives or retains sins
according to His will. However, the actions shall be
implemented through them”.
In conclusion, those men who were granted the
Spirit of God, are able to forgive or retain sins in two
ways:

First : They call for baptizing those people who are

already qualified for this sacrament, according to the
purity of their life and by testing their sureness o f faith.
Also, they delay and exclude those who are not yet
worthy for this divine grace.
 Second: On the other hand, they forgive and retain
sins by rebuking or putting away the children o f the
church (i.e. those who are baptized), as well as granting
pardon for those who repent. It is exactly as St. Paul had
done when he excommunicated that person who had
committed adultery in Corinth, “For the destruction o f
the flesh, that his spirit may be saved.” (1 Cor 5:5) Then
he returned and accepted him later in the community,
“Lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too
much sorrow. ” (2 Cor 2:7)

2- “Now Thomas, called the Twin, one o f the twelve,

was not with them when Jesus came. The other
disciples therefore said to him, (We have seen the
Lord.’ So he said to them, ■Unless I see in His
hands the print o f nails into His side, I will not
believe. ” (John 20: 24,25)

^ St. Gregory, the Theologian, said :

t “If you were not with the disciples when Christ
appeared to them, like Thomas, be sure that Christ
will come back and appear particularly to you.
Touch His wounds and do not be unbelieving, but
believing. Believe all what they have told you about
Him. If you don’t believe that, believe in the print
of the nails in His hands, and worship and serve Him”.

About the story of Thomas with the Savior, he also said:

f “How magnificent is the comfort that we have

received through the doubting of Thomas. Due to it,
 the Lord appeared again to the disciples on the
eighth day, or the Sunday after the resurrection.
. He did that not only to confirm His resurrection or
to remove Thomas’ doubts, but also to deliver these
comforts to us too. Thus, we can put our finger into
the place of the nails and our hand into the place of
the spear, not to just believe but to live with these
wounds. Thomas Sunday is indeed a feast for every
soul that can be in touch with the wounds of the
glorified body that had overcome death, ending the
hostility through the Cross”.
B- His A ppearance to the Disciples, with Thomas:
3- “And after eight days His disciples were again
inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the
doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said,
‘Peace to y o u ’” (John 20: 26)

^ About that, St. Cyril, the Great, said:

t “So, the tradition of holding our holy congregations

in the Church in the eighth day (Sunday) is then for a
good reason. It is preferable to borrow the figure of
speech in the Gospel, as it is needed, to say that we
shut the doors. Yes we shut the doors. But even if
we do so. Jesus comes and appears to us; both in
seen and unseen forms at the same time. In an
unseen form with His divine nature, and in a visible
form with His body (in the Eucharist).
He let us touch His holy body. And, yes, He gives it
to us too, as being worthy, by the grace o f God, to
share in the Holy Eucharist. We take Christ in our
hands. Thus, we undoubtedly believe that He had
truly risen the temple of His body”.
 4- “Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger
here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand
here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving,
but believing. ’ And Thomas answered and said to
Him, ‘My Lord and My God! ’ Jesus said to him,
‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have
believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have believed. (John 20: 27-29)
The most im portant point in this p a rt is the subject
of faith.
So, let us live together in what St. Augustine said
about the faith:
® Faith is a grace granted, not as a wage for work but
freely, from God to the man.
By faith we can perceive what the human mind
cannot comprehend.
® The faith that purifies the heart is that which works
in love.
® Faith floods prayer, and the flooded prayers
strengthen faith as well.
® Your faith is not your right but a gift from God to you.
® The aim of faith is to believe, while the aim of love
is to act.
® If you have not an upright faith, you shall not be
righteous, for the righteous lives by faith.
Works are the fruit of faith, but faith is not the fruit
of works.
 ® As far as our faith gets weakened, the temptation
can overcome us.
® Since it is impossible to have love without faith, so
let us have faith by means o f love.
® A time shall come at which I’ll see what I believe in
but now I cannot see it.
® I will see in the eternity what I believe in here; and
what 1 hope in here, I’ll get it there.
® Faith is magnificent, but it is useless without love.
^ Faith should precede understanding, so that
understanding shall be a part of faith.
^ We can touch Him who is seated in the heaven with
our faith, not our hands.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in his explanation of the

Creed, said:
t “He who has been taught to believe in one God -
God the Father, the Almighty - must believe in His
Only-Begotten Son too, because “Whoever denies
the Son does not have the Father either. ”
(1 John 2:23)

Jesus said, “/ am the door. No one comes to the

Father except through Me. ” (John 10:9 and 14:6)
Also, He said, “No one knows the Father except the
Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. ”
(Matt 11:27)
 If you denied the One Who reveals the Father to you,
then you will stay in ignorance. And, as it is written in the
Gospel, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting
life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see
life, but the wrath o f God abides on Him. ” (John 3:36)
The Father is wrath when His Only-Begotten Son is
disregarded. For the king gets angry for degrading one of
his servants. But, if anyone despised his only begotten
son, who then can quench the king’s wrath for his only
begotten son ?!
Therefore, if anyone wishes to show his godliness to
God, he should serve the Son; so God will accept his
service. The Father had announced in a loud voice,
saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. ” (Matt 3:17)
The Father is well pleased in Him. Then, if you are not
pleasing Him in the Son, you shall not have life.
 The Bread of Life
(John 6: 35 - 45)

In this Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ said:

“I am the living bread which came down from
heaven. I f anyone eats o f this bread, he will live forever;
and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall
give for the life o f the world. ” (John 6: 51)
^ St. Cyril, the Pillar of Faith, in his contemplations
about these words, said :
t “How can the man on the earth, being clothed in
mortality, come back to incorruption ?
To answer this question, I can say that: This mortal
body should participate in the life-giving power that
is descended from God. But, the life-giving power
of the Father is indeed the Only-Begotten Son, the
Word that He has sent as a savior and redeemer for us”.
How did He send Him to us?
St John, the Evangelist, plainly told us about that,
saying: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among
us.” (John 1: 14)
 When we eat the Holy Body of Christ and drink His
precious Blood, we receive the life into us. We become as
one with Him. We dwell in Him and He dwells in us too.

Don’t doubt, for it is true; since He Himself clearly said

in the same Gospel: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless
you eat the flesh o f the Son o f Man and drink His
blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh
and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise
him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and
My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and
drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him .”
(John 6: 53-56)
Therefore, we must receive the words of the Savior in
faith, since He is the Truth that by no means can lie.

About “The need for continuous sharing in the

Eucharist Sacrament, St Cyril, the Pillar of Faith,
also said:

t “Gaining the spiritual life through the Eucharist

necessitates continuous sharing in the sacrament.
The believer can maintain his spiritual life and grow
in spirit as far as he can keep bonded to Christ, not
only spiritually but also through uniform and steady
participation of eating His flesh and drinking His
blood. But discontinuous sharing in the Eucharist
may deprive the believer of the eternal life.
Those who do not take Christ through the Eucharist
stay absolutely deprived from any participation or
tasting of the holy and happy life”.
 In his book, “Explaining the Incarnation o f the Only-
Begotten Son ”, St. Cyril the G reat pointed to what was
spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “Then one o f the
seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal
which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And
he touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Behold, this
has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and
your sin purged. ’ ” (Is 6: 6,7)

^ St. Cyril commented, saying :

t “We suggest that this live coal was an example and
image of the incarnated Word. For when He touched
our lips, i.e. when we confess our believing in Him,
He purifies us from all sins and liberates us from the
old yoke that has been laid upon us”.
Father Mel ito of Sardis said :
t “The mystery of Passover is fulfilled in the body of
the Lord. He was led like a lamb, slaughtered like a
sheep; saving us from the slavery o f the world
(Egypt), and liberating us from submission to the
devil (as it was to Pharaoh). He sealed our souls
with His Spirit, and our bodily members with His
blood.
He is THAT One who delivered us from slavery to
freedom, from darkness to light, from death to life,
and from tyranny to the eternal life. He is who has
been meant by the (Passover), the pass over of our
salvation. He is that silent lamb; who has been
taken out of the flock, led to be killed at twilight,
 and buried at night. Therefore, the Feast o f the
Unleavened Bread was bitter, as it is written in your
Holy Scriptures, “You eat unleavened bread with
bitter herbs.” Yes, it was bitter for you the nails
that were used. Bitter was your tongue that
blasphemed, and bitter was your false witness that
you had said against Him”.

About the preparation for communion, St. Clement

of Alexandria said:
t “It should not be just with external provisions, but
also by preparing the soul internally through
practicing the life of love as well as purity o f body
and heart. Also, our conduct in daily life should
comply with that of the church”.

He went on to say:
t “It is fitting for women and men to go to the church
quietly, silently, and in good order. A true love
should be among them. They should be bodily and
heartily pure, and qualified for prayer before God”.
The Apostolic Fathers in the Didache (The
teaching of the Apostles) said :

t “The Lord’s day (Sunday) should be only for the

Lord. Let us congregate in it to break bread, and to
partake of the Eucharist after you have confessed
your sins, so that your sacrifice might be pure.
Whoever is in a dispute with his brother shall cease
congregating with you till they reconcile together,
 in order that you do not profane your sacrifice. For
this is the offering about which the Lord said, "
‘For from the rising o f the sun, even to its going
down, My name shall be great among the
Gentiles. In every place incense shall be offered to
My name, and a pure offering. For My name shall
be great among the nations.' Says the Lord o f
hosts.” (Mai 1:11)
In the above statement, we can notice four remarks;
that are the connection between:
- The Eucharist and the Lord’s Day.
- The Eucharist and confession of sins.
- The Eucharist and the common congregation of
the church.
- The Eucharist and the reconciliation.

^ St. John Chrysostum and the €ucharist

Sacrament:
St. John Chrysostum was truly called “The Teacher of
Eucharist”. He was so called not only because of his
abundant speaking about this magnificent sacrament, or
his testifying clearly and honestly about the conversion of
offerings and the real presence of the Lord, as the priest
of the mysterious sacrament and the life-giving sacrifice;
but also because he could attract the hearts of many to the
altar of God, enter them into the divine holies, and take
them up to the heaven to perceive the supremacy of the
sacrament that is served by the heaven(y orders, in
participation with the earthly men, under the leadership of
the Lord Himself.
 ^ Here are some of the most beautiful w ords that
St. John Chrysostum said about the Eucharist:

“For we are members o f His body, o f His flesh and o f

His bones.” {Eph. 5: 30)
t "He has made us so, not only through love, but also
by action. That was fulfilled by the food that He had
freely offered to us, in order to manifest His love to
us. Because of His love, He mixed Himself with us.
He kneaded His body with our own body in order
that we become one with Him, one body unified
with the head”.

t “As the bread contains many grains that had

combined together so that they no longer can be
distinguished. Although they are actually there, but
you cannot recognize them because of the
combination between them; likewise is our bond to
each other. For His body is the one that feeds all men.
It is participation in the body of the Lord,
partnership with Christ Himself’.

H" “Also he said that the angels are present with us in

the Liturgy service. The angels are entreating the
Lord for the sake of mankind, as if they were
saying, “We pray to You for the sake of those
whom You considered worthy of Your love, so You
have granted them Your life.
We pour out our supplications to You on their
behalf, as You have poured out Your blood for them.
We entreat You for the sake of those for whom
You have sacrificed Your body”.
 Also he said:
T “Although our liturgies are performed on the earth*
they are made ready for the heaven. Since our Lord
Jesus Christ, the sacrificed One, is laying there
Himself; the Spirit is accompanying us; and the One,
who is sitting at the right hand o f the Father, is
presented here. So, our praises are heavenly praises,
and our altar is a heavenly one.
Yes, indeed, it is. For it is not carrying bodily
things, but a spiritual offering. Here, the sacrifice
doesn’t convert to ash and dust, but it is a majestic
and sublime one. Thus, the church is heavenly, yes
she is the heaven itself’.

Also he said:
t “Christ, Who is so close to us, Who had served the
table Himself, still sanctifies it. For no man can convert
the offerings into the flesh and the blood of Christ except
Him, who has been crucified for us.
Actually, the priest says the words, but sanctification is
fulfilled by the power and the grace of God”.

^ St. Cyril of Jerusalem said:

“fr “Since He Himself had spoken about the bread,
saying, “This is My body”; then, who can dare to
doubt ?
A nd since He Himself had confirmed and again
said, “This is My blood” who may then imagine
another thing and say it is not?
 For He, who once had changed water into wine by a
sign from Him in Cana of Galilee, isn’t He
trustworthy when He says, “This is My blood”?
When He was invited to an earthly wedding, He
fnade such miracle there. So, how much more we
should confess to Him that He granted “The
Children of the Wedding” to enjoy His body and
His blood?
Let us partake of them with full confidence that
they ar<? the body and the blood of Christ. For you
are given the Body after consecration of the bread,
and the Blood after consecration of the wine. So, as
you partake of the Body and the Blood o f Christ,
you become joined with Him in flesh and blood.
For in this case we become clothed in Christ, by
mixing His body and His blood with our organs.
By this means we become participants in the divine
nature, as St. Peter said, “As His divine power has
given to us all things that pertain to life and
godliness, through the knowledge o f Him who
called us by glory and virtue, by which have been
given to us exceedingly great and precious
promises, that through these you may be partakers
o f the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust. ”
(2 Pet 1: 3,4)

^ St. Justin Martyr said:

t “For we don’t partake of them as normal food. But,
since our Savior Jesus Christ, being incarnated by
 the word of God, took to Himself flesh and blood
for the sake of our salvation, so we have learned
that the food He gave thanks for, by the utterance of
His words, and with which our flesh and blood are
fed, is indeed the flesh and blood o f THAT
incarnated One”.

^ St. Cphrem, the Syrian, said:

f “Also, the Body of the Lord is joined with our body
in an unspeakable manner. His pure Blood is poured
in our arteries. And He, with the wholeness of His
goodness, enters into us”.

He also said:
f “We share in the holy Body of the Lord with
absolute faith that everybody eats the whole Lamb”.

^ St. Ignatius of Antioch said :

f “The Body of our Lord Jesus is one. His Body and
His Blood that was shed on our behalf, is one. One
bread He has broken. One cup was shared with all.
And, one altar for all the church”.

^ St. Cyprian said :

t “We induce and incite the believers to fight against
the devil, but we do not leave them defenseless. We
provide them the best arms, the Body and the Blood
of Christ. For how can we call them to confess the
name of Jesus Christ and to shed their blood for the
sake of His name, unless we first give them the
Body and the Blood of Christ?”.
 ^ St. Jerome, when they brought to him the holy
mysteries at the time o f his repose, said:
t “What is that humility, my Lord, with which You
wish to come to a sinner, and You accept not only to
eat with him, but also to be eaten by him”.
Assigned Prayers Before and After Communion of
the Holy Mysteries:

- Prayer Before Communion:

0 lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under
the roof of my house, for I am a sinner. But, just say the
word and my soul will be healed. Say to my soul, “Your
sins are forgiven
1 am arid and empty of all goodness. I have nothing but
Your compassion, kindness, and love for mankind.
You have brought Yourself down from the heaven of
Your imperceptible glory to our meekness,-and accepted
to be born in a manger. So, my holy Savior, do not refuse
to accept to Yourself my annihilated and lowly soul, that
is waiting for Your shining presence.
You did not refrain from entering into the leper’s house
to heal him. So, my God, enter into my soul to cleanse her.
You did not forbid the sinful woman from kissing Your
feet. So, do not prevent me from approaching You for the
partaking of Your pure Body and Your holy Blood.
Let my communion be for participating with You; for
destroying whatever is unclean in me; for killing all bad
desires and for working with Your life-giving
commandments; for healing my soul and my body from
all sins; for receiving Your gifts, the indwelling of Your
grace, the incoming of Your Spirit, the joining with You
and holding onto You, to live for the glory of Your holy
name. Amen.
 - Prayer After Communion:
My heart was filled with gladness, and my tongue with
joy, for Your salvation. So, my soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
1 have come to You, 0 Lord, to cloth me in a pure suit
that qualifies me to enter Your feast, and to sit in Your
banquet. Let my joining with You today be everlasting,
and make me increase in righteousness and godliness.
For with it 1 get more steadfast and fruitful in virtue,
more strong in faith, and more powerful in hope, and it
will light the fire of my love.
Let my communion now be a sign of salvation, a robe
o f grace, and a seal of chastity. Let it be a suit for the new
birth, protection for my spiritual life, and purification and
sanctification for both my body and soul. Let it be purity
of love, eternal joy and pleasure, a guarantee for
happiness and complete acceptance before Your fearful
Seat of Judgment.
I commit myself into the hands of Your compassion.
Let me be one with You, and lead me according to Your
will. Guide my senses, mind, and will; bless them and
make them submit to Your will. Inspire my heart, awake
my conscience, stir up my soul and encourage her.
Disperse all the images of the enemy. Command the
wind to calm down, and order the tempests to be silent;
so the great calm comes to pass.
Walk with me. Calm my fears. Quench my thirst, and
kindle in my heart Your love. Kindly and lightly
compensate me in everything I lack. Abide with me, for
the day is far spent. Be my companion till the daylight
appears, and the shadows are no more there.
For only You are my all and my happiness. Only You,
O Lord, are forever. Amen.
 The Holy Spirit

The Gospel according St. John “4: 1-42”

(The Samaritan Woman)

Jesus answered and said to her, “I f you know the gift

o f God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a
drink’, you would have asked Him, and He would have
given you living water. ” (John 4: 10)
- About the living water, also it is written:
“On the last day, that great day o f the feast, Jesus
stood and cried out, saying, ‘I f anyone thirsts, let him
come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the
Scripture has said, out o f his heart will flow rivers o f
living water. ’
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those
believing in Him would receive; fo r the Holy Spirit was
not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
(John 7: 37-39)

We shall study what the fathers of the church said

about the Holy Spirit.
 ^nbo€luclion :
The Holy Spirit is the third Hypostasis o f the Holy
Trinity. We believe in one God with tri-hypostases:
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
1 - St. Athanasius the Apostolic, and his sayings
about the Holy Spirit:
(a) About the Divinity of the Holy Spirit, he said:

t “The Holy Spirit is of one essence with the Son

(the life-giving Body), and the Son is of one
essence with the Father. Therefore, the Holy
Spirit is of one essence with the Father.”

Also he said:
t “We believe in the Holy Trinity: God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And He is
one God; identical, inseparable in nature, and having
one action”.
The Father makes all things, through the Son, by
the Holy Spirit. Thus, we call with one God in the
church, Who is:
Above all (entirely origin). Through Him all
(entirely reason). In all (entirely action).
He is the absolute entirety, or God in His absolute
and entire Being. He is:
1- Above all things, as Father. A source. A spring.
2 - Through Him all things, as Son.
3- In all things, as Holy Spirit.
 (b) About the Unity of Action and Impossibility of
Separating the Trinity

St. Athanasius spoke about the annunciation of the

archangel Gabriel to the Virgin St. Mary. He Said:

t “When God the Word overshadowed the Virgin St.

Mary, the Word had come to her with the Holy
Spirit. The Word had formulated His body by the
Holy Spirit, and formed it to Himself. So, He
wished to unify all men in this body and, therefore,
unifying them with God and bring them to God
through H im self’.
(From his letter to St. Serapion 1: 31)
(c) About the power of the Holy Spirit for giving
life, he said:

If “He is called the life-giving Spirit, and the Spirit of

life in Jesus Christ; because all creatures gain life
from Him. However, the Son Himself is life, and is
called “The Prince of Life” in the Gospel. How,
then, could the Holy Spirit be considered a creature,
while in Him all creatures received life through the
Word?”.
2- St. Basil, the Great, and his sayings about the
H o ly Spirit:
(a) About the Holy Spirit, he said:
f “The correct belief is that the Holy Spirit cannot be
separated from the Father and the Son. He is
presented with Them in”:
 (i) The Rational Creation:
All the heavenly powers have existed by the will of the
Father, and received their being through the Son. But, the
sanctifying of them, and to be continually sanctified, is
fulfilled by the presence of the Holy Spirit in them.
(ii) The Incarnation of the Lord:
The annunciation has been implemented by the Spirit,
and the conceiving was also by the Spirit (Luke 1:35).
The anointment was by the Spirit (John 1: 33). The Spirit
was with Him during the temptation (Matt 4: 1).
He accomplished all His works by the Spirit (Matt 12:
28), and He rose from the dead by Him (Rom 8: 11).
(iii) The Judgment:
For those who were sealed by the Holy Spirit for the
day of redemption and kept their life pure and
unblemished, will hear the voice saying, “Well done,
good and faithful servant” (Matt 25: 21).
But those who grieved the Spirit, will be cut off,
namely the Holy Spirit shall be totally separated from
them. (Matt 24: 51)

(b) About the titles of the Holy Spirit, St. Basil said :
t “He is called “The Spirit” because God is Spirit, and
is called “Holy” for the Father is holy, and the Son
too. Also is called “the Good” for the Father is good,
therefore Whoever proceeds from the Father is good.
He is called “The Upright”, for God is good and
upright. He is called the Helper; the Spirit of truth',
the Spirit of righteousness; the Spirit of counsel; and
the Spirit of wisdom. Also He is called the
“Paraclete” (The Comforter)”.
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 (c) About His Acts, St. Basil said:
t “The acts of the Holy Spirit are magnificent,
surpassing our mind, and uncountable indeed. For
how can we perceive what the Holy Spirit was
doing before establishing the rational creation, or
imagine the splendid graces that He gave, and is
still giving, to the creation. Nay, what about His
power that He will manifest it in the coming life”.
3- St.Cyril of Alexandria and his sayings about the
Holy Spirit:
(a) In his interpretation of the Gospel according to
St. ,John; on the verse “I am in the Father and
the Father in M e” (John 14: 11), he said:
11° “A s the Son is sourced from the Father in a way that
surpasses our comprehension, and yet the Son is still
in Him, so the Holy Spirit is like that too.
He proceeds truly from God as He is by nature, but
He is not separated from Him in essence. Rather, He
proceeds from Him but still remains eternally in
Him, and is given to the saints through Christ; for all
things are done through the Son by the Holy Spirit”.
(b) In his interpretation on this verse, “But the
Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in My name, He will teach you all things. ”
(John 14:26), he said:

t “The complete revelation of the divine mystery is

fulfilled by the Holy Spirit, who is sent from the
Father in the name of the Son.
Since the Spirit is of Christ Who dwells in us, then
He said, “He will teach you all things that I said to
you. ”
(4) The intellectual Didymus of Alexandria, like all
other fathers of the church, preached and taught
about the Trinity and the one essence of the
three Hypostases. He said:
f “Whoever contacts the Holy Spirit, is already in
contact with the Father and the Son at the same
moment. And, whoever partakes of the glory of the
Father, this glory is in fact given to him from the
Son and the Holy Spirit.”
(Essay: “About the Holy Spirit —17 ”)
‘• About the proceeding of the Holy Spirit, he said :
f “The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, and
divinely settles in the Son.”
(Essay. “About the Holy Spirit 1:3”)
Also, he said:
1r “In the essence of the Holy Spirit, the perfection of
gifts can be understood. There is no way that
anyone seeks the grace of God unless he has the
Holy Spirit, that all gifts are included in Him.
So, it is obvious that the Holy Spirit is the fountain
of all gifts. No gift can be granted without Him,
because all the benefits that we can receive from the
riches of God are actually given out of that principle
fountain”.
- XhOttt the work. a£ the H oly Spirit in man., he
said :
f “He is the sanctifier and the life-giver, the radiant
light of the heaven, the guard of all, and the watcher
for the steadfastness of His consistency. He is the
 renewing and liberating One. He is like the Lord,
the Son of God who made us, for He is the Spirit of
adoption.
He makes us fly to the gates of the heaven, and
leads us through the doors of salvation.
He is the divine grace that fills all passing, empty
and weak things; the unlimited fountain of gifts; the
inspiration of all good thinking. He truly reveals the
things that will come to pass.
He is the seal of salvation, the divine gift, and the
guarantee of the eternal life.
By Him all creatures exist, the seen and unseen,
either rational or not. He raises them all. By Him
we receive the divine renewal, the forgiveness of
trespasses, the covering o f our sins, and coming
back to God.
He is a crown for the righteous, and a guard for
godly men, the heavenly dwelling, the life that has
no end, and the inheritance of the eternal Kingdom
of God. Whoever participates in Him, through the
renewal of Communion, can attain the eternal life
and partake in the divine nature.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, and his teaching about the

Holy Spirit:
Only the Son and the Holy Spirit can see the Father as
He should be seen, since They are both joined in the
divine nature of the Father.
 St. Cyril of Jerusalem told us the Holy Spirit is the
same as the Father and the Son, since the three o f Them
are joined in the same, and one, “Divinity Glory”.

The Holy Spirit is “co-eternal” with the Father and the

Son. His work for our salvation is associated with the
other two Hypostases. The Son knows the Father with the
Spirit and through the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is the
Spirit of revelation and enlightenment. He is the
Sanctifier, the Unique, and the Good. He is the Helper,
the Teacher of the church, the Spirit of grace, Who
stamps the soul with His seal, indicating that it is owned
by Him. And He who gives sanctity to all.

The Spirit is One who cannot be divided with the

numerousness of gifts. It is not like the Father gives a gift,
and the Son gives another one, and the Holy Spirit gives a
third one; but the salvation, the power, and the faith are
associated in Them all. The Hypostases are not separable,
and They have one honor.

We proclaim One God, with the Holy Spirit, through

the Son; without mingling, and without division. The
Father gives to the Son, and the Son gives to the Holy Spirit.
In conclusion, and for the sake of our salvation, it is
sufficient for us to know that there is the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. Nothing more is written about any
other thing, it doesn't fit us to investigate beyond which
is written in the Holy Bible about the essence and the
Hypostases.
 The True Light
(John 12:35-50)
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the true light that enlightens
the whole world. We shall study what the fathers of the
church said about that.
In the beginning of the creation, and on the first day,
God said:
“Let there be light”; and there was light. And God
saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light
from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the
darkness He called it Night. So the evening and the
morning were the first day. (Gen 1 : 3 - 5 )
1- About that St. Rugustine said:
f 1 “This light belongs to the holy and heavenly city,
that includes the holy angels, and in which the
believers enjoy the eternity. This is that about which
St. Paul the A postle had said that it is the Jerusalem
above, “But the Jerusalem above is free, which is
the mother o f us all.” (Gal. 4: 26), and in which we
share, as it was said, “You are alt sons o f light and
sons o f the day. We are not o f the night nor o f
darkness.” (I Thes. 5: 5)
 t “St. Augustine said that the heavenly orders had
enjoyed the light that was launched in the first day
by seeing the marvelous works of God throughout
all ages. But, their knowledge about the creation is
considered “evening” if it is compared to the
knowledge of God”.

^ About dividing the light from the darkness, St.

Augustine s a id :
t “The light indicates the creation of the heavenly
ones, i.e. the angels with their orders, first. And, the
dividing of the light from the darkness points to the
fall of some angels with pride, and therefore they had
become darkness”.
N il/
About the phrase, “God saw that it was good”,
St. Basil, the Great, said:
t “God doesn’t judge a thing that is good just because
of the enchantment of eye and dazzling of the mind
with its beauty, like we do, but He sees that a thing
is good as long as it is perfect, suitable for His work,
and ultimately useful”.

^ The Intellectual Origen said:

t “Christ is the light of the world, Who illuminates the

c h u r c h with His light. As the moon derives light
from the sun, so he illuminates the darkness; as the
church derives her light from Christ to illuminate
those who are in the darkness of folly.
2- In explaining the same phrase, “God said, ‘Let
there be light’, and it was light.” St. €phrom, the
Syrian said:
f “By saying “God said: Let there be light” God
revealed His Word, that is His Son, Who is
Begotten from Him before all ages, and is still from
Him, with Him, and in Him. Who is His hand and
His arm, and through Him, He made all things”.
For the hand of God is not a member or an organ
like our hand, because God has neither body nor
organs, but He is a simple and kind Spirit, as the
Lord Jesus had said in the Gospel, “God is Spirit.”
(John 4: 24)
Since God is a perfect Being, then His hand also
must be as perfect as He is, and this is His Word.
For us, as human beings, if we wish to do
something we have to do it with our hands because
of the inability of our word to do it.
But God can do everything with His Word, because
His Word is perfect, mighty in Himself. He is a
complete Hypostasis as Him, in whatever He makes
and as He only wills. The Word immediately makes
all what He wants to make, and the Word is
connected to Him because the Word is Begotten
from Him; like our hand is connected to us. THAT
was called by God His Hand, or His Word, to show
us that it is not a lifeless word, that has no
Hypostasis, nor existing being, like our word, but
His Word is an eternal One that has self existence,
like the existence of our hand with us.
 Therefore, David the prophet, in Psalm 33, said, “By
the word o f the Lord the heavens were made. ”
(Ps 33: 6). And, in Psalm 102, also he said, “A nd the
heavens are the work o f your hands. ” (Ps. 102: 25)

St. €phram confirming that Christ is the true light

that enlightens everyone in the world, saying:

t “So, when the term “light” had come into use; the
light, or day, had become recognized and separated
from the darkness, or night.
Before the manifestation of Christ, the incarnated
Word of God, in the flesh; the darkness of the devil,
due to sin and transgression, was prevailing among
all people on the earth, and there was no light.
But when Christ, the word of God, the Light that is
Begotten from the Father without being separated
from Him - like the rays from the sun - has
incarnated and gave us the Holy Spirit through
baptism, He enlightened us, and stirred into us His
fear. And He clearly declared the light of His
promises in our hearts.
Since then, we believed Him, we loved Him, and
we kept His commandments. We kept His
commandments as we realized how much more
terrible is the permanent punishment that shall be
given to those w ho violate them. And we loved
Him for the magnificent grace and the eternal fife
and kingdom that He will grant to those who keep
His commandments.
 Therefore, by keeping His commandments, we
became true, spiritual light and day. But those who
do not believe in Him or keep His commandments
are spiritual darkness and night indeed.
Since the Pentateuch was a bodily Law, then it
begins with the bodily darkness (Night), and the
bodily light (Day).
But, as the Holy Gospel is a spiritual Law, so the
spiritual light and day as well as the spiritual
darkness and night, were mentioned in the
beginning of it.
As the Pentateuch mentioned that God divided the
light from the darkness, and He called the light with
a name and the darkness with another name; also
Christ, our God, divided - through believing in Him
and keeping His commandments - the sons of light
from the sons of darkness; calling the former with a
name other than the latter, in order to recognize
these from those.
3- In his contemplation of Psalm 18, verse 28; “For
You will light my lamp. The Lord my God will
enlighten my darkness. ”(Ps 18: 28); St.
Augustine said:
t “The heart of the Psalmist overflows with thanks
and trust, as he confesses that God lights his lamp,
namely gives him the true life, since there is no separation
between enlightenment and life.
When David, in his later days, subjected himself to
be killed in war, his men counseled him not to go
anymore with them into battle, “Lest you quench
the lamp o f Israel. ” (2 Sam 21:17)
 The Psalmist had realized that he is just a lamp that
has no light in itself, but needs the oil of the divine
grace. He needs the Lord Christ, “The Light of the
World"’. He needs Him to reveal His Self in him, as
light dispersing all dreadful darkness and granting
him a new vitality. It seems like he is crying to his
Savior, with the deepest of passion, so that these
passions may widen the way for him to a renewing
joy, and to taste the life of joining with God, Who
induces him to practice more and more good deeds.
St. Augustine went on, saying:
f “In the first part, “For You wit! light my lamp.”
Our light does not originate from ourselves; but
You are, my Lord, Who lights my lamp.
And, in the second part, “The Lord my God will
enlighten my darkness.”
We are already in the darkness of sin. But, Oh! My
Lord, You will enlighten my darkness”.
Here, St. Augustine apotheosizes the Lord Christ, the
True Light, saying:
® O True Light, that Tobiah has enjoyed in teaching
his son, nevertheless he was blind!
0 True Light, that made Isaac, being sightless,
reveal the future to his son.
® O True Light, the U nseen one, W ho exam ines the
depths o f the human heart!
® 0 True Light, that enlightened Jacob’s mind, so he
revealed different matters to his sons.
® O True Light, Who said, “Let there be light,” and
it was light. May You say now this verse again,
so that my eyes might be enlightened with the true
light, and I recognize it from any other light.
Yes, when 1 am away from Your light, the truth
slips from me, and the false gets close to me.
Boasting fills me, and the truth escapes me.
4- St. John Sobbo, “The Spiritual Presbyter” said:
H1“You have to bear with your heart the yoke of your
Lord, and exalt always His greatness in your mind.
Then, the light of your Lord pours into you the glow
that enlightens your heart.
One lamp I see, and with His light I am enlightened.
Now I am astonished. I have spiritually rejoiced,
since I have the Fountain of Life in me, Who is the
most of the non-sensual world”.
5- In the Psalm 27, verse 1, “The Lord is my light
and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" St. John
Chrysostum said:
t “The Holy Bible introduces the Lord to us with
many titles in order to fulfill all our needs. He is our
light, our salvation, and our strength; as it is written
in this Psalm.
He is the bread that comes down from heaven. He is
the door, the way, the truth, the life, ... etc.
David, then, doesn’t call God with the same name
or title all the time. But, when he is in the war and
is triumphant, he says, “I will love You, O Lord, my
 strength. The Lord is my shield. ” And when God
i saves him from trouble or darkness that surrounds
him, he says, “The Lord is my light and my
salvation.”
He calls Him every time according to the state that
he is in at that time. Sometimes he calls Him
through His love, others through His justice, or
through His righteous ordinance.
6 - St. Cyril, the Great, said:
t "in order to approach the True Light, namely"Christ,
we should praise Him, as in the Psalm, saying,
“Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep o f death. ”
(Ps 13: 3)
The true death is not the death of the body but of the
soul, when we wander from the straightness o f true
teaching and choose vanity instead of truth.
Therefore, our waists should be girded, and our
lamps burning, as it was told to us. (Luke 12: 35)
With this enlightenment, there shall be no place for
darkness in our soul, body, mind, heart, ... etc, but
all things inside us shall be enlightened by the Lord”.
7- In interpreting Psalm 36:9, “For with You is the
fountain o f life; in Your light we see light. ”
St. Basil, the Great, said:
T his Psalm speaks about the H oly Trinity.
- F o r w ith You is the fo u n tain o f fife: The Son is
the fountain of life, Who is with the,Father, and is One
with Him.
 - In Your light we see light: The Holy Spirit is the
light of the Father (In Your light), with Whom we see the
Father and the Son (Light). The Holy Spirit is the granter
of enlightenment.

St. Basil went on, saying:

t “No one can enlighten himself, for all light comes

from the heaven, from: “The Spirit o f truth who
proceeds from the Father. ” (John 15: 26)
By Him we can see the Son, the Word, as well as
the Father. Yet, we can see by Him the actuality of
ourselves, as He enlightens our insight, so we can
detect our weakness and feel our need for salvation.
By Him, God gives light to us, “The light o f the
Gospel o f the glory o f Christ. For it is the God
who commanded light to shine out o f darkness,
who has shone in our hearts to give the light o f
the knowledge o f the glory o f God in the face o f
Jesus Christ. ” (2 Cor. 4: 4,6)
^ He added, saying:

t “As it is written, “In Your light we see light.” That

means that with the enlightenment of the Holy
Spirit, “The true Light which gives light to every
man coming into the world”, so that the glory of
the Only Begotten Son is manifested, which grants
the true worshipers the knowledge of God.
 1- St. Ambrose of Milan, said:

t “In Your Son, Who is the Light, we see the light of

the Holy Spirit; as the Lord Himself declared to us,
saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20: 22)
And, as it is said in another place, “fo r power went
out o f Him and healed them all. ” (Luke 6: 19)
But, who can doubt that the Father is light, as we read
about His Son that He is “The brightness of the eternal
light’'? For to whom shall the Son be a brightness except
to the Father?! Who is permanently With the Father, and
permanently shines, not with a different brightness but
with the same brilliancy.
2- Father Muratori said:
t “Without the light of the Holy Bible, we cannot see
God, “Who is light” (1 John 1: 5), nor we can
perceive His justice that is filled with light”.
3- St. Clement of Alexandria, has a wonderful
contemplation on the 60th Chapter of the Book of
Isaiah, in which he spoke about the “Shining City”:
t “In that chapter, Isaiah the prophet presents to us an
admirable image of the Church of the New Covenant; as
the City of the Lord, the shining Zion, the Icon of the
Heaven. About this city, Isaiah the prophet said, “Arise,
shine; fo r your light has come! A nd the glory o f the
Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall
cover the earth, and deep darkness the people. But the
Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen
upon yo u .” (Is 60: 1,2)
 St. Clement of Alexandria said:
t . “When the Jews had come back from the captivity,
they considered themselves as having been risen
from death. They enjoyed the light of life and
freedom after seventy years of humiliation, as in the
darkness of the grave.
But the church of the New Covenant has enjoyed that
which is much greater, to be joined with the true
Light as an eternal groom, Who set her as a bride
carrying His light, His brightness, and His glory.
And, as the Lord said about Himself, “I am the light
o f the world. ” (John 8:12), and He called His
disciples also the light of the world (Matt 5:14)
because they are carrying Him in them.”

St. Clement arguing, “W hat is the cause of the

enlightenment of the church?” And he answered,
saying:
“It is the resurrection of the Lord that granted us the
new life, that death no longer shall prevail upon it, nor
darkness can trap it, nor the tomb can destroy it.
Therefore St. Paul the Apostle said, “Awake, you who
sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you
light. ” (Eph 5: 14)

Since in baptism we enjoy the resurrection of Christ;

this sacrament, then, was called “enlightenment”. As we
are baptized we get enlightened. As we get enlightened
we are adopted. And, as we are adopted we get perfected.
 4- About the same point, St. Gregory Nozionzen,
also said:

t “Enlightenment, which is baptizing, is the helper for

weakness, participation of light, and seizing of
darkness.

t “Enlightenment is a boat traveling towards God. It

means walking with Christ. It is the base of faith,
and the perfection of mind.

f “Enlightenment is the key for the Kingdom and

recovery of life”.
Finally, we present a statement that St. Jacob €1-
Serrougi had said:
t “Baptism is the daughter of the day. As she has
opened her doors, the night that all creation had
entered into, lied away.”
 (John 14: 1-11)
In this Gospel our Lord Jesus Christ says:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through Me. ”

l- The Way
Our Lord Jesus Christ introduces Himself to us as “He
is the way.” By Him we enter into the heavenly kingdom
life. And, without Him we gain nothing but corruption
and death.
Therefore, he who lives with Christ, lives in the way of
the righteous. But, he who lives with the devil, lives in
the way o f the wicked.

^ St. Jerome said :

f “Since Christ is the way of the righteous, then the
devil is the way of the wicked. In other words, the
believers are characterized by their unity with the
Word of God, i.e. Jesus Christ our Lord.
The way should not be only in behavior, but also in
joining the membership of Christ’s body, in order to
live by the Spirit of the Lord”.
 ^ The Intellectual Orlgen said :
t “Christ, being the way, leads me to Himself; pulling
me to Him by the robes of His divine love, and
granting me to partake in His nature: holiness,
purity, love, humility,...etc.

“fr “Our Christ is the safe way that carries us, by His
Holy Spirit, to the bosom of the Father; without
being subjected to any harm or needing anything,
but growing in grace and wisdom”.

1* “Those who are seeking their salvation can attain

growth in wisdom. Their desire is fulfilled through
recognizing the truth that is in the divine Word, and
conducting the real righteousness”.
That leads us to perceive how Christ is the “Way”.
I 3 “In such a way we take no provisions, nor bag, nor
tunic. We need no staff to carry, nor sandals in our
feet. (Matt 10: 10), since the way itself is satisfying
all the needs of our journey. And, he who walks in it
has no need of anything. He who walks in it is
dressed in a tunic that fits the invitation to the
Wedding”.
t “In that way, man cannot find anything annoying
him, as Solomon the Wise had said that he couldn’t
find “The way o f a serpent on a rock” (Prov. 30: 19)

And, I can add that he couldn’t find a way of any

ravenous beast. Since then, there is no need to carry
a staff as there is no trace of a hostile creature”.
t “For its rigidity, the way is called “a rock” so that
no harmful creature can affect it”.
t “He is the good way that leads the good man to the
good Father. He leads the man who gives good
things out of the treasure of his good heart. He leads
the good and faithful servant” .
t “As this way is narrow indeed, so many people
cannot bear walking in it for they love their bodies”.

St. Irenaeus pointed to that, s a y in g :

t “Our holy Christ is the way that was established for
sanctifying our souls. Throughout all the Holy
Bible, holiness is clearly shown as a basis for
salvation.
So, he who dreams that he is capable of entering
into the kingdom of heaven without purity of heart,
righteousness of life, and holiness of body; shall die
in this delusion and awake to find himself in an
eternal disgrace and shame”.

Father Bishoy Kamel, may God reposed his

soul, said:
t “Think about this verse of Isaiah the prophet, “A
highway shall be there, and a road; and it shall be
called the High way o f Holiness. ” (Is 35: 8)
Throughout the Coptic year, the holy Church
provides us a “Highway of Holiness” that leads to
the bosom of the heavenly Father. This is
accomplished through “The Ecclesiastical Life
Cycle” that includes days, fasts, readings, and
liturgy.
 The ecclesiastical life is our journey to the heaven,
as we say in the third hour prayer, “When we stand
in Your holy temple, we are considered as those
standing in the heaven.”

And, as St. John Chrysostum said :

t “When the veil of the temple is raised, be sure

that the doors of heaven have been opened too.”
So, we live a journey in the church, which is
actually a guarantee for our heavenly life, and leads
to heaven itself.
2- The Truth :
Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. ”
The truth cannot be divided, because the truth is God. So,
the Truthful, the Truth, and the Spirit of Truth are all One.
We cannot separate the Truth from the source of truth,
or the Truthful.
The Truth is begotten from the Father, and the Spirit of
Truth is proceeding from the Father.
But, the Father, and the Begotten Son from Him, and
the Spirit Who proceeds from Him; are all One.
It is much like we say that the light and the beams
projected from the light are both one light.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth because He is the
Spirit of God. It is He who inspires truth, and is a guide to
truth. Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ said about the
Holy Spirit, “ When He, the Spirit o f truth, has come, He
will guide you unto all truth. ” (John 16:13)
 St. Cyril of Jerusalem said:

t “Our Lord Jesus Christ is the very truth. He is true

God of a true God, because He and the Father are
One.
He is true son, a son by nature that has no
beginning. He did not come from slavery state to
adoption, i.e. changed to a greater state, but He is an
eternal son begotten by unperceived and
immeasurable genealogy.
He is begotten from the beginning, the Son o f the
Father. He is surpassing all beginnings and all ages.
He is the Word of God, the Truth of the Truthful,
and the Wisdom of the Wise. He is the King of
kings, and the Lord of lords.
St. Clement of Alexandria, sees that folly and
vanity are the worst of all sins. Therefore he was fond
of reading in order to know the truth. His wit is
obvious in his writings as he quoted 700 excerpts from
348 books or perhaps more.
In his book “Miscellanies, ” St. Clement viewed the
truth as the basic element in Christianity. But the first
principle is that the Lord is reigning through the Holy
Bible. The Lord who led the prophets, the evangelists,
and the apostles; from whom we took the demonstrations
of our faith.
We have received the truth by the Holy Bible; not
through the views of people, as heretics do, but through
the voice of the Lord Himself.
 St. John Chrysostum said:
t “This one who cries to God, in a voice of true
humbling and true confessing of faith, is a lamb.
But, one who speaks with blasphemies against truth
and hostility to God, is a wolf.

2- The L ife :
,
I am the way the truth, and the life.
Christ is life, i.e. He is the source of life, as St. John
said, “In Him was life, and the life was the tight for
men.” Also the Scripture said, “He who believes in the
Son has everlasting life. ” (John 3: 36)

^ Here St. Cyril the Great, said:

f “The Only-Begotten Son, by nature, is life, “For in

Him we live and move and have our being. ”
(Acts 17: 28)
Surely, He enters into us through faith, and He
dwells in us by the Holy Spirit.
Also, St. John the Evangelist said, “By this we
know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because
He has given us o f His Spirit.” (1 John 4: 13)
Christ, therefore, shall give life to those who
believe in Him, as He Himself is life by nature, and
He dwells in them.
Since life by nature enters us through faith, then St.
John in his Gospel said, “He who believes in the
Son has everlasting life.” (John 3: 36) Which
means that the Son Himself, and no one else, is He
whom we know that is life’’.
^ About the verse, “For as the Father raises the
dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives
life to whom He w ill” (John 5:21), St. Cyril the
Great said :

t “Do you see also in these words a decisive proof of

His equivalency to the Father? For He equally works
as Him in raising the dead, so how can He be lesser?
Or how can He be of some other nature than the
Father, since He shines with the same characteristics
as Him? For the capability of life giving that is in the
Son, as it is in the Father, is only a property of the
divine nature.
However, the Father who gives life to some people,
doesn’t do that separately without the Son, nor the
Son gives life to others solely and separately from the
Father.
The Son has the Father in Himself by nature, and the
Father is doing and making everything through the
Son. But, since the Father has in His very nature the
power of giving life, then the Son also attributes this
power to Himself, as if it belongs to each of them
separately”.

^ St. Cyril the Great has also a contemplation on

the verse, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour
is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear
the voice o f the Son o f God; and those who hear
will live.” (John 5:25)
< ^ 49^
^ About that he said :
t “In conclusion, a time is coming when the dead
will hear the voice of the Son of God who will
raise them. And it is assumed also that this hour
is now, i.e. a present hour.
How can this be?
It maybe either as when Lazarus heard the voice of
the Savior; or He meant, by this saying, the dead
who haven’t yet been called through faith to the
eternal life, which they shall definitely earn if they
received the Savior’s teaching.
And, as far as we contemplate on these words, the
more deeply we can comprehend them. So, let us
start reading:
“Most assuredly I say to you the hour is coming,
and now is, when the dead will hear the voice o f
the Son o f God; and those who hear will live. ”
What is intended by “the hour” here, is that hour
in which the dead will hear His voice, and will
live. They will be raised in order to give account
for their life in the world.
He said that the eternal life shall be the reward of
obedience. He publicly declared that all of us are
going to Judgment, at the time of general
resurrection.
However, if it is so bitter for you to be punished
and requited by endless penalties from the
aw esom e Judge, don’t let the time for obedience
pass in vain. But, instead, grip it since it is
presented now, and hurry to earn the eternal life.
 Peace, Tribulation, and Triumph
(John 16: 23-33)
In this Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ says:
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you
may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation;
but be o f good cheer, I have overcome the w o rld ”
(John 16: 33)
In this verse, our Lord Jesus Christ speaks to us about:
(1) Peace.
(2) Tribulation.
(3) Overcoming the world (Victory, or Triumph).
Now, let us see what did the church fathers say about
these points.

l- Peace
^ St. John Chrysostum said:
f “Our Lord Jesus Christ was called the “Prince o f
Peace” (Is 9: 6). And His gospel is “The gospel o f
peace” (Eph 6: 15).And His kingdom is
“righteousness and peace and joy in the Spirit. ”
(Rom 14:17) The price which was paid for that
peace is His precious blood that has been shed on
the Cross5'.
^ Also he said :
t “Yes, this is what has become the work o f the Son,
to unify the divided ones and reconcile the
outsiders”.

St. Augustine sees that “making peace” is not an

external work practiced by man, but it is a nature
that the sons of God enjoy inside them, through the
internal peace between the spirit and the body,
which comes to them by the Holy Spirit in Jesus
Christ, then the kingdom of heaven is revealed
inside us. Therefore, he said:
f' “The perfection of peace shall be where there is no
resistance. The sons of God are peacemakers,
because the sons should be like their Father.
They are basically peacemakers inside themselves, as
long as they are controlling the movements of their
spirit and submitting them to the right, i.e. to the
mind and the Spirit. Also by suppressing totally their
bodily desires. Therefore the Kingdom of God is
manifested in them, and the man will then be like this:
Everything which is sublime and venerable in the
man is controlling all other bodily elements in him,
without resistance”.

St. Augustine also said :

f “Let peace be your friend and beloved one. And let
your heart be a pure bed for it. Let yourself have
contented comfort with it, with no bitterness. Let
yourself have a sweet embracing and a substantial
friendship with it”.
^ St. Jerome said

t “Our Lord Christ is peace. So, let us keep peace in

order that peace keeps us in Christ Jesus”.
Wit/
Also he said :
f 1 “Peace is the power of Christians. "Peace o f God,
which surpasses all understanding, will guard
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ”
(Philip 4: 7) And, “Blessed are the peacemakers. ”
(Matt 5:9), not only those who are making peace
between disputing people, but also for those who
establish peace inside themselves. For what will be
the benefit for me if other people live in peace,
while there is no peace inside my own heart”.

St Cyprian has a contemplation on Christ's

saying, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give
to you .” (John 14: 27) He said :

H3 “He gave that peace to us as an inheritance, as He

promised us all the gifts and rewards that He has
spoken about through keeping peace. If we are heirs
with Christ, we should settle in His peace. If we are
sons of God, we should be peacemakers. For it is
fitting for the sons of God to be peacemakers, and to
have a kind heart. They should be simple in talking,
associated in love, and tightly joined together with
ties of fraternal intimacy”.
t “It is fitting for the son of peace to seek peace and to
keep it. He who knows and loves the ties of love,
should forbid his tongue from the troubles of
quarreling.'’

^ St. Gregory of Nazianzen said :

H" “We should honor the gift of peace that Christ had
left to us on His departure. Peace is particularly
assigned to God, Who unifies all things together as one”.

2- Tribulation
“ In the world you will have tribulation.”
^ St Augustine said :
"fr “He who refuses to endure tribulation shall not be
saved by his impatience with troubles coming on
him”.
t “There is no therapy for healing pain more effective
than a faithful friend who comforts you in your
tribulations.
t “The straits that you endure here in your life, are
considered like a whipping from God.

t “Because during tribulation time you may not have

time to hear, so hear now in the peaceful time.

t “The tribulation of this time teaches you, and the

trials of this present life inflame your eagerness to
the eternal life”.
 t “Trials, even though they are many, shall not be a
cause for perishing but a way for perfection”.

t “The Lord examines man in order to show him the

reality of his soul, so that he may blame it”.

t “The temptation tests the righteous people like fire

tests the potter’s vessel”.

t “Your friends may spoil you by their plentiful

commendations. But, your enemies adjust
imperfections in you through accusations that they
direct to you”.

t “How do you know that God doesn’t want healing

for you? Since chastening is still beneficial for you”.

t “The cluster shall not be wine, nor the olive grain

oil, unless the press stone passed over them”.

t “The martyrs were asking, through their pains and

suffering, for the salvation of their persecutors”.

t “The soul doesn’t come back to God unless she has

been picked out of the world. And nothing can truly
pick her out but labor and pain”.

St. John Chrysostom, and tribulations:

When St. John Chrysostum had suffered passions and
persecutions from Andoxia, the empress, he wrote from
his prison to St. Cericus, saying :

t “WhenT had been exiled from the city, I didn’t get

worried, but 1 said in myself:
 t If the empress wished to exile me, let her do that,
for “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fu ll ness'’!
Should she decided to drown me in the ocean, then
I think of Jonah”.

t “If I had been thrown in fire, then I find that the

three youngsters have borne that in the furnace!

t “And, if I had been put before hungry beasts, then I

remember Daniel in the den of lions!

“If she decided to stone me, then Stephen the Proto­

martyr is in front of me”.

“And, if she decided to behead me, then let it be; for

the Baptist shines before me”.

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked

shall I leave the world.
And Paul the Apostle reminds me, “I f I am still
satisfying people, then I am not a servant o f Christ. ”
The intellectual Origen, and tribulations :

As St. Ambrose and St. Prunechtius were under trial,

during the persecution of Maximin, the intellectual
Origen wrote to them, saying :
t “During your trial that is already being held now, I
like you always remember the great reward that the
Father prepares in the heaven for the aggrieved and
the condemned due to righteousness, and for the
sake of the Son of Man.
 Rejoice and be glad, as the apostles so did “For they
were counted worthy to suffer shame fo r His
name.’\k c \s 5: 41) And, if you felt sadness, then
call out to the Spirit of Christ in us to set back the
spirit of grief and pick worrying out of your hearts.
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? A nd why are
you disquieted within me? Hope in God, fo r I shall yet
praise Him. ” (Ps 42: 5)
So our souls shall not be troubled. But, even before
judging seats and in front of swords that were set for
beheading us; still our souls are kept in the peace o f God,
which surpasses all understanding.
We can feel confidence and quietness, when we
remember that those who are absent from the body are
present with the Lord. (2 Cor 5: 8)

^ About tribulations, Father Isaac said :

t “God does not want the haughty soul that behaves in

haste and with no care about temptation or
tribulation. Yet, He wants the humble soul; so that
her triumph with God shall be more glorious, and
the defeat of the devil he more confirmed”,
t “Although Job has been tried, he didn’t enter into
temptation, since he never pronounced any
blasphemy against God, nor did he surrender to an
evil mouth as it was planned by the devil him self’,
t “Abraham, and also Joseph, both have been tried.
But neither of them entered into temptation, because they
didn’t surrender to satisfy the tempter”.
 ^ St. Abba Paul, the proto-anchorite, said:
t “He who flees from tribulation, flees from God.
3 - The Overcoming, Or Triumph:
“Be ofgood cheer, I have overcome the world.”
$ k St. Augustin© said :
• t “If you overcome your self, the whole world shal I be
defeated before you”.
“May the Lord make you triumph; not externally
against your enemies, but internally against
yourselves”.

Also he said:

t “Don’t fear the enemy that comes from the outside,

for if you could overcome yourself, then you can
overcome the whole world.
t “How could you overcome a furious enemy if you
couldn’t do so when he is gentle with you?
t “With every motion of love and labor in the Lord,
He exalts me with His divine comforts as if to His
holy mountain, to reveal the brightness of His glory
inside me. So, I turn again to enter into a new
spiritual battle, “not against flesh and blood, but
against the spiritual hosts o f wickedness in the
heavenly places.” (Eph 6: \2)

^k Therefore, David had said:

“He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms
can bend a bow o f bronze. You have also given me the
shield o f Your salvation. Your right hand has held me
up. ” (Ps 18:34,35)
 ■ M Also St. Rugustine said:

t “God teaches me how to be clever in fighting against

devils who plot to establish a barrier that prevents
me from entering the kingdom of heaven.”

^ St. Cyril o f Jerusalem says about the

overcoming and triumph:

In his contemplation about the resurrection of

Christ, he said :

t “Rejoice, O Jerusalem. Let us make a great feast, all

you love Jesus, for He arose. Rejoice, you who
had wept before, when you saw the boldness and
wickedness of the Jews, for He arose.
Let all who hear the joyful news of resurrection
rejoice. Let sadness become gladness, and
lamentation become pleasure. And, let our mouth
be filled with gladness and joy with Him, as He said
after resurrection, “Rejoice!” (Matt 28: 9)
Now the Dead One, who was “free among all the
dead”, and who is the Savior of all the dead, had
risen from the dead. He who had been degraded,
and patiently endured the crown of thorns, now He
has arisen, crowned with the crown of overcoming
death.

■^"Father Abba Serapion, in an essay under the title

of “The Second Adam, the Giver of Triumph, ’’ said:
 f “As St. Paul the Apostle said, that our Lord Jesus
Christ “was in all points templed as we are”, as he
also said, “yet without sin.” (Hob 4:15). That
means that He was not caught by the
contagiousness of lusts, for He doesn’t submit to
the attractions of bodily lusts, with which we are
troubled against our will and knowledge.
He is the Holy One Who is w ithout sin. Thus, the
archangel Gabriel described the state of conceiving
with Him, saying, “The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power o f the Highest will overshadow
you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be
born will be called the Son o f God. ” (Luke 1: 35)

Truly it was necessary for our Lord to be tempted

with the same temptations that Adam has been
tempted, when he was still in the image of God
before corrupting it.
These temptations include: voracity, boasting,
greed, and pride; all that had gathered together and
produced later violating the commandment and
corrupting the image and the likeness of God”,
t “The Lord gave us an example for how we can
overcome the temptations as He did when He had
been tempted”,
t “Both of them were called “Adam.” The former was
the first one for destruction and death. But the latter
was the first One for resurrection and life”.
Through the “first” all men have been condemned. But,
through the “second” all of them have been liberated.
 PENTECOST DAY
(John 17: 14-26)
We shall study what the Fathers said about the Holy
Spirit, and the Pentecost Day.
FIRST: What St. Athanasius said:
t “St. Athanasius had confirmed the divinity of the
Son, and that He and the Father are One in essence.
Also he clearly said that the Holy Spirit and the
Father are One in essence.
Since the Holy Spirit and the Son are One in
essence. Also the Son and the Father are One in
essence.
Then, the Holy Spirit and the Father are One in
essence”.

St. Athanasius said:

t “There is a holy and perfect Trinity, that we

recognize; God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
 This Trinity is homologous, inseparable by nature,
and having one action.
The Father makes all things through the Son by the
Holy Spirit”.
Therefore, we call in the Church to One God; Who
is above all (entire in origin), and through Him all
(entire in reason), and by Him all (entire in action).
The absolute entirety, or God in His entirely
absolute Being as:
1- Father - beginning and source.
2- Son - through Him all.
3- Holy Spirit - by Him all.
The Holy Spirit is essentially related to the Father
and the Son in the Trinity. About that St. Athanasius,
in his letters to Bishop Serapion, said:

t “The Trinity is One God, on Whom the Lord had

established the church.
“All the Trinity is One God, and there is no place for
anything outside of God in Him.” (Serapion 1:17)

t “This is the Universal Church faith, because the

Lord had established and rooted her in the Trinity, as
He said to His disciples, “Go therefore and make
disciples o f all the nations, baptizing them in the
name o f the Father and o f the Son and o f the Holy
Spirit.” (Serapion 3: 6)
^ St. Athanasius confirmed that the Holy Spirit
proceeds from the Father and sent by the Son.
He said:
 t “To believe that there is one holiness, that is sourced
from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.
Like the Son is the Only Begotten One, like the Holy
Spirit also is One. He has no multiplicity, nor is He one
of many. But He is one, and only one, solitary Spirit.
As the Son, the Word, is only One; then the Spirit of
the Son - the living power and gift with Whom the
Son sanctifies and lights - also should be solitary,
perfect, and entirely One.
About Him it is said that He proceeds from the
Father, because He is from the Word who confessed
that He is coming from the Father. It is He who
accepted that He shines, He is sent, and He is given.
And, as the Son has been sent from the Father, as the
Son also sends the Holy Spirit, “I f I depart, I will
send the Paraclete to you. ” (Serapion 1: 20)

^ Also he said:

f 3 “The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, that proceeds

from the Father, but takes from the Son who owns
all what the Father owns; to show that the essence is
one of the Taker, the One from whom He takes, and
the One from whom He proceeds (the Spirit, the
Son, and the Father).
The Father alone is father, because He is the source.
The Son alone is son, because He is begotten. And the
Holy Spirit alone is spirit, because He proceeds only from
the Father.
 About this point, St. fithonasius presented the
Sun’s example, to show the matter:

T “Like the sun disk is a cause in itself and is not

begotten from any other thing, while sun ray is a
result caused by and begotten from the sun disk.
Also, the sunlight is proceeding and projecting from
the disk alone, and it is sent by the ray to shine on
the earth.
It is like that with God: only the Father is the cause
of both the Son and the Spirit, and is not begotten;
while the Son is caused by and is Begotten from the
Father alone. And, the Holy Spirit is caused by and
is proceeding from the Father alone, and He is sent
by the Son to the world”.

SECOND: What St. Cyril the Great said:

(1) We know and believe in three Hypostases: The
Father, who is without beginning; the Only-
Begotten Son; and the Holy Spirit who proceeds
from the Father alone.
(2) The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, as our
Savior said, but He is not away from the Son
because they are One in essence.
(3) We believe in the Holy Spirit as we believe in the
Father and the Son, for He is equivalent to them in
essence. He proceeds from the spring of God the
Father.
(4) As the Son is from the Father, in regard to
begetting; as the Holy Spirit also is from the
Father, in regard to proceeding.

(5) The source and the basis of all satisfaction and

glory of the soul is to get the Father and the Son
inside her. This is treasured only to those who
keep His commandments. So, who wishes to
partake in the divine nature, and to earn the core,
the Father of all universe, dwelling and residing in
the depths of the heart through His Son by the
Spirit; should totally purify himself. He should
wash the evil’s spot by all means that he can, and,
first of all, by all kinds of goodness, so that he
really becomes a temple for God.
(6) When our Savior Christ dwells in us by the Holy
Spirit, definitely His Father also will be there;
because the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of the
Father too. (Rom 8:11, Gal 4:6) So, we can see that
both the Father and the Son have the same Spirit.
(7) Then, the Word of God, the Only Begotten Son,
grants saints access to His own nature and the
nature of God the Father, by giving them the
Spirit through joining them with Him by faith and
complete holiness. He feeds them with godliness,
and works in them to know all virtues and good
deeds. Therefore, the Father feeds us with
godliness through the Son by the Spirit.
 (8) God the Father has His own Spirit from His
Being; by Whom, i.e. the Spirit, He dwells in
saints and reveals His mysteries to them. It is not
like the Spirit just performs a serving job. But,
rather, He is essentially in Him and proceeds from
Him as a whole without separation and without
division. He interprets all what belongs to Him
who is existing in Him and is coming from Him;
which also belongs to Him (i.e. the Spirit)
Himself. For God communicates to the creation
only through the Son by the Holy Spirit. Also,
this Spirit is a property of the Son, since they are
both One in essence.

THIRD: St. Basil the Great, in Chapter 9 of his

book, “TheHoly Spirit,” said:

f “The first thing to ask is: Who doesn’t spiritually

soar, as well as his faith which is elevated up to the
divine nature, while hearing the titles of the Spirit?!
The Spirit is called, “the Spirit o f God” (Matt 12:28),
and, “the Spirit o f truth who proceeds from the Father”
(John 15:26), and, “steadfast Spirit” (Ps 51:10), and,
“generous Spirit” (Ps 51:12).
However, His particular name and well-known title is
“The Holy Spirit”, a name that never indicates that He is
corporal, but sim ply an absolute spirit.
“When God wished to teach the Samaritan woman
who thought that God is confined in a certain place
where He should be worshiped, He said to her that
God transcends body and can never be confined in a
place, “God is Spirit” (John 4:24). Therefore, when
we hear the word “Spirit”, it is wrong to form an
image of a limited nature, that submits to changes
and circumstances, or similar to a creature. But the
term “Spirit” necessitates us to rise to that which is
higher; to a rational nature with unlimited power
and greatness, and cannot be measured with time or
ages, but a giver that gives from His good things.
All who need holiness are looking for Him, and all
who live in virtue are seeking Him. Every one is
drinking from His inspiration, and advancing by
Him to the outmost of his creation.
He complements everything. He never decreases
and never needs life renewal, since He is the
fountain of life. He is not subjected to growth, nor
to additions. Yet, He is always full, being in every
place, as a fountain of holiness, and a light that can
be comprehended only with the mind. He gives
from His treasures enlightenment to every mental
power that seeks truth.
By nature, the Holy Spirit is imperceptible, but we
can approach Him and know Him by His goodness,
as He fills all things with His power. And, He is
given only to those who are worthy, without a given
measure, but He gives His power to each one as his
measure of faith is. (Rom 12:6)
 He is simple in essence, assorted in power. He is
presented in full to each one, for He is presented
everywhere. He is distributed over all without
subjecting to division. He is participated in by all
without getting vanished. Like a sunray that falls on
whoever wants to enjoy it. as if it is exclusively for
him only. Yet, it lights earth and sea, and mingles
with air.
That is what the Holy Spirit is like for every one
receives Him, it seems like He is given only to him,
but He sends His grace, which is sufficient for all,
and fills all mankind. And those who gain Him,
enjoy this grace, not as the measure of His power,
but as the measure that their nature can bear.
Also St. Basil said:

t “As the Holy Spirit is by no means begotten, as the

Son also is by no means proceeding. And, as the Son
is not sourced from the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit also
is not sourced from the Son.
Since then, as the Son is begotten from the Father
alone, as the Holy Spirit is proceeding from the
Father alone”.

FOURTH: St. John Chrysostum, said:

t “Some people said that He did not give them the
Spirit by His breath, but He made them ready to
receive the Spirit. So, it is not wrong to say that
they took a grace and spiritual authority at that time.
 However, this authority was not for raising the dead
or making powers, but just to examine sins.
Since the Holy Spirit has various gifts, then He
excepted one of them by saying, “Ifyou forgive the
sins o f any, they are forgiven them”, clarifying
which kind of gifts He wished to give them.
Now, after forty days, they had been given all kinds
of His gifts. This had happened to teach us that the
gift of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
is one; and their authority is one. For the gifts that
you may think are belonging to the Father, soon you
discover that they are also belonging to the Son and
to the Holy Spirit".
Also he said:
t “The Holy Spirit is proceeding from the Father.
However, the Spirit that Christ had given to the
apostles when He breathed on them, and Who came
later upon them in the Pentecost Day, was not the
essence of the Spirit, nor His Hypostasis, but His
power".
FIFTH: St. Cyril of Jerusalem:
(1)There is only One Holy Spirit, the Helper. As God
the Father is only One, and no other. And, as there is
only One Son, the Word of God, who has no brother
with Him. Since then, there is also only One Holy
Spirit, with no other one equivalent to Him in honor.
(2)The Holy Spirit is a divine Hypostasis “Power of the
most might,” that is unexamined. He is living,
rational, sanctifier to all things that God has made
through the Son.
 He is called the Helper, for He comforts and
encourages us, and helps our weaknesses, “For we do
not know what we should pray fo r as we ought, but the
Spirit Himself makes intercession fo r us with
groanings which cannot be uttered (Rom 8:26)
(3)The Father is the Giver of all grace through the Son
by the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Father are just the
same gifts of the Son as well as of the Holy Spirit.
For there is one salvation, one power, and one faith.
One God, the Father; one Lord, His Only-Begotten
Son; and one Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
(4) About the titles of the Holy Spirit, St. Cyril of
Jerusalem said:

H5 “He is called, The Spirit, “for to one is given the

word o f wisdom through the Spirit. ” (1 Cor 12:8)

t “And He is called, The Helper, according to our

Savior saying, “fo r if I do not go away, the Helper
will not come to you .” (John 16:7)
t “He is called, The Spirit of truth, “And He will
give you another Helper, that He may abide with
you forever - the Spirit o f truth. ” (John 14:16,17)
t “Also, is called, The Spirit of God
“For as many as are led by the Spirit o f God, these
are sons o f God. ” (Rom 8:14)

f “Andiscalled,The Spirit of the Lord, asSt. Peter

said, “How is that you had agreed together to test
the Spirit o f the Lord.” (Act 5:9)
 If “And is called, The Spirit of Christ, “But you are
not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit
o f God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have
the Spirit o f Christ, he is not His. ” (Rom 8: 9)
t “And is called, The Spirit of the Son of God
“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the
Spirit o f His Son. ” (Gal 4:6)
t “And is called, The Spirit of Jesus C hrist
“through your prayer and the supply o f the Spirit
o f Jesus Christ. ” (Philip 1:19)
t “Also He is called, “the Spirit of holiness”, as it is
written, “according to the Spirit o f holiness.”
(Rom 1:4)
t “And is called, “the Spirit of adoption” , as St. Paul
said, “For you did not receive the spirit o f bondage
again to fear, but you received the Spirit o f
adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
(Rom 8:15)
t “And is called, “the Spirit of promise”, as St. Paul
said, “ in whom also, having believed, you were
sealed with the Holy Spirit ofprom ise.”
f “And is called, “the Spirit of revelation” , as it is
written, “'that He may give to you the spirit o f
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge o f Him. ”
(Eph 1:17)
f “And is called, “the Spirit of grace”, as St. Paul
said, “who has counted the blood o f the covenant
by which he was sanctified a common thing, and
insulted the Spirit o f grace. ” (Heb 10:29)
Finally, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, said:
t “May the God of all, Who Himself has spoken by the
Holy Spirit through prophets, and Who has sent Him
forth to His disciples in this place on the Pentecost
Day, may He Himself now send Him forth to you
too. And may He guard us also by Him, to enjoy the
heavenly blessings, and to flourish in us the fruits of
the Holy Spirit which are: love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness,
and self-control.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom and
in Whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the
glory now, and forever and ever. Amen.”
1 - The Features of Orthodox Teaching.
By: Anba Moses, The Bishop General.
2-Interpretations & Contemplations of early Fathers:
- The Gospel of St. Matthew.
- The Gospel of St. Mark.
- The Gospel of St. Luke.
By: Father Tadros Yaacoub Malaty,
St. George Church, Sporting, Alexandria.
3- The Early Fathers: St. Cyril of Jerusalem.
By: Father Tadros Yaacoub Malaty,
St. George Church, Sporting, Alexandria.
4- St. John Cassian - His Life, Writings & Teaching.
By: Father Tadros Yaacoub Malaty,
St. George Church, Sporting, Alexandria.
5- Explanation of the Gospel according to St. John.
(Vol. I, II, & III)
By: St. Cyril of Alexandria - St. Anthony Institute
- Fathers’ Studies Center.
6- Sayings of Elder Fathers- The Church Fathers (1-7)
Published by: Al-Nour Publications, Lebanon.
( ^ 73^
 7- The Church Fathers Series:
The biography & writings of
The Fathers of Alexandria.
By: Philopatron.
8- Masterpieces of the Church Legacy: Church Fathers
St. Maccarius Church, Imbaba, Giza.
9- The Christian Family & the Church Readings.
St. Mary Church & Monastery, El-Maadi, Cairo.
10- Selections of St. John Chrysostum Writings.
Issued by: Nashid Serkis, Cairo, 1928.
11- St. Augustine - His Biography & Sayings.
By: Father Augustine El-Baramusy.
12- St. Ephram the Syrian - The Harp of Spirit.
By: Father Hegomen Samaan the Syrian.
13- Studies in Theology & Fathers.
Issued by: Orthodox Center of Fathers’
Studies, Cairo.
14- Studies in Church Fathers.
Prepared by: A monk in St. Maccarius Wilderness.
15- The Arrangement of the Passion Week.
St. Thakla Himanot Church, Alexandria.
16- Commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke& St. John.
By: St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria - Studion
Publisher.
17- The Faith of Early Fathers: Vol 1,2, and 3.
William A. Jurgens-The Liturgical Press-Minnesota.
18- The Classics of Western Spirituality - Ephram
the Syrian.
Pauline Press, New York.
19- The Classics of Western Spirituality -
Augustine of Hippo.
Pauline Press, New York.
In this book
We study what our cfi
journeys of Lent, Passio
This ean. give us en
nourishment. ,
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O th e r b o o k s b y th<
The Greatest Acquain:
\ (parts I,II and >

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