Worried About Myself..
After about 20 years, I met one of my beloved sons while I was in California and he asked me to visit him in his magnificent house. When we sat down together, he said, "Do you remember when I started my life here in California 20 years ago. I was struggling with all my effort and now God has given above and beyond what I asked for. " "It's the gift of God, " I said, "and we thank Him for it. He cares for us." "Do you now how abundantly He poured His great riches on me?," he asked me. "For the last few years I have asked myself,” `What shall I benefit if I succeed here and don't enjoy the inheritance of Heaven?'
"I knelt down and prayed before my Lord and made an oath not to touch the tithes, no matter what my circumstances were, because that's the money of the Lord!” I said to him, `I'll also give to the poor-either in Egypt or in America-from the nine tithes2. For I don't posses anything; it's your gift to me, my Lord!' "I started to give generously, and thus the doors of heaven were opened before me. He gave me more than I needed. I would kneel and cry, 'Enough, enough! I am worried that the abundance of riches will captivate my soul and destroy it.' And when I would cry, he would open his doors more and give me more."
That is how this brother expressed the way that God deals with us. When we open not only our
depositories, but our hearts and our souls first to our weaker brothers, He opens the doors of His heaven before us and generously gives us more than we can imagine.
When our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of his little flock, the object of the Father's pleasure, he said, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms" (Luke 12:32, 33).
The believer says this in the third office of midnight praises. It is as if, in the last seconds of midnight, we are expecting the coming of Christ. We desire to be from the little flock that the father is happy with. He opens to the flock His godly, fatherly bosom for them to rest in it. The way of free membership into this flock is to open the doors of our hearts for the weak. We sell our possessions and give alms. When the door is opened with love and joy to the hungry, thirsty, naked, exiled, jailed, and all of the weak and needy people, we find the heart of God opened for us to be a holy flock of God. I whisper in your ear: "Do you want to be a member of this small holy flock? Give love to the weak. Open your heart to everybody, especially your parents. You'll see how the grace of God will grant you the spirit of holiness as a sign of your joining the flock of Christ who is the Beloved of the Father.
Today’s Synaxarium: 3 Baounah 1729
§ Departure of St.Abraam, Bishop of El-Fayyoum
§ Martyrdom of St.Alladius the Bishop
§ Construction of the first church of St.George in the cities of Birma and Beer Maa (Water Well) in the Oases
§ Departure of St.Martha of Egypt
§ Departure of Pope Cosmas, the 44th Patriarch
+ سنكسار اليوم: 3 بؤونة 1729
§ نياحة الانبا ابرام أسقف الفيوم
§ استشهاد القديس اللاديوس الأسقف
§ بناء أول كنيسة لمار جرجس ببلدتي برما وبئر ماء بالواحات
§ نياحة القديسة مرتا المصرية
§ نياحة البابا قسما البطريرك
كتاب لماذا القيامة - البابا شنودة الثالث
التعرف على القديسين والملائكة في السماء
ومع ذلك فإحدى المتع في السماء أن نتعرف على القديسين هناك. ولكن هل سنتعرف فقط على أشخاصهم، أم على أعمالهم أيضًا؟
هل سنتعرف على كل ما عملوه من خير في الخفاء زاهدين في مديح الناس؟ وهل سنتعرف على ما كان لهم من تأملات ومن أفكار روحية؟ وهل سنتعرف على كلالأنبياء والرسل بكل تفاصيل سير حياتهم التي لم يذكر التاريخ عنها شيئًا. وكذلك ما في السماء من الشهداء والرعاة وأبطال التاريخ والنساك والعباد وكل الذين عاشوا حياة مثالية من كل الشعوب..
لا شك أن معرفة كل هؤلاء متعة روحية في حد ذاتها، تضاف إليها متعة التعرف على الملائكة بكل درجاتهم.
ولكن كيف سنتعرف على الملائكة وطبيعتنا غير طبيعتهم؟
إنهم جميعًا أرواح قدسية(مز 104: 4) ونحن لا نراهم بحواسنا الجسدية. فكيف سنراهم إذن في الأبدية؟ هل ستقترب طبيعتنا من طبيعتهم، ونكون كملائكة الله في السماء، (مت 22: 30) نعم ، هذا سيحدث لنا جميعًا حينما تتجلى طبيعتنا البشرية في السماء. وتكون لنا أجساد روحانية، أسمى من المستوى المادى الذي نعيشه الآن.. أجساد تليق بالسماء وسموها وقدسيتها...