||    Pope Shenouda    ||    Father Matta    ||    Bishop Mattaous    ||    Fr. Tadros Malaty    ||    Bishop Moussa    ||    Bishop Alexander    ||    Habib Gerguis    ||    Bishop Angealos    ||    Metropolitan Bishoy    ||

 

 

 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Romans 8:35-37

 

 

 

Father Matta El-Meskeen (Matthew the Poor)


 

O UR LOVE FOR CHRIST has become faith, filling our minds and feelings, possessing our spirit, so that nothing that exists can separate us from the love of Christ anymore. No matter how the enemy tries with all his weapons, our natural foes uniting with him and with all the world’s catastrophes, each falls defeated under our feet. How?

Because we died in the flesh with Jesus Christ on the cross, and with Him have undergone all kinds of suffering, torture, derision, beatings on the head, the flesh, on the back and all the body, and being spat on the face, with all its disgrace, shame and dishonor before the whole world, and at the end of this chain of sufferings we accepted death, and actually died in Christ! But all these kinds of sufferings did not add to death from it being the death of the ancient body that was crucified with Christ and died with all its sins. So what follows?

After which and in spite of it all God the Father raised Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, with the strength of His power,1 raising us with Him as a renewed creation wherein sin and death are no more allowed!

Thus ended the devil’s and of all his aides’ era of victory, because Christ conquered him and all his aides on the cross,2 sending him to the source of dishonor and shame, making him fall from his power in heaven to the lowest on earth, shackled and despised waiting for the lake of fire. What would we fear anymore, and by whom enslaved any longer Christ having freed us from the ties of the devil and from sin and death. We have hence become a new creation that does not accept sin nor death anymore.

1 Note Eph 1:19, 20.  

2 Note Col 2:15.

3 Note Eph 2:19.

All the kinds of suffering, pain, persecutions, and injustice the Apostle Paul mentioned in ancient man’s agenda, have fallen from the new man without effort, deed, or strength on man’s part.

Christ’s victory over the devil with all His works, and His victory over the world with all its terrors and threats, Christ surrendered them to us as an act of sacrifice through blood with which He anointed us. We were raised through His resurrection to the new world of God, asked by God as sons and members of His household3, sanctified in truth and asked with Christ to inherit the Kingdom of God for everlasting life that is timeless with no more grief, sadness, or sighs, but comprising extreme mercy through the work of free grace and Divine righteousness that cannot be taken away from us.

No matter how much the enemy’s power is closely connected to the wrath of nature and the events of world catastrophes we have to face, we remain more than victorious with Him who loves us, and redeemed us, transporting us to His Kingdom.

Man who is poor and frail has become elevated in Christ to become higher than every power of the enemy, fury of nature, and anger of this unjust world.

If we were considered sheep ready for slaughter, the sheep have changed to become lions in Christ, terrorizing their killer, and their heads lifted higher than the heavens.

Prayer

O crucified resurrected (Jesus) seated at the right hand of the Glorious,

You have lifted our heads.

For we are no more a prey to the enemy, nor an offering prepared for slaughter, but a power equal to heaven.

You raised us from the garbage dust to seat us with the heavenly select.

The era of sadness and dejection and sighs is over, and the light of the saints illuminates us,

We still remain strangers on earth groaning, waiting for the adoption that redeems our body.

Make haste and come, because our souls are weary and awaiting release.

Do not be late, for the grapes have ripened and are to be gathered.

O highest Vinedresser, Your vineyard is thirsty, lead us to Your springs,

Give us of the water of Your love, to quench our thirst and no more groan. Come.

July 9, 2005

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