Sunday, January 17, 2016

Homily Notes and Scripture Readings - 2nd Week after Denaha

The Liturgical readings of the second week after Danaha ( Jan 17, 2016)  were

Evening :St.John1:26-34 , Morning :St.John1:35-42

Before Holy Qurbana
Holy Qurbana
 
The fathers really  prescribed , we spent time trying to read and meditate on the words from Scripture prior to coming to Church and hear attentively from the noble priest the Homily.
 
Through various activities that we have filled our lives , We often neglect this practise and even  when if I listen quite often forget what was preached. In this week  ,  some thoughts that felt  really meaningful
 
( I Peter 3:15)
 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;   ( I Peter 3:15)

 ( Hebrews 1: 14- 2:4)
 
Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation
 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.   For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward,   how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,   God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

These words really made sense so much reflecting on the Homily on St. John 1:43-51 given by our priest asking each of us to ask if a Christ centred experience through  whom the Apostle Nathanael whose doubts were cleared that he had to  exclaim out " “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

 Our Priest explained  the experience what led  the Apostle to have the experience. See it here explained in the Coptic synaxarium on the life of the Apostle thereafter ending in Martyrdom.

http://st-takla.org/Full-Free-Coptic-Books/Coptic-Synaxarium-or-Synaxarion_English/09-Bashans/Coptic-Calendar_15-Pashans.html

The key message that I believe that our priest was trying to convey is that each of us  instead of using the lives , piety ,holiness of the others etc. to set up our baselines, We come to realize that we have a Lord who knows all of us and who awaits and knows our inner needs  and to whom we must approach and be changed as the Apostle did first and which he abided through out his life.

In our Church school discussion , we also had opportunity to reiterate this message  by God's grace, as  the topic of discussion was on St. Basil who writes of his own experience with Christ

" I had wasted much time on follies and spent nearly all of my youth in vain labors, and devotion to the teachings of a wisdom that God had made foolish. Suddenly, I awoke as out of a deep sleep. I beheld the wonderful light of the Gospel truth, and I recognized the nothingness of the wisdom of the princes of this world"

Also the words of our Lord came up in our lesson  St. John 12:46  - I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

May the Lord bless and His mercy upon us through the prayers of St. Mary and all the saints

Lord Have Mercy, Amen

Jan 17, 2016










 

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