بدأ قداسة البابا تواضروس الثاني مساء اليوم عظته في اجتماع الأربعاء والذي يقام هذا الأسبوع بكنيسة التجلي بمركز لوجوس البابوي بوادي النطرون.
يحضر الاجتماع المشاركون في أسبوع الصلاة لأجل الوحدة.
كما يحضر الاجتماع مجموعة من الشباب القبطي من النمسا.
تقام خلال هذا الأسبوع أعمال أسبوع الصلاة لأجل وحدة المسيحيين برعاية مجلس كنائس الشرق الأوسط ومجلس كنائس مصر.
“ليكن كلامكم نعم نعم ولا لا”…..في اجتماع قداسة البابا الأسبوعي بلوجوس
ألقي قداسة البابا تواضروس الثاني مساء اليوم عظته في اجتماع الأربعاء والذي يقام هذا الأسبوع بكنيسة التجلي بمركز لوجوس البابوي بوادي النطرون.
وجاءت العظة بعنوان “ليكن كلامكم نعم نعم ولا لا”
مقتطفات من كلمة الأب بولس جرس الأمين العام لمجلس كنائس مصر في اجتماع قداسة البابا تواضروس الثاني بمركز لوجوس البابوي بوادي النطرون
بسم الآب والابن والروح القدس الإله الواحد آمين
أشعر برغبة التواجد معكم في هذا المكان اليوم وبأشكر العناية الإلهية التي تدبر لها من خلال قراءات اليوم يحثنا الرب يسوع علي الحرص في الكلام لأن كثرة الكلام لا تخلو من المعصية ولم يقدر أحد أن يصف اللسان مثل وصف القديس يعقوب هكذا ينقلنا الإنجيل المقدس من الاكتفاء بالكلام إلى العمل ونحن في زمن أكبر تجارة فيه هي تجارة الكلام.
ونحن أبناء المعمودية الواحدة وقانون إيمان واحد تطلب مننا اليوم وفي ضيافة آباء البرية الكرام ونحن في مكان تتسامي فيه الروح من هذه الأماكن المقدسة قدمت الكنيسة الأرثوذكسية القديسين والرهبان والعالم اليوم في القرن الحادي والعشرون لازال ينهج بمنهج الأنبا أنطونيوس .حان الآن أن ننتقل من الكلام إلى العمل ومجلس كنائس مصر يتكون من خمس كنائس ومهما تعددت المهام فهي ليست رغبتنا بل رغبة المسيح ونطلب صلاتكم ودعمكم لتصل رسالة وأول وحدة هو قبول الآخر المختلف ومحبته وأنا أعرف ذاتي عن طريق الآخر.
والمحور الثاني توزيع نطاق عمل المجلس إلي خارج القاهرة ووصوله إلى الصعيد لكي يقبل الشعب بعضه البعض وعلينا أن نحب بعضنا البعض أطلب صلواتكم ودعمكم بأشكركم لاستماعكم
مقتطفات من كلمة القس رفعت فكري رئيس مجلس سنودس النيل الإنجيلي
في اجتماع قداسة البابا تواضروس الثاني بمركز لوجوس البابوي بوادي النطرون، شارك في الاجتماع أعضاء أسبوع الصلاة لأجل وحدة المسيحيين.
وألقى القس رفعت فكري رئيس مجلس سنودس النيل الإنجيلي كلمة،نورد مقتطفات منها :
سعيد بوجودي معكم في هذه الليلة ونحن نجتمع في وجود قداسة البابا الذي يتمتع بعقل وقلب كبير وهو إضافة لمجتمعنا المصري وصاحب قلب يحتوي الكبير والصغير. يتحدث للكبار بلياقة ومع الأطفال بأسلوب بسيط .ربنا يباركك ويحفظك لمصر .
نجتمع مع بعض ونحن نؤمن بكتاب مقدس واحد لم تمسه يد التحريف نؤمن بمسيح واحد وإله واحد ونؤمن بصليب السيد المسيح وهذا الإيمان الواحد الذي يجمعنا إذا تجمعنا حواليها تغنينا عن أن لا نتحدث في هذه الخلافات.
منطقة الشرق الأوسط بها الكثير من العنف والإرهاب والتعصب الذي زاد بعد ٢٥ يناير و تصاعدت هذه الأحداث وتهجر الكثير من المسيحيين ولكن المسيح دعانا لنكون أصحاب رسالة.
هذا الشرق يحتاج لهذه الرسالة … وعلينا هدم السدود ونبني جسور ود ومحبة.
“ليكن كلامكم نعم نعم ولا لا”…..في اجتماع قداسة البابا الأسبوعي بلوجوس
بسم الآب و الإبن و الروح القدس آلها واحد آمين. تحل علينا نعمته وبركته من الآن و الي الأبد آمين.
أرحب بكل الآباء الأحباء الأساقفة و الكهنة و الرهبان وأحبائنا من كنائس مسيحية في مصر وأشكر كل الذين تكلموا هذه الكلمات التي قالوها من قلوبهم ونرحب بكل الآتين والمشاركين في مؤتمر سان مارك والشباب من إيبارشية النمسا وأرحب بالجميع وبهذا الاجتماع الذي يعقد لأول مرةً في قلب البرية و نشترك في هذه المناسبة التي نصلي فيها معاً من أجل وحدتنا في هذا العام. نتكلم عن اللسان و الكلام ويقولون أن الإنسان يقضي نصف حياته يتكلم وكل واحد يطبق شعار أتكلم براحتك وأصبح موضوع الكلام موضوع خطير وأصبح الكلام تجارة رائجة في العالم “ليكن كلامكم نعم نعم ولا لا” وهذه الوصية بها ثلاث أشياء :
1- أنها وصية قصيرة
2- مفهومة للكل صغير وكبير
3- توضح أن كثير يقع في خطية اللف و الدوران
وضابط نفسه خير من مالك مدينة فالأمر خطير بالفعل والذي يزيد الخطورة عبارة “بكلامك تتبرر وبكلامك تدان”
فصار الكلام عمل إنساني مرتبط بيوم الدينونة ليس المقصود أن الكلام الذي يقال في العالم بل الذي يقال في السر كلامك وصلواتك في المخدع يمكن أن تبررك ولذلك الأمر في غاية الخطورة عند الكلام عن اللسان “وليكن كلامكم نعم نعم ولا لا” القاعدة الذهبية في هذا الأمر نأخذها من أباء البرية وهم مشهورين بالصمت إذا كان الكلام من أجل الله فهو جيد وإذا كان الصمت من أجل الله فهو جيد
وحتي في الصلاة الجماعية توجد لحظات صمت للصلاة ليكن كلامكم قليل وواضح وصريح وبلا خبث أو نفاق لأن الكتاب يؤكد أن كثرة الكلام لا تخلو من المعصية عايز أقول بعض النصائح لنطبق هذه الوصية فالأمر بالغ الأهمية
١- اجعل لسانك منضبط عن طريق العقل
“ليكن كل إنسان مسرعاً في الاستماع مبطء في التكلم”
– فكر قبل قول أي كلمة ممكن كلمة تقتل إنسان وممكن كلمة تنقذ انسان من اليأس
– أجعل لسانك منضبط وفكر قبل أن تتكلم
2- اعرف متي تتكلم ومتي تصمت:
و الوصية تقول “تفاح من ذهب في مصوغ من فضة كلمة مقولة في وقتها” في شخص يتكلم في موضوع غير مفيد في وقت حرج وشخص آخر مباح له الكلام في أي وقت وهذا إنتشر عن طريق الموبايل
٣- – حاول أن تحفظ آيات وأقوال آباء تكون شاهدة على كلامك
حاول تتعلم من الآخرين الذين يتكلموا
وكن حذر أن من الذي يتكلم كلمات قاسية لأن دائما حجته تكون ضعيفة لذا يستخدم هذه الكلمات القاسية .أجعل كلماتك بها بركة وكلمة تسند الآخر وقوة .كلمة بها تعزية ونصح وتعليم وكلمة بها حق .كلمة للتشجيع
– أحد الصور الرائعة التي يستخدمها الانسان عندما يبحث الإنسان عن ما هو ايجابي للآخر
شالإنسان الذي يريد أن يحفظ كلمته يستطيع أن يري مساحة بيضاء في كل حدث لكن أحيانا النقطة السوداء تأخذ أعيننا .
أكرر الشكر لكل الحضور معنا ولنيافة المطران منير حنا وأوجه التحية لمجلس كنائس مصر الذي أسس في عهد المتنيح البابا شنوده الثالث ومجلس كنائس الشرق الأوسط وكلنا مشاركين فيه الذي تأسس من 45 عام ومجلس كنائس مصر يخدم الكل . ربنا يبارككم بكل بركة روحية ويعطينا أن نمجد اسمه لالهنا المجد الدائم امين
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, amen. May His grace and blessing rest upon us, from now and unto eternity. Amen.
Today we are talking about the tongue and about talking. It is said that a person spends half their life talking. He talks when he is awake, he even talks during sleep, in dreams, he often talks while he walks, or even when sleep-walking.
And everyone seems to apply the motto of “speak freely,” so they just go on talking, and they will say things like, “Does it now cost money to talk?” And yes, nowadays it does, we pay for our devices! But the issue of talking has become a very serious one, for as Abouna said earlier, words have become an industry, a trade, a business in today’s world, through many different ways.
But the commandment of the Lord Christ comes and says, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” (Mt 5:37). And the first thing to notice about this commandment is that it is very short – it is a commandment of few words. The second thing we notice is that it is a very clear commandment – anyone can understand it, young or old. The third thing to note is that it warns us that a person often falls for the sin of much needless talking.
Christ’s commandment about how we speak is:
short
clear
cautions us
The Bible says of the tongue that “it is a fire” (Jam 3:6), and they say that a tongue commits more than 100 sins – 100 types of sins. For example, gossiping is a sin of words and it is done by the tongue, the spreading of false rumors is another sin, lying is a third sin, swearing oaths is a fourth sin, cursing is a fifth sin, and so on, there are many other sins of the tongue.
The Bible says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Prov 16:32). And I plead with you to see the comparison here, that he who rules himself is a single individual, but he is better than one who rules over an entire city, with its great population of people, and so this truly is a serious matter.
And what makes it even more serious is a warning given in the Bible: “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt 12:37). And so speaking is a human act connected to the Judgement Day; on Judgement Day a person will stand before God and give account for every word he spoke, and by your words you will be justified or condemned.
And I ask you to please notice that what is meant here is not just the words we speak in public, but also words we speak in secret, for we will be judged by or these words also. When you stand to pray, the words and prayers you say in your prayer room, in your inner room, can justify you. And you can be talking to someone, but although there are two of you speaking, your words are condemning you. And so when we speak about the subject of the tongue and of speaking, it is an extremely serious matter, so “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’”
The golden rule on this matter, we can take from the Desert Fathers. A Desert Father was once asked, “Which is better, silence or speaking?” The Desert Fathers are known for silence, so they asked him and he responded to them with a wise answer, an answer that can help each one of us, and it applies the commandment of “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’”
This was his answer to them: “If speaking if for the sake of God, then it is good, if silence is for the sake of God, then it is good.” So it is no longer about speaking or silence, but the point is the intention or the goal behind the speaking or the silence. If speaking is for God, then it is good, and if silence is for God, then it is good.
Another saying of the Desert Fathers is one especially applicable during periods of fasting, for during periods of fasting we are to place limits on our eating as well as on our speaking: “Quiet your tongue that your heart may speak, and quiet your heart, that God may speak.” And these three stages – the tongue, the heart, God – follow one another and are related to each other.
And this is the wisdom behind why during Church services we have periods of silence, silence. For example, one of the popular ways we chant praises in Church is called the “roba-ee’” or “quarterly” – whereby the east side of the congregation chants while the west side is silent, and the west side chants while the group on the east side is silent. This silence is for the benefit that I may hear the voice of God, and that despite being in the midst of a crowd, I may talk to Him personally. Do you see this wisdom?
And it is for this reason also that when we repeat “Kyrie eleison, Lord have mercy,” we alternate the chanting between the east side and the west side. I say “Kyrie eleison” and the other side is silent, and they are silent so that they may be praying, and that they may hear the voice of God. And so we alternate in this way in order that even during collective prayers we can have these periods of silence, that each one may learn of God and be in prayer.
Another story from the stories of the Desert Fathers tells of a Pope who went to the wilderness, and he was told to go to a certain father because he was a saint, so he went to him. And the tradition of the wilderness and its monasteries was to ask the father, “Give me a word of wisdom,” and in this way, a person could take home a word of wisdom to apply and practice in their life.
And so the Patriarch sat before this saintly hermit and they sat there quietly. An hour passed, a second hour passed, a third hour passed, a fourth hour passed, and this one sat awaiting a word of wisdom, while the other one sat in silence.
So one of those accompanying the Pope said to the saintly hermit, “Please, speak a word so that Sayedna can move on. Please, say something, for he came to hear a word of wisdom.” And so he responded to him with this timeless statement: “If he has not benefited from my silence then he will not benefit from my words.”
And so, the Pope considered that very statement to be a treasure. He took it, put it into practice, taught it, and it has now reached us that we too may learn of it. Let your words be few, and clear, and honest, decisive, having no deceitfulness or pretense or roundaboutness, in any way, shape, or form.
Why? Because the Bible assures us that “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking” (Prov 10:19), and this is why I want to mention a few pieces of advice that may help us apply the commandment of “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’” in our own lives. And take heed, because a single word can cast a person far off from the kingdom – a word, a statement, which is why this matter is of utmost importance.
Think before you speak
The first thing is to use your intellect to always rule over your tongue. Meaning what? Meaning that before you speak, take time to think and consider; do not let words just come out of your mouth. And as we read in the Epistle of James, the Bible tells us, “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak” (Jam 1:19) – quick to hear and slow to speak. Think.
Before you say a word, think, because a single word can hurt a person. And oftentimes, when a person is hurt by a word, it is even worse than being hurt by a bullet, and so it as if that word kills this person. A word, a single word. And also, a single word can save a person from a pit of despair. A single word.
And so the advice here is that you maintain rule over your tongue. There is a common Egyptian proverb that says, “Your tongue is your horse; if you guard it, it will guard you, if you abuse it, it will abuse you.” And so the entire matter is related to and depends upon the tongue.
But if you live according to the commandment to “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’” then nobody can insult you or speak a word against you. Rule over your tongue and think very carefully before you speak. Every word is accounted for.
Know when to speak and when to be quiet
The second thing is to know when to speak and when to be quiet. One time I was receiving guests – a family, they were an older couple. And as he spoke he would say things like, “We visited this place and we spoke for an hour and a half,” his wife would interrupt and say, “No, no, it was two hours,” but that really wouldn’t make any difference to me.
Then he would say, “We rode a bus and the bus had nearly 30 people,” she – “No, no, there were 50.” But I’m not going to count them, am I?
“We went to this place and the party was so big and there were around 70 people attending.” “No, no, no, there were 100.” And so the entire visit was him telling a story, her making it wrong, correcting it, and in front of me, so what was the benefit of all that? I think if she had remained silent it would have been better for her, for him, and for me, is it not so?
Know when to speak and when to be silent. And another commandment, also from the Book of Proverbs, says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Prov 25:11). An apple of gold, what a beautiful sight!
An apple is one of the most beautiful fruits, but we make it out of gold, one of the most precious metals, and place it in a shiny silver plate, this beautiful sight is like a word spoken at the proper time and in its proper place.
Know when to talk. Some people talk about unimportant things during embarrassingly inappropriate times, when such matters can be postponed till later. Or some people feel they can talk about anything at any time, when maybe the listener is not ready or it may not be the right time for that other person. And of course this sin has increased with the increase of handheld electronic devices that allow a person to talk at any time, say anything, and in any manner they like.
Memorize Scriptures and sayings of the Desert Fathers on the subject of talking
The third thing to help you keep the commandment “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’” is to let everything you say and do be founded on Scripture. “Let everything you do be supported by a verse from Scripture,” is one of the sayings of St. Anba Anthony.
Also, try to learn from others when they talk. If I hear someone talk and err, then I should learn not to err in that same way. Some peoples’ words are harsh and well, let’s just say that their silence would be better. Some people speak in an unpleasant way, even when they are giving their opinion, and always, when a person’s reasoning is weak, that person will use harsh words in order to cover himself.
And so let your words and your speech be “‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’” – calm words, encouraging words, words full of blessing, words that support others, words that empower others, words that comfort others, words containing wisdom, words that impart knowledge, words of Truth. These are all just a few examples of the kinds of words of, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’”
Words of encouragement are one of the most magnificent ways a person can use to fulfill the commandment of “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’” – when a person seeks what is positive in another person. And I suppose you have all heard the famous story about the company that was losing money on its products.
The president of the company held a meeting to bring the employees together and encourage them, because their attitude toward the company’s products was a negative one. So he brought a large white board and put a small black dot in the middle of it, and when they entered the meeting room and saw this board, he asked them, “What do you see?” They all answered and said, “We see a black dot.” He said, “This is your fault. You see the black dot but you do not see the large white space.”
A person who wants to keep their speech according to “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’” is able to see a white space in every person, in every event, and in every situation. There is a white space and this space is often a large one, but the black dot is what gets out attention.
May the Lord bless all of you with every spiritual blessing and grant us to glorify His Name. To Him be all the glory and honor, from now and to eternity. Amen.
