ألقي قداسة البابا تواضروس الثاني منذ قليل محاضرة الاربعاء الأسبوعية بكنيسة السيدة العذراء والقديس الأنبا رويس بالكاتدرائية المرقسية بالعباسية بمشاركة عدد من أحبار الكنيسة،

مشروع تجميع الكتب القديمة.. قداسة البابا يشكر متبرعين بمكتبتيهما

قدم قداسة البابا تواضروس الثاني الشكر لاثنين من أبناء الكنيسة لاستجابتهما لدعوة قداسته بخصوص مشروع تجميع الكتب النادرة والقديمة، جاء ذلك خلال اجتماع قداسة البابا الأسبوعي والذي عقده مساء اليوم بكنيسة السيدة العذراء والقديس الأنبا بيشوي بالكاتدرائية المرقسية بالعباسية، وقال قداسته: كنا قد عرضنا فكرة مشروع تجميع الكتب القديمة خلال الأسبوعين السابقين ووصل إلينا استجابتان الأولى من الأستاذ رفعت فوزى جرس بالمعاش رئيس قسم الإحصاء بإدارة سوهاج التعليمية، أرسل لنا مكتبة وسوف تصل خلال أيام ونحن باسمكم نشكره على هذا العطاء القيم. وأيضًا سيدة فاضلة من القاهرة قدمت عشر كتب، تاريخها يرجع إلى قرن من الزمان، كتب قيمة في موضوعاتها. وكل ما يقدم أقوم باستلامه ومراجعته وأقدمه للمكتبة لتدخل فى التصنيف العام. وعندما تكون مكتبة (المقدمة) كبيرة يكتب عليها اسم من أرسلها أو اسم الأسرة التي قدمتها.
والكتب سواء المطبوعة أو المخطوطة باليد لها قيمة كبيرة وسوف يكون هناك مكان يستطيع كل من يدرس يرجع لهذا المكان.

قداسة البابا يكرم الطالبة ميرنا حسني
كرم قداسة البابا خلال اجتماع الأربعاء الأسبوعي اليوم ميرنا حسني فخري الطالبة بكلية الصيدلة الجامعة البريطانية والتي فازت في مسابقة عالمية مثلت فيها مصر.
وعن الطالبة والمسابقة التي فازت فيها، قال قداسة البابا:
الطالبة ميرنا حسني فخرى طالبة في كلية صيدلة شاركت في مسابقة عالمية وواجهت صعوبات خلال المشاركة وفازت بالمرتبة الأولي في المسابقة وهناك كثير من الأماكن قامت بتكريمها ونحن يوم نفرح أن نكرمها. وهى من كنيسة مارجرجس خمارويه وهي في رابعة صيدلة في الجامعة البريطانية.

وأضاف قداسته: الأسبوع القادم سوف نكرم مجموعة من شباب المبدعين والمتفوقين والمخترعين سوف يكونوا معنا.

ومن جانبها قالت الطالبة الفائزة:
المسابقة التي اشتركت بها عن المهارات الإكلينيكية وهذا قسم من أقسام كلية صيدلة يربط علاقة المريض بالدواء. وتأهلت على مستوى مصر ثم سافرت لحضور المسابقة العالمية في رواندا وعندما سافرت اكتشفت أن هذه المسابقة تكون للفرق ونحن لم نكن نعرف ولا أستطيع أن أشترك إلا من خلال فريق مكون من خمس أفراد وبعد المناقشة مع المسئولين عن المسابقة وافقوا على أشتراكي بمفردى واستلمت الحالة وسلمتها في خلال ست ساعات وفزت بالمركز الأول على مستوى العالم وما قمت به أنني استطعت تحديد نسبة الجرعات التي تحتاجها المريضة وإضافة أدوية جديدة تحتاجها المريضة وتنظيم النظام الغذائى لها.
ويشارك في هذا المسابقة ٤٥ دولة وكنت الوحيدة من مصر وبمفردى ، وكنت لا أود أن اعود بدون أن اشترك فقررت إنى سوف أتحمل المسئولية والله يستطيع أن يقوينى ويخرج من هذا العمل شيء يمجد اسمه ، وعند فوزى شعرت إنني مثل داود أمام جليات !!.

مكانة الكتاب المقدس في التعليم الكنسي…. العظة الأسبوعية لقداسة البابا تواضروس الثاني

بسم الآب والابن والروح القدس الإله الواحد آمين.
في الآونة الأخيرة تثار بعض الموضوعات الخاصة بالتعليم ودائمًا نقول أن حياة الكنيسة القبطية تسير على قدمين، القدم الأول اسمه التعليم والقدم الثاني اسمه التكريس، لذلك التعليم له المجال الأول مثلما نطلق على السيد المسيح المعلم الصالح، وأول شيء نتعلمه في الكنيسة هو مصادر التعليم في الكنيسة والمراجع الرئيسية والأساسية وهي تشبة مثلث في قمته الكتاب المقدس والنقطتين التالين هم الليتوجيات والأسرار التي ِحفظت فيها الصلوات ووضع فيها الإيمانيات، والنقطة الثانية أقوال وشروحات الآباء.
أولاً الكتاب المقدس “اليوم إذا سمعت صوته في الإنجيل فلا تقسوا قلوبكم” هناك صيحات في العالم الآن تتكلم على الإنجيل وتقلل من قدره، وتدعي أن الإنجيل به حكايات غير حقيقية وخيالية، به عبارات غير مرغوبة، وهناك أسفار قديمة الفكر، وهناك من يشوه معانى بعض الآيات.
سوف نتكلم عن مكانة الكتاب المقدس في التعليم، ولنفهم وضعية الكتاب المقدس وعمله في حياتنا كلنا.
هناك ثلاث عبارات:
العبارة الأولى: للقديس جيروم “أن جهلنا بالكتاب هو جهلنا بالمسيح” الذي لا يعرف الكتاب المقدس لا يعرف المسيح، فالكتاب المقدس وثيقة تقدم لنا من هو شخص المخلص، من هو المسيح، هناك من يجهل الإنجيل ولا يعيش في الإنجيل يعيش في فكره الخاص وكما قال بولس الرسول “سمو الحكمة البشرية” وعلى قدر معرفتك بالإنجيل على قدر معرفتك بالسيد المسيح.
العبارة الثانية : القديس أغسطينوس “الكتاب المقدس هو فم المسيح ” ولا يستطيع أحد أن يقلل من قدر سلطة الكتاب المقدس في التعليم، الكتاب المقدس كما هو من سفر التكوين لسفر الرؤيا كل أسفاره قانونية وكل كلمة في هي من فم المسيح.
العبارة الثالثة : القديس يوحنا ذهبي الفم “عدم معرفة الكتب المقدسة هو علة كل الخطايا” لماذا يعيش الناس في الخطية لأن الإنجيل لا يعيش بداخلهم “فلنجتهد أن ندخل تلك الراحة (التي هي في لإنجيل) لئلا يسقط أحد في عبرة العصيان” عصيان كلمة الرب وينساها ولا يعطيها قدسيتها واحترامها وبعدها يقول “لأن كلمة الله حية وفعاله……” أعرف هذه الثلاث عبارات
لدينا جميعًا الإنجيل ونحن في زمن يتوفر فيه الإنجيل بكل الأشكال والأحجام ، زمان كان الإنجيل غير متوفر في كل مكان، وقبل اختراع الطباعة كان الكتاب المقدس يِنسخ في سنوات.
المستويات الثلاثة للإنجيل في التعليم :
١- القرأه في الكتاب المقدس هي اكتشاف : أن تكتشف المعني والكلمة والعمق الذي يدخل في الكتاب
أول مستوى أن تعيش في الكتاب أنك تكتشف وتعرف، تكتشف النص والكلمة والمعنى وربط الآيات وآخر آيه في الكتاب المقدس ” آمين تعالي أيها الرب يسوع” مع كل كلمة تقرأها قلبك يقول ” آمين تعالي أيها الرب يسوع” أريد أن أراك يا رب في نص الإنجيل، ويقال ونحن نقرأ الإنجيل “نحن نبحث على الكلمة في وسط الكلمات” نبحث عن المسيح بين كلمات الإنجيل، تقرأ النص لأكثر من مرة لتكتشف أعماقه وكما يقول القديس يوحنا ذهبى الفم “الكتاب المقدس منجم لآلي” اقرأ الإنجيل وعلى قدر أمانتك يكشف لك الله لآلي، عندما تقرأ الإنجيل أنت تتنفس أنفاس الله ، لأن الكتاب المقدس المكتوب بالوحى الإلهي من خلال الرسل والأنبياء مسوقين بالروح القدس أنت تتنفس كاتبه، أنت تتقابل مع من وضع الكتاب المقدس مباشرتًا وهذا الإكتشاف يحتاج إلى دراسة لتفهم وهناك الكثير من الكتب تساعدك على الفهم وسوف يكون شيء مخجل وأنت تقف أمام السيد المسيح وأنت تجهل الكتاب.
٣- وكل مرة تقرأ الكتاب “القرأة صلاة” : يجب أن اصلي قبل القرأة وبعد القرأة احوله إلى مادة صلاة ، القرأة صلاة …أن ما نقرأه يعطينا مادة صلاة ، القداس والتسبحة والليتورجيات عبارة عن آيات من الإنجيل، إذا أردت أن تعيش الإنجيل وتُعلم به يجب أن يكون بالنسبة لك صلاة والصلاة هي التي سوف تجعلك تفهم “في ناموسه يلهج نهارًا وليلاً ” كلمة الله في حياته في قلبه ، أنت تصلي لكي تفهم الكتاب أكثر.
3- القرأة حياة: حياتي تكون بحسب الإنجيل
الضلع الثالث هو أن تعيش الكتاب ، فالكتاب المقدس ليس كتابًا نظريًا ،يجب أن تعيشه، هناك من يربي أولاده كما يسمع وهناك من يربي أولاده بالإنجيل وتسمى تربية النعمة ” فقط عيشوا كما يحق لإنجيل المسيح” الكتاب المقدس متجدد في كل يوم لكل الأزمان هو كتاب خلاص ولذلك عندما نشرح عقيدة أو إيمان أو طقس أو معرفة في الكنيسة يجب أن تكون معتمده على الإنجيل أولاً ثم يأتي بعده شرحات الآباء وإذا شرحت العقيدة من خلال الكتاب المقدس هذا يكفى جدًا لأن الكتاب وجه لكل البشر ، في سفر الرؤيا “طوبى للذي يقرأ وللذين يسمعون أقوال النبوة ويحفظون ما هو مكتوب فيها لأن الوقت قريب” من ضعفات هذا الزمان أن الناس أنشغلت بدراسات في مجالات كثيرة وليس في الإنجيل ، لذلك ضعوا الكتاب المقدس أمامكم قبل كل شيء، اقرأ واسمع واحفظ الإنجيل، وحفظك للإنجيل ينقي ويطهر قلبك من أفكار وشرور كثيرة ، وعندما تحفظ سوف تشبع من كلمة الله ، (اقرأ- اسمع – احفظ – اشبع – استعد )
الكتاب المقدس ينطبق عليه آيات كثيرة منهم ” تكلم يا رب لأن عبدك سامع” اجعلها امامك عندما تقرأ الكتاب المقدس قد يكلمك الله وأنت مشغولا ولا تسمعه، ومن العبارات الجميلة “لن اتركك ما لم تباركني” وبعد القرأة تشعر بالتعزية ، “نَامُوسُ الرَّبِّ كَامِلٌ يَرُدُّ النَّفْسَ. شَهَادَاتُ الرَّبِّ صَادِقَةٌ تُصَيِّرُ الْجَاهِلَ حَكِيمًا.وَصَايَا الرَّبِّ مُسْتَقِيمَةٌ تُفَرِّحُ الْقَلْبَ. أَمْرُ الرَّبِّ طَاهِرٌ يُنِيرُ الْعَيْنَيْنِ.خَوْفُ الرَّبِّ نَقِيٌّ ثَابِتٌ إِلَى الأَبَدِ. أَحْكَامُ الرَّبِّ حَقٌّ عَادِلَةٌ كُلُّهَا أَشْهي مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالإِبْرِيزِ الْكَثِيرِ، وَأَحْلَى مِنَ الْعَسَلِ وَقَطْرِ الشِّهَادِ.”
الكتاب المقدس له المكانه الأولى في التعليم وهو المرجع الأول والأساسي، نحتاج باستمرار أن نقرأ الكتاب ونكتشف ونصلي ونفهم ونعيش لتصير حياتنا كلها بحسب الكتاب المقدس، ضع الكتاب المقدس دائمًا أمامك، علم بيتك كيف يقرأ الإنجيل، ضع أمامك خطة بمشورة أب اعترافك لتعرف طريقك وتعيش فيه، يعطينا الله أن نكون في هذه الكلمة المقدسة ثابتين على الدوام، لإلهنا كل مجد وكرامة من الأن وإلى الأبد آمين.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. One God. Amen. May His grace and His mercy rest upon us, from now and forevermore. Amen.

I will read from the 4th Chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews. In verse 7 he says:

7 Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.
And he continues in verses 11-13 and says:
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
The grace of God the Father be with us all. Amen.
We always say that the life of the Coptic Church stands upon two feet: the first foot is instruction and the second foot is consecration. And as instruction is the first step, so we call the Lord Christ the Good Teacher.
The first thing we learn in Church are the sources of instruction and the foundational or major references, and these sources and references are like a triangle. At the top of the triangle is the Holy Bible, and the other two points of the triangle, which are at the same level, are the point of the Liturgies and the Sacraments (because the prayers and the faith were embedded and preserved within them), and the third point is the sayings of the fathers and their teachings. But first and foremost is the Holy Bible.
The first verse I read to you said, “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” There are trends in the world today that talk about the Bible in a way that diminishes its value. Some trends are coming out and saying that the Bible contains stories that are not real but imaginary stories, other people say that some of its verses are no longer needed, other people say that some of its Books are old-fashioned, and a fourth group of people interpret some verses in a way that disfigures their meaning.
And this is why I want to talk to you today about the importance of the Holy Bible and in a way that the importance and value of the Holy Bible in teaching and learning, and how the Bible is able to imprint upon your mind so that it will be the driver of your behaviors.
And of course I will be speaking to you about this subject in a very general sense tonight in order that we may understand the importance of the Holy Bible and its work in our lives.
Three statements you should memorize
The first thing I want you to know are three statements made by three fathers.
1. The first statement was made by St. Jerome Irenaeus, he said, “Our ignorance of the Holy Bible is our ignorance of Christ,” meaning that a person who does not know the Bible does not know Christ.
And so the Bible, first and foremost, is a formula that introduces us to the character of the Savior and who the Christ is. There are people who are ignorant when it comes to the Bible and there are people who live according to their own minds and not according to the Bible, as the Apostle Paul called it, living from “The height of human wisdom” (cf. 1 Cor 1:25).
And so to the degree of our ignorance of the Bible will be the degree of our ignorance of Christ, and to the degree we know the Bible will be the degree we know Christ.
2. The second statement is from St. Augustine and he stated the idea more clearly, he said, “The Holy Bible is the mouth of Christ.”
A mouth has to have two lips and these are the two Testaments of the Holy Bible, and so the Holy Bible is the mouth of Christ. And so no one should come and say that these words are useless, of no value, are imaginary, or that they actually mean this or that, or to diminish the measure of the authority of the Holy Bible when it comes to teaching.
From the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, all the Books of the Holy Bible are canonized and every word in it is spoken from the mouth of Christ, and so there is no sense in someone saying, “But this word over here is not accurate,” or “This statement is not possible or logical.” I will repeat what St. Augustine said once more: “The Holy Bible is the mouth of Christ.”
3. The third statement was made by St. John Golden-mouth, and one of the nice things about his sayings was that they could be understood by anyone, in general.
He said, “The lack of knowledge of the Holy Books is the cause of every evil,” in other words, the cause behind every sin, because why is it that people do wrong things and live in sin and in wickedness? Because the Bible does not live within them.
Listen again to what the verse says: “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest” – he is talking about the rest that is found in the Bible. And so every time you read the Bible you enter into a rest.
“Lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” And just imagine that disobedience to the Word of the Lord even includes when we forget the Wordsof the Bible and when we don’t acknowledge it and give it it’s due value, holiness, and respect.
“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” Wow, so everyone who does not have the Bible in their lives is living in disobedience? I would say yes, he is living in disobedience or on the path of disobedience.
And then he goes on to say, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,” which is a verse we all like.
And so remember these three statements:
1. “Our ignorance of the Holy Bible is our ignorance of Christ.”
2. “The Holy Bible is the mouth of Christ.”
3. “The lack of knowledge of the Holy Books is the cause of every evil.”
The blessing of the availability of the Bible today
And today, in our day and age, thank the Lord, we have Bibles in our homes and the Bible is available to us in every shape, color, size, and even with pictures, and so on. If someone has a hard time reading or wears eyeglasses, we have a remedy for that – large-print Bibles. If someone likes to study the Bible, for them we have study Bibles, if a small child – for them we have Bibles with pictures; we have every format available to us.
The age we live in is a wonderful one. Long time ago the Bible was not available everywhere, not at all, and even after that it was only available in a very limited way. And before the invention of the printing press they would scribe a copy by hand, word by word, and it would take years for a scribe to write an entire Bible with all its Books.
The three stages of how to read the Bible in order to learn from it
Let me tell you now of the three levels of how to read the Bible in order for it to be of instruction and teaching for you.
1. Discovery
The first level is that reading the Holy Bible is a process of discovery. You are discovering the meanings, discovering the Word, discovering the depths that are in the Bible. It is a discovery.
2. Prayer
Number two is that every time you read, reading becomes prayer – because I have to pray before reading and also, whatever section I read in the Bible, I transform that in and of itself into a prayer or a subject for prayer.
3. Practical experience
The third aspect completes the first two and it is that you practice what you read and it becomes an experience, meaning that I begin to live my life according to the Bible.
Now allow me to clarify these three points for you with verses from the Bible.
1-Discovery
The first level of experience with the Bible is that of discovery. When you begin to read the Bible you begin to discover the words, the context, the meanings, and how the verses relate to one another.
And the very next to last verse in the Holy Bible says, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20), so when you sit before the Bible to read – today, tomorrow, and the day after – with every word that you read let your heart beat and say, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! I want to see You in what I’m reading in the Bible.” “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
And it is said that when we read the Bible we are to search for the Word in-between the words. The Word is Christ – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1), and so as you read, you are looking for Christ among and in the words of the Bible, and this is a process of discovery. And you read a paragraph once and twice and three times so that you may enter into its depths, so that you may discover. If you remain standing at the door, you will not discover anything.
St. John Golden-mouth has a very nice saying, he says, “The Holy Bible is a cave of pearls.” A cave of pearls, so the more you enter into it the more pearls you find, but as long as you stand on the outside of it you will not find anything, or your knowledge of it will be extremely simple. Read it. Experience it.
Read within the Bible and make discoveries within it, and to the measure of your faithfulness God will reveal pearls to you from within the Bible. You will find very personal messages coming to you and personal meanings being revealed to you – they are coming just for you.
And I want to tell you something important. When you read the Bible you are breathing in the breath of God, you are inhaling the breath of God. Because the Holy Bible was written by Divine inspiration through our fathers the prophets, apostles, and disciples (they were led by the Holy Spirit and they wrote the Bible by Its inspiration), so when you read it you are breathing in the Divine Author and receiving His Spirit.
This is like when somebody reads any book written by any author, whoever he or she may be, when we read that person’s work it is as though we come in touch with the spirit of that author and we interact with his thinking. And so it is when you read the Holy Bible, you are meeting directly with its Author. Lucky you, lucky you.
And so that is why the first level of our reading the Bible is a process of discovery; I’m discovering. And discovery requires study, but not the kind of study that we do in schools or in Bible College, but your own personal study so that you may gain understanding. And there are many books and commentaries that explain the Bible. There are many books that are very nice and simple and easy to understand, short books that can help you understand, but you must study, discover, and learn. And I suppose it would be an embarrassing thing for you to stand before Christ and be ignorant of the Bible. It would be a very embarrassing thing.
2-Prayer
The second step is that reading is prayer, because the reading itself is a form of prayer and because what we read gives us material for prayer. After all, what is the Liturgy? It is verses from the Bible. And what are Tasbeha praises? They are portions taken from the Bible. Our Liturgies and Tasbeha praises are all taken from the Bible, it’s not like they were composed by somebody, you see? They are all from the Bible, from verses taken from the Bible.
We have been doing a series on the seven graces mentioned in The Prayer of Thanksgiving, and every one of those seven graces are based on things taken from the Holy Bible; every expression is taken from the Holy Bible and not a word of it is from outside the Bible.
Reading is prayer. Don’t you want to experience the Bible and to understand it, to learn it and to teach with it? Then you must transform what you read into prayer, and prayer is what will help you to understand it.
There is a very beautiful verse you all pray in the morning, it says, “In His law he meditates day and night” (Ps 1:2), and “day and night” is exactly like “Pray at all times without ceasing” (cf. 1 Thess 5:17). “In His law he meditates day and night” – the Word of God is in his heart, on his tongue, in his thinking, in his life.
You discover the Bible when you study it and you pray so that you may understand it more. The discovery process is in the verse, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”, and the prayer process is in the verse, “In His law he meditates day and night.” You read so that you may discover, and you pray so that you may understand.
3-Practical experience
The third side that completes this triangle of Biblical learning is that of your living the Bible, for the Bible is not a theoretical book but a book to be experienced and to become a way of life.
There is person who works a lot, and because he spends so much time working this causes him to miss out on church and prayer time and on his commitment and connection with the sacraments, and then a verse comes along to wake him up and says, “Not by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (cf. Mt 4:4). Where is the Lord in all this busyness? Where is the Lord’s place during your day? In your life?
There are fathers and mothers who sometimes raise their children according to what they hear [from the world and others], but there are those who raise their children according to the Bible and we call this the “raising by grace.”
And there is a very nice verse in the Letter to the Philippians that says, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil1:27), because the third level is the level of life, of living it out.
Do not ever think that the Holy Bible is an old book, but rather, it is a Book that is renewed every day. It is the Book for this age and for the ages that passed and for the age to come, it is a Book of salvation. And this is why beloved ones when we teach about a doctrine or explain a point in the Faith or explain a ritual, or if we explain anything that the Church believes, it must be first and foremost founded on the Bible.
And you may tell me that this saint said this and that father said that and this was mentioned here and this statement says this or that, and all this is good and well, but this is number two. Number one is the Bible. And if you prove or explain or show a doctrine in the Holy Bible, this will be very sufficient. This will be very sufficient because the Bible was written for all people, regardless of any differences in levels of education or knowledge, it was written for all people.
Read the Bible. Read it.
5 practices you can do with the Word of God
In the Book of Revelation, which is the last Book in the Holy Bible, it says, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near”(Rev1:3). Notice that it says those who read and those who hear. “And keep those things which are written in it.” Why? “For the time is near.”
Number 1: Read the Bible.
One of the weaknesses of this age is that many people have gotten busy studying in many different areas and subjects and the study of the Bible has shrank. And a researcher or learned person or teacher or whoever will stand up and speak many words on so many subjects, but when it comes to the Bible he will only have one or two words to say – that’s all. And so put the Bible before anything else in your life. I know that what I’m saying here is very simple but this is the truth that is easily forgotten and the truth that many forget.
He says, “Blessed is he who reads,” and this is a verse in the very last Book of the Bible, which means that the book that follows it is heaven itself – eternity! “Blessed is he who reads” – how fortunate is the one who reads.
Number 2: Hear the Bible
“And those who hear the words of this prophecy.” Some families sit together and read the Bible every day, even if just for 15 minutes, and dad reads today, mom reads tomorrow, brother reads day after tomorrow, and sister reads the day after that, and they continue in this way – one reading and the others hearing, just as we do with the Readings in Church – the deacon reads them and we all hear them.
And so:
1. “Blessed is he who reads” – read.
2. “And those who hear the words of this prophecy” – hear, listen.
3. “And keep those things which are written in it” – keep. To keep the Bible is to take it to heart, to memorize it, and to obey it. And when you “keep” the Bible in these ways, this cleans and purifies your heart from many thoughts and many evils.
I suppose many of you have said something like, “I always get bad thoughts in my head. I get a lot of bad thoughts that trouble me and make me anxious, whether in my dreams or when I’m awake or when I’m sleeping.” And so how will these bad thoughts go away?
One person will say, “I take sleeping pills and go to sleep,” and I tell him, “Wrong. Sleeping pills will harm you.” Do you want to sleep aright? Read the Bible before you go to sleep, let it be the last thing you do before you go to sleep, and memorize portions from it – “And keep (memorize) those things which are written in it.”
It would be great if as you begin entering into sleep you repeat one verse, just one verse. Repeat it over and over again and enter into the sleep state with it. Try this experiment and you will find that you will no longer get any bad thoughts.
4. “Keep” – and when you keep what is written you will be satisfied. You will be satisfied with the Word of the Lord because the Word of the Lord really does indeed satisfy. It satisfies, like the bread we eat. Satisfy yourself with the Word of God.
And the final point he makes is:
5. “For the time is near” – so get ready and be prepared. Prepare yourself with the Word of God.
Again, the five things we are to do with the Word of God are:
1. Read it
2. Hear it
3. Keep it
4. Satisfy yourself with it– with the Word of the Lord
5. Prepare yourself with it
Bible verses that apply to the Bible!
Many verses apply to the Holy Bible, to the Word of God. One of these is a verse which you all like, from the Book of 1 Samuel 3:9 – “Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.” And so as soon as you open the Bible and begin to read in it, let your heart say, “Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening. I am not going to be distracted by anything else right now – not with my mobile phone, nor with the television, nor by people talking.”
Sit before the Holy Word. Sit before the Holy Word and say, “Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.” And by the way, the Lord may be speaking to you but you may be too busy and so you do not hear Him because you are distracted, like by some of the things I just mentioned, for example.
Another beautiful verse that applies to the Holy Bible is, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” (Gen 32:26). I will not leave You Lord nor will I leave Your Word until You bless me with it. And you come out of your time with the Word feeling a sense of complete comfort and assurance, and this sense of comfort and assurance accompanies you throughout your life and in your journey throughout each day.
We are all busy with matters of the economy and education, and the kids and expenses and school, and all kinds of troubles, but I want you to know that when you are reassured by the Word of God, this will keep a sense of rest and comfort within you along your path and in your life.
Also, look at what he says in Psalm 19:7-10. He says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul (it revives the soul); the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple.” We are all face different situations in life where we need to take a decision, and here it is, the Word of the Lord, our Guide.
“The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” The Lord’s words make your heart joyous and they make it so that your eyes are enlightened.
“The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” Keep the fear of the Lord in your heart.
“More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”
And this is how David the Prophet described the Word of the Lord.
The Holy Bible has the first and foremost place in teaching. The Holy Bible is the first and foundational source and reference in any teaching or instruction. We have need to continually read the Bible and discover, and to pray and understand, and to experience it and live it out so that our entire life may be lived according to the Holy Bible. Keep the Bible before you at all times.
And as summer comes to a close and everyone is going back to their busier and more structured schedules, and as the school-year gives order and structure to the life of a home, so teach and lead those in your home as to how to begin reading the Bible. Our sons and daughters, whatever age they may be, let us teach them to read the Bible before beginning their study and homework periods, and to teach them how to live according to the Bible.
Make a plan for yourself, with the guidance of your father of confession, so that you may know your path clearly and live it out. May God grant us to abide in this Holy Word, always steadfast.
To our God be all the glory and honor, from now and forevermore. Amen.
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“حياة الرضا والسعادة”.. كتاب قداسة البابا المسموع على الساوندكلود

يتيح المركز الإعلامي للكنيسة القبطية، على قناته بموقع ساوندكلاود الاستماع الى موضوعات وفصول النسخة المسموعة من كتاب “حياة الرضا والسعادة” لقداسة البابا تواضروس الثاني

للاستماع لموضوع “كيف نقتني حياة الرضا؟” من الفصل الخامس للكتاب رجاء الدخول على الرابط التالي : https://soundcloud.com/media-center-157147919/nmbxlv4uy9mw…

ويتاح لمتابعي قناة المركز على الساوند كلاود، أيضًا الاستماع إلى محتوى الكتاب كاملًا.