H.H. Pope Tawadros II delivered his weekly sermon this evening from the Church of St Mary and St Bishoy Church, Abbaseya. The sermon was broadcast on Christian channels and C.O.C. and over the internet.
H.H. continued on the educational series “The Wisdom of Fasting in our Church”, and H.H. referred to part from the Gospel of St Luke chapter 1, verses 46-56. H.H. referred to St. Mary’s fast as caring about the heart which leads the spiritual life of a person, and that the main character in this fast is St Mary.
H.H. explained the characteristics of the heart as:
– The centre of the human entity and it combines the mind, will sense, intellect, conscience, etc
– “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance”, the life we live will show up on our faces
– From the sayings of our Lord Jesus: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21), “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
H.H. explained the availability of the spiritual system in St Mary through:
1.the obedient ear, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38),
2.the merciful eye, “They have no wine.” (John 2:3),
3.a witnessing and praising mouth, “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47)
4.Humble heart, humbleness had led her heart and life through:
Devotion of life: as she devoted her will and life to God
Inner joy: as she can make us rejoice with inner joy
The joy of praising: heartfelt praise is the supreme expression of joy for several reasons:
1. Joy of Salvation: “We cry out unto You and give thanks to You for You have filled all with joy, O Savior, when You came to help the world.” (from the 6th hour prayer)
2. Inner Self Joy: and this improves the immune system of a person, “While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” (Psalms 146:2)
3. The Joy of the Saints: praising has many forms such as hymns, songs, melodies, Liturgy prayers, and in the midnight praises there is the commemoration of the saints, because this will be our jobs in Heaven
H.H. then asked the question: How do we fill our hearts with praises?
1. Listen to holy words, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16)
2. Fill your eyes with holy views, either from the house of the Lord of from nature, as we get delighted with a picture of St Mary or any of the saints
3. Let the words of your mouth be holy, not just by the Bible, but also words of blessings helpful, honest and supportive words. “I will declare You name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!” (Psalms 22:22-23)
4. Preserve praises in your heart, “I sleep, but my heart is awake” (Song of Solomon 5:2), “From the rising of the sun to its going down The Lord’s name is to be praised.” (Psalms 113:3)
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