His Holiness Pope Tawadros II delivered his weekly sermon at the Wednesday meeting this evening, from the Church of the St George in Ain Shams Al-Sharqia, affiliated with the churches of the Ain Shams, Matareya and Helmeyat El-Zaytoun sectors, in the presence of a number of bishops of the church and the priests of the churches of the Ain Shams, Mataria and Helmeyat Al Zaytoun sectors.
The sermon was broadcast on Christian satellite channels and the C.O.C channel of the Church’s Media Center on the Internet.
H.G. Bishop Axios, General Bishop of Ain Shams, Mataria, and Helmeyat Al Zaytoun delivered a welcoming speech to H.H. during which H.G. expressed his happiness, along with the priests and the people of the district , with the visit of His Holiness the Pope, appreciating the value of fatherhood in the church and praising the fatherhood of His Holiness, the father of fathers and the shepherd of shepherds.
His Holiness honored those who obtained doctoral degrees from the people of the Ain Shams, Mataria and Helmeyat Al Zaytoun sectors.

His Holiness continued “Strong, short prayers from the Liturgy” Series and addressed part of the second letter of our teacher St Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians:

“But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.”
‭‭(II Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬:‭6‬-‭15‬)

His Holiness addressed the prayer of the Gregorian Mass “Work for the Needy” noting that the Church on the Sundays of the month of Baba presents to us the image of Christ, the Servant of humanity, through four points :

1- Health and illness.
2- Work and unemployment.
3- Satan’s war on man.
4- Life and death.

H.H. gave examples of biblical characters who had work:
1- Joseph: While he was in Potiphar’s house and in prison he worked as a slave until he became Pharaoh’s right hand
2- Ruth: She worked the land in order to support herself and her mother-in-law.
3- David the Prophet and King: He worked as a shepherd.
4- Saint Paul the Apostle was working in making tents, and he said to the priests of Ephesus: “Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.”
‭‭(Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭34)‬
H.H. pointed out that Jesus Christ, in his teachings, talked about multiple works, such as the shepherd, the sower, the man who planted a vineyard, the owner of the talents, etc. ‭

Regarding the value of work, His Holiness identified four values:
1- Work is a goal: Work must be a goal for a person in his life, that is, a person must believe in the necessity of working, “A lazy man buries his hand in the bowl, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.”
‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭24)‬ ‭

2- Work gives a person value: Whatever the type of work, it gives a person value
Work makes a person feel his value in life.

3- Develops talents: It may lead to innovation and creativity.

4- It affects others: Therefore, our work must be useful to others, and proficient, and it is currently important for our country to work proficiently.
“He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭10‬:‭4)‬ ‭

Let us not forget that according to the monastic laws, a monk’s time is divided between reading, prayer, and work. “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”
‭‭(II Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬) ‭

How do I glorify God with my work?
1- Be honest: A person’s honesty in his work is what purifies him. We must be honest when working, “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.”
‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬) ‭

2- Be kind: in your dealings at work, in order to win others. This is a very important point in some jobs such as the nursing profession, “and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,”
‭‭(Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭23)‬ ‭

3- Be distinguished: H.H. expressed his happiness at the doctoral holders who were honored for their excellence.
“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.”
‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭29‬)
4- Be creative: All countries of the world and societies are advancing with creativity, pointing to the idea of storming the Bar Lev line with water hoses, as one of the creative ideas that led to the October 1973 victory.

His Holiness paid attention to small projects that provided job opportunities for many, and which is one of the solutions to the problem of unemployment, pointing to the great role played by the bishopric of services in this context.

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