The Glorious Feast of the Transfiguration

TODAY, Coptic Orthodox Christians celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord. The Milk and Honey blog has posted a nice article by the late Rev. Fr. Alexander Schmemann.

Thanks to Andrew Mitry for sending the article.

The Ascension and Us

Today is the Feast of the Ascension. Fr. James Cole has written a nice article, entitled What is the Ascension and What Does It Mean for Us?

(via Andrew Mitry)

Courageous Entry

WHILE THE CROWD SURROUNDED HIM and cheered, the Lord knew He was entering a road of suffering; He knew the very voices that cried "Hosanna!" would, by the end of the week, be growling, "Crucify Him!"

Yet, He courageous rode forward to win our salvation, teaching us courageous trust in the Father. Abba Moses said,

The strength of those who wish to acquire the virtues is as follows: if they fall, let them not lose their courage, but let them be sure to make a new beginning at their endeavor. Insofar, then, as we put all our energy into practicing the virtues, let us await the Lord, showing Him a generous resolve and calling on His aid, and without fail He will strengthen us with His mercy and bestow His Grace on us in abundance, in which case we will accomplish every good easily and without exertion.

On the Night of Nativity

Today, Orthodox Christians Celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord. St. Ephrem the Syrian writes:

Pure is the present night, in which the Pure One appeared, Who came to purify us! Let our hearing be pure, and the sight of our eyes chaste, and the feeling of the heart holy, and the speech of the mouth sincere!

The present night is the night of reconciliation; therefore, let no one be wroth against his brother and offend him!

This night gave peace to the whole world, and so, let no one threaten. This is the night of the Most Meek One; let no one be cruel!

This is the night of the Humble One; let no one be proud!

Now is the day of joy; let us not take revenge for offences! Now is the day of good will; let us not be harsh. On this day of tranquility, let us not become agitated by anger!

Today God came unto sinners; let not the righteous exalt himself over sinners!

Today the Most Rich One became poor for our sake; let the rich man invite the poor to his table!

Today we received a gift which we did not ask for; let us bestow alms to those who cry out to us and beg!

The present day has opened the door of heaven to our prayers; let us also open our door to those who ask of us forgiveness!

Today the Godhead placed upon Himself the seal of humanity, and humanity has been adorned with the seal of the Godhead!*

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*On the Night of the Nativity

Feast of Saint Shenouda the Archmandrite

Today is the feast day of one of the great lights in the constellation of Coptic Saints, Saint Shenouda the Archmandrite.

At the time of his departure in 466, he was the father of 2,200 monks and 1,800 nuns. Besides being a man of deep learning and spirituality, he was known to be strict with his disciples. To be sure, this strictness flowed from a loving and concerned heart, as evidenced by his care for the peasants in the area surrounding the monastery.

Hany N. Takla writes,

Any cursory study of the living conditions of the peasants in Upper Egypt at his time, reveals a sub-human living conditions. This was exemplified in their illiteracy and slavery to the Greek landlords and to the land they cultivated. Such slavery was a life sentence, from which only death could free them. Even after Christianity spread among the them, their spirits were always dampened by the pagan landlords, who became more and more ferocious, especially after their slaves rejected their religion and adopted another (i.e. Christianity). The lack of leaders to defend them from such grave injustices, did not help either. This set the stage for the emergence of St. Shenouda as a leader of the oppressed populace.

To be a true leader, one would need to be strong, charismatic, caring, of good morals, and fearless. Such qualities fitted our Saint perfectly. So he took charge of the peasants with the ultimate goal of elevating them from being mere slaves to self-esteemed Christians, or at least to insure that they would get a fair treatment fromtheir landlords. He opened his church to them, preaching them incessantly on religious and moral issues. He also defended and protected them from their oppressors whenever they asked him for such protection. He simply did not spare an effort in coming to their aid. Though his methods might seemed violent by today's standards, they were the only possible and effective means of his time.*

In light of the difficulties presently facing the Christians of Upper Egypt, his life and work are particularly pertinent.

I recommend taking the time to read and absorb the modern translation of his vita, originally penned in Coptic by his disciple Besa.

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*Takla, Hany N., "St. Shenouda the Archmandrite", http://www.stshenouda.com/

Happy Feast. Now, Be Overthrown

Today is the Feast of Nineveh, according to the Coptic Calendar.

Augustine writes,

God destroys sinners not only in anger but also in compassion[.] For sinners are destroyed in two ways: either...the men themselves are punished for their sins, or, like the Ninevites, the men’s sins are destroyed by repentance. God’s prediction, therefore, was fulfilled: the wicked Nineveh was overthrown, and a good Nineveh built up. For its walls and houses remained standing; the city was overthrown in its depraved manners.

-City of God, ch. 24

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In other words, Augsutine encourages me to be like Nineveh: to let the sinful me be destroyed and to crush my sins by repentance.

The Feast of the Trinity

Today is the Epiphany feast, according to the Coptic Calendar.

On the Feast of the Epiphany, Orthodox Christians celebrate the baptism of Christ in the Jordan. Interestingly, Western Christians celebrate the Epiphany feast as the visit of the wise men.

In both cases, it is a celebration of the revelation or epiphany regarding who Christ was: He was more than just an ordinary man born and baptised. At the baptism of Christ, he was revealed as the second person of the Trinity: 1) the Father's voice was heard, 2) the Spirit descending like a dove and 3) the Son appeared. Hence, the feast is also called the Theophany or the Feast of the Trinity.

In the same way, when the wise men traveled such a distance to worship before the child, it was clear that more than a mere baby had come into the world.