Sins

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 (NKJV) 

Satan has the power to blind our minds, bind our bodies, test Saints and righteous… he even tempted Jesus on the mountain.


As sensual people we can get very attached to the world, but it is in detaching from the pleasures of the world that we find God's presence speaking to our souls and in that we find meaning and direction.


When we find ourselves bound with sins, and Satan has convinced us that there is no use.. we start to think that we have already been rejected by the Lord, that there is no hope in His mercy.


Do not give in to these evil thoughts,  start a new life with Christ by repenting and confessing your sins with deep regrets and no turning back. 

Purify your heart, ask for the Lord's guidance and mercy, and live sin free..  

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." 

Psalm 51:10
Keep your eyes on the heavenly reward,  the "Life of Eternity".
 
 

What happens to sins--when you trust Christ?
What does God do with your sins?

 
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.


+ He takes them away:
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
John 1:29 

+ He forgets them:
“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Hebrews 10:17 

+ He washes them away:

“Though your sins are like scarlet,They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,They shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:18

+ He blots them out:

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.
Isaiah 43:25 

+ He wipes them out like a cloud:
I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
Isaiah 44:22

+ He pardons them:
Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:7


+ And He buries them in the depths of the sea:

He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities.
You will cast all our sins
Into the depths of the sea.
Micah 7:19


Let's take this opportunity during Lent to be even closer to Jesus. Let's give Him everything: our pain, our worries and trust Him completely. 
Protect us O Lord in our struggle against evil.


The Slope

The Slope

A snake does not creep on with open steps; in the same way the slippery motion of falling away takes hold of the negligent man gradually. Beginning with the desire to be godlike, he ends in the likeness of a beast.

The true glory of man is the image and likeness of God, which we can only preserve in our relationship with him who created it; the less therefore one loves oneself the more closely one cleaves to God.

When a man wishes to try out his own strength, he slips down to a purely human level; then, wishing to be subject to none, he falls even lower to those things in which the beasts delight, and so learns the difference between the good he has abandoned and the evil to which he has committed himself.

Only the grace of his maker calling him to repentance and forgiving him enables him to come back.

What can an evil man do when anguish falls upon him? All external resources have failed and he has no peace in his own heart: none of this world's goods can comfort the man who has not God.

The sinner finds no rest outside himself; and, within, his conscience gives him no relief.

A man can fly from an enemy, but who can fly from himself?


     DAILY READING WITH
St Augustine --- The Heart at Rest

The Great Lent

The Great Lent    

The real aim of Lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ…
The deeper the preparation the more effective and joyful the celebration will be.
The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by guiding men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God’s will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts.

Our Lord Jesus Christ's 40 days of fasting was a battle with the devil..
" And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals,"  Mark 1:13

So fasting is a spiritual battle and struggle with satan and his solders. The struggle makes you stronger, so do not be afraid to fight and struggle with satan. But be prepared for the good fight.

Sinning can disqualify you from your inheritance in the Kingdom of God. Place your faith in Christ and turn to God. Do not let sin on earth diminish your heavenly rewards.

Paul The Apostle was clearly concerned that if he did not keep his flesh under control, he would be disqualified from running the race of an effective Christian life, and receiving rewards in heaven.

Also ST Augustine said: "If then you love your sins and hug them to yourself you oppose Christ, and whether in the Church or out of it you are an Antichrist: a piece of chaff which the wind will blow away."

So whatever it may be in your life that is diminishing your ability to run the race, with fasting and prayers you can turn back to God. It is God's desire for you that, day by day, you would throw off the sin in your life that could keep you from winning your heavenly reward.

May the blessing of the Great Lent fill us with wisdom so that we are able to distinguish good from bad.  Guide us O Lord to Your light and preserve our souls from evil.

Joel 2:15-17

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.

16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the  children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.

17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Have a blessed Lent.

Jesus Presented in the Temple

Jesus Presented in the Temple

Joseph and Mary presented Jesus to His Heavenly Father in the Temple of Jerusalem forty days after His birth. There was a devout man in Jerusalem called Simeon, waiting in the Temple. He was blessed by the Holy Spirit, took Baby Jesus in his arms with joy.


On this presentation God received a much more glory than He had ever received in the temple from all the sacrifices of the Old Testament. On this day it is His own Son Jesus Who is offered to Him, and Who offers to the Father the unlimited honor of worship, thanksgiving and supplication.


It is from the hands of the Virgin Mary, full of grace, that this offering, so pleasing to God, is received. For Mary is perfect, filled with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.


Mary had given her consent to offer her Son Jesus to the Father as a sacrifice for the whole world. For she knows that her Son is "The King of Glory".


Luke 2: 21-39


21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.


22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord


23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”),


24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”


 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.

26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,

28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, 
   you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, 
   and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,

35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,

37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.  She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

 39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.

Neighbours

Neighbours 

My brothers, do not think you must speak the truth to a Christian but can lie to a pagan. You are speaking to your brother, born like you from Adam and Eve: realize that each man is your neighbour even before he is a Christian; you have no idea how God sees him.

The man you mock at for adoring stones may be converted, and may worship God more fervently than you who laughed at him. Some who are not yet in the Church are near to us, and some hidden there are far away. You cannot see into the future, so let every man be your neighbour.

Suppose you saw someone walking in the dark and you knew of an open well into which he might fall and didn't warn him - you would rightly be held an enemy of his soul. And yet, if he fell in, only his body would die. If you see him falling into sin, and you chuckle over it - what then?

It is by love alone that the sons of God are distinguished from the children of the devil.  A man can baptized and so reborn but let him look into his heart and see if he loves his neighbour, and if so he can say truly, 'I am a child of God'.

But if not, though he has received the character of the sacrament, he is no better than a deserter or a vagabond. Only those who love their brethren are children of God. 


     DAILY READING WITH
St Augustine --- The Heart at Rest
 

He Preserves

Biblical Reflection 


+ The Lord's promise to preserves those who love Him:
The Lord preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
(Ps 145:20)

+ The Lord's promise to preserves the simple and lowly:
The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
(Ps 116:6)


+ The Lord's promise to preserve from all evil:
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
(Ps 121:7)

+ The Lord's promise to preserve souls:
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
(Ps 121:7)

+ The Lord's promise to preserve our going out and our coming in:
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
(Ps 121:8)

+ The Lord's promise to preserve me for His heavenly kingdom:
And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!
(2 Tim 4:18)

+ The Lord's promise to preserves the souls of saints:
You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
(Ps 97:10)

 

Quotes By HH Pope Shenouda III

HH Pope Shenouda III

Quotes and Meditations on things to REMEMBER
- By HH Pope Shenouda III:


Remember your weakness, then you will be more cautious and you will submit to the thoughts of pride and false glory which may attack you.

Remember the loving kindness of the Lord bestowed on you and you will always lead a life of thanksgiving. Faith will grow in your heart as well as trust in God's love and work. Your past experiences with God would encourage you in the life of faith.

Remember People's love and their past good experiences with you. Should you doubt their sincerity or find out they have wronged you, Their old love will intercede and your anger will fade away.

Remember death, so all wordily temptations will disappear and you feel that, " All is vanity and grasping for the wind." (Eccl. 1:14.)

Remember that you are standing before God and He is looking at you, then you cannot sin because you see Him.

Remember God's promises and you will be comforted in all your troubles. But if you forget them, say with David the Prophet, "Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life." (Ps 119:49-50)

Remember the Blood of Jesus which was shed for your sake and you will definitely know the value of your life; it becomes dear in your eyes, so you will not waste it with prodigal living, " For you were bought at a price;". 1 Cor 6:20

Remember the vows you made to God at the Baptistery with your parents undertook on your behalf to renounce the devil, all his evil deeds, all his thoughts and wiles, all his forces and power.

Remember always that you are a stranger on the earth and that you will return to your heavenly home. Then you will not put all your hopes in this world and its comforts.

Remember That the narrow gate leads to the kingdom of heaven. If you see the wide gate open before you, escape and keep away from it. As all those who went into it perished.

Remember your eternity and work for it at all times.

Remember that you are a child of God and ought to have His image. You walk as befits the Children of God, for they are apparent.

Remember that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God in you and always be on holy temple. 

Verses and Fathers Sayings

Verses and Fathers Sayings 

"There are many ways which appear good unto men: 

But the end thereof leads to the pit of hell"
(Proverbs 14:12)

 

Those who do not understand the will of God, but follow their own will. For such people, not knowing the will of God, at first receive from Satan a fervor which is like joy, but is not joy; and afterwards it turns to gloom and lays them open. But he who follows the will of God endures great labor in the beginning, but afterwards finds rest and gladness.

Ammonas
The Letters of Ammonas, successor of Saint Antony

So That I May Walk With You In The Furnace

From the inspiration of Daniel (3)

Let the fire be inflamed and the enemy roars,
but as long as You are with me,
I am not afraid!

You change the fire into dew!
Instead of groaning,
You change my life into praise!

May you be transfigured in my depths,
and glorified in my weaknesses,
You who are the God of the impossible!

Grant me the spirit of prayer with praise,
so that I may deny all the flames of tribulations and the devil and all his evil deeds!
I shall not fear,
for You grant me victory over sin!


Fr. Tadros Malaty
From the Inspiration of the Book of Daniel