Attaining the Resurrection

Attaining the Resurrection
HG Bishop Youssef


If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)


On this glorious day, as we commemorate the blessed Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, I would like to extend my hearty wishes to all, praying to the Risen Lord to grant us His Resurrection and make it real in our life.

What is the Holy Resurrection?
The Lord Jesus Christ is considered the firstborn, the first fruit risen from the dead. The Holy Book of Revelation (1:5) describes our crucified and resurrected Lord as …“Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead.” He was not raised by the prophets like Elijah and Elisha, but rather is and remains, the only person raised from the dead by the power of His Divinity, the Father in Heaven and the Holy Spirit. It is difficult for even the most scholarly to truly fathom the dimensions of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Holy Cross and His Resurrection and the impact of these insurmountable events on humanity in order that the faithful may experience eternity, the heavenly grandeur of the Father’s glory.

The Lord Jesus Christ was divinely heroic and heroically divine in His Holy Crucifixion bearing torment for our sins. Concerning the Holy and Glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, St Peter teaches…
“he [David], foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of Christ that His soul was not left in Hades, not did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2: 31-32).

How did the Lord’s Resurrection become our Resurrection?
St Paul writes concerning our resurrection, “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in Glory” (Colossians 3:4). St Polycarp (c. 135) taught, “If we please Him in this present world, we will also inherit the future world. For He promised us that He will raise us again from the dead.”

Our Lord is the only One who has risen in a glorified body, risen never to die again, risen and ascended into the heaven of heavens, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. This Holy Resurrection is not confined to the Lord alone but through His unconditional love, He extended it making it available to all those who believe in His name. Truly as one seeks to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ, to live according to His Word, and to participate and grow in the Holy Sacraments of our blessed Church, one will experience resurrection, newness, a new individual growing into perpetual perfection striving to become in His likeness.

How do we attain Resurrection?
Resurrection, for the believer is experienced through obeying God’s commandments and participating in the Holy Sacraments of the church. In Baptism, we attain the resurrection in “a newness of earthly life”. In Confession and Communion, we receive the potential of the second of resurrection, that of our Lord Jesus Christ “anticipating newness in the eternal life to come.” Through the cherishing of the Holy Sacraments one becomes virtuous, bearing love for others, and striving to obtain perfection in the Divine worship of God thus travelling down the path to the eternal life.

Loving those nearest to us involves the heart. The Lord Jesus Christ was full of love for those that believed in Him, accepted His Holy teachings and accompanied Him during His earthly journey.

What kind of worship befits God? It is one in which love is manifest through a humble and pious worship that incorporates both the heart and mind. Such a type of worship requires liberation from all unworthy worldly entanglements living a life of love, humility, piety and poverty of the Spirit. As St Paul says, “Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth” (Colossians 3:2).

How can we maintain the Lord’s Resurrection?
St Clement warns us that… “After we have departed this world, no further power of confessing or repenting will belong to us” (Second Clement c. 150).

After departure from this earthly life everything will avail to nothing except for the virtuous, good deeds. The Lord Himself uses the parable of the poor and rich man to show that the value of humility and poverty supersedes that of pride and wealth. The endearing love to the Lord as shown by Lazarus secured him a place in Heaven with Abraham alongside him. On the other hand, the rich man with all that he had possessed could not purchase Heaven.

With the Lord’s death we also died, but to the world only, and with His Resurrection we were resurrected to Heaven only. As St Paul says, “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Along with worshipping with piety and humility comes the power of the church sacraments. The Holy Sacrament of Confession and Repentance presents a powerful shield and armor that deserves to be put on through frequent practice.

During this time of the Holy Crucifixion and the Glorious Feast of the Resurrection, let us reflect upon the anticipated and completed sacrifices of the Lord Jesus Christ for our future spiritual glories. During the Glorious Feast of the Resurrection, let us all give thanks that we can partake in the resurrection of eternal life with the full knowledge that the Lord Jesus Christ has suffered for us all to conquer and abolish death, in order to bring us to His Father in Heaven with His great and perpetual love.

The Book of Life will judge us all according to the measure of our striving and seeking of those eternal things. May the Glorious Resurrection of our Lord implant in our hearts the desire to see the Lord Jesus Christ sitting at the right hand of God, our Heavenly Father.


His Grace Bishop Youssef is Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States (www.suscopts.org)



WATANI International - 4 April 2010 - 26 Baramhat (Parmhat) 1726 (Coptic Calendar) - 19 Rabie al-Akhar 1431 (Arabian Calendar) - Year 10 - Issue 477.
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The Power of the Resurrection and the Joy and Evangelism of the Martyrs

The Power of the Resurrection and the Joy and Evangelism of the Martyrs
H.G. Bishop Serapion

Today we rejoice as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who by His death trampled down death, and bestowed eternal life upon those in the tomb.

At the beginning of this year, the Church offered a group of righteous martyrs in Nag Hammadi. We pray that God may repose their pure souls in the Paradise of Joy. We also pray for their families that God may grant them the joy of the Resurrection and the heavenly consolation. We also pray for their murderers so that God may open their eyes and lead them to the way of truth. Today, as we remember the victims of Nag Hammadi, it is not to mourn the viciousness of the crime and the injustice that is falling on our brothers and sisters the Christians there, but rather to see our martyrs through the light of the power of the resurrection of our Living Christ

The resurrection of Christ is a great power. It is one that changes sadness to joy. A power that changes suffering for the sake of Christ to joy in the fellowship of His suffering. It is a power that changes the blood of the martyrs to become the seeds for the growth of the Church. St Paul the Apostle, who was martyred for the name of Christ, experienced the power of the resurrection in his life and said, “that I may know Him and power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” (Phil 3: 10) St Paul called all those, who struggle or are persecuted for the sake of Christ, to look upwards to Christ, “..let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12: 1-2)

The Power of Christ’s Resurrection Changed Martyrdom in Christianity to Joy and Evangelism

The martyrs rejoiced in martyrdom, because through Christ’s death and resurrection, He defeated death. St Athanasius said, “Before the divine sojourn of the Saviour, even the holiest of men were afraid of death, and mourned the dead as those who perish. But now that the Saviour has raised His body, death is no longer terrible, but all those who believe in Christ tread it underfoot as nothing, and prefer to die rather than to deny their faith in Christ, knowing full well that when they die they do not perish, but live indeed, and become incorruptible through the resurrection.”

St Stephen the Protomartyr received his persecutors with an angelic face. Rather than look at their faces full of evil, instead “he being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7: 55) Because his heart was full of joy and peace, he did not curse those who stoned him, but asked for their forgiveness. With the martyrdom of St Stephen, a great persecution fell on the Church in Jerusalem and many were scattered in Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Did the Church weaken? Did evangelism stop? Actually, what happened was the opposite, “those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4)

St Ignatius of Antioch, who was martyred in 108AD when Emperor Trajan ordered that he be presented to the fierce animals in Rome, was joyful. And when the soldiers came to bind him, he kneeled down and cried with a joyful voice, “I thank you, O Master Lord, for You granted me the honour of loving You fully and permitted me to be bound in iron chains like Your apostle Paul.” On the way to Rome, he wrote a letter to the Christians in Rome expressing his joy and desire to present himself as a sacrifice to God on the altar of divine love, and he begged them not to interfere, because of their love for him, and stop the imperial decision to throw him to the wild beasts. Here are a few words of what St Ignatius said, “The truth is, I am afraid it is your love that will do me wrong. For you, of course, it is easy to achieve your object; but for me it is difficult to win my way to God, should you prevent my martyrdom …Grant me no more than that you let my blood be spilled in sacrifice to God, while yet there is an altar ready…How glorious it is to leave this world so I may rise again in His presence!” When St Ignatius reached Rome, he kneeled down and asked Christ to lift the persecution from the churches. Then they released two lions, which devoured him immediately.

St Justin Martyr witnessed that martyrdom is evangelism and said, “You can clearly see that when we are beheaded, crucified, thrown to the wild beasts, bound in chains, thrown in fire, or any other means of torture, we don’t relent in our faith. The more we face these sufferings, the more people become Christians and join our faith in the name of Jesus Christ” The martyrs saw that this was a fulfilment of our Lord Jesus Christ’s saying, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain.” (John 12:24) St Augustine reflected on our Lord Jesus Christ’s saying to His disciples, “Behold, I send you as lambs among wolves.” (Luke 10:3) and said, “There was a flock of wolves and a few lambs. When the many wolves preyed upon the few lambs, the wolves changed to lambs.”

My Beloved Brothers and Sisters,

Let us rejoice today in the power of the resurrection of our Good Saviour and Living Christ

Let us rejoice with the joyful martyrs as they meet the Resurrected Christ

Let us pray that God may grant to enlighten us with His resurrection so we may be ready to carry the cross and may have a fellowship in His suffering.

Let us pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters that God may strengthen their faith and sustain them in their struggle.

Let us pray for the peace of the One, holy, catholic, and Apostolic Church.

Let us pray for our beloved father and vigilant shepherd, H.H. Pope Shenouda III that God may keep him for many years and give him health and strength.



His Grace Bishop Serapion is Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles (www.lacopts.org)

WATANI International - 4 April 2010 - 26 Baramhat (Parmhat) 1726 (Coptic Calendar) - 19 Rabie al-Akhar 1431 (Arabian Calendar) - Year 10 - Issue 477.
WATANI - 4 April 2010 - 26 Baramhat (Parmhat) 1726 (Coptic Calendar) - 1st Issue Year 52 - No. 2519 - 2nd Issue Year 9 No. 485
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Signs Of Love For God Nothing Tastes Beside Him

Signs Of Love For God Nothing Tastes Beside Him
By Pope Shenouda III
Your sole occupation – Work with Him
Everything reminds of Him
Translated by Dr. Wedad Abbas

Having talked much about how we should love God, let us talk about the signs of such love and its results in one's life.

The greatest sign is that God's love in your heart removes away everything, and nothing else may give you pleasure. All the pleasures of the world have no taste compared to God's love.

Everything seems trivial and insignificant as Wise Solomon said, "All was vanity and grasping for the wind." (Eccl 2) Therefore the more you grow in God's love, the more you disdain all worldly pleasures and say with St. Paul the Apostle, "I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him." (Phil 3: 8)

Imagine a professor of mathematics, shall he find pleasure in small arithmetical calculation? They will seem to him very trivial. The same applies to the worldly matters in the sight of whoever is filled with God's love.

Moreover, a person who is occupied with God's love will forget even himself and feel only God's presence in him.

Such a person says with Paul the Apostle, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal 2: 20) Wonderful indeed are these words! They express deep self-denial. It is the image of one denying himself for God's love, and he finds it only in God, like a branch in the vine. The branch is alive and bears fruit so long as it is abiding in the vine (Jn 15).

Through love a person can reach the level of abiding in God.

The Lord Himself says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit." But how can we abide in Him? He says, "Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love." (Jn 15: 5- 10)

God's love is not mere vague emotions, but it ought to be fruitful. It appears in keeping His commandments.

St. John the Beloved says clearly, "By this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." (1 Jn 2: 3- 5; 5: 3) On the contrary he who breaks God's commandments does not love Him, but is disobedient. He is treacherous and can even be counted among His adversaries. Therefore keeping the commandments is a main sign for those who love God. Does a child who loves his natural father not obey his commandments?

However, abiding in God has a deeper meaning.

As a branch abiding in the vine feels itself a member of the vine, you likewise, if you abide in the Lord, will feel yourself a member of the body of Christ. It is a great mystery (Eph 5: 32). Why then do you feel a stranger from God saying like the Bride in the Song when she was away from Him, "Why should I be as one who veils herself by the flocks of your companions?" (Song 1: 7)

Brother, you are not a stranger from God, nor is He a stranger from you.

You are in His heart, and He is in your heart. He is in you, and you in Him. You are in Him as the branch in the vine, and He in you because you are a temple of His Holy Spirit and His Spirit dwells in you (1 Cor 3: 16). He and the Father dwell in you as He Himself said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him," "Where I am, there you may be also." (Jn 14: 23, 3) He considers us His brethren, as himself. That is why when Saul of Tarsus persecuted the church, the Lord said to him, "Why are you persecuting Me." (Acts 9: 4) He considered any persecution to the church as persecution to Him personally. And on another occasion He said, "Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." (Mt25: 40?)

Among the signs of our love for God is our attachment to Him.

As David the Prophet says, "It is good for me to draw near to God," "My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me." (Ps 73: 28; 63: 8) If we hold to God we will move away automatically from sin and even hate it. It will be against our nature, for there is no communion between light and darkness (2 Cor 6: 14). Whoever holds to God will never get bored of talking with Him, but will say with David the Prophet, "Early will I seek You; my soul thirst for You." (Ps 63: 1) He rejoices at being in God's presence as the Bride in the Song, "We will be glad and rejoice in You," "Your love is better than wine." (Song 1: 4, 2)

Because of rejoicing in being in the Lord's presence, our father monks left everything that they might be alone in the wilderness with God whom they loved. So if you feel bored of praying and like to conclude the prayer quickly, you will not have reached God's love.

Our holy fathers the martyrs at the time of their martyrdom had God's love reigning over their hearts far deeper than their feeling of pain. So they endured suffering, and even loved it, because it brought them nearer to God.

Among the signs of love for God is the love of everything pertaining to Him.

Whoever loves God will love His church and say, "How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes faints for the courts of the Lord," "Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You," "One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord." (Ps 84: 1, 4; 27: 4)

Whoever loves God will love His law and His commandments and finds them like honey and better to his mouth. He will repeat His words all the time, and will find pleasure and happiness in them as one has found many treasures. The Lord's words are a lamp to his feet and light to his way (Ps 119). Whoever loves God will love His heavens, His saints, and His kingdom.

Whoever loves God will be led by this love in all his spiritual practices.

He reads for God's sake to enjoy Him, prays or ministers for His sake to meet with Him and to enjoy His Life-Giving-Sacraments, goes to church, attends spiritual meetings, speaks with people for His sake to speak to them about Him. For God's sake he keeps silent to meditate on His beautiful attributes. For His sake he lives to minister to Him and to spread His name. For His sake he dies to meet with Him in Paradise then in the kingdom, as St. Paul says, "If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord … whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." (Rom 14: 8)

Whoever loves God has risen above struggling against sin.

The lust of the flesh against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh is for the beginners who have not yet attained God's love. But who loves God will glorify Him in the body and in the spirit, cannot sin, and the wicked one does not touch him, because God's love abides in him (1 Cor 6: 20; 1 Jn 3: 9, 5: 18). Whenever sin draws near he says: "How then can I do this great wickedness mans sin against God?" (Gen 39: 9)

Whoever loves God and attaches his mind to Him will take everything as a reminder of God whom he loves.

He watches heaven, but not to watch its planets and stars or the sun and the moon, but to say, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork," 'Heaven is God's throne, and the earth is His footstool,' 'The tabernacle of God with men." (Ps 19; Mt 5: 34, 35; Rev 21) He remembers the words of the Lord's Prayer, "Our God in heaven" and remembers that the heaven we see is not everything, for there is also the third heaven where St. Paul the Apostle was taken up (2 Cor 12: 2), and the heaven of heavens of which the Lord spoke, saying, "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven … the Son of Man who is in heaven." (Jn 3: 13)

He watches the beautiful nature, not to admire its beauty, but to glorify God who created such beauty. Indeed, it is not proper that God's gifts to us take us away from Him who gave them. They rather give us an idea about His love, His generosity and His power.
When he sees the lilies of the field he would say, "Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." How amazing is God's power who so clothes them! The same applies to the butterflies with their colors, the birds with their singing, the bee which makes honey, and the ant with its activity. How God has endowed this creation with the most amazing and wondrous gifts!

If even a person sees a cat pursued by a dog which cannot catch it, he will say: 'How compassionate is God who gave such a weak creation the means to escape from the powerful. The cat in this case has the ability to climb a tree, whereas the dog cannot. The lion likewise, though much stronger than the deer, the latter has the power to run much faster than the lion to flee from it.

So, a person can glorify God's love if he saw a lion or a deer.

He remembers God's love if he sees a tree casting down its leaves in winter and putting them on in summer, giving us the chance to enjoy the warm sun in winter or the shade from heat in summer. The same applies to many kinds of trees. It is good to turn the material things to spirituality or to take spiritual lessons from material things. Consider for instance how God adorns the polar bear and fox with beautiful fur that keeps them warm in such ice regions, while the camel or the horse are not burdened with such fur because they live in hot regions.

So many are the things that remind us of God's works, but we do not remember because we have not yet attained this level of meditation! But the hearts that love Him find in everything a reminder of Him. They have the exercised senses (Heb 5: 14). This is enough, dear reader, for this topic on our love for God. We shall move next week, God willing, to love for people.


His Holiness Pope Shenouda III Patriarch 117th of the See of Alexandria and Successor of St. Mark. Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. He is the head of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria.


WATANI International – 17 May 2009 – 9 Bashans 1725 (Coptic Calendar) – 22 Gamada al-Awwal (Arab Calendar) 1430 – Year 9 - Issue 431.
WATANI - 17 May 2009 - 9 Bashans 1725 (Coptic Calendar) - 1st Issue Year 51 - No. 2473 - 2nd Issue Year 9 No. 439
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How should we love God? (8) Fear of God leads to His love - Love for people and for good leads to love for God

How should we love God? (8)
Fear of God leads to His love
Love for people and for good leads to love for God
Pope Shenouda III
Translated by Dr. Wedad Abbas

Fear is the beginning of the way to love.

It is written in the Proverbs and in the Psalms: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Prov 9: 10; Ps 111: 10) What then is the relation between fear and love? St. John the Apostle says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear." (1 Jn 4: 18)

When you start with fear, you will reach obedience to God and compliance with His commandments.

At least you will fear the punishment, the awful Day of Judgment, and the eternal suffering. When you obey the commandments, you will find pleasure and benefit for your life. See how David the Prophet found such pleasure and sang praises for God's commandments and law: "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes ……… more to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." (Ps 19: 7- 10) And also, "Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction," "I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart … I delight in Your law," "I have seen the consummation of all perfection, but Your commandment is exceedingly broad. Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day." (Ps 119: 49, 50, 69, 96)

If we love God's commandments, we will love good; and if we love good, we will love God.

We may in the beginning force ourselves to love good, but when we continue practicing it, we will do it voluntarily and wholeheartedly. Then we will not be able to sin (1 Jn 3: 9).

What avails is to love good, not merely to do good.

God does not look to the good which we do against our will, nor which we do for the sake of praise, glory, or admiration from the others; for in such a case our love will be for the praise or the admiration, not for good. Moreover we will have received here on the earth the reward for what we have done (Mt 6: 2, 5). True good is that which we do out of love for good itself, for those who receive it, and for God Himself.

If we love virtue and good, we will automatically love God, because God is the Ultimate Good.

A righteous person can easily love God, but a sinner who loves sin cannot love God beside it, because there is no communion between light and darkness, nor fellowship between righteousness and lawlessness (2 Cor 6: 14). The Existentialists for instance, thinking that God hinders their lusts and desires, deny His existence because He calls for good and punishes their lusts.

If you love righteousness and good, you will find in God your example, so you will love Him.

If you love good, you will rise above struggling against sin. The words, "The flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh" (Gal 5: 17) apply only to the beginners who struggle against the flesh which does not submit to the spirit. But the pure and righteous flesh which loves good does not lust against the spirit. The righteous spirit in such a person leads his body, and the Spirit of God leads his human spirit (Rom 8: 14).

If you do love good, your body will be holy and will be an actual temple of God's Spirit who dwells in it (1 Cor 3: 16).

You will have communion with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 13: 14) who will pour God's love in your heart, as the Apostle says in (Rom 5: 5).

Keep then the dwelling of the Holy Spirit in you and the communion of the Holy Spirit with you in work and thinking. In this way you will keep God's love in your heart and will not grieve His Spirit with any act against His will. You will continue in God's love.

Who loves good and loves God will not be tired of struggling. His struggling will be pleasant, leading to growth in good and in God's love.

Such a person will not have to struggle against himself to force himself to lead a virtuous life, because he loves virtue. He practices virtue with pleasure and longing; he loves prayer and loves God who sent the words of prayer to satisfy him; and he loves the church with all its Holy Sacraments, and finds in them spiritual satisfaction that leads to his growth. He does everything without being forced. The reason is that he has attained the Lord's rest, the endless Sabbath which leads to good step by step.

Good to him is wonderfully connected with God's love.

Good leads him to God's love and the opposite. Each of them will be a cause and a consequence to the other. Who loves good will see God's commandment easy, not heavy as the Apostle says (1 Jn 5: 3), because he loves it.

Who loves the Lord and loves righteousness has actually risen above the requirements of the law, having attained love.

He will do good by his own good nature, without need for a commandment. He is no more in need for a commandment calling him to do good. He has returned to the image of God, and good has become part of his nature. He does not need to exert any effort to do good, for it has become like a breath to his life. He will not feel that he is doing something excessive or amazing, nor will boast of it as something extraordinary.

He loves God, and loves the good which he longs for, and God becomes his whole desire and pleasure.

He finds in God the ideals lacking in the world. He forsakes the world and holds to the Lord, as David the Prophet says, "It is good for me to draw near to God." (Ps 73: 28) He feels happy because he has found God, has experienced Him and life with Him, and has experienced the pleasure of the spiritual life. Therefore he says with the Bride of the Song, "I held him and would not let him go." (Song 3: 4) Who loves good will love people and like to do good to them. People's love in turn will lead him to God's love, for the Apostle says, "If someone says, 'I love God', and hates his brother, he is a liar."

For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (1 Jn 4: 20)

If you want to love God, start with love for people and serve them, respect them, and give yourself for them. Then you will find God's love has entered your heart automatically. Give love from all your heart to whoever needs love: to the children, the disabled, the elderly, the orphans, the needy, the poor, the handicapped, and those who have no one to remember them. Serve them all, and you will find that God's love has entered your heart strongly. You will lift your heart unto God that He may help you to serve them. Then you will give thanks to Him that He has given you what they need that you may give them.

You love them because they are His children and because He loves them and He helps you to love them. God's love in your heart will be connected with the love for people. If you love Him you will love them, and if you love them you will love Him.

The Lord Christ says that the first commandment is to love God, and the second is
Like it, to love your neighbor as yourself (Mt 22: 39).

Ministry leads to God's love.

Ministry leads to God's love, and God's love sends you to minister to Him, provided that your ministry will not be a routine ministry or a mere activity, but rather ministry mixed with love. Its cause and its results should be love. You serve people because you love them, because God loves them, because you love His kingdom, and because you want them to enter this kingdom and to love God whom you love and who loves you. See what the Lord said about His disciples to the Father: "I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me be in them, and I in them." (Jn 17: 26)

What connects you further to God's love is the means of Grace.

God has provided us with various means that can help us love Him, such as prayer, reading of the Holy Scripture, church meetings, hymns, rituals, and holy sacraments, especially confession and communion, in addition to spiritual reading, meditations, visiting the holy sites, and spiritual guidance.

In order to attain God's love, you have to benefit from such means; otherwise you will fall in tepidity and your mind no more will be occupied with God. [See our book on "Spiritual Means"]

Among the means that may lead you to God's love is to think of your eternal life.

If man is aware of the vanity of the present world, and that it is passing away and the lust of it (1 Jn 2: 17), that all is vanity and grasping for the wind (Eccl 2: 17), and that man shall stand one day for judgment before the throne of the Just God who will reward each according to his works (Mt 16: 27), according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor 5: 10), then man's conscience will awaken. Man will get prepared for the meeting with God, will try to have a relationship with Him, will ask forgiveness for his sins, and will have such love for God that he may not be ashamed of meeting with Him in eternity.

That is why the holy church reminds us of the Judgment and the Second Coming in the Prayers of the Vespers, the Compline, and the Midnight.

To get ready for the meeting with God through repentance and regretting our sins and through God's fear that may lead us to His love, we ought to pray these Prayers of the Hours with the absolution of each Hour. They will certainly work within the heart.

So many are the saints who the remembrance of death and judgment made them more attached to God!

This is enough for now and will continue the following week, God willing.


His Holiness Pope Shenouda III Patriarch 117th of the See of Alexandria and Successor of St. Mark. Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. He is the head of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria.


WATANI International – 10 May 2009 – 2 Bashans 1725 (Coptic Calendar) – 15 Gamada al-Awwal (Arab Calendar) 1430 – Year 9 - Issue 430.
WATANI - 10 May 2009 - 2 Bashans 1725 (Coptic Calendar) - 1st Issue Year 51 - No. 2472 - 2nd Issue Year 9 No. 438
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How should we love God? (7) Take Him as a friend; Set Him always before you

How should we love God? (7) Take Him as a friend; Set Him always before you
Pope Shenouda III
Translated by Dr. Wedad Abbas

[Pope's Article of 26 April, 2009] (450) by Dr. Wedad Abbas

Reveal to Him your heart; let Him into all your affairs
Let everything remind you of Him

• If you want to love God, take Him as a friend.
You ought rather to make of Him your chief friend whom you seek before anyone else, reveal to Him your secrets and tell Him everything, feel deep comfort in being with Him, reveal to Him all your thoughts very frankly and very honestly with all trust and with a clear heart, and never get bored of speaking with Him.

Say to Him, 'I have words to say to You, O Lord

I am sure of Your love for me and of Your good intentions towards me, and I know that You are able to realize all this for me. Shall I not then talk with You as I do with my beloved? Do I find pleasure when I open my heart to those who are mere dust and ashes (Gen18: 27), and keep away from You, the Creator of everybody?! Is it proper when You call upon me that I get involved in other things and find no time for You?!

We certainly feel comfort when we speak with God.

We feel comfort because we put on Him our troubles, seeing in Him a loving Father. We love Him as He loves us, and we do not conceal anything from Him. We let Him into everything we do, and in love we submit our thoughts to Him that He may lead them and correct them if they were wrong.

• To love God, set Him always before you.

The feeling that He is before you gives the heart faith, trust and peace. Therefore David the Prophet said, "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." And he immediately said after that, "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices." (Ps 16: 8, 9; Acts 2: 25)

Elijah the Prophet was aware of the presence of the Lord, so he said, "As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand …" (1 Kgs 18: 15)

If you do the same the Lord will fill all your senses, your heart, and your mind. You will be on your guard and do what pleases Him. Not only you will feel His company and reveal your doings to Him, but He also will work with you or call you to work with Him for your benefit or for His Kingdom.

The feeling that God is present before you will give you the power not to do wrong.

Joseph the Righteous was aware of that, and God never departed from his mind even for a single moment, so he said, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God." (Gen 39: 9)

You adorn your home with various pictures which you see all the time, why not put God's image with them or rather above them?

Let Him be before you all the time, on the way, at home, or while with others. No doubt the Lord's image was not before the eyes of Peter the Apostle when he denied Him, but when the rooster crowed he remembered the Lord and the words He had said to him. So he went out and wept bitterly (Mt 26: 75).

In your love for God, you do not only see Him before you, but rather you see yourself in His bosom.

Say then with the Bride of the Song, "His left hand is under my head, and His right hand embraces me." (Song 2: 6) You are His child whom He loves and has done all this for your sake. If you remember how much He loves you, you will love Him in turn and will never do wrong, but will rather sing His praise every day. You will say with the Bride of the Song, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. He feeds his flock among the lilies." "I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." (Song 6: 3; 2: 3)

How beautiful it is to feel that God is with you, holding your hand, before you, on your right hand, and around you!

You are in His right hand; He has inscribed you on the palm of His hands; no one can snatch you out of His hand; even the hairs of your head are all numbered (Rev 2: 1; Isa 49: 16; Jn 10: 28; Lk 12: 7). If you remember this loving God and set Him before your eyes, you will certainly love Him and feel secure in His presence.

Can you love Him without feeling His presence?

It is unreasonable. We do not love an unknown God, for the apostle says, "… we have heard … we have seen with our eyes … we have looked upon, and our hands have handled." (1 Jn 1: 1) And David the Prophet says, "I have set the Lord always before me." (Ps 16: 8) If those had seen him, we now see Him through faith.

What is God's position in your life, that you may love Him?

Is He before your eyes? Are you always aware of His work in your life? Or days may pass without you remembering Him till you go to church? Do you remember that Sunday is the Lord's Day, or you call it "the weekend"? Try to feel His presence all the time. St. Augustine, before his repentance, meditating on his past life, said to the Lord:

You were with me, O Lord, but for my deep misery I was not with You!

When the Lord appeared to the disciples of Emmaus after the resurrection and spoke to them they did not know Him (Lk 24). Mary Magdalene likewise did not know Him and thought Him the gardener (Jn 20). Therefore if you are aware of His presence and His care, and that with Him you will not want, such feelings will implant love in your heart.

Try also to let the Lord into every act or work you do.

For instance when you go to your work or to your studies or anywhere else, say to Him before you go out, 'I am going to such and such place, be with me. I will meet so and so, give me wisdom, and put words on my mouth. I leave my house under your care.' Even though you are very smart and experienced, let Him into whatever you do, and say to Him, 'Without You, O Lord, I can do nothing.' (Jn 15: 5) And when you succeed say to Him, 'I give thanks to You, O Lord, because your hand was with me in what I did. I ask You to be always with me.' Or in case of a successful surgery to you or to one of your beloved, say to Him, 'Your hand was with the surgeon and with the hospital. Your love is revealed to us, O Lord, and we love You in turn.'

• Do not only set God before you or with you, but let Him be within you and you within Him.

Be within Him like a branch abiding in the vine that it may give fruit (Jn 15: 4, 5) And He will be within you because you are God's temple and God's Spirit dwells in you (1 Cor 3: 16), for the Lord also says, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." (Jn 14: 23)

Ask yourself whether you still keep God within you.

Is God still in your heart, in your mind, on your tongue, in your whole life, in your house, and in your work? Are you aware of His presence and pleased with that, and have communion with Him in everything? Or have you moved away from Him, grieved His Holy Spirit, and separated yourself from Him with all ways?

A woman bearing a child feels it moving in her womb and nourished with her blood, so she feels it is her duty to eat so that it may find food. You have also got a spiritual child created within you from the Holy Spirit since you knew God, so, do you feed yourself that it may be nourished? Its food is the divine love by which it lives and moves, as the Psalmist says, "I will lift up my hands in Your name. my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness." (Ps 63: 4, 5)

If we are nourished with God's love, we will grow in the spirit.

If we are nourished with God's love, we can say to the others, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." (Ps 34: 8) And when we are nourished with every word coming from His mouth, we will have life in Him through partaking of the Eucharist Sacrament. We will feel His life within us, and say with St. Paul the Apostle, "To me, to live is Christ," "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal 2: 20)

Do you really feel the life of Christ in you, the victory and the glory He gives you? Are you aware of the communion of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 13: 14) in every work you do? Do you not enter any place of do any work unless God's name is glorified in it?

Do you bear God's name and action everywhere you go?

When David entered the battle field he brought God's name in it and said, "The battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands." And he said to Goliath, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts … This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand." (1 Sam 17: 45 47)

In this way the Lord's name was on David's mouth, the Lord's power in his arm, and the Lord's name a cause of comfort, victory and joy to the army.

I like the name of St. Ignatius of Antioch "Theophorus" i.e. "bearer of God". You also, if you love God, you will bear His name on you to whoever you meet, and wherever you go. God will work with you, so you will succeed, your heart will rejoice, and you will love God who gave you success. The Lord was with Joseph the Righteous and made all he did to prosper in his hand (Gen 39: 3) God actually can do everything alone, because everything was made through Him (Jn 1), but He likes to work through us so that we may be glad that He work through us and that He chose us for His work.

You ought then to do the Lord's work and say to Him, 'Wherever I go, I will find for You a place to lay Your head.' (Lk 9: 58) It will be exchanged love between you and God. He works in you, and you work for Him. Due to His great love He sends you to work in His vine, and you in your love say to Him, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (Jn 3: 30) However, God does not want you to decrease, but in His love He makes you a lamp that gives light to all who are in the house (Mt 5: 15), and He says to you, "I will bless you … and you shall be a blessing." (Gen 12: 2) You, on the other hand, in your love will say with the Psalmist, "Not unto us, O Lord, but to Your name give glory." (Ps 115: 1) Whoever loves God ought to hide and let God appear, as John the Baptist did. If you deny yourself, you will attain God's love. But if you focus on yourself, you will be occupied with yourself rather than with God. If you deny yourself all your focus will be on God who fills your heart and mind, so you will love Him.

One more point in this article, that is, try to make everything remind you of God. But there is no space for it here. We shall explain it in next week's article – God willing


His Holiness Pope Shenouda III Patriarch 117th of the See of Alexandria and Successor of St. Mark. Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. He is the head of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria.


WATANI International – 3 May 2009 – 25 Baramouda (Bermodah) 1725 (Coptic Calendar) – 8 Gamada al-Awwal (Arab Calendar) 1430 – Year 9 - Issue 429.
WATANI - 3 May 2009 - 25 Baramouda (Bermodah) 1725 (Coptic Calendar) - 1st Issue Year 51 - No. 2471 - 2nd Issue Year 9 No. 437
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Resurrection & Life The deep significance of life

HAPPY EASTER - XRISTOS ANESTI
Resurrection & Life The deep significance of life
Pope Shenouda III
Translated by Dr. Wedad Abbas

The resurrection is the return of the body to life. Life is the principle of man's existence, for when God created man He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so man became a living being (Gen 2: 7). The woman likewise was called Eve because she was the mother of all living (Gen 3: 20).

The greatness of life lies in its being an attribute of God.
We usually say "The Living God": an attribute often repeated in the Scripture, as in the words, "As I live, says the Lord" (Num 14: 28; Isa 49: 18; Ezek 5: 11; 14: 16, 18, 20); or in the words of the Revelation, "worship Him who lives forever and ever" (Rev 4: 10). And He describes Himself as "the fountain of living waters" (Jer 2: 13).


The Kingdom also is called "the land of the living".
This is clear in the words of the Psalmist, "I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living," "I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.'" (Ps 27: 13; 142: 5)

Why is it called "the land of the living"?
It is because a sinner is considered dead, for the Scripture says, "The just shall live by faith." (Heb 10: 38) Also in the story of the Lost Son, on his return his father said, "For this my son was dead and is alive again." (Lk 15: 24) And the widow who lives in pleasure is described as "dead while she lives." (1 Tim 5: 6)

From all this we deduce that true life is not the mere life of the body, that is, a beating heart and a breath going in and out.
Many people even hate such earthly life because of the many troubles they undergo, as the Wise Solomon says, "I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me." (Eccl 2: 17) And Rebekah, having got tired of her son's wives, said, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth." (Gen 27: 46) Jonah the Prophet likewise in his critical situation said, "It is better for me to die than to live!" (Jon 4: 3)

What did the fathers say about such a life?
Jacob the Patriarch, speaking about his life, said to Pharaoh, "The days of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil … they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." (Gen 47: 9) And James the Apostle says, "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears fro a little time and then vanishes away." (Jas 4: 14) Therefore the life we live on earth is temporary and limited. It is not the real life with its spiritual joy or the everlasting life in eternity.

What then is life in its deep meaning? The apostle says:
"To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Phil 1: 21)
How can that be? The apostle explains, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal 2: 20) Indeed, this is the true life: that Christ lives in me! The aspects of this life are expounded in more detail in various Epistles, "Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?" (Heb 12: 9) "If we died with Him, we shall also live with Him." (2 Tim 2: 11; Rom 6: 8) "… that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness." (1 Pet 2: 24)

In this lies our life, but our mere life on earth I fear that an angel says to us about it:
"You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead." (Rev 3: 1) And a person who is spiritually dead can never have an eternal life. Those who live according to the flesh cannot please God, for to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Rom 8: 6, 8).

What then is life? What is the way to it? What are its sources?
True life is that which leads to eternal life, about which the Lord said to God the Father, "This is eternal life, that they may know You," "I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." (Jn 17: 3, 26)

The way to this life is CHRIST.
For He said about Himself, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," "I am the resurrection and the life," "I am the bread of life … I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever." (Jn 6: 48, 51; 11: 25; 14: 6) And about His mission He said:
"I have come that they may have life." (Jn10: 10)

He wants this life for us, because "in Him was life, and the life was the light of men." (Jn 1: 4) And He called upon us, saying, "Abide in Me, and I in you," "Abide in My love," "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (Jn 15: 4, 9, 5) Since you are a branch you should abide in the vine so as to take of its juice and live, otherwise you will wither and become dry.

If you abide in Christ, He will give you the living water which waters you that you may live and grow.
The water of the world does not quench one's thirst, as the Lord says, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (Jn 4: 13, 14) The Lord says about this water, "He who believes in Me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive."(Jn 7: 38)

You cannot live except by the Holy Spirit who works in you.
This is the way to life: abiding in the Lord, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, abiding in the Lord means abiding in His love and in His word, because He says, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life," "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." (Jn 6: 63; 15: 10)

How can you abide in the Lord?
To abide in the Lord means to have a continual relationship with Him, continual life with Him, and continual faith in Him that you may have life in His name (Jn 20: 31). Beware not to refuse this life and be involved in the worldly life; otherwise you will deserve the Lord's reproach to the Jews: "You are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." (Jn 5: 40)

You should know that if you live in sin you will die.
If you return to Christ you will pass from death to life (Jn 5: 24). This is the first resurrection attained by repentance and return to God, like the lost son who was dead and came to life (Lk 15: 32). It is the promise of the Lord, "He who believes in Me, though He may die, he shall live." (Jn 11: 25) He shall live spiritual life and eternal life in the Kingdom.

True life also is to have one's name written in the Book of Life.
St. John the Visionary says, "I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the Books." (Rev 20: 12) However, the Lord opens before us a door for rescue from this judgment, for He says, "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." (Rev 3: 5)

Now, are you among those who overcame? Is your name in the Book of Life?
Overcoming is a precondition for keeping one's name in the Book of Life, for life in heaven is only for those who overcome the world, the flesh, the devil, every evil lust, and every evil thought, those who have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (Gal 5: 24).

Those who overcome will receive life and the crown of life as well.
The Lord requires us to be faithful unto death that we may be given the crown of life (Rev 2: 10). Unless you be faithful unto death you will hear the reproach of the apostle, "You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin." (Heb 12: 4) Be on your guard then lest anyone take your crown.

The crown of life is connected with the crown of righteousness.
Therefore Paul the Apostle said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord … will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." (2 Tim 4: 7, 8) It means that we have to live here in righteousness that we may be given the crown of righteousness in the eternal life in the eternal Kingdom.

We receive the pledge of the true life here on the earth.
We start it here on the earth and complete it there in heaven. Here we receive the taste of the kingdom, and in heaven we enjoy it fully. So, whoever has not tasted the kingdom while on earth, even though a little part, will never eat of it in eternity. And whoever cannot keep attached to the Lord a few days on the earth, how could he live in everlasting communion with Him?

Whoever does not find pleasure in God here on earth, cannot feel or enjoy such pleasure in eternity.
Unless you enjoy the communion with God here on the earth even a taste of it, we will not be able to live it in heaven. Therefore you ought to start this life from now, as David the Prophet said, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." (Ps 34: 8) Peter the Apostle likewise said, "If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious … you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house … to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God." (1Pet 2: 3 5)

See also what the Lord says in the Book of Deuteronomy:
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life." (Deut 30: 19)

Here I would like to focus on these two phrases:
• Choose life, that you may live
• That you may love the Lord your God, for He is your life.
In conclusion I wish you all good of the Resurrection and Life. HAPPY EASTER

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III Patriarch 117th of the See of Alexandria and Successor of St. Mark. Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. He is the head of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria.


WATANI International - 26 April 2009 - 18 Baramouda 1725 (Coptic Calendar) - Year 9 - Issue 428.
WATANI - 26 April 2009 - 18 Baramouda 1725 (Coptic Calendar) - 1st Issue Year 51 - No. 2470 - 2nd Issue Year 9 No. 436
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Spiritual meanings derived from Palm and Olive Branches

Spiritual meanings derived from Palm and Olive Branches
Pope Shenouda III
Translated by Dr. Wedad Abbas

Would that we live the power of the Resurrection; the Resurrection which changed the disciples, which made of the empty tomb a symbol of continual victory, and which was the starting point of power in the life of the Church!
Happy Easter!

Palm Sunday is a Feast of the Lord, in which we remember how the people received the Lord with palm and olive branches.

Palm branches:
1. The leafy branches are the heart of the palm tree, which we liken to the heart of the Christians. This heart we offer to God, for He says, "My son, give me your heart."(Prov 23: 26)
2. The palm tree branches also are fresh and white, two qualities required in the pure heart which has been renewed and reborn in baptism. The heart of the palm tree undoubtedly represents this new birth.
3. The heart of the palm tree is soft, submitting to the person who makes of it various shapes. This gives us an idea about the life of submission to God in complete obedience, like a piece of clay in the hand of the potter (Rom 9: 21). Therefore we offer to God the heart of the palm tree in a beautiful shape, in the form of a cross, a host or a heart. Each of these shapes has its significance.
4. The palm branches remind us that the righteous are likened to a palm tree, as the Psalmist says, "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree." (Ps 92: 12) The similarity is perhaps in that the righteous like the palm tree is high and directed unto heaven. The palm tree is continually growing and extending high, while its roots extend deep and strongly that it may be able to bear all that height. It gives us a lesson in spiritual growth.
5. The palm tree is firm and fixed. However violent the wind may be, it may only shake but never falls although it seems slim and weak!
6. The palm true represents asceticism, forbearance, self sufficiency with the least. It can grow in the desert and endure heat and thirst, even for a long time without being watered. It is therefore one of the famous and strongest desert plants. It is the food of the hermits in the desert. It reminds us of Abba Nopher the anchorite who was nourished with the dates of the palm tree, and also of St. Paul (Abba Pola) the first anchorite whose attire was of the palm leaves or fibers.
7. The palm tree is fruitful and nurturing. Its dates give high energy, containing varied food stuff. Also it can be kept for a long time without being spoilt. The righteous person likewise provides spiritual food to the others.
8. The palm tree is of many benefits to the people. Its dates are good food, and its leaves are useful for making baskets. Of its fibres robes are made, and of its bare branches roofs of the village houses. Its rind is useful as fuel, and its stem for ceilings and fuel. Palm trees were even made hollow and used for burial in some ages. For all these benefits we can say that the righteous does not only flourish like a palm tree, but is also of benefit from all aspects.

Olive Branches:
The people received the Lord Christ with the leafy branches of the palm trees and the olive branches. What do these symbolize?
1. The olive branches have become a symbol of peace since the dove brought a freshly plucked olive leaf to our father Noah (Gen 8: 11), declaring to him that the flood had ended and the earth had become again fit for living. This reminds us that the Lord Christ made peace between heaven and earth, and between the Jews and the nations. He broke down the middle wall of separation.
2. The olive branches remind us of the olive oil, a symbol of the Holy Spirit. They remind us of the holy ointment (1Jn 2: 20, 27; Ex 30: 24- 25) with which the kings, the priests and the prophets of the Old Testament were anointed. Do you likewise have peace with the Lord Christ when you receive Him on Palm Sunday? Do you remember the ointment with which you were anointed when God's Spirit descended on you?
3. The olive branches remind us of the words of the Psalm: "… your children like olive plants all around your table." (Ps 128) The olive branches bear oil which is a symbol of the Holy Spirit inside them, and moreover bear the olive fruit. Do you also keep the Holy Spirit inside you? And when you hold up the olive branches on Palm Sunday, do you remember that your children are like an olive plant that you have to offer to God with the oil of joy and the Holy Spirit with which they have been anointed on their baptism and became a dwelling place for the Spirit?
4. The olive oil reminds us of the words of the Psalmist that he is a green olive tree in the Lord's house, an olive fruit bearing oil, that is, the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Church is likened to an olive plant because she bears the holy oil to the people. The Book of Zechariah the Prophet speaks about the two olive trees at the right of the lampstand who the angel called "the two anointed ones" (Zech 4: 11, 14). These represent the Church of the Old Testament and the Church of the New Testament. St. Paul the Apostle refers to them in (Rom 11: 17- 24) as the original olive tree representing the Church of the Old Testament, in which the wild olive tree representing the Church of the nations has been grafted. So when we hold up the olive branches on Palm Sunday, do we really mean to offer the church to the Lord?
5. Do we remember the lamps that were lighted everyday with the olive oil in the Tent of Meeting and in the Temple? Do we remember that we are the light of the world and give light by the oil that is in us? We hold up the palm branch which is the heart of the palm tree and with it the olive branch which is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, do we then connect between both matters: the heart and the Holy Spirit working in it?
The public burial prayers:
The Church prays these prayers at the end of the Palm Sunday Mass for the spirits of those who depart from this world during the Passion Week. During these prayers, do you remember death and get prepared for it, saying, "My heart is ready, O Lord." Or say with the Psalmist, "Every man at his best state is but vapor … every man walks about like a shadow … Lord, make me to know my end, and what the measure of my days is that I may know how frail I am." (Ps 39: 4-6)
Questions & Answers:
Many questions are addressed to us that may be briefed in two:
a. Did Christ descend from the tomb into the lower parts of the earth?
b. Did He descend there by both His spirit and His body?
The answer:
According to the teaching of the Holy Gospel, the Church and the Fathers, the Lord Christ descended by His human spirit only into the lower parts of the earth and announced the good tidings to the dead who lay in hope. He announced to them that salvation has been accomplished and that he has paid the wages of sin on their behalf. And having redeemed them, He then transferred them to Paradise.
This took place on the same day of crucifixion, for He said to the thief on His right, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Lk 23: 43) He opened the door of Paradise on that day, entered accompanying with Him the thief on His right and all the righteous of the Old Testament who lay in hope.
On that same day as the Holy Scriptures teaches us, the body of the Lord was lying in the tomb, which means that He announced those in the lower parts of the earth by His spirit only. On the cross the Lord committed His human spirit in the hands of the Father at the ninth hour of Friday (Lk 23: 44, 46). His body remained on the cross until Joseph of Arimathea took it by permission of Pilate and prepared it for burial. So the body was taken down from the cross at the eleventh hour and was prepared for burial.
The preparation of the body for burial took much time till sunset and the Jews' Preparation Day which was nearby. Joseph came followed by Nicodemus who also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. They took the body and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews was to bury (Jn 19: 39, 40; Lk 23: 54). Then they rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and the chief priests made the tomb secure, sealed the stone and set the guard.
When then did the body come out of the tomb? It only came out in the Resurrection early Sunday.
It is impossible to say that Christ descended by His body and spirit, because the body was in the tomb at that time and He transferred their spirits to Paradise as He had promised the thief. If the body had descended to announce the dead that would have been after the burial in the tomb, which is impossible for many reasons:
Is it reasonable that a dead body announces to them the good tidings? And if the body was united with the spirit, this means that the Resurrection had taken place, which is against the teaching of the Scripture and the Creed. For we say, "… and on the third day He arose according to the Scriptures." And the Lord said the same to His disciples that He was to be killed and be raised the third day (Mt 16: 21; Lk 9: 22). Furthermore if we say that the body had descended into the lower parts of the earth, this means that He was not like Jonah the Prophet who stayed in the belly of the fish for three days. The Lord mentioned this similarity when the Jews asked Him a sign, saying, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." (Mt 16: 4) We remember this in Jonah's Zoxology.
Certainly then He did not descend by a dead body, nor the body did unite with the spirit before the third day, nor did He come out of the tomb before the fixed time. And if He had announced the dead with His body, was it in the burial cloth? Is it reasonable to do that in the burial cloth and the spices? Is it reasonable that He transfers the dead to Paradise while He Himself is in burial cloth? Or did He come out of them? And if so, did He enter into them once more and come out of them on the day of the Resurrection? Where is death then if the body moves like that, coming out of the tomb and returning to it?! And was the tomb empty during that? And when He took the souls to Paradise, did He take them by His dead body in the burial cloth?
I want those who addressed such questions to hold to the teaching of the Holy Scripture, to the Church Traditions, and to the Creed: that the Lord was buried and arose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures. He descended into the lower parts of the earth only by His human spirit, and by His spirit He announced to them the good tidings and accompanied them into Paradise. All that time the body lay dead in the tomb and came out only in the Resurrection. None of the Fathers; neither the Holy Scripture nor the Church Books nor the Traditions say anything different.
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Mt 13: 43)

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III Patriarch 117th of the See of Alexandria and Successor of St. Mark. Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. He is the head of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria.


WATANI International - 19 April 2009 - 11 Baramouda 1725 (Coptic Calendar) - Year 9 - Issue 427.
WATANI - 19 April 2009 - 11 Baramouda 1725 (Coptic Calendar) - 1st Issue Year 51 - No. 2469 - 2nd Issue Year 9 No. 435
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