||    Pope Shenouda    ||    Father Matta    ||    Bishop Mattaous    ||    Fr. Tadros Malaty    ||    Bishop Moussa    ||    Bishop Alexander    ||    Habib Gerguis    ||    Bishop Angealos    ||    Metropolitan Bishoy    ||

 

 “That in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven,

and which are on earth – in Him (i.e. Christ).”

Ephesians 1:10

 

 

Father Matta El-Meskeen (Matthew the Poor)


 

HERE PAUL’S INSPIRATION DICTATES HIM to open up the secrets of redemption, and even resumes opening the doors to heaven uncovering the Son’s

revelation while in His Father’s bosom with the captives of His love in Heaven and the

captives of His love on earth before Him. For He was able through the power of His

extreme love and His unprecedented meekness with His awe-inspiring honor and power

on earth and in heaven to make all creation, whether heavenly or earthly, enter within

the sphere of His love that captivated all. The whole of creation in heaven and on earth

became therefore captives of the love and hope in Christ.

How He gathered them all under the banner of His love needs another revelation,

being more elevated, where the Father enters with the Son in gathering all creation

under the banner of His divinity that pervades everyone overflowing with the grace,

righteousness, and redemption on all. For God increases through it His abounding power

and the reign of His everlasting glory. This is God’s hidden mystery that whenever the

Father gives of His love it radiates, and whenever He gives of His divinity its fullness is

never spent. He thus obtained the fullness of all creation when He called it to His

Kingdom.

The whole difficulty is how can we give God our total subjection and respond to His

whole love and complete and everlasting righteousness? How do we offer thanks to the

Father, love to the Father and to the Son, with total obedience before Him that would

please Him? How do we behave as a renewed creation that has gained the Son’s kind

risen from among the dead in glory?

If all the churches were to meet and agreed together in one voice to thank, praise,

worship, and avow the glory of the Father and the Son it would be but little. Yet

according to the degree of our obedience to God at present, and our meekness before

Him will the churches never meet together except, God forbid, when one of its members

is to be defrocked, or for the severance of members who have smiled to members

foreign to them. It is as if the churches did not belong to the God of heaven, but as if,

God forbid, they were in permanent conflict, with protocols handed down to the new

members!

This is the actual situation, even though it does not please anyone, friend or foe, but

what is to be done as we all, according to the Bible, are counted members in the one

body of Christ whether we accept or not.

The grief that now overcomes our hearts is that those who were defrocked by the

Church are those who are considered more active and of more service. We merely ask a

simple question, Why? It is impossible here to find an answer! But we pray!

There still remains God’s mercy and grace waiting for whoever asks for it. May God

hear that for which the Church prays:

“Give us one heart!:

“A comeback to the sinner, and an awakening to the sleepy”

“And love to all.”

Prayer

If Your Church O Lord is Your body and You are its Head,

Then seek out the body as it ails and the head as it suffers.

The members of Your body are not in harmony, will You visit them?

And move with tenderness their hearts for them to meet one day in prayer before

You.

Because if You examine the ailing members You will revive the sane ones.

All the members acclaim their loyalty to You. Do You believe and do You hear?

Your body is sick, O Jesus, therefore where can we look for healing?

All chant, sing, and praise but the sound of groaning is preponderant.

To whom do we go

when only with You exists reconciliation, satisfaction,

pardon and forgiveness.

July 11, 2005

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