وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Jonah

Do not force God to use the severe ways to bring you back. If God uses the severe way with you know for certain that it is to meet the severity within you, the severity of your hardheartedness and your non response to God's compassion.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Jonah

With the Ninevites who feared God did not use severity. With the mariners whose hearts changed merely by the winds, God did not permit that their ship be destroyed. But with Jonah who was extremely severe, those small touches were not suitable for him, . The waves were striking the ship and the ship was about to sink, and the wares were being cast out into the sea, and amidst all this Jonah "had lain down and was fast asleep". This kind of person does not benefit from the light type of punishment. When someone is in a light sleep you can just pat them on the shoulder or touch the face and they wake up. But the one who is fast asleep needs a strong shaking to wake them. I fear that your hearts may be of this heavy kind. God wants to make you reach Him. May you respond to His easy, soft and kind ways and do not compel Him to use severity.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Jonah

Some of you may wonder how can the severe ways be compatible with God's gentleness and meekness? The answer is simple. God is concerned about your eternal life, much more than your life on earth. For your salvation, He is prepared to do any Divine act no matter how severe in order to restore you to Him.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Jonah

We notice that God's severity is mixed with mercy and compassion because it is but a mere means. When He sent the winds and the waves to the ship He did not sanction the hurt of any of the passengers. When He sent a whale to swallow Jonah He did not permit the whale to harm him. He sometimes strikes but within the person's endurance and until the aim of the blow is attained.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Jonah

There now remains one question: What is the way that suits you which God may use for your salvation?
Be honest with yourself and with God. If you do not respond except after a severe blow, then say to Him: "Strike, O Lord, as may please You and show no pity. The most important thing is that I reach You" If trials and tribulations are what bring you near to God, say thus to Him: "I confess to You, O Lord, that if I live at ease, I will forget You and leave You. And if I am beset by afflictions, I restore my relation with You. It is enough that You sanction for me a troublesome superior or a problem at home or an illness so that You may find me at Your feet and find my heart with You."

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Jonah

Be honest, my brother, with God and accept all his dispositions with joy and with thanksgiving. But be careful that God's ways should not lead you to aversion.
For example a person may be sent a useful tribulation from God for their salvation but they use it for their perdition. God sends them a whale to swallow them. Instead of praying in the belly of the whale as Jonah did, they grumble and become restless and blaspheme. We see many who are always complaining of God: Why did God do this to me? Why does He persecute me and why does He neglect me?
Wretched are such persons. God's rod with which He wants to guide them, they use instead as a means of grumbling. They meet God's care for them by complaint. Weak is their faith in God's work with them.
Whatever the situation, God is not annoyed at our reasoning with Him.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Jonah

Wretched are such persons. God's rod with which He wants to guide them, they use instead as a means of grumbling. They meet God's care for them by complaint. Weak is their faith in God's work with them.
Whatever the situation, God is not annoyed at our reasoning with Him.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Jonah

Now we remember Nineveh's fasting and consider it the fasting of repentance. May we repent by any means; whether by the Ninevites' means or the passengers of the ship, or Jonah's. May we supplicate God and say to Him: "Your hard work for us, O Lord, all these years will be wasted if it is lost without being beneficial. Continue Your work with us. You suffered trouble in our creation, in caring for us and in redeeming us. So may our salvation not be lost for the sake of this repentance.. We want there to be Joy in heaven over our repentance. We do not thwart the heaven's rejoicing.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Jonah

We have now taken two lessons about God's dealings. The first was that He Himself searches for man. And the second was that He is prepared to use severity and punishment for man's salvation. What is the third lesson? We also learn from this Book that God is prepared to relent from His warnings.

[Mary Naeem]

وَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ يَذْهَبَانِ كُلَّ سَنَةٍ إِلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ فِي عِيدِ الْفِصْحِ. وَلَمَّا كَانَتْ لَهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً صَعِدُوا إِلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ كَعَادَةِ الْعِيدِ. وَبَعْدَمَا أَكْمَلُوا الأَيَّامَ بَقِيَ عِنْدَ رُجُوعِهِمَا الصَّبِيُّ يَسُوعُ فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ، وَيُوسُفُ وَأُمُّهُ لَمْ يَعْلَمَا. وَإِذْ ظَنَّاهُ بَيْنَ الرُّفْقَةِ، ذَهَبَا مَسِيرَةَ يَوْمٍ، وَكَانَا يَطْلُبَانِهِ بَيْنَ الأَقْرِبَاءِ وَالْمَعَارِفِ. وَلَمَّا لَمْ يَجِدَاهُ رَجَعَا إِلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ يَطْلُبَانِهِ. وَبَعْدَ ثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ وَجَدَاهُ فِي الْهَيْكَلِ، جَالِسًا فِي وَسْطِ الْمُعَلِّمِينَ، يَسْمَعُهُمْ وَيَسْأَلُهُمْ. وَكُلُّ الَّذِينَ سَمِعُوهُ بُهِتُوا مِنْ فَهْمِهِ وَأَجْوِبَتِهِ. فَلَمَّا أَبْصَرَاهُ انْدَهَشَا. وَقَالَتْ لَهُ أُمُّهُ: «يَا بُنَيَّ، لِمَاذَا فَعَلْتَ بِنَا هكَذَا؟ هُوَذَا أَبُوكَ وَأَنَا كُنَّا نَطْلُبُكَ مُعَذَّبَيْنِ!» فَقَالَ لَهُمَا: «لِمَاذَا كُنْتُمَا تَطْلُبَانِنِي؟ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمَا أَنَّهُ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ أَكُونَ فِي مَا لأَبِي؟». فَلَمْ يَفْهَمَا الْكَلاَمَ الَّذِي قَالَهُ لَهُمَا. ثُمَّ نَزَلَ مَعَهُمَا وَجَاءَ إِلَى النَّاصِرَةِ وَكَانَ خَاضِعًا لَهُمَا. وَكَانَتْ أُمُّهُ تَحْفَظُ جَمِيعَ هذِهِ الأُمُورِ فِي قَلْبِهَا. وَأَمَّا يَسُوعُ فَكَانَ يَتَقَدَّمُ فِي الْحِكْمَةِ وَالْقَامَةِ وَالنِّعْمَةِ، عِنْدَ اللهِ وَالنَّاسِ”(لوقا41:2-52)

انه من الشيئ الملاحظ ان الحدث الوحيد لطفولة المسيح تم تسجيله في العهد الجديد ويبدو انه شيئ محرج لمريم ويوسف، فحادثة فقد يسوع مثلا تبدو مخيفة فكيف يمكن لمريم ويوسف ان ينسوا صبي ذو ال 12 عام ويتركونه خلفهما في مدينة كبيرة مثل أورشليم؟ واي والدين يمكن ان يفعلا مثل هذا؟ وحتى انه من الأكثر دهشة بعيدا عن أي تفاصيل قد كشفها الأنجيل لنا عن طفولة يسوع فتلك التي تم ذكرها كانت لمحة صغيرة عن السنوات المخفية ليسوع والتي سردها الكتاب المقدس. من تقدمة يسوع في الهيكل كطفل عنده 40 يوما حتى ظهوره عند نهر الأردن وهو رجل ذو 30 عاما لم يقل لنا انجيل لوقا أي شيئ عن حياة يسوع ما عدا حادثة واحدة عندما فقد ثم وُجد في الهيكل وهو صبي ذات ال 12 عام. فلماذا يا ترى ذاك الحدث الوحيد هام عند لوقا؟ وما الذي يمكن ان يقوله لنا عن يسوع وأمه؟

تتطلب شريعة العهد القديم الرجال اليهود ان يقوموا بالحج الي الهيكل في أورشليم في ثلاثة أعياد يهودية هي الفصح و الخمسين و المظال “«ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ فِي السَّنَةِ يَحْضُرُ جَمِيعُ ذُكُورِكَ أَمَامَ الرَّبِّ إِلهِكَ فِي الْمَكَانِ الَّذِي يَخْتَارُهُ، فِي عِيدِ الْفَطِيرِ وَعِيدِ الأَسَابِيعِ وَعِيدِ الْمَظَالِّ. وَلاَ يَحْضُرُوا أَمَامَ الرَّبِّ فَارِغِينَ” (تثنية16:16).

حيث ان اليهود كانوا منتشرين في القرن الأول الميلادي ويقطنون في أماكن بعيدة عن أورشليم فمن المحتمل انهم كانوا لا يقومون بالسفر الي اورشليم إلا مرة واحدة في العام. لا يمكن اذن ان نجزم ان القديس يوسف كان يذهب ثلاث مرات كل عام ولكن حسب ما كتبه القديس لوقا انه كان يذهب مرة واحدة كل عام خاصة في عيد الفصح حسب الشريعة و يقضون هناك ثمانية أيام (عيد الفصح وعيد الفطير معًا). اما الأطفال ما دون سن الثانية عشر عاما فكانوا غير ملزمين بالشريعة ولهذا فليس من المؤكد بين علماء الكتاب المقدس اذا ما كان يسوع وهو دون سن ال 12 عاما كان يصاحب القديس يوسف للعبادة في الهيكل. اما القديسة مريم وكإمرأة يهودية فمن المؤكد انها كانت تصاحب القديس يوسف في رحلته الى اورشليم على الأقل مرة كل عام.