وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III







'LORD' Is One of God's Names
God said in the Book of Isaiah the Prophet: "I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no Saviour" (Is. 43:1 1), and: "I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me" (Is. 45:5), and: "Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me" (Is. 45:21). The Lord Jesus Christ said, quoting from the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 6, verse 13: "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve" (Lk. 4:8); (Matt. 4:10). He also said: "You shall not tempt the Lord your God' (Lk. 4:12); (Matt. 4:7). So the Lord is God, that is why it is written in the Book of Deuteronomy: "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords" (Deut. 10:17), and in the Book of Hosea: "I am the Lord your God.. and you shall know no God but Me" (Hos. 13:4). One of the most important verses which prove that 'Lord' is one of the names of God alone is what the Lord Himself said in the Book of Isaiah: "I am the Lord, that is My name, and My glory I will not give to another" (Is. 42:8).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III








The Lord Jesus Was Called 'Lord' on Many Occasions That Revealed His Divinity
One of these occasions was the question asked by the Lord Jesus, which puzzled the Pharisees. When they said that Christ is the Son of David, He asked them: "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying: 'The Lord said to My Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool' '? " (Ps. I 10: 1), "And no one was able to answer Him a word' (Matt. 22:43-46). David called Christ 'Lord', and the phrase 'sit at My right hand adds to the power of the verse.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III





The title 'Lord' was used in addressing the Lord Jesus Christ in prayers. Prayer is worship in which the word 'Lord' should be addressed to God only. Regarding this the Lord Jesus Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). Here, the Lord says that prayers addressed to Him without good deeds are in vain. The same meaning is conveyed when He said: "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord, 'and do not do the things which I say?" (Lk. 6:46)

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III





The name 'Lord' will be used in addressing Christ on the Day of Judgment. The Lord Jesus Christ said: "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matt. 7:22,23). The discourse of those people with Christ as being the Judge, and His executing Judgment -are proofs of His Divinity. Undoubtedly, the fact that people will address Christ on the Day of Judgment as 'Lord' is proof of His Divinity because He is the One who decides their destiny. The phrases 'prophesied in Your name' and 'cast out demons in Your name' said in the most serious hour, the hour of Judgment, are also proofs of Christ's Divinity.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III





In the Lord's discourse about His sitting on the throne of His glory on the Day of Judgment, He said that both the righteous and the wicked will address Him as 'Lord'. The righteous will say: "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?" (Matt. 25:37) In the same manner of speech the wicked will address Him, saying: "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?" (Matt. 25:44) And both of them will receive from Him the sentence of their everlasting destiny, It will be an awesome hour in which everyone will address Christ, who will be sitting on the throne of His glory surrounded by all the holy angels, as God (Matt. 25:31). The same applies to the Lord's discourse about the Day of Judgment when the wicked will stand outside, saying: "Lord, Lord, open for us" (Lk. 13:25).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III




The name 'Lord' was addressed to Christ at the hour of death which is a very awkward hour. The hour of death is everyone's concern, especially the virtuous who are very watchful over their salvation and cautious of every utterance of their speech. We see that a great saint like St. Stephen the first deacon, at the hour of his death, said: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). St. Stephen confessed that Jesus is the Lord into whose hands he commended his spirit. He said these words after he had seen Christ standing at the right hand of God in the highest. It is an explicit confession of Christ's Divinity. Similarly was the confession of the Penitent Thief who said: "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Lk. 23:42), and the Lord accepted this title from him and promised him that he would be with Him in Paradise that same day. This means that the belief of the Penitent thief in Christ as the Lord made him worthy of Paradise.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


The name 'Lord' was attributed to Christ in the domain of creation.
St. Paul the Apostle says: "One Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live" (1 Cor.8:6).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


The title 'Lord' was given to Christ by St. Thomas the Apostle in expressing his faith. Having believed, after he had put his finger into the print of the nails, he said: "My Lord and my God!" (Jn. 20:28) It was a very plain statement professing the Divinity of Christ. The Lord Jesus accepted from Thomas this statement and this faith, and reproached him for being late in professing this faith, saying: "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (Jn. 20:29).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


When the jailer believed and wanted to be saved, the Apostles Paul and Silas answered him, saying: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household' (Acts 16:3 1). The term 'Lord' here is used in the sense of 'God' because it is connected with faith and salvation which are related to God alone.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III




The name 'Lord' was attributed to Christ in relation to the glory. St. Peter the Apostle said: "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen" (2 Pet.3:18). It is obvious that this verse indicates Christ's Divinity. Of course, there is a vast difference between 'a lord' and 'the Lord'. In addition to this, the expression 'our Lord and Saviour' is used only in connection with God, especially when the words 'To Him be the glory both now and forever' are added to it.
St. James the Apostle says in gentle reproach: "My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of g1ory, with partiality" (Jas.2: 1). The Apostle emphasizes that faith should not be without good works. The importance of this verse lies in the terms 'our Lord', and 'the Lord of glory' and in their connection with faith which is used only when talking about God.