وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III



Christ's Sonship is in the Holy Trinity. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). The use of the word 'name' in the singular form means that the Three are One. Because His Sonship to the Father is not a common sonship but a special One entailing His Divinity, He is called 'the Son'.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III






The phrase 'the Son' in the Holy Bible means Christ only. The Lord Jesus Christ says of Himself" Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed' (Jn. 8:36). He said these words in preaching that He came to free them from their sins.
St. John the Evangelist said: "He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 Jn. 5:12). Thus he used in one verse the two terms: 'the Son' and 'the Son of God' to refer to One Person. He also said: "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world' (1 Jn. 4:14). The term 'the Son' on its own means Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ talked about Himself as the Son and as the Son of God.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III







The Jews understood this Sonship to God with its Divine meaning,
That was why when they asked Him in the Sanhedrin if He was the Son of God and He replied in the affirmative, "the high priest tore his clothes, saying, 'He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses?' " (Matt. 26:65)
The Gospel according to St. John says: "Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God' (Jn. 5:18). This Divinity was the reason for the Jews seeking to kill Him, as they said to Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make yourself God' (Jn. 10: 33). That was the accusation for which they crucified Him, saying to Pilate: "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God' (Jn. 19:7). The common sonship, of which Isaiah said: "O Lord, You are our Father" (Is. 64:8), was not the reason of sentencing Christ to death, but it was the particular Sonship which carries the meaning of His Divinity and that He is equal with God. This leads us to the ninth proof.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III





Jesus is the Only Son of God


With Respect to Him Being the Only Son of God
The Lord Jesus Christ was called the only Son of God to distinguish Him from the rest of God's children who are called children through love, faith and adoption. He is the Only Son, who has the same Nature, Essence and Divinity with God. Christ was called 'the Only Son' in the following places:
"No one has seen
God at any time. The Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (Jn. 1:18). This means that Christ declared God and we knew God through His seen Incarnate Son, whereas the Father can not be seen in His Divinity.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III





For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16)..

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III





He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God' (Jn. 3:18).
If belief in This Only Son gives everlasting life and takes away condemnation, then this is proof of His Divinity.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III





In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His Only Begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (1 Jn. 4:9). We cannot live through Him unless He is God Himself because God is the Source of life.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III






"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (Jn. 1: 14). Here the Evangelist is talking about the glory that befits Christ as the Only Son of God.
These are in the Holy Bible which speak about Christ the Lord as the Only Son of the Father and distinguish Him from the rest of mankind, We have spoken in detail about the Divinity of the Son in the previous proof. It suffices that according to the above verses, Christ is the Source of life, everlasting life is through Him, belief in Him delivers from condemnation and judgment, as not believing in Him brings condemnation, and He has the glory befitting the Only Son of God. And the mere belief in Him proves His Divinity as we will explain.

[Mary Naeem]

أما المنغمس في الملذَّات،
فإذ يسمعها، يكرهها وينبذها وراء ظهره [15].
شتان ما بين الحكيم الذي يجد لذته في كلمة حكمة،
والنمو المستمر في المعرفة، وأما الأحمق فلا يطيق كلمة حكمة،
بل يستخفّ بها ويكرهها ويتجاهلها، ويحسبها تحرمه
من سعادته وملذاته الزمنية.

[Mary Naeem]

حديث الأحمق كحملٍ ثقيلٍ في رحلةٍ،
وأما النعمة فعلى شفتي الإنسان العاقل [16].

شتان ما بين الحكيم والأحمق، الأول تلتصق النعمة بشفتيه،
فلا يمِلّ أحد من كلمات النعمة الصادرة من فيه.
أما حديث الأحمق فبلا نفعٍ، ويود من يرافقه ألاَّ يسمع كلماته،
لأنها ثقيلة ومُفسِدة.