Editorial Article by H.H. Pope Tawadros II in Kiraza Magazine: The Greatest Blessing
Man has lived on the face of this earth since his creation and through ages, centuries, and times, surrounded by divine providence, who sends every day its many and varied gifts, and it is written that his gifts are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23 NKJV). They are renewable and varied gifts and blessings that man may not be able to count. Some of these graces are visible, tangible, perceptible, material, moral, spiritual, etc.
One day you may think of
what is the greatest blessing in human life!
The answers vary between health, wealth, power, reason, discovery, etc. Of course, all of these are great blessings and have a place and presence in human life. The truth, however, is that the greatest blessing among God’s abundant and numerous graces is the blessing of the “covering” that has priority and first place. In order for this truth to become clear to you, dear reader: Have you ever wondered, how can your life be without being covered?
It is medically known that human skin is the largest organ of the body. It covers and protects the rest of the internal and external organs, and it is the first line of defense against forms of pollution and disease from microbes and other dangers.
In popular tradition, when you ask someone who is tested for life: What do you want from the world? They answer you automatically and without the slightest thought: covered and healthy. If you look closer, you will find that human life is reduced to these two words: cover and health. No one can count the number of times God covered him up, even the prophet David prays, saying, “Keep me as the apple of Your eye; [cover] me” (Ps 17:8), and he also says, “[cover] me from the secret plots of the wicked, From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity” (Ps 64:2). And there’s a nice story I read:
Someone says that everyday I bought the “Le Monde” newspaper from the same seller in order to learn French from him. However, this seller taught me a lesson that is more important than the French language, which is the lesson of a lifetime. I asked him every day, how are you today? He would answer me: “In the grace being covered”… so I was surprised by his answer!! I asked him one day, why the covering specifically?! He replied, “Because I am covered from everything…” I was surprised and asked him, “What covering are you talking about when your shirt is patched with different colors?” He was silent for a while, and then said to me: “My son, covering has many kinds: for example, when you are sick, but you are able to walk with your feet, this is a cover from the humiliation of sickness. When you have a small amount in your pocket that is enough for you to sleep while you are full, even if your fullness is only from bread, this is a cover from the humiliation of hunger… When you have clothes, even if they are patched, this is a cover from the humiliation of the cold. When you are able to laugh when you are sad for any reason, it is a cover from the humiliation of brokenness…When you are able to read the newspaper in your hands, it is a cover from the humiliation of ignorance… When you can call your family at any time to check on them and reassure them about you, this is a cover from the humiliation of loneliness. When you have a job or a career, even if just selling newspapers, it prevents you from reaching out to anyone, that’s a cover from the humiliation of asking… When God blesses your son, his health, his education, and his home, this is a cover from the humiliation of oppression. When you have a good wife, who carries with you the worries of the world, this is a cover from the humiliation of a husband being broken in front of his wife.”
And if God covers man morning and evening and covers all creation by night and every day. The night can be called the general cover from God for all men, and we in monasteries pray the “veil prayer”, which is a selection of the Psalms of Agpeya throughout the whole day.
Dear reader, you can cover the privacy of another so as not to convey their news, life or intention. This advice is also important for newlywed couples to preserve their privacy and never speak it in front of others, no matter how related they may be, “for by your words you are justified, and by your words you are condemned” (Matthew 12:37). It is also important for the priest to preserve the privacy of the sacrament of confession and for those who deliberately disclose the secrets of confession in any way to be punished. The cover here needs the wisdom of the priest and the purity of his words and conversations.
But how does a person acquire the virtue of covering in his life and behavior?
First, remember that God covered you in many situations, some of which you know and many of which you do not know. In your prayers, always: “Thank you, Lord, that you will see me” and “Cover your face from my sins” (Ps 51:9). As David sings in the Psalm: “For in the time of trouble He shall [cover] me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall [cover] me.” (Ps 27:5). “Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You…You shall [cover] them in the secret place of Your presence” (Ps 31:19, 20).
Second, learn to love others no matter how weak they are in front of you. Take care of the good and the positive side, and don’t look at any negative sides. This is what Jesus did with Zacchaeus, with the Samaritan, with Nicodemus and others. Whenever you cover up for others, God will cover you. If necessary, speak for others in a field, let your words be with wisdom and poise salted with the salt of truth without distortion or condemnation.
Third: Learn not to condemn anyone else. Because the saints say, “There is nothing better than to blame himself for everything,” for “what profit does a man gain if he gains the whole world and loses his soul” (Matthew 16:26). Avoid condemning others lest you fall into their falls, as St. Anthony says: “Do not condemn others, lest they fall into the hands of your enemies.”
We pray the thanksgiving prayer several times a day and we open it with the saying that “we thank you for covering us…” This includes past and present and covering myself, my family, my friends, my acquaintances, my home and my small and large family, my service, my church, my work, my trade, my homeland and my land.
In fact, the grace of covering is the greatest blessing among the many blessings of God every morning, and may it always be in front of you in your awakenings and sleeps and in all your dealings, and beware that “you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?.” (Matthew 7:2).
Covering is not the cover of money, but the cover of souls, so always remember that you have the blessings that millions of people desire.
|
