THE SPIRITUAL WORSHIP

The Lord, being the Spiritual Heavenly Friend, we would not be able to receive Him in us, some way or another, except by the true spiritual worship.

1- The Lord’s prayer	1 - 4
2- Praying with persistence	5 - 13
3- The unity of the Spirit (accusing the Lord of casting out demons by Beelzebub)	14 - 26
4- Friendship and the Word of God	27 - 28
5- Friendship and the sign of Jonah the prophet	29 -32
6- The good eye	33 - 36
7- The inner purification and the worship by the Spirit	37 – 54
1- THE LORD’S PRAYER:

Speaking to us about the entrance of the Lord Christ into the house of Martha and Mary, and how each of them expressed her love in some way or another: Martha by serving Him, and Mary by sitting at His feet to listen to His words (10: 39); Our heart is kindled in us to join Mary at the Lord’s feet, to encounter Him and to pray ………Hence the talk came concentrated on “prayers”. The Evangelist says:

“Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (1)

The disciples undoubtedly knew many prayers of the Old Testament, or through the Jewish tradition; but the request of the disciple: “Lord, teach us to pray”, reveals what the disciples saw in the Lord Christ when He prayed …They perceived a new portrait they have never tested before in their worship;….. they longed to have the same thought and the same Spirit.

Again we say, if we wish the Lord would enter into our house, to serve Him like Martha, or to contemplate in His words like Mary, there is no other way, except in prayers, by which we enjoy the life and perfection of the Church on the level of ministry and contemplation.

According to St. Cyril the Great: [If the Lord has the whole abundance of goodness, Why does He pray, as long as He is perfect and needs nothing?

…….. We say: It is befitting of Him, according to the ordinance of His incarnation, to practice the human work in the proper order, If He ate and drank, He also used to pray, to teach us not to be slothful in that duty, but to be rather diligent and fervent in our prayers]. ………Coming as the Head of the Church, He bears us as members of His body; and when He prays, He so does on our behalf, and to our account. By His prayer He brings us forth to the bosom of His Father; and our prayers became well received by the Father through His Son, the subject of His pleasure. In other words, By His prayer, He sanctified our prayers, and opened before us the doors to encounter God the Father in Him.

As the hearts of the disciples were kindled by the love to pray, on account of what they saw in the praying Lord; He started to talk to them about the Lord’s prayer, which I have already discussed together with testimonies of the fathers, of which I shall quote some others:

“So He said to them: When you pray, say: ‘Our Father in heaven ….” (2)

We cannot pray as we should, unless we perceive where we stand before Him. He chose us as children of God, to talk to Him through our actual sonhood, which we gained as a free gift in the water of baptism, despite our feeling of unworthiness to be His bondservants.

+ How great is God’s love for men! …… He granted even those who have gone astray from Him, and have fallen in the pit of transgressions, the forgiveness of sin, and an abundance of grace; to call Him “Our Father in heaven”………. Heavens which refers, as well, to those who bear the image of the heavenly world; and in whom God dwells.

(St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

+ Once you pray, forget all about the seen and unseen creation, and start by praising God the Creator of all; hence it is written: “When you pray, say: ‘Our Father in heaven’”

(St. Basil the Great)

+ Think about how much you should do to be qualified to dare say: “Our Father”. If you utter such a prayer, while your eyes are concentrated on the earthly things, seek glory from men, and enslaved to your evil desires; I am sure God will answer you, saying: [As long as you bear the corrupt life, call corruption your father. ……….By your defiled lips you are defiling the holy name which should not be defiled. ……… I command you to call Me “Father”, so do not utter lies].

(St. Gregory of Nyssa)

+ Prayer starts by testifying to God (as our Father); as though a reward for the faith of those who, because they received Him He gave them the authority of becoming the children of God (John 1: 12). Anyway, the Lord Jesus often proclaimed to us about God (the Father) as our Father; and commanded us: “Do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 23: 9). By this prayer we obey His commandment.

Blessed are they who recognize their Father……… Seeking testimony from heaven and earth, He rebuked Israel, saying: “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me” (Isaiah 1: 2).

When we mention the Father, we also call the Son, who says “I and My Father are One” (John 10: 30); and we do not disregard the Church, our mother; for the mother is recognized through the Father and the Son; and through her the names of the Father and the Son are revealed.

With one general expression, or by one word, we honor the Father together with His Son; remember the commandment, and set a sign to those who have forgotten their Father.

(The scholar Tertullian)

+ [When we pray to our Father, it is befitting of us to be preoccupied with no one else; neither with an earthly creation, nor with evil spirits, nor even with angels].

A saint who was living a life of seclusion in the wilderness was attacked by demons who surrounded him for as long as two weeks, throwing him up and down; but in vain, they could distract him from his fervent prayer.

Two angels came to another saint who loved the Lord, and dedicated his life to prayers; and accompanied him while walking in the wilderness. Yet he never felt their presence, lest he would lose what is more important; putting in his mind the counsel of the apostle Paul, saying: “Neither angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor anything present nor things to come,………. Shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8: 38).

By true prayer, a monk becomes another angel, longing to see the face of God the Father in heaven, with a fervent zeal.

+ Whoever loves God lives together with Him, and prays perpetually to Him as his Father, casting away from himself any unbecoming thought.

(Father Oghris)

“Hallowed be Your name” (2)

According to the scholar Origen: [As the pagans blaspheme the name “God”, by referring it to idols. …….It is as though, prayer here, is a cry out by the Church to God to uproot the pagan worship from the world, to make His name hallowed by all mankind.}. And according to St. Cyril the Great: [On those who despise the name of God among those who still do not believe in Him; once the ray of truth shines on them, they will confess the Holy One of the saints].

Anyway, if the name of the Lord Christ glorifies the Father, as we, truly acquire His name in us, the name of the Father will be sanctified in our life, and will be glorified in us. …… Of the saying of the fathers in this concern are:

+ As whoever looks up at the beauty of heaven will say: “Glory be to You, O God”; So it will be by seeing the works of a virtuous man; by seeing his virtue, he would glorify God more than heaven.

(St. John Chrysostom)

+ The name of God is holy by nature, whether we say so or not. But as it is blasphemed by the sinners, according to what is written: “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2: 24; Isaiah 52: 5), We seek to have the name of God hallowed in us, not as though it was not hallowed before in us, we who try to sanctify ourselves, by practicing the befitting works.

(St. Cyril of Jerusalem) According to the scholar Tertullian, the work of the angels is to praise God, by uttering the three holies: “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isaiah 6: 3; Revelation 4: 8).

When we hallow His name, we, as well, are lifted up to heaven to practice the fellowship of the glory to come; to partake of the praises of the heavenly creatures.

If the Lord Jesus Christ glorifies the name of the Father (John 17: 6), While we abide in Him, and practice His life, the Father will be glorified by His Son dwelling in us.

“Your kingdom come”

+ It is befitting of the pure soul to say with confidence: “Your Kingdom come”; for whoever hears the apostle Paul say: “Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6: 12), will strive to purify his soul, by works, thoughts, and words; to be worthy of saying: “Your Kingdom come”

(St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

+ We also ask the Lord to save us from corruption, to take death away; or according to what is said: “Your Kingdom come”; namely, Let the Holy Spirit dwell on us and purify us.

+ Those who so utter, seem to wish that the Savior of the world would come again to illuminate the world.

+ We wish our Savior would hasten to come, that our bondage (in this world) would not extend any further.

(St. Gregory of Nyssa)

(St. Cyril the Great)

(The scholar Tertullian)

If the martyrs wish that the Lord would hasten to come to put an end to evil, saying: “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6: 10); the believers, having seen the door of heaven opened before them, and having perceived their share in the eternal inheritance, also hasten the Lord’s ultimate coming, to gain that eternal glory

“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (2)

+ The blessed angels of the Lord do according to the will of God as David says: “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word” (Psalm 103: 20).. When you fervently pray, it is as though you say to the Lord; [The way your will is done in Your angels, let it be done, as well, in us on earth, O Lord].

+ Make us, O Lord, able to walk according to the heavenly life; Let us wish what You, Yourself, wish us to do.

(St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

(St. John Chrysostom)

+ Having said that life of man after resurrection will be like that of angels, we are committed, therefore, to live our life on earth with reverence, so that while still on the flesh, we do not walk according to the flesh. ………. Here the Divine Physician of souls diagnose the nature of the illness, that the ill are fleeing from the divine will; That is why they will be healed, once they are bound again to the divine will. The wellbeing of the soul is to fulfill the befitting will of God.

(St. Gregory of Nyssa)

+ We pray that His will be done in all.

Symbolically, it could be interpreted as: [In the spirit, as it is in the body]; on account of that we are heaven and earth.

(The scholar Tertullian)

“Give us day by day our daily bread” (3)

The Lord counsels us to seek even the personal things pertaining to the satisfaction of the body, on account of that He is our Father who cares for our souls, as well as for our bodies ………. But He counsels us not to seek what Would spoil our bodies, but just what is necessary for the body to support

us to fulfill our mission.

According to St. Cyril the Great: [Some, thinking that it is unbefitting of the saints to seek from God the physical needs, give these words spiritual concepts. But, even though it is befitting of the saints to give their main interest to the spirituals; yet, they, according to the Lord’s command, and without reservation, should seek from God their general bread. As a matter of fact, seeking their daily bread, will prove that they possess nothing, but practice the honored poverty; for no one who has bread will seek bread, but only who lacks it].

According to St. Basil, this prayer taught to us by the Lord, means our commitment to tell Him about the daily needs of our human nature.

Many fathers believe that our daily Bread is Christ Jesus our Lord, whom we enjoy as a daily heavenly bread, without whom, the soul will be in need.

According to the scholar Tertullian: [Christ is our Bread; for He is Life, and bread is life. The Lord says: “I am the bread of life” (John 6: 35), and before

that He said: “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world” (John 6: 33).His body, as well, is counted as bread].

According to St. Augustine:[This daily bread is the enjoyment of the resurrection of the Lord Christ; to experience its power on a daily basis in us].

“And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (4)

+ The wrong doings against us, being little and of no significance, it would be easy for us to forgive them; whereas our wrong doings against God are big, and we have no way other than His love for men……. Beware then, not to make it difficult for God – on account of the little things that happened against you – to forgive you the big things you yourself have committed.

(St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

+ The request for forgiveness implies a confession; for by seeking forgiveness we confess our crime.

(The scholar Tertullian)

+ Even the righteous Joseph, when he sent his brothers away to bring their father to him, said to them: “See that you do not become troubled along the way” (Genesis 45: 24 – the Septuagint version); confirming that it is befitting of us, while on the way of prayer, not to go to the Father while angry.

+ What a waste, to spend one day without prayer, because you refuse to reconcile with your neighbor; By Keeping your anger, you lose your prayer.

+ Every work of revenge you do against your neighbor, will be a rock of offense when your pray.

+ Grudge blinds the mind of the one who prays, and covers his prayer by a cloud of darkness.

(Father Oghris)

He who truly loves prayer, and gives himself up to anger or grudge, is like someone, intending to have sharp sight, plucks his eyes off.

(Father Oghris)

“And do not lead us into temptation” (4)

+ This probably means: Do not let temptations cover us up, and sweep us away, thinking of temptation as a violent torrent difficult to cross.

(St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

+ Anyway, It is unbefitting of us, in our prayer, to seek tribulations to come over us, for Christ commands all mankind in general, to pray not to fall into temptation. But in case one does fall into it, he is committed to seek from God to give him the strength to endure it, so that the words saying, ”He who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10: 22), would be fulfilled.

(St. Basil)

The scholar Tertullian discerns between a temptation allowed for us by God; which is more like a “test” to justify us, and that brought on us by the enemy to tempt, namely he deceive us. When we pray to God not to lead us into temptation, we mean then, to ask Him to support us against the tricks and

deception of the devil.

“But deliver us from the evil one” (4)

If the phrase “Do not lead us into temptation” means that we would never be tempted, God would not add: “But deliver us from the evilone”................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. The

evil one is the devil, from whom we seek protection.

(St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

Finally, the scholar Tertullian confirms that the Lord’s prayer is the foundation set by the Lord Christ for our prayers; that opens for us the door of prayer, for everyone of us to seek what suits him; yet through the same line of thought of this prayer. Despite its small size, yet it includes plenty, which are:

[Giving glory to God, by saying: “Our Father”;

A testimony of faith, by saying “Hallowed be Your name”; Presenting obedience, by saying: “Your will be done”;

Having hope, by saying: “Give us day by day our daily bread”; A complete recognition of our sins, to gain forgiveness.

Because of strong terror, we seek protection from temptation.

How amazing! ………..God Himself teaches us what He wants us to pray for]

PRAYING WITH PERSISTANCE:

If the Lord Christ presented to us a living model of prayer, seeking from us the worship kindled with the Spirit, He asks us to pray with persistence, not that He responds to an abundance of words, but to kindle our depths toward unceasing prayers. …. Even though God longs to give, and knows for sure our needs and inner longings, yet He seeks from us persistence, to learn how to stand before Him, and to enter with Him into a true friendship.

According to Father Isaac: [In His longing to grant us the heavenlies and the eternities, God exhorts us to press on Him by our persistence. He does not disregard nor despise persistence, but He actually commends it].

And according to St. Augustine: [Our Lord Jesus Christ would not exhort us so strongly to seek, if He has no intention to give. ………..His enthusiasm puts our slothfulness to shame; …………He intends to give us more than our desire to take; ………..He intends to show us mercy, more than our desire to get away from misery ……… His exhortation to us is for our sake].

And according to Father Oghris: [In case you have not still got the talent of prayer or praise, be persistent to get it].

And according to St. Cyril the Great: [In His response to a request from His disciples, the Savior taught us how we should pray. But, some of us, receiving this teaching, probably practice prayer the way it is given by the Lord, but with slothfulness and lukewarmness ; and if it happens that we get no response the first and the second time, we forsake prayer altogether. For that is probably how we are, the Lord gave us the following parable to proclaim to us that perseverance on prayer is very beneficial to us].

“And He said to them, ‘Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him: Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’ And he will answer him from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me.

The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot rise and give to you. I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give to him as many as he needs” (5 – 8).

In this parable, it is to be noticed:

If the goal of giving this parable is to exhorts us to be persistent in our prayers to get a response to our supplication; we notice that the Lord Christ, offering Himself as a Friend of humanity, says: “Which of you shall have a friend and go to him at midnight”, According to Father Theophlactius: [God is this Friend who loves all humanity, and wishes for all to be saved]. And according to St. Ambrose: [Who could be a greater Friend for us than Him who gave His body for our sake? …….. From whom David asked for bread and got them; saying: “At midnight, I will rise and give thanks

to You, because of Your righteous judgments” (Psalm 119: 62); ………..whom he has no fear to wake up in the middle of the night, for he knows for sure that He perpetually works and watches………We as well, should remember what came in the books, and care to pray day and night, and supplicate for the forgiveness of our sins. For if a saint like David, on whose shoulders were the responsibilities of a kingdom, used to praise God

seven times a day (Psalm 119: 164), persisted on offering sacrifices day and night; how much more would we rather seek for the sake of our many falls, because of the weakness of our bodies and souls, so as not to lack for our edification, a morsel of bread that supports the heart of man (Psalm 103: 15); having been worn out by the long way, and labored a lot on the cross roads of this life].

The Lord Christ seeks from us to resort to Him as a true Divine Friend, all the time, even in the middle of the night; to supplicate to Him to sustain us by the heavenly bread, to satisfy our soul and body.

If God presents Himself a Friend of us, from whom to ask, in the middle of the night, to grant us heavenly bread for the sake of others who came to us, as well, hungry in the middle of the night; the Lord also counts them as our friends in humanity. According to St. Augustine; that friend who comes from the street, namely from the world, as though, from his evil way, longing to enjoy the Truth; we cannot give him hospitality and satisfy him, unless we ask the Lord first to make us worthy of enjoying the three loaves of bread, namely the Trinitarian

The person who came to his friend in the middle of the night, asking for the sake of a friend who came to visit him; was it not enough for him to ask for one loaf of bread, or two? ……….Why then did he ask for three loaves?

--As we encounter our Groom the Savior amid this world with its evil temptations, as though in the middle of the night; we ask for ourselves, as well as for others, three loaves of bread, to satisfy our spirits, souls, and bodies. For God alone can satisfy man with his whole being.

According to Father Theophlactius, bishop of Bulgaria: [We seek three loaves of bread from God, namely, for the satisfaction of our spirit, soul, and body, so as not to be harmed in our temptations].

Here, we perceive the Evangelic concept of the holy life or of the chastity; For the chaste man, namely the holy man in the Lord, does not live in deprivation, but receives from the hands of the Lord what satisfy his whole life, bring joy to his soul, exultation to his spirit, and comfort to his body, even if he suffers much for the sake of the Lord. That is why the newly baptized Catechumen in the early Church, used to sing directly after their baptism, the following psalm: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside

the still waters; He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness ….” (Psalm 23: 1 – 3).

--According to St. Augustine: These three loaves of bread is our Trinitarian faith; on account of that our spirits, souls, and bodies, will not be satisfied internally except by the Holy Trinity -- the Trinity of love, that fills us and flows on us with beatitude; saying: [In the middle of labor, man is committed to seek from God the understanding of the Trinity, to have comfort in his present life; ………..

Let us try to understand the three loaves of bread in the Trinity who are one essence. When you get the three loaves of bread, namely the food of knowledge of the Trinity, you will have the source of life and food. Do not ever have fear, and do not stop supplicating, for this food is limitless, and puts an end to your need].

In another place he says: {Those three loaves of bread are nothing but the food of the heavenly secret].

And in some detail, he also says: [Now you should no more fear the sudden coming of a guest in the middle of the night; for by giving hospitality inside your house, you can make him one of the household; do not fear because the bread will never be lacking; namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit ………… Therefore, learn and teach; live and feed the others………… It is God who gives you; gives you nothing better than Himself; ………. What more would you need?].

--According to St. Augustine: [These three loaves of bread are the exalted divine gifts to humanity; namely: faith, hope, and love; Faith, you receive from God, being written: “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12: 3);……… hope, you also receive from

Him, being said: “which You have caused me to hope” (119: 49); so is love; being said: “Because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5: 5)]..

d- “And he will answer from within and say: ‘Do not trouble me, the door is shut and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you” (7)

It was befitting of the man inside to open his door, and not to tell him who knocks that he is is disturbing him while his door is shut, his children are with him in bed, and he could not rise to give him; …… Nevertheless, by persistence, the one who knocks could force his friend to give him his need, How much more would God give to those who seek from Him with persistence, a sign of the truth of their request?............... God is not like

the man who answers from inside; but the Word of God has come out to us through incarnation, to dwell in our midst, to speak to us mouth to mouth, and took away the veil separating heaven from earth. …………..The door is no longer shut, but is open before all; “God desires that all will be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2: 4). …………His children are not with Him in bed; for neither He nor His angels and saints fall asleep, but watch the night working by their prayers and supplications for the sake of the lost and the needy souls. …………The Lord will never say: “I cannot rise and give you”; for He is risen from the dead, and gave us His resurrected life working in us.

With such a painful portrait, the Lord presented the human friend, from whom we still can get our requests through persistence, despite the opposing circumstances….. How much more would we get from the Lord Himself?

According to St. Augustine: [If the man who is already in bed, after being disturbed in his sleep, was committed to rise up and give his friend what he needs, how much more would He give with compassion, He who never sleep, but even wakes us up from our own sleep to rise up and seek from Him to give us?]

Saying “the door is now shut” probably refers to our understanding, shut against perceiving Him. God does not want to see the door shut and keep our depths from encountering Him; But it is us who shut it through our disobedience and our ignorance of His salvation works. According to St.

Augustine: [The time referred to here is that of the famine for the Word of God, when human understanding is shut; and those who are committed to distribute the wisdom of the gospel as bread, through preaching all over the world now, are having repose with the Lord].

If the world has closed the door by its disobedience, it is the work of the church to seek from the Lord to open that door before those who preach His word, to bring the souls forth to where the comfort and satisfaction are in the Lord.

According to St. Ambrose: [Cast from yourselves the sleep of slothfulness, to knock on the door of Christ, which the apostle Paul sought to be opened before him to preach about the secret of Christ (Colossians 4: 3); and probably is the door seen open by St. John who says: “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me. Saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this” (Revelation 4: 1). This door was opened before John and Paul, to let them have, for our sake, loaves of bread for our food; because they persisted on knocking on the door in both convenient and inconvenient times (2 Timothy 4: 2), to restore life to the Gentiles, labored and exhausted on the way of the world, by an abundance of heavenly food.

e- “I say to you, though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you” (8, 9).

According to St. Augustine: [What does He mean by saying: “because of his persistence”? ……. Because he did not stop knocking, nor quit when he was rejected ………...God may sometime delay in giving us certain things; in order to let us recognize the value of those good things, and not because He refuses to give them to us. The things that we greatly long for, we get with a great joy, contrary to those we easily get, which would seem cheap in our eyes……. Let us then ask, seek, and knock; for through all that, we ourselves will grow, and get more]. And he says: [By the prayers we practice for the things we seek, we get what God is ready to grant us …………His gifts are enormously great, but we are little and narrow in our possibilities to accommodate them].

And according to St. Basil:[God probably chooses to delay responding to your request, to increase your zeal to come to Him; to make you recognize the great value of God’s gift, and to be anxious to keep it, once you get it. Because what man gets through great labor, he will strive to keep, lest, by losing it, he would come to lose all his labor].

Why does He say: [Ask …… Seek ……Knock?]

Probably to confirm, that He desires to give us. As according to St. Augustine: [He would not so encourages us to ask Him, if He does not intend to give us; and to take away from us our slothfulness; for He desires to give us more than what we ask for].

And according to St. Basil: [It is befitting of us to ask for the divine help, yet not without enthusiasm, nor with mind distracted here and there; for such a man, will not only have his request denied, but may rather provoke God to anger. ……. Whoever stands before a ruler, will hold his eyes fast on him, lest he would be punished; How much more will he be, whoever stands before God with fear and awe?......... In case you are disturbed by a certain sin that hinders your steadfast standing before God with your full strength; Reconsider yourself, so that, when you stand before God, you would concentrate your mind on Him; and God will certainly forgive you, on account of that your past distraction was, not out of slothfulness, but out of weakness. ……………In case you so commit yourself, you will not leave Him until you get what you ask for. And if not, it would be because your request is unbefitting; slothfully raised without faith; was not for your own good; or because you have forsaken prayers altogether. …………People often say: Why should we pray, when God, beforehand, knows what we need without asking Him?........ Yes He surely knows, and is ready to give us the temporal things in abundance; Yet we have first to ask for the good things, and the kingdom of heaven; Then we would get our request……… Let us then ask with faith and perseverance, for what is good for us; and let us not hinder our prayer by the disobedience of our conscience].

The repetition three times: “Ask, Seek, and knock”, means to ask Him, not only with our mind and inner intentions, but also with our lips, and with our works. It is befitting of us to let our prayers set forth through the harmony of the mind with the words and behavior; so that, sweet fragrance would come out from holy depths, blessed words, and works, that bring pleasure to

By similar line of thought, according to St. Svereus of Antioch: [By the word “knock” He probably means ask in an active way; for man knocks with his hand, which is the sign of the good work. The discernment between the three kinds may also be done in the following way: At the beginning of virtue, the first step is to seek the knowledge of truth; the second step is to seek how to go along that way, and the third step would be when man reaches virtue, he knocks on the door to enter into the wide field of knowledge. These three things man seek with prayer. “Ask” probably means (pray); “seek” means (pray by good works which we do in a way analogous with our prayers); and :knock” means (Persist on praying).

In other way, asking, seeking, and knocking, mean the unity of prayer with the practical life in the Lord: We ask Him to start together with us; to go with us all along the way; and to crown our strife with the eternal glory. For He is the beginning and the end; and He is the Companion along the way; namely, By Him we begin, continue, and consummate.

To encourage us to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking, the Lord Christ revealed our right as children to ask from our Father, and to take; saying:

“If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone: Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? …. If you then, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more would your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (11 – 13).

In this talk we notice the following:

The way He sought from us to ask, seek, and to knock, namely three times; the Lord gives us the bread, the fish, and the egg as three examples of food; it is as though, when we ask the Lord, He would satisfy us spiritually, mentally, and physically.

According to St. Augustine: [“Bread” is (love); “fish” is (faith); and “egg” is (hope); namely, we seek from our heavenly Father to make us love, believe, and hope……. By the “bread” He means (love), as the greatest of our need, without which everything is counted as nothing, like a table with no bread. Contrary to love is the hardness of heart, compared to stone……… The “Fish” symbolizes (faith) in unseen things, which we have

got in the water of baptism, without seeing it by our own eyes. On another aspect, faith, like fish, is attacked by the waves of this world, and would never perish; Contrary to the fish is the serpent with its deadly poison; for by its evil suction it cast its seed in the firstman................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... While

in the “egg” the new bird is still not yet developed, we hope it will happen. Contrary to the egg is the scorpion, before its deadly sting, man would flee back with fear; contrary to “hope” that sets us forward beyond the things before us].

In other words “bread” refers to (love), contrary to the stone that refers to the hardness of heart. “fish” refers to (faith), contrary to the serpent that refers to denying faith; as when the serpent deceived Eve by its craftiness, and corrupted her mind from simplicity (2 Corinthians 11: 2, 3).. And

the “egg” refers to (hope); when from what seems to be a hard object, a living bird will come forth; contrary to the scorpion that destroys man’s life.

While the Lord, our Divine Friend intends to fill our life with love, faith, and hope, to fill our depths, to need nothing more; the devil, on the other hand, our adversary intends to provide a stone instead of bread; like when he said to Jesus: “Say to the stone to become bread”; for he is used to provide the hardness of heart instead of the bread of life; ………He was the one who sent the serpent to Eve; ………..and whose works are likened to the deadly venom of a scorpion.

Let us then seek God Himself to fill our life, and to provide us from what is His own. According to St. Augustine: [You, greedy man, what do you seek? What would give you satisfaction, if God Himself does not?]. and says: [Give your soul her food, lest it would perish forfamine;....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... If

you may ask: ‘What kind of food?’, if you intend to hear, understand, and believe, the Lord, Himself, said to you: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven” (John 6: 41)].

Commenting on seeking bread from God the Father, St. Cyril the Great said:,[If your son asks you for bread, you will readily give it to him, because he asks for a good thing; but if, through ignorance, he asks you to give him a stone to eat, you will certainly deny his request for such a harmful thing]. ………….

And according to the scholar Origen, the fish we seek refers to the love of knowledge].

Commenting on the egg, being a symbol of hope, St. Augustine says: [Let us put our eggs underneath the wings of the gospel, which, crying out for the sake of the vain and desolate city, says : “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem …… how often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Matthew 23: 37)]. And he says: [The way a hen would tear apart a scorpion attacking her chicks, the hen of the gospel will do to the heretics, who crawl out of their holes to poison her children with their harmful heresies]

Finally, to confirm His heart desires toward us, the Lord says: “How much more would the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who seek Him?”………. If our earthly fathers care to give bread, fish, and egg, to help us live on earth; The Father in heaven gives the Holy Spirit, who

alone, is the Spirit of fellowship, who stead us fast in the only begotten Son, to bring us forth into the bosom of the heavenly Father…....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... His

work is to grant us “the new lfe” that bears the heavenly feature, to go back anew to the fatherly bosom.

According to St. Clement of Alexandria: [If we, while evil, know how to give good gifts, how much more the Good Father of mercies, the Father of every comfort, would have compassion, mercy, and longsuffering on those who return to Him? …… Going back to Him is nothing but to cease committing sins, and looking backward again].

3- THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT: (Accusing the Lord of casting the demons out by Beelzebub):

If our friendship with God is set upon persistent prayer; this prayer has to be supported by the unity of the Spirit. For in His friendship with us, God intends for us to walk together by the One Spirit, by the work of His Holy Spirit, the Grantor of fellowship and unity. That is why the Evangelist Luke narrates to us the episode ot healing the man possessed by a mute demon, which, by casting it out, the Lord was accused of doing it through Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. Yet in such an accusation, the lord found a chance to confirm the need for the unity of the Spirit with no division; by the work of His Holy Spirit, the Grantor of fellowship. ………. As we have already dealt in some details with this issue in our interpretation of the gospel according to Matthew (12: 22-37), and of Mark (3: 22-30); I shall only mention the following points:

As the miracle of casting out the mute devil stirred up the astonishment and admiration of the multitudes, it stirred up as well the envy and grudge of some, most probably Pharisees. Not able to deny it, they accused the Lord that by Beelzebub, ruler of the demons He cast out the

The word “Beelzebub” is the Aramic version of the term “Baal Zebub”, namely (god of house flies), the god of Acron (2 kings 1: 3); where the inhabitants believed it could drive the flies out of houses.

Some of them sought from Him a sign from heaven to confirm that what He does is by a heavenly power, and not through the devil; and expected that the Lord will respond to their request by sending fire from heaven the way the prophet Elijah did; not perceiving that, in their midst, was the Heavenly One who condescended to dwell among them as one of them.

He did not respond to their request, the way He previously rebuked His disciples John and James when they asked to allow them to seek fire from heaven to consume a Samaritan village that refused to receive Him (Luke 9: 54-56); but, with longsuffering He strived to bring them back to the

truth; not denying His love even to His oppressors; and ready to give His life a random for all. About this, St. John Chrysostom says: [He endured all those things to exhort us to follow His lead, and to endure the like foolishness].

The answer of the Lord Christ, as usual, came not to defend Himself as much as for the edification of their souls and to reform their life. His answer came bearing two aspects:

The negative aspect, namely, as the devil would never divide against himself lest his kingdom would be brought to desolation, He also asks us not to divide against ourselves, whether on the level of the kingdom as a whole, or on that of the families; saying:

“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub” (17, 18)

The positive aspect: In which He proclaims the activity of the Holy Spirit, who is One with Him in Godhead; For He works by the His Holy Spirit and His power, and calls Him “the finger of God”.. In this the Lord calls us, not only to refrain from by the spirit of division against ourselves, on the level of the families or the churches, but to receive the Spirit of God, the Spirit of fellowship, working in us with power, for the edification of the kingdom of God; saying:

“And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, with whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (19, 20).

It is therefore, not enough to reject the spirit of division, lest we perish; but it is befitting of us to recfeive His Spirit work in us, to have the kingdom of God come strongly upon us.

the hand and the arm of God

The Lord Christ calls the Holy Christ “the “finger of God”, probably because a man of authority, when he points his finger, everything he wants will be done. It is as though the Father and the Son work by their Holy Spirit, like by a

According to St. Cyril the Great: [The way the Holy Spirit is said to be “The finger of God”; The Son, as well, is said to be the arm or the hand of God (Psalm 98: 1); by whom the Father does everything. And as the finger is not separated from the hand, but is naturally a part of it; so is the Holy Spirit essentially united to the Son; and through the Holy Spirit, the Son does everything].

The fingers, with the differences in their locations, sizes, and lengths, working together without division, refer to the diversity of services, talents, and the One spirit among men, according to the saying of the apostle Paul: “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit; there are differences of ministries, but the same Lord; and there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all (1 Corinthians 12: 4-7)

According to St. Augustine: [The Holy Spirit is called “the finger of God” because of the diversities of gifts; for in Him each one gets his own gift, whether men or angels; for in our members, there is no division as convenient as in our fingers]. And according to St. Ambrose: [the term ‘finger’ refers to unity, and not to difference in authority].

Who are their sons who cast the demons out, and who will be their judges, but the congregation of simple and illiterate disciples, who belonged to the Jewish nation, and were still living among the Jews with their simple hearts, who, by casting demons by power and authority, they condemn every accusation that the scribes and the Pharisees might direct against the authority of the Lord

According to St. Cyril the Great: [The blessed disciples were Jews, and children of Jews according to the flesh, have got authority from the Lord Christ to cast out the demons the way the apostle Paul once did when he commanded the evil spirit, saying the words: ”I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her”(Acts 16: 18)………… If your children – as He says – by My name trample with their feet upon Beelzebub, by rebuking his followers (the demons), and casting them out from those possessed; is it not, therefore, an obvious blasphemy and great ignorance to accuse Me that I carry the authority of Beelzebub?! ………………. Now you are accused through the faith of your children]

Now, the Lord Christ moves from showing that He casts out the demons by His Holy Spirit (the finger of God), to the authority He gave to His disciples, the children of the Jews, to draw their attention and minds away from the foolish debates the scribes and the Pharisees used to stir through their envy and grudge, to look at the new authority granted to the disciples through Him; and to the possibility that came to be for humanity through the Lord Christ. As what the Lord Christ does, was not a show off of His divine power, as much as it is a deposit He presents to the account of His kingdom in our hearts; namely to the account of His church in us; hence He says: “The Kingdom of God came upon you”(20).......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... In

other words, He intended to say to them: [Instead of accusing Me that I work by the power of Beelzebub, enjoy my authority I grant to men to destroy Beelzebub, and to cast out his evil spirits from souls and bodies.

According to St. Cyril the Great: [If, by becoming a Man, I came to be one of you, and cast the demons out by the “finger of God”; the human nature has got, in Me first, the kingdom of God, having become glorified by breaking down the authority of Satan, and rebuking the unclean spirits. This is the meaning of the words: “The kingdom of God has come upon you”. But the Jews did not understand the ordainment of the only begotten Son in the flesh; and that they ought rather to meditate in how the only begotten Son, the Word of God, has become a body without any change from what He is, glorifying the human nature, whose lowliness ,He did not hesitate to take upon Himself, to bring on it His own riches].

As humanity, in Jesus Christ, has got an authority by His Holy Spirit; and as the kingdom of God was strongly proclaimed in her; The kingdom of darkness that prevailed for a long time, and reigned with ferocity and violence through our weakness, has no more place; on account of that the Strong came to destroy him who wrongly thought of himself to be strong, to whom we gave the chance to reign on us for a long time; the Lord says:

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.; but when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils” (21, 22).

So He presents to us the Messianic work in our life, in the following way: “The strong man”, for a long time reigned upon our heart as his own house, fully armed with craftiness and wickedness. But when “the stronger Messiah” came, armed with love and giving; by the truth He destroyed vanity; by love, He destroyed wickedness; and by light He destroyed the darkness; and drove away him who occupied and reigned upon the world, taking his spoils away from him. So the Lord shows that there is no truce between Light and darkness; nor an accord between Christ and Belial.

According to St. John Chrysostom: [The devil was called ‘the strong’, not because he is so by nature, but with reference to the old authority that was his because of our weakness].

And according to St. Cyril the Great: [This is the ultimate destiny of our general enemy, the crafty Satan, the multi-headed creator of evil; for, before the coming of the Savior, he, with great power, and as a vicious and arrogant robber, used to lead the herds that were not his, but belonged to God, to, and lock them in his own fold. But once the Word of God, who is above all, the Grantor of every power, the Lord of hosts, having become a Man, came and prevailed upon him, took his possessions, and divided his spoils; and those who were captivated by him in sin and denial, were called by the saintly apostles to the knowledge of truth, and to approach God the Father through faith in the Son].

Then the Lord presented the following principle:

“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with me, scatters” (23)

Here, the Lord Christ, to show the danger of the negative attitude, through which man chooses to stand in the middle of the road. presents two ways with no third: the Light and the darkness; the kingdom of God and that of the devil. Whoever work by the spirit of Beelzebub would not cast demons away to the account of the kingdom of God; but bows down before that of the darkness ……..They are called by God to reconsider themselves, to recognize in truth where they stand: Are they with, or against Him; gathering to His account, or scattering the souls?

He is, as though, telling them: [I came to gather the children of God in Me; those who were scattered by the enemy who works against Me. Do you, therefore, gather with Me, or scatter with him?! ……

According to St. Cyril the Great: [He says: I came to save every man from the hand of the devil, to rescue them from his wickedness, by which he managed to catch them, to liberate the captives, to shine light on those in the darkness, to raise up the fallen, to heal the brokenhearted, and to gather the scattered children of God; while, the devil, on the contrary, working against Me, dares to scatter those I gather and save……… How

then, is it possible for him who opposes Me, and hinders My goals, to give Me an authority against himself?! ……….. Is it not foolishness to imagine such an assumption?!].

Commenting on the words of the Lord, St. John Chrysostom says on His tongue: [If whoever does not work with Me is counted as My adversary, how would be him who opposes Me?! ………... It so seems that, by this parable, the Lord referred to the Jews who were stirred up against Him by the devil; to scatter whom He gathered].

After presenting the proverb of “the stronger” who drives “the strong” out and divides his spoils; to give us hope in hiding in Him, to fight against the devil, and to drive him out of our depths; He presented to us the following parable to warn us:

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places seeking rest, and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came. And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (24 – 26).

By these two parables, the Lord Christ shows the difference between the work done by Him, and that done by the Pharisees. In the first parable, He showed Himself as “the stronger” who liberates us from him who prevailed upon us and captivated us by his wickedness. While in the second parable He showed the work of the Pharisees and the Jewish rulers; saying: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte; and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves” (Matthew 23: 15).

By this parable, He warns us lest we start the way, and fail to consummate it. For, starting the way, we drive out the demon away from our hearts, as though from his house; but finding no place to rest, he would keep on searching, to find in our slothfulness the chance to return in a worse and stronger way to dwell in us, to find our hearts swept and put in order for him to dwell anew. This is unfortunately the condition of many Christians who “begin in the Spirit, then be made perfect by the flesh” (Galatians 3: 3)

That was the condition of the Jews who went ahead of the Gentiles in having the law, the prophets, and the knowledge of God; and enjoyed driving the devil out of their hearts. Yet, having ended up denying the Lord, they became more evil than how they were before they come into faith, and worse than the Gentiles.

According to St. Ambrose: [The unclean spirit was driven out of them by the law; but finding no rest in the Gentiles, who have received the Christian faith; and whose dry hearts got watered by the dew of the Holy Spirit; who quenched the fiery darts of the wicked one (Ephesians 6: 16), the unclean spirit returned to the Jewish people together with other unclean spirits worse than himself. ……..

According to St. Cyril the Great: [When they were in bondage in Egypt, living according to the habits and laws of the Egyptians, full of defilements, they had the unclean spirit dwell in their wicked hearts. But, having been saved by the prophet Moses through the mercy of God, and received the divine law, and called to the true knowledge of God, the unclean spirit was driven out of them. But having come, later on, to deny the Savior, the unclean spirit attacked them anew, to find their heats void, empty of the fear of God, as though swept clean for them to dwell. ……. The same way the Holy Spirit, finding a pure heart free of every defilement, comes, dwells, and find rest in it; the unclean spirit used to dwell in the hearts of the wicked, empty of every virtue and of the fear of God. By that the last state of the Jews, came to be worse than their first].

4-FRIENDSHIP AND THE WORD OF GOD:

“And it happened as He spoke these things that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You’. But He said, ‘More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it’” (27, 28)

Having heard the words uttered by the Lord, the woman blessed her who bore and nursed Him ………..St. Mary, was truly worthy of blessing; Yet the Lord, while not denying her the blessing, exhorted us, as well, to gain the blessing by saying: “blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it”.

According to St. John Chrysostom: [St. Mary was blessed more by those words, having, herself, bore Him by her soul, as well as by her body. And according to St. Augustine: [Being a mother would not bring her benefit, unless she bore Him in her heart in a blessed way, more so than in her body].

The Lord opened before us the door to encounter Him, and to enjoy His friendship. If He, at the beginning of the chapter sought from us to pray with persistence, then exhorted us to have the unity of the spirit without dissention, and to enjoy the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Now, He exhorts us to get attached to the word of God, to keep it in our hearts and to behave according to it………….. Even though we did not enjoy bearing the Lord Christ physically, and not encountering Him like those who were contemporary of Him; but we have His gospel in our hands; if we hear it and keep it, we shall see Him transfigure in it.

According to St. Augustine, that divine talk touches the life of the whole Church that experiences the life of unity as one body of the Lord; saying: [I wish no one rejoices for the sake of his temporary seed, but rather for the sake of the Spirit who connects them to God].

5- FRIENDSHIP AND THE SIGN OF JONAH THE PROPHET:

“And while the crowd was thickly gathered together, He began to say: This is an evil generation, it seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and indeed a greater than Jonah is here” (29 -32).

To some of them who sought from Him a sign from heaven, He presented Himself as a sign; proclaiming Jonah the prophet who came out of the belly of the big fish, as a symbol of His person who set forth from the tomb, risen from the dead (Matthew 12: 40);; By his preaching, Jonah saved the Gentile nation of Nineveh; And by his wisdom, Solomon drew the Gentile queen of the South from the ends of the earth, to represent the Church of the Gentiles to come, not only to hear His wisdom but to practice it ……….Now, there is indeed the Wisdom of God Himself. In the two symbols the Gentile Church obviously appeared to connect to the True Jonah, risen as though from the belly of the great fish; and to the true wise Solomon, the Grantor of peace and wisdom.

Commenting on the gospel according to Luke, St. Cyril the Great says that this verse is not some sort of show off, as the Jews thought; ………For when Moses the prophet, in the old, gave them some signs, it was to reveal their sins for the sake of repentance. When he cast his rod on the ground, and it became a serpent; then held its tail to return to its nature as a serpent; by the rod he referred to the Jews, who, being cast among the Egyptians, they came to be like a serpent, in adopting their habits, iniquities, that brought them away from God; as though they were cast down from His hand like the

rod cast down from Moses’ hand. But when God took hold of them, like what Moses did when he held the serpent’s tail, they returned to their first state, like when the serpent became a rod again, planted in paradise, having been called to the true knowledge of God, and enriched by the law as a way to the life of virtue.

So it was repeated when Moses put his hand in his bosom then brought it out, leprous as snow; then put it again in his bosom to take leprosy away from it. That sign was not done without a goal; but referred to Israel who were under the care and protection of God, when they were holding fast to the customs of their fathers, and walked by the spirit of virtuous life befitting of him, that of their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; when they were as though in the bosom of God; But once they came out like the hand of Moses did; namely deserted the life of virtue and faith of their fathers, they were inflicted by leprosy, namely by uncleanness; and when they again, returned to the bosom of God, and under His divine care, the uncleanness of the Egyptians were taken away from them.

According to St. Cyril the Great, it was befitting of the Jews to perceive their fault; but instead they were preoccupied with craftily seeking a sign from heaven; saying: [The Lord did not respond to their request, according to the words of the Holy Book: “They shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not

find Him” See Hosea 5:6)…….. He said to them, they will not be given except the sign of Jonah the prophet, that refers to the passion of the cross, and the resurrection from the dead; saying: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12: 40). And He said to them: “Destroy this temple (namely His body), and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2: 19)……… Destroying death, and reforming the corruption by the resurrection from the dead, was indeed a great sign of the power of the incarnate Word and His divine authority, and an evidence strong enough for the serious-minded men. But they instead, bribed the Roman guards of the tomb to say that “Jesus’ disciples came by night and took away His body” (Matthew n28: 13). Even though His resurrection was a great sign, strong enough to convince the inhabitants of the whole earth, that Christ is God; that He chose to suffer by His body, died, and resurrected again, commanding the chains of death to depart, and the corruption to be cast away; But the Jews did not believe even in this; to be worthy to hear: “The queen of the

South will rise up in the judgment together with this generation and condemn them” ………Eagerly seeking to hear the wisdom of Solomon, she endured the difficulty of such a long journey to inquire from him concerning the nature of the seen things like the animals and the plants. …………But you have in your midst the “Wisdom” Himself, who came to you to talk about the unseen heavenly things, confirming what He said by wonders and signs; yet you have forsaken the Word, and, carelessly, disregarded the amazing nature of His teachings].

6- THE SIMPLE EYE:

“No one when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore, take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part

dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light” (33 – 36).

Those phrases reveal the foundation of the “divine friendship”. For if God is “Light”, it is befitting of us to become the lampstand that bears the light, and testifies to its activity………….. In our friendship with Him,, we encounter the Light, not put under a certain basket, nor according to human measures; but borne on the truth that raises us up high; not to submit to time nor place; but to live and soar up high, like the heavenly angels of God, ……………

Our friendship is “A fellowship in the divine Light”, or “an exalted angelic life”.

If we ask: How could we become a lighted lamp, bear a truthful testimony on the lampstand of the heavenly life? To this the Lord will answer us, saying: “”The lamp of the body is the eye”; ………..as though committing us to have a simple eye, to behold the simple Lord; to have the pure insight, that carries no complication, but, in its simplicity, bears one goal, namely to behold the Lord. By that the heart, which is the eye and the insight of the soul. will see the Lord transfigured in everything”; the soul will be enlightened, the body will be sanctified; man, in his wholeness, will be holy to the Lord, and a lamp that bears the divine light.

We have already discussed this simple eye, holy by the simple Lord in our interpretation of the gospel according to Matthew (6: 22-23).

St. Ambrose, talking to us about “the lighted lamp” being our Evangelic faith, or our faith in the word of God, the light that reveals the way to us, by which we search for the lost coin, says: [The lamp is faith, according to what is written: “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119: 105) The Word of God is the subject of our faith, it is the light. ………But the lamp, being the faith, “the true light that gives light to every man coming to

the world” John 1: 9), will not give light unless it gets its light from a higher source (God). The lamp we light is the strength of our spirits and emotions, by which we find the lost coin (Luke 15: 8). ……………..It is not befitting, therefore, to put this faith (the lamp) under the basket of the law, for the law is limited, whereas the grace is limitless. The law presents a shadow; whereas the grace gives light. I wish no one locks his faith up within the limits of the law, but brings it on to the Church to adorn it with the grace of the Lord.…………. In the old, the high priest used to light the lamps in the temple according to the Jewish rites, regularly day and night; which are now quenched on account of that they were put under the basket of the law; the earthly Jerusalem that killed the prophets disappeared (Matthew 23: 37); while the heavenly Jerusalem received our faith and put it on the highest summits of mountains, namely on Christ. Hence I say that the Church will never be hidden by the darkness nor by the shadows of this world, but will always radiates by the eternal Sun of Righteousness, and shine on us with the rays of the grace of the Spirit].

7- THE INNER PURIFICATION AND THE WORSHIP BY THE SPIRIT:

After he presented to us the secret of our friendship with the heavenly God, namely the worship by the Spirit and the truth, through persistent prayers; the unity of the Spirit without division, being attached to the Word of God, and practically keeping it; repentance together with faith in the true “Jonah”; and having the enlightened inner eyes; the Evangelist Luke ends his talk by proclaiming the need for “the inner purification”, so that our worship would be by the Spirit and the Truth, and would not be based upon outer formalities with no depths.

This talk came through the criticism a Pharisee addressed to the Lord Christ, because He did not wash before eating. ……… We have already dealt with the rite of washing practiced by the Jews, and its importance to them in our interpretation of the gospel according to Mark (7: 1 – 23); and in our study of the sayings of the Lord Christ against the formal and literal worship of the scribes and the Pharisees, in our interpretation of the gospel according to Matthew (Chapter 23) …………… Here we present some commentaries:

If that Pharisee who invited the Lord Christ to eat in his house, was probably there, heard His words, and those of the woman who blessed her who bore and nursed Him (27); and was probably one of the Pharisees who sought a sign from heaven, his invitation of the Lord Christ was not out of true love, but withy the intention to set a snare for Him, to see whether He follows the Jewish traditions in eating and drinking, or not. The Lord Christ accepted his invitation, and purposely did not wash before eating, not that there is something wrong with washing, but intended to correct the wrong concepts adopted by the Pharisees, and to bring them forth to the befitting worship, practiced by the Spirit and the

Talking about the simple eye and the lighted lamp, if the eyes of that Pharisee were simple, and his inner lamp was lighted, his heart would have been preoccupied with the Messiah and with the perception of the truth of His Person, being “the desire of all nations” (Haggi 2: 7); in whom the prophesies are fulfilled; and for whose death Abraham exulted; but through his evil eye, the Pharisee was more preoccupied with the outer washings, and with his criticism of the Savior of the world.

Seeing how the Pharisee was shocked to see the Lord eat without washing, The Lord said to him:

“Now, you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?” (39, 40).

According to St. Ambrose, the cup mentioned by the Lord refers to the body. The cup is breakable if it drops on the floor; so is the body which dies within a moment and get corrupted. And it refers, as well, to the suffering of the body endured by man, in case the inner longings of his heart are aflame.

I wish, we, therefore, would not concentrate upon the outer appearance of the cup, but on how we would be able to drink it, enduring the sufferings of the body, if the heart is aflame with love…… That is why the Lord Says: “The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14: 38)..It is therefore, befitting of us to start by making the inner Spirit strong, to be able to endure the weaknesses of the body.

According to St. Cyril the Great: [It was great foolishness of them to assume that washing before eating would purify them of every defilement. Yes, it would be of benefit for those who are not clean in their body; but how could it purify against the defilement of the heart and mind?!,

Tell us, O Pharisee, where, in the Holy Book, did Moses present such a commandment? Where did the Lord make it a law to wash before eating?...........Yes, the splashing with water was given as a commandment by Moses for the sake of the purification of the body, being a symbol of baptism, which is indeed holy and purifying in Christ…….. Those called to priesthood had to be washed with water, as Moses did with Aaron and the Levites with him; by which he proclaimed baptism through the symbol and the shadow; and revealed that their priesthood does not bear what is enough for purification; but, on the contrary, was in need of the holy divine baptism for the sake of the true purification. The law, in a nice way, revealed to us that the Savior of all is capable of sanctifying and purifying of every defilement through the precious holy baptism, concerning us, the generation that was sanctified to God, and became His elects.

What did the Savior say?

He often took the chance to rebuke them, saying: “Now you, Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness” (39)….. As it was the time for eating, and of siting at the table, He presented a comparison of the cup and dish, revealing that it is befitting of those who faithfully minister to God, to be pure, not just of the bodily defilements, but also of the hidden ones in the mind; .As to saying: “Did not He who made the outside, make the inside also?” (40); He means that He who created the body, created the soul as well.

But the scribes and the Pharisees did not do that; hence the Savior said to them: “You are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and uncleanness” (Matthew 23: 27). The Lord does not want us to be like those, but to see us spiritual holy worshippers, blameless in the soul and the body.

According to St. James the apostle: “Cleanse your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4: 8); and to the psalmist David: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51: 10); and, on the tongue of God, Isaiah says: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes” (Isaiah 1: 16)………… Notice the accuracy of expression: “Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes”; For man can hide his evil from before the eyes of men, but not from before those of God]

According to St. Augustine: [He revealed that baptism purifies by faith, for faith is something inside and not outside. The Pharisees despised faith, by preoccupying themselves with the outer washing, while keeping their inside full of uncleanness]

Lest we may think that the inner spiritual life disregards the outer appearances, particularly concerning showing compassion toward our needy brethren, He said:

“But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you” (41)

The true spiritual worship is set upon getting out of the ‘ego’; which is translated through giving alms with love. About giving alms and its activity in our spiritual edification, many fathers have spoken:

+ Giving alms is greater than offering a sacrifice …………It opens up heavens; according to what is written: “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God” (Acts 10: 4).

It is greater than virginity; as it drove the foolish virgins away from the wedding; while admitting the wise ones in.

(St. John Chrysostom)

+ Give a true alms, give mercy.

Hear the Holy Book say: “Those who fear the Lord, seek to please Him” (Sirach 2: 16). Your soul is like beggar before you; Going back to your conscience, however you live in evil or denial, you will find your soul begging for need and grieving for poverty ……. Give herbread....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... If

the Pharisee asks: [What kind of bread shall I give her?] The Lord will answer: Give her alms …….. In other words, love yourself as it is befitting, through loving the others; and give yourself alms through giving them to the others.

(St. Augustine)

+ Alms are effective way of healing, put on all wounds.

Alms are better than fasting or lying on the ground; even though those are painful and tough; yet giving alms is of more benefit.

(St. John Chrysostom)

+ Just meditate in these group of medications: God’s mercy purifies us; His words purify us; according to what is written: “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15: 3); and “Almsgiving saves from death” (Tobit 12); and, “Store up almsgiving in (the heart of the poor), and it will rescue from every disaster” (Sirach 29: 12).

(St. Ambrose)

+ Yes, that there are many ways for the good behavior, like meekness, humility, etc. ….. Why then has the Lord concentrated on compassion?

…………… The Pharisees were a greedy bunch, enslaved by the ugly profit, and gathering riches in wicked ways. On them the Lord of all said: “How the faithful city has become a harlot? It was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers. Your silver has become dross; your wine mixed with water; your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come befo9re them” “ (Isaiah 1: 21 – 23).

He purposely looked on the infirmity that prevailed on them, to rid them of its evil, and to give them instead the purity of mind and heart, to become true worshippers.

So always did the Savior according to what suits the plan of salvation. Whenever He was invited to a banquet, He, Himself, gave spiritual food, not only to His hosts, but to all who attended the banquet.

(St. Cyril the Great)

+ The Merciful commands us to show mercy. Seeking to rescue those whom He saved by a great price, He commands those who got defiled after gaining the grace of baptism, to purify themselves anew.

(St. Cyprian the martyr)

Lest you may practice giving alms with impurity, namely by a pervert conscience; He made it clear that, by seeking from them to give alms, He demands them to have the truth and the love of God, and not the practice in its apparent formalities; saying:

“Woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue, and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (42).

They cared for the little things for the sake of the human glory, to appear to men as elaborate in keeping the law, while they disregard the justice of God (the Truth), and do not bear His love inside themselves.

On this St. Ambrose comments, saying: [They keep the useless things, while disregard those that grant hope]. And according to St. Cyril the Great:[The Pharisees were elaborate in keeping the commandments that concern the temporal things, like paying tithes, in which they have a portion of their own; whereas the things that concern the eternities they disregard. Their care for paying tithes was not out of their zeal to keep the law, as much as for their greed.

The most serious enemy against the spiritual life is probably the love of being ahead of every one, and of having temporal honors; hence the Lord warns us by saying to the Pharisees:

Woe to you Pharisees for you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the market places. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them” (43, 44).

According to St. John Chrysostom: [That is truly how miserable and mean it is; for, while we may be worthy of being counted as temples, behold, we suddenly become like graves full of corruption].

And according to St. Cyril the Great: [If the others admire us without search nor perception of our true condition; yet this does not make us elect in the sight of God, who knows everything; hence the Savior counsels us, saying: “Woe to you, for you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them”. ………I therefore, implore you to meditate in how powerful and obvious this parable is. I implore you to meditate in how hypocrisy is always rebuked; on account of that it is like a serious illness hated by God and men. …… I wish we, as true worshippers, do not seek how to please men. About this, the blessed Paul says: “For do I now seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1: 10). The way the false golden coins are hated and despised, so is the hypocrite, by God and men.

Having shown the danger of hypocrisy, the love of money, and of temporal honors, on the inner spiritual life, He addressed a lawyer to warn him against the literality of spiritlessly interpreting the law, saying:

“Then one of the lawyers said to Him, ‘A teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also’. And He said, ‘Woe to you also lawyers! for you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you, yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. (45, 46).

According to St. Cyril the Great: [It was befitting of that lawyer, having heard the words of the Savior, and felt that they also touch his own weaknesses, to come with the spirit of humility and present repentance, being like a patient seeking healing from the divine Physician, saying: “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved” (Jeremiah 17: 14). ……….. But that lawyer, approached the Savior, accusing Him that by saying such things to the Pharisees He reproaches the lawyers also. He protested for the sake of his honor, instead of seeking salvation from his weaknesses.

The Pharisees and the lawyers have shared many faults among themselves: The Pharisees isolated themselves from the commons, as an aristocratic religious group; whereas the lawyers, counting themselves as the teachers of the law, they claimed to be the only ones to answer the questions concerning the law and the statutes. Both of them carried the spirit of pride and arrogance; had the image, and not the spirit of godliness.

To reveal the shortcomings of the lawyers, the Lord said: “Woe to you, also lawyers, for you load men with burdens, hard to bear; and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers” (46).

According to St. Cyril of Alexandria: [The law for the Israelites was hard to bear, as confessed by the disciples of the Lord themselves, when they rebuked those who sought to put the new believers under the burden of the rites of the law, saying: “Now, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?’ (Acts 15: 10)…………..The Savior Himself taught us the same when He cried out saying: “Come to Me all who labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11: 28, 29). …….He says that those under the yoke of the law “labor and heavy laden”; and calls Himself “gentle”, having nothing of the law in Him. According to Paul the apostle: “Anyone who has rejected Moses law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses (Hebrew 10: 28) . Therefore He says: “Woe to you, lawyers -- for loading men with heavy burdens of the law, burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers”. ………While commanding the commitment to keep and not to break the commandments of Moses, , and condemn to death whoever despise them, they themselves do not care for the least of those commandments, …………..Paul the apostle says: “Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast on God, and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law., and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.

You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, ‘do not commit adultery’, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?” (Romans 2: 17 – 23)

A teacher will be despised and lose his good reputation if his behavior contradicts with his teachings.

Commenting on the words of the Lord against the lawyers, Father Theophlactius says: [It is truthfully said that they do not touch the heavy burdens of the law with one of their fingers; namely, that while they do not keep the least of the commandments in the law, they appear as though they keep it all and deliver it intact to others. In contradiction to their fathers, they walk without faith, and without the grace of Christ].

According to St. Gregory, bishop of Nyssa: [Although they, themselves, are weak wrestlers, they are very cruel on the sinners; loading the burdens of the law on the others, while they, themselves are too weak to bear, and not even to approach, or to touch them through the serious life].

For the lawyers, it did not stop at holding fast to the deadly letter, without the spirit of the commandment; but they turned the law into a burden too heavy for men to bear; when they find for themselves excuses to flee from touching even the least of the commandments………. They did not stop at claiming to have the knowledge and the teaching, without practicing the virtuous life, but they did what is more cruel and bitter; they cared to build and decorate the tombs of the prophets, to earn glory from men; not perceiving that by so doing, they testify against themselves that they are the children of those who murdered the prophets; ………….They consummate the evil doings of their fathers by killing the Heir Himself – the Savior Messiah. ………The past binds to the present and to the future; for the cross was there before the sight of the Lord, and He saw their hands shed His innocent blood. By that the contemporaries of the Lord partake of the crime of their fathers concerning the killing of all the prophets, “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple” (51)

According to St. Cyril the Great: [Their fathers killed the prophets; and by coming to believe that those were saintly prophets, they became judges against those who killed them. By honoring those prophets, they condemned their own fathers on their crimes, when they, themselves, were on their way to do likewise, and even worse; on account of that they were about to kill the Ruler of life, and the Savior of all; then to add to it other crimes, like stoning St. Steven to death, not for something bad he did, but because he counseled them with what came in the divine inspirations; and other crimes against every saint who preached the gospel, the message of salvation. …………… The Pharisees and the lawyers proved that they were haters of God, proud, and lovers of pleasures more than of God; and by every way they hated to have salvation for themselves, for which the Lord added the word ‘woe’ whenever He addressed them].

And according to St. John Chrysostom: [Seeing how those who sinned before were punished, the Jews did not try to mend their ways, but committed the same sins. Although no one would be punished on the sins committed by others, yet, they could not present an excuse of their own responsibility of the deeds of their fathers, on account of that they did the same sins done by their fathers, and even wose..

“From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple” (51)

In the days of St. Jerome, there were three views concerning that Zechariah: That he might be one of the minor prophets; …………or the father of John the Baptist; …………..or Zechariah the son of Jehoiadah (1 Chronicles 14: 21). St. Jerome believed that he was the third choice, while St.

Gregory, the bishop of Nyssa believed that he was the father of St. John the Baptist, ………………If we consider the view of St. Jerome, adopted by many scholars, Abel was killed in the field, while Zechariah was killed in the court of the temple………. It is as though the blood of martyrs that was unjustly shed filled both the public places and the sanctuaries of the Lord. And considering that Abel was not a priest, while Zechariah was, the rows of the martyrs were joined by the commons as well as by the priests.

Ending His woes to the lawyers, the Lord said:

“Woe to you lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered” (52)

According to St. Ambrose: [ The lord rebukes the Jews, and proclaims that they are worthy of the judgment to come; for, while taking upon themselves the task of teaching others the divine knowledge; they hinder them by not following what they teach].

And according to St. Cyril the Great:[Those who search the holy books. And know the will of God; in case they are men of virtue and of zeal on reforming the others, and have sound leadership, they will be rewarded by every blessing; which is confirmed by the Savior, saying: “Who then, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods” (Matthew 24: 45-47). Whereas if he is slothful, lazy, and a cause of offense to those who are left under his rule, and made them pervert away from the straightforward way; such a miserable servant will surely fall under punishment. Again the Lord Christ says: ”Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18: 6). So the Lord proved to those who counted themselves scholars of the law, namely the lawyers and the Pharisees, that they commit such sins; saying to them: “Woe to you lawyers for you have taken away the key of knowledge ………” .“the key of knowledge” refers to the law itself, and the justification in Christ, namely, believing in Him. Even though the law is shadows and symbols, yet these shadows conform the truth to us, and these symbols portrays the secret of Christ to us in different ways ………For every word in the divinely inspired Holy Book, looks forward and refers to Him ………It was therefore the duty of those who claim to be lawyers, scholars of the law of Moses, and of the words of the saintly prophets, to open the doors of knowledge to the multitudes of the Jews; for the law leads men to Christ, and the godly proclamations of the prophets lead to His recognition

………..but they did not; and on the contrary, they took away “the key of knowledge”, by which the law and the true faith of Christ are understood; for, according to Isaiah, by faith will be the knowledge of truth: “Unless you believe, you will not understand” (7:9)………. They took “the key of knowledge” away, with the intention of keeping men from believing in Christ the Savior of all].

“And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things; lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him” (53, 54).

Even though He intended for their souls to be healed of their inner wounds; yet, they foolishly increased their opposition through the hardness of their hearts and the corruption of their minds, and sought to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him ……….By that they proclaimed more their inner corruption, emotionally, willingly, and mentally.

< CH 10 CH 12 >

Chapter 11

THE SPIRITUAL WORSHIP

“So He said to them: When you pray, say: ‘Our Father in heaven ….” (2)

“Hallowed be Your name” (2)

“Your kingdom come”

“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (2)

“Give us day by day our daily bread” (3)

“And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (4)

“And do not lead us into temptation” (4)

“But deliver us from the evil one” (4)

d- “And he will answer from within and say: ‘Do not trouble me, the door is shut and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you” (7)

e- “I say to you, though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you” (8, 9).

3- THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT: (Accusing the Lord of casting the demons out by Beelzebub):

“And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, with whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (19, 20).

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.; but when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils” (21, 22).

“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with me, scatters” (23)

4-FRIENDSHIP AND THE WORD OF GOD:

“And it happened as He spoke these things that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You’. But He said, ‘More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it’” (27, 28)

5- FRIENDSHIP AND THE SIGN OF JONAH THE PROPHET:

6- THE SIMPLE EYE:

7- THE INNER PURIFICATION AND THE WORSHIP BY THE SPIRIT:

“But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you” (41)

“Woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue, and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (42).

Woe to you Pharisees for you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the market places. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them” (43, 44).

“Then one of the lawyers said to Him, ‘A teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also’. And He said, ‘Woe to you also lawyers! for you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you, yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. (45, 46).

“From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple” (51)

“Woe to you lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered” (52)

“And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things; lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him” (53, 54).