HOPE IN THE MIDST OF AFFLICTION In the last psalm, the psalmist presented to us the portrait of the church that bears the cross together with the Lord of glory Jesus Christ; to be like the soil plowed with a plow; although seemingly implying anguish, yet it grants her an increasing fruition. On the contrary are those who seek the wide road, the easy life, and the outer appearances, who become like the grass on the housetops, that appear, then wither before it grows up. Now, as we are in the journey of the cross, enjoying hope, and our souls anticipating the Lord, and hoping for His divine true promises, we become like the disciples after the crucifixion and the burial of the Lord Christ, anticipating His resurrection on the dawn of Sunday; to have their grief turn into joy, and to taste the power of redemption and the joy of salvation. 1- The cross and the cry out of the depths 1 - 2 2- The need for forgiveness 3 - 4 3- The hope and the joy of the resurrection 5 – 8 1- THE CROSS AND THE CRY OUT OF THE DEPTHS: A Song of Ascents “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord” (1) The first fruit of the cross, namely, of the anguish, is probably that the prayer of the one suffering, comes from his heart, out of the inner depths, in a language not heard by anyone but God, who alone, responds to the language of the depths. Jonah raised his prayer up from the depths of the sea, and from the belly of the whale; He even offered a sacrifice of praise, which was well received by God. The heart of Hanna (mother of the prophet Samuel), cried out to God; Although her supplication was not comprehended by Eli the priest, Yet God inclined His ear and listened to her. Although the prophet Moses cried out without using his lips; Yet God heard him, and said to him: “Why do you cry to Me?” (Exodus 14: 15). https://coptic-treasures.com/ 154 Abel cried while breathing his last; and the Lord heard the cries of his blood shed by the hand of his own brother. In the midst of his anguish, the believer cries out of the depths of his heart; and his lamentation would turn into a praise filled with joyful hope. Jonah cried out of the depths, out of the belly of the whale (Jonah 2: 2). He was not only underneath the waves, but deep inside the belly of the beast; Yet the waves and the dense body did not keep his prayers from reaching God. The voice of his prayers strongly went through all things, and reached the ears of God; because God’s ears were in the heart of him who prayed1. From where does he cry? Out of the depths; … Who cries? A sinner; … With what hope does he cry? Because He who came to forgive sins, gives hope to the sinner, even him who is in the depths2. (St. Augustine) “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord” (1). What does “the depths” mean? … Not from the lips, or just from moving the tongue, without any role played by the mind or the heart! It is a fervent prayer out of the depths of the heart, and from the foundations of the soul. Such prayer goes up straight before God, strongly and intensely, and would never shake or go astray, even if it is daringly and rudely attacked by the devil. Whereas the frail prayer which starts from the mouth and ends by the lips, will never reach God’s ears, because the heart does not take part in it. He who so prays, his lips are moving, but his heart is void and his mind is lazy and slothful3. Out of the depths of my heart”, and with a great zeal from my mind! … From the souls of the sorrowful, and their whole hearts, they call God with deep regret, That is why He listens to them. Such a prayer, actually, has a great power, will never weaken nor fall, even if attacked by the devil with his great might! … Like a strong tree whose roots go down to great depths in the soil, resists the 1 On Ps. 130 (129). 2 On Ps. 130 (129). .143- 3الأب الیاس كوتیر المخلص: خطیب الكنیسة الأعظم – القدیس یوحنا الذهبي الفم، بیروت، 1988 ، ص 142 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 155 impact of the wind; While that which is superficial, falls to the ground with the weakest breath of air; So is the prayer which has deep roots, will stay strong and will never shake nor fall, even if it is attacked by distractions, however strong, or if the devil stir up war against it. Whereas the prayer that comes, just from the mouth or the tongue, and not from the depths, will not be able to ascend up to God, for the heart is empty, and the mind is pathetic1. He says: “Out of the depths I have cried to you”; and You listened. Such a fervent prayer accompanied by the tears of regret, has a very great power with God, to let Him be accordant to our requests2. Moses, having been suffering, prayed quietly and humbly; Yet God heard his prayer and said to him: “Why are you crying to me And also Hanna, in the bitterness of her soul, spoke in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard, she got what she prayed for (1 Samuel 1: 13). And Abel who prayed silently while dying! The cry of his blood was stronger and louder than the sound of a trumpet (Genesis 4: 10). Are you doing the same? I wish your answer is not in the negative. Following the counsel of the prophet saying: “Rend your hearts and not your garments” (Joel 2: 13), you should, as it is written: “cry out of the depths to the Lord”. Therefore, out of the depths of the heart, make your prayer secret. … If in the palace of an earthly king, we keep calm and quiet; we should behave with greater reverence when we enter into a far more awesome palace, not on earth, but in heaven; where we join the hosts of angels and archangels, and have fellowship of the Seraphim; who in good order, sing their secret tunes and holy praises to God, King of all. … Mix, therefore, with all these when you pray, and follow their secret code. Take into consideration that you are not praying to men, but to God, who is present everywhere; who hears, even before the sound comes out; and knows the secrets of your minds. If you so pray, how great will be your wages; as “Your Father who sees in secret will 1 On Ps. 130. 2 On Ps. 130. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 156 reward you openly” (Matthew 6: 6). He does not say: ‘He will give you freely’, but says: “He will reward you”; Yes, because, making Himself indebted to you, he gives you great honor. … Being, Himself, unseen, your prayer should also be as such1. (St. John Chrysostom) “Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications” (2) Crying out of his depths, the suffering casts his hope on the Lord alone; the ears of the Lord would incline and hear his prayer; for because He alone knows the depths of the heart, He would show compassion and mercy. 2- THE NEED FOR FORGIVENESS: “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” (3) Crying out of his depths, the one suffering does not complain to the Lord from affliction, nor cast blame on others or on the circumstances around him; but confesses his sins, and feels his helplessness to stand before the Holy One. At the same time he does not see the Lord as marking his iniquities, to punish him on every weakness or sin; but anticipates his salvation. He reveals, that he cries from underneath heavy burdens and turbulent waves. He does not say: ‘I probably will stand’, but said: “Who could stand?”. He saw as though almost the whole human life, on all sides, moan because of their sins; for all consciences are under accusation for the sake of their own thoughts; Not a single pure heart trusts in its self-righteousness! (St. Augustine) “Who could stand?” … In other words he says: ‘Being a sinner, full of sins without limit, I cannot approach to pray and call God! … We so say, not to make souls not caring, but to give comfort to those falling in despair…Just remember: Who could boast and claim that his heart is pure, or that he is free of sins2?! (St. John Chrysostom) 1 عظة ربنا یسوع المسیح على الجبل. 2 On Ps. 130. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 157 “But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared” (4) Feeling the weight of his sins, and his inability to justify himself. The psalmist finds no other refuge except in the mercies of God; the Holy feared, yet the Merciful God, the Forgiver of sins, and the Philanthropic (Lover of mankind). It is not for the sake of our good works, but for the sake of Your goodness, we may be spared of the punishment; Namely, the avoidance of judgment depends upon Your compassion; which if we fail to benefit from it, our efforts would not be enough to save us from the wrath to come1. (St. John Chrysostom) What is this atonement (forgiveness) but the sacrifice? And what is the sacrifice but that which is offered for our sake? The shedding of the innocent blood takes away the sins of the guilty. It is a great price that was paid to liberate the captives from the hand of the enemy who captivated them. “There is forgiveness with You”. Otherwise, if You intend to be only a Judge who has no mercy; who knows all our iniquities, and seeks an account for them; Who could stand before that? … Who could stand before you, and say: “I am innocent!”; … Who could stand on Your day of judgment2?. (St. Augustine) 3- THEHOPE AND THE JOY OF THE RESURRECTION: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope” (5) Crucifixion together with the Lord Christ does not lead to despair, or to the belittling of the soul, but to hope. The soul waits for God her Savior with joy, and trusts in His faithful words and His true promises. Our encounter of the crucified reveals the exalted love of God, and motivates us to attach, and lean on His Chest. The one suffering casts his sins at the feet of the Savior, and his heart dissolves with love for Him, who delivered His life for his 1 On Ps. 130. 2 On Ps. 130 (129). https://coptic-treasures.com/ 158 sake; And his soul exults, on account of that, in the midst of the sufferings, she is in the company of that One, amazing in His love. By the cross, the Word of God, or His law, is no more an opponent to be feared, but by it the reconciliation was made; The Word of God became the secret of sweetness in my depths. For the sake of Your compassion, and of Your statutes, I await salvation. As, if I wait for my abilities, I would fall into despair … Anyway, listening to Your statutes, to Your Word, I become filled with true hope… What Word? The Word of compassion!... You notice how He says: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth; So are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55: 9); And, “For as heaven is high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him”; And, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103: 11-12). In other words, I do not save only the righteous, but I also forgive the sinners; and offer a testimony of my help and care amid your sins1. (St. John Chrysostom) “And in His word I hope” … The law was not given to be able to give life (Galatians 3: 23); but to reveal to the sinner, his sins; As the sinner has forgotten himself, and sees himself no more. The sinner was given the law to see himself. It made him guilty; and the Giver of the law has liberated him, for He is the great One of authority. … That is why there is the law of God for mercy mercy, the law of God for atonement, the law for fear, and the law of God for love. The law of love grants forgiveness for the sins; It wipes out the past, and warns concerning the future; Yet it does not disregard the company on the way, but man comes to be in the company of the One who guides him on the way. Yet, you should try to make peace with your adversary, while you are on the way with him (Matthew 5: 25). The word of God is your adversary, but you would make peace with it when you start to have pleasure in keeping the commandment of the word of God. Your adversary, would then be your friend; and once you come to the end of the way, there would be no one to deliver you to the judge2. 1 On Ps. 130. 2 On Ps. 130 (129). https://coptic-treasures.com/ 159 (St. Augustine) “My soul waits for the Lord, more than those who watch for the morning; I say, more than those who watch for the morning” (6) It seems as though the psalmist has spent all night long in the temple, crying out of the depths of his heart; before help came with dawn, and the Lord responded to the cries of his heart. According to St. Augustine, we wait for the Lord in hope for His resurrection, like those who watch the morning; And as He is risen from the dead, we, as well will rise together with Him. Nothing has activity for our salvation like continuous waiting, dependant on hope; For, even if you are disturbed by a multitude of problems that would draw you to despair, … You are committed to hope in the Lord all the time, all your days, all your life1. (St. John Chrysostom) “O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption” (7) The psalmist calls on the believers to have their hearts filled with joyful hope; Instead of being disturbed by sufferings, they would meditate in God’s mercies and His salvation work. What does it mean: “For with the Lord there is mercy”? The fountain of mercy and its treasure is there; unceasingly flowing. Where there is mercy, there is redemption as well; and not just redemption, but complete redemption; a limitless ocean of compassion. Even if we are destroyed because of our sins, we are committed not to cool down, nor to despair. Where there are mercy and compassion, sin is not the subject of doubt; As the Judge looks through His great mercy, and His tendency toward compassion. Thinking of that, I wish we persist on asking Him unceasingly; whether we get what we asked for, or we did not. As He has the authority to give, and the authority to choose the proper time to give. Therefore, we should persist on asking and supplicating, trusting in His mercy and compassion; And never to despair in our salvation, but contribute in what is ours; then His will would be realized in its 1 On Ps. 130. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 160 perfection; as His mercy is beyond expression, and His compassion is without limits1. (St. John Chrysostom) “And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities” (8) In His love, He redeems the believers from all their iniquities, and lets them bear His righteousness. 1 On Ps. 130. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 161 AN INSPIRATION FROM PSALM 130 MY SOUL EXULTS BY YOU, O CRUCIFIED ONE! My soul praises and thanks You; In the midst of my sufferings, my depths cries out to You; Your ears are inclined toward me; To listen to the cries of my heart; You alone knows the language of the heart, and respond to it; You have turned Jonah’s cries in the depths into a joyful praise. Amid my sufferings, I look at Your cross; My soul would be glad to have fellowship in Your Passion; And my heart opens up to confess my sins; I cannot be justified before You; But I hope in Your mercies and forgiveness; When I see You, my soul is filled with hope; My heart would flare by zeal; To attach to You all the time; To hold fast to Your word, in which there is Spirit and life; By Your true and faithful promises, I call on all my brethren to encounter You; To enjoy the glories of redemption
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