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Kalax

posted on May 26, 2004 - 07:10 PM

Great is the honour of Mary,
above all the saints, for she
was found worthy to receive,
God the Word.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose". Rom. 8:28

Wonderful and awesome is your honour, O Mary the mother of God. I sometimes wonder...was this honour a result of your own work or authority? and Who can be worthy of carrying Christ our True God? The answer is simple...NO ONE, NO ONE AT ALL. It is a great honour. It is not achieved but awarded for a very special reason. To carry the one who is responsible for my very existence is a blessing that no created thing, man or woman can take upon them self. He humbled Himself. He humbled Himself because He loves us so much that He has suffered all things and redeemed us at a price far beyond what our words can describe. I wish I could harmonize myself with You…You have given me all the means that lead to godliness.

Therefore, you are exalted above all the saints in heaven and on earth. For no other than you carried the Creator of all things and the Saviour of all things. Great is the blessing that you have bared. Although, the saints suffered in many different ways and devoted their entire lives to Christ, they have not exceeded your honour. You did not have to stand before fierce emperors to defend the faith, you did not suffer excruciating pains and suffer martyrdom, you did not have to argue or struggle with mobs of violent men, you did not need to profess the faith to any unbeliever or to untangle the thoughts of one who is confused. You did not forsake your family for Christ. You did not wonder the deserts fighting all kinds of demons. They were "hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; stuck down, but not destroyed". 2 Cor. 4: 8-9

However, you offered to God what was acceptable in His eyes. You offered a simple and pure heart, contrite and full of love. He see's all the struggles of the saints and lends His ear to their prayers, giving them the reward they deserve for their works and struggles; but He set you aside for a very honourable reason. When He searched He found no one like you. He saw a true and faithful servant, illuminating with the love of God. For this reason, you were found worthy to receive, God the Logos for the Salvation of all people. It is through you, O Mary, that He invites all of us, in the image and likeness of God, to delight in and to enjoy everlasting life.

"The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever". Isaiah 32:17

_________________
Alex(Kalax)
1 Thess.5:17

"For this is God's command, that you owe nothing to anyone but the pledge of love, which God has commanded by Christ".(Rom. 13:8)

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Location: Mississauga,On, Canada

Kalax

posted on May 27, 2004 - 07:37 PM

The One feared by the
angels, Mary the Virgin, has
carried, in her womb.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord".

Who can be feared? God alone is feared by all the heavenly hosts. Are we not to be wise and fear Him as well? True, His mercies are countless and His love is abundant, however, there are those who love God with all their hearts, but they lack the will and the implementation. It is written, "Love is like a seal on their hearts but not on their arms. (Song of Solomon 8:6). Peter, the disciple of our Lord is a prime example of a dedicated servant who loved God with all his heart but was still grieved with offences. Lord, may i be among those who are greatly affected by Your love without taking advantage of it. Please, accept me as you kindly accepted Mary Magdalene and Zaccheus the Publican, and select me to be a faithful and loyal servant as You chose Matthew the publican. Though, I fear many things such as the fear of falling, the fear of being revealed, the fear of punishment-spiritual and earthly, but most of all, I fear losing You. A certain saint once said, “I fear three things: the moment my spirit departs from my flesh, the hour I stand before the just Judge, and the moment I hear His judgment-“Do not be haughty but fear” (Rom.11: 20). May the fear of You never be removed from my heart, nor from the heart of others, for You are indeed, our God, our Saviour, and our Judge.

The One feared by all created things, humbled Himself to be carried in the womb of the Virgin for the Salvation of all created things. The One who's Name alone, is an instrument and method of Transfiguration. The One whose very presence makes the mountains tremble and bow. The all powerful, the all knowing-God Himself united with our Nature in order to save us. I turn to you with "groaning"(Rom.8: 22), O my beloved Saviour. Lord, You know me better than anyone and You know that I am forgetful of Your judgments, i fear and tremble at Your feet, for i am weak and sinful. I thank You for all Your mercies towards me. I kneel and pray to You. Through this miraculous union, nothing created can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You are my God. You are all in all. You are worshipped and respected by all things, as a child to his father. All praise and thanksgiving are due to Your blessed and honoured Name. We fear You along with the angels in heaven for it is through You that we have strength and hope- "Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy." (Rev.15:4)

_________________
Alex(Kalax)
1 Thess.5:17

"For this is God's command, that you owe nothing to anyone but the pledge of love, which God has commanded by Christ".(Rom. 13:8)

HCOC Member

HCOC-SING IT! LIVE IT! LOVE IT

Joined: Jul 12, 2003 | Posts: 213
Location: Mississauga,On, Canada

Kalax

posted on May 28, 2004 - 08:25 PM

"She is exalted above the
Cherubim, more honoured than
the Seraphim, she became a temple,
for the One from the Trinity."

"She is Jerusalem, the City of
our God, the Joy of all saints,
abides in her."

Hail to you, O Virgin, Mother of God, for great is your favour with our God and Saviour. He chose you to be exalted above His highest creation, the throne bearing creature, the Cherubim. He selected you to be honoured high above His most honoured creation, the creature of praise, the Seraphim. We cannot, even for a moment expect to describe such wonder and glory. However, in the book of Ezekiel we are given a small taste of the beautiful scene in heaven. In a vision, he said, "I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire-from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the colour of amber...and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there." (Ezek. 8:2-4). You became like the city of Jerusalem, for God chose to humble Himself, taking habitation in you. Your became His throne on earth. The Joy(God) of all the saints abides in you. Amazing is your glory, O Mary the Mother of God.

Later, Ezekiel mentions that, "there in the firmament that was above the head of the Cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a Throne (Ezek. 10:1). This is, without a doubt merely a narrow glance of heaven and the glory of God. O Mary, I cannot express in words, the glory which you have received from the almighty God, for you sit above the Cherubim and the Seraphim, at the side of the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the bread of life, the true vine, the good Shepard, the Almighty One Himself. You became a little sanctuary and your heart became His kingdom. The Throne of His glory became your womb, for the One of the Trinity reigned over you. Interceded on our behalf, O full of Grace, that He may forgive us our sins.

_________________
Alex(Kalax)
1 Thess.5:17

"For this is God's command, that you owe nothing to anyone but the pledge of love, which God has commanded by Christ".(Rom. 13:8)

HCOC Member

HCOC-SING IT! LIVE IT! LOVE IT

Joined: Jul 12, 2003 | Posts: 213
Location: Mississauga,On, Canada

Biboboy

posted on May 31, 2004 - 09:45 PM

The dignitaries of the nations,
who sit in darkness,
and in the shadow of death,
had the Great Light shine to them.

The dark shadow of death covered the earth from Great Light coming from the true sun, the Son of God. The whole world sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, and God Himself was forgotten.

Who tried to attain knowledge in those days? Did not the Jews gain many revelations and visions and prophecies from God? Yet all that was just a snap-shot of the immense glory of God. Did not the dignitaries of the nations, the wise philosophers, through their love for Wisdom, reject the pagan gods and sought the true God? Yet all their massive volumes of their philosophy, their search for God, their explanations of the magnificent creation of this one God, did not fulfill all their desires of seeking.

All those people tried to look beyond the shadow of death, around the darkness, but could not get out of the darkness and into the light. They remained within the cave, as Plato once said, and all they saw were shadows of reality. Reality can only be known when the prisoners in the cave were released from their bondage and went out into the bright sunlight. And this was the hope of the philosophers, the seekers of wisdom, those who searched deeply to find God.

But who was to release them from their bondage, from the dark cave and the shadow of death? Who, but You, O Lord our God?

You, O Christ our deliverer, did not leave man in despair. You came into the world, You who are the Light of the world, and enlightened the Gentiles and gave glory to Your people Israel. All that we sought was fulfilled by You, O Lord our Helper, our Teacher, our Savior.

With God are wisdom and strength; he has counsel and understanding.... He uncovers the deeps out of darkness, and brings deep darkness to light" (Job 12:13,22).

The Great Light, which is You, O Lord Jesus Christ, is the light we seek, and we are promised to find You, for Your light is brighter than the sun, and shines on all people equally. Who truly tried to seek You and has not found the Truth? Who truly tried to ask and has not found the Way to the Kindom of Heaven? Who truly tried to knock on the door and has not found eternal Life? No, no one is left in utter darkness if they truly seek Your light, O Lord, which has illuminated the darkness and the shadow of death.

"Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons.... Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; he brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. For he shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron" (Ps. 107:10, 13-16).

Glory is Yours, O Only-Begotten of the Father, true light of true light, who came into the world to give us Your Light to guide us. By Your tender mercy, You were incarnate of the holy Virgin Mary, and lived with us and in us "to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Lk. 1:79). Glory be to Your mother, the Virgin, for through her the Great Light came into the world; through her the Light dawned upon the darkness and the shadow of death.

_________________
"Pray gently and calmly,
Chant hymns with understanding and rhythm;
Then you will soar like a young eagle
High in the heavens"
+ St. Evagrius the Solitary, On Prayer, 82.

Why do I believe in Christianity??
Answer: "I believe because it is impossible!"
+ Tertullian, On the Flesh of Christ, 5:10.

In Christ,
Bishoy
HCOC Member

+ To Protect and Preserve +

HCOC: Sing it! Live it! Love it!

Questions or comments on the copticheritage.org website? Send me a PM.

Joined: Jun 09, 2003 | Posts: 324
Location: Mississauga, ON

Biboboy

posted on Jun 01, 2004 - 04:43 PM

God who rests,
within His saints,
became incarnate of the Virgin,
for our salvation.

Come behold and be amazed,
praise with joy in account of,
this mystery,
which was revealed to us.

Rejoice, all you people, and again I say rejoice! All you nations, behold the Lord is in our presence! He who sits upon the Cherubim and is praised by the Seraphim was incarnate of the Virgin; He who rests within His saints and chosen ones, did not leave the Gentiles in darkness; He who is incomprehensible revealed Himself to us.

Renew your sense of wonder as you approach this great mystery, O you people of the Lord! For as we enter into Your presence, O Lord, the shadow of death and the darkness of sin is eluminated by Your Great Light, and what we learn by grace of the mysteries we behold is an immense amount of knowledge that no one can understand. Who would have thought that the Lord would come in His glory to our low estate? The Gentiles who were struggling to seek the Lord - look, His love for them ended their struggle, for He came to them and for them.

The struggle to look for You, O Lord, has turned into amazement and wonder, through the grace of the Holy Spirit within us.

Glory is to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the one God. Amen. Intercede for us, O Virgin, and all you saints in whom God rests, that our many sins may be forgiven.

_________________
"Pray gently and calmly,
Chant hymns with understanding and rhythm;
Then you will soar like a young eagle
High in the heavens"
+ St. Evagrius the Solitary, On Prayer, 82.

Why do I believe in Christianity??
Answer: "I believe because it is impossible!"
+ Tertullian, On the Flesh of Christ, 5:10.

In Christ,
Bishoy
HCOC Member

+ To Protect and Preserve +

HCOC: Sing it! Live it! Love it!

Questions or comments on the copticheritage.org website? Send me a PM.

Joined: Jun 09, 2003 | Posts: 324
Location: Mississauga, ON

Biboboy

posted on Jun 04, 2004 - 01:59 AM

For the One without flesh was incarnate,
And the Word took a body,
the One with no beginning began,
and the Eternal One became temporal.

The Incomprehensible has been touched,
and the Unseen has been seen,
the Son of the Living God,
truly became the Son of Man.

Some would wonder, O Lord, how I could hold such contradictory beliefs about Your person... How can the Lord, who is spirit, who is eternal, who is incomprehensible, and who cannot be seen, become incarnate? The One who is above all became one of us, touched, seen, heard, born and was raised as all others, suffered and endured tortures, and died a crucified man outside the walls of Jerusalem. How, O Lord?

But how can anything be impossible for You, O Lord of lords, King of kings, and the only God, who created everything by Your Word? Even though we cannot comprehend how You act, we believe that nothing is impossible for our loving God, whose love we are sure of.

Help us, O Lord to endure in our faith, our hope, and our love for You. May our minds never turn towards the heresies of the world, and may the schisms between us, Your children, be destroyed, so that in unity of faith we may have knowledge of Your imperceptible and infinite glory, the glory that shone in Your flesh, O Lord Jesus Christ.

O Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, intercede for us, and stand by us in this praise of ours to God, so that by your example we may remain alert when He who is above time comes at the appointed time of Judgement, the time when once again we shall see He who is "the Timeless, the Unseen, the One who became visible for our sakes, who was beyond touch and passion, yet who for our sakes became subject to suffering, and endured everything for us" (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to Polycarp, 3).

_________________
"Pray gently and calmly,
Chant hymns with understanding and rhythm;
Then you will soar like a young eagle
High in the heavens"
+ St. Evagrius the Solitary, On Prayer, 82.

Why do I believe in Christianity??
Answer: "I believe because it is impossible!"
+ Tertullian, On the Flesh of Christ, 5:10.

In Christ,
Bishoy
HCOC Member

+ To Protect and Preserve +

HCOC: Sing it! Live it! Love it!

Questions or comments on the copticheritage.org website? Send me a PM.

Joined: Jun 09, 2003 | Posts: 324
Location: Mississauga, ON

Biboboy

posted on Jun 07, 2004 - 02:29 AM

Jesus Christ is the same,
Yesterday, today and forever,
In one hypostasis,
We worship and glorify Him.

The Father looked...

Jesus Christ came as the High Priest, who offered not an animal sacrifice as the High Priest of the Jews, but offered Himself, the innocent Lamb, on the wood of the cross, opening the heavenly gates of mercy once and for all.

O You who came from heaven, Christ Jesus our Lord, You are the same yesterday, today and forever. You have not changed, for through Your incarnation You lost nothing, but united with our nature so that we may be united to You, and through You to the Father. You are the eternal High Priest, who for all time can save each one who approaches God, for You, O Lord, are always alive to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25).

Through Him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name (Heb. 13:15).

May our praise in this night ascend to Your throne, O Lord, and may our sins be forgiven, through the intercessions of the Virgin Mary, all the heavenly creatures and the saints.

_________________
"Pray gently and calmly,
Chant hymns with understanding and rhythm;
Then you will soar like a young eagle
High in the heavens"
+ St. Evagrius the Solitary, On Prayer, 82.

Why do I believe in Christianity??
Answer: "I believe because it is impossible!"
+ Tertullian, On the Flesh of Christ, 5:10.

In Christ,
Bishoy
HCOC Member

+ To Protect and Preserve +

HCOC: Sing it! Live it! Love it!

Questions or comments on the copticheritage.org website? Send me a PM.

Joined: Jun 09, 2003 | Posts: 324
Location: Mississauga, ON

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