In your hands, beloved, is a simple, interesting conversation, recorded by a soul that was filled with God’s love and within which springs of boundless joy burst forth. He was touched Saint John Chrysostom - In the midst of the pain that he experienced - God’s care for him through the creation that God created for him, and he realized God’s care for him through the natural law that he created in him, and he sensed the perfection of his unspoken love in the salvation revealed on the cross and the promises of eternity that he tasted as a pledge in this life.
May the God of Heaven grant us the ability to touch God’s care and submit to His judgments, and not give ourselves any room to complain about Him, experiencing God’s fatherhood and kindness toward us.
May God compensate the blessed sister who translated this article.
The blessing of our holy fathers be with us - glory to the Holy Trinity.
Pastor Tadros Yacoub Malti
note: The tab and titles are not in the original article.
This book is translated by the Coptic Church: This means that we do not agree with everything that was stated in the comments of the translator or preparer, and sometimes we disagree with it. Please alert us if something like this exists or is not understood.
This booklet came to us in the form of a Word file from a source close to Father Tadros Malti, but without any reference to the reference from which it was translated, nor is there any mention of the name of the printing press or the date of publication. Therefore, we collected information about the book, and we learned that this booklet was translated from French by Mrs. Aida Hanna. [As mentioned in the explanation of the fourth chapter of the Epistle of Saint James, by Father Tadros Malti] By searching for the name of the book in French, we found this book.”On the Providence of DieuIt is possible that one of the sermons of St. John Chrysostom recorded in the aforementioned book has been translated.
1. Introduction
When a person is exposed to a disease, he should learn about it, as this knowledge helps in healing... Knowing about it not only helps him recover from it, but also protects him in the future so that he is not exposed to the disease again.
That's why I explain to "stumbling" patients: (1) The cause of this disease, so that when they recognize its cause and take care to prevent it, they will be able to recover from it and from other diseases that they suffer from now, and it will also protect them against what may happen to them in the future...
The stumbling block is not caused by weak people because of one, two, or three reasons, but rather because of many reasons.
The purpose of our conversation is to save those who have fallen prey to this disease as long as they accept our advice and act on it. We do not provide treatment from the Bible alone, but rather from what we experience practically in life on a recurring basis...
But I do not cease to repeat that this treatment is not forcefully binding on those who reject it, underestimating the divine commandments and their power, which exceeds what we learn through our practical experience. It is appropriate for us to believe that God's promises are trustworthy above all that is visible. As for whoever does not accept reform, he will fall under judgment, not benefiting from the Holy Book, in which every benefit lies.
So let us hasten to correct those who stumble because of distress, forgetting God’s care and love, so we can prevent them from falling under this punishment, by explaining to them the cause of their illness.
2. God’s provisions
What is the reason for this great danger: ignoring God’s care?!
It is the recklessness and curiosity of thought. The desire to understand all the causes of the events that befall us, and the desire to resist God’s incomprehensible and indescribable care, that supreme care for all examination and investigation! However, a person is not ashamed of this curious and reckless attitude.
Who surpassed Paul in his wisdom? Tell me, was he not a chosen vessel? Did he not receive the transcendent, unspeakable grace of the Spirit? Didn't Christ speak about it? Didn't God reveal to him unspeakable things? Did he not hear what no human being has the right to utter? Wasn't he raptured to paradise and ascended to the third heaven? Didn't he roam the seas and land attracting pagans to Christianity? Did he not receive the various gifts of the Spirit?... Despite all this, this man, with his greatness, wisdom, strength, and fullness of the Spirit - as God bestowed upon him these privileges, when he looked to God’s care, not in all its aspects, but in one aspect of it, the call took him contrite, and he quickly retreated. Submissive to the incomprehensible God. For he did not search for God’s care for the angels, the archangels, the Cherubim, the seraphim, and all the invisible groups, nor for his care for the sun, the moon, the sky, the earth, and the sea, nor for his watchfulness over the entire human race and his care for irrational animals, the crops, the grass, the abyss, the springs, and the rivers...but it is God’s special care for the Jews and Greeks. He went on to discuss the point at length, and explained how God called the nations and rejected the Jews, then explained how he achieved salvation... And when he realized this, the Apostle discovered that he was facing a vast ocean, and as he tried to examine the depths of this providence, he trembled, realizing the impossibility of explaining its causes, and he was terrified before his infinite, unlimited, indescribable, and infinite providence. Examined and not aware, he retreated in awe and amazement, saying: “Oh, the depth of God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge!” (Romans 11:33)
He then explained how he touched its depths without succeeding in investigating it, saying: “How far are His rulings beyond examination and His methods beyond investigation?!”
He not only said that his judgments were beyond examination, but also beyond examination. Not only is man unable to understand it, but he has no right to begin to investigate. It is impossible for him to realize its purpose or even discover the beginning of its planning?!
And when he said “How unsearchable are His rulings and His methods beyond investigation.” He ended his speech - filled with wonder and trembling - with a song of thanksgiving, saying: “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has become his counselor? Or whoever gave it before will be rewarded?! Because from him, through him, and to him are all things. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen"
He wants to say that God is the source and source of all good things, and does not need a partner or advisor. He is the beginning, foundation, and origin of all good things. He is the Creator. He called the non-existent into existence. He manages, arranges and preserves everything according to his will!…
“From him and through him and to him are all things” These are the words of a person who wishes to affirm that God is the Creator and Creator of all beings, the Master of their lives and their preserver.
In another place, Paul speaks about the grace given to us, saying: “Thank you to God for His inexpressible gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15), He affirms that the peace of God given to us transcends all speech, description, and reason, saying: “The peace of God that surpasses all understanding” (In 4:7).
If the depth of God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are without limits, and if His judgments are beyond investigation and His ways are beyond investigation, and if His gifts are inexpressible, and His peace surpasses all understanding... it surpasses my mind, your mind, the mind of every Sunday, and even the minds of Peter and Paul, and the understanding of the archangels and all the heavenly hosts. Tell me, what excuse do you have for your stupid attempt, filled with madness, to understand what cannot be comprehended, accounting for the works of God’s providence?!
If Paul, who deeply understood the divine, was filled with sincere, unspoken hope, and was overwhelmed by all these gifts, you find him retreating, and if he had risen above the limits of his ability to perhaps understand, then he was not even able to comprehend the principles of God’s arrangements. This is impossible. Isn’t he who wants to follow a path contrary to the arrangement of Divine Providence considered the most wretched and most insane of all?!
Between our present knowledge and our eternal knowledge
The Apostle was not satisfied with this, but when he presented the knowledge of divine matters - in his letter to the Corinthians - he confirmed that his knowledge - Despite what he got from it - it is still limited and extremely insignificant, as he said (2): “If anyone thinks he knows something, he has not yet known anything as he ought to know.”. He assured us that we now know some knowledge, but the greater part of it we will know in the coming age “For we know in part and prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, then what is in part will be nullified(3)“.
When he wanted to clarify the difference between our knowledge here and our knowledge in the afterlife, he resorted to this depiction(4): “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, and as a child I understood, and like a child I used to think, but when I became a man, I abolished what a child has. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.”
Have you seen the difference between them? It is like the difference between the knowledge of a young child and the knowledge of a mature man, and the difference between seeing in a mirror and looking face to face, as the mirror indicates deep expression, but in ambiguity!…
So why do we not believe what Paul said?(5): “Who are you, O man, who answers to God? Will the one who formed it say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”
Consider how appropriate it is for us to submit to God’s will in silence!
He certainly does not mean by saying this that he wants to make us lose our will, God forbid! But he emphasizes that the researcher must remain silent, just as clay in the potter's hand does not resist or argue. He mentioned the potter and the clay to remind us of our nature, for they are at the same level in terms of their existence (because the potter is created from dirt), and yet the clay is subject to the potter. What forgiveness can a person hope for when he dares recklessly to dispute the will of God, his Creator, even though the difference between him and existence itself is infinite?!
Remember, O human, who are you? Aren't you clay, dust, and ashes? Aren't you vapor? Aren't you a weed? Aren't you a grass flower? This is how the prophets race to draw pictures before our eyes to express the truth of our existence. As for the God you want to subject to your reckless curiosity, he is not subject to death or change. He is eternal, without beginning or end, incomprehensible, beyond all understanding and all logic, undescribed and unseen! These are qualities that you and I, or even the apostles and prophets, and even the heavenly powers, cannot comprehend - despite their invisible purity, spirituality, and constant living in heaven.
3. The judgments of God and the heavenly creatures
When we hear the seraphim flying around the throne in majesty and exaltation, they cover their faces with two wings... and cover their legs with two, and cry out in a voice full of trembling. Do not think that they have feathers, legs, and wings, for they are invisible powers...
Indeed, even to these groups, God is incomprehensible, and they cannot approach Him. That is why He deigns to appear in the manner mentioned in the vision. God is not limited by a place and does not sit on a throne... Rather, His sitting on the throne and being surrounded by the heavenly forces is part of His love for them.
If he appears on the throne and these forces surround him, they will not be able to see him, nor bear to look at the splendor of his light, so they will cover their eyes with their wings, and will have no choice but to praise and sing praises filled with glory and holy trembling, and with wondrous songs that bear witness to the holiness of the one sitting on the throne.
He who dares to examine the providence of God, which the heavenly powers cannot touch or express, should better hide under the hills.
The Son and the Spirit declare His judgment
Only the Son and the Holy Spirit can comprehend the perfection of God. The beloved John revealed to us the first truth(6), and the second Apostle Paul(7).
The son of thunder (John), whom the Lord loved very much, and whose title indicated his high virtue, who enjoyed leaning on the chest of the Lord, says “God no one has seen”Vision here means knowledge. “The only begotten Son who is in the Father’s bosom has made him known.”…
When the chosen vessel (Paul) wanted to talk about God’s purposes and refer to the mysteries as he knew them, he said: “We speak with the wisdom of God in the secret of the written wisdom, which God predestined before the ages for our glory, which none of the great men of this age knew, for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Rather, as it is written, What eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man. God prepared it for those who love Him.”
So how do we know the wisdom of God, Paul? Who revealed it to us? Who explained to us the things that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human being has ever thought of? Tell us, who gave us this amazing knowledge?
He says “God revealed it to us by His Spirit”. And lest anyone think that the Holy Spirit only knows what He has revealed, and not all the secrets of God, he said “For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. Because who among the people knows the affairs of man except the spirit of man that is in him?! Even so the things of God are known only to the Spirit of God.”. These words mean that just as the spirit of man knows precisely what belongs to him, so the Spirit of God knows the complete divine knowledge with an inexpressible precision.
By saying “The things of God are known only to the Spirit of God.” Man and all the heavens were excluded from this knowledge. That's why these tips are full of wisdom “Do not ask for what you are unable to obtain, and do not seek for what is beyond your ability, but what God has commanded you to do, you should contemplate and do not wish to investigate His many deeds.”(8)“.
This saying means that it is appropriate for you not to attribute your knowledge to yourself, as nature is not enough to teach you.. Rather, you took knowledge of most things from above, as they are beyond your understanding.
Why do you try to investigate deep matters with your own strength, even though most of them exceed the thinking power that God has given you? Maybe Paul was trying to refer to you when he said(9) “Anything you didn't take? And if you received, why do you boast as if you did not receive?!”
So run away from the love of the gal and accept this advice full of wisdom. Don't say what is this? Why did this happen? because “All the works of the Lord are very good, and all His commands are done in their season, and all are sought in their season(10)“.
4, 5. Creation and God's providence (11)
When God completed the entire creation and decorated it with beauty, He looked forward to this wonderful, harmonious work “God thought that what He had done was very good(12)”. Thus, God preceded and discouraged the rule of the mentally ill, who resisted His work. May we not accept their reckless opinion.
God saw light and darkness... He saw fruit trees and trees of the wilderness, flat plains and mountains, valleys and crevices, man and poisonous serpents, fish and sea whales, calm waves and violent storms, the sun and moon and stars, thunder and lightning, fresh air and storms, doves and songbirds, eagles and predatory animals, sheep. Cows, wolves and leopards, scorpions and snakes, healing herbs and poisonous herbs...
Her adornment glorified God. I mean that He glorified each of them individually, just as He glorified creation in its entirety. Thus, no one - no matter how reckless - dares to think about examining other matters as long as they please the Lord. After he said “Let there be light” he added “And God saw that the light was good.”. And so in His creation, God declared His satisfaction in everything...
This does not mean that God discovered her beauty after creating her. both! Because if the artist is able to realize the beauty of the work of his hands before executing it, how much more so is the transcendent wisdom who brought life to everything by his will alone?! He knew the magnificence of His creation before He created it. He would not have brought it into existence if he had not previously known it.
If you hear the Prophet say that God saw everything and praised it... know that this is a declaration of God’s opinion and the judgment of its Creator...
So you try to investigate the matters of creation impulsively, for you have a high testimony that declares its excellence. If you are not satisfied with this testimony, searching creation with conflicting ideas in the middle of a stormy atmosphere, you will not advance in anything. Rather, you are setting yourself up for bitter failure, and you will be unable to find an explanation for creation. Indeed, what you may approve of creation now, you may reject tomorrow because of the sterility of your thinking. Man's mind is weak, it gravitates towards conflicting directions, and there are conflicting views towards creation now. The Greeks, because of their intense admiration for them, made them gods, and the followers of Mani, along with other heretics, thought that they were not the work of a loving God... and did not deserve to be the work of a creative God.(13).
If you doubt God’s providence, ask the earth, the sky, the sun, and the moon. Wield irrational creatures and plants… Wield rocks, mountains, sand dunes, and hills. Ask night and day. God's care is clearer than the sun and its rays. Everywhere, in the prairies, in the cities and inhabited areas, on land and in the seas... wherever you go, you hear testimony speaking of this blatant care...
In every place voices rise louder and clearly louder than the voices of rational humans declaring to everyone who wants to hear about God’s watchful love! When the Prophet wanted to record the strength of these voices, he said: “Their voice went out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the inhabited earth.”Psalm 19:4).
Our language is understood only by those who speak our language, but creation speaks in a language that all peoples understand!
6. God loves you
The heart is more ready to touch God's great care and love for us through His inner voice than through God's outer works. Not only does He care for us, but He loves us infinitely, with a sacred, burning love, a true intense love that is inseparable and inextinguishable. In order for the Holy Bible to reveal this love to us, it compares it to the love of people, explaining God’s watchful love and care for us with many examples, not to stop at the limits of examples, but rather pushes us to go beyond them as we contemplate them...
1. Comparing it to a mother’s love:
The Prophet responds to those who were once depressed and groaned, saying: “The Lord has forsaken me, and my master has forgotten me.” saying(14): “Can a mother forget her nursing child and not have mercy on the son of her womb?” It is as if he is saying: It is impossible for a mother to forget her infant, so even more so does God not forget humanity. By this, he does not mean to liken God’s love for us to a mother’s love for the fruit of her womb, but rather because a mother’s love surpasses all love, but God’s love is definitely greater than it. That's why he says: “Even if a mother forgets her nursing child, I will not forget you, says the Lord.” Consider how God’s love surpasses the love of a mother?…
The Lord of the Prophets and Master of all confirms that His love exceeds the love of a father for his children, just as light surpasses darkness and goodness surpasses evil. Listen what he says? “Or which man among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?! If you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?!” (Matthew 7:9-11)
Just as good is different from evil, so God’s love rises above the affections of parents...
2. Love between two lovers
There are other examples, such as the love of a lover for his beloved. Not that God’s love for us is equivalent to this love, but rather it is an example of a simile with a difference... That is why David says: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:11).
Just as a person in love madly reviews his words for fear that he might have said something that would hurt his beloved, so says the Lord: “As soon as I spoke, I regretted my words... My heart returned” (Hos 11:8). The Lord does not hesitate to use this cruel image to declare His love for His beloved.
3. Marital love
He was not satisfied with this, but he went deeper, citing an example that penetrates the deepest matters, saying:(15): “Just as the groom rejoices over the bride, so the Lord will rejoice over you.” Love is at its peak at the beginning (between the newlyweds). He used this method not to convey anything human, but so that we might feel the burning intensity of his true love...
4. The maker’s love for the work of his hands
The comparisons to his love do not stop there, but it goes further than this...
Jonah was upset after his escape and the reconciliation of the people of Nineveh with God...suffering and emotional in a human way full of sadness. So God commanded the earth to grow a pumpkin for Jonah to protect his head, then he commanded the sun to increase its heat and burn it. Jonah was angry at her destruction, but when the Lord comforted him and then tested him, listen to what He said to him: “You pity the gourd for which you neither labored nor raised it, which rose in a night and perished in a night. Do I not pity Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than a dozen countless people who do not know their right from their left?! (Jonah 4:10-12) This is what he wanted to say: Did you not rejoice in the shade of the gourd? How much more should I rejoice in the salvation of the people of Nineveh?! Didn't you suffer from her death?! This is how painful I am about the destruction of humanity…
Didn't tell him “You felt sorry for the gourd.” And stop...but continue “For which you neither labored nor raised“. Because just as a gardener pities the tree on which he worked the most, so God wanted to prove His love for mankind through this love. It is as if he is saying to him: You strongly defend the work of others, which you did not work hard for. Rather, it is appropriate for me to defend the work of my own hands! Then he softens the accusation leveled against them by saying: “They do not know their right from their left", that is, they made a mistake without knowing...
He reproaches those who groan that they are abandoned, saying: “Concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands, command me!” (Isaiah 45:11) It is as if he is saying: Who reminds the father of his son or urges him to think about him? Or who reminds the artist not to destroy his art?!
He does not say this to prevent them from praying, but rather so that they know that before they pray, the Lord is doing what is good in His eyes. But he wants us to pray because there is great benefit in prayer...
I have seen previous examples of how the works of God’s providence are brighter than the sun, as He mentioned the parables of the father, the mother, the bridegroom, and the distance between heaven and earth... He likened Himself to a gardener who labors for the work of his hands... and to a lover who grieves so that he does not grieve his beloved, even with a word... assuring us that His love is different from all of these. Types of love such as the difference between good and evil.
7. He created everything for you
The previous evidence is sufficient for prepared hearts, but as some wallow in the mud... we prove to them God’s care through His works as much as we can, as it is difficult for us to limit it to even the slightest aspect of it. His unlimited care is evident in his great and small, visible and hidden deeds. But here we limit ourselves to examining apparent matters.
God did not create the beautiful, harmonious creation except for you. For your sake, I create it with such beauty, greatness, diversity, and richness, so that it will satisfy the needs of your body and develop it, and develop in you the piety of the spirit, and thus lead you to the knowledge of God.
The angels do not need this (earthly) creation, otherwise they would not have been created before it! As God says to Job: “And when the stars appeared, all the angels praised me.” (Job 38:7) In other words, I was astonished by the abundance of the planets, their beauty, order, benefit, diversity, and light!…
Is there a beauty greater than the splendor of the sky when it sparkles with the rays of the sun, as if it had sparkled with a drop of blazing love, illuminating the earth with countless stars, guiding captains and travelers, as if holding their hand?(16)…
Nothing surpasses the beauty of the sky, and it stretches over your head at times like a pure, transparent cover and at other times like a flat plain adorned with roses!
Enjoying the beauty of roses during the day does not exceed contemplating the beauty of the sky at night, sparkling with thousands of star flowers that do not fade!
If you do not get tired of contemplating, you can look forward to God’s care in many witnesses: the clouds, the seasons of the year, the seas and what is in them, the earth and what is on it...
Is there anything smaller and more despicable than a butterfly? Or like ants or bees? However, all of these speak of God’s care, ability, and wisdom!
For this reason, when the Prophet was qualified by the spirit to contemplate creation in its entirety, he cried out, saying: “How great are your deeds, O Lord, all in wisdom that you have done!” (Psalm 104)
Indeed, the essence of heaven was created for you... it moisturizes our tired bodies, dries up muddy areas, reduces the intensity of summer, grows crops, helps sailing, etc....
And if you want to search at night, you consider it under the Almighty God’s care, for He helps your tired body, calms your stressed nerves... saves you from the pain of the day, and its anxiety-filled concerns... Whoever is deprived of the rest of the night will lose the day, and whoever is not given calm and relaxation to his mind will ruin his work. This is all for you, human(17)…
Now that you understand God’s care that its rays exceed the brightness of the light of life, do not examine with curiosity the things that are beyond your stature and do not follow what does not benefit you... Our very existence is a gift given to us as a result of His transcendent love, so He does not need our servitude.
So let us love and worship Him because He created us, not because He gave us a rational spiritual soul, nor because He made us His highest creation, nor because He gave us authority over what is seen, but because He did not need us. This is a sign of His great love that He created us to serve Him, even though He had no need for our servitude. Before He created us or created the angels and heavenly powers, He existed in His own glory and holiness. But He called us into existence for His love alone. He did all this and other things for us!
8. Provide us with salvation
1. He gave us the natural law
God gave us a written law to benefit us, sent prophets, and performed miracles. Before all of this, He provided man after his creation with a natural law to serve him, acting as a captain on a ship, and like a bridle for a horse, subjecting our thinking to it. Abel knew this before the sanctuary existed, just as the fathers and prophets knew it before the law was written. And Orpah also Cain. The two of them knew him, but they did not follow the same path... Rather, one chose virtue and the other chose vice. Despite this, God did not leave man in this situation, but when he fell, he attracted him and brought him back to the straight path and surrounded him with his love. He began to urge and advise him, just as he warned him of fear and trembling. He taught him and trained him.
However, the majority of humans have betrayed this great blessing, that is, benefiting from what the natural law teaches us. God did not abandon humanity or hand them over to eternal damnation, but rather waited for them and began teaching them and urging them with His deeds, gifts, and disciplines...
2. He gave us the written law
He gave a law and sent prophets, and he would strike a teacher and then return and ease the chastisement... He did not stop arranging all things for our benefit from the beginning. And finally, all His mercies by sending His only Son.
3. The Son became the Word
The Son, equal in essence to the Father, became like me! He walked on the earth, mingling with people, and performing his wonders among them, bestowing the blessings of this age and the age to come. What He gave on earth was to confirm what He would give in the coming age. Thus, the son achieved what was previously announced: “Who speaks of the power of the Lord?! Who will tell all his praises?!” (Psalm 106:2)
4. The redemption he provided!
Who does not forget himself and stand trembling before his wondrous love?! Remembering that God gave His only Son to die for worthless servants?! Put him to death with curses and mockery! Death of thieves!
He was nailed to the high cross, and they spat on his face! They beat him with sticks and slapped him! They mocked him, and when they felt pity for him, they shrouded him and sealed his grave!
All this I endure for your sake! For the sake of His love, which is full of compassion, until He frees you from the bondage of sin, breaks the power of Satan, destroys the sting of death, opens the gates of heaven for us, removes the curse, erases the first sin, teaches you patience, and leads you to endurance. So do not be troubled by the things of the world: neither death, nor curses, nor insults, nor Mockery, blows, enemy machinations, slander, attacks, accusations, mistrust, and nothing of the sort.
He went through all of this to share all your sufferings, overcoming them in a wonderful way in order to teach you and guide you not to be afraid of these tribulations.
5. Sending him the Holy Spirit
He was not satisfied with this, but when he ascended to heaven, he granted us the amazing grace of his Holy Spirit, sending his disciples to serve him.
He saw that the elite of His saints would suffer many sufferings. They were beaten with sticks, humiliated, thrown into the seas, and suffered in hunger and thirst, and hardship surrounded Him every day... And He allowed them all of this for your sake, for the sake of His love for you, filled with tenderness.
6. He prepared for us the kingdom of heaven
For your sake, O man, he prepared the kingdom! For your sake, he has prepared indescribable blessings, a portion prepared in heaven, an unparalleled life, and unspeakable joy!
In front of these great evidences of God’s care for us as stated in the two Testaments - the Old and the New - in our present and future lives... in physical and spiritual matters, do you still doubt, seeing in everything a cloud of witnesses confirming His care? No!.. For you have a teacher who is more compassionate to you than your father, more compassionate than your mother, and more loving than the groom or the bride...
Remember that His comfort in your salvation and happiness is greater than your joy while you are fleeing from danger and death!… His care is inexplicable, his tenderness is incomprehensible, his goodness is limitless, and his love is unsearchable!
Now that you know all these things through which God reveals Himself to you and His works that He has done and will do with you... do not allow yourself to ask yourself: Why is this? What is the reason for that? This is the madness of tyrannical pride and demonization!
If you remain silent before the doctor while he removes the rotten organ and orders you to drink the bitter medicine, even if the doctor is a slave, his master tolerates him in silence, and even thanks him, and obeys him submissively no matter what the doctor orders, even though many have died at the hands of doctors, how much more fitting for a person to submit to the Judge. And the engineer and the one who has authority over everything?!
If it is foolish for an ignorant person to provoke an engineer regarding his work, it is equally foolish for a reckless person to question this amazing, unspoken and unlimited wisdom, inquiring about a work of which we are certain of the unmistakable wisdom of its Creator, his endless love, and his indescribable care. . He does all things for our good, as He does not want the destruction of man, but the salvation of all!
Isn’t this a deviation in thinking that exceeds all madness, that we begin to ask the One who wants our salvation and is capable of it, instead of contemplating and seeing his works?!
9. Consider the end of the matter
Beware of the curious questions you raise at the beginning or during the course, but wait until the end. Do not be reckless and do not react quickly... If a person was born and raised in the sea, then when he lives on land and had never heard of agriculture before, and he sees the wheat separated from the straw and kept in closed warehouses away from moisture, then the farmer comes back and takes it from him and scatters it on the ground and throws it In the mud and mud... it is immediately ruled that this farmer spoils the wheat. But if he had waited until summer, he would have seen a great harvest...
And you, man, do not ask the Teacher of all... Rather, wait and hope for the end... By the end I do not mean (the temporal life), but rather to see the eternal life, for God’s purposes are aimed at the two lives for the sake of our salvation and glory...
When you see the Church scattered and exposed to many persecutions, and its leaders have been expelled and beaten with rods, do not limit your mind to the limits of these tribulations, but rather look to the end to see the reward and the prize...the price of struggle and struggle, as the book says.(18) “He who endures to the end will be saved.”
10. People who trusted appointments
1. Abraham was old, and due to his old age, his body became too dead to procreate. He was like the dead and could not be a father... The righteous man had passed the time in which nature could give offspring. The barrenness of his wife Sarah was like the barrenness of stones when the Lord announced to him that he would become the father of a multitude like the stars of heaven... Paul described this situation and said: “Nor the death of Sarah’s warehouse.”He did not say, “Nor the death of Sarah’s body,” so that no one would think that the obstacle is age alone, but also nature (her barrenness). But as I said before, despite the presence of these obstacles, he knew the meaning of God’s promise, His many ways, and His great possibilities, which are not hindered by the laws of nature or the difficulty of the matter... but rather lead us through the obstacles to achieve what He had previously appointed. That is why Abraham believed what was said to him and believed in the promise without being affected by conflicting logic... and he did not investigate how this could be achieved? He does not wonder: Why did the promise not come in his youth, but rather after old age, after a long time!
For this reason, the Apostle Paul mentions his name in a sublime way, saying:(19): “Contrary to hope, he believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations.”. What is the meaning of “against hope, he believed in hope”? That is, in contrast to human hope, believe in hope in God, who has victory in all things, can do all things, and is above all things!
He not only believed that he would be a father, but also the father of many nations, as he was an old man unable to have children, and the wife of an elderly barren. “As it is said, ‘So shall your offspring be. And since he was not weak in faith, he did not consider it his body when he became dead, since he was a hundred years old, nor the death of Sarah's place of deprivation. Nor did he doubt the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened by faith, giving glory to God. And he was certain that what He promised He was able to do as well(20)“…
He glorified God because he was neither inquisitive nor rashly asked, but submitted to His incomprehensible wisdom and power, without questioning what was said to him. Thus, we glorify God by always submitting to Him in the face of His incomprehensible wisdom and incomprehensible power, and we do not rashly ask: Why is this? What is the reason for that? How is it achieved?!…
2. Abraham did not deserve admiration in this situation alone, but rather when he did not stumble when the Lord commanded him to offer his only son, the son of promise, as a burnt offering, even though there were many reasons that could have caused a person who was not watchful or alert to stumble:
a. If God requires such burnt offerings, then He is asking the fathers to kill their children... By this, He makes the fathers the murderers of their children, defiles the altar with their blood, and hardens the heart of the fathers...
B. Abraham was not just a father, but he was the father of such a son, the only legitimate son, with whom those who see and know him are pleased... He has reached high levels of virtue, beautiful in spirit and body!
C. He was greatly loved because it was given to him against all hope. Perhaps you know the love of parents for young people who come in old age against hope...
Dr.. He could have stumbled, for this would break the promise “And your descendants will be like the sand of the sea.”...But the righteous person did not stumble, nor was he disturbed, nor did he have natural feelings... He did not say to himself: Has God deceived me? Did he mislead me? Is this order from God?... It contradicts justice, as through it I become a murderer of my son and fertilize my hands with his blood!! How is the promise fulfilled? If you destroy the root, where do the branches come from? How do the fruits come?
But he obeyed completely, tied his son, raised his hand, and the knife pierced the neck... even though this was not actually accomplished, it was fulfilled by the intention, as it was in place for action.
Consider, he obeyed and wanted to slaughter the owner of the large offspring... He obeyed with love... That is why Paul admired him and announced his name, saying: “By faith Abraham offered up Isaac when he was tempted” He demonstrated his great work and faith by saying, “He who received the promises presented his only begotten son.” Thus, just as neither his body nor his wife’s barrenness hindered his faith in the promise of his birth, so now death does not disturb him!
When you compare these events to what is happening to you, you will see your cowardice, you will see the smallness of the souls of those who stumble, and you will clearly realize that the reason for the stumble is the failure to surrender to the hands of God’s unaware providence...
3. Didn’t Joseph experience something similar? He made a great promise, but the events contradicted what he was told. He saw a dream of his brothers prostrating to him, and the stars and ears of corn expressed this to him, but events contradicted his vision.
a. A cruel war broke out against him in his father's house, and his brothers dissolved. They bound brothers and broke the laws and order of nature, and after his dreams they became stubborn and enemies to him more brutal than wolves. Just as predatory animals kill the lamb, they set traps for it every day. The source of these wars was a body filled with madness, unjust hatred, and burning anger, and so they reeked of killing every day...
B. When they failed to harm him in his parents’ house, they attacked his father’s love for him...
H. Then they pulled him away from his father’s care, and when he brought them food to reassure them, they met him not with joy because of the food he brought them, but rather they sharpened their swords and prepared to kill him... but in this he became weak and his name spread...
Rich are the ways of God’s wisdom and its possibility in the midst of complex situations, as it saved him from the pit, saved him from the journey of death, and pulled him from the hands of killers...
Dr.. He stripped off his clothes, tied him up, and threw him into the pit. Then the cruel brothers sat like wild animals, eating the food he had brought them. He was in the pit in great trembling, but they were eating and having fun!
e. They were not satisfied with this madness, but when they saw the barbarians who had left their country going to Egypt, they took out their brother and sold him. Thus, they arranged a slow, cruel death for him, full of pain.
Imagine with me the feelings of Joseph, a young man, who was raised in his father’s house in complete freedom, with no experience in the life of slavery or enduring pain. He is pushed into slavery after freedom, and estrangement after sonship... The matter does not stop at him enduring the pain of slavery, but it is accompanied by the pain of separation from his father and mother and all his relatives. With nudity and exile without a home or city, surrendered to slavery in barbaric hands!
Isn’t this enough for him to be filled with turmoil: the accumulation of adversity, the surprise of the situation, disappointment, the cruelty of the experience that was created by the hands of his beloved brothers, to whom he did not harm in anything but rather did good to them... And yet he was not disturbed, but rather went with the merchants... He did not ask: What is happening? after?!
The killers of their brother lived like predatory wolves in a happy life in their father’s house... As for Joseph, who was chosen to rule over them, he became a slave and tasted experiences that contradicted the promise... He was deprived of his homeland, lost his freedom, and lost the vision of his family.
And the. His wars did not stop, but rather a deeper abyss opened for him, smelling of death and murder... Potiphar’s wife looked at him with sinful looks. She was captivated by the young man's beauty and enslaved by his radiant appearance, so she devised deceptions and traps for him. Then she used her daily nets, waiting for him to catch him in her nets and cause him to fall into adultery and deliver him to an undying death. She went out every day searching for her prey, and she was pricked by lust and her sinful love. She saw him at once and wanted to lure him to the bed of sin and force him to unite with a strange woman who defiled his virtue, and yet he was not harmed. This righteous man was harmed: neither the captivity of lust, nor the impetuousness of youth, nor the uncontrolled attack of a woman, nor the snares of his mistress... But he emerged from all of these circumstances, flowing calmly like an eagle spreading its wings soaring high, leaving his shirt in daring hands. He left his clothes while he was naked, but his splendid virtue covered him!... She again drew her sword and he prepared for death. The waves rose high, and the mad woman's lust burned with fire greater than the furnace of Babylon. Her desire was inflamed, and her anger and frightening cruelty erupted in extreme brutality. She wanted to kill him, so she hastened to the sword. She desired for him the death of shame, and longed for the destruction of the hero of virtue and the hero of patience and struggle. She rushed towards her husband and complained without telling him the truth of the matter, but rather appeared before him and convinced the ruler of what she wanted. She accused her rival of being “insulted”... The ruler did not listen to the accused and did not leave him any room for defence. He who did not see wisdom condemned him to scandalous delirium, and was convinced of his sin as if this young man had become accustomed to adultery, so he threw him in prison and handed him over to shackles.
Here he - the one who had prepared himself for the crowns of virtue - sat in prison with the thieves and murderers whose hands were stained with sin. In all this, Joseph was not troubled or stumbled. He didn't say to himself, "What is this?" I should have ruled over my brothers, but I was not only deprived of this dignity, but I was also deprived of my homeland, my family, my freedom, and my tranquility... Here I live behind bars with adulterers and murderers... Where is the explanation for the many stars and the sheaves of ears? What do you check for ads? Where did the promises go? Have I been deceived and misled? How can my brothers prostrate to me when I am a prisoner slave and a bound human being?”
He did not say this nor think about it. Rather, he waited for the end and knew the richness of God’s ways and the possibilities of His abundant wisdom. He did not stumble, but rather rejoiced and accepted everything that befell him with satisfaction.
4. Pain experienced David For the harsh sufferings while he was anointed king and possessed of authority by the will of God?... His life became in danger and he was sent to the bitter enemies and expelled into the wilderness, lost and outcast, without shelter or dwelling, exiled... And yet he did not say, “Why is this?” I'm King. I should have power, couldn't I even live like an ordinary human being? Here I am, lost and exiled, without a city or a shelter, cast out to a harsh place, without even the necessary sustenance... I see danger staring at me every day... Where are the promises? Where is the announcement of assuming power?!” David did not say this and did not stumble because of the events, but rather he also waited for the promise to be fulfilled.
We can mention thousands of others who were beset by similar difficulties and were not affected, but rather clung to the Word of God, even if events came that contradicted the promises, and with their amazing patience, they prepared themselves for luminous wreaths.
And you, my dear, are waiting for the end, for surely the promises will be fulfilled for you in this age and the age to come. Accept God's incomprehensible providence under all circumstances and do not say, “What are these losses” and do not examine the ways of God’s wondrous works.
11. Anticipation of eternity!
The righteous did not investigate how and by what means God’s promises would be fulfilled. Even when they saw that all matters had become too complicated for human thought, they were not affected or disturbed, but rather endured with sublimity. Their evidence of the promising future is the power of the One who promised, which is why they did not despair when events denied the promises. They have known the richness of God’s ways and wisdom. Even if the situation begins to contradict the promise, God is able to transform it into a better situation, and what God has promised can be achieved with great ease.
And you too, my dear, if your trials in this life disappear, glorify God, and if they increase, thank Him as well and do not stumble. Know that God's providence is infinite and cannot be explained, and that it will inevitably reach the appropriate goal in this present and future life.
We say to those who have lost their patience while hearing us talk about the future life, desiring to see the fulfillment of things, that true life and permanent truths await us in the future. Life here and its affairs are just a road, but our abode is in the age to come. Life's affairs are like spring, but other life is like rocks that do not collapse. There are eternal crowns and prizes. There is reward, but here it is discipline...
objection: What do you say about the many who have stumbled?
Reply:...When you see the stumble of these people, think about the dignity of others. Some have fallen, but many are still upright, preparing themselves for the greatest reward, since neither the power of enemies (sin) nor the harshness of circumstances brought them down.
Whoever stumbles due to special circumstances should think about the three young men who were kept away from the priests, the temple, the altar, and all the duties of the law, and were neglected in a foreign land, and yet they continued to strictly adhere to the commandments of the law. And also Daniel and many others. Some of them were taken captive without sinning, while those who remained in their homes and enjoyed the bounties of their country went astray and deserved to be disciplined.
12. Evil and God's providence
If you examine the things of God and do not want to submit to His deep, unexamined purposes, if you limit your goal to mere questions filled with curiosity, then you will continue to wonder about many other things, such as:
Why did God leave the door open to heresies?
Why did Satan, the demons, and the evil people bring about the downfall of many?
Why should the Antichrist come and have the ability to mislead even if it is possible for him to mislead the elect, as Jesus Christ said?
We should not search for all of this, but rather surrender to the incomprehensible wisdom of God. The loving person who is always attached to God is not harmed by the waves, no matter how much they rage against him, but on the contrary, he emerges from them with new strength. As for the weak and negligent person, even if nothing bothers him, he falls often...
But if you want to know the reason (for leaving the evil ones), we will say what we know:
1. God allows these stumbles so that the reward of the righteous will not diminish. This is what God confirmed in His conversation with Job, saying:(21): “Are you asking me to be justified?!” Paul also says “For there must also be heresies among you, so that those who are approved may become apparent among you.”. If you hear “it must happen,” do not think that the Messenger is commanding this. both! Rather, he predicts what will happen, then comes back and explains that the watchful person benefits greatly as the virtue of those who are steadfast is purified.
2. The wicked were allowed to work for another reason, which is that if their weakness was not revealed, their renewal could not be reaped. This is how Paul, the thief, the adulteress, the publican, and many others were converted...
3. The Apostle announces another reason for the coming of the Antichrist. What is it? Closing the door to the Jews. What is their excuse for rejecting Christ when they should have believed in Him, he says?(22): “So that all who do not believe the truth will be damned.” That is, “Christ,” but rather “they had pleasure in iniquity,” that is, in the Antichrist. This is how they did not believe in Christ because he said about himself that he was God. They said(23): “We stone you because, while you are a human, you make yourself a god.”Although He proved to them in many ways that He came according to the will of the Father. What do they do when the Antichrist comes, who makes himself God and does not speak for the Father, contradicting the will of the Father? This is what Jesus Christ took upon them when he said(24) “I have come in my Father’s name, and you did not receive me. If anyone comes in his own name, you will accept him.” For this reason, he allowed them to stumble.
If you mention to me those who stumbled, I will mention to you those who reaped glory from them. Therefore, I repeat that it is not permissible for the negligence and laziness of some to deprive those who are awake of the prize and the crown for those who are awake. If they had not had these opportunities during wars, they would have been harmed!
13. People who did not stumble despite having no teachers
1. Tell me: Was it? To Abraham A priest, reformers, teachers, and people advising him? At that time, he had no written book, no law, no prophets, or anything like that. He was sailing in an unnavigable sea, on a bumpy road. His father and relatives were idol worshipers. However, all of these circumstances did not harm him, but rather his virtue adorned him, so much so that after a long time - after the coming of the prophets, the law, and the wonderful teaching of Jesus Christ in works and miracles - his virtues with which he had previously been adorned appeared: warm, practical love, contempt for wealth, and his paternal tenderness towards his family. He crushed luxury under his feet, abandoned the life of mortal pleasure, and lived in an austerity that exceeds the asceticism of the monks of these days who have reached the mountaintops. He did not have a home, but he had the shade of the tree leaves as a roof and a shelter for him. Since he was a stranger, he was filled with zeal to welcome strangers. This stranger in a strange country took care to host those coming to him at noon... and he did not serve them alone, but rather included his wife with him in this good deed.
He served his nephew even though he had not behaved well with him... putting his life in real danger for his sake?
When the Lord commanded him to leave home to go to a strange land, he obeyed immediately and left his country, his friends, and all his family, clinging to what he did not know in great certainty for the sake of God’s promises. This was evidence of faith filled with submission.
Then there was a famine, and he disappeared again without emotion or disturbance, showing the same obedience, enduring the pain patiently...
When God commanded him to slaughter his son, he took him quickly, as if he was leading him to the wedding bed, as if the groom was handing over his bride. He transcended the limits of nature and liberated himself from human nature, offering a new sacrifice beyond wonder, struggling alone without the help of his wife, servant, or anyone around him.
Indeed, he clearly knew the seriousness of the matter and the severity of the battle... so he faced the struggle alone, ran, fought, and worked tirelessly, and his name became famous... What priest taught him all this?! Or any teacher or prophet? No one...but his awakened spirit made him do all of this!
2. Was it found? Noah A priest, teacher or mentor? This is the one who was alone, walking in a path contrary to the entire earth that was corrupted by evil, performing virtue, thus saving himself and with him others from the drowning that was threatening them?!... See how righteous he became?! How did he achieve perfection?!…
3. Although Ham His son, his father's practical virtue was his teacher... and when he saw events with his own eyes, he could draw lessons from the catastrophe of the flood and the end of evil, but he was evil towards his father, so he mocked his nakedness and exposed him to public ridicule. This is why it befits a person to have his heart always prepared.
4. Tell me about Ayoub? Did he hear the prophets or read teachings that he could benefit from? both! Although he found no such help, he provided an example of perfect and precise virtue. He distributed his money to those in need, not only his money but also his health. He hosted strangers in his house... and defended those who abused them, and with his kind words he closed the mouths of the foolish. He was like an angel in his actions...
Consider that Jesus Christ says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” Job achieved this through his actions(25).. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Who attained the meekness of the one who spoke of his servants because of their love for him?(26): “Who brings someone who is not satisfied with his food?!”. “Blessed are those who weep, for they will be comforted” Job experienced this inner consolation. Listen to what he says(27): “If I have covered up my transgression like men, to hide my iniquity in my bosom.” He used to cry a lot over his sins. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Look at the perfection he has achieved as he says(28): “I broke in pieces the molars of the oppressor, and from between his teeth I snatched up the prey.” “I put on righteousness, and He covered me like a robe and a turban. My justice was.”…..etc.
Truly, He loved (His oppressors), prayed for them, and turned their anger away from them, even though He had never heard a prophet, an evangelist, a priest, or a teacher, and no one had commanded Him to be virtuous. Consider the highness of his soul, how it relied on itself and achieved virtue even if it did not find anyone to surround it with kindness. Not even his ancestors were good, but were persistent in great evil, as Paul says about his grandfather(29) “For no one was as detestable as Esau, who sold his birthright for a meal of lentils.”
14. Have souls stumbled because of persecutions? In the apostolic age?
There were many stumbles in the days of the apostles, and many people were affected by them and perished, and the preachers were also subjected to persecution and death. Tell me, what happened in the days of the apostles?…
Listen to what Paul says(30) “You know that all those in Asia apostatized, including Phineas and Hermogenes.” Prisons became homes for preachers, and they were burdened with restrictions. They endured suffering from relatives and strangers, and even after their move, ravening wolves came and occupied their places in the fold, as Paul says to the Ephesians after they were summoned to Miletus.(31) “For I know this, that after I am gone fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and from among you will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
Alexander El-Nahhas showed him many evils(32), as he attacked him everywhere and fought against him, and pursued him with tribulations and raised a violent war against him until Paul warned his disciple about him, saying:(33): “Keep it from him because he strongly resisted our words.”
Some false brothers also corrupted the faith of the Galatians.
At the beginning of the ministry, Stephen was tried and stoned as a blasphemer. His eloquence flowed like rivers and he silenced many, convicting the sinful Jewish tongues, and no one was able to resist him... He was a noble and wise man full of wisdom from whom the church benefited greatly despite the short period of his service.
Jacob was killed by Herod to please the Jews, and that was in the beginning, so this pillar of life and the seat of truth departed.
Many have stumbled because of these events, but those standing have remained standing and will continue to do so. Listen to what Paul writes to the Philippians? “Then I want you to know, brethren, that my affairs have further devolved into the advancement of the Gospel, so that my confidence in Christ has become evident in every court and in all other places. And most of the brethren, having their firmer confidence in the Lord, are more and more daring to speak the word without fear.”(34)“.
Do you see this courage? Do you see this confidence? Do you see the spiritual power and Christian way of thinking? They saw their teacher in prison, bound, mute, beaten, and suffering all kinds of pain, and they did not stumble or be affected, but rather their love increased, and the suffering of their teacher became a great energy for (spiritual) wars.
I do not deny that some perished. It is natural for many to collapse in the face of such events, but I will repeat what I previously said now and I will continue to repeat it. It is fair if these people attribute their weakness to themselves and not to the events.
He left us this legacy by saying:(35): “In the world you will have tribulation”, “You will be judged before the governors and sultans.”, “There comes a time when whoever kills you will think he is performing a service to God.”. In vain do you object to the existence of distressed people because distress always continues.
Stumbling because of the master's pain
Why do I mention the suffering of the apostles?! How many people stumbled before the cross, our teacher, and increased in wickedness and foolishness as they passed before him mocking, saying:(36): “You who destroyed the temple and built it in three days... saved others, but he cannot save his own life... If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross so that we may believe in you.”However, the cross cannot be a light for them, because the thief will condemn these people. He looked at the cross and did not stumble, but rather found in it a reason to search for true wisdom. After transcending human matters, he rose with the wing of faith, contemplating the future. He did not stumble despite seeing Jesus Christ crucified, beaten and humiliated, drinking vinegar and being spat on. All the people mocked him and sentenced him to death. When he saw the cross and the nails in his hands and the corrupt people mocking him, he followed the straight path, saying: “Remember me, O Lord, when you come into your kingdom.” He silenced the accusers by confessing his sins!
He contemplated the Resurrection without seeing the dead rising, nor did he see the lepers being cleansed, or the lame walking, or the sea mute before him, nor the demons coming out, and the loaves multiplying, and the rest of the miracles that the Jews saw, and yet they crucified Christ. When he saw the crucified thief, he acknowledged God, remembered his kingdom, and contemplated eternity. As for the Jews, they saw him performing miracles and heard his teachings in words and deeds, and they did not benefit from him, but rather descended into the depths of hell to their destruction by raising him on the cross.
(1) The disease of “stumbling” means stumbling in realizing God’s care and love as we enter the fire of temptation.
(11) The early Church Fathers were concerned with highlighting the goodness of material creation in response to the many heresies that claimed that matter was evil, created by Satan.
(13) He spoke at length about the sun and the night, how they benefit some and harm others.
(16) The saint spoke at length about the benefits of the sun, moon, and stars.
(17) He spoke of death as a good gift, a teacher for us in spiritual growth, and a guide to incorruption...
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