Spirit & Word - Week 7: Saturday

James 3:8-10

But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

Commentary

Fr. Tadros Malaty
When we use the tongue, by which we bless God in prayer, in cursing people who are made after God’s image, then we direct the insult to God their Creator and we demean His great love, in which He loved the whole world that He gave His Only Begotten Son to die for them.

Questions

• Do we ever think this deeply about gossip or talking bad about someone?

• How would our conversations and speech change if we focused on Christ in the person instead of their weaknesses and shortcomings?

Spirit & Word - Week 7: Friday

John 6:63

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."

Commentary

St. Augustine
It is the Spirit that gives life to us the members...This is said so that we may love union and fear schism. Nothing a Christian should fear like his separation from Christ’s body and, in consequence of not being a member of Christ, he does not live by Christ’s Spirit. The apostle says, “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (Rom 8:9)

Questions

• Are we scared to be separated from Christ or the church?

• When we sin, do we feel a separation between us and God? Do we feel ourselves pulling away? If yes, how does that make us feel and how do we react?

Spirit & Word - Week 7: Thursday

James 1:22

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

Commentary

St. Augustine
Neither I nor any other preacher can see into your hearts... but God is looking, for nothing can be hidden from Him. Do not deceive yourselves by coming eagerly to hear the Word and then failing to do it. If it is a good thing to hear, it is a much better thing to do. If you do not hear, you cannot do, and therefore you will build nothing. But if you hear and do not do, then what you are building will be a ruin.

Questions

• Do we ever feel like we have to put on this fake show of being a Christian so we’re not criticized by our family and friends from church?

• What is holding you back from being a doer and not just a hearer?

Spirit & Word - Week 7: Wednesday

Ephesians 6:18

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Commentary

Fr. Tadros Malaty
All the previous weapons (in the earlier verses before this one) are divine gifts, which we cannot enjoy without prayer. So he concludes by opening the door with which we obtain all the weapons to attack Satan and all his traps. Since God talking with us (the word of God) is the spiritual weapon with which we destroy all the evil, which attacks the inside, then our talking with Him (prayer) is our support to obtain divine help through continuous struggle.

Questions

• Why do you personally pray? Is it only in times of struggle? For thanksgiving? What’s the true reason?

• Can prayer just be a conversation with God or is it always to ask/thank Him for something?

Spirit & Word - Week 7: Tuesday

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Commentary

St. Ambrose
He is proclaimed as the Word, the Son, the Power of God, and His Wisdom: The Word since He is without blemish; the Power since He is perfect; the Son as he is begotten of and proceeds from the Father; and the Wisdom for He is one with the Father since time everlasting and one with Him in Divinity. This does not mean that the Person of the Father is one with the Son; for there is a clear distinction between the Father and the Son who comes as a result of birth. Thus the Lord Jesus Christ is true God from true God, everlasting from Everlasting, and perfect from perfect.

Questions

• What virtues can we take from reading this commentary? How can you work on them?

• What virtues have you been working on during this Lent and have you seen any improvements?

Spirit & Word - Week 7: Monday

Ephesians 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Commentary

Fr. Tadros Malaty
Since the helmet protects the head, then being occupied with the salvation and our hope in freeing ourselves from the coming punishments and enjoying the heavenly inheritance is the spiritual helmet which protects our head, which is our faith in the Lord Christ, the Head. The sword of the spirit, which we hold unto, is the word of God. We can fight with it so we can differentiate between what is God’s and what is not. With it we can uproot all evil inside us and cast it outside. The word of God is like the sword, which wounds but at the same time it heals!

Questions

• How do you interpret “being occupied with salvation”? What does that mean to you on a personal level?

• How can we practically “fight” with the sword mentioned in the verse and commentary?

Faith & Salvation - Week 6: Saturday

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Commentary

St. John Chrysostom
When, then, you make the sign of the cross on the forehead, arm yourself with a saintly boldness, and reinstall your soul in its old liberty; for you are not ignorant that the cross is a prize beyond all price. Consider what is the price given for your ransom, and you will nevermore be a slave to any man on earth. This reward and ransom is the cross. You should not then carelessly make the sign on the forehead, but you should impress it on your heart with the love of a fervent faith.

Questions

• How can focusing on salvation in Christ help you in your spiritual warfare?

• How can your faith in Christ protect you like a shield against bad things in your life?

Faith & Salvation - Week 6: Friday

James 1:12-13

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

Commentary

Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica | Our Thoughts Determine our Lives
All of us sin constantly. We slip and fall. In reality, we fall into a trap set by the demons.
The Holy Fathers and the Saints always tell us, ‘It is important to get up immediately after a fall and to keep on walking toward God’. Even if we fall a hundred times a day, it does not matter; we must get up and go on walking toward God without looking back. What has happened has happened – it is in the past. Just keep on going, all the while asking for help from God.”

Questions

• In what area are you most vulnerable to Satan’s attacks? What steps can you take to strengthen yourself in Christ?

• What past sins have you not let go of or forgiven yourself for? When can you schedule a time to repent and confess these sins so that you can leave them in the past and continue walking towards God?

Faith & Salvation - Week 6: Thursday

1 John 5:3-5

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Commentary

St. Macarius
To uproot sin and the evil that is so embedded in our sinning can be done only by divine power, for it is impossible and outside man’s competence to uproot sin. To struggle, yes, to continue to fight, to inflict blows, and to receive setbacks is in your power. To uproot, however, belongs to God alone. If you could have done it on your own, what would have been the need for the coming of the Lord? For just as an eye cannot see without light, nor can one speak without a tongue, nor hear without ears, nor walk without feet, nor carry on works without hands, so you cannot be saved without Jesus nor enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Questions

• Do I have a personal relationship with Christ? If not, how can I work on this? Who can help me work on this?

Faith & Salvation - Week 6: Wednesday

Romans 10:8-11

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.”

Commentary

St. Antony the Great
The truly intelligent man pursues one sole objective: to obey and to conform to the God of all. With this single aim in view, he disciplines his soul, and whatever he may encounter in the course of his life, he gives thanks to God for the compass and depth of His providential ordering of all things. For it is absurd to be grateful to doctors who give us bitter and unpleasant medicines to cure our bodies, and yet to be ungrateful to God for what appears to us to be harsh, not grasping that all we encounter is for our benefit and in accordance with His providence. For knowledge of God and faith in Him is the salvation and perfection of the soul.

Questions

• Does my mouth proclaim my faith in Christ? If not, how can I work on this? Think of specific examples.

• Do my actions proclaim my faith in Christ? If not, what can I work on? Think of specific examples.

Faith & Salvation - Week 6: Tuesday

Job 1:17-22

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “Horsemen formed three bands against us, surrounded the camels, took them captive, and killed the servants with the sword. I alone have escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine with their elder brother, and suddenly a great wind came from the desert and struck the four corners of the house; and it fell on your children, and they died; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved off the hair of his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped, saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. As it seemed good to the Lord, so also it came to pass. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all these things that happened, Job did not sin against the Lord or charge God with folly.

Commentary

St. John of Kronstadt | My Life in Christ
When your faith in the Lord, either during your life and prosperity, or in the time of sickness and at the moment of quitting this life, grows weak, grows dim from worldly vanity or through illness, and from the terrors and darkness of death, then look with the mental eyes of your heart upon the companies of our forefathers, the patriarchs, prophets, and righteous ones: St. Simeon, who took the Lord up in his arms, Job, Anna the Prophetess, and others; the Apostles, prelates, venerable Fathers, martyrs, the disinterested, the righteous, and all the saints. See how, both during their earthly life and at the time of their departure from this life, they unceasingly looked to God and died in the hope of the resurrection and of eternal life, and strive to imitate them. These living examples, which are so numerous, are capable of strengthening the wavering faith of every Christian in the Lord and in the future life.

Questions

• Think back to a hard time in your life. Did you turn to God or try to get through it on your own? What could you have done differently?

• What are people or practices that you can lean on to encourage you in your moments of trouble?

Faith & Salvation - Week 6: Monday

Hebrews 11:36-40

Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Commentary

St. John Chrysostom
At all times indeed, but especially then when I reflect upon the achievements of the saints, it comes over me to feel despondency concerning my own condition, because we have not even in dreams experienced the things among which those men spent their whole lives, not paying the penalty of sins, but always doing rightly and yet always afflicted.

Questions

• What earthly trials/punishments/hardships do you experience?

• What can we learn from the saints and prophets who went through tribulation?

Gospel of Peace - Week 5: Saturday

James 3:18

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Commentary

Fr Tadros Malaty
A) Pure: that is, straight forward and bestows on its owner a pure heart and a chaste life. As God is pure (1 John 3:3), and His words are pure, therefore, whoever obtains God’s wisdom cannot tolerate evil but is drawn to the pure life resembling God.

B) Peaceable: that is, full of peace, for it is written that all its ways are peaceable. By wisdom, one is drawn toward God, and his heart is filled with peace and he pours outer peace on others, for he cannot tolerate to see fights or loud voices. He obeys the commandment, “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” (Rom 14:19)

C) Gentle: When the heart is filled with peace toward others and does for the edification of others, he is gentle toward the shortcomings and weaknesses of others, and he focuses on how to win many to Christ. This gentleness is not an outer appearance but an inner life, whether one talks or is silent, one is chastened or criticized. In all that, he is gentle and compassionate, but in strictness.

Questions

• Is there an end goal when it comes to finding divine inner peace?

• Does having inner peace lead us to act differently on the outside?

• How do wisdom and peace tie in together?

• What are your biggest takeaways from this week?

Gospel of Peace - Week 5: Friday

Romans 8:5-6

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Commentary

Fr. Tadros Malaty
When we hear the words: ‘...But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit...’, we should not interpret that to mean that we have stripped off our human bodies. Rather; it means that while we have that body, we have abandoned the tide of carnal lusts, so that we have become as though we have no body as far as passions are concerned. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself used this expression when He spoke to the disciples and said: “You are not of this world”, indicating that they do not have the earthly thought and temporal passions in spite of their existence in the world.

With that same concept, St. Irenaeus comments as follows: [With these words, St Paul does not condemn the entity of the body, but he reveals the need for the Holy Spirit to be poured into it. However, he had stripped himself from carnal passions as they bring death to a human being. He also comments: [This is not achieved by driving out the body, but by having fellowship with the Spirit, for those to whom the Apostle is writing have accepted the Spirit of God, even while having a body, and to whom we cry out saying: “Abba, Father”, (8:15).

Questions

• How does this verse and commentary tie in with lent?

• Does being away from material possessions bring us peace or does it cause us to be further away from peace?

• Are we giving up anything more than food for lent? I.e. social media, Netflix, Youtube, TikTok, etc...?

Gospel of Peace - Week 5: Thursday

Hebrews 12:14

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Commentary

Fr. Tadros Malaty
Here St. Paul emphasizes two traits which are important in strife, which support the soul and help others. These are pursuing peace with everyone and enjoying a holy life. As for pursuing peace, once the believer realizes his position as a member of the holy body but rather of all humanity, he works harmoniously with everyone through the Head, the Planner. He endures the weaknesses of others for the edification of the community, for his inner peace and for pushing the weak through love, to repent.

As for the holy life, it is associated with following peace and accompanies it. True love that works in us to follow peace is the same working for our sanctification, in the Holy Lord Jesus. Anyone who truly loves his brother and is eager for his salvation, cannot accept leading a sinful life but loves holiness and reacts with it. Also, our love to our brothers opens for us the doors of God's grace, so we may enjoy the fellowship of the holy life in the Lord.

Questions

• A lot of times the world today tells us it’s okay to not be on good terms with people. How does this verse and commentary conflict with that idea?

• How do we feel when one of our close friends is not leading a Christian lifestyle? Do we try to encourage them to bring them back?

• Does our behavior affect those around us? If we are at peace, do the people around us feel that peace within us?

Gospel of Peace - Week 5: Wednesday

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Commentary

Fr. Tadros Malaty
The peace of God is a free gift presented to the soul that puts all its hope on Him; it would not get disturbed, but at the time of anguish, it prays, supplicates, and gives thanks; and the gates of heaven would open, and the exalted peace of God would that surpasses mind would flow on it. This divine inner peace is capable of guarding the heart and mind in Jesus Christ, and of granting man a kind of harmony between the soul and the body, between the heart and mind, and between the will and the behavior. The believer would be without any inner conflicts, for the Spirit of God would grant him an exalted inner unity; so that no sin could ever crawl into his depths to spoil his peace; and the devil would not be able to approach him, being unable to endure the heavenly divine light.

Questions

• Fr. Tadros mentions that divine inner peace grants us harmony between the will and the behavior; is this truly achievable in our everyday lives? If so, how? If not, why not?

• Is it comforting to know that God grants us peace even without taking away our tribulations?

Gospel of Peace - Week 5: Tuesday

John 16:33

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Commentary

Fr. Tadros Malaty
The peace that the Lord Jesus Christ gives them offers the blessed, glorious life so that they may enjoy the spirit of strength and victory along with the heavenly comfort and divine support.

He does not conceal from them the fact that in the world they will have tribulation. However, He asks them to be of good cheer in the middle of tribulation because He will be revealed in their life as overcoming the sinful world.

It is said that an artist wished to present a painting of peace. He chose to paint a very stormy day and a huge rock that was battered by waves on all sides. In this painting there was a ship that was wrecked by the waves and corpses of sailors and passengers floated on the water in the middle of a vortex. A dove that built a nest in a hole in the middle of the rock lay there quite secure. The artist then wrote the word “Peace” on the rock directly below that hole. Thus is our peace in Jesus Christ the Rock of ages. In Him we dwell and have rest amid the vortex and tribulations of life.

Questions

• Do we truly believe that peace in times of hardship is attainable?

• Do we often find ourselves saying “this tribulation will pass” without praying for God to grant us peace?

• Even if we find peace in difficult times, how long does it last? How do we feel once it has left us?

Gospel of Peace - Week 5: Monday

John 14:27

My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.

Commentary

Fr. Tadros Malaty
That peace is not like the one which the world gives to us. It is not just a verbal greeting. Rather, it is a true blessing that is expressed as He offers Himself to those who believe in Him. The world, with all its potentials, cannot offer such peace. Moreover, in spite of all the sadness in the world, nothing can withdraw that peace from a believer. This is because whatever the world grants affects the body and is limited by time and place. As for the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, it embraces the whole human being. Neither time nor place can restrict it: the Lord's peace draws the human soul to experience eternity.

St. John Chrysostom
The disciples were greatly troubled when they heard the Lord's words: "I go to prepare a place for you". They imagined that His departure would arouse enmity and wars against them. Notice how the Lord dispels their anxiety when He tells them: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you". He almost told them: ‘As long as My peace embraces you, what harm can the world inflict upon you?’

Questions

• Do we often try to find peace in earthly things instead of God?

• Is it difficult to feel a sense of peace everyday?

• What are some times in your life that you’ve felt the peace of God?

• How does having the peace of God assist us against the devil?

Truth & Righteousness - Week 4: Saturday

Romans 6:13

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Commentary

Fr. Tadros Malaty
It is amazing that the Apostle (St. Paul) asks us to present ourselves to God ‘as being alive from the dead’ before asking us to present our members as instruments of righteousness to God. This indicates that our physical members will not be sanctified unless our whole being is sanctified; and unless we accept the resurrection to work actively in our hearts as well as in our minds and bodies.

Questions

• Where does the act of sin begin? In the mind or the body?

• What can be our first step towards righteousness?

Truth & Righteousness - Week 4: Friday

Matthew 6:31-33

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Commentary

St. Augustine of Hippo | Sermon On The Mount 2.16.53
When he said that the [kingdom of God and His righteousness] is to be sought first, Jesus clearly intimates that the other [things] is to be sought later—not that it is to be sought at a later time but that it is to be sought as a thing of secondary importance. He showed that [righteousness] is to be sought as our good, that the [rest] is to be sought as something needful for us, but that the needful is to be sought for the sake of the [true] good.

Questions

• How can materialistic goods help us in service of the ultimate good, righteousness?

• What word or phrase really stood out to me that I should consider memorizing?