The first Sunday of the month of Amshir Reflections in the Gospel of Liturgy

John 6: 22-27

“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:27) When man was in Paradise, man was in a state of permanent joy. Human was living in deep spirituality and his mind was not occupied with bodily matters. It did matter that he was naked, he was not interested in food items and forms. Human lived as a celestial creature, despite wearing a physical garment. When the man sinned, his bodily eyes were opened and his thoughts began to descend from heaven to earth, from the spiritual to the physical. When human was expelled from paradise because of sin human took with him a harsh judgment, to work and sweat and toil for these things which he loved and caused him to sin. In Paradise, he did not think of physicality and he would receive all his needs without asking or thinking about it, and on earth he must work hard and toil in order to meet the needs of his body. So, the earthly work reminds the children of God of sin that caused the loss of life in Paradise. Therefore, the children of God strive to make the physical work not to delay or hinder them to live in the spiritualities which they long for. When they work for physical food, they remember that they were deprived of all the trees of Paradise, which represented food of the Spirit because of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which opened their physical eyes. When they work for clothes, they remember that they need these clothes only because of the sin that have exposed and shamed them, and when they strive for any worldly position, they remember that they were deprived of the heavenly and celestial status, which the Lord was pleased to grant them, as a result of sin. In all this, they lift their eyes upward, longing for that hour in which they return to their heavenly homeland, which is now open to receive them with the blood of the Lord Jesus who has was shed to redeem their sins and the sins of the whole world. And you, beloved, what are you working for?? Do you work for the perishing food?? Or for the lasting food of eternal life? And work for the lasting food does not cancel the work for the perishing food, but the intention is to change the goal, even when a man works for perishing food his goal is for the lasting food, how ?? through carrying out the commandments of God, and to glorify God’s Name. + You seek Me, not because you saw the signs. How hard that physical work becomes a goal in itself. Man works because he wants to satisfy needs of the body only. In this case, the person takes the curse of fatigue and bitterness that accompanies the work of the body. He is deprived of the blessing of carrying out the commandment. He cannot turn his toil to be for the of joy of the heart of God. The work is in itself a duty and necessity. The Bible forbids laziness and condemns the un-working hand. King Soliman says in the Book of

Proverbs: “Go the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise “ and “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of hands to sleep. So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, you’re your need like an armed man” (Proverbs 6: 6, 10-11). The book also forbids the work of cheating and stealing whatever its goal. “People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving. Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold; He may have to give up all the substance of his house” (Proverbs 6: 30-31). “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord. But just weight is His delight” (Proverbs 11: 1) And about the lazy man also said: “The lazy man will not blow because of winter; He shall beg during harvest and have nothing” (Proverbs 20: 4). And St. Paul the Apostle was working while preaching saying “these hands have provided for my necessities and for those who were with me” (Acts 20: 34). Since the beginning of the monastic life, fathers taught that the monk must work with his hands not only to meet his own needs but to have enough to help and provide for those in need and get the blessing of implementation of commandment of helping and giving to the needy. God may use the physical work of man to be the cause of a blessing for him and those around him, especially the man who is faithful in his work. The history of the Church tells us of a story of a comedian named Perviros who was very good at his work. One day he was summoned by Emperor Julius the infidel enemy of Christianity to provide some comic acts at the celebration of his birthday. It was among one of the acts, the presentation of Christian baptism. The emperor’s intention of course is the mockery of the doctrines of Christianity. Perviros memorized his role perfectly. At the ceremony they brought him a large basin and the actor was dressed as semi-naked and began to anoint himself with little oil and recited parts from the prayer of renouncing Satan, and then he turned toward the east, and recited parts of declaration of faith, and then plunged into the water three times after signing the cross on the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. But when he came down to the water, he saw that the sky is open, and a wonderful light surrounded him, and amazing divine blessing filled him. And God illumined his mind for understanding the mystery and strength of baptism. When he came out of the water, he raised his hands and shouted I am a Christian, I am a Christian. The king thought that it is part of the play and started applauding him with the attendees on the magnificence of his acting and his qualities. But Perviros declared in a very serious way that he does not act but has already become a Christian. Attempts of the king to persuade him to deny the Faith failed. Then he received the crown of martyrdom and the Church celebrates his martyrdom every year on the nineteenth day of the month of Tote. The history of the Church tells us how the rulers and kings trusted the Christian to do the works that needed honesty and sincerity. Even in the worst times of persecution, these rulers could not extricate themselves from employing the Christians. There was no substitute for them because of their total loyalty and their trustworthy faith. But the Christian man is not honest in his work because he wants to be praised by the presidents and rulers but he is carrying out the commandments of God. And to have a good and blameless conscience before God and in front of people also. Therefore, he does not need such a person to monitor him. He satisfies God in his work even if he is not held accountable or seen by anyone. And are you a person who makes your work a blessing for your life and implement the commandments of God, or are you working for yourself and for your worldly goals. The difference is great. The person who works for money and for his desires and pleasures becomes a person who is looking for twisted ways to get money, how to skip work and how to get the largest amount of money with the least amount of work and resort to fraud and forgery, skipping work and claim sickness and seek compensation that he does not deserve. And, may be trying to evade taxes, disclaim responsibility and act negligently. Dear Beloved, do you carry out the commandments of God in your work?? Do you make your work a reason to satisfy yourself and your conscience and a way to please the heart of God? Whom do you please at your work?? God or the people, God or yourself and your desires. Do you work for the perishing food or for the everlasting food for the eternal life? + Do not work for the perishing food .. Failure is not part of the nature of the children of God. God did not give us the spirit of failure, but the spirit of success. Despair also is not the nature of the children of God. Children of God always have hope and hearts filled with peace even in the most difficult times. Therefore, the success of the children of God is the cause of glorification for the name of God and not for themselves. They are not looking for their self-glory, but the glory of God first. Joseph was a successful man because God was with him. He was successful even in the depths of the prison and his success was a blessing for everyone around him. It was a blessing to Pharaoh, a blessing for his family and a blessing for the whole world at the time. God gave Solomon a richness and wisdom that did no person ever had. In this wisdom he glorified the name of God everywhere. We are still learning from his wisdom in the books of the Bible, in his teachings, prophecies, proverbs and songs and in his biography. The first astronaut in history, “Yuri Gagarin” )April

1961), who went into space and returned after spending less than two hours in space to say a strange comment that “he did not see God” and God willing to this the man who invaded the space that he was killed in a plane crash. The other is the astronaut Aldrin, one of the first three to land on the moon (July 1969) and spent about 195 hours in outer space. He returned to Earth to become a missionary who travels everywhere telling People about the existence of God. His success story was a blessing for many.

There are also those who sacrificed even the world’s success in order to have a greater share with God. We hear of St. Arsanius the teacher of the children of kings who left the palace of the king and left all the glory in which he lived and went to the wilderness to spend his life in with God. Also, of the Saints Maximus and Domadius, the children of the emperor who left their father’s palace and left everything and went to the wilderness of Shehet, to become disciples of St. Macarius the Great. It is true that their worldly success glorifies the name of God, but their love for God was stronger than anything. They would not spend extra hour in the world for the sake of love of God in their hearts.

To be successful in your life is something blessed, but to make your success goal is to glorify the name of God, this is something very blessed. Beware of the success that only leads to self-glory. It is a failed success which will soon despair and may lead to destruction. A person like Hitler was seen in the eyes of many as successful and was considered by many in his time that he is a great hero. But in fact and in the eyes of God he was a failed man who only cares about his glory and the praise of the world only at the expense of others, even at the expense of the peace of the whole world. Look, beloved and check with yourself, lest your success is of this kind of miserable success, success for the world, success that tramples on the commandments of God, success that destroy others and even yourself, success that is leading to destruction. The success that leads to heaven is a success that glorifies the name of God, which causes others rest, peace and success. There are those who succeed at the expense of the failure of others. This is called success for failure and there is a success for the success of others who succeeds to glorify the name of God in His life and works.

+ but for

The Food Which Endures To

everlasting life .. Make your goal to be heaven. Do not ever forget this goal in all your works and in all your toils. Remember that you are a citizen of heaven and you should not live for the earthly pleasures and desires. On your works do not ever forget the commandments of God. And when you succeed glorify the name of God in your success and then the perishing food will be destined to become a fuel to charge you to continue the path of eternal life.