[Arabic Version]
The first Sunday of Lent is known as
“Sunday of Orthodoxy”
It is important that we explore the idea and experience of Lent as a spiritual journey whom purpose is to transfer us from one spiritual state to another. We know that a great majority of Christians today ignore the purpose of Lent and see it only as a season during which they “must” fulfill their religious obligation. The “once a year” communion and comply by some dietary restrictions soon to be replaced by the permissiveness of the Paschal time.
Each Sunday of Lent has two themes, two meanings, on the one hand, each one belongs to a sequence in which the rhythm and the spiritual language of Lent are revealed, On the other hand, in the course of the Church’s historical development almost each Lenten Sunday has acquired a 2nd theme. Thus on the 1st Sunday. The Church celebrates the “TRIUMP OF ORTHODOXY” it is the victory and restoration of the icons against iconoclasm who refused the icon. The year is 843.
The word “Orthodoxy” was first used 2 in connection with this Sunday in restricted sense. When it was first instituted in 842, it marked the defeat of iconoclasm and proclaimed the legitimacy of veneration of the icons. Later the scope of the worth was extended. By “Orthodoxy” was understood the whole body of dogmas uplied by the Orthodox Church. It seems that byzantine Christianity thought it necessary duty to confess it is faith at the beginning of Lent. Nowadays, we should be more concerned than was then the case to express ourselves with love towards those who erred and to separate the true from the erroneous in their thinking. But it was right and useful that the Orthodox Church should affirm its own attitude very Cleary.
The ecumenical concern with it shares nowadays with other Churches should not be understood as an abandonment sign of its fundamental beliefs. And it is also necessary to weed out parasitic growths; and not to profane the adjective” Orthodox” by allowing it to cover what might be either superstition or superfluity.
The texts which are read or sung on this Sunday insist on the reality of the incarnation. In fact the coming of Christ in the flesh is the foundation of the veneration of icons-Christ incarnate is the essential icon, the prototype of all icons.
The gospel of the day is from St.John 1:43-51 the evangelist does not speak about the icons, he speaks about the conversion of Nathanael.
Jesus leaves the south and goes to the north (Galilee). There, He found and called Philip. Philipp, like Andrew. Could not keep the good news to himself.Godet said: “One lighted torch serves to light another!” So he went and found Nathanael. He told him: he had discovered the long promised Messiah in Jesus, the man from Nazareth. Nathanael did not buy the story, since there is nothing in the O.testament which foretold that God’s chosen one should come from Nazareth: Nathanael reaction was to declare that Nazareth was not the kind of place that anything good was likely to come out of Philip did not want to argue. He said simply:” come and see”.
Not very many people have ever been argued into Christianity. The only way to convince another person of the supremacy of Christ is to confront him with Christ. It is the presentation of the story of the Cross which convince and bring other to Christ.
There is a story about the well known Huxley the agnostic. Once, he was in a house-Party at a country house. Sunday came, and most of the memebers prepared to go to Church; but, very naturally, Huxley did not propose to go. He instead approached a simple Christian man, with simple faith. He said to him”” suppose you don’t go to Church today; suppose you stay at home and you tell me quite simply what your Christian faith means to you and why you are a Christian”.
“But”, said the man,” you could demolish my arguments in an instant, I am not clever enough to argue with you”. Huxley said gently: “I don’t want to argue with you; I just want you to tell me simply what this Christ means to you”! The man stayed and told Huxley of his faith. When he had finished there were tears in the great agnostic’s eyes.” I would give me right hand, if only I could believe that” he answered.
It was not clever argument that touched Huxley’s heart, but the simple presentation of Christ. The best argument is:” come and see”. Of course we have to know Christ before we can invite others to come to Him.
When Jesus saw Nathanael He said: “Here is a genuine Israelite, a man in whose heart there is no guile”.
Nathanael was surprised of a such verdict. He asked how Jesus could possibly know him. He heard from the Lord: “I have seen you already under the fig-tree: what does it mean? The fig-tree stood for peace. It is leafy and shady and it was custom to the middle-easterners to sit and meditate under its branches. No doubt that that what was Nathanael had being doing. And now he felt that Jesus had seen into the very depths of his heart.
We are celebrating the Sunday of Orthodoxy after over twelve hundred years where do we stand from Jesus? Are we still searching? If yes, for what? Haven’t we found Jesus the Messiah who every one of us can find Him and May comes to our hearts and live in? Are we asking questions while we are sitting under our own fig-tree? The time is near; you cannot waist any of it. Make you decision. May the holiday be happy.
Amen