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Definitely our topic for today is very nice and fruitful.
Starting with our Pope and Bishop Mousa
as a sponsoring committee and Bishop Bishoy and all the attendees.
It is doubtless that the happiness
and effect of this will reflect on all our service
I will start with the the Hymns subject for 6-7 minutes,
then for the Sermon topic for 5-6 minutes so there is more time for discussions.
No doubt music has an effect on the mood,
for example when we hear military music,
or funeral music, therapeutic music,
or when we hear the connection between music
and movement in high art as in the art of ballet and so on.
When I talk about hymns in general, hymns can be in three types:
Hymns for knowledge and learning:
meaning we take the topic and frame it in musical terms
so we can deliver it to those we are teaching.
Probably a famous hymn is one that we say
in it all the children found in the Holy Bible, do you know it?!
From "genesis to exodus," through this hymn we try to get them to memorize all the books
in the holy bible in both the new and the old testaments so they can remember them.
or we can also design a hymn for knowledge such as
one that tells a story about the church's history
or a historical event that was mentioned in the bible.
One of the most popular ones that tells a story is " the grape cluster" hymn (the Grape Vine of Love).
It tells that there was once a cluster of grapes which came up out of season, etc.
This hymn is for learning. It is expressed as an example for a teaching
The second kind of hymns can be called hymns of spiritual communion.
This kind has en element of participation and we use it during our meetings and quiet time.
One example is the hymn "How are you?" Do you know it?!
"How are you my precious master, Christ?", and another is the Pope's hymn which I will say right now.
The third kind of hymns are called hymns of spiritual unity.
Usually the individual feels that his inner and deep feelings are connected with Christ,
the most popular in our day are His Holiness' hymns, like "My beating heart" for example.
We use this kind of hymns frequently, especially in prayer meetings.
For example, you all probably recall the hymn that goes "where he led me, I shall walk", right?
It has got a mellow rhythm that suits prayer meetings. Another example is the hymn "hold my hand".
Another example of a hymn that many enjoy during prayer meetings is "from the depths, O Lord".
These are the three kinds of hymns.
One for knowledge, another for participation and a third for spiritual unity
for the individual who practices in the church.
In fact, there are hymns that transcend all three kinds. For example, a hymn can have aspects of knowledge, participation, and
spiritual unity. Among the most popular of these is the hymn "My church.. My church".
I think it is loved by both children and adults. Do you know it? It is loved by many.
These hymns I cannot classify as Orthodox, Protestant or Catholic.
These Characteristics can not easily be determined but i feel that the hymn that would be suitable in our church,
which enjoys a very rich heritage of hymns reaching about 150 wonderful musical tunes, must have three special characteristics.
The first thing is that it needs to have the spirit of worship,
it makes you feel submissive and cringy not to the extent that your body will shake but you feel meek and
this is the first important characteristic that you will need to acquire
the second characteristic that makes the hymn suitable is that it can provide joy
and it has the spirit of joy and happiness.
Not a rhythm which puts you to sleep.
This of course depends on whether the service (ministry) is that for children, or older persons,
or youth, or university students, "or workers. This variety of ministries gives us joy.
By the way, this principle also applies to our hymns." So our most sad hymns such as those said during Good Friday
also bring us joy when we pray them and say in the third hour of the agpeya,
we pray thank you lord because you filled the whole earth with joy, even though we know that Jesus would be crucified in the sixth hour.
Therefore even through jesus suffering we find joy to our spirits, and of course we all now the
book of psalms and we find that the word "night" is repeated in so many places but it still brings us the spirit of joy.
The third characteristic is that it contains the church spirit,
which means the the oneness working spirit, and we call it the spirit that causes oneness.
It doesn't solely depends on the one person,
meaning only that persons relationship with God, but rather we said that the relationship in the spiritual life
is connected by God, the church and the individual and that the trinity of the spiritual life.
For protestant church, the spiritual life is only between God and the individual,
but they don't involve the church as a third party. And based on that, they don't practice sacraments and etc..
There is no doubt that it is our responsibility that we utilize the songs and hymns,
as well as parts of our praises, in a way that feeds the minds and ears of our children from their childhood.
For example the Psalm 151 hymn 'I am the youngest of my brothers' It's use, there, is a wonderful church piece that should be learned from a young age,
for example the Saturday Psali that says [Remembering Thine Holy Name] gives joy to our souls is all joyous and and it's entirely from the depths of the church.
At the conclusion of prayers, we pray "O our Lord Jesus Christ" (PiKhristos Efnoti) for example,
and the prime (agpeya) praises has many pieces that says " let's worship in the name of the Holy Trinity."
And in the middle of it is a really nice part that when it's said in the middle of the youth meeting
it's becomes really wonderful and expresses a very authentic spirit "inside the church,"
"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together, in unity"" and so on."
These are small indications about the issue of the spiritual song
and how it can be in conformity and very fitting to our services in the church
The spiritual song should be Orthodox, which includes coming from the Church and from the spirit of an individual
who is clear, whose words and tunes and presentation are those of someone living in the church
I mean, when we hear a tune, even if parts of it or in Arabic, we get this feeling that it's from the depth of the Church,
that it's from our roots, from the very soil in which we grew up.
A Coptic Orthodox heart will not forget the hymns plentifully abundant that were spoken about by His Grace Bishop Moussa
in his review of tapes with Anba Hedra, that the abundance of spiritual songs that are not Orthodox
cause what a brother referred to as, a 'polluting process', a process of forgetting.
It is a process that results in the mind being far off and unable to enjoy anything or experience the emotion,
the grace, the nature and the spirit associated with the Coptic Orthodox faith in our Church.
You may note that they discuss this case nowadays on the level of songs, video clips, and all that.
When they compare to the old songs, even the people in the whole world discuss this case,
being that the artistic taste in this matter has begun to decline.
We all need these two matters: The first matter is to highlight, and emphatically, all of our hymns
and the most appropriate stichera, which can be used in all of our meetings and gatherings without exception.
I know one of the houses, when they get up in the morning for their prayer. They do not get a chance to pray the Agpeya together.
They stand and chant a praise partly in Arabic. And this gives them a good spirit.
It gives them a feeling that they are in the company of the Saints, and that Christ is with them from the onset of the day.
We must be careful to ensure that the worship songs we use are Orthodox in their origin, lyrics, melodies and
in their spirit and communion and unity with Christ ought to be embedded within their meaning.
These are general summary points regarding spiritual songs.
Regarding the sermon the fulfilling sermon
His grace bishop Bakhoumios said now an interesting expression, " the fragile sermon" or "the deficient sermon."
Truly there are many fragile, weak sermons if you were to ask anyone who heard them after they leave
and say what was the topic that the priest talked about today, he will answer and say I don't really know,
but he was talking about praying and fasting and charity, love, giving, being merciful.
Did the priest talk about all these topics?
Yes, indeed the priest talked about all these topics generally the weak sermon is like the snacking,
it doesn't fill your stomach and you remain without immunity and eventually leads to malnutrition.
Therefore malnutrition or lack of knowledge is exactly like a fragile/ deficient sermon.
1) the sermon is different then the lecture.
A lecture can be on any topic and in any form, but the sermon should adhere to two basic things:
a) talking about Jesus' character, spirituality, theology, dogma, church, etc.
b) it should also lead you to repentance, everyone who hears it, repents in their heart regardless how sinful he/she is.
It should also mention the personality of Jesus and motivates the heart and the person to repent
Whenever i am preparing for a sermon, i have one goal in mind which is that the people/congregation who listens should
learn one thing this thing is that they should be able to grasp a lesson
which has to be precise and clear for them to understand and remember and
when Father Botros just talked and explained what we do during the sacrament of baptism
and the order it is done in, we need to understand why the church does it in this way and in this specific order.
Whenever I ask those who drifts from our faith one of their problems is that they don't understand the church.
It's a really pivotal problem.
The third dimension is work, or participation. He leaves after listening to a homily of a Liturgy;
of a meeting; of a retreat; of a conference, and inside of himself is a desire to do something.
We call these three dimensions of a fulfilling homily:
knowledge, reaction or experience, conduct or work.
Based on this, every homily requires firstly that it has a clear structure.
The homily must be very clear.
The one who homilizes is equivalent to one who draws.
Do you know when an engineer sits and draws a design for a building, or a construction, or something?
You are drawing in the heart, or in the mind of the listener. You are drawing something.
A structure comprised of three levels, such as a sanctuary, or a clear construction, and not something abstract.
You know...the abstract thing has no form at all.
This becomes disastrous in the ministry of the youth, in particular.
A youth is critical, and wants to know. Then after attending a homily,
he feels as if it drew nothing in his mind. It did not add anything.
The second point about the homily is that it needs a practical aim.
The listener should leave, wanting to do something. He should resolve to open the Gospel;
to look for a certain book; to stand before Our Lord, and to lift his heart in prayer for a particular matter.
But he resolves to do something that he will actually do.
The third point is that the homily requires to create constant interest in what is new.
I believe we are all in agreement in this; that our people can sense the homilies that are prepared,
and are good and new from those that are, according to Sayedna Anba Bakhomious, are poor and weak.
It has nothing new. It is as if we are offering stale food to the one we are serving.
This is the simplest expression that I can say; offering of stale food.
Of course, stale food does not mean that it is (made) with love, which is evident from its service.
The last point about a fulfilling homily is that it must have a form of dialogue.
Some of you might ask and say, Is Abouna going to stand in the homily like a teacher, and dialogue the people? No.
I will tell you. There is a direct dialogue, such as the dialogue that took place a few moments ago,
and the dialogue that will take place at the conclusion afterwards. However, there is an indirect dialogue.
I will tell you what it is like. I will say a verse, like the verse that you know
"For (God) so loved" -- and will stay quiet for a moment. What is the rest (of it)?
He then continues the informal dialogue. Or, I will say "Like the Saint that you all know.
The Saint who went to (bring to) repentance a whole people."
The mind will then work. Who went to (bring to) repentance a whole people? Who? Jonah.
I did not say his name. Whereas, if I said that Jonah went to (bring to) repentance a whole people, the matter will pass by the mind, and that's it.
But, the indirect dialogue that has no mention of the name; no continuation of the verse;
no mention of the entire event -- the story or the event. What reminds him is this indirect dialogue.
Also, a homily must be concluded by a simple revision of the important (points) that were said.
After which, I tie the homily to a part of the Church's whole being. Today is the second Sunday of Baba.
The Church, in the month of Baba, talks about the holy authority of Christ.
In the past month, the month of Touba, the Church spoke to us about the love of God.
This second month, we are told about the authority of Christ. The First Sunday, about His authority over maladies.
The second, about His authority over nature. The third, over the devil and the kingdom of spirits.
The fourth, His authority over death. The listener will then understand where he stands with respect to the whole Church.
Today, all these signs can give a fulfilling homily.
Perhaps the last thing that I will say is that the matter requires us to read a lot. Read a lot.
A whole lot of reading, whether it be Scriptural reading; spiritual reading; or religious cultural reading.
But read is the great means that will be able to provide, for our children, a fulfilling homily.
One, absolutely final, note. We must orient our lives, and the lives of those whom we serve, to the spirit of meditation.
Meditation undoubtedly has a fulfilling effect on the souls of the listeners in the homily;
the youth and young children in the family meetings; (and) the attendee in whatever condition he might be in.
This was a quick presentation of the topic "The Meaningful Hymn and the Fulfilling Homily."