PART 6

LIFE OF HUMILITY
AND
MEEKNESS
6





BY HIS HOLINESS AMBA SHENOUDA III,
POPE AND PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
AND
THE APOSTOLIC SEE OF ALL THE PREDICATION OF
SAINT MARK









Translated from "WATANY" newspaper August 13, 2000















GOD'S HUMILITY
(B)

THE SON'S HUMILITY
&
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S
HUMILITY








In the last issue, we spoke in a general way, about the humility of God, and of the humility of Fod the Father. To-day we want to talk to you about the humility of the Son and the humility of the Holy Spirit.

THE HUMILITY
OF THE SON

(1) The first thing which we mention in his humility, is his Incarnation:
In this, the apostle saint Paul says about the Christ our Lord: "who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself ...... " (Philippians 2: 6-8). That is He made himself of no reputation from all the manifestations of majesty and honor that are suitable to his divinity, taking the image of the bondservant. What humility more than that could possibly exist?!
The divine Providence resides in this humility. So long as the first sin which entered the world was pride, whether as regards Satan or man, thus it was fitting the Saviour to conquer it by humulity.
The Incarnation was, in this manner, the greatest action of humility, with which the Lord shamed that pride by which Satan deceived our first parents, that they would become like God (Ex. 3:5). In response to man becoming like God, God became in appearance like a man through his humility.
(2) It is also because of the humility of God, that he was born in a manger of cows
in a despicable place, from a poor mother who was betrothed to a poor carpentar, and from a village that was : "the least among the rulers of Judah", Bethlehem (Matt. 2: 5-6). He was not ashamed to be called Nazarethan, while it was said in wonder: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46).
(3) He lived in his humility, far away from manifestations and surnames.
He accepted to run away toEgypt from the sword of Herod , while it was possible for him to annihilate Herod. He lived thirty years far away from lights.
Although he is the Person of wisdom and knowledge, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3), He accepted that it was said of him: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men" (Luke 2:52).
During all the period of his predication, he lived and had "nowhere to lay His head" (Luke 9:58), without any official post in society, followed by simple disciples, the majority of which were fishermen and ignorant. When he went to Jerusalem, he went "sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey" (Matt. 21:5).
(4) He also lived submitting himself to the Law, and he incited to its keeping.
Is he not the One who said: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled" (Matt. 5: 17-18).
In his submission to the Law, He was circumcised in the eightth day (Luke 2:21).
In the fortieth day from his birthday, [they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons"] (Luke 2: 22-23).
And according to the law, he did not begin his pastoral service, until he was in the thirtieth year of his life, in conformity to the mature age which is supposed to be in any man, although when he was twelve years of age, he was found in the temple "sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers" (Luke 2:46-47).
(5) Because of his humility, he presented himself to be baptised by John the Baptist.
This was the baptism of repentance. He was not in need of it because he is the Holy One (Luke 1:35), who in his Incarnation, resembled us in everything except sin. He accepted baptism from one of his servants, I mean John the Baptist who tried to excuse himself from that, saying to him: "I need to be baptised by You, and are You coming to me? But Jesus answered and said (humbly) to Him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt. 3: 14-15), meaning the righteousness of the law, to which he submitted himself out of humility.
(6) Out of his humility, he permitted Satan to tempt him!
It was not only one temptation, but three times on the mountain. The profoundness of his humility and his making himself of no reputation, reached such a point that Satan "took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me" (Matt. 4: 8-9). Oh the audaciousness and the insolence of the malignant in his exploitation of the humility of the Lord! It is for that reason that the Lord, after having replied to Satan by the Scriptures, rebuked him saying: "Away with you, Satan ............. Then the devil left Him" (Matt. 4:10-11). But saint Luke says about that: "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time" (Luke 4:13), meaning that Satan returned after that!
(7) The Only Son, the Logos, lived the life of obedience, in His humility:
The apostle saint Paul said "He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8). He said to his disciples about Himself: "I have food to eat of which you do not know ......... My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work" (John 4: 22,24). And He said to the Jews: "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner" (John 5:19). And He said to the Father: "nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42); "nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will" (Matt 26:39). And He said: "I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (John 5:30).
His obedience was not only to the heavenly Father, but also to His mother Mary.
It was said regarding his relation to the Virgin and to Joseph the carpentar, during his childhood: "Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them" (Luke 2:51). That is a lesson for us from Him that "the angels ministered to Him" (Mark 1:13), (1 Peter 3:22).
(8) He used to sit with publicans and sinners, out of humulilty:
The scribes and the pharisees despised these publicans, and scorned to mingle with them. But the Lord chose one of them (Matthew) to become his disciple. On this occasion, he sat at table in a feast which the publicans prepared; and when the pharisees criticised Him (Matt. 9: 911), the Lord in his humility replied to them: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance (Matt. 9:13).
He also called Zacchaeus in the same manner, and entered his house.
It is out of his humility that he sat down in the houses of the pharisees, his enemies, such as his visit to the house of Simeon the pharisee; and His permission to the woman who was a sinner, to touch Him and wipe his feet with the hair of her head, the thing which upset that pharisee (Luke 7).
(9) Out of the humility of the Lord, he marched in simplicity with everybody.
He marched in simplicity with the children, with the women, and with ordinary people, speaking plainly to them, without haughtiness or contemptuousness, as a human being.
On many occasions He called himself the Son of Man. It was said about him in his humility: "He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyhone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench"(Matt. 12: 19-20).
(10) It is out of his humility that He did not do the miracles for pomp or in order that the people would look astonishingly,
such as his rejection of transforming stones into bread, and his refusal to throw himself down the pinnacle of the temple so that the angels would carry him on their wings (Matt. 4).
When the Jews asked Him for a miracle as a subject for ostentation, He said to them: "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matt. 12:39), thus directing their sights to his death, not to his miracles.
(11) Out of His humility, He glorified his disciples.
He said to the Father about them: "And the glory which You gave me I have given them" (John 17:22). He said rather more than that: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater works than these he will do" (John 14:12).
The apostle saint Paul said about them: "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined.............these He also glorified" (Rom 8: 29-30).
He also gave them that his churches and his sanctuaries would be built on their names; that their icons would be portrayed and that candles would be burnt in front of their icons; that hymns and doxologies would be sung for them.
(12) His grace secretly works in people, also out of his humility.
It is their work that shows that the grace of the Lord works in them. Nobody sees the grace. The apostle saint Paul manifested this when he said:
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1Cor. 15:10).
(13) He suffered the injustice of the wicked, and silently accepted the offences, also out of his humility.
He was insulted, struck with the palms of the hands, offended, scourged, and injustly accused. He accepted all that, without defending himself, and without returning their iniquity upon them. It was said of Him: "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent" (Is. 53:7). He was crucified between two thieves. "and He was numbered with the transgressors" (Is. 53:12).
(14) In His humility He bore the sins of the world.
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21). He bore the sins of all the world. "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted" (Is. 53:4); "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Is. 53:6). Thus He was crucified as a doer of iniquity, yet He is the Just, and He accepted to be a sacrifice of sin in front of the Father.
(15) And out of His humility, He has made His crucifixion perceptible in front of all the people, while He did not show His glorious resurrection, but to a few individuals!
This resurrection could have possibly been apparent to all in a dazzling manner that would restore his consideration in front of the Jews. But in his humility He did not do that; and He left to his apostles to announce his resurrection among the doubts which the Jews had raised.
(16) Because of all this, He has invited us to learn humility from him and said:
"learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart" (Matt. 11:29), and thus He made the most important thing that we learn from him is humility. And in his sermon on the mountain, he gave the first blessing to the poor in spirit, then he gave the blessing to the humble.


















THE HUMILITY
OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT

Out of the humility of the Holy Spirit, He secretly and hiddenly works everything in the building of the Church, so that His works are called the mysteries of the Church.
The new human being is born of Him in the Baptism. He grants him forgiveness and filiality without manifestation. Likewise in the mystery of Confirmation, He makes his dwelling inside the faithful without manifestation. Likewise He forgives the sins by the mouth of the priest without manifestation. And likewise in the rest of the mysteries.
(18) Out of the humility of the Holy Spirit, He speaks with the mouth of the apostles, and He speaks in the prophets also without manifestation.
As the Lord Christ said to his disciples: "for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matt. 10:20). Of course what is apparent before people is that the apostles speak. But the work of the Holy Spirit is hidden.
Thus it has been said about the prophecy: "for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). Nobody sees the work of the Holy Spirit, but they hear the prophecy from a human being.
(19) Likewise the power which the Holy Spirit grants to the servants.
As the Lord Christ said to his saint apostles: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me" (Acts 1:8). People saw the power of the witness of the apostles. They praised them and they were impressed by them. But the work of the Holy Spirit in them, was hidden and people did not see it.
(20) In humility, The Holy Spirit granted the gifts.
People see the gifts and marvel at them and praise them, while the Holy Bible says about all these gifts: "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills" (1 Cor. 12:11). The gifted are apparent, but the work of the Spirit is hidden.
(21) Thus the Holy Spirit worked in the Church. The work of the Church was apparent. But all the work of the Holy Spirit was secret and hidden.
Read all History, all the glory of the champions of faith, of the evangelists, of the fathers of monasticism, of the teachers of the church, and rather also of the saints of repentance that it contains, ...... you will see that History glorifies and elevates them, while all the work is due to the Holy Spirit who secretly acted in them, out of his humility.
(22) The Holy Spirit accepts to dwell in our human bodies, because of his humility.
As the apostle says: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you (1Cor 6:19); and also: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Cor. 3:16). Who are we, the dust and ashes?! What are our bodies, so that the Spirit of God dwells in us, is it not out of his humility?!
(23) It is out of the humility of the Holy Spirit, that he tolerates us
He tolerates us while we "grieve the Holy Spirit of God" (Eph. 4:30), and we "quench the Spirit" (1 Thess. 5:19), and we "resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7:51), and rather, by our sins, we refuse the participation with the Holy Spirit!
May God have mercy upon us, and may He regenerate His Spirit in us.