St. Marks Coptic Church Melbourne

  As we approach the end of another year, it is always an opportune time to reflect on our achievements in the year just passed. This is important, so that we can also review our goals in life, and plan for the year ahead. It is also an important time to remember the very source of all our success, the Lord Himself who gave us the very gifts that make for this success. Many people have been blessed by God’s gifts to them, but they did not honour  Him or show God recognition for these blessings. ‘Why’, we ask, ‘did they not do so?’ We find that the reasons are varied, but onc thing is sure, God does become upset and distances Himself from those who fail to praise and glorify Him for His love. Consequently, they bring disaster to themselves, as they no longer receive God’s blessings in their lives.  

  Well, it’s this time of the year when we begin the most holy fast of Lent. It is a very holy fast because it precedes the most important event in the history of man- Our salvation from the death of sin through God’s bodily death on the cross. It’s a most holy fast, too, because we remember the extreme love the Lord showed us, to the extent that He gave up His glory to be mistreated in the shame of an evil sinner, taking our shame upon Himself. We look forward to this holy period because it brings us right up close to the cross of our Lord, bringing us to His very presence, and allowing us to enjoy the many benefits that it brings. These are benefits of spiritual blessings, resting from anxieties of life, sharing in Christ’s way of holiness and experiencing fulfillment in life.

To us Christians, the symbol of the cross is the most important symbol in our lives. On the exterior, it is a symbol of shame and sufferings. But to us it is a reminder of the means God had chosen for our salvation. It is also a calling for all Christians to follow the lead of Christ to a life of righteousness, which inevitably is accompanied by personal hardship and sufferings. We need to be aware that this symbol is the target of Satan who works arduously to ridicule and remove it from the world. Sects such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and others are quick to do this, as they attempt to embarrass any unsuspecting Christian for believing in this most sacred symbol. As we approach the season of the passion of our Lord, then, let us remind ourselves why we value the cross, and why it is of paramount importance to our faith.