heinstitutedforusthisgreatsacramentwhereforeheresolvedtogivehimselfforthelifeoftheworld Archives • Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Midlands, U.K.

“O Lord, truly I am your servant” – Psalm 116:16 . “Do we return thanks to our servants, for waiting upon us? By no means. Yet God is thankful even to us, who serve not Him (as we should), but rather do that which is expedient for ourselves. But let us not act as if God owed us thanks. Let us act instead as if we were paying a debt. For the matter truly is a debt, and all that we do is of a debt. For if when we purchase slaves with our money, we wish them to live altogether for us; and for whatever they have, to have it for us, how much more must it be so with Him, Who brought us out of nothing into being; and Who, after this, bought us with His precious Blood, having paid such a price for us as no one would endure to pay even for his own son, and Who shed His own Blood for us? If therefore we had ten thousand souls – even if we should lay them all down for Him – would this make an equal return? By no means. And why? Because He did this owing us nothing; instead, the whole was a matter of grace. But we, on the other hand, are debtors. Being God Himself, He became a servant; and not being subject to death, He subjected Himself to death in the flesh. We – if we do not voluntarily lay down our lives for Him now – must by the law of nature must certainly lay them down later. The same is also true in the case of riches; if we do not bestow them on our fellow men now for His sake, we shall render them up from necessity at our end. So it is also with humility. Although we are not willingly humble for His sake, we shall be made humble by tribulations, by calamities, by over-ruling powers. Do you see, therefore, how great is the grace! Our Lord does all the work, making us humble by these things, and then He rewards us for the humility He has implanted in us.” – St. John Chrysostom #Humility #servantofGod #HeInstitutedForUsThisGreatSacramentWhereforeHeResolvedToGiveHimselfForTheLifeOfTheWorld #sacrifice #orthodox #coptic #dailyreadings

“O Lord, truly I am your servant” – Psalm 116:16 . “Do we return thanks to our servants, for waiting …

Read more