Journey Back to Eden.pdf - St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Chicago

A TIME OF SIGNS: CAELUM ET TERRA 77their apostolic unity and then, he said, on that basis, they could approachCatholicism from a position of relative confidence, evenrelative strength. In that position—not one of intimidation orthreat—they might be able to summon Catholicism back to herself,to summon from the many voices that one voice which is hersand hers alone. By this means, they might be able to draw Catholicismback to her genuine authenticity and integrity, and make it aplausible voice in ecumenical relations once again.The Solar Disk and the CrossAs we spoke, the sun began to set. As we gazed at the beautiful sunsetin the western desert, Pope Shenouda spoke rather poignantlyabout the role of the sun in the ancient Coptic and Egyptian world.He said that the ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun, Ra, but theysaw it as a continuous cycle, repeating itself: a cycle of day andnight, life and death, fertility. But we as Christians, he said, do notsee it as a cycle which repeats itself. Rather, for us, it is a Paschalsign. It is not an endless circle of repetition, but a daily pattern of amystery which has been fulfilled once and for all. It is the Paschalmystery that the sun evidences, he said, for it is blood red at night,representing the descent of God into human flesh and of Christinto the earth. The sunset represents the descent of God into thelowest parts of human suffering and even of human sin; his descent,through blood, into human death.The sun rises in the morning as Christ rose in the morning,“rejoicing like a champion to run his course” (cf. Psalm 19:6). It rises inthe morning as an image of a truth that was revealed in Christ: thathuman nature rises up in Christ to holiness.The setting sun and the rising sun are complementary signs,the iconography of the Paschal Mysteries. Night, the Pope said, isessential to this diptych, to understanding the meaning of thesetwo images, for one cannot distinguish a setting sun from a risingsun, except by the night between them.So, he said, the history of the Coptic Church through the longnight, and the history of each soul through so much suffering, areboth poised between these two great signs. The one which is tocome—the resurrection of our own bodies on the last day—is noless real than the one which has already past. Both have occurred,