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

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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,
78 DECEMBERboth are real in the body of Christ, both are true. The promise ofour resurrection is not a promise of something yet to come, but theassurance of that which has already occurred: the Resurrection ofChrist, which is our own source of life.Such was the reflection of the Coptic Pope on the setting ofthe sun. On the one hand, he was presenting something remarkablyChristian, something which had never been considered before:relating the sun to the Gospel. But, on the other hand, he was conjoiningit to something quite ancient: the Egyptian meditation onthe solar disk and its daily rotation. These two themes are entwinedin the design of the Coptic cross. It is abstracted from thecruciform shape of the mode of Christ’s execution and incorporatesthe Pharaonic ankh, the hieroglyphic “keys of life” taken from theancient religion of sun worship.Pilgrim ToursDECEMBER 19, FRIDAYI finally got back to my room in the monastery today, althoughFriday is not the most propitious day for retirement here. Friday isthe Islamic day of rest and worship, so everyone in Egypt has offfrom their jobs. Friday is, therefore, the day when most of thetourists and pilgrims come to the monastery. They are here forvarious reasons. Some really are on tour, exploring the church andthe many shrines on the monastery grounds. I give some of thetours to those who speak English, especially if they are foreigngroups. Small groups come here occasionally, especially from Germany.I also give some of those tours in broken German.There are those who are here for individual counseling, lookingfor spiritual direction, either because their director is here andthey come regularly, or because they are in special need at this timein their life. There are people who come here for marriage counseling;there are those who come here to seek a monk’s adviceabout finding a marriage partner. They hope that he may knowsomeone who knows someone who can make a good arrangementfor them. Of course, there are always those who come for blessingsand for healings and for words of wisdom to guide them in theirlife. Not counseling, just a word: some insight that a monk can givethem in a moment of grace.
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Copyright © 2002 by Mark Gruber, O
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JOURNEY BACK TO EDENMy Life and Tim
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In gratitude to Abuna Elia,the sain
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CONTENTSPreface ...................
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PREFACEWhile in Egypt, I did not in
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PREFACExiElia, to whom this journal
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ABOUT THE COPTS AND THEIR DESERT MO
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2 INTRODUCTIONI will be traveling i
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4 INTRODUCTIONmy novitiate and had
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6 SEPTEMBERlarge high-rises. Appare
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8 SEPTEMBERprior to their trip so t
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10 SEPTEMBERyour hands—as much or
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12 SEPTEMBERA Beggar among BeggarsT
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14 SEPTEMBERlabored without rest or
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FATHER JOHN WATSONHis Holiness Pope
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18 SEPTEMBERHe drew a cross on top
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20 SEPTEMBERBlessed Lord,You brough
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22 SEPTEMBERtude, and silence, appr
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OCTOBERA TIME OF NEW BEGINNINGSThe
Page 41 and 42: 26 OCTOBERcontradictions they fear
Page 43 and 44: 28 OCTOBERdramatic effect of my hea
Page 45 and 46: 30 OCTOBERWill my heart remain here
Page 47 and 48: NOVEMBERA TIME TO VISIT ABRAHAMGues
Page 49 and 50: 34 NOVEMBERThe guest master, it tur
Page 51 and 52: Abuna Elia
Page 53 and 54: 38 NOVEMBERBut in their case, he as
Page 55 and 56: 40 NOVEMBERafter the death of Sarah
Page 57 and 58: 42 NOVEMBERto take his son. All the
Page 59 and 60: 44 NOVEMBERhe sojourned in Egypt in
Page 61 and 62: 46 NOVEMBERthe monastic ideal to a
Page 63 and 64: 48 NOVEMBERArabic LessonsNOVEMBER 2
Page 65 and 66: 50 NOVEMBEROf course, it is not tru
Page 67 and 68: 52 NOVEMBERthe Ark of Noah looked l
Page 69 and 70: 54 NOVEMBERits life-giving water fr
Page 71 and 72: 56 NOVEMBERCross more brightly: fal
Page 73 and 74: DECEMBERA TIME OF SIGNS: CAELUM ET
Page 75 and 76: 60 DECEMBERfirst sold ourselves to
Page 77 and 78: 62 DECEMBERis by fasting, most of a
Page 79 and 80: 64 DECEMBERficient. If they can obt
Page 81 and 82: 66 DECEMBERThe great apparitions of
Page 83 and 84: 68 DECEMBERKing of the Jews, by the
Page 85 and 86: 70 DECEMBEREveryone seeks the assis
Page 87 and 88: 72 DECEMBERDECEMBER 15, MONDAYAlmos
Page 89 and 90: 74 DECEMBERfor her. She is delighte
Page 91: 76 DECEMBERtween Alexandria and Cai
Page 95 and 96: 80 DECEMBERof faith which preserves
Page 97 and 98: 82 DECEMBERI feel particularly sorr
Page 99 and 100: 84 DECEMBERThe children—six, seve
Page 101 and 102: JANUARYA TIME OF CELEBRATIONJANUARY
Page 103 and 104: 88 JANUARYEveryone, it seems, is mi
Page 105 and 106: 90 JANUARYA Holiday VisitOn the eve
Page 107 and 108: 92 JANUARYAlmost the whole orientat
Page 109 and 110: 94 JANUARYI blessed water in their
Page 111 and 112: 96 JANUARYI find myself in the unus
Page 113 and 114: 98 JANUARYferent path, and every da
Page 115 and 116: 100 JANUARYyour ageless love are cr
Page 117 and 118: 102 JANUARYless because they’re a
Page 119 and 120: FATHER JOHN WATSONA Coptic Orthodox
Page 121 and 122: 106 JANUARYheard a voice—perhaps
Page 123 and 124: 108 JANUARYI reflected afterwards a
Page 125 and 126: 110 JANUARYsolitude and in terms of
Page 127 and 128: 112 FEBRUARYjust visiting the deser
Page 129 and 130: 114 FEBRUARYJust then some of the p
Page 131 and 132: 116 FEBRUARYThe children of the Pha
Page 133 and 134: 118 FEBRUARYAbuna Elia said that th
Page 135 and 136: 120 FEBRUARYGod. For all Christians
Page 137 and 138: 122 FEBRUARYFEBRUARY 18, WEDNESDAYD
Page 139 and 140: 124 FEBRUARYsources. I had some of
Page 141 and 142: 126 FEBRUARYshall be a sign and a w
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128 FEBRUARYFEBRUARY 28, SATURDAYTh
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130 MARCHmerich, the German mystic
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132 MARCHThe wildflower meadows her
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134 MARCHbishop who resides near he
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136 MARCHOf Building Bonds and Brea
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138 MARCHSprings in the DesertMARCH
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140 MARCHwomen in the West experien
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142 MARCHlunch somewhere, or they h
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144 MARCHbe willing to move from my
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146 MARCHA Fly on the WallMARCH 31,
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APRILA TIME OF CONSECRATIONOf Sands
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Grass mats cover the floor of a mon
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152 APRILmony. Even recently, some
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154 APRILwho are distributed everyw
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156 APRILIn the papal compound I me
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158 APRILin their own home parish.
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160 APRILAfter greeting me he told
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162 APRILI keep reminding myself th
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164 APRILA Rare Spring HolidayAPRIL
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166 APRILthat the very same innocen
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MAYA TIME TO PRESS ONWARDOases and
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170 MAYthe commotion associated wit
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172 MAYeven saw monks trying to get
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174 MAYNevertheless, I ask you to a
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176 MAYof grace that people can enf
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178 MAYI’m staying at the house o
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180 JUNEThe Cave of a SaintJUNE 5,
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182 JUNEThe abbot of the monastery
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The gate of St. Anthony Monastery.
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186 JUNEno place to lay his head”
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188 JUNE“Fountains and Springs, B
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190 JUNEmonks here, I decided to dr
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192 JUNEof his family—and broke e
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JULYA TIME FOR FAREWELLSThe Crucibl
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196 JULYare known in Egypt, and the
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198 JULYthat, the heat is now reall
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200 JULYbering the slap I received
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202 JULYyou for our founder who cam
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204 JULYJULY 23, THURSDAYI returned
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206 JULYprize that Eve forfeited wh
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AFTERWORDFifteen years have passed
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