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The 40-Day Period After the Resurrection
The 40-Day Period After the Resurrection
H.H. POPE SHENOUDA III
The forty days that proceeded the Resurrection were happy and joyous days in which the disciples lived with the Lord. He visited ,and strengthened them, removed their doubts and confirmed them in the faith. They lived with Him, enjoyed His fellowship, and their hearts were overjoyed at seeing Him. Let us contemplate on these joyous days...
The fIrst thing we realise about the forty days, is that it was a period of visiting.
(a) A period of visiting and pastoral care:
He did not want to leave His disciples in doubt, fear, weakness and to psychological disturbance which were caused by the crucifixion.
He appeared especially to those who had a specific weakness.
Saint Peter the apostle was in a psychological crisis after his denial. He was terrified of the Lord's saying, "Whoever denies Me before men, him / will also deny before My Father who is in heaven." This is why the Lord appeared to him and assured him of his apostleship.
When the Lord Jesus Christ arose, He did not think about Himself, but of others. He did not reproach those who left and denied Him, but treated them all and visited them With love. He trod the winepress alone, everyone left Him, but He did not reproach them. The faith of his beloved ones weakened and they were afraid. He did not reproach them for their fear and weakness of faith, but He wdrked at placing faith in their hearts. An example of this is that when Thomas doubted, the Lord was not angry as a result of this doubt, but appeared to him, showed him His wounds, removed his doubt and said to him, "Do not be unbelieving, but believing," then Thomas cried out, "my Lord and my God!"
In this way He led Thomas in the faith, which he would not have reached by reproach.
The forty-day period was a period of visiting, pastoral care and:
(b) A period of God's existence with us and His confirmation in us:
It was possible for the Lord Jesus Christ to strengthen the faith of the disciples in one day or less, but He spent forty days with them because He loves to be with His children, His joy is in mankind. He met them in the Upper Room, at the sea and at Galilee. He visited them many times and spoke to them about the matters pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Christ does not only wish to be with His children, but even more so He wants to be in them, to dwell in them, to abide in them and them in Him forever.
He said to the Father about them, "I in them and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one." (John 17:23) He said to His disciples, "Abide in Me and I in you...I am the vine you are the branches., He who abides in Me and I in Him, bears much fruit." (John 15:4-6) He also said, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood, abides in Me, and l in him." (John 6:56)
Hence it is not merely fellowship with Him, but an inter-abidance.
Christ lives in us and we in Him, existing in Him, as Saint Paul the apostle said, "..it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in Me." (Galatians 2:20) It is a firm fellowship in God, not only in this world, but also in eternity, in the other world.
In this way the Lord Jesus Christ assured His disciples saying to them, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:2&3) In His long prayer to the Father for the sake of His disciples He said, "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me maybe with Me where I am." (John 17:24) It was said about the heavenly' Jerusalem that, "the tabernacle of God is with men." (Revelation 21:3)
As for on earth, the Lord said to His disciples. "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, 1 am there in the ~idst of them." (Matthew 18:20)
So, we can regard the forty days as, 'a taste of heaven,' in which we Can taste life with the Lord, in order to live with Him forever. He dwells in us, is united in us, abides in us and we in Him. In this way, the forty day period is the period of being with His own.
(c) A period of being with His own: of His love to these disciples who tried His fellowship, He called them His own.
The Bible said that, "Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." (John 13:1) They are His own because they are His portion, the portion of the Lord, they are the clergy. He chose them from amongst the whole world to be His own. He said to them, "fou did not choose Me, but 1 chose you." (John 15:16)
He did not only call them His own, but also friends and brothers.
He said, "No longer do I call you servants...but I have called you friends." The Bible says, "in all things He had to be made like His brethren." He also said about Himself to Mary Magdalene, "go to My brethren and say to them..." (John 20: 17)
The forty-day period shows us the depth of the relationship between the Lord and His own.
It is also the period of preparation for the receiving of all the sacraments and traditions.
(d) A period of preparation and receiving:
During this period the Lord Jesus Christ prepared His disciples for the apostolic work which they were to do, including all matters regarding the new Christian Priesthood, because He handed over to them all the sacraments, rites and traditions
He spoke to them about all of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)
These sacraments are not for everyone, they are not a general teaching that He presents to everyone such as the sermon on the mount, but it is firstly for the leaders. They receive it from Him and they ,handed it down to the generations thereafter, as Saint Paul said about the sacrament of the Eucharist, "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you..," (1 Corinthians 1:23) In like manner, Moses received from the Lord on the mount all the description and rites specific to the tent of meeting and worship within it, and he made everything accordingly.
(e) How should we receive these days?
The most important thing during these holy days is that we should receive Christ in our hearts as the apostles did, in order to be His own as they were and to live their lives.
Saul of Tarsus was not one of the twelve, but his inner preparedness granted him to receive from the Lord what the apostles received and to be more eminent than many of them.
We ask the Lord to reveal Himself to us as He appeared to them so that we may say with them, "Which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled." (1 John 1: 1)
We ask of the Lord to visit us in these holy days as He visited His pure disciples in all care
again sorry a bit of egyptian tyming but u can always keep in mind for next year
H.H. POPE SHENOUDA III
The forty days that proceeded the Resurrection were happy and joyous days in which the disciples lived with the Lord. He visited ,and strengthened them, removed their doubts and confirmed them in the faith. They lived with Him, enjoyed His fellowship, and their hearts were overjoyed at seeing Him. Let us contemplate on these joyous days...
The fIrst thing we realise about the forty days, is that it was a period of visiting.
(a) A period of visiting and pastoral care:
He did not want to leave His disciples in doubt, fear, weakness and to psychological disturbance which were caused by the crucifixion.
He appeared especially to those who had a specific weakness.
Saint Peter the apostle was in a psychological crisis after his denial. He was terrified of the Lord's saying, "Whoever denies Me before men, him / will also deny before My Father who is in heaven." This is why the Lord appeared to him and assured him of his apostleship.
When the Lord Jesus Christ arose, He did not think about Himself, but of others. He did not reproach those who left and denied Him, but treated them all and visited them With love. He trod the winepress alone, everyone left Him, but He did not reproach them. The faith of his beloved ones weakened and they were afraid. He did not reproach them for their fear and weakness of faith, but He wdrked at placing faith in their hearts. An example of this is that when Thomas doubted, the Lord was not angry as a result of this doubt, but appeared to him, showed him His wounds, removed his doubt and said to him, "Do not be unbelieving, but believing," then Thomas cried out, "my Lord and my God!"
In this way He led Thomas in the faith, which he would not have reached by reproach.
The forty-day period was a period of visiting, pastoral care and:
(b) A period of God's existence with us and His confirmation in us:
It was possible for the Lord Jesus Christ to strengthen the faith of the disciples in one day or less, but He spent forty days with them because He loves to be with His children, His joy is in mankind. He met them in the Upper Room, at the sea and at Galilee. He visited them many times and spoke to them about the matters pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Christ does not only wish to be with His children, but even more so He wants to be in them, to dwell in them, to abide in them and them in Him forever.
He said to the Father about them, "I in them and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one." (John 17:23) He said to His disciples, "Abide in Me and I in you...I am the vine you are the branches., He who abides in Me and I in Him, bears much fruit." (John 15:4-6) He also said, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood, abides in Me, and l in him." (John 6:56)
Hence it is not merely fellowship with Him, but an inter-abidance.
Christ lives in us and we in Him, existing in Him, as Saint Paul the apostle said, "..it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in Me." (Galatians 2:20) It is a firm fellowship in God, not only in this world, but also in eternity, in the other world.
In this way the Lord Jesus Christ assured His disciples saying to them, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:2&3) In His long prayer to the Father for the sake of His disciples He said, "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me maybe with Me where I am." (John 17:24) It was said about the heavenly' Jerusalem that, "the tabernacle of God is with men." (Revelation 21:3)
As for on earth, the Lord said to His disciples. "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, 1 am there in the ~idst of them." (Matthew 18:20)
So, we can regard the forty days as, 'a taste of heaven,' in which we Can taste life with the Lord, in order to live with Him forever. He dwells in us, is united in us, abides in us and we in Him. In this way, the forty day period is the period of being with His own.
(c) A period of being with His own: of His love to these disciples who tried His fellowship, He called them His own.
The Bible said that, "Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." (John 13:1) They are His own because they are His portion, the portion of the Lord, they are the clergy. He chose them from amongst the whole world to be His own. He said to them, "fou did not choose Me, but 1 chose you." (John 15:16)
He did not only call them His own, but also friends and brothers.
He said, "No longer do I call you servants...but I have called you friends." The Bible says, "in all things He had to be made like His brethren." He also said about Himself to Mary Magdalene, "go to My brethren and say to them..." (John 20: 17)
The forty-day period shows us the depth of the relationship between the Lord and His own.
It is also the period of preparation for the receiving of all the sacraments and traditions.
(d) A period of preparation and receiving:
During this period the Lord Jesus Christ prepared His disciples for the apostolic work which they were to do, including all matters regarding the new Christian Priesthood, because He handed over to them all the sacraments, rites and traditions
He spoke to them about all of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)
These sacraments are not for everyone, they are not a general teaching that He presents to everyone such as the sermon on the mount, but it is firstly for the leaders. They receive it from Him and they ,handed it down to the generations thereafter, as Saint Paul said about the sacrament of the Eucharist, "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you..," (1 Corinthians 1:23) In like manner, Moses received from the Lord on the mount all the description and rites specific to the tent of meeting and worship within it, and he made everything accordingly.
(e) How should we receive these days?
The most important thing during these holy days is that we should receive Christ in our hearts as the apostles did, in order to be His own as they were and to live their lives.
Saul of Tarsus was not one of the twelve, but his inner preparedness granted him to receive from the Lord what the apostles received and to be more eminent than many of them.
We ask the Lord to reveal Himself to us as He appeared to them so that we may say with them, "Which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled." (1 John 1: 1)
We ask of the Lord to visit us in these holy days as He visited His pure disciples in all care
again sorry a bit of egyptian tyming but u can always keep in mind for next year