The lecture clearly distinguishes between the goal and the means, and urges that the spiritual goal — which is nearness to God, repentance, love, and service — is the true aim, while the means (prayer, fasting, service, knowledge, solitude, authority…) are tools used to reach that goal and must not become ends in themselves.

Main points

• Means differ among people because of differences in thought, intelligence, temperament, and environment, so the righteous may split over methods of implementation while agreeing on the goal.

• There is a danger when means become goals, losing their spiritual meaning; for example: someone who fasts for the sake of fasting and not to draw near to God, or someone who makes knowledge and degrees an end instead of knowing God.

• Means may be used wrongly leading to division and conflicts (such as abusing authority or entering lawsuits instead of spiritual reform).

• Families, society, and the church must act with wisdom in choosing educational and disciplinary means so that they achieve the right purpose without material or spiritual harm.

Coptic Orthodox spiritual-educational dimension

• Every means is sacred if employed for drawing near to God: prayer, fasting, service, monasticism, marriage — all are means that lead to the divine goal if accompanied by a repentant heart and sincere intention.

• Renunciation of pride, hypocrisy, and self-love is necessary so that means remain servants of the goal and not the opposite.

• A call for unity and cooperation among church workers through exchange of experiences, education, conferences, and discipleship to unify working methods without erasing personal differences.

How to unify means practically

• Through unified culture: education, reading, studies, conferences, and seminars for exchanging experiences.

• Through discipleship and practical participation: joint work teaches practical wisdom that is not written in books.

• Through wisdom and discernment: constantly revising the means — do they lead to the spiritual goal or not? — and correcting them if they deviate.

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