Preparation
Main Idea
This lecture focuses on the virtue of preparation as a divine and spiritual principle by which God works in all His actions, and as a way of life that a believer must follow in spiritual life, daily conduct, service, sacraments, trials, and even in preparing for death.
Preparation in God’s Divine Plan
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that God never acts without preparation:
- He prepared for the Incarnation through long generations of prophecies, symbols, and sacrifices.
- He prepared the Virgin Mary through purity and humility.
- He prepared John the Baptist to prepare the way.
- He prepared the disciples through years of teaching, companionship, and finally through the Holy Spirit.
Preparation in Spiritual Life
The Church teaches preparation in everything:
- Preparation for feasts through fasting.
- Preparation for the sacraments through repentance, reconciliation, and prayer.
- Preparation for Holy Communion by readying the heart, mind, and will.
- Preparation for trials through prayer, humility, and spiritual awareness.
Preparation for Meeting the Lord
Life itself must be a continuous preparation to meet God:
- The Church prepares believers daily for the reality of death through prayers.
- True preparation is not only during illness, but through a holy way of life.
Preparation for Service and Spiritual Struggle
There is no service without preparation:
- Christ prepared His disciples deeply before sending them to serve.
- A servant must have a pure heart, firm faith, and readiness to answer for the hope within him.
Spiritual Conclusion
Preparation is a continuous state of the heart, through which a person becomes a vessel of honor, ready for every good work, watching and waiting joyfully for the coming of the Bridegroom.
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