Shining White Points
Shining White Points
On the occasion of the Fast of Jonah, I would like to speak to you about a beautiful attribute of God, who never despaired of a sinful city like Nineveh, nor of Gentile sailors like the people of the ship, nor of a fleeing prophet clinging to his opinion like Jonah. Rather, He was patient with all until He saved them. And He found in each of هؤلاء shining white points…
The people of the ship were Gentiles, worshiping various gods. Each one cried out to his god. But God did not look at their paganism; rather, He looked at their faith in prayer and in the existence of an unseen power. He responded to their prayers, which were a white point that led them to faith.
And the city of Nineveh was a Gentile and pagan city, and it was evil—its wickedness had come up before God. It contained ignorant people who did not know their right hand from their left. Yet God saw in it a shining point.
It is amazing that Nineveh, the Gentile, evil, and ignorant city, the Lord called “the great city.”
He saw in it a readiness to respond and the possibility of repentance—in fasting, prayer, contrition, sackcloth, and ashes. It was a white point that the Lord used for the salvation of Nineveh. And Jonah the fleeing prophet, who cared about his dignity and the fulfillment of his word more than anything else—God nevertheless saw in him a vessel fit for service. He pursued him until he was finally convinced, carried out the divine will, and his soul was saved.
In the story of the repentance of Nineveh, we notice two important matters in God’s dealings:
1- God never despairs of any person, no matter how evil, and no matter how much that person despairs of himself.
2- Every evil person—how easy it is for God to see in him a white point, praise it, and make it a cause for his salvation.
• The rich young man who went away sorrowful because he had great possessions—the Lord saw in him a white point “and loved him,” since he kept the commandments.
• And the sinful woman—the Lord found in her a white point: that she was contrite and weeping.
• And Zacchaeus the tax collector, occupied with money and injustice—Christ found in him a white point: that he was a simple man who climbed the tree and desired to see Christ, and it was easy for him to accept the divine call and turn from his ظلم.
• The evil world that was flooded—God found in it a shining point, which was Noah and his family. For their sake, He preserved humanity.
Man has a critical eye that searches for dark points in order to criticize, judge, or expose them. But God looks at the shining points in a person’s life, praises them, and encourages them.
With this eye, the Lord looked at the people of Nineveh, at Jonah, and at the passengers of the ship. He saw that despite their mistakes, there was goodness in them…
If God does not forget the labor of love, nor a cup of cold water, then He does not forget any white point in a person.
You may do good and forget it, but the Lord does not forget it for you.
And if you do evil and despair of yourself, God does not despair of you.
• Saul of Tarsus caused suffering and persecution to the whole Church, dragging men and women to prison, and was involved in the stoning of Saint Stephen. Yet the Lord found in him a shining point: zeal, even if it was ignorant zeal.
• And David the prophet had many faults: he committed adultery, killed, threatened Nabal the Carmelite with death, his hands were stained with much blood, and he was polygamous (having about eight wives).
Despite David’s faults, God found in him a white point: that he was quick to repent, quick to weep, and prayed كثيرًا. The Lord said about him, “I have examined David’s heart and found it according to My heart.”
God did not look at David’s sins as much as He looked at his virtues. He did not look at his adultery and murder, but at his tears and repentance. It is love that focuses on white points and forgets the rest.
• Samson the mighty had his faults: he surrendered himself to women, especially Delilah, broke his vow, and revealed his secret. Yet Scripture placed him among the men of faith (Hebrews 11), because God found in him love for the Lord and His glory, and repentance.
• The Samaritan woman—her life was full of sin, having known more than five men. Yet the Lord saw in her white points, making Him say to her, “You have spoken well… this you said truthfully.” And He allowed her to be a preacher to her town. He is the Lord who cares about the shining points in the life of weak humanity.
We look at the black points in people’s lives, focus on them, and judge them. Therefore, our hearts are not complete in love, like the heart of God, kind and compassionate, who has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities…
As John Chrysostom said, He goes about seeking a reason for our salvation—even a small tear we shed, God quickly takes as a reason before the devil of vainglory snatches it away.
God forgets our evil and remembers our weeping and contrition…
God always encourages, always gives hope, always comforts the fainthearted, and strengthens weak knees. He does not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax, nor reject the barren who has not borne…
He does not rebuke much, but encourages much. He does not monitor mistakes but cares about repentance. Thus He was in the Old Testament and also in the New.
Jacob, the father of the patriarchs, deceived his brother, exploited his hunger and despair to take his birthright, refused to give him food without a harsh price, deceived his father and lied, and stole his brother’s blessing. He also used deceit to take the flocks of his uncle Laban. He was a weak man…
Yet with all these weaknesses, the Lord says, “Jacob I have loved,” appears to him in visions, speaks to him, pours out blessings and promises upon him, shows him a ladder reaching between heaven and earth, gives him a new name, blesses his offspring, and supports him with grain and wine… Why all this?!
Because He saw in Jacob white points that covered his weaknesses!!
There was meekness and goodness of heart in Jacob that the Lord loved.
If Jacob had fallen into our hands, we would not have spared him. But he found mercy when he fell into God’s hands. Therefore, how true is the saying of David the prophet:
“Let me fall into the hand of God, and not into the hand of man, for the mercies of God are wide.”
God preserves the cluster if there is still one grape in it, because there is a blessing in it (Isaiah 65:8).
How wondrous is this love of the Lord that is satisfied even with little. Even the seed that produced only thirty and not a hundred, the Lord said it was good seed. He looked at this little as a white point…
It is enough that this seed bears fruit, however little. There is blessing and fruit in it. Its little will grow later… And even if the tree does not bear fruit, we leave it this year also and put manure around it. It is enough that there is life in it…
For this reason, the Lord sat with tax collectors and sinners. People saw their evil, but He saw in them responsiveness to the word and readiness for repentance.
Even the Canaanite woman, from a cursed people, the Lord saw in her what He praised: humility and faith greater than all Israel. And with the same vision that sees light, the Lord looked at the Gentile centurion and said, “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.”
The Lord never despairs of any person. How beautiful is His word about Solomon the son of David: “If he sins, I will discipline him, but I will not take My mercy from him.” He is the Lord who did not despair of Augustine, nor Moses the Black, nor Mary of Egypt—but saw in them shining points…
He does not despair of sins that are like scarlet or crimson (Isaiah 1), nor of the soul trampled in its blood (Ezekiel 16), but washes all this until it becomes whiter than snow…
The prodigal son who came to Him lost and wandering, having spent his money in reckless living and desiring the pods of swine—He rejoiced in meeting him.
He did not look at the fact that he was dead and lost, but that he lived and was found. Therefore He said: it is fitting to rejoice and be glad.
For this reason, the Lord was displeased with the scribes and Pharisees who bind heavy burdens and place them on people’s shoulders. Likewise, He saw that His disciples should not burden the Gentiles entering the faith. And the sinner of Corinth, about whom Paul said, “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved,” when he saw his humility and brokenness, he asked that love be reaffirmed to him lest he be swallowed up by excessive sorrow…
We rejoice because we deal with a good God who rejoices in any white point in our lives and does not treat us like harsh البشر in their judgments.
Thus the Lord gained many souls: by encouraging the good in them, not by despising their weaknesses and shortcomings. Glory be to Him in His love and compassion.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – in El-Keraza Magazine – Year Eight (Issue Five), 4-2-1977.
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