Steps Toward God
Pope Shenouda III speaks about the fact that human will alone is not sufficient to walk in the way of God, because a person may desire what is good yet find himself doing what he does not want because of his weakness and the sin dwelling within him.
Therefore, the spiritual life begins with struggle and spiritual striving, in which a person struggles against himself, his desires, and his sins, while at the same time seeking God’s help and strength.
He emphasizes that struggling with God does not mean resisting Him, but rather holding fast to Him and asking for His grace and His Holy Spirit so that God may triumph within the person.
Spiritual Message
The teaching emphasizes the necessity of taking the spiritual life seriously, so that a person does not simply repent and then repeatedly return to the same sins without making real progress.
The journey with God is long, beginning with repentance and extending to purity, love, holiness, growth, and perfection; therefore, a person should not stop halfway along the journey.
He also warns against turning backward and calls a person to keep his face toward God, without becoming attached to his former life or allowing weakness to hinder him.
Educational Lesson
Pope Shenouda compares the spiritual person to a tree that continually grows; just as a tree grows in its roots, branches, and fruit, a person should grow in his knowledge of God, love, service, and virtue.
It is not enough for a person to grow in intellectual knowledge or experience; there must also be growth in the heart and spirit and in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Stopping spiritual growth exposes a person to coldness, turning backward, and losing his first love.
Practical Application
The teaching calls a person to examine himself continually and not neglect his spiritual life, because negligence and indifference may lead a person from one sin to another and from one fall to another.
A person needs sincere intention, a faithful covenant with God, and strong determination not to turn backward.
He should also seek every day to become spiritually better than the previous day and to grow in his knowledge of God, his love for Him, his spiritual fruits, his service, and virtue.
The goal is for knowing God to become an experience, a life, a love, and a true relationship with Him, so that the person’s longing for God, the Kingdom, and eternal life continually increases.
Finally, Pope Shenouda emphasizes that the journey may be long, but a person’s faithfulness, sincere struggle, and trust in God’s grace can move him forward quickly, because God is the One who helps the person in his struggle.
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