Clinging to God
First: The Main Idea of the Lecture
This lecture addresses the phenomenon of escaping from God as it appeared in the story of Jonah the Prophet, explaining that escaping is not an individual incident but an ancient spiritual condition that began since the fall of the first human. A person may flee from God out of fear, shame, or a sense of unworthiness, but in reality, he cannot escape from God’s presence or His care.
Second: Reasons for Escaping from God
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that there are many reasons for escape, including:
- Fear and shame as happened with Adam.
- Feeling of incompetence or weakness of abilities as Moses the Prophet and Jeremiah the Prophet tried to excuse themselves.
- Attachment to self and personal dignity as in the موقف of Jonah the Prophet.
- The difficulty of the path and spiritual commandments.
- Love of the world and its lusts more than the love of God.
Third: The Orthodox Spiritual Dimension
From the Coptic Orthodox perspective, God is the source of strength and grace, and escaping from Him is escaping from divine help. Grace works in a person gradually, and the Holy Spirit leads the soul step by step. What is required is not immediate perfection, but faithfulness in little things, because God is the One who works in us both to will and to act.
The lecture also affirms that the means of grace – such as prayer, the Church, and the holy sacraments – are the fields of the Holy Spirit’s work, and escaping from them is in fact escaping from God Himself.
Fourth: The Spiritual Remedy
The remedy is not in distancing but in approaching with honesty and humility. A person should come to God as he is, with his weakness and sins, asking for help. God does not reject the sinner but seeks him. Even if a person is fallen in sin, let him ask for deliverance instead of fleeing.
Fifth: The General Message
The essential message is that escaping from God does not benefit the person but deprives him of the source of life and strength. The path may seem difficult, but by grace it becomes possible. Therefore, a person should cling to the Lord and walk with Him gradually, trusting that God does not abandon the one who seeks Him sincerely.
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