Continuing Reflections on the Book of Leviticus – The Feasts and Appointed Seasons of the Lord
Pope Shenouda III discusses the appointed seasons and feasts of the Lord as mentioned in the Book of Leviticus, focusing especially on the Sabbath, the Passover, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He explains that God gave people times for rest, joy, and celebration, because life is not entirely sorrow and labor. He connects the rest of the Sabbath with resting in the Lord, explaining that the monk’s entire life should be dedicated to the Lord, and that every person is called to examine his life to see whether it is truly a life of rest in God or not.
Spiritual Message
Pope Shenouda explains that the Old Testament Sabbath was a symbol of the Christian Sunday, because Christ’s resurrection at dawn on Sunday proclaimed victory over death and became the source of mankind’s rest from sin and death. He also points out that Sunday symbolizes the eternal rest in which there is no weariness. True rest is not merely rest for the body, but also for the spirit to rest in God’s work, and for the Lord to rest in a person when that person dedicates his day and his life to Him.
Educational Lesson
The discussion then moves to the Passover, where the Passover lamb was a symbol of the Lord Christ who gave Himself for our salvation. The Pope emphasizes that salvation is a free gift from God, and that the blood of the Passover lamb was a sign of salvation from death. He uses the examples of the Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea, and circumcision to explain the idea of the salvation of children, showing that the child in these events did not understand what was happening, yet participated in salvation through the faith of his parents.
Practical Application
Pope Shenouda emphasizes that speaking about salvation through the blood does not mean doing away with good works. The Passover lamb was eaten with unleavened bread, and the unleavened bread symbolizes righteousness and good works, while the Feast of Unleavened Bread continued for seven days. Therefore, he explains that the person who has received salvation is called to live a life of righteousness and should not be satisfied merely with saying that he has believed.
Practical Application
The Pope also refers to the bitter herbs eaten with the Passover lamb and connects them with a life of contrition, repentance, and confession of sin. A person should not understand salvation as joy alone while forgetting the bitterness of sin that was the reason Christ died for us. The manner in which the Passover was eaten, with belts fastened, shoes on their feet, and staffs in their hands, expressed readiness for departure and for leaving slavery.
He calls us to live prepared to pass from a life of slavery to sin into a life in which we worship the Lord. Worship and works of love should be an essential part of life with God, rather than allowing days of rest to become times of being occupied away from the Lord. True rest is for a person to dedicate his time to God, so that his spirit may rest in His work and every day may become an opportunity to live with God.
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