The Church: God’s House
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Main idea
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that the church is the house of God and the house of prayer and the house of angels, a sacred place clothed with awe and respect, and it means not only the building but the community of believers and the priestly leadership.
Spiritual and liturgical dimension
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III highlights how the church is likened to heaven: domes, lights and candles symbolize heaven and the angels, and the sanctuary stands in the east because the east is a symbol of light and Christ was called “the sun of righteousness”. Rituals like incense, consecration of the altar and the Divine Liturgy reveal God’s presence and the mediation of salvation.
Symbols of the place and its arrangement
The meanings of the parts of the church are explained: baptism in the western side symbolizes the beginning of faith, and entering from west to east symbolizes the believer’s passage from distance to the light. The altar in the sanctuary is the center of worship, and the sanctuary is elevated to indicate its holiness, and the iconostasis (carrier of icons) separates and recalls the history of salvation not as an isolating barrier but as a symbol.
Respect and discipline
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III urges reverence and respect for the church, preventing frivolous behaviors inside the sanctuary, and observing the manners of entry and the service of the sanctuary, because the place is holy and requires sanctified conduct.
The church as community and individual
He affirms that every believer is a “small church” because the Spirit of God dwells in the person; the whole community represents the universal church. Also the church is divided into triumphant and militant: the saints who have rested and the church that struggles on earth.
Importance of names and the saints
He explains the reason for naming churches after saints and apostles, recalling Biblical and ecclesial tradition, emphasizing that this reflects intercession and tradition and does not contradict that it is the house of God.
Spiritual conclusion
The church is a place of salvation and spiritual formation: it is a shelter for worship, a school of faith, and a beacon that guides people to Christ. The call is to sanctify the place and to sanctify the self because every believer is a dwelling of the Holy Spirit.
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