The Sense of Responsibility
The General Message of the Lecture
The lecture revolves around the sense of responsibility as a fundamental Christian virtue that begins with a person’s relationship with God and extends to the Church, society, and the self, then expands to include the present and future generations. It emphasizes that God works when a person truly begins to feel responsibility.
Summary
First: Responsibility before God
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that every person will stand before God to give an account not only for sins, but also for good deeds that could have been done and were not done. Responsibility is both negative and positive, and the living conscience is a judge that does not flatter.
Second: Responsibility before oneself and the conscience
The conscience is a just ruler. A person must be honest before it. Feeling responsibility makes a person upright, serious, faithful in confession and behavior, and not careless in any work.
Third: Responsibility before society and the Church
This includes obeying laws, faithfulness in work, preserving the reputation of the homeland, and serving the Church faithfully. Every gift or authority given to a person is a trust for which one will give an account.
Fourth: Responsibility toward future generations
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III stresses that the Church, servants, fathers, and mothers are responsible for preparing the present generation and the coming generation spiritually, not only materially or socially, especially in the lands of the diaspora.
Fifth: Working from faith, not from resources
He affirms that the Church began in many places “from nothing,” but the sense of responsibility opened the door for God’s work. God is the One who builds when we begin with obedience and a true sense of duty.
Sixth: Rejecting escape from responsibility
Escaping through excuses, blaming others, or blaming circumstances is spiritually unacceptable. Every person is responsible for himself, for his influence on others, and for every word, deed, and result.
Spiritual Conclusion
A true sense of responsibility is the path of blessing, the expansion of grace, and the growth of God’s work in the Church and the world. When a person begins with responsibility, God takes care of the rest.
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