Maria Iskander's Blog, page 2

7.5.23

Looking back to the Garden of Eden, we can reminisce Genesis 1:27; how Adam and Eve could eat every herb and fruit. As noted that God gave men to eat of all the plants available, it was made clear that our original condition was to eat of the fruits and herbs of the earth. Hence, this can be coined it as the “pre-lapse” diet before the Fall; solidifying why we fast to begin with!

With this point discovered, the notion of the glorious resurrection is crucial to understand. Mainly because we have the image and likeness of God. Such a statement helps us understand how humanity’s image and likeness in Christ, is innate.
This practical concept should motivate us to manifest:

1. unconditional love
2. knowledge
3. holiness - to carry the presence of God
4. authority
5. life for eternity

I’m closing , drawing from Genesis 3:1-20, we can make connections on how this event mirrors the distorted modern world we live in. Now as God came to unify, sanctify and resurrect; we should remember that His intention was to make us into a new creation. Furthermore, the church sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, Confession remind us of becoming a new creation. Particularly, the sacrament of Eucharist, reminds us of the glorious resurrection that happens for us- 'til Kingdom come.

10.4.23 John's Reflection on Holy Week

Enter goal for Passion Week 2023:
Make Holy Week count. Don’t be distracted.

We can achieve this goal by following these four points:

Reflection - reflecting our strengths and weaknesses to find areas of improvement.

Repentance - open conversation with God on our reservations to living a godly life.

Revival - rejuvenated sense of wonder in our walk with God.

Revelation- the clarity and focus required to make us diligent in our faith.


These brilliant points help us gain a taste of what our whole life could be. We should not rely on just Holy Week to be spiritually rejuvenated. Rather, we should use Holy Week to pray hard and ask God to reveal something in us personally. Such revelation will lead to our focus for the rest of our spiritual paths.
In addition, as St Cyril of Jerusalem quotes : “As Christ suffered for us leaving us an example…. So we too must suffer ….. that we would be like him”. This quote confirms that in our life, we will face suffering of all sorts. But we can trust that through God, we will overcome the sufferings. What is more, it is through sufferings we endure, that we become Christ-like. It's a win- win situation, if you ask me.

8.4.23 𝘍𝘳. 𝘈𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘒𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘧's Reflection

Have you ever wondered why we must attend church every week and partake in the Divine Liturgy? You may ask, "𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝?"

In the beginning, God created Mankind with three distinct faculties: 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱, 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁, and 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹, to enable us to live in perfect harmony and communion with God and the created world. But, unfortunately, we chose to use these faculties for the wrong purposes. Consequently, our '𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁,' which was originally intended to harbor love for God, became consumed with self-love; our '𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱,' which was meant to seek knowledge of God, became preoccupied with earthly wisdom, and our '𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹,' which was intended to desire communion with God, became fixated on harmful desires and passions. This event is called the "𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙙𝙖𝙢," signifying humanity's descent from the original state of communion with God.

So Man fell into a disorderly world where his soul turned away from God towards sin. As a result, his soul became ill and needed healing and restoration to the original relationship with God. 𝙏𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙨, 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨, 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙃𝙞𝙢 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣.

The Church, serving as the meeting place of heaven and earth, is where the soul finds healing. The Divine Liturgy, takes place in the Church, and every individual is expected to participate in it. 𝙒𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 "𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙" 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 "𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙚" 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙩, 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣. Therefore, for Orthodox Christians, attending the Divine Liturgy is not a simple weekly obligation but an essential part of living in communion with God.

As Christians, we are required to carry the essence of the Divine Liturgy beyond the walls of the church building. Christians do not live one way in Church and another way outside. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙, 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚. How we live during the week is reflected in how we pray in church, and how we pray in the church indicates how we will live in our daily lives.

To fully live the Liturgy daily, we must cultivate virtues such as humility, meekness, love, and selflessness. By acquiring such virtues, we become more compassionate, loving, and mindful of others. We become mediators and bring God to the creation, offering ourselves and the entire creation back to God.

The Divine Liturgy has the power to transform us as Christians from within. It balances our souls and enables us to share its transformative power with society and the entire creation.

In conclusion, participating in the Divine Liturgy in the Church is integral to the Christian life and the first step in our journey to regain communion with God. It is a foretaste of the heavenly kingdom and a celebration of the "Liturgy of Paradise."

Returning to the question, "If I live a decent life and treat others with kindness, is it still necessary for me to attend church?" In the context of Orthodox Christianity, the answer to this question is an unequivocal "yes." This is because 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 "𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮" 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩'𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙂𝙤𝙙.

31.3.23 The Blind Man Reflection

With the analogy of a blue circle on a word document, we can note two points:

1. A tribulation we wished would go away.

2. A tribulation that we have thanked God for.

Particularly in line with the upcoming Sunday Gospel- The Blind Man, John 9:1-14 has four takeaways:

1.Tribulations occur in our life for a greater purpose.

2.Tribulations can teach us to have hope in God.

3. Tribulations can teach us how to have perspective.

4.Tribulations are an opportunity to get closer to God.

In summary, John 9:1-14 helped solidify that God loves us. God is with us. And the tribulations He allows, are FOR us.

28.3.23 Paralyzed Man Reflection

You probably have heard the story before. The man who was paralyzed for a consecutive 38 years, was approached by Christ at the Sheep Gate, and then healed. Interestingly, many Christians emphasize the question that Christ asked before the healing was initiated. This infamous question is as follows: "Do you want to be made well?"

Indeed, too often people find that question low-key offensive. Some say that if they were the paralyzed man that they would backchat Christ. Or perhaps, they would be easily agitated at this question: "Do you want to be healed?". Like saying "Yeah, duh?", "What do you think?" etc.

But I want to put a spin to that reactive perspective. For me, I think the paralyzed man was proactive. I believe he must have seen Christ clearly as someone 'different'. Someone beautiful, gentle, compassionate. Someone powerful, almighty and just. Truly, this was how the paralyzed man saw Christ. For with such perception can come comfort. And didn't the paralyzed man comfortably share his story, without being asked to? Indeed, Christ never requested him to open up directly. But, Christ's nature: a beautiful synchronization of the humanity and divine, provided unconditional positive regard for the paralyzed man to share.

Likewise, when directed to take up his bed and walk, the paralyzed man was immediately receptive. No hesitation. No doubt. Take in this for a hot minute. After 38 years of being paralyzed-essentially not moving- the paralyzed man got himself up, walked and carried his bed.

Overall, for me, the story of the paralyzed man is a testimony to humanity. A testimony that when we see who Christ is clearly, we can share our struggles authentically; and embrace His unconditional positive regard. With unconditional positive regard that Christ exudes, we too can experience healing- spiritually, emotionally and physically.

26.3.23 Three Pointer Prayer

1. Praying for oneself: To do what is necessary to glorify God. We can’t save anyone if we ourselves are not saved.

2. Praying for others: To ensure our prayers consider others’ interests before our own- even our enemies. This initiates the connection of divine and brotherly love.

3. Praying for the world: To promote Heaven and peace on Earth.

18.3.23 Psalm 51 Reflection

With the focus on King David’s prayer- Psalm 51, the main idea of the psalm was reflection of heart. Moreover, the four ways we can do this is by:

1.Closeness to God: Like King David drew close to God since his youth. we should too.

2.Vigilance with God: As King David sinned when he became too complacent with his luxurious lifestyle: we must be vigilant to not be complacent in our daily lives.

3. Realization: When Nathan the prophet helped King David realize his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, King David was open to repent. Likewise, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us to repent and confess our sins.

4. Holding on to the promises of God: Just like King David trusted in the promise to experience God’s mercies and compassions, we can hold God to these promises- always.

Glory be to God. Forever. Amen.

17.3.23 Prayer Reflection

Talking about the life of prayer, the saintly person of Pope Kyrillos IV; as well as the renowned book- The Way of the Pilgrim, come to play. With the saintly person and book referenced, I have created three takeaways about prayer and what it teaches us:

1. Diligence: Regarding out prayer cannon
2. Perspective: Calling on God's presence to change our perspective.
3. Memory: Remembering God in everything we do
4. Union: Fostering our union with God through prayer in the Liturgy.

In summary, prayer is so much more than a conversation, or asking God for things. Rather, prayer is a lifestyle that unites us with God.

14.3.23 Romans 1:1-7 Reflection

Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans (Romans 1:1-7) serves as a good reminder to not get pedantic on the dogma and systems in our modern-day Church. As the Jews initially got caught up with circumcising the Gentiles who pursued Christianity; we must be vigilant to remember that dogma and systems are not an excuse to be difficult on people. When the Jews were difficult on the Gentiles, it created a rocky foundation for the Early church. Many Gentiles felt disenfranchised and confused. Especially as the correct understanding was that circumcision was no longer necessary since the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thankfully, Saint Paul and other disciples helped to lay out this fact to the masses. In consequence, this helped foster peace, love and understanding between Jews and Gentiles. Leaving an impact on many to pursue a life of holiness and sainthood. Such an impact promoted the growth of the Early Church in Rome, and the rest of the world.

In this twenty-first century , media makes it incredibly easy to show offence and division. Too often we read or hear about rumours and gossip related to the church, which promote anger, resentment, and bitterness. It is not good enough for us to get caught up or even dismiss these occurrences. We must be proactive and manifest the mindset of Romans 1:1-7. By doing so, we can promote peace, love and understanding with people always. After all, this is the outcome that God has intended for us in the beginning: love God, love people.

Saint Spotlight- Fr Arsenius

The late Saint Fr Arsenius was a hegumen and martyr from the city of Alexandria in Egypt. The three main takeaways from his life and service were:

1. Leadership: to take care of others and have their confidence in mind.

2. Selflessness: To put God and others before oneself.

3. Love: To forgive even the evilest situations; and thereby reflect the image of God.

His martyrdom is commemorated on April the 7th annually. May his prayers and blessing be upon us and the entire world. Amen.