Mar Shimun Bar Sabbai - The persecuted Patriarch of great faith

The commemoration of our late Patriarch Mar Shimun Bar Sabbai was celebrated in our Church calendar last Friday. As we look to this great historical leader, let us take a moment to reflect upon the great faith he upheld in his Lord as a leader and shepherd of the persecuted flock of the Assyrian Church of the East during the Persian reign of King Sapor II (339-379 A.D).

When the Persian emperor began a war with the recently converted Christian Roman empire, Sapor was influenced by the native Zoroastrian priests of his nation to persecute the Christians of Persia; namely, the members of the Church of the East.

Christians were ordered to pay a double tax as a contribution to the cost of war and Mar Shimun Bar Sabbai, the Catholicos Patriarch was ordered to collect this tax from his people. Mar Shimun refused to collect the tax on the grounds that his people were poor, and he was not a tax collector.

Mar Shimun was immediately arrested and the destruction of our churches and church property immediately followed. Mar Shimun was offered freedom for himself and his people if he would worship the sun, the Emperor’s God only once.

Mar Shimun’s response that led him to his timely destiny will forever be remembered in history: “The sun went into mourning when its Lord and Creator died”.

The Emperor begged the Patriarch in the name of their personal friendship to yield; but the Catholicos Patriarch remained firm, and on the morning of Good Friday along with five bishops and a hundred clergy, he sealed his testimony with his blood in the year 339 A.D.

Mar Shimun Bar Sabbai suffered for two noble causes, his faith in Christ and his duty to his people. Let us make the persecutions that our forefathers endured for their faith stand as a constant reminder for us to not take our faith in Christ, and our freedom to worship Him for granted.

In the moments when we are tempted to turn away from our God even just once through the many distractions we face in the 21^st century, let us be encouraged by the strong, unswerving faith of Mar Shimun Bar Sabbai, who wilfully accepted martyrdom instead of denying His God  for even just one moment.

The Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary

As we approach the end of the fast for The Commemoration of the passing of the Blessed Virgin Mary this Wednesday 15^th August, let us be encouraged by the Blessed Mother’s awe inspiring faith, strength, love and humility as we learn from her life and see why the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ is honoured above all saints in the Church.

The Blessed Virgin Mary was a native to Palestine of the day. The daughter of Younakhan and Khanna who were descendants of King David. Church history teaches that Saint Mary was a very beautiful girl who loved the LORD God and was devoted to the temple in Jerusalem as a girl by her parents to be faithfully brought up in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. When she had reached the age of betrothal, she was betrothed to Joseph, a faithful man also from the linage of King David. An account in Church history tells of how both Mary and Joseph had both agreed to devote themselves to the LORD in chastity and though they were betrothed, they would dedicate their lives to serving the LORD.

As the gospel of Luke quotes: 

“²⁶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. ³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favour with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; ³³ and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” ³⁴ Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. ³⁶ And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:26-38

From the moment that the Virgin Mary had conceived of the Holy Spirit upon the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel, we witness her faith, humility and acceptance of God’s work and will in her life. As a young virgin, she was naturally perplexed in her understanding as to how she could conceive without knowing a husband and enquired further as to how this would prevail. Her faithful and humble response to the Lord’s calling (verse 38) is magnified when she accepts and believes the seemingly impossible and wondrous prophesied miracle which will be fulfilled through her as God’s chosen vessel. This is a great testament to her faith as the first person to believe in Jesus the Messiah (Isho Msheekha).

The Church teaches that Mary remained with Christ throughout His life and remained a virgin. The first miracle that our Lord performed was at a wedding feast in Cana and it was done at the request of His mother (John 2:1-12). We also see how the Lord entrusts His mother to the care of the disciple John before He completed His earthly mission on the Cross, knowing that the Holy Virgin had dedicated her life to serving the Lord and was without husband and children to care for her.

“But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “ Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.” John 19:25-27

Of the many non-apostolic churches which have grown over the centuries and wrongly interpreted or maligned the word of God through one reformed teaching which opened the door to another - apart from the Apostles teachings, we see many debating the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin and consequently taking away the honour and respect that should be worthily bestowed to our Lord’s mother. These misunderstandings however, can be easily clarified by looking to the word of God through the teaching of the Apostles and Church Fathers.

One particular verse in the Bible that is magnified in this argument is Matthew 1:25 – “but he (Joseph) did not know her until she gave birth to a son” (N.B. when I looked this verse up today, the current NIV version has changed this verse yet again to give another misinterpreted message from the previous NIV Bible I have that was printed in 1995. The word’s “did not know her”, were replaced by “did not have union with her” and the latest translation states “did not consummate their marriage until” This truly shows how in need we are to adhere and hold on to our treasured Orthodox teachings).

St John Chrysostom beautifully expounds on this verse and explains the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Mother through various examples from scripture:

“And when he had taken her, “he knew her not, till she had brought forth her first-born Son.” He hath here used the word “till,” not that thou shouldest suspect that afterwards he did know her, but to inform thee that before the birth the Virgin was wholly untouched by man. But why then, it may be said, hath he used the word, “till”? Because it is usual in Scripture often to do this, and to use this expression without reference to limited times. For so with respect to the ark likewise, it is said, “The raven returned not till the earth was dried up.” And yet it did not return even after that time. And when discoursing also of God, the Scripture saith, “From age until age Thou art,” not as fixing limits in this case. And again when it is preaching the Gospel beforehand, and saying, “In his days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken away,”it doth not set a limit to this fair part of creation.

So then here likewise, it uses the word “till,” to make certain what was before the birth, but as to what follows, it leaves thee to make the inference. Thus, what it was necessary for thee to learn of Him, this He Himself hath said; that the Virgin was untouched by man until the birth; but that which both was seen to be a consequence of the former statement, and was acknowledged, this in its turn he leaves for thee to perceive; namely, that not even after this, she having so become a mother, and having been counted worthy of a new sort of travail, and a child-bearing so strange, could that righteous man ever have endured to know her. For if he had known her, and had kept her in the place of a wife, how is it that our Lord commits her, as unprotected, and having no one, to His disciple (John), and commands him to take her to his own home?” (Chrysostom, Homily V)

Again, we read in the Prophecy of Ezekiel:

“Then He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces the east; and it was shut. ² The Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.” (Ezekiel 44:1-2)

This has always been interpreted by the Fathers of the Church to be a typological reference to the Virgin Mary and the Incarnation. When we consider that God took flesh from the Virgin's womb, it is not difficult to imagine that this womb would remain virgin and no one would ever enter through the womb or vessel of the LORD. The bottom line is this has been the consistent and universal view of the Church from the time of the Apostles until today.

There are varied historical accounts describing the passing of the Blessed Virgin Mary that are too lengthy to mention for this short article. What we should always remember about her passing is that until her last moment on this earth she was highly esteemed, respected and honoured by the Lord’s Apostles and all followers of Christ as the mother of our Lord and a faithful, humble, God-fearing servant of the Most High. This very same honour and respect should be given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by all of us today.

As women in the Church today, we should look to the Blessed Mother and aim to emulate her faith in the Lord, her acceptance of His ever-changing will for her life and acceptance of the great struggles she endured and the subsequent eternal blessings that followed. Let us give her the honour and respect that is due to her and be encouraged that as a sympathizing woman and mother, she will beseech the Lord with prayers of supplication on our behalf when we faithfully ask her to.

May the fast of the Blessed Virgin Mary bring you strength, increased faith and love and may the prayers of the Blessed Virgin beseech the Lord on your behalf.

The Prayer of St Mary (as said in the Assyrian Church of the East):

(Phonetic Modern Syriac translation):

Shlamalakh Maryam mleeta shapaqat,

Maran minakh

M’boorikhtehwat gaw bakhtateh

O’mboorkhe’le pira d’kasakh Isho.

Mart Maryam Yima d’Mshishka,

Saleh min geban akhnan khatayeh

Adia w’op b’saat d’motan

Amen

(English translation):

Peace be with you Mary full of grace

Our Lord is with you

Blessed are you amoung all women

Blessed is the fruit of your womb – Jesus

Saint Mary, Mother of Christ

Pray on behalf of us sinners

Now and until the time of our death

Amen

This week’s song: Qalet Mariam (the voice of Mary) – Linda George

The Transfiguration of our Lord

"And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him." Matthew 17:2-3

 As the Church commemorates the feast of the Lord’s Transfiguration this Monday 6^th August, let us look to the deep significance this event holds to our faith and understand why the Church sets this important feast day in her Calendar.

There are several elements we can learn from the Transfiguration of the Lord that are important to understand and are central to our faith as Christians:

1.      Jesus is God

When Jesus was up on the mountain, His body was transfigured before His disciples. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light (Matthew 17:2). This light is one of the many ways in which Christ shows His divinity. God is light (1 John 1:5).

2.     Christ is the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets

Moses represents the Law and all who have died, while Elijah represents the Prophets and all those who are alive as he did not die but was taken out of this world (2 Kings 2:11-12). Their presence on the mountain communing with Christ shows us that the law and the prophets of the Old Testament are fulfilled in Christ -  in His life, death and resurrection (Matthew5:17) and that “the dead will be raised by His voice, and the living who are left are renewed to immortality.” ¹(Mar Isho Dad of Merv)

Mar Isho’Dad explains further: “Again, He chose one from the Dead, and another from the Living, to teach that the Living and the Dead are brought to Him as to the judge of the quick and the dead.” ²

Throughout the Old Testament, we see the Prophet’s God inspired words clearly pointing forward to Christ as the Messiah and the fulfiller of the Law. And we see these culminate in Christ throughout the pages of the New Testament. Mar Aphrahat elaborates: “Again it is proper for us to argue that this Jesus was early promised from ancient times by means of the prophets and was called the Son of God. David has said, “You are my son, today I have begotten you” (Ps. 2:7). Again he has said, “In the glories of holiness from the womb I have begotten you (as) a child from of old” (Ps. 110:3). And Isaiah has said, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and his government will be upon his shoulder. His name shall be called wonder and counselor, the mighty God of ages and the prince of peace. And to the increase of his government and to his peace here is no end” (Isa. 9:5-6).”³

Clearly, our Lord Jesus Christ’s mission on earth was to fulfil in Himself what the Law could not. Christ states in the gospel of Matthew, “I did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfil them” (Matthew 5:17). “He was first baptized to form a pattern to us, as He did also in all His acts. Again, He calls Baptism the end and fulfilment of all legal righteousness, which was completed by the mediation of servants; and by this He shewed humility, which is the foundation and door of all virtues, because I have fulfilled all the laws of Nature and of Scripture as no other man has…”  (Mar Isho’Dad of Merv) ⁴

3.     The saints are alive and in communion with us

The fact that Moses and Elijah were visible and recognizable to Christ of course, but especially to His disciples, confirms to us that the saints are indeed alive and are in communion with Christ and available to us (Hebrews 12:1). This is important for us to understand that when we pray to the saints, we are calling to them to beseech the Lord on our behalf. (Revelation 8:3-4).

4.     The Holy Trinity is manifested

We see Christ the Son is transfigured, (Matthew 17:2), God the Father speaks from heaven testifying that Jesus is His divine Son and makes His presence known through the cloud; just as God’s presence was made known to the Israelites through the cloud that lead them out of Egypt (Exodus 13:21-22) and lastly we see the Holy Spirit is present in the form of the awesome, glorious light that is surrounding Christ’s physical body which is shining on the mountain for all who are present to see. Saint Peter recalls his eye-witness account of Christ’s majestic glory before him on the mountain (2 Peter 1:16-18).

5.     Christ calls us to transfigure ourselves to His likeness for God’s glory

We should look to Christ’s physical transfiguration as he shone the magnificent glory of God as a great example of how we are to live our lives in light of understanding who Christ is,  what divine purpose He came to fulfil and how He fulfilled them and respond to these faithfully and thankfully (Romans 13:11-14).

We ourselves have also been transfigured into the image and likeness of Christ through baptism. We are buried into His death and brought to new life (Romans 6:4) with the promise of resurrection from the dead where our nature is seated in the heavenly places with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-6).  He commands this re-birth from all who believe in Him (John 3:5), who believe in His mission to save us through His atoning death for our sins, who believe in His glorious resurrection from the dead and in His purpose to reconcile us to God the Father (Ephesians 1:7).

In Christ, we have redemption and renewal. Therefore we are taught to also renew our hearts and minds so that we no longer conform to the ways and pattern of this world, but as renewed Children of God, offer our bodies as living sacrifices in thanksgiving to Him (Romans 12:1-2).

Today, it is becoming increasingly challenging to consistently live our lives in accordance to the example that Christ and His faithful saints demonstrated to us. This is the very reason that the Church has been instated by Christ through His Apostles to administer the Holy Sacraments which sanctify and renew us to abide in God’s grace and to continue to live in Him when we faithfully partake in them.

Let us look to Christ’s mighty transfiguration, thank Him that He is God almighty who came to save and renew us and work to transfigure our lives daily to shine God’s light in this dark world for His glory.

This week’s song: Majesty – Michael Janz

1.       Commentaries of Isho'Dad of Merv, by Margaret Dunlop Gibson, pp 68. Cambridge at the University Press, 1911.

2.      Commentaries of Isho'Dad of Merv, by Margaret Dunlop Gibson, pp 68. Cambridge at the University Press, 1911.

3.      Demonstration XVII on the Messiah, by Mar Aphrahat

4.      Commentaries of Isho'Dad of Merv, by Margaret Dunlop Gibson, pp 26. Cambridge at the University Press, 1911.