اثنين الرماد: تذكر يا انسان انك من التراب وإلى التراب تعود/Ash Monday: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

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مَتَى صُمْتُم، لا تُعَبِّسُوا كَالمُرَائِين، فَإِنَّهُم يُنَكِّرُونَ وُجُوهَهُم لِيَظْهَرُوا لِلنَّاسِ أَنَّهُم صَائِمُون. أَلحَقَّ أَقُولُ لَكُم: إِنَّهُم قَدْ نَالُوا أَجْرَهُم.
إنجيل القدّيس متّى06/من16حتى21/: قالَ الربُّ يَسوع: «مَتَى صُمْتُم، لا تُعَبِّسُوا كَالمُرَائِين، فَإِنَّهُم يُنَكِّرُونَ وُجُوهَهُم لِيَظْهَرُوا لِلنَّاسِ أَنَّهُم صَائِمُون. أَلحَقَّ أَقُولُ لَكُم: إِنَّهُم قَدْ نَالُوا أَجْرَهُم. أَمَّا أَنْتَ، مَتَى صُمْتَ، فَٱدْهُنْ رَأْسَكَ، وَٱغْسِلْ وَجْهَكَ، لِئَلاَّ تَظْهَرَ لِلنَّاسِ أَنَّكَ صَائِم، بَلْ لأَبِيكَ الَّذي في الخَفَاء، وأَبُوكَ الَّذي يَرَى في الخَفَاءِ هُوَ يُجَازِيك. لا تَكْنِزُوا لَكُم كُنُوزًا على الأَرْض، حَيْثُ العُثُّ والسُّوسُ يُفْسِدَان، وحَيْثُ اللُّصُوصُ يَنْقُبُونَ ويَسْرِقُون، بَلِ ٱكْنِزُوا لَكُم كُنُوزًا في السَّمَاء، حَيْثُ لا عُثَّ ولا سُوسَ يُفْسِدَان، وحَيْثُ لا لُصُوصَ يَنْقُبُونَ ويَسْرِقُون. فَحَيْثُ يَكُونُ كَنْزُكَ، هُنَاكَ يَكُونُ أَيْضًا قَلبُكَ”.

‘Whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 06/16-21: “‘Whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

يا إخوَتِي، نَحْنُ سُفَرَاءُ ٱلمَسِيح، وكَأَنَّ ٱللهَ نَفْسَهُ يَدْعُوكُم بِوَاسِطَتِنَا
“رسالة القدّيس بولس الثانية إلى أهل قورنتس05/من21حتى22/06/من01حتى07/: “يا إخوَتِي، نَحْنُ سُفَرَاءُ ٱلمَسِيح، وكَأَنَّ ٱللهَ نَفْسَهُ يَدْعُوكُم بِوَاسِطَتِنَا. فَنَسْأَلُكُم بِٱسْمِ المَسِيح: تَصَالَحُوا مَعَ ٱلله! إِنَّ الَّذي مَا عَرَفَ الخَطِيئَة، جَعَلَهُ ٱللهُ خَطِيئَةً مِنْ أَجْلِنَا، لِنَصِيرَ نَحْنُ فِيهِ بِرَّ ٱلله. وَبِمَا أَنَّنا مُعَاوِنُونَ لله، نُنَاشِدُكُم أَلاَّ يَكُونَ قَبُولُكُم لِنِعْمَةِ ٱللهِ بِغَيْرِ فَائِدَة؛ لأَنَّهُ يَقُول: «في وَقْتِ الرِّضَى ٱسْتَجَبْتُكَ، وفي يَوْمِ الخَلاصِ أَعَنْتُكَ». فَهَا هُوَ الآنَ وَقْتُ الرِّضَى، وهَا هُوَ الآنَ يَوْمُ ٱلخَلاص. فإِنَّنَا لا نَجْعَلُ لأَحَدٍ سَبَبَ زَلَّة، لِئَلاَّ يَلْحَقَ خِدْمَتَنَا أَيُّ لَوْم. بَلْ نُظْهِرُ أَنْفُسَنَا في كُلِّ شَيءٍ أَنَّنَا خُدَّامُ ٱلله، بِثَبَاتِنا العَظِيمِ في الضِّيقَاتِ والشَّدَائِدِ والمَشَقَّات،
في الضَّرَبَات، والسُّجُون، والفِتَن، والتَّعَب، والسَّهَر، والصَّوْم، وبِالنَّزَاهَة، والمَعْرِفَة، والأَنَاة، واللُّطْف، والرُّوحِ القُدُس، والمَحَبَّةِ بِلا رِيَاء، في كَلِمَةِ الحَقّ، وقُوَّةِ ٱلله، بِسِلاحِ البِرِّ في اليَدَيْنِ اليُمْنَى واليُسْرَى”.

مزقوا قلوبكم
انجيل القديس يوئيل/02/من12حتى17/«وَلَكِنِ ٱلْآنَ، يَقُولُ ٱلرَّبُّ، ٱرْجِعُوا إِلَيَّ بِكُلِّ قُلُوبِكُمْ، وَبِٱلصَّوْمِ وَٱلْبُكَاءِ وَٱلنَّوْحِ. وَمَزِّقُوا قُلُوبَكُمْ لَا ثِيَابَكُمْ». وَٱرْجِعُوا إِلَى ٱلرَّبِّ إِلَهِكُمْ لِأَنَّهُ رَؤُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ، بَطِيءُ ٱلْغَضَبِ وَكَثِيرُ ٱلرَّأْفَةِ وَيَنْدَمُ عَلَى ٱلشَّرِّ. لَعَلَّهُ يَرْجِعُ وَيَنْدَمُ، فَيُبْقِيَ وَرَاءَهُ بَرَكَةَ، تَقْدِمَةٍ وَسَكِيبًا لِلرَّبِّ إِلَهِكُمْ. اِضْرِبُوا بِٱلْبُوقِ فِي صِهْيَوْنَ. قَدِّسُوا صَوْمًا. نَادُوا بِٱعْتِكَافٍ. اِجْمَعُوا ٱلشَّعْبَ. قَدِّسُوا ٱلْجَمَاعَةَ. ٱحْشُدُوا ٱلشُّيُوخَ. ٱجْمَعُوا ٱلْأَطْفَالَ وَرَاضِعِي ٱلثُّدِيِّ. لِيَخْرُجِ ٱلْعَرِيسُ مِنْ مِخْدَعِهِ وَٱلْعَرُوسُ مِنْ حَجَلَتِهَا. لِيَبْكِ ٱلْكَهَنَةُ خُدَّامُ ٱلرَّبِّ بَيْنَ ٱلرِّواقِ وَٱلْمَذْبَحِ، وَيَقُولُوا: «ٱشْفِقْ يَارَبُّ عَلَى شَعْبِكَ، وَلَا تُسَلِّمْ مِيرَاثَكَ لِلْعَارِ حَتَّى تَجْعَلَهُمُ ٱلْأُمَمُ مَثَلًا. لِمَاذَا يَقُولُونَ بَيْنَ ٱلشُّعُوبِ: أَيْنَ إِلَهُهُمْ؟».

Tear Your Hearts
Joel 02/12-16/But even now, says the Lord, come back to me with all your heart, keeping from food, with weeping and with sorrow: Let your hearts be broken, and not your clothing, and come back to the Lord your God: for he is full of grace and pity, slow to be angry and great in mercy, ready to be turned from his purpose of punishment. May it not be that he will again let his purpose be changed and let a blessing come after him, even a meal offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? Let a horn be sounded in Zion, let a time be fixed for going without food, have a holy meeting: Get the people together, make the mass of the people holy, send for the old men, get together the children and babies at the breast: let the newly married man come out of his room and the bride from her tent. Let the priests, the servants of the Lord, be weeping between the covered way and the altar, and let them say, Have mercy on your people, O Lord, do not give up your heritage to shame, so that the nations become their rulers: why let them say among the peoples, Where is their God?

دعوة للتوبة
انجيل القديس يوئيل/01/من13حتى20/تَنَطَّقُوا وَنُوحُوا أَيُّهَا ٱلْكَهَنَةُ. وَلْوِلُوا يَا خُدَّامَ ٱلْمَذْبَحِ. ٱدْخُلُوا بِيتُوا بِٱلْمُسُوحِ يَا خُدَّامَ إِلَهِي، لِأَنَّهُ قَدِ ٱمْتَنَعَ عَنْ بَيْتِ إِلَهِكُمُ ٱلتَّقْدِمَةُ وَٱلسَّكِيبُ. قَدِّسُوا صَوْمًا. نَادُوا بِٱعْتِكَافٍ. ٱجْمَعُوا ٱلشُّيُوخَ، جَمِيعَ سُكَّانِ ٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَى بَيْتِ ٱلرَّبِّ إِلَهِكُمْ وَٱصْرُخُوا إِلَى ٱلرَّبِّ. آهِ عَلَى ٱلْيَوْمِ! لِأَنَّ يَوْمَ ٱلرَّبِّ قَرِيبٌ. يَأْتِي كَخَرَابٍ مِنَ ٱلْقَادِرِ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ. أَمَا ٱنْقَطَعَ ٱلطَّعَامُ تُجَاهَ عُيُونِنَا؟ ٱلْفَرَحُ وَٱلِٱبْتِهَاجُ عَنْ بَيْتِ إِلَهِنَا؟ عَفَّنَتِ ٱلْحُبُوبُ تَحْتَ مَدَرِهَا. خَلَتِ ٱلْأَهْرَاءُ. ٱنْهَدَمَتِ ٱلْمَخَازِنُ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ يَبِسَ ٱلْقَمْحُ. َمْ تَئِنُّ ٱلْبَهَائِمُ! هَامَتْ قُطْعَانُ ٱلْبَقَرِ لِأَنْ لَيْسَ لَهَا مَرْعًى. حَتَّى قُطْعَانُ ٱلْغَنَمِ تَفْنَى. إِلَيْكَ يَارَبُّ أَصْرُخُ، لِأَنَّ نَارًا قَدْ أَكَلَتْ مَرَاعِيَ ٱلْبَرِّيَّةِ، وَلَهِيبًا أَحْرَقَ جَمِيعَ أَشْجَارِ ٱلْحَقْلِ. حَتَّى بَهَائِمُ ٱلصَّحْرَاءِ تَنْظُرُ إِلَيْكَ، لِأَنَّ جَدَاوِلَ ٱلْمِيَاهِ قَدْ جَفَّتْ، وَٱلنَّارَ أَكَلَتْ مَرَاعِيَ ٱلْبَرِّيَّةِ.

Repentance
Joel 01/13-20/: Put haircloth round you and give yourselves to sorrow, you priests; give cries of grief, you servants of the altar: come in, and, clothed in haircloth, let the night go past, you servants of my God: for the meal offering and the drink offering have been kept back from the house of your God. Let a time be fixed for going without food, have a holy meeting, let the old men, even all the people of the land, come together to the house of the Lord your God, crying out to the Lord. Sorrow for the day! for the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Ruler of all it will come. Is not food cut off before our eyes? joy and delight from the house of our God? The grains have become small and dry under the spade; the store-houses are made waste, the grain-stores are broken down; for the grain is dry and dead. What sounds of pain come from the beasts! the herds of cattle are at a loss because there is no grass for them; even the flocks of sheep are no longer to be seen. O Lord, my cry goes up to you: for fire has put an end to the grass-lands of the waste, and all the trees of the field are burned with its flame. The beasts of the field are turning to you with desire: for the water-streams are dry and fire has put an end to the grass-lands of the waste.

We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us
Second Letter to the Corinthians 05/20-21//06-1-7: “We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’ See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;