مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَتْبَعَنِي، فَلْيَكْفُرْ بِنَفْسِهِ ويَحْمِلْ صَلِيْبَهُ ويَتْبَعْنِي/If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me

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مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَتْبَعَنِي، فَلْيَكْفُرْ بِنَفْسِهِ ويَحْمِلْ صَلِيْبَهُ ويَتْبَعْنِي
إنجيل القدّيس متّى16/من21حتى28/”بَدَأَ يَسُوعُ يُبَيِّنُ لِتَلامِيْذِهِ أَنَّهُ لا بُدَّ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ إِلى أُورَشَلِيْم، ويَتَأَلَّمَ كَثِيْرًا عَلى أَيْدِي الشُّيُوخِ والأَحْبَارِ والكَتَبَة، ويُقْتَل، وفي اليَوْمِ الثَّالِثِ يَقُوم.فَأَخَذَهُ بُطْرُسُ عَلى حِدَة، وبَدَأَ يَنْتَهِرُهُ قَائِلاً: «حَاشَا لَكَ، يَا ربّ! لَنْ يَحْدُثَ لَكَ هذَا!». فَأَشَاحَ يَسُوعُ بِوَجْهِهِ وقَالَ لِبُطْرُس: «إِذْهَبْ وَرَائِي، يَا شَيْطَان! فَأَنْتَ لِي حَجَرُ عَثْرَة، لأَنَّكَ لا تُفَكِّرُ تَفْكِيْرَ اللهِ بَلْ تَفْكِيْرَ البَشَر». حينَئِذٍ قَالَ يَسُوعُ لِتَلامِيْذِهِ: «مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَتْبَعَنِي، فَلْيَكْفُرْ بِنَفْسِهِ ويَحْمِلْ صَلِيْبَهُ ويَتْبَعْنِي، لأَنَّ مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُخَلِّصَ نَفْسَهُ يَفْقِدُهَا، ومَنْ فَقَدَ نَفْسَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي يَجِدُهَا. فَمَاذَا يَنْفَعُ الإِنْسَانَ لَوْ رَبِحَ العَالَمَ كُلَّهُ وخَسِرَ نَفْسَهُ؟ أَو مَاذَا يُعْطِي الإِنْسَانُ بَدَلاً عَنْ نَفْسِهِ؟ فَإِنَّ ٱبْنَ الإِنْسَانِ سَوْفَ يَأْتِي في مَجْدِ أَبِيْه، مَعَ مَلائِكَتِهِ، وحينَئِذٍ يُجَازِي كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ بِحَسَبِ أَعْمَالِهِ. أَلحَقَّ أَقُولُ لَكُم: إِنَّ بَعْضًا مِنَ القَائِمِينَ هُنَا لَنْ يَذُوقُوا المَوت، حَتَّى يَرَوا ٱبْنَ الإِنْسَانِ آتِيًا في مَلَكُوتِهِ». 

If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me
Matthew 16,21-28: “From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? ‘For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’”

أَشْتَهِي أَنْ أَرْحَلَ وأَكُونَ مَعَ المَسِيح، وهذَا أَفْضَلُ بِكَثِير
رسالة القدّيس بولس إلى أهل فيلبّي01/من21حتى30/”يا إخوَتِي، فَٱلحَياةُ لي هِيَ المَسِيح، والمَوْتُ رِبْحٌ لِي. ولكِنْ، إِذا كانَتِ الحَيَاةُ في الجَسَدِ تُهِيِّئُ لِي عَمَلاً مُثْمِرًا، فلا أَدْرِي مَاذَا أَخْتَار. والأَمْرَانِ يتَجَاذَبَانِنِي: أَشْتَهِي أَنْ أَرْحَلَ وأَكُونَ مَعَ المَسِيح، وهذَا أَفْضَلُ بِكَثِير. لكِنَّ بَقائِي في الجَسَدِ أَشَدُّ ضَرُورَةً مِنْ أَجْلِكُم. وبِهذهِ الثِّقَةِ أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي سَأَبْقى وأُقِيمُ مَعَكُم جَمِيعًا، مِن أَجْلِ تَقَدُّمِكُم وفَرَحِكُم في الإِيْمَان، لِكَي يَزدَادَ ٱفْتِخَارُكُم بي في المَسِيحِ يَسُوع، عِنْدَ مَجِيئِي إِلَيْكُم مَرَّةً أُخْرَى. فَسِيرُوا إِذًا سِيرَةً جَدِيرَةً بإِنْجِيلِ المَسِيح، حَتَّى إِذَا جِئْتُ ورَأَيْتُكُم، أَو كُنْتُ غائِبًا أَسْمَعُ عَنْكُم أَنَّكُم ثَابِتُونَ في رُوحٍ واحِد، مُنَاضِلِينَ معًا بِنَفْسٍ واحِدَةٍ في سَبيلِ الإِيْمَانِ بِالإِنْجِيل. لا تَخَافُوا في شَيءٍ مِنَ الَّذِينَ يُقَاوِمُونَكُم: إِنَّ ذَلِكَ دَلِيلٌ لَهُم عَلى هَلاكِهِم، ولَكُم على خَلاصِكُم. وذَلِكَ هُوَ مِنَ الله. فقَدْ وُهِبَ لَكُم مِن أَجْلِ المَسِيح، لا أَنْ تُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ فَحَسْب، بَلْ أَيْضًا أَنْ تَتَأَلَّمُوا مِنْ أَجْلِهِ، مُجَاهِدِينَ الجِهَادَ عَيْنَهُ الَّذي رأَيْتُمُوهُ فِيَّ، وتَسْمَعُونَ الآنَ أَنِّي لا أَزَالُ أُجاهِدُهُ.”

My desire is to depart and be with Christ
Letter to the Philippians 01/21-30: “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.”