16th Anniversary of the Departure of Father Matta al-Meskeen

The picture was captured in 1981.
The picture was captured in 1981.
On the occasion of the sixteenth anniversary of the departure of the late Father Matta al-Meskeen, occurring in close proximity to the feast of Pentecost, we present some of his sayings about the Holy Spirit.
  1. The Holy Spirit is the only mediator between our difficult reality and our expected eternal rest.
  2. We are now in the time of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit’s greatest work is unity.
  3. The age of the Church is now the age of the Holy Spirit.
  4. When the Spirit dwells in a place, the place itself reveals its shaky foundations, its beginning and its end.
  5. If the Holy Spirit is present in a place, His work spreads out to those present in an amazing communitarian manner.
  6. The Holy Spirit does not transform man into a pure spirit and does not abolish matter, but rather it renews our perspective, amends our purpose, and transforms our path from the purely material level to the spiritual level in the use we make of our instincts, talents and emotions.
  7. Thanks be to God, because the Spirit that God has caused to dwell in our hearts has desires against the body and is ultimately victorious in the name of the Lord.
  8. Being filled with the Spirit means that the Spirit occupies our whole being so that it becomes a being for God and the body for Christ.
  9. The Holy Spirit is extremely simple, responding to man’s call immediately, if it is pronounced with sincerity, faith and simplicity.
  10. If you want to get completely rid of your old self, surrender yourself once to the Holy Spirit to live in the light.
  11. The sign of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the heart is the presence of love.
  12. The Holy Spirit covers us and does not forsake us. It fills us and remains hidden within us. He is present within us in person, yet what appears outside is only our person. He speaks out through us, yet only our voice is heard. He accompanies us every moment, yet we are seen alone. He grants us knowledge of all truth as if we knew ourselves. He liberates our souls from the limitations of the world, as if we are liberated by our own efforts.
  13. The Holy Spirit is the force that keeps the spiritual balance of man, and He is at the heart of the material world reality.
  14. When the Holy Spirit rests in a person who has properly assimilated faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit immediately begins His work of witnessing to this faith.
  15. Christ was incarnate so that He would be crucified. He was crucified so that He would rise from the dead. He rose so that He would ascend. He ascended so that He would send the Holy Spirit.
From: Monk Arsanios al-Maqari (ed.), Eternal Sayings [Arabic: أقوال خالدة], 2011, pp. 108-111.

برع لمساندة أنشطة الدير ونشكر أي مساهمة منكم مهما كانت صغيرة.

و يمكنكم التبرع لمشروع إخوة الرب وهو مشروع لمعونة الأيتام والفقراء (مشروع الملاك ميخائيل) أسسه الأب متى المسكين ويعوله دير القديس أنبا مقار.

Donate to support the Monastery’s activities or for the “Archangel Michael Coptic Care” program which helps orphans and needy people in Egypt.
FOR US CITIZENS
“Archangel Michael Coptic Care” has been registered in the USA to serve and help the poor of Egypt in a significant way. Our Tax ID # is: 43-1957120. Your contribution is all TAX DEDUCTIBLE. You will receive a yearly report of your contribution for your tax record. Please write the check to: Archangel Michael Coptic Care. Mail your check to: P.O. Box # 1574, Centreville, VA 20122, USA or donate with credit card or Paypal.

برع لمساندة أنشطة الدير ونشكر أي مساهمة منكم مهما كانت صغيرة.

و يمكنكم التبرع لمشروع إخوة الرب وهو مشروع لمعونة الأيتام والفقراء (مشروع الملاك ميخائيل) أسسه الأب متى المسكين ويعوله دير القديس أنبا مقار.

Donate to support the Monastery’s activities or for the “Archangel Michael Coptic Care” program which helps orphans and needy people in Egypt.
FOR US CITIZENS
“Archangel Michael Coptic Care” has been registered in the USA to serve and help the poor of Egypt in a significant way. Our Tax ID # is: 43-1957120. Your contribution is all TAX DEDUCTIBLE. You will receive a yearly report of your contribution for your tax record. Please write the check to: Archangel Michael Coptic Care. Mail your check to: P.O. Box # 1574, Centreville, VA 20122, USA or donate with credit card or Paypal.