2024-07-19 KPNIT99

Questions: Ethos

Can you share with us your background and journey into studying Church Rites? What initially drew you to this field of study?

My name is Morcous Wahba, I am first and foremost a Coptic Orthodox Christian. I am a husband and a father. I serve as a Subdeacon in my parish in Orlando, FL, and I'm a Software Engineer by trade.

Of course, growing up in the Southern Diocese, we had the great model of HG Bishop Youssef; when he visited our churches and prayed tasbeha with us; when he encouraged the chanting of hymns during liturgy, etc; when he would release a press release about the rites of the church like "this Sunday we will be celebrating the 29th of the Coptic month instead of the fifth Sunday of the month."

I remember when I was in elementary school or middle school, HG wanted the Aspasmos Adam and Aspasmos Watos to be learned and chanted in the churches in English. So he sent out a note to all the churches that for the first half of the year, every church should sing Rejoice O Mary every Sunday and for the second half of the year, every church should sing O Lord God of Hosts. And I remember the servants teaching us these two hymns and chanting them every Sunday until everyone learned them. 

I had great servants in my church, who encouraged us to learn hymns and who modeled for us the true spirit of hymnology. When I was in elementary or middle school is when websites like coptichymns.net and tasbeha.org started to appear - and they had recordings of hymns for all occasions. They had forums where people would discuss the rites of the Church. 

I remember when the Deacons Service book came out by Albair Mikhail - "Al Assess fe khedmet el shammas" and it had all the hymns in it and a bunch of Arabic text that I couldn't read. And then when the same servant, Albair, released the HCOC CDs (Heritage of the Coptic Orthodox Church) and they were high quality group recordings for all of the hymns. We would buy all these things and use them to learn.

As with most youth, I had questions about the Church Rites... like why do we say ⲛⲓⲥⲁⲃⲉⲩ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ (a hymn about the robe of Aaron) instead of Saved Amen when the Bishop is present? You start to look for answers, read books, watch videos, ask priests and bishops, etc. 

All of these things kind of cultivated in me the love of all things ritual. 

What do you say to people who have the mindset of “who cares” about Church Rites?

I mean I think the answer is "God cares."

The concept of ritual was not just invented by man, but it has been an expression of worship that is acceptable to God since the beginning. As early as Cain and Abel, we see that God distinguishes between what is acceptable and unacceptable offering. In Noah, we see him build an altar and offer clean animals after coming out of the ark. Same with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was God who in Exodus specifically laid out how the Tabernacle should be constructed - what materials, how much of each material, how they are arranged, etc. It was God who in Leviticus ordained specific instructions for each of the burnt offerings, and ordained feasts, and the rituals for the day of atonement and the raising of incense day and night, and the showbread and the lighting of the candles and the vestments of the priests, and all of those things. It was God who gave the rites for anointing of priests and anointing of kings.

It was actually the people who said "who cares" in the Old Testament who ended up being rebuked or punished by God. Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron, the sons of Eli, King Saul, Korah, Dathan and Abiram, etc.

So I don't think the mindset of "who cares" is appropriate at all.

But there are other negative attitudes when it comes to the Rites and Hymns of the Church. One that I hear pretty often is "Rites were made for man and not man for rites." It's a rewording of the verse from the Gospels that "the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, therefore the Son of Man also is Lord of the Sabbath." Like the Rites were made FOR you, to HELP you, to ENHANCE your relationship with God; you were not created to be a SLAVE to the rites. And the Lord Jesus said those words right after he said something similar - he quoted from Hosea saying "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." Both of those verses, when taken outside of their context, seem to say that Rites are not important to the Lord. But we have to distinguish between broadly applying those words, and applying them within their context.

The Pharisees were very extreme. For example, when the Lord rebukes them, He tells them "Woe to you" for you tithe mint and rue and anise and pass by justice and love of God. He's telling them like you go and measure out 10% of your spices to offer as a tithe, but in your dealings with people, you are not just. You do not love God. You do not love your neighbor. You're just doing it for the sake of ritual. And so He rebukes them. But there's a very important phrase that He says in that same breath: "these you ought to have done without leaving the others undone." Do both!

We do like the Pharisees sometimes: we do ritual at the expense of our brother. I can imagine a scenario where a deacon is holding the censer for Abouna, and another deacon rushes over and takes it from him to make sure it gets held the "the right way." Or a deacon says a hymn the wrong way, or makes a mistake, and someone else rushes over to correct him or make an example of him or something like that. Or the fights for the microphone that happen in some places. Or the arguments that happen over the "correct ritual" and the "only way to do it." In those cases, someone might be doing ritual, but without love of God or love of neighbor. Without mercy or justice. And it will not be acceptable to God.

But when we do ritual in the correct way, it will be well-pleasing to God.

How do you see Church Rites evolving or adapting to contemporary cultural and societal changes? Are there any challenges or opportunities you foresee in this regard?

I remember in his first few years as Pope, HH Pope Tawadros was discussing in Egypt the Litany of the Waters. And he's telling the people "we're praying for the Nile! Why should the believers in America pray for the Nile River? They should pray for the Mississippi River!" It was so funny, but it also showed very clearly that HH understood that there are pastoral needs in different places and at different times.

HH Pope Shenouda III recommended to the Synod to add a word to the Litany of the Travelers: "Air" - those who are traveling by rivers, seas, roads, lakes [air]. This was a response to a societal change; the invention and widespread use of air travel.

In the time of HH Pope Shenouda also, they added a small one-line litany to the Litanies that start with "Yea we ask You O Christ our God..." - "Success to the students, work for the needy." There was a need in society at that time, and it was added.

There is a liturgical scholar by the name of Fr Robert J Taft (Catholic) who said "There is no ideal form of the liturgy from the past that must be imitated, liturgy has always changed."

All this to show that the Church and the hierarchy of the Church is aware of the pastoral needs and is not opposed to modifying the liturgical text, or even the rituals for the sake of those pastoral needs.

Are there any challenges or opportunities you foresee in this regard?

I think technology is both the biggest challengeopportunity, but also the biggest challenge.

The history and historical development of our ritual is technologyaccessible to the general public now more than ever. Coptic Manuscripts that are scattered at museums around the world, are accessible at our fingertips. Large groups on Social Media are dedicated to discussion of ritual and specificallysome Socialof Media.the Asvery knowledgeable academics frequently participate in those groups. People are starting to be more interested in ritual, and particularly in restoring rituals that we have lost or that we have lost their meaning. So it's an opportunity to restore to practice that which was lost. 

But that also comes with anya technologyword likeof that,caution. We have to recognize that the ritual  - the same scholar mentioned before, Fr Robert Taft wrote "As a historian, my job is not to change the tradition, but to tell the truth about what happened. It is the job of the hierarchs to decide what to do about it." He does the job of the historian, figuring out what the facts were - but he leaves the job of reform or evolution or change to the hierarchs of the church. Sometimes, people in their zeal for returning to "the original" forget to account for the fact that there might be a reason it changed in the first place. Sometimes, those who are prosengulfed in the academia and cons.the sources, are not quite as in tune with the pastoral needs of the flock.

But unfortunately, even when that happens, we're met with challenges. 

When HE Metropolitan Youssef announced through the diocese the establishment of American Coptic Orthodox Churches, people in Egypt went wild. It spread across Social Media and with every share, a new more misleading comment was attached to it. His Eminence was just serving his flock in a way that made sense for them. And by God's grace, those churches have found much success in our diocese. When HE Metropolitan Serapion allowed some churches to celebrate Nativity Feast on Christmas morning Dec 25, if there was a pastoral need, people in Egypt went wild. Again, it spread across Social Media and misleading comments were everywhere. 

And vice versa - when a church in Upper Egypt has some diversity in their ritual and it gets posted on social media and shared everywhere, people - even here in the States - go on the offensive. You can't blame them for their zeal in remaining "unchanged" but it presents an obstacle for evolving Church Rites to address pastoral needs.

AtSo thewe samecan time,see thehow technology in our hands presents to us an opportunity. The history and historical development of our ritual is accessible to the general public now more than ever. Coptic Manuscripts that are scattered at museums around the world, are accessible at our fingertips. Large groups on Social Media are dedicated to discussion of ritual and some of the very knowledgeable academics frequently participate in those groups. People are starting tocan be more interested in ritual, and particularly in restoring rituals that we have lost or that we have lost their meaning. So it'sboth an opportunity toand restorea to practice that which was lost.challenge.

How do you navigate the balance between preserving the traditions of Church Rites and responding to the needs of a changing community?

Questions: In-depth

Church Rites

Can you explain what Church Rites encompass and their significance within religious practice?

When you speak of Ritual, you may be speaking about the things that we do in liturgy. The processions and the incense and the candles. You may be speaking about the Hymns of the Church. You may be speaking about the Vestments worn by the clergy. You may be speaking about the different books that we use or the different liturgical services. You may be speaking about the fasts and feasts. All of these are encompassed by the category of "Church Rites."

The significance of Ritual can't be understated: 

What are some common examples of Church Rites that people might encounter in different denominations?

How have Church Rites evolved over time, and what factors influence their adaptation in modern contexts?

What theological principles underpin various Church Rites, and how do these principles shape their practice?

How do Church Rites reflect and reinforce theological beliefs and doctrines within different religious traditions?

Church Rites and My Life

How can individuals incorporate Church Rites into their daily spiritual routines or personal lives?

What benefits do people derive from actively participating in Church Rites?

In what ways do Church Rites foster a sense of community and belonging among believers?

Have there been historical moments or movements that significantly impacted the practice and interpretation of Church Rites?

Can you share examples of individuals or communities whose lives have been profoundly influenced by their engagement with Church Rites?

How can Church leaders effectively guide and support congregants in integrating the spirit of Church Rites into their everyday lives?

Wrap-Up

Looking back at our conversation today, what key insights or messages about Church Rites do you hope listeners take away?

For our listeners interested in incorporating Church Rites more meaningfully into their lives, what practical steps or advice would you recommend?

Is there anything else you'd like to share or emphasize about Church Rites before we conclude today's podcast?

What is a legacy you want to leave?