Miscellaneous
Sermon by Fr. Moussa Guirguis
- Key verse of judges is how everyone did what was right in their own eyes. So the land is basically in darkness... But in the middle of this darkness we have the story of Ruth. A story of light.
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Famines (hunger) drives bad decisions...
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Abraham fled to Egypt because of a famine. Almost lost Sarah.
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Isaac did the same thing after him.
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Jacob was wise and didn't flee but sent his son's to get food.
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Lot, when his shepherds argued with Abraham's and Abraham said "if you go left I'll go right. If you go right I'll look left" raised his eyes and saw land that reminded him of Egypt. (He was with Abraham in Egypt). So he chose that land and it ended up being Sodom and Gomorrah. And God destroyed them...
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Could talk about Eve here. Could talk about how devil tempted Christ with bread. Importance of fasting... How all of this could have been avoided if Elimelech and Naomi just stayed a little hungry in Bethlehem instead of running off to Moab.
How we should fast Wednesday and Friday and when we fast to do it faithfully not just to hit the Chinese buffet and get as full as possible on siyami food
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Where does Moab come from?
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Going back to Lot... After being saved, Lots daughters did something shameful with their father and had sons. And one of those sons is Moab. Moab is the result of sin.
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Every decision you make means you gain something but you lose something else. So focus on what am I gaining and what am I losing?
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Elimelech gained food by going to Moab... But what did he lose? His life and his sons.
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Ruth made the opposite choice in going to Bethlehem with her MIL - she lost what she had in Moab, but she gained Boaz and her children and to be a saint and to be the grandmother of Christ
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- Typically when someone is bitter with God, or upset because something happened (death in family, got sick, etc) you see them turn away from the Church and sacraments and from God. But Naomi, though she was bitter, returned to Bethlehem - and there she found joy prosperity and life
- He says if Christ came in right now where would he sit? Would he come and sit in the first row, best spot? Come and sit with the priests? He says I'm confident He would come and sit by the most miserable person in here. The one who is suffering the most. And that's what Boaz did with Ruth
Learn the Bible in 24 Hours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjjA-FDFmXQ
- Chapter 1: Love's Resolve
- Chapter 2: Love's Response
- Chapter 3: Love's Request
- Chapter 4: Love's Reward
Search the Scriptures - Fr Daniel Azer Sous
- Start and End
- Starts with a funeral; ends with a wedding
- Starts with death; ends with life
- Starts with famine; ends with fullness
- Themes of each Chapter:
- Ruth Renouncing, Requesting, Reaping, Rejoicing
- Tears, Toil, Trust, Triumph
- Love's Resolve, Response, Request, Reward
- Ruth had nothing (but faith), Ruth lives off of leftovers, Ruth receives a generous gift, Ruth has everything
- Kinsman Redeemer as a Messianic Type
- Boaz as a Type of Christ
- Ruth as a Type of the Church