Holy 50 Days

2025-06-01: 6th Sunday - I have overcome the world

Salutation

We celebrate today three Feasts of the Lord and you can see the icons for them

Blessed Feast to you all


Background

The Church arranges for us the readings of the Holy 50 Days about our new life in the Lord Jesus Christ who is risen from the dead. The Lord Jesus in His incarnation, crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and ascension, did all of this for our sake. In order to give us a new life - a life free from the slavery of sin, slavery to the world, and slavery to Satan. A life in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Introduction

Now it is the 6th Sunday and the gospel ended with the Lord telling His disciples: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33)

These verses are actually the end of the final discourse the Lord has with His disciples. After the Lord washed the feet of the disciples, and they ate the Last Supper, the Lord starts to speak to them and tell them about the Father, and about the Holy Spirit. He gives them warnings of what is to come - "the world will hate you but it hated Me first" - "they will put you out of the synagogues" - "they will kill you" - and He gives them a message of hope that they will have joy.

The conclusion of this whole message is the verse that we ended with today: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Tribulations

We will have tribulations. That's guaranteed. And they will take different forms:

All of these tribulations and many more might come upon me. And the Lord told us "In the world you will have tribulation." These tribulations come to those who are Christians (believers) and also to those who are non-believers. But what is different is HOW we deal with those tribulations.

The Lord told us today: "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world"

His Victory is My Victory

I have overcome the world - I have triumphed - I am victorious.

But what does that mean? In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Imagine if a teacher went to his students and said "look, the exam is very very hard... but don't worry, be of good cheer, I passed the exam." What might the student say? Okay you passed the exam... so what? I'm the one who has to take it, how does that help me?

The answer comes to us in today's Pauline Epistle. The first verse in the Pauline Epistle today: "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:57)

When the Lord says "I have overcome the world" - "I have victory over the world" - we can take that to be our victory, as St Paul told us. When the Lord Jesus Christ conquers, then WE conquer - because we are IN the Lord Jesus Christ. We are UNITED with the Lord Jesus Christ. We ABIDE in Him and He in us.

In the last five weeks, we had message about our new life in Christ and today we see what that means. His victory is our victory.

How do we abide in Him? How do we unite with Him?

In the Sacraments

In a Personal Relationship with Him

So when we live the sacramental life, and strive in our spiritual life - prayer, scripture, fasting, prostrations, spiritual books, spiritual canon; we are united with the Lord, we abide in Him and He in us, and in this way, we share in His victory, and we can overcome the world.

That in Me you may have peace

"These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace." (John 16:33)

This is a very important concept - that in Me you may have peace. Overcome the tribulation doesn't mean that it will end. The tribulation may never end. It might - but it might not.

But at the very least, the Lord wants us to have peace in tribulation. And He spoke these words to the disciples, in order that they would have peace when the tribulation came (of His death and waiting for His Resurrection).

So how does the Lord equip us to overcome tribulation? How does the Lord equip us to endure tribulation when we have His peace?

We'll discuss 4 points

1. The Lord Gives Us His Joy

One of the ways that the Lord equips us to overcome tribulation is by giving us His Joy.

In the Catholic Epistle today, St Peter writes “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.” (1 Peter 1:6)

We read in Nehemiah that  “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

The person who has the joy of the Lord, is strong and is able to conquer. You meet some people like that who are always joyful despite anything that's going on.

We remember when St Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi and not just imprisoned, but they were beaten with rods and laid with stripes and then their feet were put in stocks (see image). What do we read in the Book of Acts?

Despite their tortures and beatings, Paul and Silas had peace. And they overcame their tribulation by praying and singing hymns. They were joyful! They were not complaining, they were not afraid - and when their chains were loosened and the door opened, they didn't run out and try to escape. No, they had peace. Actually, the one who didn't have peace was the jailer - and he was going to kill himself. But they comforted him and he asked what must I do to be saved, and he was saved.

So because of the peace of Christ, they overcame the tribulation. They were not weighed down by being in prison, or dismayed, or afraid. But they were in peace.

Maybe, for example, I am struggling with a family member who is ill. Let me put it my struggle in the hands of the Lord, and as I live the sacramental life and continue in my spiritual life, and pray and sing hymns with joy, the Lord will give me peace to endure and overcome the tribulation. 

2. The Lord Gives Us Purpose

One of the ways that the Lord equips us to overcome tribulation is by giving us Purpose. God is the One who created us, so He is the only One who can give us Purpose.

We remember the story of the righteous Joseph in the Book of Genesis. Joseph is thrown in a pit and then sold to slavery by his brothers. Then he is falsely accused in Potiphar's house and sent to jail for several years. Finally he comes out of jail and interprets Pharaoh's dreams, and we know the rest of the story. He becomes second in command over all of Egypt. His brothers, feeling guilty, were afraid that he would retaliate against them - and this is a tribulation. But Joseph understood his purpose. He said to them: "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." (Genesis 50:20)

He understood how God had used his tribulation for the safety of his family, and all the land of Egypt and the surrounding lands. He understood how God was using him.

Have you heard about Nick Vujicic? He was born without arms and legs. But we don't see him in despair, we don't see him complaining about his arms or legs. But the tribulation gave him a sense of purpose - he can walk, swim, answer the phone, type and do many things and he goes around preaching Christianity to people. He goes around speaking out against the ideologies of the world like abortion. And he has overcome the tribulation. Did his arms and legs grow back? No, but he overcomes the tribulation with his sense of purpose.

We read in Proverbs: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

The Lord may reveal to us His will, our purpose through a tribulation, and this will give us peace to overcome the tribulation.

3. The Lord Gives Us Faith & Hope

In the Catholic Epistle today, St Peter writes “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6)

We remember the story of Abraham - Abraham suffered much tribulation in his life. For a long time, he and Sarah his wife were not able to bear children, but the Lord made a covenant with him that he would have descendants like the stars of heaven. And it was 30 years after that, that he had Isaac. So he endured this tribulation for 30 years. How? Faith. Faith and hope in the promises of God.

Then finally after Isaac is born, the Lord gives Abraham another tribulation - take your son Isaac, your only son whom you love, and offer him up to me as a burnt offering on the mountain of which I tell you. How did Abraham endure this tribulation? How did he take his son and go on a three day journey knowing where he was going and what he was going to do there? Again, with faith. St Paul tells us: "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead." (Hebrews 11:17-19)

Abraham had faith that God would raise Isaac from the dead. And this faith is what allowed him to endure the tribulation.

When there is a tribulation that is out of my hands completely - an illness, a natural disaster, etc. then I have no choice but to have faith in the Lord and in His wisdom and to pray that His will be done. The Lord gives me faith as a way to overcome tribulation. And by faith, I will have peace.

4. The Lord Gives Us Repentance

Finally, the Lord gives us repentance. I can overcome tribulation by repentance. Throughout the Old Testament, we saw this happening with Israel - they reject God, they are taken under tribulation by another nation, they repent, God delivers them. It's a cycle in the Book of Judges and throughout the books of the Kings. 

An example of this repentance is King Manasseh. King Manasseh was one of the very evil kings, he did not walk in the way of his father the righteous King Hezekiah. He undid all of the good things his father had done - he built idols and altars for Baal and every evil thing that could have been done.

So the Lord brought a tribulation on Manasseh - the Assyrians came and they took him with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters and carried him captive to Babylon.

“Now when Manasseh was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13)

How did Manasseh endure the temptation of being in captivity? By repentance. And when he repented of all his sin, then he found peace and the scripture says "Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God."

One of the ways to overcome tribulation in the world is by living a life of repentance. 

Some tribulations are a direct result of our own sin - self-inflicted suffering. If I am trapped in a habit, a lifestyle, a relationship or a friendship that is keeping me far from God. The simple way out is repentance.

Other times, we might be facing a tribulation and we don't realize that God is trying to get my attention! I might say "I can't find a job!" and that's a real tribulation. But maybe at the same time, I am involved in a relationship that I know is not blessed. Maybe the Lord is using the tribulation of the job to guide me out of the sin of the relationship. Maybe the Lord is waiting for my repentance to deliver me.

There is no blessing in living a life of sin. And there is no peace without repentance.

If I choose to live the life of repentance, then I will be reconciled with God and I will have the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I will be able to endure and overcome the tribulations.

Summary

The Lord said to us today "In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." When we live a Sacramental Life, a life of Prayer, and a life of reading the Scripture, then we will be united with the Lord, abiding in Him. And so His victory over the world becomes our victory.

Being united with Him will give us peace. He equips us with joy, purpose, faith, and repentance to overcome the world.

Concluding Prayer

May the Lord grant us to have peace in Him and to "be of good cheer" in the joy of His Glorious Resurrection and His Ascension into the Heavens, and may we conquer the tribulations of this world with Him, in Him and through Him.

Glory be to God, forever. Amen.

2026-05-10: 4th Sunday - Reading the Scripture

Introduction

Christ is Risen!

Good morning, dear beloved, blessed Holy 50 Days as we continue to celebrate the Glorious Resurrection of the Lord.

During these Holy 50 Days, the Church arranges for most of the Liturgy Gospel readings to be from the Gospel of John - even on the weekdays and Saturdays. And on Sundays, the Church takes us on a journey.

  1. 1st Sunday: Thomas Sunday, the Lord confirms our faith
  2. 2nd Sunday: He is the Bread of Life; He gives us His Body to eat and His Blood to drink for salvation and remission of sins. 
  3. 3rd Sunday: Samaritan Woman, He gives us the Living Water which is the Holy Spirit
  4. 4th Sunday: He is the Light of the World
  5. 5th Sunday: He is the Way the Truth and the Life
  6. 6th Sunday: He has overcome the world, so we are joyful
  7. 7th Sunday: He sends us His Spirit to dwell in us, the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth
Background

Today the Church is speaking to us about Christ, the Light of the World

And since He is the Light of the World, so He came to enlighten our minds, our hearts and our understandings (1st Hour).

Light:

And the light is the Word of God.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105)

The Word of God:

Unfortunately, we don't give the Word of God its due. We:

If I ask any group of youth to recite the verses they know, or to list the minor prophets, or tell me the theme of one of the books, or to give me the map of the Gospels... very rare. When we have a Bible Study, we have low attendance. When we hear confessions - most of the time there is a struggle with reading the Scripture. And unfortunately, because we don't know the Scripture, so many fall away from God and from the Church in their youth...

St Augustine, before he was "saint" Augustine, lived a life of confusion and sin. He was with the wrong crowds, he was confused by the various teachings, and he lived in sin. And his mother, St Monica would pray for him with tears, she went multiple times and talked to the bishop, St Ambrose, and put her tears at his feet. What changed him in the end? What caused him to go back to the Lord? He opened the Scripture and he read two verses from Romans 13. And he felt that his heart was flooded with light. All it took was one little flame to give light in the darkness. And he was baptized and became a Christian and became the saint that we know and we learn from.

This is the importance of the Word of God in our life, and this is the light that the Word of God gives us.

So how do we read the Scripture?

How to Read the Scripture
Techniques for Understanding the Scripture
  1. Read the Chapter
  2. If there is a verse you don’t understand, read a commentary on it (Coptic Commentary app, Anba Youssef, Fr Daoud, Fr Antonios Fikry, Fr Tadros)
  3. Ask the Six Questions
  4. Write a Contemplation
    • Turn the reading into a prayer
  5. Take a verse to memorize
Six Questions
  1. Is there a commandment for me? 
    • Something that I need to start doing or I need to increase in it
    • ”Love your enemies”
    • ”Bless those who curse you”
    • ”Pray for those who spitefully use you”
  2. Is there a sin to repent?
    • Something I need to STOP doing
  3. Is there a promise?
    • ”Do not fear little flock for it is Your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”
    • ”Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”
    • These promises give me hope - in a time when the devil attacks me with despair
  4. Is there a benefit for me?
    • ”No longer do I call you servants but friends, for a servant does not know the will of his master”
  5. What qualities (or names) of God do I find in this passage?
    1. Good, Long-suffering, Merciful, Slow to Anger, Fair, etc.
    2. Father, Good Shepherd, Teacher, My God, My Light, My salvation, My joy, My glory, etc.
    3. So when the devil comes and attacks me and makes me think something evil about God… someone might say “God lets bad things to happen” - “God does not love me” - “God is not fair” - I will recall those stories and verses and passages
  6. Is there a character I can learn from in this passage?
    1. St Mary, King David, Ruth, Esther, St Paul, etc.
    2. Where can I put myself in this story?
    3. And it doesn't have to be on of the saints - it could be someone like King Saul. His end was not good, but there is much that we can learn from him. Or Judas... his end was not good, but we can learn from him what not to do and not to despair.
    4. Or it could even just be someone random and unnamed in the Scripture! When I read the feeding of the multitude, maybe I put myself as one of the 5000... if I was one of the 5000 and the disciples came and tried to put me in a group of 50, what would I have done? I would have complied? Or I would have said no I want to be in this other group? And then they start to distribute 5 loaves and 2 fish... and I see how many people there are. What would I have done? Waited patiently, having faith? Or I would have ran to the front to get some food before it runs out? And when the disciples go and pick a leader for each group of 50 and I don't get picked, I go and complain and say it's not fair? Where am I in this story? What would I have done in this story?

In every passage, you will be able to answer at least a few of these questions - not all six, but at least two or three of them.

Conclusion

May the Lord grant us 

2025-05-24: 6th Sunday - Ask in My Name

Introduction

These verses contain two things:

And it's easy for us to hear these verses and think... I asked before and I did not receive. Or I sought and I did not find. Or I knocked and it was not opened for me. And this could be something I am struggling with... does God hear my prayer? And if so, why doesn't He respond?

But how should I pray? What should my posture be? How should I approach God with my troubles, my anxieties, and my requests? What does it mean to ask in Jesus' name? Some people end every prayer with "In Jesus' name we pray. Amen." - is that what this means? Or does it mean something else?

Six points:

  1. Ask, Believing
  2. Ask Obediently
  3. Ask Persistently
  4. Ask for God's Will
  5. Ask with Pure Motive
  6. Ask Humbly
1 - Ask, Believing

"And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22)

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting..." (James 1:6)

2 - Ask Obediently
3 - Ask Persistently
4 - Ask for God's Will
5 - Ask with Pure Motive
6 - Ask Humbly
Conclusion

May the Lord grant us to offer prayers persistently, with a believing heart, doing the works of obedience, with a pure motive and with all humility. May He accept our prayers and answer them according to His will.