♰ Seeing God Abouna Angelos 2018 Aug 22 Question -------- When a person approaches the Lord, what is his first reaction? Mary [Luke 1:46-55] 46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.” Hanna [1 Samuel 2:1-10] 1 And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. 2 “No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. 3 “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. 4 “The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble. 6 “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. 7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. 8 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, And He has set the world upon them. 9 He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. “For by strength no man shall prevail. 10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed.” Isaiah [Isaiah 6] 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” 5 So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” Peter [Luke 5:8] When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” Wisdom [Psalm 8:3-4] When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? [Psalm 111:10] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. [Proverb 1:7] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. [Proverb 9:10] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Moses [Deuteronomy 32:2-6] 2 Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on the grass. 3 For I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God. 4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. 5 “They have corrupted themselves; They are not His children, Because of their blemish: A perverse and crooked generation. 6 Do you thus deal with the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you? Answer ------ When regarding God, man feels small. • Those who approach God go out of their mind. • You can hear it in their songs, human souls shaking like a leaf in the presence of God. • “My soul magnifies the Lord.” • It is a delightful rest in the Glory of God. • Awesome! Wow! Astonishing! • I am really nothing. • God chooses those who have no esteem in the eyes of the world For example, Mary (and Joseph) • not competing with anyone • not wealthy • not educated • not eloquent of speech • says very little, the only dialog is - with the archangel - in Jerusalem: Why have you done this to us; your father and I were tormented - in Cana: Whatever He tells you to do, do it [LISTEN TO HIM] (like the Father in Transfiguration). • void of all worldly interests • has nothing in common with humans; most people would not be interested in the things she cares about; they might go with her for a couple hours; then they say, This is unexciting. • is very poor, from the world’s point of view • has no science, poetry, or even religious education • has the experience of God, beyond human comprehension, “Lowly estate of his handmaiden” What is a seeker feeling? ------------------------- • I am nothing. He is everything. What he has done makes me feel even more nothing. It is a rich, exciting nothing. I am happy. • I have original sin, but I also have original innocence. Let me return to it. • If I am wise and talented, whence came my wisdom and talents? Did I create myself (Psalm 100:3)? Let me call God and say, “I miss you.” Death and Life -------------- God lowers the high and raises the low. [Isaiah 40:4] Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. [Matthew 20:16] So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. God Lays Low the Haughty ↓ -------------------------- • People seeking prestige and career and power end up with humility. [Job 5:12-13] He frustrates the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot carry out their plans. He catches the wise in their own craftiness, And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them. [Psalms 33:10] The LORD brings to naught the counsel of the nations; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. [Isaiah 5:21] Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight! [Isaiah 13:11] “I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. [Isaiah 26:5] For He brings down those who dwell on high, The lofty city; He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He brings it down to the dust. [Isaiah 29:14] Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden. [Isaiah 44:25] Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness; [Luke 1:52] He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. God Raises the Humble ↑ ----------------------- • God exhalts the lowly, the illiterate, the hungry. That is His way. That is what He likes to do. [Psalms 34:19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. [Psalms 145:14] The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. [Luke 1:53] He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. The Humble Man Seeks God ------------------------ Mary says, “For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.” [Luke 1:49] • What do you get from this? • When you want to get to know someone, one your first questions is, What is his name? • What is His Name? • He is the King of Glory [Psalms 24:8-9], and HOLY is his name. [Exodus 3:13-14] Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” “Who are you? What is your name?” “My name is ‘I-Am’” (Did you know: Above the holy altar in every Armenian church is the single-letter word Է “He Is.”) • Moses asks God his name, and He answers “I AM WHO I AM.” • Is God being elusive? • He is saying, “Taste and see what I do. Then you will know me.” [Psalms 34:8] Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! [Psalms 119:103] How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! [1 Peter 2:1-3] Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. • A name is not just a name. It carries with it an experience. • God’s Name has proven that it is Worthy -- of your entire heart. [Exodus 15:1-3] Then singeth Moses and the sons of Israel this song to Jehovah, and they speak, saying: “I sing to Jehovah, For triumphing He hath triumphed; The horse and its rider He hath thrown into the sea. My strength and song is JAH, And He is become my salvation: This is my God, and I glorify Him; God of my father, and I exalt Him. Jehovah is a man of battle; Jehovah is His name. How can Man experience God -------------------------- • By having no other partner, no other than His place in your heart. • Spend time with nature, with Christ, with God. When you enter the liturgy and say, “O God the Great and the Eternal who formed man in incorruption, ..., meet and right, ...,” and all the anaphoras, it is an expression of awe. • Mary is expressing this awe. The things He has done to me personally, that touch me in a very special place, are going to bring reverence and a connection between His deeds and the Holiness of His Name. [Isaiah 26:8] Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You. • A pure yearning desire for God (Isaiah). • Person just by himself, a feeling that comes over the person, “I miss time with God.” (See Isaiah 26:8-9a) [Isaiah 26:9a] With my soul have I desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me will I seek You early. • Calm satisfaction in His Presence. • Mary is not just putting words together. She is reflecting her own experience. Life from Wood -------------- Q: What is the Rod of Aaron? A: It is an account of life (Num 17) after death (Num 16). • God has the power to kill and to bring to life. • This is a major Biblical theme. No one has that power. No one. [Deuteronomy 32:39] “Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.” [1 Samuel 2:6] “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.” Q: Why do we liken Mary to the Rod of Aaron? God: “We are going to bring life from a virgin girl.” It is a symbol and a very powerful image for life. A: Actually she is much greater and more than the Rod of Aaron! The Rod of Aaron brought almonds. Mary brought God in human form. [Isaiah 26:17-19] As a woman with child Is in pain and cries out in her pangs, When she draws near the time of her delivery, So have we been in Your sight, O LORD. We have been with child, we have been in pain; We have, as it were, brought forth wind; We have not accomplished any deliverance in the earth, Nor have the inhabitants of the world fallen. Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead. Summary: We -- in labor -- pass gas (!), but God’s dead shall live!