ِحينَ كُنْتَ شَابًّا، كُنْتَ تَشُدُّ حِزَامَكَ بِيَدَيْكَ وتَسِيرُ إِلى حَيْثُ تُرِيد. ولكِنْ حِينَ تَشِيخ، سَتَبْسُطُ يَدَيْكَ وآخَرُ يَشُدُّ لَكَ حِزامَكَ، ويَذْهَبُ بِكَ إِلى حَيْثُ لا تُرِيد
إنجيل القدّيس يوحنّا21/من15حتى25/:”بَعْدَ الغَدَاء، قَالَ يَسُوعُ لِسِمْعَانَ بُطْرُس: «يَا سِمْعَانُ بْنَ يُونَا، أَتُحِبُّنِي أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا يُحِبُّنِي هؤُلاء؟». قَالَ لَهُ: «نَعَم، يَا رَبّ، أَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي أُحِبُّكَ». قَالَ لَهُ يَسُوع: «إِرْعَ حُمْلانِي». قَالَ لَهُ مَرَّةً ثَانِيَةً: «يَا سِمْعَانُ بْنَ يُونَا، أَتُحِبُّنِي؟». قَالَ لَهُ: «نَعَمْ يَا رَبّ، أَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي أُحِبُّكَ». قَالَ لَهُ يَسُوع: «إِرْعَ نِعَاجِي!». قَالَ لَهُ مَرَّةً ثَالِثَة: «يَا سِمْعَانُ بْنَ يُونَا، أَتُحِبُّنِي؟». فَحَزِنَ بُطْرُس، لأَنَّ يَسُوعَ قَالَ لَهُ ثَلاثَ مَرَّات: أَتُحِبُّنِي؟ فَقَالَ لَهُ: «يَا رَبّ، أَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ كُلَّ شَيء، وَأَنْتَ تَعْرِفُ أَنِّي أُحِبُّكَ». قَالَ لَهُ يَسُوع: «إِرْعَ خِرَافِي! أَلحَقَّ ٱلحَقَّ أَقُولُ لَكَ: حِينَ كُنْتَ شَابًّا، كُنْتَ تَشُدُّ حِزَامَكَ بِيَدَيْكَ وتَسِيرُ إِلى حَيْثُ تُرِيد. ولكِنْ حِينَ تَشِيخ، سَتَبْسُطُ يَدَيْكَ وآخَرُ يَشُدُّ لَكَ حِزامَكَ، ويَذْهَبُ بِكَ إِلى حَيْثُ لا تُرِيد». قَالَ يَسُوعُ ذلِكَ مُشيرًا إِلى المِيتَةِ الَّتِي سَيُمَجِّدُ بِهَا بُطْرُسُ الله. ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ: «إِتْبَعْنِي!». وَٱلتَفَتَ بُطْرُس، فَرَأَى التِّلْمِيذَ الَّذي كَانَ يَسُوعُ يُحِبُّهُ يَتْبَعُهُمَا، وهُوَ الَّذي مَالَ عَلى صَدْرِ يَسُوعَ وَقْتَ العَشَاءِ وقَالَ لَهُ: يَا رَبّ، مَنْ هُوَ الَّذي يُسْلِمُكَ. فَلَمَّا رَآهُ بُطْرُسُ قَالَ لِيَسُوع: «يَا رَبّ، وهذَا، مَا يَكُونُ لَهُ؟». قَالَ لَهُ يَسُوع: «إِنْ شِئْتُ أَنْ يَبْقَى حَتَّى أَجِيء، فَمَاذَا لَكَ؟ أَنْتَ، ٱتْبَعْنِي!». وشَاعَتْ بَيْنَ الإِخْوَةِ هذِهِ الكَلِمَة، وهِيَ أَنَّ ذلِكَ التِّلْمِيذَ لا يَمُوت. لكِنَّ يَسُوعَ لَمْ يَقُلْ إِنَّهُ لا يَمُوت، بَلْ: إِنْ شِئْتُ أَنْ يَبْقَى حَتَّى أَجِيء، فَمَاذَا لَكَ. هذَا التِّلْمِيذُ هُوَ الشَّاهِدُ عَلى هذِهِ الأُمُور، وهُوَ الَّذي دَوَّنَهَا، ونَحْنُ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّ شَهَادَتَهُ حَقّ. وصَنَعَ يَسُوعُ أُمُورًا أُخْرَى كَثِيْرَة، لَوْ كُتِبَتْ وَاحِدًا فَوَاحِدًا، لَمَا أَظُنُّ أَنَّ العَالَمَ نَفْسَهُ يَسَعُهَا أَسْفَارًا مَكْتُوبَة”.
إِهْتَمُّوا بِمَا هُوَ فَوق، لا بِمَا هُوَ عَلى الأَرْض، فإِنَّكُم قَدْ مُتُّم، وحَيَاتُكُم مُسْتَتِرَةٌ معَ المَسِيحِ في الله
رسالة القدّيس بولس إلى أهل قولسّي .11-1:3 يا إخوَتِي، إِنْ كُنْتُم قَدْ قُمْتُم مَعَ المَسِيح، فَٱطْلُبُوا مَا هُوَ فَوق، حَيْثُ المَسِيحُ جَالِسٌ إِلى يَمِينِ الله. إِهْتَمُّوا بِمَا هُوَ فَوق، لا بِمَا هُوَ عَلى الأَرْض، فإِنَّكُم قَدْ مُتُّم، وحَيَاتُكُم مُسْتَتِرَةٌ معَ المَسِيحِ في الله. وعِنْدَمَا يَظْهَرُ المَسِيح، الَّذي هُوَ حَياتُنَا، فأَنْتُم أَيْضًا سَتَظْهَرُونَ مَعَهُ في المَجْد. فأَمِيتُوا إِذًا أَعْضَاءَكُمُ الأَرْضِيَّةَ السَّالِكَةَ في الفُجُور، والنَّجَاسَة، والأَهْوَاء، والشَّهْوَةِ الخَبِيثَة، والجَشَعِ الَّذي هُوَ عِبَادَةُ أَوْثَان، فَبِهَا يَنْصَبُّ غَضَبُ اللهِ على أَبْنَاءِ العُصْيَان؛ ومِنْهُم أَنتُم أَيْضًا قَدْ سَلَكْتُم مِنْ قَبْلُ، يَومَ كُنْتُم تَعِيشُونَ فِيهَا. أَمَّا الآنَ فٱنْبِذُوا أَنْتُم أَيْضًا تِلْكَ الأُمُورَ كُلَّهَا: أَلغَضَب، والسُّخْط، والسُّوء، والتَّجْدِيف، والكَلامَ البَذِيءَ مِن أَفْوَاهِكُم. لا تَكْذِبُوا بَعضُكُم على بَعْض، لأَنَّكُم خَلَعْتُمُ الإِنْسَانَ العَتِيقَ وأَعْمَالَهُ، ولَبِسْتُمُ الإِنْسَانَ الجَديدَ الَّذي يتَجَدَّدُ لِيَبْلُغَ إِلى تَمَامِ المَعْرِفَةِ على صُورَةِ خَالِقِهِ. فلا يُونَانِيٌّ بَعْدُ ولا يَهُودِيّ، لا خِتَانَةٌ ولا عَدَمَ خِتَانَة، لا أَعْجَمِيٌّ ولا إِسْكُوتِيّ، لا عَبْدٌ ولا حُرّ، بَلِ ٱلْمَسِيحُ هُوَ الكُلُّ وفي الكُلّ.
When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 21/15-25:”When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about him?’Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!’So the rumour spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?’This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth
Letter to the Colossians 03/01-11:”If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!”