جَاءَكُم يُوحَنَّا يَسْلُكُ طَرِيقَ البِرّ، ولَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ. أَمَّا العَشَّارُونَ والزَّوَانِي فَآمَنُوا بِهِ. وأَنْتُم رَأَيْتُم ذلِكَ ولَمْ تَنْدَمُوا ولَو مُتَأَخِّرِين، لِتُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ
إنجيل القدّيس متّى21/من28حتى32/:”قالَ الرَبُّ يَسوع لِلأَحبارِ وشُيوُخِ الشَعب: «كَانَ لِرَجُلٍ ولَدَان. فَدَنَا مِنَ الأَوَّلِ وقَال: يَا وَلَدِي، إِذْهَبِ ٱليَومَ وَٱعْمَلْ في الكَرْم. فَأَجَابَ وقَال: لا أُرِيْد! وبَعْدَ ذلِكَ نَدِمَ وذَهَب. ثُمَّ دَنَا مِنَ الثَّاني، وقَالَ لَهُ مَا قَالَ لِلأَوَّل. فَأَجَابَ وقَال: أَنَا ذَاهِب، سَيِّدِي! ولَمْ يَذْهَب. فَأَيُّ الٱثْنَيْنِ عَمِلَ مَشِيْئَةَ الأَب؟». قَالُوا: «أَلأَوَّل». قَالَ لَهُم يَسُوع: «أَلحَقَّ أَقُولُ لَكُم: إِنَّ العَشَّارِيْنَ والزَّوَانِي يَسْبِقُونَكُم إِلى مَلَكُوتِ الله. فقَدْ جَاءَكُم يُوحَنَّا يَسْلُكُ طَرِيقَ البِرّ، ولَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ. أَمَّا العَشَّارُونَ والزَّوَانِي فَآمَنُوا بِهِ. وأَنْتُم رَأَيْتُم ذلِكَ ولَمْ تَنْدَمُوا ولَو مُتَأَخِّرِين، لِتُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ”.
لَوْ كُنْتُ أَنْطِقُ بِأَلْسِنَةِ النَّاسِ وَالمَلائِكَة، ولَمْ تَكُنْ فِيَّ المَحَبَّة، فإِنَّمَا أَنَا نُحَاسٌ يَطِنّ، أَوْ صَنْجٌ يَرِنّ
رسالة القدّيس بولس الأولى إلى أهل قورنتس13/من01حتى13/:”يا إِخوَتِي، لَوْ كُنْتُ أَنْطِقُ بِأَلْسِنَةِ النَّاسِ وَالمَلائِكَة، ولَمْ تَكُنْ فِيَّ المَحَبَّة، فإِنَّمَا أَنَا نُحَاسٌ يَطِنّ، أَوْ صَنْجٌ يَرِنّ. ولَوْ كَانَتْ لِيَ النُّبُوءَة، وَكُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ جَمِيعَ الأَسْرَارِ وَالعِلْمَ كُلَّهُ، ولَو كَانَ لِيَ الإِيْمَانُ كُلُّهُ حَتَّى أَنْقُلَ الجِبَال، ولَمْ تَكُنْ فِيَّ المَحَبَّة، فَلَسْتُ بِشَيء. ولَوْ بَذَلْتُ جَمِيعَ أَمْوَالِي لإِطْعَامِ المَسَاكِين، وأَسْلَمْتُ جَسَدِي لأُحْرَق، ولَمْ تَكُنْ فِيَّ المَحَبَّة، فلا أَنْتَفِعُ شَيْئًا. المَحَبَّةُ تتَأَنَّى وتَرْفُق. المَحَبَّةُ لا تَحْسُد، ولا تَتَبَاهَى، ولا تَنْتَفِخ، ولا تَأْتِي قَبَاحَة، ولا تَلْتَمِسُ مَا هوَ لَهَا، ولا تَحْتَدُّ، ولا تَظُنُّ السُّوء، ولا تَفْرَحُ بِالظُّلْم، بَلْ تَفْرَحُ بِالحَقّ، وتَحْتَمِلُ كُلَّ شَيء، وتُصَدِّقُ كُلَّ شَيء، وتَرْجُو كُلَّ شَيء، وتَصْبِرُ عَلى كُلِّ شَيء. المَحَبَّةُ لا تَسْقُطُ أَبَدًا. أَمَّا النُّبُوءَاتُ فَسَتُبْطَل، والأَلْسِنَةُ تَزُول، والعِلْمُ يُبْطَل. فإِنَّا نَعْلَمُ عِلْمًا نَاقِصًا، ونَتَنَبَّأُ تَنَبُّؤًا نَاقِصًا، فَمَتَى جَاءَ الكَامِلُ يُبْطَلُ النَّاقِص. إِنِّي لَمَّا كُنْتُ طِفْلاً كُنْتُ أَنْطِقُ كَالطِّفْل، وأَعْقِلُ كَالطِّفْل، وأُفَكِرُّ كَالطِّفْل؛ فَلَمَّا صِرْتُ رَجُلاً أَبْطَلْتُ مَا هُوَ لِلطِّفْل؛ لأَنَّنَا الآنَ نَنْظَرُ في مِرْآةٍ عَلى سَبِيلِ اللُّغْز، أَمَّا حِينَئِذٍ فَوَجْهًا إِلى وَجْه. إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ الآنَ عِلْمًا نَاقِصًا، أَمَّا حِينَئِذٍ فَسَأَعْلَمُ كَمَا عُلِمْتُ. والَّذي يَثْبُتُ الآنَ هُوَ الإِيْمَانُ والرَّجَاءُ والمَحَبَّة. هذِهِ الثَّلاثَةُ وأَعْظَمُهُنَّ المَحَبَّة.”
John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him;
and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him”.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 21/28-32/:”‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him”.
“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal
First Letter to the Corinthians 13/01-13/:”If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”