صَوْتُ صَارِخٍ في البَرِّيَّة: أَعِدُّوا طَرِيقَ الرَّبّ، وٱجْعَلُوا سُبُلَهُ قَويمَة
إنجيل القدّيس لوقا03/من01حتى16/:”في السَّنَةِ الخَامِسَةَ عَشْرَةَ مِنْ حُكْمِ طِيبَاريُوسَ قَيْصَر، يَوْمَ كانَ بُنْطُسُ بِيلاطُسُ والِيًا على اليَهُودِيَّة، وهِيرُودُسُ رَئِيسَ رُبْعٍ على الجَلِيل، وفِيلِبُّسُ أَخُوهُ رَئيسَ رُبْعٍ على بِلادِ إِيطُورِيَّةَ وتَراخُونِيتِس، ولِيسَانِيوسُ رَئِيسَ رُبْعٍ على أَبِيلِينَة، في أَيَّامِ حَنَّانَ وقَيَافَا عَظِيمَي الأَحْبَار، كَانَتْ كَلِمَةُ اللهِ إِلى يُوحَنَّا بنِ زَكَرِيَّا في البَرِّيَّة. فأَتَى إِلى كُلِّ جِوَارِ الأُرْدُنِّ يُنَادِي بِمَعْمُودِيَّةِ التَّوْبَة، لِمَغْفِرَةِ الخَطايَا، كمَا هُوَ مَكْتُوبٌ في كِتَابِ أَقْوَالِ آشَعْيَا النَّبِيّ : «صَوْتُ صَارِخٍ في البَرِّيَّة: أَعِدُّوا طَرِيقَ الرَّبّ، وٱجْعَلُوا سُبُلَهُ قَويمَة. كُلُّ وادٍ يُرْدَم، وكُلُّ جَبَلٍ وتَلٍّ يُخْفَض، وتَصِيرُ السُّبُلُ المُلْتَوِيةُ مُسْتَقِيمَة، والأَمَاكِنُ الوَعِرَةُ طُرُقًا سَهْلَة، ويَرَى كُلُّ بَشَرٍ خَلاصَ الله».
بمَا أَنَّنَا قَدْ بُرِّرْنَا بِالإِيْمَان، صَارَ لَنَا سَلامٌ مَعَ اللهِ بِرَبِّنَا يَسُوعَ المَسِيح
رسالة القدّيس بولس إلى أهل رومة05/من01حتى11/:”يا إخوَتِي، بِمَا أَنَّنَا قَدْ بُرِّرْنَا بِالإِيْمَان، صَارَ لَنَا سَلامٌ مَعَ اللهِ بِرَبِّنَا يَسُوعَ المَسِيح؛ وبِهِ أَيْضًا صَارَ لَنَا الوُصُولُ بِالإِيْمَانِ إِلى هذِهِ النِّعْمَةِ الَّتي نَحْنُ فيهَا ثَابِتُون، وصَارَ لَنَا ٱفْتِخَارٌ بِرَجَاءِ مَجْدِ الله. ولَيْسَ هذَا فَحَسْب، بَلْ نَفْتَخِرُ أَيْضًا بِالضِّيقَات، عَالِمينَ أَنَّ الضِّيقَ يُوَلِّدُ الصَّبْر، والصَّبْرَ يُوَلِّدُ الٱخْتِبَار، والٱخْتِبَارَ يُوَلِّدُ الرَّجَاء، والرَّجَاءُ لا يُخَيِّب، لأَنَّ مَحَبَّةَ اللهِ أُفيضَتْ في قُلُوبِنَا بِالرُّوحِ القُدُسِ الَّذي وُهِبَ لَنَا. فلَمَّا كُنَّا بَعْدُ ضُعَفَاء، مَاتَ المَسِيحُ في الوَقْتِ المُحَدَّدِ عَنِ الكَافِرِين. ولا يَكَادُ أَحَدٌ يَمُوتُ مِنْ أَجْلِ إِنْسَانٍ بَارّ، وقَدْ يَجْرُؤُ أَحَدٌ أَنْ يَمُوتَ مِنْ أَجْلِ إِنْسَانٍ صَالِح، أَمَّا اللهُ فَأَثْبَتَ مَحَبَّتَهُ لَنَا بأَنَّنَا، حينَ كُنَّا بَعْدُ خَطَأَة، مَاتَ المَسيحُ مِنْ أَجْلِنَا. إِذًا، فَكَمْ بالأَحْرَى، وقَدْ بُرِّرْنَا الآنَ بِدَمِهِ، نَخْلُصُ بِهِ مِنَ الغَضَبِ الآتِي! فإِنْ كُنَّا، ونَحْنُ أَعْدَاء، قَدْ صَالَحَنَا اللهُ بِمَوْتِ ٱبْنِهِ، فَكَمْ بالأَحْرَى، ونَحْنُ مُصَالَحُون، نَخْلُصُ بِحَيَاتِهِ!ولَيْسَ هذَا فَحَسْب، بَلْ نَفْتَخِرُ أَيْضًا بٱللهِ بِوَاسِطَةِ رَبِّنَا يَسُوعَ المَسِيح، الَّذي بِهِ نِلْنَا الآنَ المُصَالَحَة.”
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 03/01-06/:”In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Letter to the Romans 05/01-11/:”Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”