Today is the beginning of the Coptic New Year, a day on which we welcome a new year and extend ourselves towards what lies ahead, so that we may see and experience everything  new. It is a day on which we realize in its readings  the value of time, moment, and now, instead of wasting our lives in vain. It is also a day on which we glorify and praise the God of love and new creation, the newness of life. 

 

       Therefore, the Psalms urge us to praise God and glorify Him for His salvation (Vespers Psalm), His deeds (Matins Psalm), His righteousness and richness (the Liturgy Psalms).  

         The Vespers Psalm calls on all humanity to praise the Father every day and at all times, from a new heart for His free salvation. 

“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.” (Psalms 96:1-2) 

        In the Matins Psalm, we praise Him for His great and wonderful works. 

“A Psalm. Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.” (Psalm 98:1) 

         In the Liturgy Psalm, we bless His name for His divine righteousness, care, and protection. 

“You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.Sing aloud to God our strength; Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.” (Psalms 65:11,psalm81:1) 

           The readings explain the signs of new life in Christ, the new creation (Pauline Epistle), the new commandment (Catholic Epistle), and the new teaching (Praxis). 

        Therefore, the Pauline Epistle clarifies the meaning of the new creation and the reconciliation that the Father has made for us in Christ. 

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 

      While the Catholic Epistle announce the commandment of new life and the new heart, which is the radiance of divine light in our lives expressed through brotherly love, it is a commandment that humanity has taken since the beginning but its light shone in the man of the New Covenant in Christ. 

 

“Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.He who loves his brother abides in the light” 

 

It also warns against the love of the world that takes away the love of God from our hearts. 

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 

        Praxis talks about the new teaching in the eyes of the world, which is the resurrection from the dead and getting to know the unknown God amidst their philosophies and idols that they created in their misguidedness. An example of this at that time was the people of Athens and Greek philosophy, which impressed humans. 

  

“because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. 

And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.” 

 

       The Gospels proclaim that Christ ,glory be to Him, is the treasure of our hearts (Vespers Gospel) and the joy of our souls (Matins Gospel) and the newness of our lives (Gospel of the Liturgy). The Gospel of the Vespers explains the parable of the treasure hidden in a field, and the precious gem. As Saint Macarius the Great says in his sermons that the treasure is Christ, glory be to Him, and the field is the heart of man. 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” Matthew 13 

         The Matins gospel presents the Christ,glory be to Him,as the groom of the soul, the source of its joy, and its new robe of righteousness. 

“And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” Mark 2 

 

      The Liturgy Gospel concludes with the new life of humanity in the incarnation of the Logos and what the Son of Man offered to humanity in the message of salvation, which is also a message and responsibility for all believers of the New Testament. 

 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”…., “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

 

           And what is noteworthy in today’s readings is the repetition of the word “now” seven times and the word “today” twice, to emphasize the importance and danger of time in the lives of the children of God and that the language of the new life is constantly “now”, as Saint Augustine said about sanctifying the present moment. 

        Then, we do not know Him yet from “now” Behold ,now is the accepted time ;behold,now is the day of salvation (Pauline  Epistle). Darkness has passed and the true light “now” shines. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness (the Catholic Epistle). Because God has removed the times of ignorance, “now” he is warning people everywhere to repent (Praxis). 

 

The summary of the readings 

 

+ The acceptable year and the new life are a life of praising the Father and glorifying Him for His salvation, works, righteousness, and richness (Psalm of Vespers, Matins, and Liturgy). 

+ Its signs are the new creation and reconciliation with the Father in Christ (Pauline Epistle). 

+ And brotherly love and walking in the light (Catholic Epistles). 

+ And teaching about the resurrection as the foundation of the newness of life (praxis). 

+ Therefore, the Son of God reigns over our hearts and becomes the treasure of our lives (Gospel of Vespers). 

+ So that everything in us is renewed, thoughts, senses, and feelings, and He becomes our joy and the groom of our souls (Gospel of Liturgy). 

+ Everything in life changes to joy, healing, freedom, and enlightenment (Gospel of Liturgy).