In the Good Friday prayers, we say Lord Have Mercy, 10000's of times. Why? If God just died for our sins, and He is for us, then who is against us?
Its as if we are asking God to change towards us... He's already mad at us, and if we say "Lord have mercy" 100's of times, perhaps he'll change His mind and leave us alone?? lol
Its just that if God doesn't change, and His Love for us is always constant, then why do we need to beg for mercy? That wouldnt have an effect?? Would it?
[quote author=QT_PA_2T link=topic=6725.msg89927#msg89927 date=1213034411] In the Good Friday prayers, we say Lord Have Mercy, 10000's of times. Why? If God just died for our sins, and He is for us, then who is against us?
I think the answer is hidden in your question... Christ died for us, and how do we repay Him?? We sin even more, making it seem as if His sacrifice for us was in vain... Also, we are weak, having the fallen human nature, for which we chose ourselves, and thus subject to temptation. We ask the Lord to have mercy on us, remembering our weakness and thus forgiving us the sins that we commit against Him...
Also, when God died for us, He didn't say: ok I paid the price, now you can do whatever you want, and you'll be rescued anyway... He said whoever believeth in me, shall have eternal life meaning that He came and gave us the possiblity to be saved and this by believing in Him and following His commandments But ultimately the choice is up to us, as we can still choose to go against Him.. We ask for strength to hold on to our faith, we ask for mercy for when we fall...
Just how I see it, no official view or anything God Bless
no matter how many times we say God have mercy on us....it will still not equal our sins..
Remember your sins..then you will clearly understand why are you asking for mercy
One of the Monks, ( i think St. Macarius) said to His children (Monks) in His last days to departure that He prays that God might have mercy on Him and long His days on earth so He might have enough time to ask for Forgiviness.
Pope Shounda asked of what sins did St. Macarius do that He asked for forgiviness...so imagine how much more we have to ask for forgiviness and that God may have Mercy on us
[quote author=A lost sOul link=topic=6725.msg89937#msg89937 date=1213036687] no matter how many times we say God have mercy on us....it will still not equal our sins..
Remember your sins..then you will clearly understand why are you asking for mercy
One of the Monks, ( i think St. Macarius) said to His children (Monks) in His last days to departure that He prays that God might have mercy on Him and long His days on earth so He might have enough time to ask for Forgiviness.
Pope Shounda asked of what sins did St. Macarius do that He asked for forgiviness...so imagine how much more we have to ask for forgiviness and that God may have Mercy on us
Guys, saying Kirielayson HAS nothing to do with our sins, or asking God to forgive us for our sins... mercy "eleison" comes from the Greek word "eleon" which means oil.....used for healing - so "Lord have mercy" is like saying "Lord heal me, Lord help me, Lord care for me" - in Hebrew the word for mercy comes from "ra7m", means womb, so it's like saying "Lord love me, Lord protect me, Lord care for me" like a mother does with her child it doesn't mean, "Lord please don't kill me"
Mercy = Leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice, and = Alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed
How can you say that saying Lord have mercy or Kyrie Leyson doesn't have anything to do with sin. We are in a bad state since we sin because of the weak and fallen nature we have chosen with our own free will. We DON'T DESERVE God's forgiveness, meaning it's not our goodness which is going to get us into heaven, but HIS love for us, His MERCY.
The Lord shows compassion toward His children whom He loves dearly and when they scream Lord Have Mercy, we are asking that He forgives our sins and delivers us, even though we are not deserving...
I'm quite sure this is right, yet I stay corrected hoping someone who can explain better will elaborate on this issue in a better manner..
[quote author=godislove260 link=topic=6725.msg89940#msg89940 date=1213037931] Mercy = Leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice, and = Alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed
How can you say that saying Lord have mercy or Kyrie Leyson doesn't have anything to do with sin. We are in a bad state since we sin because of the weak and fallen nature we have chosen with our own free will. We DON'T DESERVE God's forgiveness, meaning it's not our goodness which is going to get us into heaven, but HIS love for us, His MERCY.
The Lord shows compassion toward His children whom He loves dearly and when they scream Lord Have Mercy, we are asking that He forgives our sins and delivers us, even though we are not deserving...
I'm quite sure this is right, yet I stay corrected hoping someone who can explain better will elaborate on this issue in a better manner..
God Bless
Brother, I'm not arguing... I'm just asking. But apparently, according to the Church fathers, it has nothing to do with sparing our lives or punishing us for our sins. It has more to do with healing us.
I'm sorry QT, I didn't mean to make it seem as if I thought you were arguing, forgive me.. As I said, I don't know enough about this subject, but it's just that we pray: My Lord Jesus Christ have MERCY on me, A SINNER and this lead me to believe there might be a connection...
So hopefully someone can come help explain this issue better...
By the way, it's not brother, brother, it's sister.. LOL Je suis une fille et jeudi j'ai un examen du français (sorry been wanting to do that for a long time.. since I know you reside in Paris, la plus belle ville du monde !!!)
God is love...One Saint said before when we say Lord have mercy on us 41 times, we should try to remember our sins while saying them.. now back to God love us ..God heal us...this is called the Lord's prayer ...which is supposed to be said 24 /7 NO JOKES it is supposed to be in our minds saying it so we do not fall in sin....
this is the prayer that the monks say when fighting with the devil and he runs away from it...
You guys are both right..God have Mercy on us is to forgive us our sins..for the Bible says everyone is a sinner even if they lived one day on earth.. and God heal us , God protect us, etc is asking for God's love and protection for God said ...You shall love your Lord with all your heart, your soul and your mind. and by saying the Lord's prayer...it takes away all the evil thoughts and images and purify us....
[quote author=godislove260 link=topic=6725.msg89942#msg89942 date=1213038514] I'm sorry QT, I didn't mean to make it seem as if I thought you were arguing, forgive me.. As I said, I don't know enough about this subject, but it's just that we pray: My Lord Jesus Christ have MERCY on me, A SINNER and this lead me to believe there might be a connection...
So hopefully someone can come help explain this issue better...
By the way, it's not brother, brother, it's sister.. LOL Je suis une fille et jeudi j'ai un examen du français (sorry been wanting to do that for a long time.. since I know you reside in Paris, la plus belle ville du monde !!!)
OK sis, Tu as un examen EN français alors. mais dis donc!
[quote author=A lost sOul link=topic=6725.msg89943#msg89943 date=1213038814] God is love...One Saint said before when we say Lord have mercy on us 41 times, we should try to remember our sins while saying them.. now back to God love us ..God heal us...this is called the Lord's prayer ...which is supposed to be said 24 /7 NO JOKES it is supposed to be in our minds saying it so we do not fall in sin....
this is the prayer that the monks say when fighting with the devil and he runs away from it...
You guys are both right..God have Mercy on us is to forgive us our sins..for the Bible says everyone is a sinner even if they lived one day on earth.. and God heal us , God protect us, etc is asking for God's love and protection for God said ...You shall love your Lord with all your heart, your soul and your mind. and by saying the Lord's prayer...it takes away all the evil thoughts and images and purify us....
pray for me and the lost souls
Our sins are forgiven, why then do we keep on asking Him to forgive us our sins??? Rather, when we say "Lord Have mercy, we remember our sins for ONE reason (according to the Church Fathers):
What's that reason???
That through His Love, He heals us from the effects of our sins!!!
yea just b/c jesus died for us doesn't mean that going to heaven is gonna be a walk in the park u still need to stay pure in heart and mind and everytime we sin its another nail in his hand like in the song O beloved one of the stanzas says... Your sins became My crown of thorns O that you could understand Every time you sin anew It’s one more nail in My hand
[quote author=QT_PA_2T link=topic=6725.msg89945#msg89945 date=1213038956] [quote author=A lost sOul link=topic=6725.msg89943#msg89943 date=1213038814] God is love...One Saint said before when we say Lord have mercy on us 41 times, we should try to remember our sins while saying them.. now back to God love us ..God heal us...this is called the Lord's prayer ...which is supposed to be said 24 /7 NO JOKES it is supposed to be in our minds saying it so we do not fall in sin....
this is the prayer that the monks say when fighting with the devil and he runs away from it...
You guys are both right..God have Mercy on us is to forgive us our sins..for the Bible says everyone is a sinner even if they lived one day on earth.. and God heal us , God protect us, etc is asking for God's love and protection for God said ...You shall love your Lord with all your heart, your soul and your mind. and by saying the Lord's prayer...it takes away all the evil thoughts and images and purify us....
pray for me and the lost souls
Our sins are forgiven, why then do we keep on asking Him to forgive us our sins??? Rather, when we say "Lord Have mercy, we remember our sins for ONE reason (according to the Church Fathers):
What's that reason???
That through His Love, He heals us from the effects of our sins!!!
Do you mean to say that our sins have already been forgiven and that we don't have to ask for forgiveness anymore? Then why would it say : If we make it our habit to confess our sins, in his faithful righteousness he forgives us for those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (John 1) so I don't quite agree with what u've said, because what then is the use of the sacrament of confession and REPENTANCE. We sin, we ask God to forgive us and we also ask His strength so as not to fall again... We ask that he looks at our suffering here on earth, since the devil is tempting us to make us fall, and that he treat us with mercy and compassion and not with anger and vengeance which is what we truly deserve for our sins.. When Jesus died for us He lifted the yoke of death and made it POSSIBLE for us to enter heaven, but we have to work to get there and one of the things we have to do is to pray fro His forgiveness
Our sins are forgiven, why then do we keep on asking Him to forgive us our sins??? Rather, when we say "Lord Have mercy, we remember our sins for ONE reason (according to the Church Fathers):
What's that reason???
That through His Love, He heals us from the effects of our sins!!!
Yes our sins are forgiven...but then a person can still perish....I HONESTLY DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS TOPIC....but i think that our orginal sin of not entering paradise is forgiven but if we do not keep God's commandment ...than we will perish..again..HONESTLY THIS IS JUST AN OPINION..CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG
God had mercy on us a long time ago, when he died for us on the Cross. We ask him to have mercy on us, to help us have mercy on ourselves i.e. so that we stop sinning and can be saved.
Mercy = Leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice, and = Alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed
The word mercy as QT said has a totally different meaning in the bible/christianity than the meaning we use in every day life. It has to do with God giving us love and protection and salvation (save us from sin, which is the cause of death!!!) as was said before - instead of God being a terrible power who is just waiting for me to sin so that He can have an excuse to strike me with lightning and that I ask mercy from.
I didn't mean to say that God was a terrible God waiting for me to sin... I meant that my understanding is that when we ask for mercy, we ask for Him to take pity on us since we are weak because of our fallen nature. We ask His help, protection and salvation as you said, Hos Erof. But in fact, we don't deserve those things since we chose death on our own accord when we sinned. So I think mercy has a nuace to it: as in God we are weak sinners, so please have MERCY on us, we don't deserve to get helped by you, since we've disobeyed your commandments, yet we pray that you would STILL HELP us, with your endless MERCY..
I find it hard to explain what I understand exactly under mercy, but I do think that it takes a strong person to be merciful, a person with the strength of God. Because I believe that Mercy is when you love someone too much to see them die so you forgive them and help them, you have mercy on them..
Please tell me, why do we ask God to have mercy on us in the Holy Liturgy?
If God is Love, and He loves us, why then do was ask for Him to have mercy. Perhaps the definition of mercy is not what we think it means??
Can someone explain??
I haven't read the whole post. But it is good to have mercy on people! Have you ever hear "el rahma helwa?" and just like you said if god is love and he loves us then why should we ask him to forgive our sins? eventhogh he loves us and we are his children??!!!!
Whe we say "lord have mercy on us" we basicaly simply say/mean ya rab save us and er7amna men el nar that we live in. help us not to fall into temptations (ya rab er7amna) The meaning of "ya rab er7amna, Lord have mercy on us" has sooooo much meaning to it you can translate that into billions and billions of meanings!
In this thoughtful article, coptichymns.net member Sarah Khalil (ksarah12) explores the topic of repentance as a blessed gift from the Lord.
“Repentance lifts up a man. Mourning knocks at heaven's gate. Holy humility opens it.” (St. John Climacus, The Ladder of the Divine Ascent)
Possibly the most sacred gift offered to those who were created in the Lord’s image is the blessed gift of repentance. How else do we show our Lord, God, and Savior, how apologetic we are for the sins we have committed? Did He not die on the cross for us, for our sins, and only for our sake?
“Repentance lifts up a man. Mourning knocks at heaven's gate. Holy humility opens it.” (St. John Climacus, The Ladder of the Divine Ascent)
Possibly the most sacred gift offered to those who were created in the Lord’s image is the blessed gift of repentance. How else do we show our Lord, God, and Savior, how apologetic we are for the sins we have committed? Did He not die on the cross for us, for our sins, and only for our sake?
Is not Repentance a path unto righteousness? One needs to evaluate his life and notice the reality of it. When is the last time I conversed with my Confession Father? When is the last time I even noticed I committed a sin? Am I so involved in earthly values that I do not have the time to admit that I really do need guidance?
“I listened and heard, But they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, “What have I done?” Everyone turned to his own course, As the horse rushes into the battle.” (Jeremiah 8:6)
One thing we are truly blessed with is our Confession Father. One needs to understand that a Father of Confession is not only completely necessary in this life, but a gift from God.
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. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
Therefore, a priest may hear and then direct his son or daughter in confession towards the Lord once they have offered their confession. “We receive from the priest the solution and the absolution.” (H.G. Bishop Moussa) One should thank God every day for this opportunity, take advantage of it, and treat our Father of Confession with much-deserved respect. What more precious words to hear from our spiritual father such as: “Start over…Start tomorrow…” What more of a reward do we want than this?
“Show God in your heart the faith you have for your spiritual father and the honest love you have for him. God in ways unknown will urge him to be well disposed to you and fond of you, just as you are well disposed toward him.” (St. John Climacus, The Ladder of the Divine Ascent)
However, do not be confused: there is a difference between repentance and confession. Repentance should always precede confession. There is only one thing that separates us from God, and that is sin. How do we return to God? Through repentance. Before confessing our sins and conversing with our Father of Confession, we need to repent and feel shameful for letting ourselves drift that far away from Our Lord. “Return to Me, and I will return to you” (Matthew 3:7). The only assurance that we will not turn back to sin is hating sin. One should never let a sin become “full-grown.” If we repent immediately, we will not have that problem. We must take example from the Prodigal Son; we must leave the life of sin which the devil has paved for us and return to the forgiving path of the Lord.
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:12-14)
Not only is repentance a complete feeling of regret and admittance to Our Lord, it is a promise; a promise to never return to that deadly sin. It is correcting the consequences of those sins. Also, it is having strong hope in the acceptance and forgiveness of the Lord. Without hope, why does one utter the words, “According to Your mercy, O Lord, and not according to our sins”?
One needs to remember three things: we should not walk around in our arrogance (not noticing our own sins), we should not walk away without our Father (not repenting), and we can only overcome our sins with the presence of God (have hope). We as humans are easily misguided from the truth and easily tempted to follow in the sinful path of Satan: a path filled with lust. We forget what is important and the true meaning of repentance. Satan makes us forget that “We are not of this world” (John 8:23). We need to remind ourselves each day that Satan is only as powerful as we make him; he is as powerful as how far we are from God. Keeping ourselves from repenting brings us further and further from Our Lord every day.
When one reaches the point of wanting to evaluate his life, and goes through with actually looking back on his life, he will realize many things. One of which are the past actions taken. When one recalls these past actions…thoughts…sins…to the point of utter disgust and regret, decides to confess these sins before his spiritual father so that our Lord may hear and forgive, one can reach the point of tears. One might look back and ask, why did I ever do this? How could I ever do this? How can I overcome such a sin and never look back again?
“It is hard to speak of tears. Are not tears a sign of the limitation of speech? When, in bewilderment, the tongue fails, the heart speaks, and the eyes utter tears.” (Fr. Matthew the Poor, Orthodox Prayer Life)
How do we know this? Because God gave us the ability to weep for a reason. He also gave us the ability to realize our sins and want to run away from them for a reason, for “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34).
“Run from the places of sin as though from a plague.” (St. John Climacus, The Ladder of the Divine Ascent)
Why do we repent? We’ve already discussed that the main reason is to show our Lord that we do recognize what He did for us on the cross, and that we want to reach the Kingdom of Heaven. We must understand the sacrifice given by the Lord Our God: to offer us lowly humans an opportunity to reach his Glorious Kingdom. Through our spiritual father, we can reach the point of “utter repentance” and on the way, become closer to God. The more we realize our sins, and the more we realize how unworthy we are, the closer we are. But why are we fighting? The answer is to reach victory. Of course, we are not trying to reach an earthly victory, but a spiritual, heavenly, and eternal victory. Through patience and keeping the faith we shall have that victory.
“Blessed is the man who can discover his own weakness and ignorance and confess them before God to the last day of his life.” (Fr. Matthew the Poor, Orthodox Prayer Life)
As Fr. Matthew the Poor notes, we are never too old, too experienced, or too knowledgeable to sin. As human beings, we are born sinners. So, with that being stated, there is no excuse not to repent. Repentance is one of the most precious sacraments of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Repentance is necessary to receive the Eucharist. It is vital that we learn to repent.
One problem many face today is feeling as though they need to repent and then doing it out of “duty,” not from love of God or a desire to change. The person who realizes his sinful nature as compared with God’s righteousness and holiness may immediately want to change to become more as the true image of God. We have talked of true repentance, and true repentance is not just out of duty; yes repentance is a Holy Sacrament, but still not a duty. True repentance cannot be reached unless one is completely disgusted with their past actions and willing to beg the Lord for forgiveness. Not all forsaking sin is considered repentance. We might feel embarrassed of the sin, fearful, or preoccupied. That is not true repentance. True repentance is completely discarding sin physically, mentally, and from the heart out of pure love for Our Lord. When asked what to do in this situation, His Grace Bishop Youssef responded by saying that true repentance is to resent sin from all your heart and your mind for the love of God, His commandment, and the Heavenly Kingdom.
In order to have a completely repentant heart, one needs a spiritual awakening. This spiritual awakening will be the first step to bringing the person to repent, and eventually confess.
“The sinful person is unaware of his state…repentance is the return of a person to himself. Or the return to oneself to its original sensitivity, the return of the heart to its fervor and the return of the conscience to its work.” (H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity)
Many people have problems with confession. The most likely reason for this is the person is so ashamed of their sins, they do not want to even share them with their spiritual father. If one is not prepared to face a priest, how can one face God, who is all-knowing?
“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelations 3:21)
Most importantly, do not wait to repent. One should not procrastinate in something as serious as this. Do not delay repentance and do not lose the chance. The wise person is the one who utilizes these influences, and does not let the chance slip from him. Do not be like the vinedressers and lose your chance to repent.
“And Thou, O Lord, how long? How long? Is it to be tomorrow and tomorrow? Why not now? Why not this very hour put an end to shame?” (St. Augustine, Confessions)
In conclusion, I would like to say that our all-loving God only gives us what we can handle. He does not place burdens on us that He knows we will not be able to overcome. If God puts a situation in the midst of our path, it is because He is sure we can overcome it. Why prove Our Lord wrong? All we need to do is ask God, in our every breath, to forgive us our sins, to help us overcome our weaknesses, to guide us to the path of righteousness, and to be with us in everything that we do. By doing this, repenting, and wanting to be with God, we will experience what he has planned for us.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
Comments
If God just died for our sins, and He is for us, then who is against us?
Its as if we are asking God to change towards us... He's already mad at us, and if we say "Lord have mercy" 100's of times, perhaps he'll change His mind and leave us alone?? lol
Its just that if God doesn't change, and His Love for us is always constant, then why do we need to beg for mercy? That wouldnt have an effect?? Would it?
Is that right?
What is the truth?
In the Good Friday prayers, we say Lord Have Mercy, 10000's of times. Why?
If God just died for our sins, and He is for us, then who is against us?
I think the answer is hidden in your question... Christ died for us, and how do we repay Him??
We sin even more, making it seem as if His sacrifice for us was in vain...
Also, we are weak, having the fallen human nature, for which we chose ourselves, and thus subject to temptation. We ask the Lord to have mercy on us, remembering our weakness and thus forgiving us the sins that we commit against Him...
Also, when God died for us, He didn't say: ok I paid the price, now you can do whatever you want, and you'll be rescued anyway...
He said whoever believeth in me, shall have eternal life meaning that He came and gave us the possiblity to be saved and this by believing in Him and following His commandments
But ultimately the choice is up to us, as we can still choose to go against Him.. We ask for strength to hold on to our faith, we ask for mercy for when we fall...
Just how I see it, no official view or anything
God Bless
Remember your sins..then you will clearly understand why are you asking for mercy
One of the Monks, ( i think St. Macarius) said to His children (Monks) in His last days to departure that He prays that God might have mercy on Him and long His days on earth so He might have enough time to ask for Forgiviness.
Pope Shounda asked of what sins did St. Macarius do that He asked for forgiviness...so imagine how much more we have to ask for forgiviness and that God may have Mercy on us
no matter how many times we say God have mercy on us....it will still not equal our sins..
Remember your sins..then you will clearly understand why are you asking for mercy
One of the Monks, ( i think St. Macarius) said to His children (Monks) in His last days to departure that He prays that God might have mercy on Him and long His days on earth so He might have enough time to ask for Forgiviness.
Pope Shounda asked of what sins did St. Macarius do that He asked for forgiviness...so imagine how much more we have to ask for forgiviness and that God may have Mercy on us
Guys, saying Kirielayson HAS nothing to do with our sins, or asking God to forgive us for our sins...
mercy "eleison" comes from the Greek word "eleon" which means oil.....used for healing - so "Lord have mercy" is like saying "Lord heal me, Lord help me, Lord care for me" - in Hebrew the word for mercy comes from "ra7m", means womb, so it's like saying "Lord love me, Lord protect me, Lord care for me" like a mother does with her child
it doesn't mean, "Lord please don't kill me"
How can you say that saying Lord have mercy or Kyrie Leyson doesn't have anything to do with sin. We are in a bad state since we sin because of the weak and fallen nature we have chosen with our own free will. We DON'T DESERVE God's forgiveness, meaning it's not our goodness which is going to get us into heaven, but HIS love for us, His MERCY.
The Lord shows compassion toward His children whom He loves dearly and when they scream Lord Have Mercy, we are asking that He forgives our sins and delivers us, even though we are not deserving...
I'm quite sure this is right, yet I stay corrected hoping someone who can explain better will elaborate on this issue in a better manner..
God Bless
Mercy = Leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice, and = Alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed
How can you say that saying Lord have mercy or Kyrie Leyson doesn't have anything to do with sin. We are in a bad state since we sin because of the weak and fallen nature we have chosen with our own free will. We DON'T DESERVE God's forgiveness, meaning it's not our goodness which is going to get us into heaven, but HIS love for us, His MERCY.
The Lord shows compassion toward His children whom He loves dearly and when they scream Lord Have Mercy, we are asking that He forgives our sins and delivers us, even though we are not deserving...
I'm quite sure this is right, yet I stay corrected hoping someone who can explain better will elaborate on this issue in a better manner..
God Bless
Brother, I'm not arguing... I'm just asking. But apparently, according to the Church fathers, it has nothing to do with sparing our lives or punishing us for our sins. It has more to do with healing us.
As I said, I don't know enough about this subject, but it's just that we pray:
My Lord Jesus Christ have MERCY on me, A SINNER and this lead me to believe there might be a connection...
So hopefully someone can come help explain this issue better...
By the way, it's not brother, brother, it's sister.. LOL
Je suis une fille et jeudi j'ai un examen du français (sorry been wanting to do that for a long time.. since I know you reside in Paris, la plus belle ville du monde !!!)
this is the prayer that the monks say when fighting with the devil and he runs away from it...
You guys are both right..God have Mercy on us is to forgive us our sins..for the Bible says everyone is a sinner even if they lived one day on earth.. and God heal us , God protect us, etc is asking for God's love and protection for God said ...You shall love your Lord with all your heart, your soul and your mind. and by saying the Lord's prayer...it takes away all the evil thoughts and images and purify us....
pray for me and the lost souls
I'm sorry QT, I didn't mean to make it seem as if I thought you were arguing, forgive me..
As I said, I don't know enough about this subject, but it's just that we pray:
My Lord Jesus Christ have MERCY on me, A SINNER and this lead me to believe there might be a connection...
So hopefully someone can come help explain this issue better...
By the way, it's not brother, brother, it's sister.. LOL
Je suis une fille et jeudi j'ai un examen du français (sorry been wanting to do that for a long time.. since I know you reside in Paris, la plus belle ville du monde !!!)
OK sis,
Tu as un examen EN français alors. mais dis donc!
God is love...One Saint said before when we say Lord have mercy on us 41 times, we should try to remember our sins while saying them.. now back to God love us ..God heal us...this is called the Lord's prayer ...which is supposed to be said 24 /7 NO JOKES it is supposed to be in our minds saying it so we do not fall in sin....
this is the prayer that the monks say when fighting with the devil and he runs away from it...
You guys are both right..God have Mercy on us is to forgive us our sins..for the Bible says everyone is a sinner even if they lived one day on earth.. and God heal us , God protect us, etc is asking for God's love and protection for God said ...You shall love your Lord with all your heart, your soul and your mind. and by saying the Lord's prayer...it takes away all the evil thoughts and images and purify us....
pray for me and the lost souls
Our sins are forgiven, why then do we keep on asking Him to forgive us our sins??? Rather, when we say "Lord Have mercy, we remember our sins for ONE reason (according to the Church Fathers):
What's that reason???
That through His Love, He heals us from the effects of our sins!!!
Your sins became My crown of thorns
O that you could understand
Every time you sin anew
It’s one more nail in My hand
Pray for me
Copticdeacon
[quote author=A lost sOul link=topic=6725.msg89943#msg89943 date=1213038814]
God is love...One Saint said before when we say Lord have mercy on us 41 times, we should try to remember our sins while saying them.. now back to God love us ..God heal us...this is called the Lord's prayer ...which is supposed to be said 24 /7 NO JOKES it is supposed to be in our minds saying it so we do not fall in sin....
this is the prayer that the monks say when fighting with the devil and he runs away from it...
You guys are both right..God have Mercy on us is to forgive us our sins..for the Bible says everyone is a sinner even if they lived one day on earth.. and God heal us , God protect us, etc is asking for God's love and protection for God said ...You shall love your Lord with all your heart, your soul and your mind. and by saying the Lord's prayer...it takes away all the evil thoughts and images and purify us....
pray for me and the lost souls
Our sins are forgiven, why then do we keep on asking Him to forgive us our sins??? Rather, when we say "Lord Have mercy, we remember our sins for ONE reason (according to the Church Fathers):
What's that reason???
That through His Love, He heals us from the effects of our sins!!!
Do you mean to say that our sins have already been forgiven and that we don't have to ask for forgiveness anymore? Then why would it say : If we make it our habit to confess our sins, in his faithful righteousness he forgives us for those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (John 1) so I don't quite agree with what u've said, because what then is the use of the sacrament of confession and REPENTANCE. We sin, we ask God to forgive us and we also ask His strength so as not to fall again... We ask that he looks at our suffering here on earth, since the devil is tempting us to make us fall, and that he treat us with mercy and compassion and not with anger and vengeance which is what we truly deserve for our sins.. When Jesus died for us He lifted the yoke of death and made it POSSIBLE for us to enter heaven, but we have to work to get there and one of the things we have to do is to pray fro His forgiveness
Our sins are forgiven, why then do we keep on asking Him to forgive us our sins??? Rather, when we say "Lord Have mercy, we remember our sins for ONE reason (according to the Church Fathers):
What's that reason???
That through His Love, He heals us from the effects of our sins!!!
Yes our sins are forgiven...but then a person can still perish....I HONESTLY DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS TOPIC....but i think that our orginal sin of not entering paradise is forgiven but if we do not keep God's commandment ...than we will perish..again..HONESTLY THIS IS JUST AN OPINION..CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG
God Bless
Please pray for me, a sinner
pray for me
joe
I meant that my understanding is that when we ask for mercy, we ask for Him to take pity on us since we are weak because of our fallen nature. We ask His help, protection and salvation as you said, Hos Erof. But in fact, we don't deserve those things since we chose death on our own accord when we sinned. So I think mercy has a nuace to it: as in God we are weak sinners, so please have MERCY on us, we don't deserve to get helped by you, since we've disobeyed your commandments, yet we pray that you would STILL HELP us, with your endless MERCY..
I find it hard to explain what I understand exactly under mercy, but I do think that it takes a strong person to be merciful, a person with the strength of God. Because I believe that Mercy is when you love someone too much to see them die so you forgive them and help them, you have mercy on them..
God Bless
Hello,
Please tell me, why do we ask God to have mercy on us in the Holy Liturgy?
If God is Love, and He loves us, why then do was ask for Him to have mercy. Perhaps the definition of mercy is not what we think it means??
Can someone explain??
I haven't read the whole post. But it is good to have mercy on people! Have you ever hear "el rahma helwa?" and just like you said if god is love and he loves us then why should we ask him to forgive our sins? eventhogh he loves us and we are his children??!!!!
Whe we say "lord have mercy on us" we basicaly simply say/mean ya rab save us and er7amna men el nar that we live in. help us not to fall into temptations (ya rab er7amna)
The meaning of "ya rab er7amna, Lord have mercy on us" has sooooo much meaning to it you can translate that into billions and billions of meanings!
bentBABAyasooa`
In this thoughtful article, coptichymns.net member Sarah Khalil (ksarah12) explores the topic of repentance as a blessed gift from the Lord.
“Repentance lifts up a man. Mourning knocks at heaven's gate. Holy humility opens it.” (St. John Climacus, The Ladder of the Divine Ascent)
Possibly the most sacred gift offered to those who were created in the Lord’s image is the blessed gift of repentance. How else do we show our Lord, God, and Savior, how apologetic we are for the sins we have committed? Did He not die on the cross for us, for our sins, and only for our sake?
“Repentance lifts up a man. Mourning knocks at heaven's gate. Holy humility opens it.” (St. John Climacus, The Ladder of the Divine Ascent)
Possibly the most sacred gift offered to those who were created in the Lord’s image is the blessed gift of repentance. How else do we show our Lord, God, and Savior, how apologetic we are for the sins we have committed? Did He not die on the cross for us, for our sins, and only for our sake?
Is not Repentance a path unto righteousness? One needs to evaluate his life and notice the reality of it. When is the last time I conversed with my Confession Father? When is the last time I even noticed I committed a sin? Am I so involved in earthly values that I do not have the time to admit that I really do need guidance?
“I listened and heard, But they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, “What have I done?” Everyone turned to his own course, As the horse rushes into the battle.” (Jeremiah 8:6)
One thing we are truly blessed with is our Confession Father. One needs to understand that a Father of Confession is not only completely necessary in this life, but a gift from God.
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. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
Therefore, a priest may hear and then direct his son or daughter in confession towards the Lord once they have offered their confession. “We receive from the priest the solution and the absolution.” (H.G. Bishop Moussa) One should thank God every day for this opportunity, take advantage of it, and treat our Father of Confession with much-deserved respect. What more precious words to hear from our spiritual father such as: “Start over…Start tomorrow…” What more of a reward do we want than this?
“Show God in your heart the faith you have for your spiritual father and the honest love you have for him. God in ways unknown will urge him to be well disposed to you and fond of you, just as you are well disposed toward him.” (St. John Climacus, The Ladder of the Divine Ascent)
However, do not be confused: there is a difference between repentance and confession. Repentance should always precede confession. There is only one thing that separates us from God, and that is sin. How do we return to God? Through repentance. Before confessing our sins and conversing with our Father of Confession, we need to repent and feel shameful for letting ourselves drift that far away from Our Lord. “Return to Me, and I will return to you” (Matthew 3:7). The only assurance that we will not turn back to sin is hating sin. One should never let a sin become “full-grown.” If we repent immediately, we will not have that problem. We must take example from the Prodigal Son; we must leave the life of sin which the devil has paved for us and return to the forgiving path of the Lord.
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:12-14)
Not only is repentance a complete feeling of regret and admittance to Our Lord, it is a promise; a promise to never return to that deadly sin. It is correcting the consequences of those sins. Also, it is having strong hope in the acceptance and forgiveness of the Lord. Without hope, why does one utter the words, “According to Your mercy, O Lord, and not according to our sins”?
One needs to remember three things: we should not walk around in our arrogance (not noticing our own sins), we should not walk away without our Father (not repenting), and we can only overcome our sins with the presence of God (have hope). We as humans are easily misguided from the truth and easily tempted to follow in the sinful path of Satan: a path filled with lust. We forget what is important and the true meaning of repentance. Satan makes us forget that “We are not of this world” (John 8:23). We need to remind ourselves each day that Satan is only as powerful as we make him; he is as powerful as how far we are from God. Keeping ourselves from repenting brings us further and further from Our Lord every day.
When one reaches the point of wanting to evaluate his life, and goes through with actually looking back on his life, he will realize many things. One of which are the past actions taken. When one recalls these past actions…thoughts…sins…to the point of utter disgust and regret, decides to confess these sins before his spiritual father so that our Lord may hear and forgive, one can reach the point of tears. One might look back and ask, why did I ever do this? How could I ever do this? How can I overcome such a sin and never look back again?
“It is hard to speak of tears. Are not tears a sign of the limitation of speech? When, in bewilderment, the tongue fails, the heart speaks, and the eyes utter tears.” (Fr. Matthew the Poor, Orthodox Prayer Life)
How do we know this? Because God gave us the ability to weep for a reason. He also gave us the ability to realize our sins and want to run away from them for a reason, for “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34).
“Run from the places of sin as though from a plague.” (St. John Climacus, The Ladder of the Divine Ascent)
Why do we repent? We’ve already discussed that the main reason is to show our Lord that we do recognize what He did for us on the cross, and that we want to reach the Kingdom of Heaven. We must understand the sacrifice given by the Lord Our God: to offer us lowly humans an opportunity to reach his Glorious Kingdom. Through our spiritual father, we can reach the point of “utter repentance” and on the way, become closer to God. The more we realize our sins, and the more we realize how unworthy we are, the closer we are. But why are we fighting? The answer is to reach victory. Of course, we are not trying to reach an earthly victory, but a spiritual, heavenly, and eternal victory. Through patience and keeping the faith we shall have that victory.
“Blessed is the man who can discover his own weakness and ignorance and confess them before God to the last day of his life.” (Fr. Matthew the Poor, Orthodox Prayer Life)
As Fr. Matthew the Poor notes, we are never too old, too experienced, or too knowledgeable to sin. As human beings, we are born sinners. So, with that being stated, there is no excuse not to repent. Repentance is one of the most precious sacraments of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Repentance is necessary to receive the Eucharist. It is vital that we learn to repent.
One problem many face today is feeling as though they need to repent and then doing it out of “duty,” not from love of God or a desire to change. The person who realizes his sinful nature as compared with God’s righteousness and holiness may immediately want to change to become more as the true image of God. We have talked of true repentance, and true repentance is not just out of duty; yes repentance is a Holy Sacrament, but still not a duty. True repentance cannot be reached unless one is completely disgusted with their past actions and willing to beg the Lord for forgiveness. Not all forsaking sin is considered repentance. We might feel embarrassed of the sin, fearful, or preoccupied. That is not true repentance. True repentance is completely discarding sin physically, mentally, and from the heart out of pure love for Our Lord. When asked what to do in this situation, His Grace Bishop Youssef responded by saying that true repentance is to resent sin from all your heart and your mind for the love of God, His commandment, and the Heavenly Kingdom.
In order to have a completely repentant heart, one needs a spiritual awakening. This spiritual awakening will be the first step to bringing the person to repent, and eventually confess.
“The sinful person is unaware of his state…repentance is the return of a person to himself. Or the return to oneself to its original sensitivity, the return of the heart to its fervor and the return of the conscience to its work.” (H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity)
Many people have problems with confession. The most likely reason for this is the person is so ashamed of their sins, they do not want to even share them with their spiritual father. If one is not prepared to face a priest, how can one face God, who is all-knowing?
“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelations 3:21)
Most importantly, do not wait to repent. One should not procrastinate in something as serious as this. Do not delay repentance and do not lose the chance. The wise person is the one who utilizes these influences, and does not let the chance slip from him. Do not be like the vinedressers and lose your chance to repent.
“And Thou, O Lord, how long? How long? Is it to be tomorrow and tomorrow? Why not now? Why not this very hour put an end to shame?” (St. Augustine, Confessions)
In conclusion, I would like to say that our all-loving God only gives us what we can handle. He does not place burdens on us that He knows we will not be able to overcome. If God puts a situation in the midst of our path, it is because He is sure we can overcome it. Why prove Our Lord wrong? All we need to do is ask God, in our every breath, to forgive us our sins, to help us overcome our weaknesses, to guide us to the path of righteousness, and to be with us in everything that we do. By doing this, repenting, and wanting to be with God, we will experience what he has planned for us.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
+ Glory be to God forever. Amen +