Fasting and Carrying the Cross — Hegumen Fr. Sorial Sorial

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – One God. Amen.

[General Announcements]

As you know, of course, we started the Nativity Fast last Thursday. And as I always tell you, fasting is not about what we eat on the material side; it is about what we eat on the spiritual side. We give up something of the material in order to receive more and more of the spiritual, so that we may enter into a system. The Fast itself is not the goal. In the last days, we will not tell God that we have fasted. Fasting is a means — a way, a method, a training period — so that we may reach Jesus Christ our Lord, approach Him, and come closer to Him.

Fasting is emptying ourselves. We empty our senses of the things that do not glorify God. In our minds and our hearts, we are often concerned with what we will do, our future, how we may gain more money, and how to put ourselves in better situations — just me, me, me — while canceling others. This is not Christianity. Christianity is to cancel yourself and to think about others, to feel about others — and not just to feel, but to do something. It is not enough to say, “I feel sorry for that person,” and leave it at that. No! If you feel sorry, do something about it! Are you praying for him? Are you befriending him? Are you asking what he needs? Are you giving him more and more of what you have? Or am I selfish, keeping everything for myself? I must empty — empty myself and fill others.

The second point is this: to carry the Cross means to show the Cross and not be ashamed of it. In this society, sometimes we are ashamed of the Cross. Do you know where the Cross was discovered? [] It was discovered under a heap of garbage. The Cross was buried under filth. And this is what we are doing in our lives — we are throwing garbage on the Cross! We are Christians, yet we allow garbage to heap up like mountains over the Cross, and the Cross lies deep below. No one sees our Christianity anymore.

In our lives, we have priorities, and Christianity is the last of them. We push it down, and on top of it — as I said just now — we might place our future, our friends, our lusts, our desires — everything but the Cross — while the Cross remains deep below. We must elevate the Cross! Where was the Cross erected? Was it in a valley? It was on a high mountain. Golgotha is a high mountain, to show the whole world. And that is why in the church, we place the Cross on the domes, and over the highest point of the church.

We must show our Christianity and not be ashamed of or cover it. Sometimes we are ashamed. Here, they wear the cross as an ornament, but they do not know the Cross. Yet we are proud of those in societies where the Cross and Christianity are persecuted, and still they wear and show the cross — not merely as gold, but they show that they are Christians. They speak as Christians, act as Christians, cooperate with others as Christians, and preach Christ who is in them, not speak empty words [as they do] in our society and then shy away [from revealing their Christianity]. We are not stating the principles of our faith or of our Church. One fasts and then becomes ashamed lest others mock him — no! I am not telling you to display that you are fasting, but when someone does not know fasting, it is your duty to show him what fasting is by practicing fasting and to show others its purpose and use.

The devil now shows himself everywhere. Have you ever seen the devil shy? No. He shows himself openly — in the media, among your friends, in every place. The devil pushes himself forward. Yet the Holy Spirit whom you carry is the power of our Lord — the power of God — and this power is far stronger than the power of the devil. If you allow the powers of the devil to act while you remain silent and negative, doing nothing, then you will give an account.

In school, show that you are a Christian. At work, show that you are a Christian. Do not simply adopt what is in the world. For example, when people around us tell improper jokes or use inappropriate language, because we want to share with them we say the same things so that they do not say that we are odd, or weird, or different. No! Some participate [in such things], and what happens to the Cross? The Cross is buried. It may be bad words, curses, and [crude] jokes, and the Cross becomes buried under it all. So take care. Where is the Cross in your life? Where is your Christianity?

The third and final point is this: carrying the Cross is to bear the Cross — to accept suffering. The Cross sometimes means suffering. None of us is without a cross. Everyone has certain weaknesses, temptations, and difficult times. We will not rid ourselves of these things except in heaven. As long as we are in this world, we will experience suffering, weakness, misfortune, and our own faults. 

How can we accept the Cross?

We accept the Cross when we think of others. Sometimes we fail to appreciate what we have. If I have a problem, I allow it to overwhelm me and [consume] me, and forget all the other positives in my life — all the graces God has given me. I forget everything good; the devil causes you to focus only on the dark part so that you fall into despair, and to think “what is this quality of life?” But he blinds you to all the other things that you have — all the other gifts God has provided you.

So first, if I am in tribulation — if I am sick, if I fail an exam, if I lose a friend, if I am betrayed — I must not allow myself to be consumed by it. Think about the positive points in your life, and more importantly, think about those who carry heavier crosses than you. I am now standing on my feet; some people cannot stand. Some people cannot sit. Some people cannot breathe. Some people have congenital defects. [Now,] speaking to parents — sometimes, we say, “Our children do this or that.” We are blessed with our kids. They are a blessing from God. You are blessed by your parents. So think of those in greater difficulty and say, “I thank You, Lord.” Do not let the devil trap you in prolonged suffering. Get out of it! Otherwise, it will consume you and lead you into despair and depression. Get out of it! Think!

There was a man who said to God, “You have given me a very heavy cross that I cannot carry. Why?” Then he fell asleep, and Jesus took him into a room filled with crosses and said, “Choose any cross you want in this room. If you wish to give up your cross, go ahead. Choose any other sort of suffering that you want.” The man found a very small cross and said, “My Lord, I will choose this one.” The Lord said, “Read whose cross it is.” He chose the smallest cross, so He told him, “What is the name of the person carrying this cross? Read it!” And he found that it bore his own name. Meaning the Lord is telling him, “I am giving you the least; be thankful!” This is the first point.

The second point is to remember always how I will be rewarded later. Whatever suffering we experience is temporary. One day it will end. But for every suffering that I bear, for every suffering that I accept with thanksgiving, I will be rewarded for it eternally. I will be rewarded with eternal glory.

As I have told you, the devil’s job is always to bring you into despair. Say: “No. Even if God allows this suffering, He allows it for me so that I may partake of His glory later.” If you carry the Cross now, you will live the Resurrection later. The Cross — the phase of the Cross — is not forever. It ends at Golgotha, and afterward comes the joy of the Resurrection.

And one more thing: whenever God gives you a cross to carry, He carries it with you. He loves you. You are His child. You are precious to Him. He will never allow you to carry the cross alone. Have you seen the film The Passion of the Christ? In one scene, when Simon carries the Cross with Jesus walking with him, Simon could carry it and continue walking. Once Jesus took one step away from the Cross, what happened to Simon? He fell. We cannot carry suffering alone. Jesus is with you in every temptation, every suffering, every pain. He feels you! He is closer to you in times of suffering than other times because He is a father. He is a loving father. He would never allow his son to suffer while watching from afar. He will approach you and carry you. You already know the story of the footprints in the sand— He is there, carrying you in the temptation. 

So we ask Him to grant us to enjoy the Cross, show the Cross, apply the Cross, reveal the Cross to others, and bear the Cross for the eternal glory with Him. To Him is glory forever and ever. Amen.

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To hear the original audio of this sermon, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnWk9_MH-mY.

Fr. Sorial Sorial of blessed memory was born Eliya Sorial on January 6, 1957 in Khartoum, Sudan – one of seven children, including His Grace Bishop Karas of blessed memory, who was the first bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States and the first abbot of the Church’s first monastery outside of Egypt, in California. Fr. Sorial graduated from Khartoum Medical University with an M.D. in April 1981 and received his Ph.D from London University in 1989. In 1994, H.H. Pope Shenouda III ordained Eliya as Fr. Sorial to serve the altar of St. Mary and St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church in Brighton, England. After two years, His Holiness sent Fr. Sorial and his family to serve at St. George and St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church, Jersey City, NJ, USA alongside Hegumen Fr. Antonios Ragheb of blessed memory and Fr. Dawoud Bebawy. On February 7, 2007, Fr. Sorial was elevated to the rank of Hegumen. After a difficult battle with pancreatic cancer, Fr. Sorial reposed in the Lord on February 15, 2008. He was characterized by a profound humility and gentleness, tirelessness in service, simplicity, peacefulness, tears in prayer, and deep love for the Church’s prayers, praises, and hymnology, and is remembered by his beloved congregation and the many people whom he discipled.

Cover Photo: Fr. Sorial Sorial (right) pictured alongside Fr. Dawoud Bebawy (left) at St. George & St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church, Jersey City, NJ.

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