Why God Started With a Family (And Not a Church) Bishop Mar Mari

0:00 This lecture for today, we did it when we were in Arizona about a week or so ago. And the reason why I had to do it today as well, because it is that beginning to many more lectures relating to the Christian family. And in between, so we don't always just talk about Christian family, but in between we will take some Also biblical teachings. Mind you, this is also biblical teaching as well. Don't get me wrong. But we will take other topics, in a better way putting it, other topics from the Holy Bible as we travel along the series of lectures on the Christian family. The family.

0:51 Is it a little church or just a house? The Christian family. Is it a little church or is it just a house like any other house? We will base our lectures on one biblical verse which Joshua, son of Nun, said it in his book, the book of Joshua, chapter 24, verse 15, where he says, But as for me and my house... we will serve the Lord. Or in other translations, we will worship the Lord. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And I guess when you're serving the Lord, you are really basically literally worshiping the Lord. Because if you do not worship the Lord, you can never serve the Lord. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24 verse 15. My beloved, when we look at the very

2:01 few pages in the Old Testament, the book of Genesis, which is the beginning of the Old Testament. When we look at the very few pages, the very beginning of it, we will come to this truth that At a surface level, it may seem kind of very simple, but it carries a much deeper meaning that never ends. So we come to this truth at a surface level, it carries maybe to us a simple meaning, but when you dive deep, you will find a much deeper meaning to it, to this truth that has no end whatsoever. And what is this truth? We will discover that God did not begin the sacred history of humanity by building a city. Nor did he begin it by building a nation. Nor did God begin it by building a temple. But rather God

3:04 began the sacred history of the human race by building a home. By building a home. Now one of us may ask, why did God begin with a family? Why didn't he begin with anything else but family? It's a valid question and a very important one too. See, the reason is God wants to say to all humanity that life with him does not begin with an institution. Life with him begins with a communion. With a communion. Before Jerusalem existed, there was a garden. And before the church existed, there was a family. And before the altar existed, there was the human heart. There was the human heart. The first thing God created was not a society, but a communion of love. Family. A communion of love. Family. And we arrive at the very first theological truth. Number one,

4:36 the family is not a human invention. It is a revelation of the mind of God. Number two, humanity did not invent marriage. God did. Number three, humanity did not invent fatherhood. God did. Humanity did not invent motherhood. God did. You know, when you ask someone that believes in God, and you ask him, do you believe everything comes from God?

5:13 He'll say yes. Say then, where did fatherhood come from if it came from God? How could it come from God unless God is the father? Where did motherhood come from if it came from God unless God is that mother? If everything came from God, then there wouldn't have been a father on earth unless there was one in heaven, the creator of all and the source to all things.

5:43 True or not? So it all came, all of these came from the heart of God, my beloved. Therefore, when the world attacks the family, it is not attacking a social fabric or a social custom. It is attacking the very divine purpose. And you look at the Western world more so. There is not much spoken about family bond and family values. In the Western world. The Western world is based on one thing. Individualism. It's all about you.

6:23 You are free. You can say whatever. You can do whatever. You can go wherever. Nobody can stop you. Nobody can say anything to you. But it's a lie. Why? Because it's definitely not from God. God intended for the human being to be part of the family. Not alone. So when you focus on individualism, you are attacking the very divine purpose, which is family communion based on love. Communion based on love, my beloved. Let's look at the first point.

7:05 Why did God create a man in family? Why did he put that man in the family? Well, the Holy Bible says in Genesis 1, 27, so God created mankind in his own image and focus on the word in his own image. So God created mankind in his own image, male and female, he created them. So where did the male and the female come from? God. It was from the very beginning, Adam and Eve. Never Adam and... So God created mankind in his own image. He created them male and female, Genesis 1.27. Now let us stop at this verse. He created them male and female. God did not create one human being to live alone. It is not in God's intention for no human being to be alone.

8:20 When the human being decides to live alone, they die.

8:26 Why?

8:26 Because it is impossible to achieve something God has not given you. Or to create something God has not created in you. You cannot surpass God's wisdom, God's plan. It's impossible. Impossible. So that's why God never intended for no human being to live alone. Nor did He create a group of individuals with no relationships between them. But rather God created communion.

9:08 Now the word communion... Is compounded word. It is two in one. Communion. Community. Community in unity. So when we come and receive the holy communion, which is the body and the blood of Christ, it is also referred to as the holy communion. Why? Because it is the community, the Christian community, the faithful community coming in unity. Who is uniting this community? Christ. So we are coming as community in unity in Jesus' mighty name. So God created communion, community in unity. Now why? Because God created this human being according to his own image. So who is God and what is God? God is not an isolated unity, my beloved, but rather he is the eternal communion of love.

10:19 The father loves the son. The son is in the bosom of his father and the Holy Spirit is the spirit of communion based on love. The father loves the son. The son is in the bosom of his father and the Holy Spirit is the spirit of communion based on love. So God revealed himself from the very beginning that he is family. And that's why the very first thing God created on the face of this earth was family. Not a nation, not a city, not a temple, nothing of such.

11:06 He created the family. Therefore, to God, priority is family. Number one thing is family. Foundation is family. Before you talk about anything or anyone else. To God's number one priority is family. Now. And since the father loves the son. And the Son is in the bosom of the Father. And the Holy Spirit is the spirit of communion based on love. The church fathers understood this reality or this truth.

11:44 What is this truth? They understood that a person that does not live, a person that does not fulfill the divine image is a person that lives alone. A person that decides to live for themselves They are not fulfilling the divine image. Why? Because God created us all in His divine image. And since God is family, not alone, not just an isolated unit, He is one in three and three in one. Therefore, there is unity, there is community based on unity in that divine nature. Since we are created by God according to this divine nature, When anyone of us decides to live alone, you are going against the very image which God created you with. When do we fulfill this divine image? When we live a life based on love. Love cannot exist in one and

12:58 one unit only. Because the one and one only cannot love itself. Love is an outward trajectory. It cannot just love itself within itself. There has to be another one in order for love to be made possible. Love is only made possible where there is two or more. If it's one and one only, love cannot exist. Then a person may say this or ask this, well, how come I can love my own self? Yeah, my dear friend, because you are not just one and one only. You are one in three and three in one. In you, there is a body. In you, there is a soul.

13:46 In you, there is a spirit. You're not just one. You cannot just say I'm a body only. You cannot just say I'm a spirit only. You cannot just say I'm a soul only. You are body, soul, and spirit, all three in one human being. But this human being is not just one unit and one only. It is one in three and three in one. Why we are one in three and three in one? Because the one who created us in his own divine image is Trion, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. One in three and three in one. Like one day, an old Christian asked me this question. He said, you Christians, how many gods do you worship? Is it two, three?

14:32 Heads or tails? I said, do you exist? He said, yeah. I said, well, pinch yourself to see if you really exist or not. You exist, don't you? He said, yes. I said, don't get me wrong. Do you have a brain? He said, yes, I do. So you are an intellectual human being. You're intelligent. Yes. I said, do you have a life? Are you breathing? Are you alive? He said, yes.

15:05 I said, is your existence your brain? He said, no. I said, is your brain your life? No. Is your life, your existence, or your brain? None of the above. I said, are you three people or one? He said, I'm one. I said, are you just one? No, you're one in three, and three in one. Existence, the Father, See, when we speak about God the Father, don't take it in the literal human intellectual perception of an earthly father. The word father in Aramaic, which the language I speak, the Lord's language, or Syriac, abon or awon, it does not mean father as an earthly father. Abon means the source of existence.

15:56 The source of existence. That's what it means. So you need to go back to the original language to understand. So abon or awa or abba means the source of existence. The sun is the brain. The logos, the intellect. The word logos in Greek means intellect, brain. So in the beginning was the brain and the brain was with God and the brain was God.

16:25 Why?

16:25 Because there was never a time God existed without a brain. So that's why the Son and the Father are one. And the Holy Spirit is the source of life. God is the source of life. God exists, the Father. God is wise, the Son. God is the living one, the Holy Spirit. And we are one in three and three in one, created in his own image. When any human being chooses to live for themselves and themselves only, they do not fulfill that very divine image which God created us with. The only time We fulfill God's divine image when we live a life based on love. And the only way to live a life based on love is when I love someone else, not just me. When I just love myself, I become selfish. But when I love someone else, I become selfless. Selfless. Because love gives. When

17:43 love takes, it is a fake one. When love gives first, that is a genuine love. That is a genuine love. Therefore, the first divine declaration after creating Adam was, God said after creating Adam, what did God say? The first thing ever. It is not good that Adam should be alone. It is not good that Adam should be alone. Why? Because I created him on the basis of my divine image.

18:15 And my divine image is not alone. It is more than one. So it's not good for Adam to be alone. Genesis 2.18 Therefore, please pay attention. Loneliness is not a psychological problem. Loneliness is a theological problem. Not psychological. So don't go and start taking those pills, depression. Don't get me wrong. We love the doctors, yeah? The psychologists, the psychiatrists, we love them and keep them as far as possible.

18:54 We love them. But don't get me wrong. Don't just go and start taking pills because I feel down. I feel kind of miserable. I feel kind of disorientated. I feel empty. I feel lonely. That is not the solution. The problem of your loneliness is not psychological. It is theological. That is the basis. That is the essence of your loneliness. Theological. Theological.

19:24 What do I mean by that? Ask yourself, have you lost God? If you've lost God, you will definitely feel lonely. Even though you may be surrounded by a hundred, a thousand people, you will always feel lonely. Don't ever think by having many friends will solve my problems. It will come. more problems to have more friends your issue is not external your issue is internal the problem of loneliness is not outside is inside of you this is why when the problem is internal you need the eternal God to fix it. So when people start going out and having so-called fun, I'm going to dance with somebody, I'm going to go feel the heat with somebody, you're burning yourself.

20:26 You need to come back to your creator and find God in your life. Loneliness will disappear automatically. Naturally, it will disappear. Because man was created for communion. Therefore, the family is not merely a place where people gather. But it is a place where a person comes to learn how to love as God loves. The family is a place where we come to learn how to love the way God loves. Stop loving yourself and start loving your sibling, your dad, your mom. Stop loving yourself. We are family for God's sake. Loving yourself is selfish. You need to be selfless in order to give, not to take. In order to give. So family is not a place where we gather. is a place where we learn how to love the way God loves. When you read in the

21:41 Old Testament, it is God the Father speaking in the Old Testament, by the way. The entire Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi, if you want to go to the second canonical books, you go to Maccabians 1 and 2. So when you read the Old Testament, the entire Old Testament, you see the God the Father is speaking. you will see God the Father, all of His talk is about His beloved Son. You will not see God speaking about Himself.

22:15 You will see Him speaking about His Son. Why? Because God is love. And when it's genuine love, you will never talk about yourself. You will talk about the one you love the most. When a girl finds a guy, or when the guy finds a girl, And then the heartbeat start dancing Sheikhani if you're a Syrian. Or start doing rap if you are in a Western. And when that girl is in love, she sits with her friends.

22:48 All she talks to her friends is about her sweetheart. The one she loves. She will never talk about herself. Like she'll look at the finger and she sees the ring and she'll say to them, you see this ring? It's Jono bought it for me. Habibi. He's my sweetheart, Jono. Even though he's got a very big nose, but doesn't matter, he's cute. And then she... Somebody will say, you smell nice.

23:19 She will say, yeah, Jono got me that for my birthday. And then... They'll say, oh, what a lovely bag. Yeah, Jono got me the bag. Jono is my life. He's my everything. You will talk about the one you love the most. The Old Testament, God the Father is speaking about His Son. The Son came in the New Testament.

23:43 Read from Matthew to Revelation. All is about the Father. The son is talking about the father. Show me one place the son spoke about himself. In fact, the son said, it is not he who says, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of God, but it is he who does the will of my father. I did not come to do but the will of my dad. If you love me, love my dad. And the day you love my dad, you're automatically loving me. Why? Because the son, all he knows is, is He loves the Father. The Son went up to heaven. The Holy Spirit came down and dwelt in us through the sacrament of the Holy Baptism. The Holy Spirit will talk till the second coming about the Son.

24:37 Nothing about Himself. Three perfect persons in one nature, one essence. The dynamics between the three is so perfect. The Father speaks about the Son. The Son speaks about the Father. The Holy Spirit speaks about the Son. No one speaks about himself. Why? Because it is true, genuine love. There is no selfishness here. There is selflessness. So my son, when you're at home and your wife is there, are you going to be Bragging about yourself? Or are you going to talk nice things to your wife? And my daughter, are you going to be talking about your husband? Or are you going to just be talking about yourself? Children, are you going to just be saying me, me, me, me, me?

25:32 Or are you going to say, okay, dad, what can I do for you? Mom, what do you want me to do? What pleases you? And as brothers, as siblings, brothers and sisters, Sister, my room is your room and my clothes are your clothes and my Chanel is your Chanel. Don't worry, I'm not going to fight over material things because the bond between us is much greater than any materialistic things. Because I love you sister and I love you brother. We need to elevate to this divine love.

26:08 No more being earthly. No more being worldly, materialistic. No more St. Ephraim, one of our church fathers, St. Ephraim the Great, he says in one of his contemplation about paradise, he says paradise was not beautiful because of the trees that were in it. The paradise was beautiful because God was walking with humanity there. It is God who makes paradise, paradise.

26:42 And the same is true of the home. It is not the furniture that makes the home a home. It is not the degrees. It is not the certificates. It is not the money. It is not the successes that makes that home a home. It is the presence of Christ in it that makes it a home and makes it beautiful. It is Christ. It is Christ. If Christ is absent, the building may remain, but the little church disappears.

27:20 The house remains, but the home disappears. The little church, when Christ is absent. Secondly, paradise was the very first church. We are accustomed, every time we think of paradise, we think of a garden. That's automatically, that's where we go to. What is a paradise? Oh, it's a beautiful garden full of flowers and trees and lush green lawns and rivers of waters. Oh, so that's paradise, brother. Well, there is surface paradise in Australia somewhere in Queensland, but that ain't paradise, baby.

28:04 Even though surface paradise is nice, but that's not paradise. So we think, when we think of paradise, we think of a garden. But you see the church fathers saw something much more profound in the paradise than just being a garden. What did they see? They saw in it there was the first temple and Adam was the first priest of that creation. And also All creation in that paradise came and praised the Almighty God. And God was present with that human race and everything that He created. Therefore, this paradise is an absolute true reflection of what the church is all about. And what is the church all about? Paradise...

29:00 Is not a place where you go and dwell. Paradise is a place where you go and worship. Worship. And here we understand. That the function of the home is not only to protect us from rain. But to lead us to God. That is the function of a home. A Christian home. A Christian family is a place that does not just protect us from rain and heat and cold and whatever. It is a place where it should lead us to God. Should lead us to God. I'll start with my son, the husband, the father. And then I'll come to my daughter, the wife, the mother. My son, please pay attention. If you want for God to bless your family, you must be in the presence of the Lord Jesus. Not your wife, you. You need to be first, then you bring your wife along. Because let me tell

30:18 you one thing, God will not bless the family through the woman. He blesses the family through the man, not the woman. This is God's plan. This is God's way of dealing with the family. He blesses the family through the man, not the woman. And to prove this to you, God placed first in the garden of Eden. The man, the woman was not there at all. God spoke to the man. God... taught the man what he expects of him he said to him this tree you can eat from you can eat from those trees over there you can eat from but there is one that is called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you cannot eat from it the day you eat from it surely you shall die Eve came afterwards. God did not teach Eve nothing. Why? Because since God taught the man,

31:18 he expected the man to teach his woman. Not God. No wonder we have problems at home. It's a serious matter. We need to really focus. And to prove it, when Eve ate from the forbidden tree, God did nothing. God said nothing and nothing happened. But when Adam ate, all hell broke loose. God came and said, Adam, where are you?

31:53 Why did you eat from the tree that I said do not eat from? Because I spoke to you. I taught you what to do and what not to do. And I expected you to teach your wife. And I expected you to teach your wife what I taught you. What does that mean? It means when the man is in the presence of God, he will bring his wife also to the presence of God because God will make sure of that. My son, you are the foundation of the family, not your wife. My daughter, your role is to respect your man. My son, your role is To love your woman. You see. When the couple come and stand on the big day, the wedding day, before God, before the holy altar, before the priest, and they say, yes, I do to each other. Yalla, hurry up. The plane

32:54 is waiting. We're going to Hawaii, father. Please, don't bring Marmari to do the wedding for us. I will miss out on the plane and I will miss out on Hawaii. He talks for 10 hours. I can't afford it. Bring somebody that does a drive-thru service. Yes, can I help you? I would like some French fries with some fish burger and a chocolate sundae. And if there is no sundae, can you make it Monday, please? My beloveds. I know it's a sensitive area. But we have to hear it.

33:34 We have to. And we have to learn. No matter how many years have gone by. It's never too late. For as long as the spirit is in the body, never too late. Come back to the Lord Jesus. Let him fix it for you. When the couple stand there, they are no longer two but one. One in what? They are equal in two things, not everything. They're equal as far as love and respect are concerned. But they are definitely not equal in obligations and duties. The man is the man and the woman is the woman. What the man can do, the woman cannot and vice versa.

34:17 You can't be pregnant, my son. So don't ever act like a woman. And you cannot be a man, my daughter, please. But one thing you are equal, love and respect. In what way? The man must love his wife and the woman must respect her husband. When the woman respects the husband, she automatically loves him. You see, for the man, he doesn't want to be loved. He wants to be respected.

34:55 So when the woman respects the man, she is automatically loving him. That's how the man interprets it. Because that's the way God made him. The man has dignity. And dignity requires respect, not love. Requires respect, not love. And the woman has feelings and emotions. Without love, I cannot live. I'm joking with you, but it's not funny. It's a serious matter. Now listen, my beloveds. What happened when sin entered in the garden of Eden? Something shocking took place.

35:44 Something very shocking took place. Sin did not destroy nature. It did not touch nature whatsoever. But sin destroyed relationships. When sin entered the garden, it destroyed relationships. God, Adam hid from God. And Adam blamed his wife Eve. And then Eve blamed the snake. And everybody went against everybody else.

36:11 Sin destroyed relationships between the family members. And so, whenever sin enters the home, communion disappears. Everyone disappears. becomes in their own worlds. I live for myself, you live for yourself, none of your business. You go your way and I go my way. If you want to stay under one roof, on one condition, woman, I'll stay with you under one roof or the woman will say to the man, I'll stay with you under one roof for the sake of the children. That is a lie. For the sake of what?

36:53 The children? Let me tell you, husband and wife, one thing. You are there under that one roof. It's not for the sake of the children. It's for the sake of both of you. Because the two of you are each other's portion. The children are not your portion. Because the moment the children grow and mature and become ready with full wings, they'll fly away like you did with your mom and dad. When he became mature, you found your sweetheart and then said to mom and dad, bye-bye, I'm going with my sweetheart. I'm marrying her. Your children will do the same. They are not your portion. They are someone else's. But the husband and the wife are the only portion for one another. The children are not yours.

37:41 So if you're staying under the same roof for the sake of the children, that is the wrong statement. That's why you're living miserable. Sin entered, destroyed relationships. Now, when sin enters the home, communion disappears. Therefore, the most dangerous thing threatening our homes today, please pay attention, the most dangerous thing threatening our homes today is not the iPhone. Oh, look who's here on Instagram. Oh, I'm going to text this girl. I'm going to text this guy. Yes, I'm going to. I'm going to make a small video while we're sitting in the backyard having dolma. Or having some barbecue.

38:35 And I'm going to show the whole world we are having a barbecue. What's the world got to do with your barbecue? Show nobody. The most dangerous thing that is threatening our homes is not the phone. It is not the internet. It is not the schools. It is the absence of communion. That's the most dangerous thing. The absence of communion. The absence of fellowship. Why? Because we may be sitting at the same table and having lunch or dinner together. But each one is in their own world.

39:15 Is in their own world. We're sitting together but no one is talking to nobody else. I'm in my own world but I'm just sitting there. And we may live under one roof. But we are strangers to one another. The problem is not in technology. The problem is in the heart of the human being that is not finding joy anymore in communion. I don't feel like talking to you, dad.

39:50 I don't want to talk to you, dad, mom. I don't have the time for you, brother. I don't have the time for you, sister. But I'm talking to total strangers and maybe they are not just next door. They're on the other side of the globe. Tell me my beloved son and daughter, what kind of a wisdom is this? You are giving your love to people on the other side of the planet and you are not able to give your love for your father, mother, brother, sister under the same roof where you are living and it is within your tangible reach. Where is the wisdom? What are those strangers going to do for you? Nothing. Nothing. So the problem today in our homes, the heart is no longer finding joy in communion, in connecting with one another

40:46 as a family. The daughter is sitting in her room. She wants to talk to her mom. I can't be bothered. I'm not getting up. I'll send her a text message. The mother looks, she's in the kitchen. mom can you please bring me a glass of water what is this no my daughter you get up you go all the way to mom kiss her and say mom i thank god for you i thank the lord that he's given me the most pain in the neck mother i could ever come across did you get that one i thank the lord that you are difficult mother I thank the Lord that you tell me no a lot of times.

41:39 Because I want to go out and you say no. I want to go with these girls and you say no. I want to dress up in a certain way and you say no. But you know what mom? I thank the Lord for being difficult. Because a difficult mother raises a disciplined child. Where she one day will be a successful wife and a successful mother. And when we get married...

42:04 We remember and we say our parents were harsh on us. But thank God we misunderstood them. We thought they were our enemies. But now we realize why they were harsh. Because it was all for our own goodness. Now I know how to raise my children. Christ came to restore the home back to that paradise from the very beginning.

42:35 Where Adam, Eve, creation, praising God, worshiping God, and God present in the midst of all. We need to bring Jesus Christ of Nazareth back into our homes. I beg you, not Michael Jackson, not any Hollywood celebrities, none of that nonsense. We need God. God. Not people. Not your friends. Not anyone else. You need Christ back at home. Christ. The Lord Jesus did not begin his ministry in the temple when he came, by the way. Yet the temple is his father's house. Very important for him. But the Lord began his ministry at a wedding in Cana of Galilee.

43:32 And that wedding took place at home And guess what? Isn't it incredible that the wedding of Cana of Galilee is not found in any of the Gospels but John? There is no mention of the wedding of Cain of Galilee in the gospel of Matthew, Mark, nor Luke. It is only found in the gospel of John. Why? Why did the Lord Jesus begin his ministry at the wedding which was done at home and mentioned in the gospel according to Saint John only? Because the gospel according to Saint John is the depth of theology. The depth of theology. God.

44:26 Theology is the study of the divine. And who is God? Family. And where do you find family? In the street? In the club? No. At home. At home. As if though the Lord Jesus is saying to all of us, Before I came before fixing the world I must fix the home because if the home is not fixed the world can never be fixed Because out of this home societies are evolving out of this home races out of this home Humanity if the home is wrecked the entire human race is wrecked if the home is good the whole Society is good I'm not here to fix the world.

45:14 I'm here to fix the home. Because that's where it all begins. You know, the church on Sunday starts at home. If the home is not a church, this church will not be. You will come on Sunday to the church and you are totally a stranger to Christ. Why? Because you did not get used to finding Christ in your own home. You won't find him in the church. We must start from the roots, from the foundation. The family is where the church begins and then ends with the universal church on Sundays. But the family begins, the church begins at the family level, at home. So the Lord Jesus began his ministry at home. And then he entered the house of Zacchaeus. He entered the house of Lazarus.

46:13 And then he sat with the disciples in that upper room. It was all home, home, home, home. And even after resurrection, he entered homes. It's like the gospel is trying to say here one thing. Wherever there is a home that is ready to open its doors, there the new creation begins. When you open the door to the Lord Jesus, the Lord will enter and make a new creation in that home.

46:45 He will change the heart. He will change the behavior. He will reprioritize your priorities. The way He sees it. The way He knows it. Which is always perfect. Sometimes we fight at home over trivial things. Like if you think about it, it's a laughable matter, but we created World War III. You said, you said. You did, you did. Enough.

47:15 Wherever there is a home that is willing to open the door to the Lord, the new creation begins right there and then. The church begins at the tables. read in the book of acts chapter 2 verse 42 and they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in praise when you come to church on a sunday what is in that church table the holy altar what is on the holy altar body and blood of christ what is body and blood of christ food You see, my beloved, with people, two things must be present at the same time. Otherwise, they will never gather. One, they have to talk. Two, they have to eat. Hamburger, fish burger, all the burgers. Eat.

48:11 And if you're from the Middle East, you don't use a fork. You use your five fingers. So, people will only gather... The two things and two things only, no more, no less. They gather to talk and they gather to eat. If you bring people together just to talk only, they will not last. And if you bring them just to eat only, they will not last either. Because a person that will not talk for an hour or two, they'll blow up. They'll explode. They have to talk. And you need the energy to continue talking. You need the food.

48:49 You need the food. So what is the church? People gathering to eat and to talk. To eat the body and the blood of Christ and to talk about Jesus Christ. That's why we are called communion, community in unity. All speak the same language, the language of love, the language of Christ, the King. But we're not just talking, we're eating.

49:19 At home, you eat you talk same church but that's a family this is universal but it's the same concept same principle why because family get together to eat and talk that's what family is But how are we getting together is the question. And on what basis are we getting together? That is the question you need to find the answer to. If we are getting together to talk about materialistic things, family is destroyed. Family is destroyed. Now you see, the homes became an extension of the church.

50:06 prayer was not a weekly event it was the way of life in the early church when you read in the book of acts it tells you how the early church lived they lived by breaking the bread and by praying while prayer is talking but talking not just to anybody talking to god You want the family strong? Involve God.

50:33 Speak to Him. Pray. As a family, you need to start praying, asking Jesus Christ to come in the midst of you. Talk to Him. And the way talking to God is called prayer. It's called prayer, my beloved. So, Eating and praying was not an event. Don't say I'm going to church this Sunday because I am obligated. It's a duty. Don't ever do that. Christ will not know you.

51:10 Say I'm going to church this Sunday and every Sunday by the grace of the Lord because this is the way of my life. It's not an event. It's a life I live. Are you with me? And food itself was transformed into thanksgiving. They broke the bread and thanked God for it. Mom and dad and children, when you sit at the table and you want to eat, thank God for the food, even if it's a little. Even if it's not much, but thank God. Be thankful. Learn on how to thank God always. Not thank him when things are going your way. Not thank him when he's doing it your way. Thank him when things are going against your way. Thank him. We thank you, Lord, for this food. We thank you, Lord, for this bread. We thank you, Lord, for this family. We thank you, Lord,

52:15 for this table. We thank you, Lord, for this roof over our heads. There are people living in the gutter, homeless with no roof over their head. There are people who are dying out of starvation. Thank you, Lord, for this bread, even though it's a little piece and it's a dry one. But thank you, Lord, for it. When you are a thankful person, God will 100% bless you beyond your imagination. Bless you beyond your imagination. The word Eucharist derives from the Koine Greek, which is the ancient Greek language, which is the word Eucharistia. Eucharistia means thanksgiving.

53:04 So Eucharist became Eucharist. So the Holy Eucharist, which is the body and the blood, we refer to the body and the blood of Christ as the Holy Eucharist, meaning Thanksgiving. We are coming to the Almighty God's house, thanking Him for His beloved Son, the body and the blood He gave us. Thank you, Lord, for this food, your body and your blood, that when I receive... I am renewed.

53:34 I am delivered. I am saved. Thank you. It's a thanksgiving. When you come to church, you're coming to thank God for what he has done for you. He sent his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Thank God. Learn on how to thank him. Will you take her in good times and bad times? Yeah, yeah. In sickness and health? Yeah, yeah.

54:11 Your lives explode. Will you take her in good times and bad times? Yeah. Let me see when she gives you bad times. What are you going to do when we come for you? Bad boys, bad boys. All right. The home that lives the spirit of the Holy Eucharist. Now let us look at the challenges facing the family in our time and age. And I won't take that much. Oh, yes, I will. Let's look at the challenges facing our family in our time and age, the 21st century. What are the challenges? My beloved. All of us here, we carry, you know, beautiful heritage here. Maybe some of us, there is a history of martyrdom. So some of us, maybe there is a history of monasticism, monastic life. To some of us, maybe a history of, you know, the language

55:31 of the Lord, Aramaic. I say, I speak the Lord's language. That is a heritage for me. For you, it's something else. But all of us carry beautiful heritage, no matter who we are and where we are and where we come from. But the challenge today is different to our ancestors back then. You see, our ancestors back in the olden days, they were afraid of losing their own lives. But today, their fear is not losing their lives, losing their children. Losing their children. Not through death, but through the world. The fear today of the family is losing the children to the world. Not through death. And how do we fear for our children not to be lost to the world?

56:28 Because the fear is when the world starts speaking to their hearts instead of the gospel. Instead of the holy gospel speaking to their hearts. Instead of the word of Christ speaking to their hearts. It is the world speaking to them. See, my beloved, if the language remains, for example, English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, whatever language, if the language remains and we lose Christ, what have we gained? Absolutely nothing. But if we gain Christ, He is more than capable of preserving everything else. And He will make sure you never lose it. You never lose it. Now, my beloved, the home is an icon of the kingdom. In the end, my beloved, the family is not a goal. The family is the path. The

57:26 family is not the objective. The family is the way. Marriage is not the end of the story, even though it's the end to so many people. Man, you're not with me. Marriage is not the end of the story. Before I got married, I had plenty of hair. After getting married, I'm going to Istanbul to regain that hair.

57:54 But rather, it's the beginning of a journey toward the kingdom. When you get married, it is the beginning to go together to the kingdom of God. Husband and wife who have children, parents... Did you know the only inheritance you will have in the next life are your children, nothing else? So if you say, I am a successful husband and I'm a successful father, I'm a successful wife and a mother because I have millions of dollars, I have mansions, I have Ferraris, I have Lamborghinis, I have this, I have that. You are mistaken. Every materialistic thing you gain with a sweat, I'm not saying cheating, but doing it the right way and the hard way. And you gained and you build an empire. Let me tell you this.

58:48 every materialistic things you've gained it will stay in this world the grave will take it away from you whether you like it or not but the only thing that you will take with you to heaven is when you bring your children with you to Jesus Christ of Nazareth they are your inheritance see my beloved, the children do not belong to us. They have been entrusted to us by God to lead them back to Him. For this reason, the question God will ask us all will not be how much Do you earn? What is your salary? Or how many houses do you have? But he will ask, did your children know my face through you? Did your children know my face through you, mom and dad? Did they see my love in your love, mom and dad?

59:44 Did they learn forgiveness from the way you forgave one another, mom and dad? Did your home become an extension of the church? That's what the Lord will ask every parent. In conclusion, my beloved, the world builds beautiful houses, but the Lord Jesus wants to build holy homes. Not beautiful houses. Holy homes. You know, we go back 80s, 100s. My grandparents, they lived in a little village in the north of Lebanon.

1:00:20 They lived in a little village in the north of Iraq, in Syria, in Jordan, in Italy, in whichever country it is, in Mexico. Somebody said, you're not mentioning Mexico a lot in your talks, Marmarie. So I love Mexico and I love the people of Mexico. Wherever you are, those parents who lived in a village, in a house, it was a little hut made out of clay. Simple, humble, no furniture, no nothing. But they moved mountains. Why? Because those homes were filled by the love of Christ. So the world teaches you on how to build beautiful houses, but Christ wants to build holy homes, not beautiful houses. The world teaches our children on how to be successful, but the church teaches our children on how to be saved, not successful.

1:01:22 What does it benefit a man if he gains the whole world and loses himself at the end? What are you going to give? In the place of that lost soul. Nothing. I'm a professor. But lost. I'm a doctor. But lost. I'm rich. But lost. What have you gained? Nothing. Don't seek success. Seek salvation. Because it is only through salvation you are successful. And salvation is only given by the one and only. The love of my life. My sweetheart.

1:01:58 His name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I love this man. I love this man. Let us make our homes altars for praise. Please, husband and wife, start praying. Bring your children with you. It's never too late. Start learning from today. Bring them and say, come on, come on children. How old are they? One year? Two years? Three years? Before going to sleep, come together. We need to pray and thank the Lord for this day that has gone by and everything is okay and everyone is healthy. We thank Him for His love and kindness and protection. And we thank Him for the food. And we thank Him for the family. You thank God every day. Make your homes altars for prayer. Schools for the Holy Gospel. Start reading

1:02:51 the Holy Bible for one another. Start reading. Start engaging in the Word of God enough. Talking worldly nonsense. Worldly nonsense. Start talking about God at home. And make those homes a place for reconciliation. Reconciliation. Before you go to sleep, my son, please do it for your own sake and for your own well-being. Say to your wife, even though it was not your fault, huh? It was all her fault. Say, honey, I know it wasn't my fault, but I am sorry for making you angry. You're playing the violin now. I am sorry for making you angry. I am sorry for making that tear come down your beautiful cheek. The one I fell in love with from the moment I saw you in Fairfield, Nita City. Say nice things. Don't go

1:04:10 to sleep without saying to someone at home, I love you. Start learning to speak the language of Christ. Love. Love. Love. When we make our homes a place for reconciliation, our children, when they enter their home, they will feel the presence of Christ in it. They'd say, feels good to be home because Christ gives you peace. The presence of the Lord makes sure that you feel his presence. He'll make sure of that. Then our homes will not be merely an address where we live, but rather a little church that declares the presence of God in the heart of this world. It's no longer a place where we live, but it's a place where we are declaring that we belong to God in this godless world. And all of us together along with Joshua, son of Nun, will say,

1:05:29 but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Amen. God bless you. That is part one. Now next week, God willing, we'll look at another aspect of that Christian family. Today's aspect of the Christian family is this question all of us need to answer. Is our Christian family, is it a little church or just a house? You need to answer that question for yourself.

1:06:03 Is it a little church or is it just a house? Make that house A little church. Because the moment the house is a little church, the house becomes home. It's not a place I live in. It is a place I love the Lord in. I love the Lord in. It's the eye of the almighty God that is watching over us every single moment of this life on earth.

1:06:47 God has never had you ever outside of his sight. He always watches over all of us, my beloved. Believe, trust, and you better know this truth. God is always with you. Amen.

1:07:04 Psalm 100, a psalm of thanksgiving. Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with singing. Know that the Lord, he is God. It is he who has made us and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Be thankful to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good. His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations. Amen.

1:07:39 Let us now stand for the finale prayer, please. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, amen. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love, for it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. Amen. May the Lord Jesus bless you, guide you, and protect you all the days of your life,

1:08:26 now and forevermore. Amen. Go in peace. The peace of Christ be with you always, my beloved. God bless you.