The Mystery of Godliness (1970)

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This is a partial translation of St Habib Girgis’ book The Mystery of Godliness, originally published in 1922, but translated here from the second edition published in 1939. Footnotes added by the translator.

The Mystery of Godliness

Archdeacon Habib Girgis

Sirr al-taqwa cover (transparent)

Contents

1. Jesus is the Door, the Way, the Truth and the Life
2. Jesus is All in All for Us

 

 

1. Jesus is the Door, the Way, the Truth and the Life

The Lord said: ‘he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber … I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture’ (Jn 10:1, 9). ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ (Jn 14:6). ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing’ (Jn 15:5).

These are the words of the Lord, and He is the truth itself. Therefore, no one can enter into the life of grace except through this door. You cannot proceed along the way of virtue unless you walk on this path. You will go astray unless you have Jesus before your eyes. Let Him be the door through which you enter, the way in which you walk, the truth you long for, and the life which you seek and live. Do not turn your gaze away from Him, nor incline your heart towards anything else beside Him.

— 1 —

When venomous serpents rose up against the children of Israel in the wilderness, the Lord commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up, and all those who had been bitten by the serpents looked upon the bronze serpent and were immediately relieved of its poison. This is nothing else but a type of Jesus our Redeemer who was hung upon the cross: ‘And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life’ (Jn 3:14, 15). Behold, you are in the wilderness of this world which is filled with many deadly serpents, but if you look to Jesus you will be delivered from all illness; so long as you fix your eyes upon Jesus, no evil shall strike you, nor will that ancient serpent the Devil be able to harm you. Therefore, turn your gaze to Jesus; look with your eyes and fix the eyes of your mind, set all your heart on work in contemplation of the beauty of Jesus, and you will be illumined with the brightness of the eternal truth; your heart and core will be enlightened by the rays of the divine light. So you shall become more splendidly beautiful than the sun and find the door of grace open before you and the way of life easy ahead of you.

As you have accepted the Lord Jesus, walk in Him, delight in His light, depend upon His righteousness, that your faith in Him might be unshakable and the more firm.

— 2 —

He is the share of your repose, the inheritance of your salvation and a pledge of your glory in this life.[1]Cf. Liturgy of St Basil, Seven Short Prayers, “that we may have a share (naṣīb) and an inheritance (mīrāth) with all Your saints …” Say with the Apostle Paul, ‘to live is Christ’ (Phil 1:21); ‘for I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me’ (Gal 2:19, 20).

 

2. Jesus is All in All for Us

Roam through every place, search in every direction: you will find nothing that comforts you or fills your heart with hope, joy, solace, or sweetness apart from Jesus alone. You will never find anything more pleasant than the sweetness of Jesus, nor anything more lovely than His converse with Him, nor anything gentler or more sublime than His words. His presence is joyous and intimacy with Him is pleasant and delightful, captivating the mind and enchanting the intellect. His peace is abundant and His consolation wondrous. What is more beautiful than comings to the heart, and what is sweeter than His visitations to the soul? There,

— 3 —

in the inward part, He whispers to His beloved. Anyone who has tasted this pleasure even once will find delight in no other pleasure thereafter, for the mind is captivated by His enchanting sweetness, and the heart is stolen away by gentleness of His voice. Anyone who has enjoyed intimate conversation with Him never forgets the sweetness of His consolation. Jesus is the spring of eternal life. Jesus is the gate of blessings and true pleasures. Jesus is He that makes the heart overflow with joy and humility. Jesus is Emmanuel; God with us. Jesus is heavenly nourishment, spiritual food. He is the Tree of Life, and all who eat of it do not die but live forever. He is the sweet drink, and all who drink of Him never thirst. His name is a weapon in the time of war, an impenetrable shield which protects against danger and tribulation. He is the beam of light that brightens the sheer darkness. He is a soothing ointment in life’s tragedies and bitter sufferings. He is a crutch for old age to lean upon; a secure fortress for youth to take refuge in; a luminous carriage for children to ride in with joy. A doctor is He, and medicine for those suffering from illness; He is help for the tempted, and a comforter for the grieving.

Vain is everything that does not have Jesus in its beginning and end. Worship is vain if Jesus is not in it. Sermons are vain if they do not aim at Jesus. Memorisation and study and discussion are vain if

— 4 —

their centre is not Jesus. Sweetness and comfort and rest are vain if they do not aim at Jesus alone. Vain is every thing if Jesus is not in it. Vain is every subject in which the name of Jesus is not repeated time and time again. A heart into which Jesus has not entered is cruel; any heart that has not been melted with love for Jesus is frozen solid. Emotions that do not curve towards [Jesus] or groan with longing for Him are dead. There is no life except in Jesus, and through Jesus alone.

What is more beautiful than Your name, O Jesus, and what is sweeter? It is a light set aflame by love, rich food which the heart finds sweet, for it is a majestic name, and great; overflowing with beauty and comfort, dripping with majesty, and pouring forth lovingkindness and perfection. My heart finds nothing sweet in which Your Beloved Name is not present, and it finds nothing good in any written work if it does not find Your name sketched out in every line. All food is bitter to my palate if it is not seasoned with this salt, and garnished with this oil. Your name exhorts and consoles in hardship, fills the dire darkness with light, even at the hour of death, it saves all those who call upon it. And so, my heart, let alone every man who takes pleasure in what he desires, and in what he loves and yearns for, but come you, take pleasure in this, your comfort and consolation; for nothing beside it gives you joy, and there is no pleasure expect in this; all beside it is empty.

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O beloved, put all things aside and take hold of Christ alone, for He is a help to us in all things; in Him we attain all things; this is He whom, when you gain possession of Him, you obtain all things. If you are sick and desire healing, then He is the doctor, and Himself the medicine. If you suffer from bitterness of life, then He transforms all things for you into unending happiness and inexpressible beauty. If you are weighed down by the burden of sin, then He is your righteousness, which covers you so that you can approach the Father, Him seeing no fault in you.[2]fa huwwa birruka tuktasā bihi wa tataqaddam ilā al-’āb fa lā yarā fīka shay’ān min al-‘uyūb“; for in His Blood, your iniquities disappear and in His Passion, your weaknesses will not be visible. If you are weak and seeking help, then He is Himself the power that never ends and never wanes. If you fear death, He is life. If you long to attain unto Heaven and the true homeland, then He is the way, the truth, and the life. If you have become poor, then He is rich. If you are seeking food, then He is the living nourishment that remains forever. If you fear the dark, then He is the light that shines in the darkness. If the waves have engulfed you and storms have amassed about you, then His hand shall rescue you and His right hand shall keep you, as He rescued Peter from drowning when he was amid the currents of the seas, and the inundation of the tumultuous waves. His eye shall guard and watch over you in all your ways, His hand shall lead you and His peace shall instruct you, and everything you wish and desire, and seek after and everything you need —

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whether natural or supernatural — you shall find hoarded safely in Jesus, the jewel of grace and fountain of all goodness and happiness.

— 7 —

Notes:

Notes:
↑1 Cf. Liturgy of St Basil, Seven Short Prayers, “that we may have a share (naṣīb) and an inheritance (mīrāth) with all Your saints …”
↑2 fa huwwa birruka tuktasā bihi wa tataqaddam ilā al-’āb fa lā yarā fīka shay’ān min al-‘uyūb“

How to cite this text (Chicago/Turabian):

Girgis, Habib. The Mystery of Godliness [Sirr at-Taqwā]. 1922. 2nd edn, Matba‘at Samir, 1939. Translated by Samuel Kaldas in Archive of Contemporary Coptic Orthodox Theology. Sydney, NSW: St Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College. https://accot.stcyrils.edu.au/hg-st1922/.

(For more information, see Citation Guidelines)