Today, Archbishop Dr. Samy Fawzy, Primate of the Province of Alexandria of the Anglican Episcopal Church, presided over the Holy Communion service at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Menouf. During the service, he administered the rite of Confirmation for new members of the church, in the presence of Canon Medhat Sabry, the church’s pastor.
In his sermon, the Archbishop said:
“Christ presented to His disciples the parable of the unjust steward in the presence of the Pharisees — a difficult parable, since the master praised the steward not for his dishonesty or corruption, but for his shrewdness and wise use of the opportunity before him. Here, Jesus draws our attention to the fact that the children of this world are often wiser in dealing with their worldly affairs than the children of light are in matters of the Kingdom. Therefore, we are called to be diligent and effective in serving Christ.”
He continued:
“The Lord said, ‘Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth,’ reminding us that man is not an owner but a steward — for God is the true owner of everything. Money is called ‘unrighteous wealth’ because many people worship it and use it wrongly. The Lord reminds us that what we will take with us to eternal life are the souls we have won for Christ — not money, nor possessions.”
He concluded:
“The Lord teaches us that faithfulness in small things is the foundation for trust in greater things. Whoever is faithful with little will be entrusted with much. He also reminds us that the heart cannot serve two masters; no one can serve both God and money. We must choose who will be the Lord of our lives and give our full loyalty to Christ alone.”
It is worth noting that the rite of Confirmation is a public declaration of joining the Episcopal Church. In it, the new member pledges before the bishop, the pastor, and the congregation to deepen their understanding of God’s Word and to live a life of regular prayer.