Today, Archbishop Dr. Sami Fawzy, Archbishop of the Province of Alexandria of the Episcopal Anglican Church, presided over the Divine Liturgy at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Ezbet El-Nakhl, where he conducted the Confirmation Rite for fourteen new members. The service was held in partnership with Rev. Reda Bishry, pastor of the church.
In his sermon, the Archbishop reflected on the Transfiguration of Christ, saying:
“In the scene of the Transfiguration, we see the Lord Jesus after He had spent many hours in prayer. Prayer was always the source of His strength and the setting in which His glory was revealed. There on the mountain, His glory appeared before His disciples as His face was transformed and His garments became radiant. They realized that what they were witnessing was real and true.”
He continued:
“The disciples, however, were weary. The body often weighs us down with sleep, especially in times of sorrow and suffering. The same thing happened in Gethsemane, when Jesus found them sleeping because of grief and said, ‘Could you not watch with me one hour?’ Their sleep was understandable in the midst of exhaustion, and perhaps they thought that climbing the mountain was an opportunity to rest. Yet when they awoke, they beheld the glory of Christ.”
The Archbishop went on to explain the spiritual significance of the event:
“This scene calls us to awaken spiritually. Too often, we become preoccupied with people rather than with Christ Himself, while we are called to seek His glory through times of solitude and prayer. Seeing His glory is not a matter of imagination; it begins the moment we place our faith in Him. When we accepted Him, we saw His glory by faith.”
He concluded by challenging the congregation:
“Are we spiritually watchful, or have we fallen into complacency? It is the grace of God that preserves us on the journey of faith, and apart from Christ we can do nothing. We receive many blessings without even noticing them. Let us therefore bless the Lord for His goodness and ask Him to grant us the grace of vigilance and prayer, so that we may awaken and behold the glory of our Savior, who died for us.”
It is worth noting that the Confirmation Rite is the formal declaration of an individual’s membership in the Episcopal Church. During the service, each new member publicly commits before the bishop, pastor, and congregation to remain steadfast in the Christian faith, deepen their study of God’s Word, maintain a consistent life of prayer, and actively participate in the life and ministry of the Church.