The Moqattam Mountain and our mountains of problems

Written originally on December 15, 2020

When Jesus' disciples ask their Lord about faith, He told them, "for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20). This example became manifested in reality when the Christians of Cairo, led by HH Pope Abraam ibn Zaraa, moved the Moqattam Mountain and displayed to all the world the power of simple faith guided by a strong belief in the power of our Lord and God, the creator of all.

Today is the commemoration of Pope Abraam ibn Zaraa's departure. He only stayed for 3 years on the Patriarchal See, which compared to most popes is relatively short. During this time, his greatest accomplishment was applying his faith into moving the mountain of el Moqattam through his prayers and the prayers of St Simon the Shoemaker. Legend has it that his enemies poisoned him after seeing the great success that came to him after this miraculous event.

And now, more than 1,041 yeas after this event, we face many advantageous mountains in our everyday life. Mountains that test our faith and remain immovable until we call on God to move them for us. I am greatly shocked at how many people do not know the power of their great God, who created all these magnificent wonders for us to enjoy and for us to glorify his holy name with. I find it odd that we, as Christians, often wander into the abyss of abomination in search of a cure when all that sin can do is leave us with helpless treatments that make us more diseased than healed.

Faith has been tested in these times, and God gives us instead of one chance a million. Run to Him. Seek Him. Seek to understand that God alone is your help, and if He grants you any knowledge, wisdom, power, or ability, it is YOUR responsibility to use it to help those in need and help them lift their mountains off their backs. Your mountain is huge, but nothing is impossible for a God who defeats impossibilities for you every single day.

I pray that today is a day where impossibilities are broken for you in the name of our mighty and glorious God.

Your brother,

Mena Basta