On Monday the 19th of October, the Holy Orthodox Church commemorates the Prophet Joel.
To mark this feast, the parish of Saint John the Baptist welcomed Melhem Makdessi to present to the youth of the parish on the Prophet Joel and his message for 2020.
The evening began with a prayer followed by a quick ice breaker.
Melhem then went on to introduce us to the writings of the prophets in the old testament as well as giving us an understanding of the time period he lived through. Melhem drew on similarities between the devastation seen during the Prophet’s life and some of the devastation seen today in our daily lives.
Melhem then explained the Prophet Joel’s Divine understanding of God’s attributes and his prophecies. One of the key points was that the ‘Day of the Lord is near’ and could be upon us at any time and is not something that we are merely moving towards, just as Christ gives us in the parable of the 10 virgins. Being vigilant is a message we see in the old and new testaments and it is something we should always be mindful of today. Melhem briefly touched on the Prophet Joel’s prophecy of the coming of the Holy Spirit, which was fulfilled at Pentecost, with St Peter himself referencing the Prophet Joel (Acts 2:16).
Melhem concluded by summarising the following as Joel’s message for 2020:
- There are consequences for us if we detach ourselves from the law of God;
- Loyalty to the law of God can cure us and society;
- Relief from difficulties can be obtained through repentance;
- The need to fulfil our roles during times of national distress;
- Letting the devastation around us and in our future to bring us closer to God.
The parish of St John the Baptist thanks Melhem for his well prepared and enlightening talk. We look forward to our next monthly enlightenment to be held in November.
Through the intercessions of the Prophet Joel, o God have mercy on us and save us +
