Take the Test: A Tribute to Fr. Luke Sidarous

Today marks the fortieth day since the departure of Fr. Luke Sidarous to the heavenly kingdom. Although I never knew him personally, he is a well-known priest in the Coptic Orthodox community in North America, so I am pleased to share this tribute to him, written by my friend John Halim. John tells of how much Fr. Luke influenced him personally, but also mentions the Coptic Orthodox Church pillars that he served with, as well as his time in prison in Egypt. I have included a reading list at the end for more information about them.

By John Halim

In August, our Coptic Orthodox church community lost one of our most beloved priests. Father Luke Sidarous served the Coptic Church faithfully for more than five decades. In almost any Coptic Church you visit, people know about Father Luke. Some know him for his service in Alexandria under some of the modern bulwarks of our faith; St. Pope Kyrillos VI and Hegumen Father Bishoy Kamel. Others know him as a great orator who gave many sermons that moved many hearts towards Christ. To me, he was my family’s priest, my first father of confession and someone who helped shape the person I am today.

When I was younger, many of us thought that Abouna was just an old fashioned Egyptian, stuck in his ways. However, in hindsight, that was an unfair assessment. Abouna wasn’t a man left behind by time. He was a man that stood for things that transcend time.

Fr. Luke Sidarous in a widely shared photo.
Photographer unknown.

One of the most valuable lessons any of us can learn from Abouna’s life is to remain steadfast in the faith, regardless of the consequences. Fr. Luke was a political prisoner in Egypt. During the Sadaat regime, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III was placed under house arrest and many clergy were arrested and imprisoned due to the state’s “religious policies.” Although this was undoubtedly a difficult time in his life, it provided Fr. Luke with some of his most profound reflections. He would tell us about the humility of younger priests who never ceased caring for older, less healthy clergy. I can never forget his inspiring accounts of midnight praises in prison that shook the cells and moved the heart. In my mind, this hearkened to St. Paul’s prayers in prison. Even while in the most difficult times, they never gave up their faith and their hope in Christ.

Fr. Luke’s prison accounts highlighted some of the most important lessons he taught. If you wish to live eternally in the kingdom of heaven, one should not think that this can only happen once we leave the flesh. He never let his circumstances stand in the way of his faith. Fr. Luke taught the Orthodox Christian ethos that our eternity begins the moment we are born and that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us. That a life of prayer, humility, and love for one another is a token of the Kingdom of Heaven. To Abouna, these were more than mere words spoken into a microphone. This was a call to action for anyone listening: If you wish to attain eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven, you don’t need to wait until your life on earth ends. Upon his passing, while many people say that he is now with Christ and the saints, I can’t help but think that he was already living with them long before that day came.

As a father of confession, Abouna always taught me of the importance of prayer. When confessing my sins, he would tell me to pray. When discussing any life situation, he would tell me to pray. There wasn’t any situation that I can remember in which Fr. Luke’s advice did not include prayer. After all, he lived and served with St. Pope Kyrillos, a man venerated for his life of prayer.

Fr. Luke standing beside John on his birthday.
Photograph provided by John Halim.

Outside of confession, Abouna always pushed me to improve myself. It started when I was child, just learning to read. He pushed me to learn the Third Hour Gospel by heart. Whenever he saw me, he would ask me to recite it. When I would forget a verse, he would correct me and when I learned it, he would let me recite it during the Divine Liturgy. I wasn’t the only child that he encouraged. In fact, he made sure that he planted the seed of prayer and love of the church in the mind of any child he interacted with.

In high school, I was a terrible student. At the rate I was going, I wouldn’t have graduated high school until I was 30, if ever. At the time, the state of California allowed high school sophomores to test out of high school to attend college early. This became the default approach in our church community, with almost everyone graduating early. I had my mind made up that I wasn’t going to take the test because it would be a waste of time and money. I convinced myself that all of the other kids had something that I didn’t. I made it clear to my family that this test wasn’t an option for me, despite all of their encouragement. One Sunday after liturgy, Abouna was passing by me in his car and he stopped and rolled his window down. Anyone who has met Fr. Luke knows his gaze. It was like he could stare into your soul. Out of his window, that gaze stared me down.

“John, are you taking the test to graduate early?”

“No Abouna, it’s not for me?”

“Why not?”

“I don’t think I’ll pass.”

“Nonsense. I think you will pass. You’re no less than anyone else. Take the test.”

With that he rolled up his window and drove off. Six months later, I received my diploma in the mail and was registering for the next semester at my community college. I can say, without a doubt, that if he hadn’t stopped his car to talk to me that day, I would not be the same man I am today. It may seem coincidental, but in that moment, I truly believe that the Holy Spirit guided him to change the trajectory of my life. I am forever grateful for it.

Fr. Luke always taught the youth to take ownership of the church. Whenever a project arose in the church, he always pushed to have the youth involved in it. Anything that he thought we could handle, you’d better believe that we handled it! Whether it was small tasks like moving furniture or decorating the iconostasis during Holy Week or larger tasks that one would hire outside help for, the youth were involved. He knew that this was a way to teach us that this building is representative of a priceless, heavenly inheritance and he wanted us to understand the value of our church community through sweat and effort.

Fr. Luke’s legacy will live on in those whose lives he touched and in the lessons he taught:

Pray in every matter.
Stand firm and do not waiver in your faith, even if it is unpopular or will cost you dearly on earth.
The Orthodox ethos: the Kingdom of Heaven is within us and we do not need to wait until we leave the flesh to live eternally in it.
Be humble and love one another.
Hold yourself to a higher standard.

These are the lessons that I and many others learned from him.

Abouna is now praying for us before the throne of God. He completed his part of the mission and now it is for us to pick up where he left off. It is our duty to pass on the lessons that we learned from him. Although this is a tall order, we must pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God provides us with examples such as Fr. Luke to remind ourselves of what we aspire to be.

Figuratively speaking, Abouna has rolled up his window and driven off. He thinks you can pass. He told you how. You’re no less than anyone else. Take the test.

John Halim is a subdeacon (reader) in the Coptic Orthodox Church, currently serving at St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Cabin John, MD. He was born and raised in Southern California where he grew up and served with Father Luke at St. Mercurius and St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church in Torrance, CA. In the last year or so, John had the blessing of adding subtitles to some of Fr. Luke’s final sermons and hopes to translate more of his recordings in the future. Here is a link to his sermons playlist. All of the videos with a custom thumbnail have English subtitles.