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  Dear brethren, The Great Lent is a chance for self-examination and repentance and purity, we therefore refer to the book of H.H. Pope Shenouda: “The Life of Repentance and Purity” some phrases that would be of benefit: v “Repentance, my brethren, is not only for those beginning their life with God, but for everyone, even the saints. It is part of our daily prayers. Every person needs repentance, no matter how great his position or his spiritual level. We are all in need of repentance, in need of it everyday, since we sin everyday. For there is no person without sin, even if his life was one day on earth”. v “With repentance, we prepare our hearts for the dwelling of God, and with purity, we will see God. Repentance is the beginning of the path towards God, it is a friend to take along the path till the end”. His Holiness then explains the life of repentance in points, with the reference verses: v Repentance is returning to God, as the prodigal son returned to his father’s house: “Return to Me, and I will return to you, Says the ......continue reading

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Dear brethren,  Congratulating you on this New Year, asking God to make this year a blessed one for us all, for the church, as well as our brothers in Egypt, ......continue reading

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Dear brethren,  This month we celebrate Thanksgiving, and because the tradition of our church is to begin all prayers with the Thanksgiving Prayer, it is suitable to review some of the sayings or beloved Pope Shenouda about the life of thanksgiving:   A thank......continue reading

Dear brethren, Very recently we celebrated the beginning of the new Coptic year 1729, and with this occasion perhaps it would be useful for us to remember that the Bible is asking us not to imitate the worldly people but be different and keep our image as children of God: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12: 2). And therefore the Bible gave us some examples to explain the relationship of Christians with the people of this world. Among these examples: 1) The Christian is a light for the world, and although Christ said about Himself: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness” (Jn 8: 12), yet He also said: “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5: 14), as every Christian is asked to reflect the light of Christ exactly as the moon reflects the light of the sun. 2) The Christian is a salt of the earth (Mt 5: 14); for as the salt is a preservative and a small amount gives taste to food, likewise the Christians. 3) “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2Co 2: 15). As the beautiful smell imposes itself without effort on those around, so Christians are asked to show the beauty and sweetness of Christ to all around them. 4) Also St. Paul demands us: “Now then, we are ambassadors ......continue reading

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Dear brethren, Congratulating you for the start of the holy lent, and may the Lord give us all a spiritual blessing in this lent period with growth in our personal relationship with Him. The Bible tells us about the temptation of Christ: "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" (Matthew 4: 1), meaning that He deliberately entered this battle with Satan. His intention of this confrontation was to defeat the enemy who overcame man since the fall of Adam, leaving him without force against the children of God. Satan’s temptation to man is not new, since the time of man’s creation Satan tempted Adam and Eve. And for this we note the strong similarities between the temptation of Adam and Eve and their fall, and the temptation of Christ and His victory: ......continue reading

Dear brethren, Usually, the Church celebrates each year the fasting of the people of Nineveh during the month of February, known as Jonah’s fast. The character of Jonah the prophet is worthy of contemplation, it is of importance that Jesus referred to him specifically, considering him not only a sign for a generation in which he lived, but also a symbol and a sign of Christ Himself: "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12: 39-40). Let's see how the prophet Jonah was a symbol of Christ: ......continue reading

Dear brethren, Congratulating you on this New Year, asking God to make this year a blessed one for us all, as well as our brothers in Egypt, praying for Him to remove all the hardships and tribulations happening there, according to His true promise of blessing: "Blessed is Egypt My people" (Isaiah 19: 25). And on the occasion of Christmas, we would like to remember that the birth of Christ and the events associated with it were according to God’s plan from of beginning of time, and He referred to it by many prophets of the Old Testament with the utmost precision and detail. Let's look together into some of these prophecies and how they were fulfilled in the events of the birth of Jesus Christ: v  ......continue reading

Dear brethren, The start of the Nativity fast is an opportunity to remember the mystery of Incarnation, and the Divine blessings humanity has received from Christ - the Incarnate Word - when He took our human nature. The best reference to explain the blessings of the Incarnation is the book "The Incarnation of the Word of God," by the saint Pope Athanasius the Apostolic: v  Incarnation saved us from the power of death: “Thus, taking a body like our own, because all our bodies were liable to the corruption of death, He surrendered His body to death instead of all, and offered it to the Father. This He did out of sheer love for us, so that in His death all might die, and the law of death thereby be abolished because, having fulfilled in His body that for which it was appointed, it was thereafter voided of its power for ......continue reading

Dear brethren, The Church and our brothers in Egypt are passing through a hard time these days, and no matter how distant we are from our brothers and sisters or the mother church, we feel their pains and interact with them in a living unity of the spiritual body of Christ. But it is important while following their news to recognize these basic and important facts: 1)    That the hardship and persecution that the Church is facing, although seems to be directed by individuals or authorities against her, is actually the war of Satan; the enemy of all good, a war that is repeated from generation to generation, according to the Bible: "the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation"(Ex 17: 16). 2)    ......continue reading

Dear brethren, With beginning of the new Coptic year 1728, perhaps it would be useful for us to remember and consider God's promises. As one of our church fathers teaches us, there four principles to learn about His promises: 1)     We learn them from the Bible; therefore whoever neglects reading the Bible deprives himself from enjoying those Divine promises. 2)     We request them through prayer, as the Lord’s promise: "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Mt 21: 22). 3)     Accept them by faith, even if they seem elusive (review chapter 11 of epistle to Hebrews). ......continue reading

Dear brethren, With the beginning of September we prepare to go back to school, regaining our practical and spiritual order, according to a regular daily program structured to help us make the best use of our time, which is a talent offered to us by God. A useful book that helps us to link daily practices to the spiritual life is the book: "A Day with the Lord Jesus", and herewith we offer a few useful principles from it and which we hope to encourage us to read the whole book to take full advantage of it. The book provides exercises to spend our day with Christ, so it links the daily activities with verses from the Bible, to be repeated the daily business, as was expressed by the Psalmist: "And in His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm ......continue reading

Dear brethern, The month of August always reminds us of the Virgin Saint Mary, and the fast that is dedicated for her. On this occasion, we will recall all the words of the Virgin Mary mentioned in the Bible, and see that although they are few words, yet are very deep and full of spiritual meanings: 1)      Speaking with Archangel Gabriel, who foretold the Divine conception, she mentions 2 phrases: a)      “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1: 34), asking him on the means of this conception. b)     “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1: 38), which was her answer for his explanation. 2)......continue reading

Dear brethren,  We are in the middle of the Apostles’ fast which will end on July 12th (5th of Abib), in commemoration of St. Peter and St. Paul. Our Orthodox Church is an Apostolic Church, meaning that its faith is delivered to her from Christ Himself, according to His farewell commandment to the disciples: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28: 19-20). The disciples and apostles placed this belief everywhere they preached, and each generation handed the next generation this faith till it has reached us today, as was expressed by the Apostle Paul to his disciple Timothy the Bishop to attend to and observe his life and education for the salvation of himself and his people: "You therefore, my ......continue reading

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  Dear brethren, In our celebration of the Holy Fifty days, we should not forget our celebration with one of our Lord’s minor feasts, which is the feast of His entry into the land of Egypt, which we celebrate every year on 24 Bashans (first of June). It gave us the great blessing of Jesus Christ choosing our beloved Egypt, among all other countries adjacent to his hometown of Bethlehem, to escape the wrath of Herod to kill her children while trying to kill Christ. It may be appropriate given the difficult circumstances experienced by Egypt now to remember some important facts about this feast: Why was His decision to flee to Egypt in particular, while it wasn’t the easiest or the nearest country to travel? Choice was certainly intended by God for a blessing. Proof of this is that the Old Testament prophesied of this trip hundreds of years before. Isaiah the prophet says: "Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, Christ is risen …. Truly He is risen Congratulating you for the joyful Easter and the 50 holy days, where we feel the joy through the resurrection of our Lord, and reflected within the church hymns and rites and even the decorations. Because the events of Resurrection are many and successive, we need to clarify some important facts to help us study the sequence of these events to clarify them: A- For the times mentioned in the four Gospels and of the resurrection, we note the following: 1) The timings mentioned whether "dawn" or "early and still dark", or any other, does not specify a time limit for the resurrection of our Redeemer from the grave, which we do not know, but only indicates when the women visited the tomb. 2) The difference in determining the time of the visit of the tomb is due to two reasons: First: that there were more than one visit ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, We have passed the middle of the Holy Lent, and as we approach the Holy Week with its beautiful deep hymns and rites, we would like to remember some words of St. John Chrysostom on the Passion of Christ, for our meditation during this week: About the denial of Peter: "Why did the Evangelists mention Peter's denial? not to condemn Peter the disciple, but they wanted to teach us the extent evil can reach, up to not trusting in God, and also not to have confidence in ourselves. Then you might wonder of the extent of love of The Teacher, for although He was under arrest and restrained, yet He showed great care for His disciples. He did that by a look of His eye, which made Peter come out and cry bitterly". On formality of worship, he says: "Note that the Jews who are worthy of mockery, have arrested the righteous, bringing with them their weapons, but they did not go to the state house "lest they should be defiled" (Jn 18 :28). Tell me then: who is the unclean? Isn’t it he who judges the innocent? These oppressors at a time when they refrain from entering into the state house, lest defiled, did not feel that they may defile ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, Lent has begun, named by the holy church fathers: spring of spiritual life. And because "fasting and prayer without humility is like an eagle with broken wings", says St. Macarius the Great, we take this opportunity to remember some sayings of the Fathers about prayer, seeking the opportunity of lent to focus on our prayers: "People say if you do not feel inclined to pray better not to pray. This is fraud and bodily sophistry, for if you will pray only when you have an eagerness for prayer, you will never pray, because the natural tendency of the body is against the prayer ... you will not be able to work for your salvation if you do not force yourself" (St. John of Kronstadt). "Learn how to pray and force yourself to do so. At the beginning it will be hard for you, but then whenever you force yourself it will become easier for you to pray. Everything in the beginning needs man to force himself to it" (St. John of Kronstadt). "In order to retain a little water warm, it is not enough to put only once on fire, but it needs to be related to frequent or sustained ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, The month of January is characterized by being the month that contains most of our Lord Jesus Christ’s feasts. Herewith we mention these feasts for our benefit, so as to enjoy celebrating them each year. The church divides our Lord’s feasts into: seven major feasts and seven minor feasts. According to the chronological order, the major feasts are: The Nativity, celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ the Logos of God who was incarnate from Saint Mary: January 7 (Kiahk 29th). Epiphany, when our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized by St. John in River Jordan: January 19th or 20th (Tubah 11th). Annunciation to St. Mary by Archangel Gabriel, for the birth of Christ from her: April 7 (Baramhat 29th). Palm Sunday celebrating the entrance of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem as a ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, Congratulating you on this New Year: 2011, hoping that this year would be a blessing to our spiritual and practical lives, and also a blessing to our families and our beloved ones. During the Nativity fast which coincides with the month of Kiahk, we praise Virgin Mary Mother of God as the servant of Divine mystery of Incarnation. Many of the church fathers compared between Eve the mother of humanity, and Virgin Mary who became of the new creation which is freed by the salvation of Christ, and therefore named St. Mary “Second Eve”. Here are some of these sayings: “Eve believed the serpent; Mary believed Gabriel. The fault that Eve introduced by believing, Mary by believing erased” (Tertullian). “Eve was seduced by the word of the fallen angel and transgressed God’s word, so that she fled from Him. In the same way Mary was evangelized by the word of an angel and obeyed God’s word, so that she carried Him within her” (St. Irenaeus). “......continue reading

  Dear brethren, Congratulating you on this New Year: 2011, hoping that this year would be a blessing to our spiritual and practical lives, and also a blessing to our families and our beloved ones. During the Nativity fast which coincides with the month of Kiahk, we praise Virgin Mary Mother of God as the servant of Divine mystery of Incarnation. Many of the church fathers compared between Eve the mother of humanity, and Virgin Mary who became of the new creation which is freed by the salvation of Christ, and therefore named St. Mary “Second Eve”. Here are some of these sayings: “Eve believed the serpent; Mary believed Gabriel. The fault that Eve introduced by believing, Mary by believing erased” (Tertullian). “Eve was seduced by the word of the fallen angel and transgressed God’s word, so that she fled from Him. In the same way Mary was evangelized by the word of an angel and obeyed God’s word, so that she carried Him within her” (St. Irenaeus). “......continue reading

Dear brethren,  A few days ago we began the Nativity fast, which runs until Christmas. This fast is to celebrate the Incarnation of the Word of God, who took the body of our humanity, and was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. We believe it is appropriate here to recall some sayings of the holy church fathers on the Incarnation and the birth of Jesus Christ: v     "God saw that mankind worshiped created things, so He did not attract us by force, but wore created flesh to capture us by what is from our image. Blessed is He who came into what is of us and engaged us in that which is His. You are born of humanity physically, and humanity was born from you spiritually ..." (St. Ephraim the Syriac). ......continue reading

Dear brethren,        Our Bible is the book of eternal life, so it is important that we have fixed times every day to study it. Here we would like to remind you that if we read every day one chapter of the New Testament and three from the Old Testament, we will finish reading the whole Bible in one year. The books of the Old Testament are divided into four sections: 1)    The Pentateuch (Torah): the books of Genesis – Exodus - Leviticus - Numbers - Deuteronomy. 2)    The Historical Books: tell the story of the life of the Jewish people and teach us the dealings of God with man: Joshua - Judges - Ruth - first and second Samuel - first and second Kings - first and second Chronicles - Ezra - Nehemiah - Esther. ......continue reading

Dear brethren, We celebrated on September 16 the reception of our beloved Father Luke Istafanous, who began his service in our church, that witnessed him as a deacon, a Sunday School servant, and a servant of family meetings. We ask the Lord to bless his priesthood and enjoy the fruit of his service; thirty, sixty and a hundred folds. We take this opportunity to point out that the priesthood is one of the seven sacraments of the Church, which is believed by both families of the Orthodox Church, as well as the Catholic Church. They were founded by Christ himself and handed to His disciples to practice them, and hand over to the churches they established. Below are few of many verses that confirm the establishment of these sacraments from the Bible: ......continue reading

Dear brethren, A few days and the new Coptic year 1727 will start, which is linked to the martyrdom in our Coptic Church. If we calculate the difference between the Gregorian and Coptic years, we find a difference of 284 years, which is the year marking the start of reigning of Emperor Diocletian, who left behind martyrs allover the world. But Egypt had the largest share of them, because it was not just killing and torture of some individuals but of groups or the annihilation of entire cities. Below are just a few examples: 1)    Martyrs of Esna: when Arianus the governor of Ansena went on a tour in Upper Egypt to personally oversee the implementation of the orders of the persecution of Christians, he visited the city of Esna more than once, and in each time a crop of martyrs came out: the first time cited mother Dolaji and her four children, in the second some lay leaders of the city, in the third a major massacre where thousands were martyred. ......continue reading

          Dear brethren, Few days and the Apostles; fast will end, who through their preaching spread Christian faith in the whole world. Lat year we gave a quick overview of each of the apostles and the areas where they served. Herewith I would like to give a quick overview of the Apostle St. Paul and his trips, for which the Book of Acts has dedicated a great part. After his conversion to Christianity around the year 40 AD, to the time of his death around the year 67 AD, St. Paul made three great missionary trips, along with some other small ones. He visited Jerusalem during this period several times and spent more than four years imprisoned at Caesarea and then Rome. His first trip: started in 46 AD from Antioch and ended in 49 AD, where he preached in the land of Asia Minor, accompanied by St. Barnabas and St. Mark. This trip ended by the first church Council which was held in Jerusalem in the year 50 AD. His second trip: began in 51 AD after the Council of Jerusalem and ended in 53 ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, A few days ago we started the fast of the Apostles, that we agreed to dedicate every year in remembrance of everyone away from God. Just as the apostles suffered for Christ's love and spread the faith in the whole world, so the least we can offer for our brothers is to fast and pray to God for them, for He does not wish the death of a sinner but to return and live. It seems appropriate during this fast to read and study the book of Acts, which explains the features of the early church and how was the powerful spread of early Christianity through a small number of the apostles and disciples. In fact there are many features of the early church, including: the clear work of the Holy Spirit - regular prayer and communion – care for education - the life of the company and one heart ... and so on. Let us focus on only 3 features: Apostolic succession: every church was founded by one of the apostles, for which he ordained bishops and priests. ......continue reading

My Beloved Brethren, Christ is Risen … Truly He is Risen A few days ago we celebrated Easter, and now the fifty days after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who stayed with His beloved disciples for forty days and then ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of His Father, and sent His Hoy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Because our focus these fifty days is on Christ, the church does not read the Synaxarium in masses during these holy days, which is the commemoration of the saints. And since the month of May is is full of these commemorations, it would be suitable to remember the feasts of the saints that coincide during the Holy fifty days: May 1st: martyrdom of St. George, the prince of martyrs. May 5th: martyrdom of the honorable Saint Boctor (Victor) Ebn Romanus. ......continue reading

My Beloved Brethren, By the end of the holy lent, we come closer to the Holy week with its rituals and special hymns, that move our emotions of repentance and love toward Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us. It may be useful to review the events of this last week of Christ's life, which is to end by the plot against Him and His crucifixion: †  Lazarus’ Saturday: in which Christ raised Lazarus from the dead, and because of this miracle the planning to kill him started as stated in the Bible: “Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death” (John 11: 53). †  Palm Sunday: the entry of Christ as King into Jerusalem, and the cleaning of the Temple from the vendors who turned it into a place of trade. ......continue reading

Dear brethren, We will soon reach the middle of the holy lent, we hope to intensify in this remainder period of the fasting our individual prayers and masses to receive communion. For this reason we include with our monthly letter the weekly schedule of masses in surrounding churches, giving you the opportunity to attend in any church. It would be useful to learn some sayings of the church fathers regarding fasting: v "The Temple of Solomon had two altars, one outside on which sacrifices were offered, and the other inside the Holy which is the altar of ......continue reading

Dear Brethren, A few days and holy Lent begins, which we hope the Lord make a season for our spiritual growth. And fasting by the Church's teaching is not just physical abstaining from eating for a certain period of time or replacing a food by another, but is essentially a spiritual work aiming to repentance and humility to God, and spiritual growth in the virtues. Fasting is associated with the holy men of God in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and New Testament. A few days ago we celebrated the fast of Nineveh, and after a few too we will start lent, where our Lord Jesus Christ fasted for us. Here are other examples which illustrate how the fast was a core and continuous practice to the men of God in the Bible: v  Moses ......continue reading

Dear Brethren, Congratulating you on this New Year: 2010, hoping that this year would be a blessing to our spiritual and practical lives, and also a blessing to our families and our beloved ones. And the month of January – according to the rites of the church - coincides with the months of Kiahk and Tubah, that carry many church occasions, which is useful to identify: v   January 7th (Kiahk 29th): the Nativity feast. ......continue reading

Dear Brethren, We congratulate you on the beginning of the Nativity fast, and Kiahk evenings known as the praises of 7 and 4, which begins this year on Saturday, December 12th at 6,30 pm. It is called seven and four, as it consists of four canticles (hooses) and seven Psalis and Theotokias. For our benefit, I would like to explain the background of these Hooses and its relation to our lives and spiritual struggle: v  First Canticle (Hoos): the praise of Moses after crossing the Red Sea, as mentioned in chapter 15 of Book of Exodus. The Red Sea is a symbol of baptism, which is the dividing line between Pharaoh together with his soldiers, and God’s people crossing into the wilderness. The church through the baptism of her children has crossed now in the wilderness of the world, prevailing and singing praises of salvation (hymn of Moses), as a confirmation of her victory and lifts the moral spirit in the unforeseen war with the devil. v  Second Canticle......continue reading

  Dear brethren, When a lawyer asked Jesus about the he great commandment in the law, Jesus answered: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Math 22: 37-40). We usually focus on the first part of this response and judge ourselves accordingly, and often confess our weaknesses regarding the commitments of our relationship with God. On the other hand, we pay less attention to the second part which is the relationship with others, and tend to judge them and justify ourselves! This is a very dangerous attitude, as we then forget what St. John taught us in his epistle: “If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (1John 4: 20). If we can’t love one another and tolerate ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, Through our study of St. Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, we have learnt an important fact of faith: that every man who deserves death as a result of sin can receive righteousness through believing in Jesus Christ the Savior: “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3: 24). In this epistle and also in the epistle to the Romans St. Paul stood against the acts of the law, e.g. circumcision, animal sacrifices, rituals of cleansings, … etc and all actions that the Jews practiced and thought that these could give them righteousness. He declared that all these rituals were mere symbols of the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” Gal 3: 24). On the other side, we the accepters of this atonement have a great responsibility in using the freedom given to us by our ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, I am sending my congratulations for ending a Coptic year and the beginning of the new one: 1726 A.M., asking The Lord to fill this new year with blessings and peace for the church as well as the whole world. The Coptic calendar is related to the martyrs’ (A.M. means Anno Martyrdom or the martyr’s year), starting in the year 284 which coincides with the start of reigning of emperor Diocletian, during which Christians in Egypt suffered from persecution. And actually it was a new starting point for the already existing ancient Egyptian calendar which was known for the ancient Egyptians. This calendar is so accurate that the ancient Egyptian farmers linked their agricultural works every year to this calendar, and are still doing so till now. Moreover, the ancient Egyptians named their months after the names of the gods they worshiped. For example: v  The month of Tut which is the first month is named after the god “Tahoot”, which is the god of wisdom and inventor of writing. v  The month of “Babah” is named after the god of plants “Be Net Ret”, for during this month the surface of land is green. v  ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, August is the month of the fast of Virgin Mary, which we all look forward for, remembering the celebration of the holy vespers which includes the hymns and praises for the mother of God.  The fast ends with the feast of assumption of her body on August 22nd (Misra 16th). We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the 7 feasts that our church celebrates for Saint Mary, which are in the following order according to the Coptic calendar: 1)     The feast of the entrance of Saint Mary into the temple in Jerusalem on December 12th  (Kiahk 3). 2)     The feast of her departure on January 29th (Tubah 21). According to the tradition our Lord Jesus Christ came to her with a host of thousands and thousands of angels, and comforted her. Then she gave up her pure spirit in the hand of her Son and God, and He took her spirit to the heavenly mansions after she blessed the disciples who were waiting around her. 3)     The feast of her apparition in the church of Zeiton on April 2nd (Baramhat 24th), in the year 1968. ......continue reading

  Dear brethren,         We are in the middle of the Apostles’ fast which will end on July 12th (5th of Abib), in commemoration of St. Peter and St. Paul. Let us contemplate on these apostles who preached to the whole world and also shed their blood (all but St. John) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: 1)     St. Peter: his name was Simon and was called by Jesus to be His disciple following the miracle of fishing on the Tiberius Lake (Luke 15: 1-11). He is one of the 3 close disciples to Jesus Christ, together with James and john, Zebedee’s sons. After the Pentecost he served in Judea, Galilee and Samaria, and was martyred in Rome in 64 A.D. 2)     St. Andrew: St. Peter’s brother who started off as the disciple of St. John the Baptist. His mission was mainly in Asia Minor, and was martyred in one of the cities of Greece. 3)     St. James (the elder): the brother of St. John and son of Zebedee, and is named the elder to differentiate between him and the ......continue reading

  Dear brethren,         On June 7 we will be celebrating the feast of Pentecost, the beginning of the church of the New Testament. As in Leviticus 23, we learn that this feast was a Jewish feast, let us look into its meaning and how it was a symbol of Pentecost: v  It is one of the spring feasts, celebrated 49 days after the feast of the first fruit (which symbolized the resurrection) and that’s why it was named the Pentecost in Greek. The number fifty means forgiveness as in the year of Jubilee. Also, it is called the “feast of weeks” as it comes after seven weeks of resurrection, and seven is perfection; seven times seven is perfection of the perfect. v  It was also called the “harvest feast” (Ex 25: 16) when wheat is harvested. v  The Jews used to present the first two loaves of bread of the new harvest to God where the high priest eats one and the priests share the other. This is called the rite of the two loaves. v  After the exodus, the Jews ate unleavened bread only as a sign of fleeing quickly from ......continue reading

Dear brethren,                                                                                      Christ is risen …. Truly He is risen    Congratulating you for the joyful Easter and the 50 holy days, where we feel the joy through the resurrection of our Lord, and reflected within the church hymns and rites and even the decorations. Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to His disciples for 40 days and gave them the sacraments of the new testament “being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1: 3). The number of times that our Lord Jesus Christ appeared is not exactly known, but the bible tells us about 11 appearances: A-  Five to 1 or 2 people: 1)     Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Mathew 28). 2)     Mary Magdalene alone (John 20). 3)     Emmaus disciples (Luke 24). 4)     St. Peter (1 Cor. 15: 5). ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, Soon, we will start the Holy Week with all its beautiful deep hymns and rites. In an attempt to come close to understanding the events of this week let us go over what we learned in our study of the book of Leviticus concerning the sacrifices of the Old Testament. There were several types of sacrifices in the Old Testament, as no one sacrifice could come close enough to symbolizing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ from all aspects, each type of sacrifice symbolized a side of the cross. Sin had two consequences: God was saddened by it, and death of man. Therefore we find of the types of sacrifices: v Burnt offerings: the animal is slaughtered and put on fire till it becomes ashes, the priest does not eat from it nor the person who offered it nor any human, just burnt for God. So the burnt offering was not to save the person but to please God’s heart. v Offerings of sin and trespass: this is to replace the person and saves him from death. General rules of offerings: v A male animal; symbolizing Jesus Christ. v......continue reading

  Dear brethren, We pray that the Lord gives us all a spiritual blessing in this lent period with growth in our personal relationship with Him. Our holy fathers taught us that this time of the year is our spiritual gathering, that we may store spiritual exercises and good deeds to put us a step forward and continue on this for the rest of the year. As much as we sow in this time we will definitely reap. It is beneficial to revise the Sunday Gospel readings which lay down a complete spiritual plan for us. A good exercise would be to correlate the daily readings with the Sunday gospel. v Preparatory Sunday (Math 6: 1-18): preparing for this fasting trip: do all for the name of Jesus, not for self or for others to see you as you pray, fast or give to the needy. v First Sunday: treasures (Math 6: 19-33): do not worry, if your are rich your real treasure is in heaven, if you are poor God will provide. v Sunday of temptation (Mat 4: 1-11): Satin wants to doubt God’s love to us, but we should trust that He has defeated Satin for us. ......continue reading

  Dear Brethren, We have recently celebrated the beginning of the New Year, Christmas and the feast of Epiphany. We are preparing to celebrate a spiritual occasion which has a strong impact on our lives which is Jonah’s fast, which triggers the feelings of repentance and self judgment. Jonah knew what God wanted from him but he chose to run away from Him, to the extent that when the storm arose and the sailors casted a lot and his name came out he admitted that he was the reason for the storm.  The strange thing is that he told the sailors to throw him into the water instead of suggesting taking him back to Joppa! What promoted him of such an idea? Instead of him repenting and going back to the true path, why did he continue doing what is wrong and increasing his stubbornness? Indeed it is very strange that a person, in his persistence in disobeying God is willing to lose a lot and be a failure rather than admitting what is right and correcting his ways. However, we cannot disregard that Jonah was a great prophet; even Jesus Christ compared Himself to Jonah: “For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation” (Lk 11: 30). Also, Jesus considered Jonah’s presence in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights ......continue reading

  Dear Brethren, We are quickly approaching the New Year, we pray that it will be a blessing to our lives and families and all our beloved. We are also preparing for the Nativity Feast chanting the beautiful heavenly hymn, “Glory to God in the highest peace on earth and good will towards men”. The appearance of angels in the Old Testament was very terrifying. For example: v When an archangel appeared to Joshua as a man with a sword in his hand, Joshua fell to the ground and kneeled down and said, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” (Joshua 5: 13-14)” v When the angel appeared to Samson’s father and his wife offered a sacrifice to the Lord, the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground and said: “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!” (Judges 13:20-22). v The Lord’s angel wanted to punish Belaam for not doing what God told him to do. Belaam saw the angel on the road with a sword so he kneeled down. If the donkey had not prevented him, he would have been killed by the angle. ......continue reading

  Dear Brethren, We congratulate you with the beginning of the Nativity fast which reminds us of the Kiahk nights known as seven and four, in which the church stays up praising the Lord with beautiful praises focused on the incarnation of Christ. Symbols from the Old Testament help our understanding of the incarnation of Christ, and how the divinity and the humanity united in St. Mary’s womb. We also learn that she remained a virgin after the birth of Christ: v Aaron’s censor that held the lit coal is the womb of Virgin Mary which held the humanity (the coal) united with the divinity (the fire). v The burning bush symbolized the unity of the humanity and the divinity without actually burning the bush. It’s also the same with the Jesus Christ the Word, and as God talked to Moses through the burning bush He also talked to us through His Incarnate Word. v The pot of manna symbolizes Virgin Mary who held Christ in her womb, and as Christ said clearly “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die” (John 6: ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, The 25th of November marks the beginning of the Nativity fast, and as Moses fasted forty days to receive the word of God written on the tablets of stone, we also fast to receive the Word of God written “not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart” (2Cor 3: 3). Let us take advantage of this time to study our bible. From the book of Genesis at the start of the bible we see the fall of Adam and Eve and its results, and at the end in the book of Revelation we find their return. In between we see God’s plan for man’s salvation. Let’s take a closer look at a comparison between the book of Genesis and Revelation: v In Genesis the paradise doors close, and in Revelation the Kingdom of Heaven is revealed. v In Genesis man is expelled from paradise due to his sin, and in Revelation man returns by God’s grace. v  In Genesis Adam is turned away from the tree of life by the Cherubim, but in Revelation Adam returns to it by God’s grace. ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, We have just started the nativity fast that leads to a new year and ends with Christmas. On an earthly scale we revise our accounts and study our losses and gains during the year. We should even better take this opportunity to revise our spiritual life; our weaknesses that we should struggle to depart from, and our strengths that we have learned and gained, either in our personal life or our relationship with God or relationship with others. In this respect we remember the words of St. Paul: "For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged" (1Co 11: 31). The following verses will help us look through ourselves and be ready for this New Year: v  "For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Ro 13: 11-12). v  "And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things" (1Co 9: 25). v  "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Eph 4: ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, In a few days a Coptic year will be ending, to start the new one: 1725 A.M. It is a known fact that the Coptic year is divided into liturgical seasons, each one having its spiritual practices and rites which include specific tunes and hymns. These liturgical seasons namely are: v  The New Year: starting from the first day of the month of Tut (Nayrouz feast), and until the end of the month of Hatour. This period includes the celebration of the feast of the Holy Cross (17 Tut), and the beginning of the Nativity fasting (16 Hatour). v  The Divine Apparition: from the beginning of the month of Kiahk; in which we celebrate the Kiahk tunes and famous midnight praises, then the period from Nativity Feast on 28/29 Kiahk and till the Epiphany feast (11 Tubah). This period includes the celebration of the feast of circumcision (6 Tubah), and this period ends with Sunday before Jonah's fast. v  Period of the Holy Lent and Holy Paskha Week: a period very rich in its spirituality and church rites. It starts by Jonah's fast and ends by Holy Resurrection Feast. The start of this period depends upon the timing of Holy Resurrection Feast, ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, This month is filled with many saints' feasts, and is also the month of the Apostles fast which ends on July the 12th by celebrating the martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul (Apostles feast). This fast is the fasting of our love towards the salvation of everyone, and as we remember the apostles and their service of preaching to the whole world and giving their lives for the spread of faith, we feel that our fast is the least thing to present to the Lord asking for the salvation of those outside the church, and even bringing the whole world for the knowledge of the true God "who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1Ti 2: 4). This is a good time to read the book of acts, which when compared to the gospels: v  In the Gospels we find the birth of Christ, and in Acts the birth of the church; the body of Christ. v  In the Gospels Jesus ask the disciples to preach to Judea, Samaria and all the world, and in Acts they obeyed the order and the apostles preached to Judea, Samaria (Philip), then to the gentiles (Cornelius) then St. Paul and Barnabas to ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, These fifty days after the Lord's resurrection are filled with spiritual joy, where we enchant the joyful hymns of resurrection as we commemorate His resurrection and the several appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples. This is followed by the Apostle's fast which we dedicate for praying and asking for the salvation of the whole world. Our fathers the apostles loved all the world and preached everywhere in the name of Jesus Christ. If we have this same love, let us also fast and pray to the Lord and ask for the salvation of all, Christians and non-Christians. A real Christian does not provide love to only his friends and relatives, but loves all and want the salvation of every one even those who do not know the Lord. Our Lord Jesus Christ said: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16: 15). Could the apostles preach to people without feeling love towards them? Certainly they knew that people might persecute them as the Lord warned them "They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service" (John 16: 2), but they still went and evangelized to them. We want our hearts to accommodate every person even those who do not love us, and seek their salvation. ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, We are now halfway through the great lent and we are getting closer to Passion Week, and its memories of the deep hymns and its touching rights. These would stimulate the feeling of love for whom had loved us beforehand and gave Himself for our love, and moved us to a life of repentance. In this we remember what St. John the beloved said: "We love Him because He first loved us" (1Jn 4: 19). It is necessary for us as we approach Passion Week to remember some of the verses that talk about the cross, so that the cross may be our main focus for that blessed week: v "Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Mat 16: 24). v "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1Cor 2: 2). v "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, The great lent is approaching and we should seize this chance to enjoy a spiritual time. It is also important to remember that the Lent is not a relationship with food: depriving ourselves from certain foods, or when to eat, how much we eat from this food, but rather we should use this exercise to meditate and read the Holy Bible.  We also use this time to memorize psalms and participate in other spiritual exercises that encourage our fasting.  We should also remember that the Great Lent is not only changing the types of food with non dairy and vegetarian, but there also has to be a certain time during the day where there is total abstinence of food and drink. In this same meaning Saint Sophronius said: "Abstinence from food is the least degree of fasting, it's as if a worker wears his uniform to do his job.  He is likened to a man who abstains from food but does not pray."  Fasting is the road towards accomplishing our spiritual goals. For example: fighting against a certain sin, learning a spiritual virtue, learning to improve our relationship with others to gain meekness, kindness, long-suffering, and peace. Hereunder is the schedule of the liturgies in our church during the Holy Lent: v Wednesday:            10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, During the month of January we celebrated several major feasts.  Now we are preparing for Jonah's fast, a very significant fast.  The book of Jonah teaches us many important spiritual lessons like: 1- Our God who created mankind to live in holiness cannot accept to see that he lives in evil and sin. 2- God's judgment is fair and will definitely come upon those who live in sin. 3- God strives so that everyone may be saved and whoever believes in him and gives up a life of sin will be saved from condemnation. One of the clear lessons to learn from this book is God's incomprehensible love to man.  In the story of Jonah we see three different models of human nature, God loves them all and strives for their salvation and rejoices at their repentance. 1- Jonah symbolizes the human who has faith in God but has his own sins and mistakes. 2- the men on the boat symbolize the human who doesn't know God but is ready to accept Him and believe when the faith is presented to him. 3- The people of Nineveh symbolize the human who lives in sin but is ready for repentance and returning to God. The story ends with everyone believing and ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, The Old Testament as St. Paul teaches us "having a shadow of the good things to come" (Heb10: 1), and as we enjoy the study of the Book of Leviticus we see clearly that the sacrifices in the OT are a shadow of the Holy Cross. Let us see how these sacrifices symbolize the Holy Cross: 1)      The Burnt Sacrifice: these had to be completely burnt for God, as "a sweet aroma to the Lord" (Lev 1: 13) with no mention for sin, but aiming to please God. This sacrifice symbolize Christ who bore the Divine anger over sin and took the curse of the law, thus pleasing the heart of God and made a reconciliation between God and man through His blood. 2)      The Grain Offering: this is a thanksgiving offering to the Lord, made of flour and its aim is to remind the people that their food comes from God and that is why their lives are from God. This sacrifice symbolizes the pure life of Jesus Christ on earth and all the pain He went through. He had "no deceit in His mouth" (Is 53: 9), righteous and Holy with no sin, as an example of a holy man that is created according to God's image in ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, Congratulating you on this New Year: 2008, hoping that this year would be a blessing to our spiritual and practical lives, and also a blessing to our families and our beloved ones. We would also like to congratulate you for the feast of our Savior's birth, which is the title the angel gave Him: " For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2: 11). As we agreed on the New Year's eve, we would like to set our resolution for this upcoming year to make God our priority in our lives. This will be our goal in life, in setting standards for bringing up our children, and in organizing our time. We agreed to start our day by talking first to God in our daily prayers, and hear His message to us through the Holy Bible rather than messages that we receive from any other person, remembering His words and promise to us: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Mathew 6: 33). For the church news, our church was blessed with a trip to St. Mary & St. Moses Abbey in Texas, where we benefited spiritually and were blessed by the relics of St. Moses there. We had the opportunity to meet His ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, As November approaches, we anticipate many joyful events: 1)     Thanksgiving on the 4th Thursday of the month. 2)     The beginning of the Nativity fast. 3)     The celebration of the martyrdom of the Saint Abu Sefein. Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control  (Gal 5: 22-23). Those who experience it also experience Jesus' work and salvation in their lives. If the source of joy is external and not from the Holy Spirit living inside us, then our Lord Jesus would not have said, "And your joy no one will take from you" (John 16: 22),  for then all of our hardships would easily remove the joy from us. Saint Paul's epistle to the Philippians was filled with joy and the word "joy" and its derivatives were repeated up to 16 times. Surprisingly this epistle was written from his jail in Rome. He even says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" (Phi 4: 4). Where dose this joy come from during this very ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, I congratulate you on the Coptic New Year 1724 A.M. asking the Lord that this new year may be filled with spiritual blessings.  With the New Year we also commemorate the "Feast of the Holy Cross" that we will be celebrating for three days starting on Tut 17. The church celebrates the "Feast of the Cross" twice during the year: The first time is on Tut 17 and it is celebrated in remembrance of the Queen Helena finding Jesus' cross. The second is on Baramhat 10 and it is celebrated because of the return of the cross to Jerusalem on the year 627 A.M. by Emperor Heraclius, after being taken by the Persians. The cross is the flag of Jesus' kingdom. A country's flag carries more than just the value of the material. It carries all the symbols that the country believes in, and it reflects the image of the country. When people respect a country's flag, they respect the country itself.  In the same way, the cross carries many spiritual symbols to Jesus' kingdom: 1)      The announcing of God's immeasurable love to man: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (Jn 3: 16). ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, Our Coptic year 1723 is coming to an end in September, and a new year 1724 A.M. will start. Historically, our Coptic calendar has started with out fathers the martyrs in 284 A.D., which marks the beginning of the reign of the emperor Diocletian. During this emperor's reign the Copts suffered tremendously, more than any other time. The Roman persecution to Christianity was over officially in 313 A.D. when the Edict of Milan (which meant freedom of worship for Christians) was issued by the emperor Constantine. However, martyrdom in the Coptic Church was not over but still continues nowadays. Many Egyptian martyrs are remembered over the different historic eras. For example: 1)     Martyrs during the Roman Empire (martyrs for Christian faith): St. Mina, St. Demiana, martyrs of Akhmeem & Fayoum. 2)     Martyrs during the Byzantine era (martyrs of the Orthodox faith): St. Makarios bishop of Edkou, who is one of the 3 saints Abba Makarii mentioned in the commemoration of saints during holy liturgy. 3)     Martyrs of the Islamic era: St. George the Mezahem. 4)     Martyrs during the Crusades: St. Salib the New. ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, 1)     Virgin and listing her many symbols in the Old Testament. 2)     The churches and altars which are named after her. 3)     The fast dedicated to her every year. As usual during her fast, we will have daily vespers, glorifications, praises, and spiritual sermons.  The theme of this year's sermon will be meditation on the book of Proverbs from which we learn spiritual guidance to our spiritual life with God. The prayer schedule is attached to this letter.  As for our church news, we have begun our summer camp which is on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the children, and on Wednesdays and Thursdays for middle and high school. Kindly encourage our sons and daughters to participate in the camp, as the camp schedule includes not only fun and games but also spiritual and church studies. Please remember the church, the priest, the servants and their service always in your prayers and may the blessings of St. Mary and the blessing of her fast be with us always.     Fr. Youssef Halim Belleville, ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, The month of Abib starts on the 8th of July, and is known for commemorating many of our famous and beloved saints, we remember of them: 1)     3rd of Abib (10th of July): the departure of St. Kyrillos (Cyril) the First, the twenty fourth Pope of Alexandria. 2)     5th of Abib (12th of July): the martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul, the apostles. 3)     7th of Abib (14th of July): the departure of St. Shenouda (Shenoute), the archimandrite. 4)     8th of Abib (15th of July): the departure of St. Anba Bishoy the beloved of our Good Savior, and the departure of Cyrus (Karas) the anchorite. 5)     12th of Abib (19th of July): the commemoration of Archangel Michael. 6)     15th of Abib (22nd of July): the departure of St. Ephraem El-Soriani (the Syrian). 7)     16th of Abib (23rd of July): the recovery of the holy relics of St. George, the great martyr. ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, The apostles fast has started, the fast in which we humble ourselves in front of God and ask for the repentance of our lost brethren, so that the Holy Spirit may lead them to church. The Lord Jesus Christ has told his disciples to fast after His ascension, in preparation for a new stage in their lives which is the preaching of the gospel "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast" (Matthew 9: 15). The power of fasting for others is clear in St. Paul's life and service.  He says; "But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, … in fastings" (2Cor 6: 4-5). Once more he explains: "in weariness and toil, … in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness" (2 Cor 11: 27). It is not surprising to find a very small number of people who evangelized the whole world without any materialistic help, as the Lord told them, "Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals" (Luke 10: 3-4). What was their strength but that of the Holy Spirit: ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, We congratulate you on the Easter and the Holy Fifty days, through which its joyful rites the church teaches us to live in the joy of the resurrection.  For the resurrection according to St. Paul is the foundation of our faith, "And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty" (1 Cor 15: 14). Without the resurrection the cross appears to be weak, but now Christ is risen and the cross has been revealed as the "power of God" (1 Cor 1: 18). For that reason we stand strong against any doubting in the truth of the resurrection, knowing that the devil by this means to destroy Christianity from its foundation. But we are sure though that He who watched over His church strong and firm from the beginning, is able to watch over it till the end.  Our responsibility as a church is to pray and teach, so that "when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18: 8). I would like to mention an important fact: that resurrection did not happen by chance in the life of Christ, but like the cross we see that the Old Testament prophesies about the resurrection in many different verses. Here are few examples: v  "I ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, As we approach the middle of the great lent, our church teaches us to always couple fasting with prayer. As the lent fraction teaches us: "fasting and prayer lifted Elijah to the heaven and saved Daniel form the Lion’s den, and it is how Ninevah’s people attained mercy from God. Fasting and prayer were pursued by the prophets, apostles, martyrs …………etc". In order to achieve maximum benefit during lent, let us learn from some sayings of our church fathers about prayer: v “If you did not attain the prayer of spirit, work on the prayer of the body, and then you will be given the prayer of the spirit. Also if you do not have humility of the spirit, strive for humility of the body and then you will be given the humility for the spirit, as it has been written 'ask and it will be given to you'" (St. Makarious the Great). v “Force yourself to bow before the Lord (metanya) as this moves your spirit in prayer” (St. Isaac). v “When the Lord sees your attention, love and striving in prayer, He will provide it for you” (St. Basil). ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, We are approaching the Holy lent season, in which we thrive to achieve optimal benefit in these holy days. The writings of H.H. Pope Shenouda III, give us some exercises that can guide us to achieve this benefit: 1)     Exercise to leave a certain sin that binds you and is frequently repeated in your confession. 2)     Exercise to memorize some psalms from the book of Agpya, choose one or two from each prayer hour, especially the psalms that help you pray. 3)     Exercise to memorize the bible sections in the book of Agpya, the prayers that follow them, and absolution of each prayer hour. 4)     Exercise to pray secretly anywhere: work, on the way, among people or anytime. 5)     Contemplate these prayers so that you could pray them with your mind and heart 6)     Exercise to increase your spiritual readings, read the Bible regularly for an extended time, and with contemplation. Read the saints' lives and spiritual books. Plan ahead so that you cover several books ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, We congratulate you with the end of the year, and the beginning of the New Year 2007.  We pray to God that this year would be filled with peace and blessing to the church and to our country as well as the whole world. With the beginning of the New Year, we prepare for the birth of our Lord, who was born sacramentaly from Virgin Mary in a manger and only proclaimed to the poor and humble:  "At that time Jesus answered and said, 'I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes" (Matt 11:25). For that reason, our church prepared praises called "Kiahk praises", in which we remember His birth from the Virgin, during the weeks preceding Christmas.  While we praise the Virgin Mary and admire her deeds, at the same time we understand the union between the Humanity and Divinity in Jesus Christ. This concept is simply and clearly explained when we sing the famous hymn of Kiahk, "The burning bush seen by Moses",  which explains in a simplified way the unity of the Humanity (bush) and the Divinity (fire) without the fire burning the bush or being limited in it. It is also important to remember our fathers' sayings about the incarnation to benefit from their explanations: ......continue reading

  Dear brethren, November of each year marks the start of the Nativity fast; which starts on the 25th of the month, as well as Kiahk's night praises with its joyful hymns. This year, Nativity fast starts right after thanksgiving. It's very pleasant to thank God for His many blessings that we have experienced throughout the year, reminding ourselves with the saying of one of the fathers: "no blessing is without abundance except the one without thanks". That is why the church, guided by the Holy Spirit, has taught us to start all of our prayers and services with the prayer of thanksgiving. This is an important teaching that we should apply to our personal life as: starting our day and work by the thanksgiving prayer. Also, we shouldn't go to sleep without thanking the Lord for all of his blessings that He granted us, our families, and our loved ones during the day. By this, we will be practically obeying what St. Paul said: "giving thanks always for all things to God the Father" (Eph. 5: 20). We also thank our Lord for granting health to our beloved Pope Shenouda after his surgery in Cleveland, and for his safe arrival to Egypt to celebrate his 35th anniversary on November 14th. May the Lord grant him good health and keep him for ......continue reading