By Saint John Chrysostom. I behold a new and wondrous mystery! My ears resound to the shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but loudly chanting a heavenly hymn! The cherubim resound their joyful praise! The seraphim exalt His glory! All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth and man in… Continue reading “The Great Mystery Of The Nativity”
Following intense arguments with Nestor, Cyril of Alexandria proposed the following 12 rules of which if any where broken, the individual would be anathematised, meaning formally set apart from the church, ie excommunicated. The council of Ephesus endorsed these rules and they are mentioned below. 1. If anyone does not confess that Emmanuel is God… Continue reading Cyril’s 12 Anathemas
St John of Damascus He is Himself the Maker and Creator of the angels: for He brought them out of nothing into being and created them after His own image, an incorporeal race, a sort of spirit or immaterial fire: in the words of the divine David, He maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers… Continue reading Concerning The Angels!
“Take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word” (Matthew 2:13 – KJV) “Out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1 – RSV) “The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols… Continue reading The Holy Family In Egypt!
By Bishoy Marcus Let the protests continue! It is with great frustration and utter bewilderment that I write this post. I have never commented or written about this issue and I understand people get edgy and nervous when it is mentioned. The issue at hand what is the role of the clergy and the state.… Continue reading Let The Protests Continue!
The Church is that living institution which is eternally joined to Christ, whose task it is to guide and bring all its children to God in His eternal Kingdom. All Orthodox Christians are called upon to observe the commandments of God: to love God with all their being and their fellow man as themselves; but,… Continue reading The Seven Sacraments
From the Introduction to the Feast of the Cross by His Grace Bishop Serapion: The Holy Cross held a prominent and revered place in early Christian life and worship. It was a sign of protection, holiness, worship, and blessing to believers everywhere, even before The Empress Helen discovered its location. In the early third century,… Continue reading The Feast Of The Cross
The present Feast, commemorating the Nativity in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, was established by the Church. Its origin goes back to the time of the Apostles. In the Apostolic Constitutions (Section 3, 13) it says, “Brethren, observe the feastdays; and first of all the Birth of Christ, which you are to celebrate… Continue reading Christmas – The First Feast!
The first Church did not celebrate the birth of Christ. And the actual date of his birth was and still is unknown. The earliest known indication to such a celebration comes in a passing statement by St. Clement of Alexandria who mentions that the Egyptians of his time celebrated the Lord’s birth on May 20.… Continue reading Why is Orthodox Christmas on Jan 7?
Did St. Mary remain a virgin after giving birth to the Lord? Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces towards the east, but it was shut. And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by… Continue reading The Betrothed!
Today the Coptic Church begins the nativity fast in anticiaption of the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ who came into the world to save us from the sin that Adam dared to commit in Paradise! The Church journeys toward the birth of Christ God, steered by the ship that is the Nativity fast. She… Continue reading The Advent Fast Begins Today!
Lit candles and Icon lamps (lampadas) have a special symbolic meaning in the Christian Church, and no Christian service can be held without them. In the Old Testament, when the first temple of God was built on earth the Tabernacle services were held in it with lamps as the Lord Himself had ordained (Ex. 40:5,… Continue reading Why Candles?
The Coptic Church was established in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by St. Mark the Evangelist in the city of Alexandria around 61 A.D. The church adheres to the Nicene Creed. St. Athanasius (296-373 A.D.), the twentieth Pope of the Coptic Church effectively defended the Doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ’s Divinity at… Continue reading A Brief Intro!
Following the service of the Divine Liturgy one Sunday while I was preparing for a Baptism I was approached by a little girl who was about five years of age. There was no one else in the Church at the time. I stopped what I was doing, for she remained still and close by my… Continue reading Kissing The Priests Hand!
The church celebrates the appearance of the glorious Cross of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ twice: The First on the sixteenth day of the month of tute (27th September), 326 A.D. by the hands of the righteous Empress St. Helen, the mother of Constantine the great the righteous emperor. This Saint when her son… Continue reading Hail To The Cross!
The Coptic New Year is the very first calendar ever known by man on planet earth! It goes back 4241 BC.The word “Nayrouz” is of Coptic origin. The stem is niiaro-oo meaning: “the rivers.” The suffix “ouz” is Greek, thus, the word “Niiaroouz.” Mid September is usually where the waters of the Nile river rises,… Continue reading Happy Coptic New Year!
Lit candles and Icon lamps (lampadas) have a special symbolic meaning in the Christian Church, and no Christian service can be held without them. In the Old Testament, when the first temple of God was built on earth the Tabernacle services were held in it with lamps as the Lord Himself had ordained (Ex. 40:5,… Continue reading Symbolism of Candles!
Suicide is the taking of one’s own life. The Orthodox Church has, over the centuries, taught that we do not have the right to take our own lives, since life is a gift from God which we are called upon to preserve and enhance. Hence, the Church considers direct suicide, when a person destroys his… Continue reading Suicide & Euthanasia
Epideacon is a Greek word consisting of two parts: “epi” i.e. under or helper, and “deacon” i.e. deacon, so the meaning is deacon’s helper. Conditions for ordaining: 1. He is not to be less than 20 years old in normal conditions, except if he is brilliant and outstanding in the church’s service, he is as… Continue reading I Want To Be A Deacon! Epideacon – Subdeacon
Anaghnostos is a Greek word formed of two parts: “Anagnoc” which means “chapter”, and “toc” which means “related to him”. So it means the chapter related to the reader, or the reader of chapters. Conditions for ordaining anaghnostos: 1. He is not to be less than 18 years old 2. witnessed by everyone for his good… Continue reading I Want To Be A Deacon! Anaghnostos – Reader
The Epsaltos Deacon – His name is derived from the Coptic word “Psalmos” i.e. Psalm or hymn. His job is clear from his name, learning hymns and tunes, and singing them in church. This rank was mentioned in some laws of the first church: The Epsaltos are also blessed by the Bishop Children may be… Continue reading The Rank of Epsaltos – Singer!
Starting from today we will begina six part series on Deaconship in the Coptic Orthodox Church. Bishop Mettaous will lead us through this series as he explores what it means to be a deacon and the 5 main ranks in the Coptic Church. I hope you thoroughly Enjoy this series as Deaconship is part of… Continue reading I Want To Be A Deacon – Part 1
During the Holy Liturgy, angels and Archangels, the Cherubim and the Seraphim, together with all the heavenly hosts are present and are surrounding the altar with great glory. At the awesome moment when the priest calls on the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine present on the altar into the Holy Body and… Continue reading How To Benefit From The Holy Liturgy!
St. Mark the Founder The Coptic Orthodox Church is an Apostolic Church. It was founded by St. Mark the Apostle and Evangelist in the first century. It is also known as “The Church of Alexandria” or “The See of St. Mark.” It was one of the earliest four “sees” or “patriarchates”: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and… Continue reading Who are the Copts? Part 2
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