As we approach Great Lent every year, there seems to be a rush of interest in finding good fasting recipes that are fast, easy and nutritious. More and more often, those recipes seem to include some kind of soy or other vegetable product that has been processed to look and function like meat or dairy… Continue reading Is Real Fasting – Soy Everything?
The name for this Sunday is taken from the parable of our Lord Jesus Christ found in Luke 15:11-32. The parable is the story of a man and his two sons. The youngest of the sons asks his father to give him his inheritance. The father does this, and soon after the son leaves and… Continue reading The Prodigal Son!
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
Hey Guys As Some of you have realised over the last few days – my blog has been unfortunately hacked by an unknown hacker which has taken the website completely off the internet. This has led me to redo the whole blog by deleting the initial database and transfer the blog over to a new… Continue reading An Apology & An Update!
My Beloved Brethren, Peace and grace. The Great Fast is a season of repentance and return to God. Through the intercessions of St. Mary and the cloud of witnesses, I pray that this fast will be different in the depth of its spirituality and how you experience God. At the end of it, I hope… Continue reading Call To Action!
During prayer there sometimes occur moments of deadly darkness and spiritual anguish arising from unbelief of the heart (for unbelief is darkness). Do not let your heart fail you at such moments, but remember that if the Divine light has been cut off from you, it always shines in all its splendour and greatness in… Continue reading Hinderance in Prayer!
My Child, You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2 I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3 Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31 For you were made in my image.… Continue reading Fathers Love Letter!
You may recall that on new years’s day this year, a Coptic church in Alexandria was bombed as the worshippers were leaving mass, and 21 people were killed. The Alexandrian governor accused al-Qaida of being responsible, though no group has claimed responsibility. Since January 25th, Egypt has been in a complex progress of rapid political… Continue reading Fr Shenouda Mansour – On ABC Radio!
In the past 24-48 hours the Egyptian Army, the force that is supposed to unite the people has showed its clear intention against the Coptic Christians. In the aftermath of the January 25th revolution, prisoners were released into the wadi natroun desert where several Coptic Monasteries are present. Following orders from the police force and… Continue reading A Sad Day For Copts *GRAPHIC FOOTAGE*
The holy father St. Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, departed. He was from Asia Minor. His grandfather, whose name was also Severus, saw in a vision someone telling him, “The child who is for your son will strengthen Orthodoxy, and his name will be after your name.” When his son had this saint, he called him… Continue reading Severus of Antioch
In response to the tragic terrorist attack against Coptic Orthodox Christians at al-Qideseen Church in Alexandria during New Year’s Eve prayers, the United States Senate has passed Senate Resolution 22. According to its sponsor, Senator Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), the resolution “condemns the New Year’s Day attack; calls on Mubarak to identify, locate, and prosecute… Continue reading US Senate Condems Jan 1 Attacks
On 15 February 2011 Pope Shenouda met with a small committee of the Holy Synod that released the following statement: The Coptic Church praises Egypt’s honest youth, the Youth of 25 January who led Egypt in a resilient white revolution and sacrificed precious blood, the blood of the nation’s martyrs who were hailed by Egypt’s… Continue reading Pope Shenouda's Statement On The Egyptian Revolution!
When a man leaves on a journey, he must know where he is going. Thus with Lent. Above all, Lent is a spiritual journey and its destination is Easter, “the Feast of Feasts.” It is the preparation for the “fulfillment of Pascha, the true Revelation.” We must begin, therefore, by trying to understand this connection… Continue reading Getting Ready For Lent!
Today the coptic church commences Jonahs Fast which lasts for 3days. Jonah was an eighth century BC famous prophet from Gath-helper, a small Galilean town near Nazareth. Jonah the Prophet is famous for the well-known story about him and the diverse ways in which the Lord spoke to him. Most often, Jonah was spoken to… Continue reading Subtly, God Spoke to Jonah!
Since, again, some who are reckoned among the orthodox go beyond the pre-arranged plan for the exaltation of the just, and are ignorant of the methods by which they are disciplined beforehand for incorruption, they thus entertain heretical opinions. For the heretics, despising the handiwork of God, and not admitting the salvation of their flesh,… Continue reading Will Our Bodies Ascend?
Our knowledge of St. Cyril’s childhood education and early upbringing is quite meager. According to St. Isidore of Pelusium and church historian Socrates, St. Cyril was born in Alexandria around the year 380. However, others rely on to the chronicles of John, Bishop of Nikiu in seventh century, who states that St. Cyril’s mother and… Continue reading Biography: Cyril Of Alexandria!
Asceticism is to live with satisfaction on your minimal needs without experiencing delight and getting away from materialism,. St. Paul the Apostle reminded his disciple Timothy in his first epistle, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” ; “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” and “But those who desire to… Continue reading Asceticism!
An excerpt from the Book, Spirituality of the Rites of the Holy Liturgy, pp. 45-54 The Coptic Church, in its humble and meek spirit, teaches her children three types of prostration, or metanias (bowing). These are: prostrations of worship, repentance, and honor. 1. Prostrations of Worship These are the prostrations offered to God during our individual or public… Continue reading Prostrations & Orthodoxy!
“It is well, my beloved, to proceed from feast to feast; again festal meetings, again holy vigils arouse our minds, and compel our intellect to keep vigil unto contemplation of good things. Let us not fulfill these days like those that mourn, but, by enjoying spiritual food, let us seek to silence our fleshly lusts.” These… Continue reading The Trumpet!
People react quite differently when confronting suffering. Some cry out in anger; others rebel in frustration. Another might seek scapegoat to vent his frustrations. A fourth might instead abandon the way of purity and righteousness, and decide to live a life of pleasure and lust, feeling almost justified to lust for his light affliction. St. Cyril… Continue reading Two Ways of Suffering!
Let revelry keep away from our rational entertainments, and foolish vigils, too, that revel in intemperance. For revelry is an inebriating pipe, the chain. The passage is obscure. of an amatory bridge, that is, of sorrow. And let love, and intoxication, and senseless passions, be removed from our choir. Burlesque singing is the boon companion… Continue reading Conduct at Parties!
We Must be Alert Non Ecclesiastic chants and songs are superficial in the meaning of its words, compared to the rich level of the Church hymns and the Psalmody. These type of chants or songs have to be checked before publicizing it. Those who use it and listen to it have no sense for the Coptic music… Continue reading Church Music – Part 2!
Our Coptic Church has a very rich musical heritage, for music has its deep effect on the soul, as mentioned before. Saint Paul said; “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). Music is used, since old, to move the believers’ desires… Continue reading Church Music – Part 1
Egypt’s long-suffering Coptic Christians are justified in their fear of an Islamic revolution A DISTURBING feature of the crisis in Egypt this week has been the paucity of any discussion of the implications of the decline of the Mubarak regime and the possible rise of fanatical Islamists for the Christians of Egypt. This applies particularly… Continue reading Fate Of Copts Ignored By Secular West!
The month of Tubah is a month celebrating the salvation of our Lord which has come to all the earth. He was born for the specific purpose of saving all of humanity, both Jew and Gentile. During this month we celebrate the Nativity, the Circumcision, the Epiphany, and the Miracle at the Wedding of Cana… Continue reading The Month of Tooba
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