In our community, some believe that organization in ecclesiastical matters leads to loss of blessings. When a person is asked to organize a project, one of the answers commonly given is, "Don’t worry, leave it and it will be blessed." Usually, when a project is proposed, it is required to lay out a plan and estimate the cost. Yet some respond by saying, "God will bless it without the need to think and plan"; it – …

In the past few months, we have been shocked by the news of disasters and tragedies, which resulted in sudden death of many people. We lived through the disastrous news of the crash of the Egypt Air plane off the shores of the Northeastern United States. This resulted in the death of 217 persons, of whom many of us may have had social, friendly, or family ties. In less than a minute they changed from – …

Our Good Shepherd My Beloved, the Children of the Christ-Loving Diocese of Los Angeles, It is my pleasure to congratulate you on the Feast of the Nativity wishing you all a holy and blessed life, which befits the name of Emmanuel, Christ our Lord, Who loved us and, without sin, was incarnate and came to our world. We are happy today and our hearts are joyful with the birth of Christ, “The Good Shepherd”. In – …

In the Name of the Fr., the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen. In this booklet we present to you some answers which are related to certain questions about the Nativity, of which there are: The sequence of the genealogy, and the mention of some sinful women in it; the difference between the two gospels of Matthew and Luke in regards to the names and the ascending and descending order in that sequence. – …

All strife against sin and its desires is to be preceded by ‎fasting, especially if one is combating inward sin…Fasting is the ‎strengthening of all virtues, the beginning of the struggle, the ‎beauty of virginity and sanctity, the preservation of chastity, the ‎beginning of the way of Christianity, the father of prayer…, for as ‎soon as man begins to fast his mind will be desirous of intercourse ‎with God. Fasting is a storehouse of all – …

He is called the Spirit, according to the Scripture just now read, “For to ‎one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom.” [1 Cor. 12:8] He is called the ‎Spirit of Truth, as the Savior says, “When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come.” ‎‎[John 16:13] He is called also the Comforter, as He said, “For if I go not ‎away, the Comforter will not come unto you.” [John 16:7]‎ But that He – …

I. Let Us Celebrate Christmas. Christ is born, glorify Him! Christ from heaven, go out to meet Him! Christ on earth, be exalted! Sing to the Lord all the whole earth (Ps. 96:1,11), and that I may join both in one word, let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, for Him who is of heaven and then of earth. Christ in the flesh, rejoice with trembling and with joy; with trembling because – …

1. Our Behavior Inside and Outside of Church It is very noticeable that many people during Pascha Week are one thing inside church and completely different outside. In side church, black curtains, somber hymns, solemn readings, and concentrating on the suffering of Christ. Outside of church, we often laugh, joke around, socialize, think and talk about many worldly issues. We lose all the spiritual depth that we gained inside church. Let us concentrate our thoughts, – …

The death on the Cross, then, for us has proved seemly and fitting, and its cause has been shown to be reasonable in every respect; and it may justly be argued that in no other way than by the Cross was it right for the salvation of all to take place. For not even thus–not even on the Cross–did He leave Himself concealed; but far otherwise, while He made creation witness to the presence of – …

“Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16) In the month of January and first half of February, our Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates five feasts of our Lord Jesus Christ: The Nativity, The Circumcision, The First Miracle at Cana of Galilee, The Theophany, and The Presentation of Our Lord at the Temple. During the first four centuries of Christianity, the Feasts of the Nativity and Theophany were celebrated – …

On the 5th of Epip (July 12th), the Church celebrates the Feast of the Apostles, which follows the holy fast bearing the name of our fathers the Apostles. This fast begins on the day following the Feast of Pentecost, the day on which the Church was established. The 5th of Epip was specifically chosen to be the Feast of the Apostles since it is the day commemorating the martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul in – …

On September 12th, our Church celebrates the Coptic New Year (Feast of the Nairouz), which is the calendar of the Church. The Coptic New Year is the calendar of the martyrs. Our Church offered thousands of martyrs. Since the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian was one of the harshest periods of persecution, especially in Egypt, the Church chose the year 284 AD, which is the beginning of the reign of Diocletian, to mark the – …