The period of the Fifty Holy Days is a special period in the ecclesiastical cycle. The prominent feature of this period is joy. The Church prays with a festal tune in all Her liturgies and prayers, including the funerals. During this period, the Church lives the life of happiness, which was experienced by the holy disciples after Christ’s resurrection and His appearance to them. The Divine inspiration describes this joy as such, “Then the disciples – …

As we look at the Church in the Apostolic age, we find that She was characterized by the communal life; they had one accord with unity of heart, soul, and thought (Acts 2: 42-47; 4:32-37). Whenever a dispute arose, the apostles would discuss it, and then they resolved the problem by agreeing on one decision (Acts 6: 1-26; 15: 1-29). This was achieved through the Holy Spirit, Who preserved the one accord and the one – …

Issued by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church and His Holiness Karekin I, Catholicos of all Armenians Preface H.H. Catholicos Karakin I, the Catholicos of all Armenia, visited Egypt from January 14-18, 1998. On Wednesday, January 14, he visited H.H. Pope Shenoud who introduced him and invited him to address the thousands of people who usually attend H.H. Pope Shenouda’s weekly meeting. The Catholicos spoke about the importance of Church – …

Christianity today is struggling; arguing not to carry the cross. People are asking, why do I have to carry ‎my cross? why do I have to suffer? Do I have to suffer to be a Christian? Is this really necessary? ‎ When we hear the Lord asking us to carry the cross and to share the Cross with Him, it is a call to share the ‎Lord in His grief. Him who said, “My soul – …

Just look at the brain and how it works, its relation with all other organs; if the brain is damaged, no physician can fix it no matter how genius he is!! If we observe the heart and how it works, its relation with the brain, and the relation of each the heart and the brain with life! Or if we watch the precise performance of kidneys or liver, of the nervous system in the human – …

Causes Of Drug Addiction We are going to look at these causes not merely to identify them, but rather to try to overcome them with the help of God. We will keep in mind that these causes can affect all of us. However, not all people fall into drug addiction because of these factors. Some people are psychologically and socially vulnerable to it. The Feeling of Emptiness There is no doubt that some young people – …

A selection from St. Ignatius’s Epistle to the Romans For it is not my desire to act towards you as a man-pleaser, but as pleasing God, even as also you please Him…For if you are silent concerning me, I shall become God’s; but if you show your love to my flesh, I shall again have to run my race…Only request in my behalf both inward and outward strength, that I may not only speak, but – …

Commentary on John, §18, ANF, v. 10; Treasures of the Fathers, v. 3. Now Jesus is the Word of God which goes into the soul that is called Jerusalem, riding on the donkey freed by the disciples from its bonds. That is to say, on the simple language of the Old Testament, interpreted by the two disciples who loose it: in the first place him who applies what is written to the service of the – …

Note: Many of the following sayings and quotations deal with forgiveness of others and reconciliation with them. This is because Lent is a sacrifice offered to our Lord, and since He ordered us before offering a sacrifice to: "Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." (Mt 5:24) This is also why the Church chose the reading of Mt – …

“And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to himself.” (Gen. 2:18) Adam’s Need: As Christians, we believe that God created everything for a reason and nothing was done just haphazardly. We also believe that everything God created was good, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” (Gen. 1:31) When God created Adam, He formed – …

Great Lent is considered the holiest fast since our Lord Jesus Christ Himself had fasted it. Therefore, during Great Lent we follow the example set by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who fasted on our behalf forty days and forty nights (Matt. 4: 2). Also during Holy Week, which comes after the 40 days, we live the Passion of Christ day by day and hour by hour. Because of the significance and holiness of Great Lent, – …

Our Church celebrates two feasts for the Cross. One is on Parmhat 10th (March 19th), which always falls during Great Lent. The other is on Tout 17th (September 27th), which falls at the end of our celebrations of the The Coptic New Year (The Feast of Nairouz), and this latter Feast of the Cross is celebrated for three days. Our celebration of the Cross is actually a celebration of Christ’s victory over Satan and conquering – …