Homosexuality and the Church
I am very glad to have the opportunity to speak to the pastors of the Church of England, I mean, to speak to the angels of the Church and to the ministers of our Lord; those who were mentioned in the Book of Revelation as stars in the right hand of our Lord. I thank God because He has given me a chance to speak to those to whom the Lord said, ‘You will be – …
Treasures of the Fathers: Fourth Sunday of Kiahk
"Elijah will come to give confidence to the faithful, and this Christ says; "Elijah will come and shall restore all things." (Matthew 17:11.) Therefore it is said, "In the spirit and power of Elijah." (Luke 1:17.) For St. John neither wrought signs nor wonders, as Elijah did. For "John," it is said, "did no miracle, but all things which John spoke of this Man were true." How then was it "in the spirit and power – …
Treasures of the Fathers: Pascha Monday
The fig tree is a symbol of the Jewish nation, which had the outward appearance of fruits, because they had followed the letter of the law. But they lacked fruit in that they did not abide by the Spirit of the law and “neglected the weightier things of the law.” They continued to question His authority even to the last moment (9th hour gospel). Christ had rejected the Jews, as they were plotting to slaughter – …
Treasures of the Fathers: 2nd Sunday of Great Lent-Temptation Sunday
The Second Sunday of the Great and Holy Fast: On the Mountain of Temptation (Matins: Luke 4:1-13) And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God'” (Luke 4:3-4). On the First Temptation Then the devil draws near to tempt Him; expecting that the feeling – …
The Reason For Creating Eve
“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 – …
The Meaning of the Great Lent
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, – …
Joint Press Release on the Photographing of the Lord’s Brethren and Orphans
Our Beloved, the Blessed Children of the Holy Church, Peace and grace from our God and Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. It gives us great pleasure to see how the Church’s children living abroad are greatly concerned about helping our needy brothers and sisters in Egypt , especially the orphans. We find that it is written in the Holy Bible, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Fr. is this: to visit orphans and – …
The Pope in a Series of Meetings
On Wednesday, December 6, the Pope went to the Monastery, whereas the problem was not yet resolved. And there, a delegate of Assiout Priests and Lay members met with the Pope, they presented Him a report, and then they met HH the next week where they presented Him another detailed report signed by the Clergy of Assiout, Deyrout, Manful, Quesada and other regions. Then the Bishop of Manfalot arrived there to meet with HH and – …
Three Reverend Oriental Orthodox Patriarchs Sign Common Declaration in Damascus
Friday and Saturday, December 9-10, 2005, the Heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Church, His Holiness Patriarch Zakka I of the Syrian Church and His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Armenian Church-Catholicosate of Cilicia, held their 8th meeting, at St. Ephrem Monastery, Ma’arat Saydnaya, Damascus, Syria. This fellowship was founded in 1996. During their deliberations, the three Heads addressed issues related to – …
Report of Catholic-Oriental Orthodox Commission
Report of Catholic-Oriental Orthodox Commission A Shared “Ecclesial Patrimony Stemming From Apostolic Times” VATICAN CITY, FEB. 12, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the report issued at the conclusion of the fourth meeting of the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The meeting took place Jan. 28-Feb. 3 in Rome. The fourth meeting of the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches took – …
Diocese Issues Press Release About Student Starvation Claim
March 7, 2008–-In response to a recent news story about Jonathan McCullum, a U.S. Exchange Student who claimed he was starved by a Coptic Christian family due to church fasts, the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii clarifies as follows: Although the Church strongly encourages her believers to observe periods of fasting according to Apostolic Tradition, fasting is a voluntary spiritual sacrifice. The Church does not impose her fasting days on anyone. – …
The Opening of the New Church Building of Saint Demiana Church in Bakersfield
By God’s grace and the prayers of our beloved father, H.G. Bishop Serapion, the new church building of St. Demiana Church in Bakersfield is completed and the opening will take place on Saturday November 20th, 2004. H.G. Bishop Serapion will bless the event by praying Vespers on Friday, November 19th and celebrating the Divine Liturgy on Saturday, November 20th. Following the Divine Liturgy on Saturday, there will be a spiritual celebration. Everyone is invited to – …