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 – …

“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, – …

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 – …

INTRODUCTION The two Churches are linked by very intimate relations since the early Centuries of Christianity, as both are daughters of St. Mark the Apostle. Such link was realized when St. Athanasius, the Apostolic, the 20th Pope of Alexandria, consecrated Frumentius in the year 329 A.D to be the first bishop of Eritrea and Ethiopia, on the request of the two Christian kings Abraha and Atsbeha. He was given the name of Abba Salama and started his – …

O you who are the friends of Christ, and the friends of the ‎stranger, and the friends of the brethren, receive in kindness my ‎speech today, and open your ears like the doors of hearing, and ‎admit within them my discourse, and accept from me this saving ‎proclamation of the baptism of Christ, which took place in the river ‎Jordan, in order that your loving desires may be quickened after ‎the Lord, who has done – …

The Church has a strong program during this fast put by the ‎Fathers through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which became to ‎the soul a source of survival and spiritual filling, and to the Church ‎a source of communal repentance and deep fellowship with the ‎Lord Jesus Christ in His fast…For Christ fasted for us and with us-‎and certainly He is a partner with each fasting soul.‎ The monks used to take this opportunity – …