Festal Message for the Feast of the Nativity 2024
Christ is Born, let us glorify Him! Christ from heaven, let us go out to meet Him! My Beloved, the Blessed Children of the Holy Church, “The Only Begotten Son, Who is in the Bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (Jn 1:18). It is with great joy that I wish you a blessed Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, Who made Himself of no reputation and took – …
Festal Message for the Feast of the Nativity – January 7, 2023
My Beloved, the Blessed Children of the Holy Church, On this great joyous occasion of the Feast of the Nativity, it is my pleasure to wish you all the blessings of the Mystery of the Incarnation. Our celebration of the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is a celebration of the wondrous Mystery of the Incarnation, which reveals God’s love for us. He accepted to come to our world and assume complete human nature with – …
Festal Message for the Feast of the Nativity December 2021/January 2022
Christ is Born, let us glorify Him Christ from heaven, let us go out to meet Him My Beloved, the Blessed Children of the Holy Church, It is with great joy that I wish you a blessed Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, as well as a blessed New Year. May our Lord give us the blessings of His Holy Nativity and grant us a joyful, holy, and blessed – …
Festal Message for the Glorious Feast of the Nativity 2020/2021
“That the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Co 4:7) My Beloved, the Blessed Children of the Holy Church, Today, as we receive the Babe of Bethlehem, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, our hearts are full of gladness. Therefore, let us rejoice and praise Him with the angels saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Lk 2:14). The birth – …
Festal Message for the Feast of the Nativity 2020
It is my pleasure to wish all of you a blessed Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ came to us, and He invites us to go to Him, for He is the Good Shepherd, Who sacrifices Himself for His flock, and through His love and compassion, attracts everyone to Himself. The Coptic Orthodox Church is the Church of Christ, and in Her pastoral ministry, the Church – …
Festal Letter for the Feast of the Nativity 2019
My Beloved, the Blessed Children of the Holy Church, It is my pleasure to wish all of you a blessed Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. We rejoice in the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Who has manifested to us the mystery of God’s humility, love, and He constantly seeks our salvation. St. Paul the Apostle explained that the Word, the Son of God, “Who, being in the – …
Festal Letter for the Feast of the Nativity 2018
“The People Sitting in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light” My Beloved, the Blessed Children of the Holy Church, Today, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, we are rejoicing with the angels and the heavenly hosts, as the angel proclaimed to the shepherds, “Do not by afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to – …
Beginning the Nativity Fast: More than a Diet
For those of us following the Old (Julian) calendar, as we do in the Coptic Orthodox Church, we have just begun the Nativity Fast, which culminates in the Feast of our Lord’s Nativity in the flesh on January 7, 2017. Throughout this Fast, we commemorate the events that preceded the birth of our Lord Jesus […] The post Beginning the Nativity Fast: More than a Diet appeared first on Become Orthodox.
God Dwells with Us Forever
As we prepare to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is good to meditate on some of the types and symbols of His Birth in the Old Testament. One of the most beautiful foreshadowings of the birth of Christ can be found in 3 Kingdoms 8:26-30 (LXX). 1 In this passage, the Holy Prophet-King Solomon, the son of the Holy Prophet-King David, had just finished constructing the magnificent Temple – …
The Angel of the Lord and the Burning Bush
One of the most beloved Kiahk melodies in the Coptic Orthodox Church is the praise on the Thursday Theotokion known as “The Burning Bush.” The story of Moses and the burning bush is easily found in the Book of Exodus: And Moses was feeding the flock of Jothor his father-in-law, the priest of Madiam; and he brought the sheep nigh to the wilderness, and came to the mount of Choreb. And an Angel of the – …