Verses and Fathers Sayings

 

And my God shall supply all your need
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:19)

Let my soul praise Thee, that it may love Thee;
and let it confess Thine own mercies to Thee,
at it may praise Thee. Thy whole creation
ceaseth not, nor is it silent in Thy praises.
(St. Augustine) 

Wise Quotes

Wise Quotes

Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10: 4

Hate not tribulations and trails for it brings us closer to God and gain dignity. Mar. Isaac The Syrian

Remember always the Lord's mercy on you, so you could live life of gratitude and your heart will grow stronger in faith.


Luke 13: 1 - 5

1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?

3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?

5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

 

Cross

To prove our love to Christ, we carry with him the cross.

Cross repentance, every man struggles against sin and suppresses body to keep it under control for Christ, is carrying an acceptable cross from God.


Love and serving others is cross daily struggle in affirmative action.

Cross bearing illness and tribulations without complaining but trusting thankfully that every tribulation brings blessings and spiritual lessons.

Verses and Fathers Sayings

For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,
saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
(Isa. 41: 13)

We should rather resort to faith that

lightens our heavy burdens!

(St. Ambrose)

Too Late

The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble., He cares for those who trust in him.
Nahum 1: 7

When life of sin transform all human efforts, talents, strength, and courage to ashes, I wonder! How is it possible to collect ashes to create new person who can take place among those who do not know sin?! 

Written by a person who lived sinful and tragedy life, she was living desperate life when she signed this letter in her name ... Poor Sarah.

Poor Sarah was pleading for deliverance from the darkness of her blind nights. She was searching for someone to lead her to the sunshine of God. Someone can push away clouds that darkened her soul. She began asking God through the intercession of Virgin Mary, refuge of sinners, that this day would be a new day.. the day that she would never look back. But how could that happen, too late?

That poor lady was judged by her sad heart as she has lost her only savior, and trust in God.
What a misconceptions for Sarah the sinner, about her long term friend, and His true constant love without expecting our love.

She forgot the story of the Magdalene, who's sinning life was everyone's gossip, and her purity preached through generations.

She forgot Peter when he denied His master by swearing that he does not know Him at all. However, later he became the apostle of His master and preaches in His name on earth.
She forgot the scene at Galilee when her old friend said: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28. If your sins are like scarlet, it will become white as snow and white wool.
She also forgot the crucified Jesus and His stretched arms, when he called: "I thirst." John 19: 28

Jesus, the Incarnated God, loving and thirsty of souls that misunderstood life just like Sarah the sinner; and to souls that are crushed by wheel of life and was interested in life temptation and wealth.

Life is full of tragedy, and the greatest call is Too Late. We may have wasted our lives, or betrayed God's love, or perhaps destroyed our souls by loving world desires and power
But in spite of all this He calls us as He did with His people in the Old Testament: Isaiah 41: 10 - 13
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
For I am the LORD your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.

Perhaps our lives are full of dangers, but (with his tenderly pierced hands) He will restore what's broken and heals wounds. The only sin that should not be committed, is this frightening appeal: Too Late.

O my Beloved Lord Jesus Christ, I feel sometimes there is no use in a new attempt. How many times I have tried but to no avail?! But I know it is wrong to deny your true love, I also know that it would be the worse sin to lose hope, in spite of this, I lose it sometimes.

O my Beloved Lord Jesus, please do not allow this to happen, inspite of the severity of my weakness will, my severe sin, and being away from you, do not let me say: (Too Late) - But let me see how full is my heart with your grace - Your grace which completes in weakness.

Father Bishoy Kamel

Quotes Of Pope Shenouda III

 Quotes Of Pope Shenouda III

 

Spiritual life is not just outward, but it's heart that became a house for God and an altar of the Holy Spirit.

 

You only have one soul, if you preserve it you won everything but if you lost it you have lost everything

 

Success in not large number served people, but in those you were able to change their lives and brought them to God.

 

 

 

Spiritual Reading

Spiritual Reading

Spiritual reading inspires thoughts of spiritual world and transforms from earth to heaven, The Holy Spirit awaken self-ignorant soul for it's salvation by spiritual reading

St. Anthony the Great (the Abbot) Says: Tire yourself in reading spiritual books, as they save you from impurity.

St. John of the Ladder (St. John Climacus of Sinai) Says: Reading illuminates and enlightens the mind.

Verses and Fathers Sayings

Verses and Fathers Sayings

“My Presence will go with you,

and I will give you rest.”

(Ex. 33: 14)

For when God doth comfort, though sorrows

come upon thee by thousands like

snow-flakes, thou wilt be above them all.

(St. John Chrysostom)

We May Wonder

 We May Wonder

We May Wonder

We may wonder: How could I be a light of Christ?! This story might help you....

Adel returned from Germany with a phosphorous suitcase that illuminate in dark. He once brought his suitcase and tried it but it did not illuminate. He thought he was deceived when he bought it.

He forgot to read the instruction, that it should be placed first under the sunshine to absorb as much light from the sun in order to illuminate brightly.

So you do not light if you do not expose your life to the teaching and the grace of Christ.

Luke 16: 1-16

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.

2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—

4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6 “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.

9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.

15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it.

Learn The Verses And Meditate Upon Them

Learn The Verses And Meditate Upon Them

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

1 Timothy 6:7

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;

1 Thessalonians 4:3

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Colossians 3:16

A Christian

A Christian

Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston , Texas .
Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.'

Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount?
Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change '

The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town?'

'Yes' he replied.

'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday.'

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.'

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test!
Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself
' Christian .'

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.


The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not PROTECT you...

Stay FAITHFUL and Be GRATEFUL! Be A Good Christian! 

Quotes of Pope Shenouda III

Quotes of Pope Shenouda III

Love always give, and lust always take
 

Practical Chistian Life is a journey to Golgotha. But Christianity without Cross would not be true Christianity.

While theologians were researching on difficult matters, many of simple people infiltrated into the Kingdom of GOD

Verses and Fathers Sayings

Verses and Fathers Sayings

But immediately Jesus spoke to them,
saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
(Matt. 14: 27)




O Lord our God, under the shadow
of thy wings let us hope--defend us and support us.
Thou wilt bear us up when
we are little and even down to our gray hairs thou wilt carry us.
For our stability, when it is in thee, is stability indeed;
but when it is in ourselves, then it is all unstable.

(ST. Augustine)

Victory Over Sin

Victory Over Sin

In order to triumph over sin, you must...

Escape from all temptations.

The wise fear the LORD and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.
Proverbs 14: 16


Struggle against sin.

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Hebrews 12: 4


Asking for God's assistance, who promised us with victory.

And call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me. Psalm 50: 15

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8: 31

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37


Through means of grace: fasting and prayers, the word of God, and confession and communion.

One Day I Decided To Quit

One Day I Decided To Quit

One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me...
"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?" "Yes", I replied.
When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.
I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.

But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.
"In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. "I would not quit." He said.
"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant... But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.

It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle. "He said to me."
Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots." "I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you.
"Don't compare yourself to others .." He said.

"The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern... Yet, they both make the forest beautiful." Your time will come, "God said to me." You will rise high! "How high should I rise?" I asked. How high will the bamboo rise? "He asked in return."
As high as it can? "I questioned." Yes. "He said," Give me glory by rising as high as you can.

I left the forest and bring back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. He will never give up on you.

Never regret a day in your life.
Good days give you happiness.
Bad days give you experiences;
Both are essential to life.

A happy and meaningful life requires our continuous input and creativity. It does not happen by chance. It happens because of our choices and actions. And each day we are given new opportunities to choose and act and, in doing so, we create our own unique journey.

Keep going...
Happiness keeps you Sweet, Trials keep you Strong, Sorrows keep you Human,
Failures keep you humble, Success keeps You Glowing, but Only God keeps You Going!

Say A Prayer!

Say A Prayer!


It's always time to say a prayer
Someone needs it out there
You may not know their name
You may not know where they are
But if you burdened in your heart
Kneel and say a prayer for them

Oh' it could be someone
Reaching for the Master's hand
Low on strength and struggling
And maybe they are under a strain
Facing heartache, pain or trials
Don't ask why just say a prayer for them

They could possibly even be
Just across the street
Or somewhere in another land
In need of help you don't understand
And reaching for the Father's hand
So, say a prayer for them

Like the papers on the street
There's a dead line to meet
You've got no time to spare no time
There is a hurting soul pleading
Somewhere a heart is bleeding
They are low on time so say a prayer for them

Don't worry about what to ask for
That's all clear to the Lord
He's asking you for a little faith
And it's not up to us to ask why
We need to reach out for that cry
Obey His will and say a prayer for them

If you look back over your life
Then you might just find
There was a time you needed something too
Whether it was for peace
Or some other need
Someone may have been praying for you.

Halloween

Halloween

My Dear Brethren,

The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

As October 31st draws near, I want to make all uninformed Christians in our Diocese aware of certain traditions celebrated in the United States on this day. The "Halloween" celebration pays tribute to Satan. Every act revolving around Halloween is in honor of false gods. False gods are spirits in the Satanic realm.

"We only do this for fun", some say. "We do not actually practice witchcraft", others repeat. I often wonder how one justifies the celebration of Halloween, the day Satanists have set aside as their "holy day". I am told that children "dress up" as witches, goblins, ghosts and little devils. Let me think about this for a moment, a small child dressed to resemble Satan's darkness. Also, I am told of games played at Halloween festivals that promote fear in children as they are ushered through horror houses and rooms decorated with skeletons, black cats, and bats. Does this representation of death and darkness seem like fun? Certainly not to me, I am told that pumpkins designed with faces are "cute ways" to denote the present day meaning of Halloween the literature purports that pumpkin faces are symbolic of skulls. Also around Halloween I am told of theatre movies which celebrate the cult of death...Somehow I still have not found fun within all of this...Have you? Have your children? To me, this sounds more like fixation with death and mental illness to me...

Many attempt to compromise on the celebrating of Halloween. Many think the meaning behind Halloween has become obscure today. The fact of the matter is, the actual methodology of witchcraft survives until today. When our children are taught it is "alright" to celebrate heathen practices such as "Halloween" it does not give them the repulsion and resistance they need to stand against greater Satanic involvement. When celebrations such as these are taken lightly, it sets a precedence for our children to accept evil rather than resist it.

Many have asked me, "What is the harm?" My answer to this question is that occultism can be seen as a threatening storm brewing on the religious horizon gredually becoming very strong. More specifically, let's contemplate a moment on the origin of "Halloween," begun as a day to give tribute and praise to the dark forces of Satan. "Halloween" is derived from the word "Samhain (Sa-ween)." Samhain, the lord of the dead, called together all the wicked souls who had died within the past year and were destined to inhabit animals. The celebration of the dead honored the god of the dead on this particular night, October 31st. Bonfires were lit high on mountaintops so the spirits of the dead could find their way. Suitable food and shelter were provided for these evil spirits or they would inflict havoc, cast spells, steal infants, destroy crops, kill farm animals, and instill terror as they haunted the living. This is where "trick or treat" is derived. To worship evil spirits and false gods is against scripture.

If one knows the Lord Jesus Christ before death, their spirit will be with the Lord. St Paul tells us that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord Christ. If one is an unbeliever at death, the scripture says there is no second chance as "it is appointed unto man once to die and after that judgment". Therefore, prayer for the satanic is in opposition to God's Word and a pagan practice cannot become "Christianized." We must make a decision to be for or against Christ. Our Christian practices must display our beliefs and be an example to the others.

Furthermore, Ephesians 5:6-12 states, "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret."

It is at this point I want the reader to stop and think about October 31st. Do we find "All Saints Day" in the Coptic Synaxarium? My Synaxarium does not contain this celebration. Please let me know if yours does. I would certainly like to read this. I was under the impression we celebrated Coptic Saints throughout the ENTIRE year, not on one particular day. While you were searching in your Coptic Synaxarium did you happen to notice two very important feasts, which occur on October 31st, and another the following day? Did you know that the Commemoration of St Mary and the Feast of Anba Roewis occur on October 31st? I am quite sure these feasts were more familiar to you as Copts than the pagan celebration of "Halloween". Am I correct? The following day is the Feast Day of the Great Evangelist St Luke. I am quite sure you also knew this. Am I again correct?

I do not believe it is in Christian fellowship to celebrate Halloween. I do NOT encourage our children to dress in costumes. Costumes on this night are symbolic of celebrating Halloween. The same holds true for the acceptance of candy. Please think about the following pointsWhy do we not greet one another during the Holy Passion Week from Wednesday until Saturday morning? It is because we do not want to do anything symbolic of Judas kiss. Another thought to coincide with this thought is, on Holy Thursday we must complete the Divine Liturgy, according to Church Canons, before sunset. There is a reason for this. The Coptic Church does not want to have fellowship with the Jews eating during the Passover. Therefore, any day not set aside for Halloween; any day in which these practices are not symbolic of Satanic practices is alright for eating candy and wearing appropriate costumes. There exists 364 days in which one can eat candy and wear costumes. Only one day in which one cannot.

Attend Church, the Vespers, and the Exaltation of the Saints on October 31st. Create plays and skits for the great saints St. Mary, St. Roewis, and St. Luke. The Mother of God, the poor layman who sold salt, and the Gospel writer's life can teach us so much! Reflect upon their lives. Spiritually meet together, and then enjoy the social atmosphere of Christian fellowship, Saints' plays and Agape meal. Let's all give thanks to God for a true Christian reason to celebrate this day!

I want to close with one final thought. Using witchcraft to foretell the future was against God's Law and caused King Saul of Israel to lose his life. I Samuel 28:7-8 says, "Then Saul said to his servants, 'Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.' And his servants said to him, 'In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.' So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, 'Please conduct a sance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you'." (It should be noted that familiar spirits are nothing more than demons). Has anyone ever told you about the psychic phone lines and readings offered on television? I have been told of these things and am appalled that anyone would use these whether in jest or seriously. Foretelling the future by psychics is clearly addressed here. Read further to discover what happened to King Saul and his involvement with "familiar spirits".

The Lord Pronounced His sever punishment upon Saul that very night; "And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day" (I Samuel 28:17-18).

The Bible clearly warns us to flee from the occult practices. It delineates the consequences making it forbidden to mankind. I did not find one reference to "only doing this for fun." How can one derive "fun" from celebrating darkness and honoring the "lord of the dead"?

Satan worship is prevalent today in middle schools and high schools. We address this issue frequently in our youth meetings. Literature searches have revealed that at least 100 million Americans practice some form of the occult. We know that using witchcraft to foretell the future was a crime that cost King Saul his life. What will the price we will have to pay "for just having fun" be?

Let us pray that God will grant us wisdom to abstain from this dark celebration, and in all things bring honor to His Holy Name.

Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States

http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/242/halloween/