Carry Sins Of Others

The one who is without sin, carried sin for our sake. He did not feel ashamed to walk forward with the sinners and ask His servant, John, to baptize Him. When the great prophet became shy of the situation, He gently said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Matthew 3:15

By doing this He gave us a practical lesson. He gave us a lesson to carry the sins of others, to happily pay the price on their behalf.

H.H. Pope Shenouda III

Ethiopian Patriarch Visits Egypt

 

This is not just a visit to our Church, but rather to our hearts

HH Pope Tawadros II 

H. H. Pope Tawadros on the visit of the Patriarch of Ethiopia: It is not just a visit to our Church but rather to our hearts.

In his meeting with His Holiness Abune Matthias I, Patriarch of Ethiopia, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, in his speech expressed his happiness and the Holy Synod by this visit, referring to the historical relationship between the two Churches: I want to express my happiness at receiving Abune Matthias I, Patriarch of Ethiopia on behalf of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the first visit of an Ethiopian Patriarch was in the 1982.

The Bible spoke of Egypt in the Old Testament in the book of Isaiah, about the coming of Jesus Christ into the land of Egypt, where He blessed many places. There is a strong historical ties between our two Churches began since Pope Athanasius of Alexandria from 328 to 373 B.C., when he enthroned Bishop Salama (Saint Frumentius - ፍሬምናጦስ) the first Bishop of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Church has many Ancient Churches, Monasteries and many Saints, including St. Takla Haimanot which our Church in Alexandria is built in his name.

The relationship between our two Churches is geographically linked by the Nile River. We also have strong ties in recent years.  Bishop Bemen, from The Coptic Holy Synod,  is the coordinator of relations between the two Churches. This is not just a visit to our Church, but rather to our hearts. 
We welcome His Holiness once again to Egypt.

The Holy Nativity

This Nativity night 

bestowed peace on the whole world;


So let no one threaten;
This is the night of the Most Gentle One – Let no one be cruel;
This is the night of the Humble One – Let no one be proud.
Now is the day of joy – Let us not revenge;
Now is the day of Good Will – Let us not be mean.
In this Day of Peace – Let us not be conquered by anger.
Today the Bountiful impoverished Himself for our sake;
 

So, rich one, invite the poor to your table.
Today we receive a Gift for which we did not ask;
 

So let us give alms to those who implore and beg us.
This present Day cast open the heavenly doors to our prayers;
 

Let us open our door to those who ask our forgiveness.
Today the DIVINE BEING took upon Himself the seal of our humanity,
 

In order for humanity to be decorated by the Seal of DIVINITY.

 St. Isaac The Syrian

Nativity Sermon

O Theotokos

You are the honored Mother of the Light; from the risings of the sun to its settings praises are offered to you, O Theotokos, the second heaven, as you are the bright and unchanging flower, and the ever virgin mother; for the Father chose you, and the Holy Spirit overshadowed you, and the Son condescended and took flesh from you. 

Wherefore, ask Him to give salvation to the world which He created, and to deliver it from all tribulations. 

Let us praise Him a new praise, and bless Him, now and forever and unto the ages of all ages. 

Amen.

From the Prime Hour 

of the Coptic Orthodox Agpeya 

Verses and Fathers Sayings

But the ones that fell on the good ground are
those who, having heard the word 
with a noble and good heart, keep it 
and bear fruit with patience.

Luke 8:15  

Observe your thoughts, and beware of what you have in your heart and your spirit, knowing that the demons put ideas into you so as to corrupt your soul by making it think of that which is not right, in order to turn your spirit from the consideration of your sins and of God. 

Abba Elias

Dwell Together In Unity

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way 

into him who is the head, into Christ, 

from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint 

with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, 

makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Ephesians 4: 15 - 16 ESV

Perform your duties in the church faithfully and joyfully, as they fall to your lot according to your rank, and fulfill your ministry with uprightness, because of that God under whom we are fellow servants and to whom we understand that we shall render an account of our actions.

Therefore, his mercy ought to abound in us, because 'judgment without mercy to him that has not done mercy.' For this reason pray with us for those who still cause us sadness, that the sickness of their carnal mind, intensified and concentrated by long custom, may be healed.

For who does not understand 'how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity' if that pleasure touches a palate from which the mind has spit out all the bitterness of division and that loves the sweetness of charity?

The God to whom we pray for them is powerful and merciful enough to use any sort of occasion to draw them even now to salvation. May the Lord preserve you in peace.
 

St Augustine

Troubled Thoughts

He who goes out weeping, bearing
the seed for sowing, shall come home
with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalm 126:6

A brother questioned Abba Poemen in this way, 'My thoughts trouble me, making me put my sins aside, and concern myself with my brother's faults'. The old man told him the following story about Abba Dioscorus (the monk), 'In his cell he wept over himself, while his disciple was sitting in another cell. When the latter came to see the old man he asked him, "Father, why are you weeping?" "I am weeping over my sins," the old man answered him. Then his disciple said, "You do not have any sins, Father." The old man replied, "Truly, my child, if I were allowed to see my sins, three or four men would not be enough to weep for them."

Abba Dioscorus

Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

From the parable, it is quite certain that souls when they leave the body do not still linger here, but are forthwith led away. And hear how it is shown: ‘It came to pass,’ it is said, ‘that he died, and was carried away by the angels.’ Not the souls of the just only, but also those of sinners are led away. This also is clear from the case of another rich man. For when his land brought forth abundantly, he said within himself, ‘What shall I do? I will pull down my barns and build greater.' (Luke 12:18) Than this state of mind nothing could be more wretched.

He did in truth pull down his barns; for secure storehouses are not built with walls of stone; they are ‘the mouths of the poor.’ But this man neglecting these, was busy about stone walls. What, however, did God say to him? ‘Thou fool, this night shall they require thy soul of thee.’

Mark also: in one passage it is said that the soul is carried away by angels; in the other, that ‘they require it;’ and in the latter case they lead it away as a prisoner; in the former, they guard and conduct it as a crowned victor. And like as in the arena a combatant, having received many wounds, is drenched with blood; his head being then encircled with a crown, those who stand ready by the spot take him up, and with great applause and praise they bear him home amid shouting and admiration.

In this way the angels on that occasion led Lazarus also away. But in the other instance dreadful powers, probably sent for that purpose, required the soul. For it is not of its own accord that the soul departs this life; indeed, it is not able. For if when we travel from one city to another we need guides, much more does the soul stand in want of those who can conduct it, when it is separated from the flesh, and is entering upon the future state of existence.

St. John Chrysostom

God Never Quits

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
 his mercies never come to an end.
  Lamentations 3:22

Many of us have difficulty accepting that God is as generous as He is. When we repeat a failure, we have a tendency to say, "This is it. God is finished with me this time." Actually God is never finished with any of his children. You see, there is not a loophole in God's mercy.

The problem is that we take the feelings that we would have if someone wronged us and apply them to the way we wrong God.  We say, "I would be finished with anyone who did that to me, so God must be finished with me." We take the feelings we have and project them onto God. Nothing could be farther from the truth. God will discipline us if we sin, because he wants us to mature. But he never "drops" us. So we can relax and enjoy God's endless mercies and thank Him for His discipline. God isn't finished with us yet.