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The Importance of Goals in Life
H.G. Bishop Moussa

Spirituality | Youth

Life without goals means being totally lost. This is a fact most people would concur with. When the hedonists in olden times said; “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1Cor. 15:23), they met with strong opposition throughout the ages. Man does not consist merely of a body and senses; he consists of also a soul that prays, a mind that thinks, and a social being with relation-ships that have the potential for love, happiness, sacrifice, and responsibility.

St. Anthony the Great: Wisdom Derived from Humility
H.G. Bishop Youssef

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

Humility to virtues, it is often said, is like a root to a tree. A tree could not grow strong, bear fruit, or live a long life unless its roots are established deep in the ground. The branches of humility are modesty, unpretentiousness and respect. Therefore humility, defined as being free from pride, is primary for all those seeking a strong enduring relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ

عيد الظهور الإلهى
الأنبا موسى

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

تقابل السيد المسيح أثناء كرازته مع إنسان ولد أعمى، ولم يستطع هذا الإنسان أن يتمتع بنعمة البصر إلا بعد أن قابله السيد وطلى بالطين عينيه، وأمره بالإغتسال فى بركة سلوام، مثالاً لكل البشر، الذين فقدوا بصيرتهم الروحية وإستنارتهم السماوية، وكيف أنهم سينالون الإستنارة من خلال المعمودية.
إن الله لم يترك نفسه بلا شاهد (أع 17:14) بل أعلن لنا نفسه فى القديم بواسطة رموز وصور متعددة مثل:

Glorified Through Suffering
H.G. Bishop Youssef

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

Crucifixion entailed extreme suffering and excruciating pain. The thoughts of being nailed to a cross through ones ankles and wrists makes a person envision horrific agony. Death slowly overcoming a person through suffocation after becoming too exhausted to pull oneself up in order to breathe makes one wonder how could our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ have to suffer this form of execution. This manner of bringing about death was only set aside for the most violent of criminals in ancient Rome.

A Return to the First Church
H.G. Bishop Youssef

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

As we are about to celebrate the Holy Apostles Fast, also known as the Churchs Fast, dare we call upon the life, the first church had lived? Dare we do so, now that we have received and put on Power from above just as our forefathers the apostles had been given; allowing the fiery Spirit to mould and shape them all over again?

The Holy Spirit in the Mysteries of the Church
H.G. Bishop Youssef

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

Our Lord Jesus Christ promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to His disciples I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever (John 14:16). He assured them that the Holy Spirit would reveal truth to the Church. When He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you (John 16:13,14). Just before His Ascension our Lord Jesus Christ promised, John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now (Acts 1:5). This word was fulfilled ten days later on the Day of Pentecost.

Raised Up to Sit in Heavenly Places
H.G. Bishop Youssef

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

"And raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:6).

The Glorious Feast of Nativity: 7 January? 29 Kiahk? 25 December?
Fr. John Ramzy

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

The first Church did not celebrate the birth of Christ. And the actual date of his birth was and still is unknown. The earliest known indication to such a celebration comes in a passing statement by St. Clement of Alexandria who mentions that the Egyptians of his time celebrated the Lord's birth on May 20. At the end of the 3rd century, the Western Churches celebrated it in the winter, and this was only accepted in Rome in the middle of the 4th century.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Blessed Nativity in Our Lives
Father Shenouda Anba Bishoy

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

A few contemplations on two of the many meanings of the Nativity in a Christian's life.

St. Mary: Served Without Stipulation - Part IV
H.G. Bishop Youssef

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

Awake, O my harp, your chords,
in praise of the Virgin Mary!
Lift up your voice and sing
the wonderful history of this Virgin,
The daughter of David,
who gave birth to the Life of the world!
--St. Ephraim the Syrian

St. Mary: Served Without Stipulation - Part III
H.G. Bishop Youssef

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

St. Mary: Served Without Stipulation - Part II
H.G. Bishop Youssef

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

One must believe in God's plan for each of us, especially with the example of St. Mary having been consecrated in the temple to God at the very young age of three, would one day become the True Tabernacle where God would dwell at the innocent young age of twelve. Further in our beloved Coptic Church, St. Mary is often described as "the Holy of Holies which contains the Tables of the Covenant, and the Ten Commandments written by the very finger of God" (Sunday Theotokia, Holy Psalmody). St. Mary's simple obedience molded her into a namesake of service and a precious name of the lips of us all.

St. Mary: Served Without Stipulation - Part I
H.G. Bishop Youssef

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

Not by the letter, but by the spirit
H.H. Pope Shenouda III

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

The Spiritual person always places before himself the words of Saint Paul: "Not of the letter but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3: 6) . This principle involves all his life, because it is in all God's commandments.

The Promise
H.G. Bishop Angaelos

Spirituality | Food for the thought

Although we celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection every year, we may become distracted by the festivities and rituals, and lose sight of the true relevance and meaning of the occasion.

The Body And Its’ Parts
H.G. Bishop Angaelos

Spirituality | Orthodoxy

“And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with [it]; or if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with [it]. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” (1 Corinthians 12:26-27)

The History of the Liturgy
Hegomen Athanasius Iskander

Spirituality | Understanding the Liturgy

The History of the Liturgy from the Apostolic Era to the present.

Rites of the Consecration of Deaconnesses
H.G. Bishop Mettaous

Spirituality | Liturgical Texts of Rites and Prayers

The rites of ordaining a deaconness.

Contemplations on the Hymn of the Cross, Fai Etafenf
Mena Rizkalla

Spirituality | Coptic Hymnology

This article features contemplations and meditations on the hymn of the Cross, Fai Etafenf, which is chanted on the Feasts of the Cross, Great Thursday, and Good Friday.

H.G. Bishop Youssef

Spirituality | Church Worship

"For Christ our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed."
(I Corinthians 5:7)

(Most Biblical references apply the term "Passover" to the Paschal meal and the Feast of Unleavened Bread which followed. The Hebrew word for Passover, "pesach," is derived from the verb that means "to pass over".)

10 The World Passes Away and All That is Therein
Habib Guirgus