St Mark Festival 2013 - Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of...

2013Pre-Servants Book

“Return, Abide , Rejoice”

St Mark Festival

Adults - English Speaking

St Mark Festival 2013 Pre-Servants 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Come To Me….Abide In Me…Rejoice In Me 2

2. A King Returned With His People To God 5

3. Faith In The Lord Jesus Christ And abiding in Him 14

4. The Orthodox Identity 23

5. A Servant Is A Fisher Of Souls 36

6. The Servant And A Life Of Joy 42

7. Being Positive Is The Way To Success 49


1. Come To Me......Abide In Me...... Rejoice In Me

This dimensional Slogan was chosen by the Central Committee of St. Mark s Festival because of our current circumstances. Each soul needs Christ in all aspects of life: the spiritual,

the social etc. Christ our Lord is the key to joy and He is the solution to all our problems. He is

our source of hope every circumstance and He is the one of whom our teacher Saint Paul said,

(e is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (ebrews 3:8).

Our Lord Jesus Christ elevates us above time, with all its positives

and negatives, the past, the present and the future. He also

elevates us above location as He is with us every where on earth,

no matter what our circumstances are, Yea, though ) walk

through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For

You are with me. Psalm : . Also our Lord Jesus Christ

elevates us above humans, meaning that He helps us no matter

who is against us, )f God is for us, who can be against us?

(Romans 8:31).

Our triple-slogan then is:

First: Come To Me

1- Come to Christ: for He is the one who calls us saying, Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and ) will give you rest . (Matthew 11:28). The burdens here are our sins, our

daily and future problems, our worries, our anxiety, our restlessness. In all of this our Lord

Jesus is our constant source of comfort.

2- Come to the Saviour: as Christ is the only one who can save from every sin and from every

feeling of guilt that disrupts our lives, and you shall call (is name JESUS, for He will save His

people from their sins. Matthew : . And with His generous blood, forgives us our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness . John : .

3- Come to the Lover of Sinners: As, when the Pharisees

started to criticize Him for being surrounded by tax collectors

and sinners, He rebuked them saying, Those who are well have

no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to

call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Mark : . He

loves you despite your weaknesses, sins and bad habits so

believe in and enjoy that love.


4- Come to Him who Comforts the Weary: Our Lord Jesus senses our burdens, feels our

weariness and our hurts: In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence

saved them. )saiah : . Let us remember how (e saw (is people s humiliation and sent them Moses the Prophet.

5- Come to the Good Portion: As our Lord Jesus is the good portion, ) shall never be moved. (Psalms 30:6). He is the one whom Mary chose and He commended her because she looked to

Him, the real treasure, and to His heavenly kingdom, the eternal portion, By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches Proverbs : . But temporary treasures

such as material possessions and status end when the world ends and the world, by nature, is

temporal.

Second: Abide In Me

1- Abide in Christ: through the Eucharist, prayers, continual repentance and the spiritual

readings and meetings.

2- Abide in the Faith: Who is Christ? What is the vocabulary of our faith in Him; the evidence

of His divinity?

3- Abide in Good Deeds: There is a difference in the deeds which are

according to the Law, such as the Jewish rituals, and the deeds which are according to grace meaning the work of the (oly Spirit in us , and the importance of works for salvation according to the orthodox understanding , as St. James says: Faith without works is dead James

: . Show me your faith without works and ) will show you my faith by my works James : .

4- Abide in the Way of Salvation: Looking after your salvation is

essential as we only have one soul. The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved! Jeremiah : . For what will it

profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

(Mark 8:36), and how beautiful is the struggle of saints for the sake

of their salvation!


5- Abide in the Orthodox Faith: What is the meaning of Orthodoxy? Orthodox Churches are

divided into two groups. What are the most important features of Orthodoxy? There is a

danger in the unorthodox western teachings, like the danger in mixing the teachings with other

teachings, and the fulfilling Church life is a guarantee for abiding in the Orthodox faith. Also

visiting those whom we serve and caring for them in general.

Third: Rejoice In Me

1- Rejoice in Christ: As He is your Saviour, companion, loving you and closer to you than a

brother and He is the never-ending Who satisfies your heart....

2- Rejoice in Love: the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the (oly Spirit who was given to us . Romans : . Love is the way to joy because it is the way to giving. Unlike selfish

centeredness and ego, which are the way to misery.... and there are many examples of practical

love and its applications and how to preserve it.

3- Rejoice in Serving: Serving is an expression of my love for Christ

who loved me and taught me to love and serve others. There are

different types of service and service in different areas. We read about

these in Romans 12. We hope to start missions in which the youth can

serve, such as visiting the sick in hospitals, caring for orphans, visiting

nursing homes and serving the elderly, serving those with special needs

and serving the society in general.

4- Rejoice in Others: Another person could be Christ Himself as in the story of

Saint Bishoy, and someone else could give you the opportunity to practice love

and be given a chance to give, learn, tolerate and gain virtues. So interacting in

the society is a must for Christians. It is important for the Christian person to be

part of the society in which they live, participating in groups, associations,

student unions and having honest, loving relationships with others.

5- Rejoice in the Eternal Portion: Our Lord promised us His kingdom which He would take us

to in the Second Coming. Therefore we must be prepared to before we go to this kingdom. We

can read about this kingdom in Revelation, 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 15.


2. A King Returned With His People To God

A) WHO IS HE? Josiah is a (ebrew name that means God heals . God used him to heal the apostasy of the nation of Israel in one of the hardest periods of its history.

He was the 16th king of the Kingdom of Judah. He ascended the throne at the

age of 8 and remained there for 31 years.

The young king was enthroned during a time of severe corruption. His people had begun a

period of decline as Amon, his father, had filled the land with dishonesty and evil deeds, And many brought gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he

was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter Chronicles : and before that, his

grandfather Manasseh, who reigned 55 years, had spread evil throughout the kingdom.

Josiah received the kingdom after 57 years of corruption and apostasy after his father and

grandfather reigned. He inherited a ruined and corrupt Kingdom; however he did not tolerate

this corruption. Instead he turned to the divine promise and moved forward.

B) THE SECRET OF BLESSING IN THE LIFE OF JOSIAH

The secret of blessing and righteousness in the life of Josiah were due to many factors but the

most important were:

1- A Pious Mother:

The author of the book of Kings attributes his righteousness and forthrightness to his mother

and says, Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in

Jerusalem. (is mother s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what

was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn

aside to the right hand or to the left. Kings : -2), and Adaiah is a Hebrew name which means beloved . Many commentaries on the book of Kings state that she was like Hannah the mother of Samuel,

Monica the mother of Saint Augustine, Yokabed the mother of Moses and Efneky the mother of

Timothy and other mothers who played a major role in the lives of their blessed children.


2- The Repentance Of King Manasseh, His Grandfather

Perhaps the second most significant reason for the blessed life of King

Josiah was the repentance of his grandfather King Manasseh. In his final

days he began to correct the path which the nation had taken. He destroyed

the idols and all sorts of sacrifices from the house of God and all the altars which he built on top of God s house and Jerusalem and he removed outside the city. (e then restored God s altar and gave sacrifices of peace and thanksgiving, Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade

you like this, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom

was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand? Furthermore, his servants spoke against the LORD God

and against His servant Hezekiah. He also wrote letters to revile the LORD God of Israel, and to

speak against Him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of (ezekiah will not deliver (is people from my hand. Chronicles 32:15-17).

In the final five years of his life Manasseh tried to correct all the mistakes of the past. He

attempted to correct the mistakes of his son Amon but with no avail. Amon had gone beyond reform and was full of corruption from his father s life. So it was Manasseh who began to teach his grandson Josiah the love of God and he instilled in him a spirit of reverence and worship.

Manasseh died when Josiah was only 6 years old but his grandfather s teachings remained with him.

3- The Honest Teachers

Perhaps the third reason was the presence of trustworthy teachers who were surrounding

Josiah during that time. They encouraged him and advised him. They were Jeremiah the

prophet, Halkia the priest, Shafan the author and Khelda the prophetess.

Whoever studies the character and life of Josiah and learn that his father Amon died when he

was just eight years old, may ask why God permitted Josiah be raised as an orphan. Some may

see this as unfair and wonder what he did wrong to lose his father and inherit a ruined

kingdom at the age of eight?

Some said, perhaps it was for the best that his evil father died while he was still young so that

he would not be influenced by his evil ways. However, we thank God in all things and in all

conditions and even if our mother or father abandon us, God remains our best friend and constant companion throughout our life s journey.


C) JOSIAH AND THE REQUEST TO RETURN TO GOD

Concerning Josiah, the author of the book of Chronicles says, For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he

began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images,

and the molded images Chronicles : .

Josiah started to have a personal relationship with God at the age of 16 and this was the

turning point in his life, as success starts from within. Each of us has an inner world and an

outer world. The calmer, more organised our inner world is the stronger we are and the more

we will be able to achieve. However, if our inner world is divided and fragmented we lose on all fronts. A world leader once said, we won many battles but we were defeated in front of ourselves . (ow beautiful is the phrase, (e sought the Lord . Most year old young men chase after

gold, silver, money or a wife, but instead he sought God. Here I must say to every young

person, even if you own the whole world and you do not have God, you have nothing. But, if

you have God and nothing else you have everything as you have the King of the Universe.

D) JOSIAH AND COMPREHENDING THE GOAL AND

MESSAGE

When does a person discover the purpose of his existence? One can never truly discover this

until he has connected to his God. Separated from God ones actions become an aimless

struggle with all his achievements ending with his death. By the time Josiah had reached the

age of 20 and had known his God for four years, he had discovered his mission in life. He put

his search for God into practise. In the same way our Christian life is not only the internal, that

is prayers and praising, but an effective, living example addressing societies issues.

So Josiah came to the realisation that he needed to rectify what time had corrupted. His aim

was not only to obtain the throne or to have authority or possess properties but his goal was

that his kingdom be that of God and his Christ and to make God happy through his reign.


Josiah progressed towards reform. He started by demolishing the

idols and statues, heights, masts, the altar of Baal. He destroyed

them and scattered them over the graves of those who sacrificed to

them. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he

began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he

began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden

images, the carved images, and the molded images. They broke down

the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down;

and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made

dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He also burned

the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 34: 3-5).

Josiah realised that his reform should not be limited to just Jerusalem and his kingdom but

should include any corrupt region. This is why he also brought reform to the cities of

Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon and Naphtali, And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around, with axes. Chronicles : . And

they were all the cities of the Northern Kingdom.

Josiah actually personally oversaw the demolition of the altars himself. He also ensured that

these altars would not be rebuilt again by burning the bones of the dead which were on top.

Corruption had entered the holy of holies, so Josiah ordered the mast from the house of God to

be brought out and burnt. He also took out all the vessels that were made for Baal and his mast

from the house of God and also had them burnt at the valley of Kidron. He demolished the

houses of the Moabites and the high places at the gates, And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to

Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate

of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to the left of the city gate. Kings : , they

were the high places which were erected at the city gates and on it was a statue whose upper

half looked like a human and whose bottom half looked like a goat and he demolished the

altars that were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, The altars that were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had

made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, the king broke down and pulverized there, and

threw their dust into the Brook Kidron. Kings : . These were the altars of worship built

by King Manasseh.

Josiah uprooted idolatry and pursued that everywhere to the extent that the author of the book

of Kings said, Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in

Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that

(ilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. Kings : . The household gods are said to

have been owned by individuals: compare (Genesis 31:19), (1 Samuel 19:13) and they were

idols used for home worship. This proves that Josiah attempted to uproot the worship of idols

even in the homes of the people.


E) JOSIAH AND THE RESTORATION OF THE TEMPLE

At the age of 26, after 18 years on the throne, King Josiah began to restore the temple. Not only

did Josiah purify the kingdom from idolatry, evil and corruption but he went to restore the

temple of God and purify it. It had been neglected for 60 years and it needed restoration, not

only due to negligence but it had been damaged during the Assyrian conquest. Some may ask

why Josiah waited this long to restore the temple as he had started his mission at the age of 20.

Perhaps it was that he was so busy purifying the Kingdom of its corruption and, due to its

widespread effects, it took many years to purge it of all the evil. Or perhaps it was costly to restore the temple and the kingdom s treasury did not permit it. Josiah assigned this important mission to a number of secular people. They were Shafan son of

Asliah, and Maseia the head of the city, and Yoakh son of Yoahaz (2 Chronicles 34:8).

Josiah did not want the temple to be just a place of beauty but a place of worship in order to

draw closer to God and to be the centre of light.

F) JOSIAH AND THE BOOK OF THE LAW

During the restoration of the temple, Halkia the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord (2 Chronicles : . Dr Autry says in his book, Progress in the Old Testament , that if Josiah had not been so intent on restoring the temple he would have not found the Book of the Law. This

finding was far more amazing then the restoration itself as the Book of the Law had contained

many blessings hidden for those who are honest to God. In an attempt to accomplish a good

deed they have accomplished an even better thing than the original goal.

How was the Book of the Law first lost from God s nation? (ow can a nation completely neglect its Holy Book? And was there a more important book in the life of the nation that that book? Did the nation forget God s word? (ere the true picture of the state the nation had reached is revealed. We can conclude that spiritual ruin is always followed by national ruins.


Finding the Book of the Law is proof that the word of God never fails, no matter how corrupt a

nation is or how wicked its priests are. The Book of the Law challenges time and conquers the

doubt and indifference of whom it was sent for.

Some say that the book was buried under a heap of stones when Ahaz burned other copies of

the Law. Or perhaps the book was lost at the time of apostasy during the reign of King

Manasseh. Perhaps it was hidden in the Ark of the Covenant which Manasseh placed in one of

the rooms of the temple and it was forgotten all those years (2 Kings 21:2-16, 2 Chronicles

33:9), or perhaps it was lost when the temple was defiled or it was laid on the fence as was the

custom in the olden days when the temple had first been built.

After Halkia the Priest found the Book of the Law he passed it on to

Shafan who then brought it to the king and read part of it to him. When Josiah heard the words of the law, he tore his garments . There was no mention of Akhikam, Akboor, Halkia, Asaya or Khelda the

Prophetess tearing their garments as King Josiah did. He was the soft

hearted one who was the most affected. Perhaps the Book of the Law

was a discovery on the same level as some of today s archaeological discoveries related to the Bible, but the Book was considered by Josiah

as the book of life and existence.

Josiah sobbed and tore his clothes as a sign of his sadness and repentance as he discovered that

his ancestors did not live their life according to God s laws, Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes. Then the king

commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah,

Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning

the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is

poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to

do according to all that is written in this book . Chronicles : -21).

So they went to Khelda the Prophetess. Her response can be divided into two sections:

(i) She warned the king that judgement would not take place during his reign due to his

humility, because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and

you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. Chronicles 34:27).

(ii) Although the damage did not take place during his reign he was still distressed as he felt that his nation s future was far more important than himself.

Soft hearts are fertile ground for the seeds of progress and God wants to use men where,

through them, He can change the destiny of nations and kingdoms. But God cannot use a


selfish, self-centred person. Josiah was outside himself and his concern was for his nation and

its problems and how to free his nation from its slavery. This is why he sent for all the elders of

Judah and Jerusalem, and all the people, from the youngest to the eldest, and he read to them,

in the house of God, from the Book of the Law.

Josiah stood on a platform and made a pledge in front of God, saying that they should follow

God and know His commandments, requirements and prayers with all their heart and soul and

to do all that is written in the book (2 Chronicles 34: 19-31). Here we find Josiah setting the

best example to his people of obedience to God. Josiah was not embarrassed to announce his

repentance in front of all the people and to admit that he himself was among them a sinner. Josiah s actions show his great humility, not only in front of God but also in front of His people.

G) JOSIAH AND THE PASSOVER

In the 18th year for King Josiah s reign, that is when he was 26 years of age, he organised the

Passover to be held in Jerusalem before the Lord, But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the Lord in Jerusalem. Kings : . The Passover was the most

important of all Jewish Festivals and it carried many beautiful, spiritual symbols. God gave this

feast to the Jewish people just before the last plague, the killing of every first born Egyptian.

Each first born of the Jewish nation, however, was saved (Exodus 12). The Passover signifies

salvation and deliverance from their slavery into freedom and from humiliation to honour.

The Passover indicates the importance of blood, as God told them, Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the

plague shall not be on you to destroy you when ) strike the land of Egypt . Exodus : .

Josiah wanted to deliver these important symbols to the nation one more time to remind them

of their importance. Many years had passed since the Feast of the Passover had been

celebrated and it would have been erased completely from their memories had Josiah not

revived it once more.

The author of the Book of Chronicles said of Josiah, There had been no Passover kept in )srael like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a

Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present,

and the inhabitants of Jerusalem Chronicles : .

It was said about the Passover Feast which Ezekiel performed, that one like it had not been

seen since the days of Solomon, however, the Passover Feast performed by Josiah s, had not been seen since the days of Samuel, that is 500 years earlier.

As a king, Josiah did not just issue orders for the organising of the Passover Feast but he

himself participated in the worship. It was said about him, Then Josiah gave the lay people


lambs and young goats from the flock, all for Passover

offerings for all who were present, to the number of thirty

thousand, as well as three thousand cattle; these were from the

king s possessions Chronicles : . So he was very

generous and he gave donations to the leaders to assist in the

preparations of the Feast.

H) THE DEATH OF JOSIAH

Josiah died at the young age of 39 years. He had reigned 31 years and was

buried in the tomb of the kings. His death was a great loss to his people, (is

servants therefore took him out of that chariot and put him in the second chariot

that he had, and they brought him to Jerusalem. So he died, and was buried in one

of the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

Jeremiah also lamented for Josiah. And to this day all the singing men and the

singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations. They made it a custom in

)srael; and indeed they are written in the Laments. Chronicles : -25).

The question that we are faced with now is: Why did God permit that righteous king to die at

such a young age? Why did God permit his death while the kingdom was in great need of him?

Why did God permit his death when he was a blessing to his nation? We can t answer these questions but we must accept, with joy and submission, the will of God

and understand that it is for the best as we do not know the future and our view is limited and

narrow. Perhaps God permitted his death so he may not see evil during his days. Perhaps God

had compassion on him so that he may not see the temple, which he restored, become ruins or

see the nation which he toiled for over many years be forced into captivity.

God spoke to Josiah 12 years before his death, during the restoration of the temple and after

the discovery of the Book of the Law saying, because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and

you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard

you, says the Lord. Surely ) will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamities which I will bring on this place and

its inhabitants. So they brought back word to the king. Chronicles : -28). And God

followed through with His promise and took him before the difficult days came to pass.

The author of the Book of Kings says about Josiah, Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all

the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him. Nevertheless the Lord did not turn from the


fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the

provocations with which Manasseh had provoked (im. Kings : -26).

Josiah was a great, righteous and virtuous king but his reforms did not reach the whole nation.

The changes did not penetrate deep enough and did not reach all the corners of the nation.

Finally my beloved youth, let us contemplate over what we have read and discover the secret

of blessing in the life of King Josiah. What can we do so the blessings may fill our lives?

Do we, like Josiah, long to return to God, purify our lives and the lives of others from all evil and

defilement? Do we seek to plant within us the word of God, nourish ourselves with the

Eucharist, and give God all our possessions so that we may become a blessing?


3. Faith In The Lord Jesus Christ And Abiding In Him

First: Faith in Christ

1- Who Is Christ?

(i) He is the Son of humanity: His name according to the law, For the Son of Man will come in the glory of (is Father. Mathew : , For the Son of Man has come to seek

and to save that which was lost. Luke : .

(ii) The last Adam: His name in comparison to the first Adam, The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. Corinthians : .

(iii) The Son of David: His name from the Jewish perspective, The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David. Mathew : .

(iv) Emanuel: From the incarnation viewpoint, though He became flesh (God with us) and

dwelt among us, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the

glory as of the only begotten of the Father. John : .

(v) Jesus: Joshua = Jehovah redeems = the name of redemption, And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Mathew : . This is the name of salvation, who is our Lord Jesus Christ, Friday s Theotokia , Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever . (ebrews : .

(vi) The Christ: the anointed of God = A royal name, Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Mathew : .

(vii) The son of the living God: God the incarnated = His divine name which appeared in the

flesh, therefore, also, that (oly One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke : . For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon (is shoulder.

And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of

Peace. )saiah : . And ) have seen and testified that this is the Son of God. John : .

Faith is not only embracing a group of doctrines which we recite in the Nicene Creed but rather

it is a way of life. Doctrine leads to life, for what is the use of believing in eternity and life after

death with Christ if one is not prepared through repentance and continuous vigilance and

having a love for God and His children?


2- The Life Of Faith In Christ:

There is a big difference between outer faith which does not redeem the soul and practical faith

whose fruits appear in your life, You will know them by their fruits. Matthew : . The life of

a true believer is connected:

(i) The inner peace and tranquillity: and the absence of fear (Matthew 14:31). Every once in a

while a Christian must exam his faith to assess whether he is a true believer who bears fruits of

faith or not, Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Corinthians : .

(ii) The purity of reputation: The believer feels God s presence before him. (e hears, sees and documents all that he learns and that s why he is always afraid of sin in front of God. So he says with the psalmist: ) have set the Lord always before me; because (e is at my right hand ) shall not be moved. Psalm : , because we speak about to God in front of God.

(iii) Completely surrendering your life to the will of God: God is the maker of all good as we say

at the beginning of each prayer, Let us give thanks to the gracious and merciful God . Everything that God allows to happen is for our own good, All is for good , as (is (oliness Pope Shenouda always taught us. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to (is purpose. Romans : .

(iv) Satisfaction, joy and calmness: The believer is content with God s work in their lives, (is tender hands and (is good Fatherhood, (is holy will, Let it be according to your will on earth as it is in heaven. The Lord s Prayer . (v) Trusting in Christ who performs miracles: I can do all things through Christ who

strengthens me. Philippians : , all things are possible to him who believes. Mark : .

(vi) Is Joyful during tribulations and is not shaken: God has many solutions, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. James : , Rejoice in the Lord always. Again ) will say, rejoice. Philippians : .

(vii) Good works: Faith without works is dead. James : , Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James : .

(viii) Complete trust in God: And in (is true promises. )saiah : , Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (ebrews : , Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. (ebrews : . So the

believer does not argue with what God does, but he accepts all things from Him with complete trust in God s wisdom and love.


(ix) The purity of the heart: God is holy, You fear to appear with your sin in front of him. (Isaiah 6:3-4). God exists, (ow then can ) do this great wickedness, and sin against God? (Genesis 39:9). God watches and sees, ) know your deeds. Romans : , Revelations : . God knows what is in your heart, He knows your thoughts, your feelings and emotions, your plans.

Your mind, which lives in faith, is seen by God so that he does not dare to sin, but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. John : .

3- The Simplicity Of Faith In Christ:

Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew : .

A STORY

Once upon a time there was a country stricken with drought. The

people of this country agreed that they would consecrate a day of

prayer, asking God to allow the rains to come. When the day arrived

they all gathered together for prayer. Among them was a little girl who held

an umbrella in her hands. When she was asked why she brought the umbrella she replied, Aren t we coming here to pray for rain? God will answer our prayers and allow the rains to come. Therefore I must be prepared as I do not

want to get wet . Because of her simple faith God permitted the rains to fall.

Our mind analyses everything and many things it cannot accept. As for faith, it believes in

absolute simplicity without any intellectual complication. Miracles happen to simple people

and not to those who are too intellectual and question everything. That is why they mock its

sincerity which then later condemns them (John 15:22).

The Jews did not believe the miracle which was performed to the man born blind (John 9:24),

as all they were concerned with was that this miracle was performed on the Sabbath (John

9:16).

) thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Matthew : . Children have a simple faith

and the simple faith trusts that the hand of God will always save and solve problems. God is the

lover of mankind and the creator of all righteousness, His promises are always true and His

hand always reaches out to save us. The simple faith: Accepts God s grace without searching for how it works. The simple faith: Trusts that all things are possible and that there is nothing which is

impossible Mark : . Don t let too much thinking take you away from the simple faith.


The simple faith: Does not only depend on God but also leaves everything in the hands of God:

My life, my thoughts, my ambitions, my service, my children, my wife, my family , my church

etc......

Examples of the simple faith: Joseph the Righteous, David the Prophet, Abraham offering his son )saac and Jesus disciples. 4- The Strength Of The Faith In Christ

Faith is a virtue; it can be made stronger or weaker. What can we do to strengthen our faith? (2

Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 8:7).

A) Trusting in God:

- God, the creator of all righteousness: Does everything for the best and all that He permits

must, in the end, be for our good and for our benefit, even if it does not seem so at the

beginning.

For example: What Joseph experienced proves that he trusted in God s protection and care, So now it was not you who sent me here, but God. Genesis : , But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good. Genesis : .

- God is loving: See, ) have inscribed you on the palms of My hands. )saiah : , ) will not forget you. )saiah : . So we, as His children and He, as our Father, provides us with more

than what we need and without asking Him until we say enough...enough.

- God can do anything: No matter how difficult our circumstances, as with Abraham and Isaac,

God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. (Romans 4:17). And as with Moses, when God parted the sea and the Israelites walked on dry

land (Exodus 15). God also helped Joshua and the people of Israel to cross the Jordan River.

B. Trusting in the promises of God:

- God s promise to Abraham that (e would give him children to number the stars in heavens.

- God s promise to Elijah that He would care for him and provide for him during the famine,

which He did in a miraculous way (1 Kings 17:3-6).

- God s promise to our mother Eve that her seed will bruise the serpent s head Genesis : . - God s promise to pour down (is spirit upon all humanity. (Joel 2:28)


- God s promise to us that (e would abide in us so that we may become a temple of (is (oly Spirit. (1 Corinthians 3:16).

- God s promise to us that (e will always be with us until the end of the age. Mathew : . - God s promise that we should not worry what to answer because the Holy Spirit will guide us

in what we should say. (Mathew 10: 19-20).

- God s promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church. Mathew : . C. Looking at God and not our circumstances:

As circumstances lead to despair but God leads to hope.

- Moses the prophet: He called the people to look at God, Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD. Exodus : -14).

- David the Prophet: David looked at the great God and so he killed Goliath, today the Lord will deliver you in my hands. Sam 17).

- The Disciples: If they had looked on the Lord they would have been peaceful and would have

seen His great strength.

- Martha: Didn t ) tell you that if you believe you will see the Glory of God? John : -40).

- Do not look at sin: For she has cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by her were strong men. Proverbs : .

- Look at the Lord Jesus: For He saves His people from every sin (Matthew 1:21).

D. The stories of faith and knowing the faithful: As faith is passed on from generation to

generation.

- Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith

follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. (ebrews : .

E. The humility of the heart and mind: Put yourself in the circle of God:

- A humble person confesses that his mind and abilities are limited and that he cannot comprehend the unlimited or the depth of God s wisdom and features, Your wisdom is above my comprehension and your deeds above my knowledge.

- Rely on God and experience his presence in your life in a practical way so you may

know who He is and you may say. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is

the man who trusts in (im! Psalms : .


F. See God in all things: I saw, touched and knew You in every creation....

- Contemplate on God s creation, how creative, wonderful and amazing it is.

- Contemplate on the magical nature: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalms : . Do not

favour the creation over its Creator and giver of life.

G. Take God as your friend so your faith in Him may grow stronger:

- A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a

brother. Proverbs : .

- No longer do ) call you servants . John :

- Elijah the prophet befriended Him and so God took him to heaven in a chariot of fire.

- Enoch also befriended Him and so he was with God and he was not found, as God transported

him.

5- Abiding In Faith

A. Abiding is the divine commandment: God commands us saying:

- And having done all, to stand. Ephesians : .

- Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Corinthians : .

- I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for

without Me you can do nothing. John : . Christ is the vine and we the Christian believers

are the branches.

- As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you

abide in Me. John : .

B. In whom shall I abide?

- Abide in the commandment: As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If

you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as ) have kept My Father s commandments and abide in (is love. John : -10).

- Abide in love: Abide in my love. John : .


- Abide in the Vine: ) am the vine, you are the branches. (e who abides in Me, and ) in him, bears much fruit. John : .

- Abide in Christ: (e who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in

him. John : . And in the Eucharist, Abide in me and ) in you. John : .

You must notice how the issues are transformed when a person enters into a close, personal,

loving relationship with Christ the Lord: (e who abides in me and ) in him bears much of fruit

When the divine essence penetrates the deep and hidden areas of our lives we become

stronger, wealthier and tougher, as we share in a life with God and become like Him. Therefore

there is no authority for defeat, fear, pessimism or desperation in us as God who lives in us will

oust all of that.

St Paul enjoyed that intimacy with our Lord Jesus Christ, as he was a branch

in Christ the vine, and he used to express this relationship with the words, )n Christ . (e used this phrase times. This expression was the key to everything he wished to say. The victorious life, the sparkling life, the one

full of strength and meaning is the life that we share with Christ.

But what does it mean to be )n Christ ? We know the meaning of a person in Politics , in a job , in law . )f a person is in law it means that law is the centre of his focus and the desire of his life and when he chose to specialise in law, he put aside all other professions, and dedicated

himself, his time, his effort and his whole life for the sake of law. But to be in Christ means that

a person has chosen to follow Christ.

When this happens this person becomes a branch in the vine of Christ, and therefore he finds a

living source to connect with Christ whom he receives live and energy. He lives in Christ just as

a cell lives in the body of which it belongs.

So his closeness to Christ is so strong that he can give praise with St Paul saying, it is no longer

I who live, but Christ lives in me. Galatians : .

But here we note that life with Christ is not just a private, inner relationship between the faithful and Christ, but is based on the believer s membership in the Church, which is considered the visible body of Christ. It is from the Sacrament of Baptism that every Christian

believer takes root like a branch in the vine of Christ, and when we separate ourselves through

sin from Christ the true vine, he provides us with the gift of repentance through which we can

take root in the vine once again. The living energy that runs in our lives from the vine which is

Christ comes from the great Church Sacrament which is the Eucharist where Christ says, (e who eats My body and drinks My blood abides in Me and ) in him. (John 6:56).


There cannot be fruit on a tree unless the tree forms a strong root in the ground. And this is

how the Book of Psalms describes the righteous man saying, (e shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and

whatever he does shall prosper. Psalms : .

Also the Christian is an integral person, whose roots are fixed in Christ.

But what makes a person fixed in Christ?

The Psalmist says, Yea, though ) walk through the valley of the shadow of

death, ) will fear no evil; for You are with me. Psalm : . So a Christian

does not fear death or evil.

Isaiah the Prophet says, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their

strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not

be weary, they shall walk and not faint. )saiah : . By this Isaiah the

prophet means that a Christian is always renewing his strength in Christ.

C. Why am I steadfast? The importance of steadfastness in Christ:

- In order to bring forth fruit: I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in

him, bears much fruit. John : .

- )n order to be one of Christ s disciples: By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John : .

- In order to be purified: You are already clean because of the word which ) have spoken to you. (John 15:3).

- In order to get all I want: )f you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. John : .

- In order to obtain life: As the living Father sent Me, and ) live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. John : . (e who eats this bread will live forever. John 6:58).

-The secret of bearing fruit: Our Lord Jesus Christ continues in explaining the second

sacrament of bearing fruit. The first sacrament was to abide in the vine.

D. What are the factors which help me to abide in Christ?:

- Means of Grace: Fasting, prayer, spiritual readings, Bible reading.

- Eucharist: We take it from the altar to purify us and witness the Lord s death and resurrection.


- Spiritual meetings: they build the servants and fix them in God s words and promises. - Hope and love: And now let faith, hope and love prevail. Corinthians : .

E. The blessings of abiding in faith in Christ:

- Salvation: We only have one soul which must be saved because, For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Mark : .

- Joy: With Christ, with love, with serving, with others, with eternity.

- Abundant fruit: Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit (e takes away; and every branch that bears fruit (e prunes, that it may bear more fruit. John : .

- Righteous deeds: He who says he abides in (im ought himself also to walk just as (e walked. (1John 2:6).

- Not being ashamed before Him: And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears,

we may have confidence and not be ashamed before (im at (is coming. John 2:28)


4. The Orthodox Identity Behold, ) am coming quickly! (old fast what you have, that no one may take your crown .

(Revelations 3:11). This commandment rings clear in our Coptic Church s ear. We are keen to get all the crowns

prepared for us in eternity, this is why our glorious Church cherishes what we have from faith,

prayers, praises and deep spiritual struggle, in order to obtain the crowns of grace, which are

not overcome on the last day.

Some may ask, Doesn t every Church adhere to its teachings, fearing this divine warning? What differentiates our Coptic Church from other Churches? Aren t all Churches accepted before God? Why do we hold fast to our Church with such pride?

Our Orthodox Church is a Church with Apostolic Succession. It is steadfast in tradition,

priesthood and liturgical, following the early Church Fathers and doctrines. Our Church unites

the Saints in heaven (the Church Victorious) with the believers on earth (the Church

Struggling).

Succession is the way that our fathers understood and interpreted the Bible and the details of

faith. They passed it on to us as they received it from the Early Church Fathers and from Christ

Himself.

- )t is the passing on , But ) make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by

me is not according to man. (Galatians 1:11). It was not invented by man or the great thinkers

or theologians.

For ) delivered to you first of all that which ) also received: that Christ died for our sins according

to the Scriptures. Corinthians 15:3).

For ) received from the Lord that which ) also delivered to you. Corinthians 11:23).

What Sets Apart Our Orthodox

Faith From Other Churches?

1) What is the Apostolic Succession?


The Bible commands us to know the traditions by heart and deliver them with honesty to the

generations that follow.

Now ) praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as ) delivered them to you. Corinthians 11:2).

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle . Thessalonians 2:15)

The Bible itself witnesses that we should understand it through the Apostolic succession. But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every

brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. Thessalonians 3:6).

Part of this Apostolic teaching was recorded in Epistles and part was past down orally, ) did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our

joy may be full. John : and John , , and some of it had practical preparations,

But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest ) will set in order when ) come. Corinthians 11:34).

The Bible commands the Church to continue to transmit these teachings with honesty and

integrity to successive generations.

- And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also . Timothy 2:2)

- For this reason ) left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as ) commanded you . Titus :

- (old fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are

in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1:13).

Our Fathers understood the Bible in the correct way just as Christ our Lord

intended, and so their faith was pure and also, they lived by the teachings

of the Bible just as Christ our Lord intended, The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be

with you. Philippians : .

If it was not for this careful passing on of the teachings of the Bible there would have been

different schools of interpretation which would have led to serious heresies. These would have

come about by individuals incorrectly interpreting the teachings and introducing different

ways of thinking, perhaps being driven by personal factors which changed the meaning of the verses. (ow dangerous it is to rely on one s own thinking, Lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs : , Do not be wise in your own opinion Romans : .


But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from

whom you have learned them Timothy : . Therefore, it is important to not only read the Bible, but to also be enlightened by the Church s understanding of the Bible and practicing the commandments. And that is exactly what

happens in our Coptic Church. It adheres to the teachings of the Bible in the way that the Early

Church Fathers understood it. Let us then also hold fast to the faith that was passed on to us

from the Saints.

Another factor which differentiates our Coptic Church from other

Churches is that it holds fast to the Priesthood. We believe that the Priesthood of the New Testament does not negate Aaron s Priesthood but rather transfers to the Priesthood of Melchizedek.

Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for

under it the people received the law), what further need was there that

another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and

not be called according to the order of Aaron? (ebrews : .

- For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of

the law. (ebrews : .

Just as it was in the Old Testament, there were persons consecrated for Priesthood and they

were from the tribe of Levi and were the descendants of Aaron. So also in the New Testament

there are chosen people for the role of the Priesthood, As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the (oly Spirit said, Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which ) have called them. Then, having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, they sent them away. (Acts 13: 2,3 ).

How can Christ be High Priest?

- Seeing then that we have a great (igh Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (ebrews : .

- You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, (Hebrews 5:6).

- Called by God as (igh Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (ebrews : .

2) Priesthood


How can Christ be the High

Priest and some claim that

there is no Priesthood in

Christianity?

Priesthood in our Church takes place by laying on of the hands on the person called for

Priesthood so that the Holy Spirit is poured on him and may fill him with grace and the gifts of

serving.

This is supported by the Holy Bible as we read, And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles hands the (oly Spirit was given, he offered them money Acts : .

Placing on of the hands does not mean the hands specifically, as now it takes place by the

anointing of the Holy Myron oil, And when Paul had laid hands on them, the (oly Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied Acts : . What is meant here is

placing hands on those consecrated for the priesthood, Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Timothy

: . Therefore, ) remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of

my hands. Timothy : .

In our Church Priesthood has been passed on to us from our father St Mark the Apostle who

preached Christ to us and ordained the Bishop in Egypt, St Anianus. This Apostolic succession

has continued through the ages until today in our Pope, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II and all

the Bishops in our Church and also our fathers, the blessed Orthodox priests. This is a

wonderful gift which not many Christian denominations enjoy.

Happy is he who finds a father who promises to take care of him, and unfortunate is the

community which rejects priesthood and the spiritual fatherhood, as it denies itself many great

blessings and grace.


Our Church is a Church of Rituals. The word Taksia comes from the Greek word which means order . The Bible commands us to organise the worship Let all things be done decently and in order. Corinthians : , and has warned against a disorganised way of worship, Warn those who are unruly. Thessalonians : , But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not

according to the tradition which he received from us. Thessalonians : . For we were not disorderly among you. Thessalonians : .

One of the duties of a Bishop is to organise the Church (Yotakesha), For this reason ) left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I

commanded you. Titus : .

In the Old Testament God commanded Moses to put the system of worship in order and to

organise it in a glorious way. Of course it goes to follow that the system of worship in the New

Testament should be even more deserving of order and glory, For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. Corinthians 3:9). )n the Old Testament the measure of service used to be according to King David s ordinance

(Ezra 3:10). However, in the New Testament it is according to Christ Himself. And this is what

St. Paul the Apostles praised the Colossians for, For though ) am absent in the flesh, yet ) am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. (Colossians 2:5). He had already put everything in order himself in the churches which he

established. And the rest ) will set in order when ) come. Corinthians : .

The Order Of The Church Includes:

-The way of worship, (ow is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation and has

an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. Corinthians : .

- The order and times of Fastings, Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised

them. Acts : .

- Also, it includes the Feasts and their timings, but took leave of them, saying, ) must by all

means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem. Acts : . Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of

sincerity and truth. Corinthians : . Not according to the Jewish order but according the

Christian one, So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths. Colossians : .

3) Church Doctrines


- The Church order also specifies the tunes, melodies and words which are spoken on every

occasion. In this way we can live together the life of Christ at every stage, throughout the

whole year: The Annunciation, the Birth, the Fast, the miracles, the Cross, the Resurrection, the

Ascension, the Pentecost, the Ministry of the disciples and so on.

- Also the order extends to the life of the Saints in order to celebrate their life and follow their

example of faith.

Our Coptic Church loves and respects the Saints, especially those Saints

who have preceded us to heaven, as they signify the revealing light and

signs along the way, Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the

outcome of their conduct. (ebrews : .

We honour them because God Himself honours them, for those who honour Me I will honour,

and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. Samuel : .

They honoured God by following His commandments, You shall therefore be holy, for ) am holy. Leviticus : , but as (e who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

Because it is written, Be holy, for ) am holy . Peter : ,

(Footnotes: Hebrews 5:6, Psalm 110:4)

That is why we delight in them, As for the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. Psalms : . Yes, (e loves the people; All His saints are in Your

hand; They sit down at Your feet; Everyone receives Your words. Deuteronomy : .

God Himself is glorified in His saints, When (e comes, in that Day, to be glorified in (is saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:10). That s why when we honour the Saints we are actually glorifying God in them. Christ our Lord will come in His Second Coming in the presence of all His Saints, So that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of

our Lord Jesus Christ with all (is saints. Thessalonians : , Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of (is saints, Jude : . They will share in the judgement of the world, Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? Corinthians : , So Jesus said to them, Assuredly ) say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of (is glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of

)srael. Mathew : . The Saints showed us God s will, which God has spoken by the mouth of all (is holy prophets since the world began, Acts : ), as He spoke by the mouth of His holy

Prophets, who have been since the world began. Luke : .

4) The Saints

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They are the ones with whom we will share in the eternal glory, Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Colossians 1:12).

God gave them glory beyond description, And the glory which You gave Me ) have given them, that they may be one just as We are one. John : . He took them as equals, (e who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. Matthew : .

The Saints are with us, sharing in the Body of Christ, and this membership does not end when

the spirit separates from the body but, on the contrary, it continues forever.

The Saints in heaven are alive, ) am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Matthew : . They continue to pray for us

just as it is commanded in the Holy Bible that we ought to pray for one another, Brethren, pray for us. Thessalonians : . Pray for one another. James : , The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James : .

We are all the richer for having this glorious group of Saints and their continuous prayers on

our behalf. They are a cloud of witnesses, Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (ebrews : .

(Footnotes: James 5:16 NU-Text reads, Therefore confess your sins . We are proud of this Holy family, consisting of our Saintly fathers, which includes, men,

women, children, youth, elderly, martyrs, monks, priests and laymen. May their intercessions

be with us all. Amen.

Our Coptic Church believes in the value of the spiritual struggle and righteous deeds for the sake of one s salvation, And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (ebrews 12:1).

Our Church is committed to the teachings of the Bible concerning the spiritual struggle, You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. (ebrews : . Struggling is needed

throughout our whole life, But he who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew : , ) have fought the good fight, ) have finished the race, ) have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge. Timothy : - 8). The

struggle is needed when serving Christ, Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who

5) The Spiritual Struggle

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competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but

we for an imperishable crown. Corinthians : -25).

The spiritual life is described in the Bible as a war against the devil, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the

darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12). That s why we must arm ourselves and be prepared, always relying on God s word, Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having

done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the

breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of

peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts

of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word

of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end

with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Ephesians : - , Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may

devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. Peter : -9). We must practice the life of virtue,

This being so, ) myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. (Acts 24:16).

However, all this does not conflict with our belief that it is God s grace that works in us. But the grace does not make the struggle redundant just as faith does not stand without actions, Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James : .

Our Coptic Church believes in the Holy Sacraments and their importance for our salvation and

it also believes in their effectiveness in our lives.

A) The Sacrament of Baptism:

- There is no salvation without baptism, Most assuredly, ) say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John : , Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot

enter the kingdom of God. John : , (e who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Mark : . But

when the kindness and the love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to (is mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the

(oly Spirit. Titus : -5).

6) The Holy Sacraments


- Our Fathers the Apostles practiced baptism since the day of Pentecost, and until now we

follow in their footsteps. Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the (oly Spirit. Acts : .

- Philip the Apostle did the same thing with the Ethiopian eunuch. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, See, here is water. What hinders me from

being baptized? Acts : .

- Also what our teacher Paul the Apostle and Silas did with the prison guard of Philippi, Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as

we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him

to stay a few days. Acts : -48).

- St Paul also baptised Lidya, And when she and her household were baptized. Acts : .

Baptism results in an inner, invisible grace inside us, For as many of you as were baptized into

Christ have put on Christ. Galatians : . It is the action of being buried with Christ, Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised

from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3-4). Our Church baptises children because Christ commanded us not to forbid them, Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, ) say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. (Luke 18:16-17). Because we believe that baptism is a free gift of grace we do not preclude

children from it.

B) The Sacrament of Holy Myron:

Our Church believes that the Holy Spirit is poured upon us and abides in us when we are

anointed with the Holy Myron after the Sacrament of Baptism, Repent, and let every one of you

be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of

the (oly Spirit. Acts : .

Without the Holy Spirit a person cannot live a spiritual life or have a share in eternity. This is

why the anointing with the Myron oil is essential, But you have an anointing from the Holy One,

and you know all things. John : , But the anointing which you have received from (im abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you

concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in

(im. John : .

At first, the Holy Spirit was given by the laying on of the hands, Then they laid hands on them,

and they received the (oly Spirit. Acts : . Later the Fathers replaced this with the anointing

of the Myron.


C) The Sacrament of Eucharist

For us to fully understand the importance of partaking in the Holy Body

and Blood of our Lord we must first contemplate on the following verses:

Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, ) say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise

him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink

indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in

him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he

who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as

your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. (e who eats this bread will live forever. John : -

58).

Our Church teaches that during the Mass the Holy Body and Blood of our Lord gives salvation,

forgiveness of sins and eternal life to those who partake of them. There is no life, or salvation

or forgiveness of sins, without partaking of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Our Church teaches that, that which is on the altar is the Body indeed and the Blood indeed of

our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. (John 6:55).

Let us look at the verse, Do this in remembrance of Me. Luke : . Here we do not believe

that this remembrance is symbolic, but that the Body present on the altar is the actual and

living presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the bread. Therefore we remember His birth, works,

cross, death, resurrection, ascension, sitting at the right hand of the Father and His second coming for judgement, Today (e is present with us on the altar, Emmanuel our God. Offering in the Feasts of the Angels.) Emmanuel is among us now. Eporo tune . Our Lord Jesus Christ is not absent or dead in order to make a commemoration for Him, but He is alive and present every day on the altar in

the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

D) The Sacrament of Repentance and Confession:

There is no salvation without repentance. Repentance is essential for every

person in every stage of life and in all the different areas of ones relationship

with Christ, )f we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. John : . Confession then follows repentance, )f we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all

unrighteousness. John : .


The Holy Bible and the Church do not contradict each other on the issue of confession, (e who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13), also in the New Testament, And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Acts : . This is what those who came to John the Baptist did, and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. Matthew : and this is why was

said, Confess your trespasses to one another. James : . This is why our Lord Jesus Christ

gave the priest the authority to bound or loose the forgiveness of sins, Accept the (oly Spirit. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the (oly Spirit. )f you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. (John 20: 22- , Assuredly, ) say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and

whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew : .

How can a person be saved outside the Church without all these sacraments?

E) The Sacrament of the Unction of the Sick:

Our Church is remarkable as it prays for the sick and anoints them with oil just as God

commanded, )s anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them

pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save

the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James 5: 14-15).

That is exactly what our Fathers the Apostles did, And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. Mark : .

There are some Churches which criticise us for our use of oil in anointing the sick, but they

forget that it is a Holy Biblical command and a pure apostolic transmission and an old practice

in the Church since the first century.

F) The Sacrament of Marriage:

Our Church views marriage as a Holy Sacrament in the presence of the Holy Trinity and not

only as a contract being witnessed and signed by many, What God has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew : . In our Orthodox faith God is the One who unites the couple

and abides in them and it is for this reason that in our Church we do not allow divorce except in

the case of adultery as Christ Himself taught saying, ) say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her

who is divorced commits adultery. Matthew : .

G) The Sacrament of Priesthood:

All the sacraments are crowned by the Sacrament of Priesthood through which

all sacraments take place. The priest is the only one permitted to execute the

sacraments. He has been entrusted by our Lord Jesus Christ to do so. It is for


this reason that only men are permitted to be ordained in the priesthood, unlike some other

Christian Churches.

We know that all other Church communities rely on and respect the Bible, but what

differentiates our Coptic Church is that:

A) It Believes In The Entire Bible:

There are no books which have been omitted, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Timothy

: , for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the (oly Spirit. Peter : .

We are committed to obeying the entire Holy Bible, and we do not have the authority to omit

books which are seen to not go according to our desires. The Church is subject to the Bible and

not the Bible to the Church. Our doctrine comes from the Holy Bible and is subject to it and it is

not for us to omit sections which do not suit our doctrine.

B) It Believes In The Old Testament And Respects It:

Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself approved the legitimacy of the Old Testament, Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil. Matthew : ,

and He often quoted from the Old Testament.

We believe that the Old Testament should not be cancelled but rather it contains many

prophecies which have been fulfilled in the New Testament. One cannot understand the New

Testament without returning to those prophecies in the Old Testament. Also there are many

teachings which have been transformed from being symbolic to be being real, such as:

circumcision, offerings, law of purification and the rituals. Other teachings such as the law of

manners have been elevated to the Christian standards, (revise the Sermon on the Mount in

Matthew 5:6- 7). However, in the eyes of the Church, the Old Testament is still the foundation

on which the New Testament was built and our Lord Jesus Christ is the corner stone.

C) It Is Committed To All The Biblical Texts:

Those who have deviant from sound Biblical teachings are those who rely on one verse alone.

The Church however, sees the Holy Bible not as just one verse or several verses but it is spirit

and life, and its life spreads throughout the entire Book.

Each verse is understood in the light of the general context of the book, in the light of the

circumstances and conditions in which it was written and verses which were written before

and after that particular verse are considered because some verses are understood when they

7) The Holy Bible


are completed by the other verses, For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we

have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the

things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which

man s wisdom teaches but which the (oly Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with

spiritual. Corinthians : -13).

D) Interpretation:

The Church understands the Bible in the light of how the Fathers understood it, taught it and

transmitted it to us. This has been explained in the section of the Apostolic Succession, But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached

to you, let him be accursed. Galatians :

Finally, we must be proud of our Church and not forget the following verse: Hold fast to what

you have, that no one may take your crown. Revelations :

There are still so many more issues to talk about that make our Church unique such as the

intercession of the saints surrounding us like a cloud, the credibility of the divine inspiration

while writing the books of the Bible, the interpretation of the Fathers and much more.


5. A Servant Is A Fisher Of Souls

Real success is not having victory over others. This is not strength or bravery. Real success is

winning others over and comforting them, because the winner of souls is wise, And he who wins souls is wise. Proverbs :30).

You may have victory over others but lose them! And with this loss you have not gained

victory. Our Lord Jesus Christ was full of strength whilst on the cross and He was able to win

everyone. There are important rules that one must follow in order to gain the love of others,

and here we will present some of them:

A- LET YOUR GOAL BE THE WINNING AND RESPECT OF OTHERS

As St Paul the Apostle taught us, For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a

servant to all, that I might win the more. Corinthians : .

Put this goal, of winning others, clearly in front of you even if it means you having to make

sacrifices for the sake of this goal. Many people care only about themselves and not others.

They do not consider the feelings or circumstances of those around them. But be careful of the

feelings of others and try to win everyone because, as the Bible tells us, The winner of souls is wise. Proverbs : .

If you discover that someone is not happy with you for whatever reason,

do not rest until you have made them happy. When we win the love of

all those around us we satisfy the words in the Bible, )f it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Romans : . This is why we should offer our love to everyone in order to gain their love and we should consider people s love a precious treasure which you

should look after so as to keep it forever. For the sake of others love everyone, respect

everyone, even those who are younger or less significant than you.

Many people respect those who are older than them or those who have a greater position then

them and give little regard for those who are of less importance. By doing this they lose much.

As for you, you should practice the respect of everyone and give honour to all. Do not use

hurtful or insulting words to anyone, or treat anyone with dishonour or contempt. Do not

neglect anyone but instead, give words of appreciation and respect towards your children,

siblings or those who work for you. With such expressions you will not be forgotten and those

little ones will always remember and you will be helping to raise their self-esteem, making

them feel better about themselves which in turn will make them love you.


Those who are older than you may not notice your respect for them because it is not out of the

ordinary, but the little ones will never forget. Your respect for them is something that will not

be lost and know that God holds these feelings of love and respect for us although there is a

world of difference between the greatness of God and our weakness. He humbles Himself,

listens to us and seeks our salvation.

B- TREAT PEOPLE WITH HUMILITY

That is why your humility towards others is an important factor in gaining their love towards

you. St Isaac said, A fruitful tree bends its branches for the sake of its fruits and does not move with every wind blow but the unfruitful tree has haughty branches and moves with every wind

blow .

Do not talk to people from above and do not elevate yourself over others, but treat everyone with humility as people love the humble person. Be a son among your brothers but a brother among you children , as humility can open the closed hearts. Do not think that your humble way with people decreases your significance; on the contrary, it elevates you even more. Remember the saying of the spiritual elder, Everywhere you go, be the youngest of your brothers and their servant. And, Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles

himself will be exalted. Mathew 23:12). How beautiful is the advice which the elders gave

King Rehoboam, son of King Solomon the wise, when they told him, If you will be a servant to

these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they

will be your servants forever. Kings : .

C- SERVE EVERYONE WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE

A smile is a universal language which cannot be mistaken by the eye and it is

a language that does not need translation, but it shines with joy and makes

the heart smile.

If you want others to love you, serve them, help them and sacrifice yourself for them. They will

feel your love through your help, dedication and sacrifice. Those who love themselves always want to take, gain and win. But don t be like that, instead practice giving and sacrificing. Let

the aim of your relationships with others be to benefit them rather than yourself. Look for

ways you can give others comfort, bring joy to their hearts and provide happiness in their lives.

By doing this you will be loved by all.

The most hated people are those who are selfish and those who are the most loved are those

who serve, give and sacrifice.


Don t think that it is only children who will love you for this, but know also that even those who are older than yourself will love you too. God s relationship with humanity is one of giving and sacrificing as was the life of the Apostles. A mother s love is one of giving and sacrificing, without waiting to receive in return. It is for this reason a mother is loved so much.

If you feel you have nothing to give, at least give a kind smile and a nice

word. Give love, give tenderness, give encouragement, give your heart.

Demonstrate to others that you are willing to sacrifice for their sake.

D- DO NOT REBUKE OR CRITICISE ANYONE

)f you want to gain the love of others don t rebuke them or be too critical. (arsh words hurt. Hurtful words destroy love. Too much criticism makes others feel that you dislike them. So if

you need to give advice do so in a calm, meek manner, avoiding unkind or insensitive words.

Start with a word of appreciation or a compliment. Begin with something positive before you

say something negative. This prepares the way for a constructive criticism, always

remembering to choose your words carefully so as not to offend others. The goal of your

criticism should be to build rather than to destroy.

Do not reproach a person in public, in front of others. This leads to humiliation and

embarrassment. Also, do not be too picky and continuously criticise small, insignificant details

because there is no one without fault. King Solomon says, Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate

you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Proverbs : .

E- PRAISE PEOPLE AND DEFEND THEM

If you want people to love you, praise and defend them. A heart that feels that all are against

him becomes very sensitive. So if he finds a person who defends him he will give him his whole

heart. It is for this reason that you should defend others, especially those who are in trouble,

under a lot of pressure, are oppressed or in need of care.

In your dealings with others, focus on their positives rather than their negatives. Be sure that

any person no matter how many faults they may seem to have will have some good qualities

deserving of praise. Look for these good qualities and praise them, and allow them to feel

appreciated. It is only then that they will love you and be prepared to accept any constructive

criticism from you.

Let your verbal communication be positive and increase words of praise towards those who deserve it. Do not insult, damage or mock others. Laugh with people but don t laugh at them. Let others be aware of your appreciation for them and demonstrate your appreciation in front

of everyone. Look for the good in others rather than the bad. And if you do see something

negative in another person let them know that this is totally out of character for them, and that

you just want to highlight a small error in order to help.


You must know that everyone has positive and negative qualities in their life. When we focus

too much on the weaknesses of others we lose them, but if we are meek, peacemakers we look

at the strengths in the character of others and, in so doing, we win all people.

F- HAVE REGARD FOR GOOD THINGS IN THE SIGHT OF ALL MEN

(Rom 12:17)

If you want people to love you, be a virtuous person who has what

people like. Do not be a cause for others to stumble. Do not doubt

that people love unconditionally and that they love the person who

possesses the traits they admire. They love a holy person, a

courageous person, a successful and an intelligent person. Let

good qualities be in your personality and people will love you

because of them. And so, if you want others to love you, you must

change yourself first.

Correct the weaknesses in yourself that others may not like. If someone confronts you with

any of your own weaknesses, do not feel angry but instead thoroughly examine yourself, and

consider their criticism. And then, thank the person who brought this weakness to your

attention and do not resent them for it.

G- TOLERATE OTHERS AND BE LOYAL

If you want others to love you, tolerate them. Do not attempt to retaliate and do not take

revenge. Do not be quick to get angry with those who mistreat you, we all have weaknesses so

it is important to bear with others and forgive quickly. Then, when the other person regrets

their actions and remembers your patience towards them they will love you even more. And if

that person does not return the friendship do not be disappointed but remember the words of

St. John Chrysostom, (e who does not suit you as a friend, do not consider him an enemy.

If you want people to love you be loyal to them, treat them with honesty and make sure your

love for them benefits them. Let your love for others be wise and give praise sincerely, use

tenderness but do not spoil or over indulge. God, who loves us, is able to pour His love in our

hearts in order to love each other as He loved us with His abundant heart.


H- MOVE YOURSELF FROM THE TAKING ZONE TO THE GIVING ZONE

Practice giving to others; give service, give time, give love, give effort and give help. If one

grows up giving he eventually gives himself. This is the highest level of selflessness.

Although stinginess can be one of the outcomes of the ego, its cure is giving. When we practice

generosity, compassion and tenderness we will be content. Helping others will change our

heart which in turn encourages us to give more. St. Paul says, Rejoice with those who rejoice,

and weep with those who weep. Romans : . Here, St. Paul teaches us to be happy when

others are happy and sad when they are sad. This applies in all our relationships whether it be

in marriage, raising children, at school or at work. Sometimes all that is required is a telephone

call or a kind word to convey your sentiments. This can leave a huge impact on the person

receiving your care.

Often we go to visit someone who is sick and we feel that we are visiting Christ Himself as He

said, ) was sick and you visited me. Matthew : . When did we visit you, oh Lord? We find

Him replying, )nasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. (Matthew 25:40). Visiting a sick person is a wonderful way of winning their heart.

I- BE GOOD NEWS

What a wonderful saying we read in Romans 10:15, How beautiful are the feet of those who

preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!

People are in real need for someone to cheer them up and alleviate their

weariness, to give them hope through a window of light shining among their

burdens, giving them new optimism.

- Be cheerful when meeting others and do everything you can to bring joy to their faces.

Welcome them with a kind smile and with a kind word as people do not appreciate a frowning

face that takes away their peace. This approach makes people look forward to meeting you,

knowing that your presence will bring them happiness.

- The word Bible means Good News , so evangelising with the Bible was bringing good news

to all that heard. When the angel told the shepherds the good news all were joyful, Do not be

afraid, for behold, ) bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. Luke : .

- Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us, Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will

give you rest. Matthew : . If you are not able to relief people s discomfort, at least do not be the cause of their unrest.


- Consider the methods photographers use to encourage their clients to smile so that the photo

turns out pleasant! You also can be a face which causes others to smile by your pleasantness.

- Some wrongly think that being spiritual is to have a grim or serious expression. On the

contrary, joy and kindness are the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

J- SPEAK WHEN EARS ARE READY TO LISTEN

If someone is not ready to listen to what you have to say, remain silent. Do not speak too much

to a person who is exhausted, psychologically or physically not well or under pressure or busy,

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold )n settings of silver Proverbs : .

Choose the right time to speak so that your words will reach another at the time when their

heart and mind are prepared and ready to understand and to accept your words. When

speaking to others do not make it your aim to win every conversation.

Consider The Following….

1- When speaking to others do not make it your aim to win every

conversation. We benefit no one this way.

2- Do not interrupt others during conversation as this will close another

persons heart towards you and they will not respond to your words even if

they make sense.

3- Always respect the opinions of others even if you do not agree with

them. Always answer using diplomacy because if you can reach the heart

first be sure that you will be able to reach the mind.


6. The Servant And A Life Of Joy

In the midst of a changing world, panic, anxiety and worry reigns. A question which nags at us

is: How can I have a stable, happy life that is free of uncertainty and decline?

Why do we, at times, feel miserable and that we are engulfed in

feelings of pain, regret, anxiety or fear?

What is a blessed joy and how can we obtain it?

A) The Keys To A Life Of Happiness

1- The Keys To Repentance:

Have you ever experienced moments in which you fell at Christ s feet, repenting of your sad

and aimless past, determined to follow a more holy path?

- The experience of our wretched fall is the foreign part in the harmony of our beautiful life.

There is not a time in which I fell into sin and I was not torn apart, or fear filled me or guilt

threatened me! If we want to find the correct way of using all this energy of repentance and

regret after we fall (and this increases as a servant), we will discover that it is only in the light

of the Bible that we find direction.

- Christ Jesus enlightens our hearts and calls us, saying: All that the Father gives Me will come

to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. (John 6:37). Christianity

transforms the energy of regret to the energy of repentance, the sadness of sin to the joy of

prayers and being united with God. Christ opens His loving heart to the repentant sinner and

allows him to return home justified.

Dear brother and blessed sister, search and look, lest there be a loved sin which prevents the

pouring out of heavenly joy from filling your life. My dear brother and sister, let us spend a few

moments examining ourselves in order to submit to the Lord in true repentance and with a

holy pledge! One may say, I am a servant and I have sinned so I will leave my service. But it is better to abandon your sin than to abandon your service.

2- The Key Of Discovering The Meaning Of Life

It seems that much of the troubles of this generation occur in the conflict between the feeling of

how insignificant the world is and feeling bored and frustrated with it and the feeling of how

glorious the world is and idolising and worshiping it.

A crucial question arises: Why do I exist? This is a question that is studied by the

philosophers and writers of this generation. If our youth don t find a satisfying answer to this

question they will surely fall into anxiety, breakdown and atheism.


Life is not wearisome and existence is not a burden, as atheists and some writers of this

generation believe. The presence of pain, suffering and injustice is not evidence of the

meaningless of life. It is in those small moments when we spend time with a sick person and

give them hope and makes them feel loved, the moments when we stand by a person who is in

pain and give them support in tenderness, in prayer and practical brotherhood and the

moments that we seize a friend from the flames of sin or the spiral of depression. All these

feelings of love are the answer to the issues of existence. We have been created from Divine

love, but not only that, when we sinned, the Lord suffered for our sake in order to save us and

He revealed His love for us through that action. Therefore, as a sign of our love for Him, we

should suffer for His name and for the sake of His brethren who are crushed. Let s uncover our mission, service and the meaning of life and existence. When we serve from

all our hearts we gain joy and feel happy. We escape from our selfishness and our self-

centeredness so that we can pour ourselves on the altar of love as sacrifices of holy service that

unites humanity and glorifies it.

Let s offer love to those who are distant, lonely, deprived, deceived or lost, as this is the key to

our happiness and this makes Christ happy with us, For in Him we live and move and have our

being. (Acts 17:28).

3- The Key To Submission:

It is hard for one to be happy in the midst of tribulation but St. Paul the Apostles challenges us

saying, ) now rejoice in my sufferings. Colossians : , Therefore ) take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ s sake. For when ) am weak, then ) am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10).

When God opens our eyes we discover the secret of trusting and surrendering and we leave

behind our crushing troubles and worries!

Our real problem is that we place our problems between us and Christ and so we do not see

Him through them and His loving face and capable hands disappear from before us. What we

should do is put Christ between us and our problems so we may see them through Him.

- Albert Kamy said once: This life deserves committing suicide. (owever, we answer, Welcome pain as long as we are in the arms of God and are encircled by Christ. We welcome the future and life s unknowns and burdens and sufferings because they all shine if we bring them in the presence of Christ.


4- The Key Of The Eternal Look:

- Vaulter once said, A human being is born, suffers then dies, and Biquit said, A person comes

out of the darkness of his mother s womb and then ends up in the darkness of the tomb, crossing the darkness of life , and Freud said, Let s leave heaven to birds and angels.

- But we, the simple ones, say to them with full trust, Take from Christ s light so that it may

make clear the signs which give direction, as eternity is shining before us with all its joy and

heaven is drawing us to it with all its glories. There is something else beyond the grave as

King Solomon the wise said, Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find

out the work that God does from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes : .

How did St Botamenna the Celibate stand in front of the boiling oil and lose

her life in happiness and trust?! And how did St Perpetua lie down next to

the beasts desiring this frightful destiny?! How did a procession of 30,000

martyrs, going from Damanhur to Alexandria, sing hymns of victory on

their way to their grave?!

There is something beyond the grave?! There is the true life and the true joy!

Our earthly ambitions such as physical needs, materialistic possessions, status and a good

name do not increase our happiness but instead they add to our worries. The few moments

prior to going to sleep, during our silent adoration of God, will pour light into our heart and will

lead us in the right way.

- Is there a sin that needs repentance? Are there things that need complete surrender?

- Is there a misinterpretation of what service is? Is there a deficiency in your mission and your

genuineness?

B) AN INVITATION TO HAPPINESS

A servant is invited to watch the work of God and enjoy seeing another go after salvation. He is

invited to share the happiness with the host of angels over one sinner who repents. The life of

happiness is expressed in the continual presence of God in the life of a servant.

1- Being happy with the Lord and living and sharing with Him in a practical way. We believe

the word of God, His promises and the blessings of the Bible as a personal message to every

servant and the daily work of God in our lives.

2- Enjoying the completeness of the Lord s pain in us. I complete the incompleteness of Christ s burdens in my body for the sake of His body which is the church, pain as a friend to the bride

groom and humiliation for His name s sake, For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are

accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (Romans 8:36). My brethren, count it all joy when you fall


into various trials, James : , Who is weak, and ) am not weak. (2 Corinthians 11:29), indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:17).

3- Happiness through the glory of Christ and His proclamation: Through my life and service I

can become a cause of blessing and glory to Jesus Christ so I may not hear Him saying, The

name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. (Romans 2:24) or, But woe to

that man by whom the offense comes! (Matthew 18:7).

4- Happiness through eternity: Our goal is eternity while we are still in the flesh through

praises and prayers, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. (Philippians 1:23). For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21).

5- Happiness for being members with others: In sharing the body of the one Christ, and calling

everyone to come closer to God and live with Him in trusting faith and to see people and come

to a meeting point with them in the highest goal, which is the salvation of the soul and enjoying

Christ the saviour in the happy eternity.

6- Happiness with others: Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15). A sincere servant is the one who shares with other servants their condition,

whether it is a happy or sad one, putting in front of him the principle: Because for this purpose

) have come forth. (Mark 1:38), To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the

broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are

bound. )saiah : .

7- Happiness with the fruit of the service: When the close one is steadfast and the distant one

comes closer to the Lord, There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than

over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:7). There will be happiness

with the spiritual and practical growth of the servant.

8- Happiness with the repentance of the sinner and the coming back of those who were astray

(the lost sheep): My son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry, (Luke 15:24), and happiness with the lost coin when it is found once more.

9- Happiness with service and evangelism: Because he is signed up under the banner of the

King of kings and Lord of lords and the Lord uses him to save souls. How many souls were

there who were close to being lost forever and our Lord used a particular servant for their

salvation and accepted their repentance.

10- Happiness with the fulfilment of the commandment: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will

say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4). It is a steadfast joy because of our faith in Christ our Saviour,

Maker of all good. We are always happy, trusting in our Lord s care and His love for us, But I

will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. (John

16:22).


11- Happiness in spite of the pain: Pain doesn t worry us nor the hard road, but with hope we

are elevated to the eternal glory, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not

worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans : , For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. (2 Corinthians

1:5), But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ s sufferings, that when (is glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. Peter : .

12- Happiness with the house of the Lord: ) was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. Psalms : .

13 - Happiness in sharing our lives with the Lord: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again ) will say, rejoice! Philippians : .

14 - Happiness in worshipping the Lord: Serve the LORD with gladness;

come before (is presence with singing. Psalm : .

15 - Happiness in meeting with the Lord, the angels and the Saints.

13- Happiness with the eternal reward: Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are

subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. (Luke 10:20). Then

we will gain the reward in eternity for all that we offered in service.

C) THE SIGNS OF A HAPPY LIFE

1- Inner peace: A happy heart pours out happiness in all areas of life. A smile

on the face which expresses inner joy, the source of this inner peace is the

strong connection to God who is the source of happiness.

2- Being prepared to sacrifice: all the time, in any place and under any

circumstance. Does not get tired, lose hope or be self seeking but only for the

sake of the service, Behold, He who keeps )srael shall neither slumber nor sleep. Psalms : .

3- Trust and steadfastness: Trust and be steadfast in the Lord and is never shaken no matter

how high the storms are and always reciting, One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I

seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the

LORD, And to inquire in His temple. When they said to Athanasius, The world is against you

Athanasius. He replied, And I am against the world. And more recently, our beloved Pope

Shenouda III was never shaken by any problem no matter how hard it was because he relied on

God.

4- Always living with the Lord: Spiritual practices for me are an amazing spring of joy, Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. (John 20:20), which means that seeing the Lord

through living a holy life with Him gives us joy which makes us forget the pain of the cross and

our struggles and pleases us with the joy of the resurrection.


5- Resurrection in the Lord: in complete submission and surrender to the Holy Spirit through

out life. The leadership of the Lord in our life is the secret to success and true happiness.

6-A call for joy, saying: Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in

Him. (Psalms 34:8). For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me. (Philippians

2:18), finally my brethren, be joyful in the Lord for this is the sign of a true servant, because if

we lack something how can we give it.

D) JOY AS A FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Joy is a spiritual happiness which is a fruit of the work of the Holy Spirit in a person, especially

in a person who is guided by the Holy Spirit. Here we differentiate between three words:

1- Pleasure:

This word is derived from the word Please , which means making someone

happy. Some examples of this are the pleasures of food, money and the flesh. They are all pleasures . Often we try and obtain these pleasures in the wrong

way and sooner or later they turn into feelings of guilt. This is a painful feeling

because the conscience suffers and regret takes over.

This is why Christ our Lord told us: Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again. John : ,

as the water of sin is salty and does not satisfy a human being. When we keep repeating the

same mistake it turns into a habit and the habit becomes part of our personality. It was once said, A character is a group of habits which walk on two feet.

2- Happiness: This word is derived from the word happens , which means taking place . Happiness is a good feeling but it is built on the events which occur around me . If they are happy events I become happy and if they are

sad I in turn become sad. It is happiness which comes from our external

surroundings, therefore, if I enjoy what is happening outside of me then I

am happy, but if I do not like what is happening I am filled with sadness.

3-Joy:

Here lies the big difference between happiness and joy: Happiness is

built on the surrounding events but joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, which

springs up from within and goes out. No matter what our external

surroundings are I continue in my joy with the Lord as I trust that

sadness will be turned into happiness and darkness will be transformed

to light and even curses will be changed to blessings.


Joy means that I face the world with Christ who is living inside me, and is the Holy Almighty

who can do anything, whose wisdom is eternal, whose might is unlimited and whose love is

unconditional.

It is joy in spite of worry and the surrounding panic; it is the joyous feeling brought about by

the divine care and the complete surrender to the Lord.

Therefore, let us obtain joy.

Joy is from God, with God and in God.

From God meaning that he is the source of Joy.

With God meaning that I am happy with Him personally and not with what He

gives to me.

In God meaning He transforms evil to good and in Him I trust that He is the

maker of all good.

My beloved, Our Christ is yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8), so as He was yesterday

with us we trust that He will be with us in the future as He plans it, assures it and authorises

blessings to all who serve Him. So do not be afraid of the future but leave it in His protective

hands.


7. Being Positive Is the Way To Success Being positive is an action that a person takes with efficiency and vitality for himself and for

people around him. It is the opposite of being negative, which is characterised as being

detached, rigid, hesitant, taking backwards steps, uncertain, lazy and remote. Being positive comes from within and pushes a person to challenge himself and get out of the me to the other . There are special features in a positive personality:

1- FEATURES OF A POSITIVE PERSONALITY:

One of the attributes of a positive person is being self-motivated

towards a worthy goal. A positive person is:

1- Offers their services without being asked.

2- Reliable and responsible.

3- Serving without expecting anything in return.

4- Searches for weaknesses within and does not blame others in order to justify themselves.

5- Participates actively within the group.

6- Feels a sense of belonging in their country, family, Church, school, university and work.

7- Offers help to those in need with a spirit of love and can be depended on to complete the

task without leaving it to others.

8- Acts more, speaks less.

9- Has principles and works with clarity. Has a well-defined goal and plan for life.

10- Is not preoccupied by the weaknesses and faults of others but rather looks at their

strengths.

2- FEATURES OF A NEGATIVE PERSONALITY:

1- How positive are the parents and whether or not they are over

protective.

2- The degree of rigid precautions and how exaggerated they are.

3- Not working on improving self-confidence.

4- Tough moral and spiritual guidance.

5- Suppression of the spirit of contribution.

6- Suppression of self-expression or opinions.

7- Being afraid of failure.

8- Not enhancing the spirit of belonging.


3- POSITIVE THINKING:

- It is being hopeful with everything this word means and looking at the beauty in everything.

Positive thinking is very important in our lives.

- Positive thinking means examining yourself and discovering the talents and strengths which

God has given you. Unfortunately many of us insist on seeing only the negatives and

weaknesses, whether it be in ourselves or in others.

- No matter what negative events happen in your life, try and look for the positives, even if they

only appear to be small at first. It may turn out that this small thing will light the way towards

healing the negative matters which have occurred and will help you to overcome them. Do not

let negative events effect you.

- Send yourself positive messages for your inner conscious such as: I am successful, I can, I am

capable, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13), I can be as

successful as anyone, God wants me to be successful, God s strength completes my weakness.


4- POSITIVE THINKING VERSES NEGATIVE THINKING

POSITIVE THINKING NEGATIVE THINKING

- Dwells on the solution rather than the

problem

- Helps self and others

- Looks for a solution to every problem

- Acknowledges the solution may be hard

but achievable

- Has dreams that can be fulfilled

- Treats others the way they would like to

be treated

- Holds fast to morals and lets the trivial

things go

- Finds happiness and satisfaction in

working

- Plans events

- Inspires and motivates others through

creativity in personal and work life

- Enjoys a good relationship with family,

friends, colleagues and managers

- Makes others feel happy and successful

- Dwells on the problem more than the

solution

- Waits for help from others

- Sees a problem in every solution

- Sees that the solution is possible but hard

to achieve

- Has delusions that are tying him down

- Betrays people before they betray him

- Holds on to minor things and lets his

morals go

- Sees work as painful and a struggle

- Events make him

- Brings about laziness, disability and

paralyses effectiveness

- Relationships are accompanied by

mistrust, panic and clashes with all those

around

-Gives the feeling of failure and

disappointment

From the sayings of Pope Shenouda III: From the sayings of Pope Shenouda III:

A positive action is continual building and

he who builds continues to move upward.

A negative action is continual destruction

and he who destroys continues to move

downward.


5- THE OBSTACLES WHICH PREVENT BEING POSITIVE

Depression – despair – wasting time – routine – surrendering to psychological pressures –

procrastination – panic – feeling guilty – lack of confidence – laziness – constant detachment –

low self-esteem- disappointment – excessive shyness – faithlessness – failure – hopelessness.

6- BE POSITIVE

How Is Being Positive Created And Developed?

a. What a person sees in himself is himself: Someone once asked me, How can I become attractive? ) replied, Stand in front of a mirror and take a look at who is in front of you, face to face. Then I asked if the person in the mirror was attractive? In the beginning they nodded a little hesitantly and replied, I feel that my forehead…, I told them to stop and I said, You feel that

your forehead is flat, your nose is big, your eyes are protruding…all these things have no

connection to being attractive.

Being attractive is directly related to the words that you just said, ) feel . They said, ) don t understand explain more. I said, Being attractive starts with a feeling. When you feel from

within that you are attractive others will see you as attractive and vice versa, meaning that

when you feel unattractive and look at yourself in a negative way others will see you that way.

From this we can conclude that any positive or negative attitudes arise from the feelings which

are produced within us.

Any way you imagine yourself is the way others will see you. For instance, if you see yourself

as strong, weak, useful, talkative, insignificant, important or successful that is how you will be

portrayed, so what a person sees in himself is what he is.

b. How others react towards us:

From the day a person is born until the day he passes away he experiences many different

feelings and psychological pressures most of which are a result of actions from people close to

him. Those feelings and pressures affect the life of a person immensely, especially children

from birth to the age of about 6 years.

For Example: A young girl breaks a glass vase. The feelings of fear and guilt

which follow will leave an effect on her life. The result is that the features of her

character and her feelings about herself will be determined by the reactions of

others, such as her mother, father, brother or sister. Lets take the scenario

where her mother gets angry with her, smacks her, makes her feel guilty and


uses hurtful words such as, you are careless and so on. )f this scenario is repeated over and over, the child s personality becomes crystallised and forms negative characteristics.

If, on the other hand the mother responds in a calm way and uses encouraging words, the

situation will pass and the child will not develop negative feelings.

Let s look at another example: A child draws a tree or fish or anything else and comes to show

it to their dad. Dad looks at the drawing with admiration and uses words of encouragement saying, What a lovely drawing, well done. Such phrases will have a positive effect on the child s life. Repeated cases of this will create a positive character in the child. What would

happen if his father rewarded him or hung the drawing on the wall or showed it to family and

friends? How would that affect in the child s personality?!

My brother and sister the servant, a child is smarter than you think. It is not so much the

words that matter to a child but our reactions, especially facial reactions, the expression in the

eyes and the tone of the voice.

Practical Steps For Living In A Positive Way

1- Wake up early and begin a new and happy day, where morning prayers are full of

enthusiasm and joy. Be happy with the new day that God has given you. Beware of negative

thoughts which might distract you in the morning. Focus on the positive things and say to

yourself, Let s make a good start to the day. 2- Always have a smile on your face and initiate greeting and peace without waiting from

someone else to start.

3- Be a good listener and know that this is not always easy and might take sometime to

develop. Do not interrupt others when they speak and you must show that you care.

4- Address others by name, knowing that others appreciate hearing their name and treat

others as though they are the most important person in the world. Not only will you be happy

and content doing this but you will gain many friends and they will in turn treat you the same

way.

5- Compliment other in all circumstances and all occasions. Remember the birthday s of others, surprise them with a phone call, a kind message or a small present.

6- Bring a smile to the face of others and make them happy.

7- Be generous always; you will find happiness in this because, It is more blessed to give than to

receive. (Acts 20:35).


8- Forgive others; our negative side is what gets angry, seeks revenge and punishes while our true nature, which is created in God s image, radiates with purity, clearness and forgiveness to

others.

9- Always use the words please and thankyou . They are simple words which bring amazing

results. Your outlook on things is your choice so it is in your hands to choose the right attitude

towards everything.

10- Try to think in a positive way towards others. This will increase self-confidence and will

reduce emotional conflict and negative feelings such as anger, sadness, fear and uncertainty.

11- Being optimistic in life leads to happiness, happiness encourages us to deal positively with

others and in turn increases our self confidence. Finally this leads us towards a greater trust in

God who says, I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly . (John 10:10).

12- Watch your thoughts because they will turn into words and the words will turn into actions

and actions will turn into habits and habits will turn into destiny.

13- When you face negative circumstances in your life endeavour to remember something

positive in your life to help you overcome that negative one. Do it in a simple and calm way.

14- Renew your goals and learn from past mistakes until you become successful as there is no

such thing as continual failure in life. But rather, failure leads to success if you are able to

identify the causes of past mistakes.

Always remember the golden rule in positive communication which Christ our beloved Lord

gave us, And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. Luke : .

This book has been translated by

The Sydney Diocese under the guidance of

His Grace Bishop Moussa and the blessing of His Grace Bishop Daniel

for more information please visit

www.stmarkfestival.com

2013Pre-Servants Book

“Return, Abide , Rejoice”

St Mark Festival

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