From His Grace Bishop Youssef

In the last issue of the magazine

I would like to wish you all a happy New Coptic Year, praying that you grow every day in this year in
the knowledge and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Coptic Year is called the year of the Martyrs to
commemorate their limitless love for the Lord Jesus Christ to the extent that they shed their blood for
His name’s sake.

The word “martyr” is a Greek word means “witness” and it is known that the highest form of witnessing
for faith is shedding the blood for it. The martyrs fulfilled the commandment of the Lord “you shall be
witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1: 8).
We can witness to the Lord through many ways. We can witness by sharing His word with others “and
this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations” (Matthew 24:
14). Evangelism is the responsibility of every believer. God gave us His word not to keep it to ourselves
but to share it with others.
We can be witnesses by our deeds and behavior “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5: 16). St. Paul considers the believer
himself to be the Epistle of Christ “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living
God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart” (2Cor 3: 2, 3).
Life of love and fellowship is another form of witnessing. The fellowship life of the early church
attracted many people to believe in Christ and join the assembly of the believers “now all who believed
were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them
among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread
from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having
favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:
44 – 47).
Praising the Lord and worshipping Him in truth and spirit have a strong power to search people’s heart
and bring them to Christ “but if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he
is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling
down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you” (1Cor 14: 24, 25).
The Lord Jesus Christ came not to be served but to serve and through His service, He caught many souls
to the Kingdom of Heaven. Serving one another with our gifts and talents bears witnesses to the Holy
Spirit who is working in us and will draw many people to believe in Christ “as each one has received a
gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him
speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies,
that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1Peter 4: 10, 11).
The cross and suffering are essential elements in Christianity and discipleship that nob

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