An RSS feed of the literature released on the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States website http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/2096/believe-nativity-feast-2023-message My Beloved, I wish you a joyous Nativity Feast and blessed New Year. On this holy night, the entire world is called to believe. The incarnation of the Word of God fulfilled promises and prophecies. The beginning of healing and dissolving the estranged relationship between heaven and earth began with the nativity of the Lord Jesus. The true worship of God begins with the birth of Christ the King and Savior of the world. “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, ‘God with us,’” (Matthew 1:23). Believing is the first step but not the only one. Believing must last a lifetime. Believing does not equate to a life without challenges, but an assurance that God is with us and ever present in our lives. Thus, all challenges can be managed: “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37). Believing in God is not based on words but a joyful and growing relationship with Him. St. Joseph, the righteous man, had legitimate concerns regarding St. Mary, but was assured in a dream and believed: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid ...Sat, 07 Jan 2023 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/2023/thoughts-on-paschaHoly week is the most sacred time of the church year. But that does not mean it was made only for holy people. The holy seasons of the year were made for sinners—sinners who want to live better—like me and you. Pascha, this very special week, is designed for the downcast, the anxious, and the troubled. Christ was the holiest man on earth when he came, but he barely spent any time with holy people. In fact, when he went to dine with the “holy,” they treated him with the utmost impoliteness. Instead, his desire and joy was to mingle with the sinners. He looked for the harlot, the tax collector, the thief, the leper, the disabled, and the blind. In other words, he looked for those individuals in whom both society and religion were not interested. What else is holy week but spending the most intimate time with Christ? Jesus Christ today is not asking how many virtues you have. He is not asking how perfect was your fast. He is not asking how immaculate were your prayers. He is only asking, where are you? He is simply seeking your heart. I would ...Mon, 18 Apr 2022 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/1990/the-greatest-news My Beloved Children, The Lord is born! Let us glorify Him! I wish you all the happiness and blessings of the Nativity Feast and a healthy and prosperous new year. Let us rejoice and celebrate together the glorious birth of the Lord Jesus Christ who bowed the heavens and emptied Himself to come to us, to live among us, and to save us. As the apostle Jude exhorted the believers with this greeting, "Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you," (Jude 1:2), I also extend the same to each of you. Declaring the incarnation of the Logos cannot be mingled with negativity and hostility toward one another. Heaven and earth are reconciled. Peace on earth begins with each person, one by one. Reconciliation scorches demons because they cannot understand forgiveness since it requires humility. Thus, set your pride aside that you may proclaim the greatest news. It seems we conveniently forget that the Lord Jesus gave us the commandment of love (cf. John 13:34). This was not merely a suggestion, a theory, a request, or a hypothetical possibility. It is a commandment with no contingencies. "Therefore if you bring your gift to ...Thu, 06 Jan 2022 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/1971/bless-me-o-lord-the-spiritual-meaning-of-tithing We have heard and read the words, "The Lord loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). We have heard the unique title, "A man after God's own heart,” a phrase coined to describe the Prophet David because of his zeal to build God's house (1 Samuel 13:14). We can understand the power of love for God from this humble king, psalmist, and prophet because he desired to build God's house. Before him, our father Abraham set the perfect example by offering his tithes to Melchizedek, "the priest of God Most High" (Genesis 14:18). We read about God's generosity and the only time in the Holy Scripture, which is recorded in Malachi 3:10, when He challenged us to try Him by giving our tithing for which He promised His abundant blessings to pour upon those who provide for His house. All our churches combined comprise the house of God, but each of us has a special responsibility to care for our distinct portion of the house of God. The church that you attend regularly and is serving you is your personal responsibility. The church serving you is the light of your entire community. It is where the ...Thu, 07 Oct 2021 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/1857/god-is-just Many question how God could send someone to be tortured in hell for eternity. Even the worst people on earth, do they really deserve an eternal punishment, especially considering that it is described as extremely painful? It is not the notion of punishment for sins without repentance that are questioned. What these people do not understand is why it is an eternal punishment. It seems very extreme to punish one for all eternity. "Just trust in God" sounds like a non-answer to some. Surely, God is not a God of confusion. Even if people cannot fully comprehend heaven or hell, they struggle to make reasonable sense of these matters. Some propose that limited punishment would be more rational. Even if a man spent his whole life of eighty, ninety, one hundred or more years resisting God, does he deserve eternal punishment in hell? Humans designed a justice system where criminals are punished, but not unreasonably or in an unusually cruel way. Most people would be against punishing criminals to death by setting them on fire even for a few minutes. Thus, they cannot comprehend that God would allow someone to spend all eternity burning in hell or ...Thu, 10 Sep 2020 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/1778/a-season-of-celebration-the-joyous-nativity-feast It is my pleasure to wish you a very joyous and blessed Nativity Feast. The nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ is a special time of immense, cheerful, and devout celebration. It is embodied in expectancy, hope, and deliverance. The world expected a Savior, hoped for peace, and yearned for deliverance. The prophets and patriarchs of the Holy Scripture encouraged the believers to expect the Messiah. They lived and died in the hope of the joy of His incarnation. Satan tried to deter our exultation by the evils of Herod and the inns that refused to welcome Him. Thus, on this glorious feast, we joyfully welcome the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts, our lives, our homes, our gatherings, and into all that we are and have and do. From the annunciation of the forerunner until the nativity of Christ, the Church chants joyful tunes and praises. The four Sundays preceding the birth of Christ are all read from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke: The Annunciation of the Birth of St. John the Baptist—the Forerunner (Luke 1:1–25); The Annunciation of the Birth of Christ the Savior (Luke: 1:26–38); The Visitation of St. Mary to St. ...Sat, 11 Jan 2020 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/1777/an-invitation-from-god-the-joyous-nativity-feast My Beloved Children: I wish you a very blessed and joyful Nativity Feast, confident with jubilation in the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords, and always assured that you are beloved children of God. On this glorious night, we celebrate the awesome Nativity Feast in which the world has been invited to eternal life. A host of angels invited the lowly shepherds to the obscure place where our King lay. This is our Savior who came to rescue us. "He has delivered us fromthe power of darknessandconveyedusinto the kingdom of the Son of His love,in whom we have redemptionthrough His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13–14). This Holy Child came to our earth to invite us to His heaven. He entered the world, vulnerable and needing protection and nourishment. He sought shelter, but found none. He came in need to satisfy our needs. He came to invite all humanity to share in His glory. He emptied Himself to rescue us. We needed a Savior, not a ruler, nor a prophet, nor a sage. Thus, He came to us and became one of us that He might rescue us. He came ...Tue, 07 Jan 2020 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/1768/a-blessed-thanksgiving On this joyful occasion, I wish you all a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving. The personal meaning of thanksgiving clearly differs from person to person. In the United States, Americans are accustomed to celebrating Thanksgiving Day each year to commemorate the new life in America and the meal shared by the Native Americans and the European pilgrim settlers more than two hundred years ago. As Christians, this special day can also be a reminder that we are sojourners in this world and have a greater purpose in every dwelling, to be an example to others, and to abstain from all covetousness: "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:11-12). Giving thanks has a deeper and more spiritual meaning. It is a keen reminder in all our liturgical and personal prayers: Thanksgiving Prayer, "Let us give thanks to the beneficent and merciful God...;" and the prologue to the Lord's Prayer, "O Lord, make us worthy ...Wed, 27 Nov 2019 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/1756/throwing-aside-his-garmentKeraza Magazine issue 35-36, September 20, 2019 St. Mark the Apostle tells us in his gospel that when our Lord Jesus Christ was getting out of Jericho, blind Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus was sitting by the road begging, When he heard that Jesus was passing by, he began to cry out asking Him for mercy. When Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called, he threw aside his garment, rose and came to Jesus (Mark 10:46-50). In fact, St. Mark was very keen to describe the situation in a very precise manner. He recorded to us that blind Bartimaeus threw his garment before he rose and came to Jesus. It is well known that at that time the beggars were characterized by wearing a specific garment that they would spread on the ground to gather alms in it. Therefore, it was not by chance that St. Mark mentioned that Bartimaeus threw his garment aside, but he meant to record it because this movement carried a lot of deep spiritual meanings and lessons. Bartimaeus was not only a beggar but was blind too. He was dependent on people in two manners: vision and getting his nurture. His ...Fri, 20 Sep 2019 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/1729/the-spirit-of-god-was-hovering-over-the-face-of-thKeraza Magazine issue 23-24, June 14, 2019 In the story of creation, the divine revelation document that, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2). The word hovering is translated in the original Hebrew text into rachaf which means a bird sitting on eggs to incubate them until they hatch. The same word was repeated in the saying of the Lord in the book of Deuteronomy, "As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings" (Deuteronomy 11:32). This means that the divine revelation meant to clarify to us that the Holy Spirit was sitting on the earth from the beginning exactly like the chicken which sits on her eggs incubating them till they hatch. It is known that when the chicken hover over her eggs, she pulls out the feathers of her chest to allow her warm skin to be in direct contact with the eggs to warm them, and to keep the pulled feather as an insulator for the nest. A ...Thu, 20 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0000