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/917/the-departure-of-hh-pope-shenouda-iii...and they know you are Christian by your love:(a few thoughts written the day our beloved was laid to rest (3/17/2012)...although words come short)The words "the burial of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III" are immensely heavy on my heart, foreign to my ears, unbelievable to my eyes....how fitting is it for you, our selfless leader, to be laid to rest in the same dwelling place alongside St. Bishoy, 'friend of the highest Love', for you are both our national pride...two Egyptian fathers known for their unconditional love, meekness, simplicity, and unmatched selflessness. While the rest of the monks ran to see Christ who was professed to be on the hill, St. Bishoy stopped to pick up the old man to carry on his back, and through his sacrificial love, he alone saw Christ who manifested Himself as the old man, seeking the heart of those whose hearts seek not their own, hearts like yours, our honorable example.Christ taught us through you both that those who run by the weak in their hurry to see Christ on the hill will see Him not. They seek salvation in the wrong place, as our Christ is in the hearts of those the few ...Tue, 08 May 2012 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/918/40-days-after-hh-pope-shenoudas-departure"40 years. 4 months. 4 days. They knew you were Christian by your love."(on your 40th day in heaven, during the Risen Christ's 40 days with us)4/25/2012It's been 40 days without you, our beloved; and in 40 days, we've pondered upon our most precious gift of 40 years, 4 months, and 4 days under your patriarchal fatherhood. My heart melts as I meditate on the significance of the specific number of years God honored us with His angel. It is not a coincidence that the number of your devoted years is the same number of 'perfect and absolute completeness' not only in our Church, but also in medicine, as our Creator saw it fit for a mother's womb to house her child for 40 weeks of 'perfect and absolute completeness' for a safe delivery into its new world. Likewise, you fathered us, your children, for 40 years of 'perfect and absolute completeness' for our safe delivery to our promised new world. It is not a coincidence, that as Noah's ark safe-guarded the ancestors of our faith for 40 days against the deadly flood, you, our 117th Ark, safe-guarded us, Noah's children, for 40 years against the deadly tides of the ...Tue, 08 May 2012 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/910/rejoice-in-the-spirit My Beloved Brethren and Children,Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen! The glorious feast of the Holy Resurrection is the feast of feasts. Thus, we must rejoice in the spirit, embellish our hearts anew, and adorn the holy and victorious church of God. This is the time to declare with bold and joyful tunes the triumph over the sting of death, the stench of hopelessness, and the malevolent conspiracies of Satan, for the evil one has been conquered and defeated through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ—the King of kings. As believers, we can now say with all conviction and assurance "we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the coming age" (Orthodox Creed). We valiantly embrace the truth and affix our hope intently as we hear the words of St. Paul to the Romans:"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection" (Romans 6:5).Restoration was the main objective of the plan of salvation. Having tainted the image of God by our will to sin, He designed a plan in which He would take our distorted image ...Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/911/christ-is-risen-truly-he-is-risen Christ is Risen, Truly He is Risen!()As we celebrate the Glorious Feast of the Resurrection, let us rejoice in the glorious immortality of man brought about by the first born of the dead--our beloved Risen Lord. While it is important to commemorate our Lord Jesus Christ's suffering on earth it is equally as important to profess our belief in the glorious resurrection of our Lord, His blessed soul was raised from the dead. Many of the early church fathers describe our Lord Jesus as "the first fruits from the dead".We can surmise four characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ's glorious resurrected body, 1) He was raised in flesh that was impassable, 2) Our Lord's risen body was glorious, radiant and pure, 3) His Holy body was swift to appear and disappear at His will, and 4) His resurrected body of flesh was also spiritual in nature.The Lord Jesus Christ's resurrected body was in the flesh. His flesh following death did not see vile corruption, although it bore the grandeur of His pre-death crucifixion wounds. Most Biblical scholars agree, His flesh did not return our Lord to the imperfections of agonizing pain, infected wounds, or diseases from the rust of ...Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/912/living-in-the-likeness-of-his-death-and-his-resurr Our Lord Jesus Christ had the power to raise the dead, heal the sick, return hearing to those who could not hear, and restore sight to the blind. He could calm a turbulent storm on the Sea of Galilee and could effortlessly walk on water to quiet the fears of those He was concerned for.With such miraculous works, it can be rationally deducted that nails did not bind our Lord and Savior to the death of the Holy Cross. Nails and death were the pains and darkness that temporarily entered into Him and Him through it. Our Lord Jesus Christ endured the weakness of a human body so that we might imitate the likeness of His nature in our present earthly condition.Our Lord Jesus Christ lived His death and Glorious Resurrection as an example for all to follow. The likeness of our Lord in the Holy Bible was not one of physical description but one of spiritual journey with publicly exposed heart and soul.Firm Commitment to His BeliefsOur Lord Jesus Christ's earthly life was full of persecution and prejudice. He did not dwell on it or within it. He was committed to live and die a life of submission. ...Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/909/sacrificial-wounds-dissipated-the-fear-of-men "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).Our Lord Jesus Christ accepted His Holy Crucifixion and its agonizing sufferings. He was unjustly led to the tomb without having committed any lawlessness. Though our Lord was falsely accused of blasphemy against God by the Jews and of political corruption by the Romans, He did not mount a defense of Who He was and what His teachings were. Our Lord did not campaign against the leadership of the Sanhedrin nor convene a great army against the Roman Empire such as man would have never seen.The sacrificial wounds to His hands, feet, and side were traumatic and agonizing on the Holy Cross. Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died in the supportive presence of perhaps three courageous women and the youngest of the apostles from among His closest followers."Then they all forsook Him and fled" (Mark 14:50).What could have instilled so much fear in the hearts of His followers that made them ready to forsake our Lord Jesus Christ at a ...Sat, 07 Apr 2012 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/906/lived-his-eternity Heavenly Departure March 17, 2012 His Holiness Pope Shenouda III 117th Pope of Alexandria Patriarch of the See of St. Mark..."As the deer longs for the springs of water, so my soul longs for You, O God. My soul thirsts for the living God. When shall I come and appear before the face of God?" (Psalm 41:1-2, OSB).Many will begin to eulogize His Holiness Pope Shenouda III's great papal accomplishments. His Holiness' evangelism throughout the world with hundreds upon hundreds of Coptic churches firmly established outside the Coptic motherland of Egypt is astounding. His Holiness continental travels and countless writings in multiple languages far exceed the stamina of a single human man. Compounded exceedingly with the infinite and complex responsibilities of Coptic leadership, even at an advanced age, His Holiness' church advancements flourished.His Holiness Pope Shenouda III's love of the Lord our God, the Coptic Church, and its faithful encompassed the country it sprang forth from. Adversities and travails frequently encountered by a minority population within its birthplace were unrelenting. Even so, it did not lessen nor overwhelm our dearly departed pope's love of Egypt as His Holiness' "heavenly country". History will record His Holiness' love of Egypt "as ...Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/907/the-prophet-micahs-unwavering-faith The Prophet Micah Youthful Eyes Saw Carnage of HometownAdult Visions Saw Total Destruction of JerusalemThe prophet Micah is the author of the Holy Book of Micah. His name means "one who is like God". Living between approximately 737 BC and 690 BC, the prophet Micah grew up to have prophetic visions. His contemporary prophets would be Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. Jeremiah prophesied about thirty years after the prophet Micah. The Holy Book of Micah paralleled with the Holy Book of Isaiah. The historical account of this prophet's prophecies assures us that his visionary warnings were of utmost importance although written in brief words.During his childhood, the prophet Micah was surrounded with carnage, chaos, plunder, and tragedy brought about by the deferent, non-engaging spirit of those who called themselves believers. Such people were believers by name only since they had no genuine moral characteristics that would set them apart from worldly people.Originating from Moresheth-Gath, the prophet Micah lived in a small village nestled in the rolling hills of southwest Judah. This man of God loved rural life and spent much of his life preaching against the vices of those found in highly populated cities. Judeans had become increasingly dishonest and ...Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/905/repentance-imperatively-fundamental-to-forgiveness "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him" (Nahum 1:7).Nahum, a minor prophet from the tribe of Simeon, may well be one of the most succinct prophets of the Old Testament. He is a prophet of few but thunderous words. Many scholars believe that Nahum originated from the city of Capernaum ("the village of Nahum") at the Sea of Galilee. His name 'Nahum' means 'consoler'. Why was 'a consoler' sent to Nineveh rather than one crying out from the wilderness for repentance? The Prophet Nahum's prophetic vision concerned consolation rather than repentance. God had already sent the Ninevites a call to repentance through the reluctant prophet Jonah with a message of what would happen to the people if they continued their wicked ways.We read of no reluctance on the part of the prophet Nahum in the sharing of his divinely inspired vision that would soon come to fruition. Although desolation was the theme of his vision concerning the sins of Nineveh, nonetheless, Nahum must have surely had compassion in his heart for the sinful people based on his willingness to warn them of their destiny. The prophet Nahum ...Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.suscopts.org/resources/literature/897/steps-out-of-the-pit "Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thessalonians 5:6).IntroductionSatan is in continuous war with us. He uses all ways and means in order to trap us. One of Satan's titles is "the deceiver", "the liar and father of all liars" and St. Paul said "we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11). In the previous articles, the nature of the spiritual war with Satan, his allies, strategies and weapons as well as our types of weapons (both offensive and defensive) have been discussed. This article will illustrate the sequential steps that Satan takes in the process of making us fall in his hand starting from deception and ending up in bondage. It is just an idea. Satan starts small, soft and easy usually playing on the weakest cord. "It is just a suggestion, an idea." He did that with Eve instilling in her mind the idea that he wants their interest more than God. So, he filled her mind with the idea that they will become knowledgeable and on a par with God. Jesus Christ Himself was not exempted from Satan's deceitful ideas. The three suggestions sounded feasible, ...Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0600