0 commentsCreated on 17 Feb. 2012 05:29:15 PM
An Ancient Christian Church. It is one of the most ancient Churches in the world, having been founded by Saint Mark the Apostle, the writer of the second gospel, in the first Century. The word ‘Coptic’ comes from the ancient Egyptian word ‘hekaptah’ meaning ‘Egypt’, and thus ‘Coptic’ merely means ‘Egyptian.’ As a conservative Church, the Coptic Church has carefully preserved the Orthodox Christian Faith in its earliest and purest form, handing it down from generation to generation, unaltered and true to the Apostolic doctrines and patterns of worship.
Trinitarian—believing in the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (being one God); and believing that our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, the true Son of God, became incarnate, was born of the Virgin Saint Mary, died for us on the Cross that He may grant us Salvation, rose on the third day that He may grant us everlasting life with Him, and ascended to heaven after forty days, sending the Holy Spirit to His disciples as He promised them, on the day of Pentecost.
Apostolic-as it was founded by the apostle Saint Mark.
Scriptural (Biblical)—having as its main point of reference the Holy Bible, as depicted in current traditional translations such as, King James, New King James, and the Revised Standard Version.
Traditional--using the teachings of the early Church Fathers as well as the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed as its statement of Faith.
Sacramental--having seven sacraments, namely: Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation), Confession, the Eucharist (Communion), Marriage, Priesthood, and Unction of the Sick.
Conservative—in that it does not change basic matters of Faith, Dogma or Tradition to suit current trends (this does not mean however that matters such as language and day-to day practices are not changed to suit conditions of ministry and the needs of the congregation). Holding on to such matters of Faith and practice has not been an easy task, as the Coptic Church has always lived persecution of one form or another since its establishment in the first century.
0 commentsCreated on 11 Feb. 2012 09:53:06 PM
Written by Bishop Moussa
The Book of Ecclesiastes is the second book of Solomon the Wise, and is the second step in our spiritual way. The word Ecclesiastes means 'gathering together'. This term can be applied to King Solomon, for he was a king, a prophet, a philosopher and a preacher. He had various experiences in life - he sinned and deviated from the Lord, he worshipped idols, and then he repented and returned to the Lord once more.
"The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 'Vanity of vanities' says the Preacher; 'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity'" (1:1-2).In this Book, we find out how Solomon, through the mercy of God, came to the conclusion that all is vanity: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (12:13). The name Solomon is derived from the word 'peace', (the Hebrew word 'Shalom', and the Arabic word 'Salam'), and this is how we come to call our beloved Lord Jesus Christ the 'King of Peace'. Therefore, King Solomon was a symbol of Christ.
There are seven main topics in the Book of Ecclesiastes :-
VANITY - this is the key word in the Book.
"I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and indeed all is vanity and grasping for the wind" (1:14) - relates to the vanity of all the work done and achieved in this world.
"I said in my heart, 'Come now, I will test you with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure', but surely, this also was vanity" (2:1) - relates to the vanity of the pleasures of this world.
"Then I looked on all the works my hands had done, and on the labour in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun" (2:11) - relates to the vanity of labouring in this world.
"So I said in my heart, 'As it happens to the fool, it also happens to me, and why was I then more wise?' Then I said in my heart, 'This also is vanity'" (2:15) - relates to the vanity of human wisdom.
"Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind" (2:17) - relates to the vanity of achievement.
"And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labour in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity" (2:19) - relates to the vanity of position.
"For all his days are sorrowful and his work grievous; even in the night his heart takes no rest" (2:23) - relates to the vanity of ambitions.
"For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind" (2:26) - relates to the vanity of gathering and collecting.
"There is an evil I have seen under the sun and it is common among men: a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honour, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity and an evil affliction" (6:1-2) - relates to the vanity of riches.
"Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind" (6:9) - relates to the vanity of senses and desires.
It is important to first come to the realisation that this world is vanity because in the end, all will vanish.
TIME & ETERNITY
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun..." (3:1-11)
Without eternity we could not understand the meaning of this life. Eternity sheds light on the things around us. All is vanity because eternity exists. That is why it is not good to concentrate on physical, materialistic things, but to concentrate on the metaphysical. If you put eternity inside your heart and live according to this eternal feeling inside you and eternal life dwelling inside you, you are going to see eternity, work for eternity, and behave accordingly.
"A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's birth" (7:1). The righteous man is always confident in death.
"...and desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home" (12:5).
ENDLESS DESIRES
"All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full...the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing" (1:7-8). We will never find satisfaction in limited things, as a Christian philosopher once said, 'The human being is a well of desires'. The only way to fill this well and to quench our endless thirst is to possess within us the Infinite Person, who is our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.
"He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance with increase. This also is vanity" (5:10).
"All the labour of man is for his mouth; and yet the soul is not satisfied" (6:7)
NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN
"That which has been will always be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun" (1:9-10). Whether it is the New Age movement (which is actually based on ancient eastern religion), or homosexuality or atomic bombs, nothing is new, for newness is not in essence, but in superficial form. Man is the same, Satan is the same, sin is the same, and Christ is the same.
EXTREMISM
"Do not be overly righteous nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourselves?" (7:16). We should be moderate in all things, because if, for example, you exaggerate in religion, it can lead to pride, and thereby harm you instead of doing you good.
YOUTH
"Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, 'I have no pleasure in them' (referring to old age): While the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are not darkened ('darkened' due to poor eye sight), and the clouds do not return after the rain; in the day when the keepers of the house tremble (referring to the fragilities of old age), and the strong men bow down; when the grinders cease because they are few (grinders being the teeth), ...and desires fails. For man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets (people are mourning the old person's death)" (12:1-5).
FULLNESS AND DUTY OF HUMANITY
So now...
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil" (12:13-14).
We must be righteous, we must be religious, we must be spiritual.
0 commentsCreated on 04 Feb. 2012 08:42:10 PM
Source: CopticTamgeed.com
Repentance is the foundation of the Christian life. When Our Lord Jesus was baptized from John the Baptist on our behalf and after fasting for forty days, He came from the wilderness to start His ministry and His first words were: “From that time, Jesus began to preach and to say, repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”(Mt:3:17 ). Jesus Confirmed the necessity of repentance ”I tell you unless you repent you will all likewise perish”(Lk:13:5). The church has arranged for us Nineveh’s fast, which always comes two weeks, before the Great Lent.
The Lent, as viewed by the church, is the season of repentance. The story of Jonah and Nineveh, teaches us the power of true repentance. Nothing can make God more happy than our repentance – Jesus said: “ I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to Repentance”; “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent ”(Lk:5:32 & 15:7).
Repentance is “a great understanding”: But what in fact is meant by repentance. Some regard repentance as sorrow and feeling of guilt for the wounds we have inflicted on others and on ourselves. This view, however, is dangerously incomplete. While sorrow and guilt feelings are frequently present in the experience of repentance, they are NOT the whole of it, nor even the most important part. To repent means to change, to no longer follow our own path, but to return to the path that GOD desires us to walk in.
The Greek word for repentance is “metanoia”, which means “change of mind”. As a “new mind”, repentance is positive, not negative. One saint said about repentance, “Repentance is the daughter of hope and denial of despair”. Another saint said, “Repentance is the starting point and foundation stone of our new life in Christ, and it must be present not only at the beginning but throughout our growth in this life, increasing as we advance”.Until we have seen the light of Christ, we cannot really see our sins. So long as a room is in darkness, we do not see the dirt. So it is with the room of our soul. The sequence is not to repent first, and then to become aware of Christ; for it is only when the light of Christ has already in some measure entered our life that we begin truly to understand our sinfulness.There is a saying that the prayer that is heard by God is the praying in tears of repetance. Our repetance tears move the (Heart) of God.
How do we Repent?: The best instruction on repentance is given to us by our Lord Himself in the parable of the prodigal son (Lk:15:11-24). Similar to the prodigal son, we have left our Father,' House. We have wasted our inheritance. We have departed into foreign country. Now, we have to also be like the Prodigal son and realize where our own self-will has gotten us. We must rise up and struggle to go back to Our Father, where we will find that Our Father will Himself run out to meet us, and give us all that we need to be restored again. Without God, there is no happiness or joy.
St. Augustine once said “Lord , You have created usfor You, and ourselves will find no rest till we find our rest in You”. Man is never satisfied with the things of this world. He is always looking for more and more – nothing can satisfy man but God.Repentance is a continuous process. We need to repent everyday. Everybody needs to repent. The closer a person gets to God, the more he/she realizes the need for repentance.Go through the whole day :Remember your first thought of the day.
What was the first thing you did in the morning?. Who was the first person to speak to?. Were the subjects of your conversation during the day godly or not?; How did you react to the various things that came your way?. Remember not only what you did, but what you failed to do as well.
The Sacrament of Repentance: During confession, there are three persons – priest, penitent and Christ the Physician. What does each of these three do, and whose action is the most important? The most important action is that of God. We come to confession asking God to heal us, and the priest is a witness of what we have to say. Once we regard confession as fundamentally Christ’s action, then we shall begin to understand it in a far more positive way. It is an experience of God’s healing love and pardon, not merely of our own disintegration and weakness. As one saint said, “If we take one step toward the Lord, He takes ten toward us.” Repentance is to come back home, to return from isolation to fellowship, to be reintegrated in the family, to share once more in the life of the community.Repentance in the lives of Saints: St. Arsensius used to weep all day to the extent that his eye lashes fell as a result of his continuous tears.
In his early life, St. Augustine was living away from GOD, and his mother St. Monica kept praying for his salvation. St. Augustine was converted in his thirties, and never returned back to the life of sin. Instead, he pressed on and became one of the greatest Saints of the church.We also have the story of St. Moses the black. St. Moses led a very sinful life, but later repented, and became one of the great saints of our church. Have a blessed Jonah fasting.