August is a special month. August lies on the Coptic month of Mesra, which is dedicated to St. Mary, the Mother of God. On Mesra 1, which is August 7, the Virgin Mary fast begins. This fast lasts 15 days, until Mesra 16, which is the day that St. Mary’s body travelled to heaven. When St. Mary was peacefully praying, …
St. Abanoub of Nehisa
Think back to when you were 12 years old, or try to imagine your life at that age. What are you doing? Perhaps you are attending school, playing outside, or in the worst case scenario, studying for a really hard test. Can you imagine any 12-year old standing in front of an emperor, challenging him by proclaiming their faith, knowing …
St. Mary of Egypt
Just two years ago, our church received the blessed relics of St. Mary of Egypt. Her story is a perfect example of repentance and change. She was born to Christian parents in Alexandria but unfortunately when she was 12, she was tricked by Satan and lived a life of sin for almost 17 years. One day, she decided to board …
The Feasts of the Cross
In our Coptic Church, we celebrate the Feast of the Cross of our Lord twice every year: on Tout 16 (around mid-September) and the 10th of Baramhat which is March 19th of this year. On Tout 16, we celebrate Queen Helena going to Jerusalem and finding the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. When she had climbed up the hill …
The Letter to Philemon
The Story: The letter to Philemon is one of St. Paul’s 14 epistles. Philemon was a master to a slave named Onesimus. One day, Onesimus was tempted and stole money from Philemon and ran away to Rome, where he met St. Paul. St. Paul’s preaching moved him and caused him to feel sorry about what he did. He told St. …
The End of Times
Many historians and scientists have been trying and are trying to predict the date in which the world will come to an end. The Mayans thought that the end of times was on December 21st, 2012. Clearly they were wrong as I am still here, typing about their unfortunate miscalculation. Scientists like Sir Isaac Newton also have their own predictions …
The importance of the church
Most of us go to church every Sunday. We stand, we kneel, we say the Our Father and leave. It has almost become a meaningless routine. We forget the true importance and reason for going to church. In the Old and New Testaments, there are prominent examples that reaffirm the true importance of the church in our temporary and eternal …
Humility from the Nativity
And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7) When one imagines God, one thinks of an all-powerful, mighty God, with lightning in his fingertips and thunder as the sound of his voice. Although all of that is …
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