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Much like the Church’s rites, iconography presents a unique and powerful avenue for depicting and expressing the spiritual and divine components of religious experience through physical means. The simple admiration of the artistic forms and expression of icons is therefore itself a formative experience. In learning to read an icon, one gleans a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the meaning and significance which icons portray, especially because icons are not merely artistic depictions but also expressions of theology and spirituality. Through a multifaceted reading of iconography — including narrative-based, cultural, and theological approaches — one begins to uncover the unique, compelling, and significant meanings of icons without demeaning, devaluing, or misinterpreting them. Indeed, a sound reading of icons requires an approach that considers the complex interplay between visual art, storytelling, cultural symbolism, and religious tradition. The Narrative-Based Approach Icons are most commonly interpreted through the textual and oral narratives which they depict. The illustration of a particular story enables readers to utilize their imaginative faculties, envision the story more concretely, and therefore cultivate a deeper comprehension of and resonation with the narrative. Both the cognitive and aesthetic characteristics of icons are important. The use of colors and beautifully designed artwork conveys the significance of the narrative and inspires a more immersive experience of the text itself. By recalling the story which an icon presents, one can breathe life into an otherwise two-dimensional canvas. In early Coptic manuscripts, icons were commonly used to depict scenes found in the Gospels, inviting readers to imagine and place themselves within the story and thereby gain a deeper understanding and experience of it.  Figure 1: A Coptic manuscript of the Gospels dating to 1250 A.D., including icons of Jesus’ arrest and trial (left: folio 56v) and His baptism in the Jordan River (right: folio 66r) (Bibliothèque de Fels (Fels Library), Institut Catholique de Paris, Ms. Copte-Arabe 1 ). Figure 2: An icon of the Holy Family on its journey to Egypt. The Arabic text reads “Out of Egypt I called My Son (Matthew 2:15)” As one example, in Figure 1, the depiction of the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River moves the manuscript’s reader to visually imagine the unfolding scene — to feel the water splash against his skin, hear the rumblings of the gathered crowd, and even smell the fish. By engaging these senses, the icon translates a static narrative into an experienceable event. This exercise primarily carries an educational purpose. For this reason, instructive details were not uncommon; they further facilitated the educational emphases of the narrative-based approach. For instance, in Figure 2, the related prophecy of Hosea 11:1 which is referenced in Matthew 2:15 is directly incorporated into an icon of the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt. The interrelation of the narrative and the icon is inextricable. Just as an icon informs a deeper experience of a written or orally-delivered narrative, apart from the narrative, an icon falls short in delivering its experiential intentions. Remaining with the example of Figure 2, unless one connects the image with the narrative of the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt, he fails to uncover the deep symbolism and spiritually-applicable lessons which the icon depicts. Ascertaining these characters to be the Holy Family, and understanding the environment and contexts which the Gospel narratives express in relation to this specific experience in the incarnate life of Christ, opens up the icon to become an illustration of sacrificial fatherhood, in the person of Joseph who walks on foot and leads his family away from the comfort of home into uncertainty in Egypt, and endearing motherhood, in the person of Mary who swaddles Jesus and holds Him in her arms. In considering an icon through its narrative, and especially those that are widely known, iconography becomes a powerful medium for deeper reflection and education. Further, the experiential nature of iconography, and the narrative-based approach, is not bound by culture or theological mastery. While many individuals may feel ill-equipped or unable to relate to the cultural and theological roots of an icon, the narrative-based approach bridges the gap between readers and the narrative’s author, enabling readers to enter palpably and with all their senses into the narrative itself. However, icons are written within a particular cultural context and are naturally expressive of theology, and thus, a holistic approach to reading icons is necessary. While the narrative-based outlook carries important benefits, it should not be divorced from other approaches. The Cultural Approach Reading icons through the lens of their writers’ cultures, societal contexts, and artistic traditions facilitates a deeper experience of the icons’ depictions and a more refined appreciation for their message. Cultural considerations uncover the complexity behind the composition of an icon. To illustrate the importance of this approach, Pharaonic art was often adapted for use by Coptic iconographers in third-century Egypt. They found in the artwork of Isis nursing Horus inspiration for portraying the Virgin nursing the Christ Child, and associated Horus’ slaying Apophis with St. George’s slaying the dragon. [1] Figure 3: Isis nursing Horus (top left); the Virgin nursing Christ (top right); Horus slaying Apep (Apophis) (bottom left); Saint George slaying the dragon (bottom right). The visual similarities between Pharaonic art and Coptic iconography, especially in the above example, are fascinating: the Virgin holds Christ in the same manner that Isis holds Horus, both infants sit on the left side of their mothers, and both mothers are depicted with large eyes and as smiling. Given these strong resemblances, it is believed that the Egyptians were familiar with the pagan gods well into the fourth century A.D. and that such iconographic connections sought to assimilate former pagans. Rather than deny the background and certain cultural components of the Egyptian pagans, iconographers provided them with the means by which to incorporate their cultural identity into the experience of worship within the framework of their newly-accepted Christian beliefs. Since the Christian Faith is holistic and cannot be confined or compartmentalized into a mere aspect of the believer’s life, the acceptance of the Christian Faith by the Egyptians quickly affected their cultural expression. They yearned to use their culture to honor God, even in the artwork which they produced. Within this same context, the appropriation of pagan themes and narratives in Coptic art was not only an instrument of assimilation, but also emphasized the superiority of the Christian Faith to the pagan beliefs. In keeping with the earlier example of Horus, Horus’ royal assent to avenge his father gives way to the Lord’s superior salvific act for all mankind. The interrelation and inseparability of both the cultural and narrative approaches to reading icons are therefore evident. Further, the cultural approach enhances the understanding of artistic traditions. The influence of ancient Egyptian art on early Coptic art is perceived in Coptic iconographers’ use of gold leaf. Similarly, the use of intricate patterns and shapes in later icons testifies to the influence of Islamic art. As Egypt experienced a variety of artistic traditions over several millennia, such as Pharaonic art, Islamic art, and Western art, the cultural connection situates the icon within its appropriate place in the larger scheme of history. At the same time, because icons carry religious and spiritual foundations, they are not meant to be relegated to a historical setting. The narrative and cultural methods must therefore be united to a theological approach. The Theological Approach The reading of icons requires discernment of what they are depicting — not only the narratives they are expressing in visual form, but also the dogmatic, doctrinal, and spiritual underpinnings and implications of that narrative. For this reason, icons are referred to as being written  rather than drawn . In the Coptic tradition, the most significant aspect of iconography is the religious teaching which icons uphold and express. In a profound way, iconographers use symbolism and imagery to convey and deliver a deep teaching apprehensible even to an illiterate and uneducated viewer. A common feature of icons of the Virgin Mary, such as Figure 4, is the placement of three stars on her veil — one above her forehead, and one at each shoulder. This detail serves a deeper purpose than adornment: it may be understood as expressive of the Church’s understanding of the ever-virginity of the Mother of God — before, during, and after her pregnancy with the Lord Jesus Christ. Figure 4: A medieval Coptic icon of the Nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The true richness of an icon is found in its spiritual depth. Ultimately, a theological reading of icons is an invitation into their most central purpose. By vivifying the most minuscule details of an icon, such as the stars on the Virgin’s veil, the theological approach transcends the narrative and cultural considerations. The disproportionately large eyes, ears, and heads of figures in Coptic iconography reflect the spiritual qualities of vigilance and contemplation; the smaller mouths and noses may similarly emphasize the spiritual dangers of an idle tongue and sensual pleasures. The diligent search for the theological significances of all aspects of icons is vital to their fullest experience and comprehension. Icons serve as spiritual windows and are a medium for veneration, meditation, and divine presence, enabling one to enter into the spiritual encounter of God Himself. Personal devotion is therefore an integral component in engaging with iconography. In one story of St. Mary of Egypt, the saint venerates the Virgin Mary through her icon, out of which she had heard a voice directing her to the life of asceticism. [2] Personal devotion, rooted in a multifaceted approach to and reading of the icon, enabled Mary of Egypt to encounter the blessed Virgin intimately and venture into the life of asceticism in the worship of Christ. Importantly, veneration and personal devotion must be distinguished from worship. Neither the icons nor their depicted stories are the subject of worship, though they are important facilitators for the worship of God. The theological reading, alongside the narrative-based and cultural approaches, allows for icons to unveil the profound depths of their depicted experiences and invite viewers into those very experiences to obtain the virtues and spiritual fruits they offer. Conclusion As expressions of art, icons move the spirit and inspire devotion in a myriad of ways. Iconography, therefore, cannot be confined to a specific methodological or systematic evaluation. A rich and holistic reading of icons, then, requires the incorporation of a variety of perspectives and a multifaceted approach. By weaving together consideration for icons’ narratives, cultural contexts, and theological significances, viewers and readers of icons become able to better understand and truly appreciate the complex interplays at work in iconography. At all times, at the heart of iconography is the invitation to personally encounter the Lord of the Church, and, having gazed at the beauty and reverberations of the life with Him, take up the journey towards perfection and virtue in the company of His saints. — [1] See  George Makary, “History,” George Makary Coptic Icons . [2] See  Wallis Budge, “ID 107: Story of and Homily on Saint Mary of Egypt, the Desert Mother previously driven by lust, who promises the Icon of the Virgin Mary that she will become a nun (sometimes in two parts),” Wendy Laura Belcher, Jeremy Brown, Mehari Worku, and Dawit Muluneh (ed.), Täˀammərä Maryam (Miracle of Mary) Stories (Princeton: Princeton Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Egyptian Miracles of Mary project ). — Mark Dawod serves as a Reader at St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church in Jersey City, New Jersey. He is a graduate of Princeton University and a current student at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, pursuing a career in medicine. This paper is an adaptation of course work submitted for "Healing & Justice: The Virgin Mary in African Literature & Art," offered by Dr. Wendy Belcher in Spring 2023 at Princeton University. DossPress.com  is a place for Christian men and women to collaborate for the sake of our common edification by sharing their written works. As we strive to uphold a standard of doctrinal and spiritual soundness in the articles shared, we note nonetheless that the thoughts expressed in each article remain the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Doss Press.

“Of the several paths that lead to virtue, the broadest and the most promising is the way of imitation.” [1] In a short article on the pursuit of virtue, the renowned theologian Robert Louis Wilken rightly emphasizes the importance of imitation to the human experience and its bearings on spiritual life: “without examples, without imitation, there can be no human life or civilization, no art or culture, no virtue or holiness.” [2] In every aspect of human life, imitation and apprenticeship are integral. Children receive their most powerful formation through relation — namely, interacting with and observing and emulating their parents — such that the atmosphere in which they are reared as infants plays a significant role in their formation into adults. Likewise, self-expression and the creation of art draw inspiration from experience: by observation and emulation, a person forms their own unique personality and an artist develops their own style. Similarly, the development of thought progresses by way of discipleship and apprenticeship.  The transmission of the experience of God was primarily accomplished, in the history of humanity and particularly among the Israelites, through imitation. As the Creator of all things, God made Himself known to Adam and Eve, [3] so that by abiding in His presence and interacting with Him, they would remain in the Image after which they were made. Even after their sin and consequent expulsion from the Garden, [4] Adam and Eve were not abandoned to the end [5] by God, but continued in a then-altered relation with Him. In this way, by relation and experience — albeit in a limited and “veiled” [6] manner — the experience of God would be delivered from person to person. By narrating their own personal experience of God and that of their ancestors to their children, [7] the Israelites handed down faith in God to each generation. This same system of discipleship is observed in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ: by taking flesh and becoming Man, God enabled humanity to abide once more in His presence and to observe Him, know Him, interact with Him, and experience Him deeply and most intimately. Thus, as Wilken remarks in a later article: “Christian faith lives by the simple act of handing down what others have passed on to us.” [8] This experiential nature of Christian life provides a most integral foundation to the pastoral dimension of liturgical administration, especially as it relates to the place, role, and function of children in the Church’s liturgical celebrations. The Christian life necessarily flows from observation and experience guided, informed, and contextualized by the necessary component of understanding. It requires holistic involvement and cannot be relegated merely to the intellectual dimension of the human experience. Christian education is life  delivered and received through an incarnate experience, requiring the whole Church. In his work Foundations for Christian Education,  John Boojamra notes:  “The whole Church educates. Not only is every person the object of the Church’s educational efforts, but every member of the Church is the subject of the Church’s educational effort. The whole Church educates in all of her life. The greatest error we can make is to identify education with children and school.” [9] As such, the worshipping community fulfills a central function in the upbringing and education of the Church’s members: “…people, both children and adults, become Christians not by learning about Christianity but by being integrated into an existing Church through experiencing the rites, symbols, and stories of the community.” [10] This systematic approach to Christian education comes to life beautifully in the experience of St. Athanasius of Alexandria, who has deservedly garnered the world’s attention in 2025 as a result of the 1700th anniversary of the convening of the Church in 325 A.D. for the Council of Nicaea. Approximately 27 years before this Council, Athanasius was born into a faithful Christian family amidst a time of turmoil in the Empire. Despite the severe hardship and persecution of the Christians, Michael Molloy describes: “While just a ‘babe in arms’ [Athanasius] accompanied his parents to the services of the Church. And as everyone there prayed and worshipped, so he prayed and worshipped, too — as babies do. Before he was old enough to walk, the life of faith and worship were familiar to him: the music of the Psalter, the chiming of the bells, the fragrance of the incense, the glimmer of the candles, the chanting of the prayers, the sprinkling of the holy water, the gaze of the icons, [and] the taste of the Eucharist.” [11] This liturgical environment became deeply formative to the young Athanasius: “It is clear from the historical data that Athanasius was quite familiar since a young age with the liturgical prayers of the Church. For instance, a famous story recorded about him by several early Christian historians tells that one day, Pope Alexander spotted young Athanasius playing with his friends by the seashore in Alexandria. As he watched them play, he recognized that they were acting out the liturgy of baptism, and so when he had called them over and investigated their play, he discovered that Athanasius, who fulfilled the role of the bishop in the act, conducted the rite precisely and with great enthusiasm and reverence.” [12] Through a liturgically-integrated formation, paired with a living discipleship to his family, Alexander, Antony, and others, Athanasius grew up into the pillar of Orthodoxy we know and are greatly indebted to today.  While the importance of liturgy to faith formation cannot be understated, pastoral philosophies lead to a variety of approaches to liturgical participation with regard to children. These must be considered thoughtfully, if we hope through them to deliver the life of Faith to our children. As the great liturgical scholar, Fr. Alexander Schmemann, observed:  “Whether we want it or not, we are challenged today with the tremendously difficult task of rethinking Church tradition as a whole, of applying it in a situation radically different from that of the past. It will take more than one generation to solve this problem, but we must at least face it and also become aware of its meaning.” [13] The Cognitive Approach For some, the Divine Liturgy is approached from a cognitive, or intellectualistic, perspective. This position argues that the efficacy of the liturgical service hinges upon the worshippers’ mental comprehension of the liturgy and its prayers, readings, and rites. If young children and infants are incapable of understanding the liturgy, it follows that these should not participate in the liturgy. In a disheartening article, Roman Catholic priest Fr. Michael White writes: “There is something in Catholic Church culture that insists kids belong in the sanctuary for Mass. I must say I don’t totally understand it, but it is definitely a Catholic thing. Part of the thinking is that sheer exposure to the service imbues them with grace and other good things in some kind of effortless and mindless sort of way. But if they can’t understand the readings and they cannot take Communion, it is unclear what they are ‘receiving’ Sacramentally.” [14] Further, infants are critiqued for disrupting the services and preventing their parents and other worshipers from devoting their full attention to the service — liturgical “crimes” which justify their seclusion in isolated crying rooms or exclusion entirely from the liturgical gathering. [15] While a wise pastor would not advise parents to leave their children at home when they come for the liturgical services, he explores alternatives. Fr. White concludes: “This is why we invest in our children’s programs. We love the children of this parish so much we want them to have a great time and learn to love the Lord too, through age appropriate messages and worship. Meanwhile their parents can devote their full attention to worship.” [16] However, in elevating the intellect to a place of primary importance, a presumption is introduced in which the liturgy is understood as communicating theology and the Faith of the Church merely through information. As a result, liturgy comes to be understood as being “intended for adults.” [17] Consequently, it becomes subjected to an eisegetical approach: rather than allowing liturgy to itself nurture and instruct the faithful as it is intended and perfectly equipped to do, an imposition is introduced. For instance, “children’s liturgies” are established where young children are gathered apart from adults to attend a distilled version of the liturgical service violated with interruptive comments and educative lessons. This fission of the family enables the adults to participate in a different service without the “distractions” of their children, as the “children’s liturgy” is rendered a makeshift classroom, equipped with human instructors and students, so as to deliver an intellectually apprehensible experience of the sacrament. However, as Timothy O’Malley brilliantly responds to Fr. White’s article, “[i]f participation in the Eucharistic liturgy requires the same degree of intellectual capacity as a scholarly lecture, the fruits of the Eucharistic life are reserved only for those with the appropriate intellectual understanding.” [18] While understanding certainly comprises an important component to benefiting from the liturgy, “when one reduces the liturgical act to ‘understanding,’ then there is an erasure of the contemplative, aesthetic, and thus embodied formation that is integral to a worshipful existence.” [19] Beholding  is as integral as comprehending  the liturgy. This is especially relevant for infants and young children. [20] In a fascinating study, Mark Johnson reveals how the human person generates meaning through embodied movement, even before self-consciousness has fully developed: “[Babies and children] must learn to understand what is happening to them — what they are experiencing and what they are doing…We thus grow into a meaningful world by learning how to ‘take the measure’ of our ongoing, flowing, continuous experience. We grow into the ability to experience meaning, and we grow into shared, interpersonal meanings and experiences.” [21] Without immersion into the worshipping community, children are deprived of its formative experience. In returning to Wilken’s opening article, “before we can become doers we first must be spectators.” [22] This underlies the destructive dangers of dividing the worshipping community, especially by age. [23] Separated from their parents, children are robbed of the opportunity to observe and imitate them, and the natural progression of their growth from babes in arms to reverent adults is thereby stunted. While children may not be able to comprehend the sermon and other components of the liturgy, they are “discovering in the act of Eucharistic worship according to [their] capacity that this act really matters…They are learning the very meaning of what it means to be a liturgical creature even as they sleep in their mother’s or father’s arms during the Eucharistic liturgy.” [24] Hand-in-hand with their children, parents and adults likewise cultivate for themselves an atmosphere of edification, being invited to return again to the act of beholding  liturgy. O’Malley beautifully shares: “My toddler daughter does get bored at Mass. And my act of worship is not to whisk her away to some room where she can encounter God without me. Instead, it is to perform an act of worship where I slowly take her around the church…She is learning a worshipful mode of existence not through speech, not through some alternative liturgy appropriate to her toddlerhood. And as she learns, so do I. I learn once more to delight in genuflecting, in chanting, in singing, in beholding.” [25] As beholders of liturgy, children require the stimulation of all their senses. The liturgy itself facilitates the satisfaction of this need: the smell of the incense, the gaze of the iconography, the beauty of the architecture, and the symphony of the hymns and prayers altogether  deliver and make possible the transformative experience of the liturgy for the entire worshipping community — children and adults alike.  Therefore, as Fr. Schmemann asserts: “[T]he first duty of parents and educators is to ‘Let the children come…and do not hinder them’ (Matt. 19:14) from attending Church. It is in church that children must hear the word ‘God’ for the first time. In a classroom it is difficult to understand, it remains abstract; but in church it is ‘in its own element.’ In our childhood we have the capacity to understand, not intellectually, but with our whole being, that there is no greater joy on earth than to be in church, to participate in church services, to breathe the fragrance of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is ‘joy and peace in the Holy Spirit’ (Rom. 14:17).” [26] This consideration uncovers a different approach to the involvement of children in the liturgical setting. The Sensory Approach While some approach the liturgy from a perspective of cognitive primacy, others prefer a sensory approach. Proponents of this position maintain that by involving children in the liturgical service directly, such as through the ranks of Chanter [27] and Reader, this participation will correlate to their edification and their liturgical responsibilities will root them within the ecclesial community. This approach, however, falls short on various fronts.  At the ecclesial level, the sensory-driven approach is not without infringement. The bestowal of ecclesial ranks upon children carries no Scriptural foundation, and in fact violates the teaching of the Scriptures regarding ordination. Ordination into the ranks of the Church was exclusively for the sake of the benefit of the service: the ranks were not means of establishing personal edification. The seven deacons selected by the Apostles in Acts 6 were ordained for the sake of the community, and not necessarily for their own upbuilding. [28] The servant is expected, in imitation of the Lord Jesus Christ, to pour himself out for the sake of those whom he serves. [29] For this reason, the criteria for election and ordination were exacting. In his advice to his disciple Timothy, the apostle Paul writes: “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands;” [30] “Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for gain; they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then if they prove themselves blameless let them serve as deacons.” [31] The ecclesial ranks, being central to the administration of the liturgical services, impart a grave accountability to God which requires understanding, a blameless manner of life, a wealth of spiritual experience, a certain mastery of the Church’s hymnology and ritual orders, and an ability to read and rightly interpret the Church’s liturgical texts and Scriptural readings. Thus, at the personal level, the ordination of children fails to account for sound human development and age-appropriate capabilities. People learn developmentally and “differently at different ages; they learn more efficiently, effectively, and meaningfully as they mature, because all learning is relational and contextual.” [32] The Lord Jesus Christ, being Himself the creator of man, understood and illustrated a proper approach to social ministry that takes into account such developmental considerations. In her book Our Church and Our Children , Sophie Koulomzin remarks: “Another aspect of the method of teaching of Jesus Christ is that He approaches each person at that person’s own particular level of development.” [33] The ordination of children into the ranks of the Church constitutes a failure to recognize their learning stages and abilities. It prematurely places upon them significant responsibilities which they are unable to adequately fulfill. Before infants can receive solid foods, they are nurtured and receive all that is necessary for their growth through their mother’s milk; circumventing this stage of their growth and feeding them with solid, nutrient-rich foods would place the infant at risk of death. Similarly, the premature conferral of ecclesial responsibility to children without their adequate preparation and before they are appropriately nurtured and formed to effectively fulfill the duties proper to the ranks to which they are ordained directly accrues to their detriment. Meanwhile, the sensory approach engenders interpersonal conflicts within the worshipping community, particularly by inventing an occasion for stumbling for those upon whom the Church does not confer her ecclesial orders. For instance, the adolescent girl who does not yet understand the different gender-designated entrustments given to both men and women in God’s design for the human and in His arrangement for the Church will certainly feel unfairly treated when she finds her infant brother struggling at the service of the altar — a service which, due to her more advanced age, experience, and understanding, apart from her gender, she would be entirely justified in believing herself more adequately prepared to fulfill. In response, some seek to remedy this artificial contention through advocating for the conferral of new ecclesial ranks and the invention of orders for female chanters to vest and participate in novel ways in the administration of the liturgical service. [34] These, however, only give rise to further divisions and distinctions within the communal body, such as by relegating the service of chanting only to the vested choruses, thereby relegating the rest of the assembled believers to the position of spectators, whereas the liturgical hymns and congregational responses are not the responsibility or purview of a select few, but of all the faithful together, so that, as St. Ignatius of Antioch says, “with one voice and one mind, taking the key-note of God, you may sing in unison with one voice through Jesus Christ to the Father, and He may hear you and recognize you, in your good works, as members of His Son.” [35] These interpersonal hindrances likewise uncover further issues related to the ordination of children. At the communal level, the direct involvement of children in administering the liturgical service creates barriers to offering a well-ordered and aesthetically pleasing prayer, since children are neither capable nor trained to deliver the deeply profound and transformative beauty of the liturgical experience in its requisite fullness. “The liturgy is art, translated into terms of life,” writes Romano Guardini. [36] The aesthetic dimensions of the liturgical services are important: the content and form of the liturgy cannot be divorced of each other. Beauty befits the house of God. As the Psalmist proclaims: “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord , and to inquire in His temple.” [37] Liturgy “should be celebrated with the utmost perfection,” [38] because “liturgical celebration ideally should provide access to an experience of beauty, an encounter with beauty and an opportunity to become co-creators of beauty in God’s presence.” [39] Clare Johnson further elaborates: “What is less-than-beautiful in the manner of celebrating the liturgy thus must be avoided at all costs. If what is at stake is the faith-life of believers, which poor celebrations risk weakening or destroying, then good celebrations, beautiful celebrations, are vital because the encounter with Christ’s beauty in the liturgy is that which changes us/opens us up to desire the promotion of what we have experienced: exposure to God’s beauty prompts us both to promote and emulate that beauty beyond the realm of the liturgical.” [40] Through the aesthetic components of liturgy, worshippers are granted to enter into the essential act of beholding liturgy, and through it, to encounter most perfectly — that is, with all of their faculties — the beauty and presence of God. Through liturgical beauty, then, “the Church evangelizes and is herself evangelized.” [41] Dom Gérard Calvet expounds: “…one enters the Church by two doors: the door of the intelligence and the door of beauty…[The beauty of the liturgy] deserves to be called the splendour of the truth . It opens to the small and the great alike the treasures of its magnificence: the beauty of psalmody, sacred chants and texts, candles, harmony of movement and dignity of bearing. With sovereign art the liturgy exercises a truly seductive influence on souls, whom it touches directly, even before the spirit perceives its influence.” [42] The poorly administered service therefore fails to communicate this profound depth and beauty of the Church’s life. [43] Accordingly, children struggle to enter into the act of beholding, for either the beauty which they ought to behold is masked behind cacophony or their allocated responsibilities in the administration and celebration of the services overburden them, discourage them, and take them away from the act of beholding altogether, with the adults also themselves consequently experiencing often insurmountable barriers to both beholding and comprehending liturgy. An Integrated Approach The integration of both the experiential and intellectual components is therefore essential to the work of liturgy. Shawn Tribe, the founder of the Liturgical Arts Journal , explains: “That our experiences, actions and other external dimensions of life generally have a profound influence upon us, forming us, moving us and so forth, is really a matter of common sense and experience. We are creatures founded in both of these aspects and we live and respond accordingly. What is true of life in general is also true of the liturgical and ecclesiastical life.” [44] When each is considered in isolation or as more important than the other, an imbalance is introduced. A haphazardly-implemented model of pastoral care, as it pertains to the liturgical experience, therefore carries the potential of disturbing and distorting the efficacious work of the liturgy. The administration of the Church’s liturgical services must be carefully and thoughtfully assessed, especially as the believers of every generation are guarantors of the Church’s liturgical tradition. The Church has safeguarded and delivered to the believers a holistic model of formation, attending to both their physical and metaphysical needs. Thus, the apostle Paul, providing a paradigm for ministers, prays: “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [45] At the heart of this work of nurturing and raising healthy members of the Body of Christ is the life of liturgy, and “indeed, in a very real sense liturgy is not only at the heart of the Church’s life; liturgy is the Church’s life.” [46] From the altar, every other aspect of the Church’s life and service flows. [47] Fr. Schmemann therefore asserts: “What then should Christian education be, if not the introduction into this life of the Church, an unfolding of its meaning, its contents and its purpose? And how can it introduce anyone into this life, if not by participation in the liturgical services on the one hand, and their explanation on the other hand? ‘O taste and see how good is the Lord’: first taste, then see — i.e. understand. The method of liturgical catechesis is truly the Orthodox method of religious education because it proceeds from the Church and because the Church is its goal.” [48] Similarly, Boojamra notes: “Roots in the Church can be built only by a step-by-step participation in the life of the Church as well as by an increasing understanding of what the Church is.” [49] Accordingly, the pastoral model which excludes children from the liturgical gathering deprives them of the intimate experience of the Church’s life. The creation of special liturgies for children likewise inflicts damage upon their sound formation, separating them from parents and equating the act of worship with an academic endeavor. What is needed, then, is to administer the liturgical service with careful attention to both its intellectual and contemplative details. As important as the sermon and theological exposition of the day’s Scriptural readings is the ritual itself, as well as the hymnology, iconography, architecture, and every other physical component of the ecclesial experience. By fostering an atmosphere of aesthetic and intellectual beauty together, all the faithful, each according to their unique capabilities, gifts, personality, and character, are enabled to fully enjoy and benefit from the divine gift which God has freely offered to man in and through liturgy. Within such an atmosphere, we must allow children to be  children, and as their caregivers, nourish them by the presence of the Lord, who said: “Let the children come to Me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” [50] — [1] Robert Louis Wilken, “The Lives of the Saints and the Pursuit of Virtue,” First Things  (December 1990) [2] Ibid. [3] See  Genesis 3:8 [4] See  Genesis 3:23-24 [5] See  The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil: The Anaphora [6] See e.g. , 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 [7] See e.g. , Deuteronomy 4 [8] Robert Louis Wilken, “Hand On What You Have Received,” First Things  (June 2014) [9] John Boojamra, Foundations for Christian Education , 21-22 [10] Ibid ., 30-31 [11] Michael E. Molloy, Champion of Truth: The Life of Saint Athanasius , 3 [12] Anthony A. Doss, “Athanasius, Arianism, and the Council of Nicaea — Part One: The Makings and Character of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria,” Doss Press  (May 2025) [13] Fr. Alexander Schmemann, Liturgy and Life: Christian Development Through Liturgical Experience , 14 [14] Fr. Michael White, “Why We Don’t Encourage (little) Kids In Church,” Make Church Matter  (January 2019) [15] Ibid. [16] Ibid. [17] Ibid. [18] Timothy O’Malley, “The Liturgy Is for (Little) Kids,” Church Life Journal  (January 2019) [19] Ibid . [20] “We do not have special children’s services, because we realize that our experience of the services of the Church is not merely rational. Even if a child cannot yet understand all that is happening, he can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch for himself, and experience the presence of the Holy Spirit. We must not deprive our children of this experience; we must prepare them to appreciate it, to look forward to it, and to participate in it by prayer and in as many other ways as possible” (Sister Magdalen, Children in the Church Today: An Orthodox Perspective , 59). [21] Mark Johnson, The Meaning of the Body: Aesthetics of Human Understanding , 35 [22] Robert Louis Wilken, “The Lives of the Saints and the Pursuit of Virtue,” First Things  (December 1990) [23] The division of the ecclesial community by any means is addressed in the second century by Ignatius of Antioch, who wrote to the Philadelphians: “Be zealous, then, in the observance of one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and one chalice that brings union in His blood. There is one altar, as there is one bishop with the priests and deacons, who are my fellow workers. And so, whatever you do, let it be done in the name of God” (Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Philadelphians  § 4).  [24] Timothy O’Malley, “The Liturgy Is for (Little) Kids,” Church Life Journal  (January 2019) [25] Ibid. [26] Fr. Alexander Schmemann, Liturgy and Life: Christian Development Through Liturgical Experience , 16 [27] For a helpful discussion regarding the role and order of the Chanter, see  Daniel N. Girgis, “On the Order of Chanter in the Coptic Tradition,” Living Tradition — Daniel Girgis’ Blog (November 2025). [28] See  Acts 6:1-6 [29] See  Hegumen Antonios Ragheb, Ten Commandments For Sunday School Servants , 8-9 [30] 1 Timothy 5:22 [31] 1 Timothy 3:8-10 [32] John Boojamra, Foundations for Christian Education , 10 [33] Sophie Koulomzin, Our Church and Our Children , 25 [34] The subject of deaconesses remains outside the purview of this paper. However, for a nuanced historical presentation regarding deaconesses, see  Aimé Georges Martimort, Deaconesses: An Historical Study . In it, Martimort pertinently writes: “…the Byzantine tradition, to the extent that it was a living tradition, did not assign any liturgical role to deaconesses at all, as we have had occasion to verify” (Aimé Georges Martimort, Deaconesses: An Historical Study , 246). He concludes: “For the fact is that the ancient institution of deaconesses, even in its own time, was encumbered with not a few ambiguities, as we have seen. In my opinion, if the restoration of the institution of deaconesses were indeed to be sought after so many centuries, such a restoration itself could only be fraught with ambiguity. The real importance and efficaciousness of the role of women in the Church has always been vividly perceived in the consciousness of the hierarchy and of the faithful as much more broad than the historical role that deaconesses in fact played. And perhaps a proposal based on an ‘archaeological’ institution might even obscure the fact that the call to serve the Church is urgently addressed today to all  women, especially in the area of the transmission of Faith and works of charity” ( Ibid. , 250). [35] Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians  § 4. Importantly, this does not negate the specific role of the Chanter in preserving, delivering, and leading the congregation in the responses, praises, and hymns of the Church, according to their respective structures. [36] Romano Guardini, The Spirit of the Liturgy , 73 [37] Psalm 27:4; As it relates to our earlier point, before  the Psalmist inquires, he beholds. [38] See  Inter Oecumenici, Instruction on Implementing the Constitution on Sacred Liturgy  § 13 [39] Clare V. Johnson, “Portals to Transcendence,” Maxwell E. Johnson, Timothy O’Malley, and Demetrio S. Yocum, At the Heart of the Liturgy: Conversations with Nathan D. Mitchell’s ‘Amen Corners,’ 1991-2012 , 94 [40] Ibid ., 96-97 [41] Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium § 24 [42] Dom Gérard Calvet OSB, Four Benefits of the Liturgy , 19-20 [43] “Adults who sing, or read, or serve, or share in the prayer of the congregation, must take care to do their part in a manner worthy of God, so as to inspire those present, and especially so as not to put off the children and others present who are not committed church members” (Sister Magdalen, Children in the Church Today: An Orthodox Perspective , 62). [44] Shawn Tribe, “The Importance of Liturgical Beauty,” Liturgical Arts Journal (March 2018) [45] 1 Thessalonians 5:23 [46] Robert F. Taft, “The Liturgy in the Life of the Church,” Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, Volume 40 (1999) Nos. 104 , 188 [47] “In the Orthodox experience, Christian catechesis is comprehensible and truly possible only within the context of worship, i.e., within the living experience and expression of the faith. Worship encompasses the whole of Christian life, for worship is ‘liturgy’ in the widest possible sense, meaning both liturgical celebration in the gathered community and witness and service to Christ in the world” (Constance J. Tarasar, “The Orthodox Experience,” John H. Westerhoff III and O.C. Edwards Jr. (ed.), A Faithful Church: Issues in the History of Catechesis , 236). [48] Fr. Alexander Schmemann, Liturgy and Life: Christian Development Through Liturgical Experience , 13 [49] John Boojamra, Foundations for Christian Education , 21 [50] Matthew 19:14 — Cover Art: Adam van Noort, Christ Among Children (c. 16th/17th century).

“[Y]ou see in yourself word and understanding, an imitation of the very Mind and Word. Again, God is love…the Fashioner of our nature has made this to be our feature too.” —  St. Gregory of Nyssa,  On the Making of Man 5.2 These words of St. Gregory wonderfully and concisely capture the human condition as being made in the Image and Likeness of God. Often, despite striving to reach the measure of God’s love and to cultivate pure, selfless hearts in accordance with His example, we find ourselves unable to love as He loves, and may even realize that we can go so far as to hurt those whom we love the most. “Why is this the case,” we may wonder. In his Epistle to the Romans, St. Paul provides an insightful response: “ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” [1] As a result of sin and the corruption which it caused to human nature, humanity is unable to offer a perfect love apart from God who is Himself love. In its very essence, sin — the corruption that marred God’s “very good” [2]  creation – is separation . [3]  After Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the fruit of the tree, the results of their sin were realized: they perceived their nakedness and their differences, and suddenly, the unity and harmony which they previously enjoyed was replaced with separation both from one another, and, as they would quickly discover, from God as well. [4]  In their response to God, the mark of selfishness likewise becomes evident: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” [5]  Indeed, selfishness and self-interest become those characteristics which divide and separate us from others, and, ultimately, from God. I. The Body of Christ: “As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” [6] In contrast with the separation and division which entered into the human condition through sin is the oneness of the Body of the sinless One — the Church. St. Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, exhorts them towards unity: “[b]ut God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” [7] A failure to cultivate this oneness on the part of the believers, which requires the selfless carrying of one another’s burdens and sufferings, keeps the walls of separation strong. St. Basil the Great echoes this teaching of St. Paul, explaining that it is selfishness that leads to the destruction of community and the loss of true love; to seek one’s own advantage is to deny the command to love one another as Christ has loved us. [8] Self-interest, as St. Basil reveals, becomes the foundation of failure within relations. For instance, a spouse who demands to be treated according to their own “love language” and disregards that of their partner practices an imperfect, selfish love; likewise, a child who expresses frustration in their parents’ failure to understand them while denying them the opportunity to understand them, or even a parent who exerts their own preferences on their child without attempting to understand their child and their differences from them, similarly practice an imperfect love. The expectations of what another “should do” in a relationship, or what one “deserves” from a relationship, ought not be divorced from the kind of love which God both instructs us to establish and exemplifies in His relation with us. Regarding selfish love and its faults, the Scriptures speak at length. In the Song of Songs, we observe the separation that results from self-interested expectations and selfishness. There, King Solomon tells of the Shulamite’s troubled night which begins when he seeks her and receives no answer. Upon hearing his voice, the Shulamite says: “I sleep, but my heart is awake; It is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying, ‘Open for me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one; For my head is covered with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.’ I have taken off my robe; how can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; how can I defile them? My beloved put his hand by the latch of the door, and my heart yearned for him. I arose to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, My fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the lock. I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away and was gone. My heart leaped up when he spoke. I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. The watchmen who went about the city found me. They struck me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took my veil away from me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am lovesick!” [9] While the Shulamite hears her beloved’s voice and is overjoyed at the opportunity to see him, her self-concern delays her and causes her to just miss her bridegroom who was waiting for her at the door. Her self-awareness and hesitancy in putting her robe back on and defiling her feet again to open the door for her bridegroom directly cause her to miss him — he leaves before she reaches him. Suddenly, what was once a door separating them became much more, and the Shulamite found herself struck, wounded, and lovesick for her beloved who was just behind the door waiting for her. [10]  Augustine writes of selfishness in love, that “two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; and the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self.” [11] Despite the presence of deep love, one’s self-centered orientation causes harm both to himself and to those whom he strives to love, sometimes even unknowingly and alongside good intentions. This inclination and weakness thus make something as simple (though crucial to the spiritual life) as love feel almost impossible. St. Paul describes this spiritual struggle, stating: “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” [12] It is then evident that absent God’s hand and guidance, humanity alone cannot truly love perfectly. Its love remains imperfect because humanity fell from the Image after which it was created — that of Him who is Himself perfect love. The effects of this selfish love are innumerable, as discussed, and appear most clearly in one’s blindness to the needs of others in preference to their own desires. As St. Basil writes “[y]es, while the glitter of gold so allures you, you fail to notice how great are the groans of the needy that follow you wherever you go.” [13] The route to true, Christ-like, holy love is kenosis , or self-emptying. [14] From the life of His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI, and most prominently his self-denial, we may extrapolate a framework and blueprint for the self-emptying love that Christ models for us and towards which He exhorts us. We are told by Fr. Daniel Fanous in his biographical work on Pope Kyrillos VI that “Kyrillos was utterly convinced that…unity must in a very real sense be kenotic, that is, self-emptying . [He believed that] [e]ach competing voice of reform…must, without compromise, ‘disappear’ that Christ might appear and heal his despondent Church.” [15] It is His Holiness’ conscious emptying of his own desires, thoughts, and preferences that laid the groundwork for the positive Church reforms of his papacy. What allowed His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI to lead the Church towards edification and flourishing was this deep faith and conviction that God, and not himself or any man, is the beneficent Pantocrator  who cares and provides for His Bride, the Church. Modeling ourselves after this saint’s example requires us to acknowledge and recognize Christ’s hand in our lives. Despite our weaknesses and shortcomings, He assures us, saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” [16] It is He who helps carry the crosses of His children each day, and it is likewise He who ultimately died on the Cross for them. This sacrificial, kenotic act is precisely what He exhorts His children to emulate and exemplify in their dealings with each person. In order to take up this journey of conformity to Christ, and of walking with Him towards perfection, we must first discern the condition of imperfect love. St. Paul writes to the Ephesians: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” [17] By looking to Him who is Love, we can see most clearly the perfect love which beckons us to walk according to His steps. This perspective enables us to trust in His love and care for those whom we seek to love. Augustine, in his Expositions on the Psalms , instructs us to entrust those whom we love — and even our enemies — to Him, for His love is perfect. [18] In submitting ourselves to Him, we fulfill the advice of the Apostle Peter, “casting all [our] cares upon Him,” including also those whom we love, and their wellbeing, “for He cares for [us].” [19] This is the ultimate and perfect act of love — giving our whole being to Him who loves us most perfectly, even to the point of death on our behalf. [20] II. Christ: Meeting our Bridegroom As Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden as a result of their sin, God was already working the ultimate plan of their restoration to and reunification with Him. While humanity would experience many highs and lows in its journey to its Beloved, He patiently watched, guided, and prepared His bride — the Church, His chosen People — in anticipation of the wedding feast ahead. Much like the Shulamite bride on her troubled night, humanity’s selfish and self-centered tendencies often led it to miss its Bridegroom, even when He was to be found just behind the door. While Christ “stand[s] at the door and knock[s]” [21] we may frequently find ourselves still occupied with putting on our robes or worried about soiling our feet. In contrast, the Lord’s selfless love leads Him to the road to Golgotha, to His betrothal to His Church, not with the finest of robes, but rather with a striped back and crown of thorns. Through this dichotomy, human love is assuredly differentiated from divine love. Many fathers of the Church therefore caution against this self-seeking approach to one’s relationship with God. For example, St. Basil writes: “[A] beginning is made by detaching oneself from all external goods: property, vainglory, life in society, [and] useless desires, after the example of the Lord’s holy disciples. James and John left their father Zebedee and the very boat upon which their whole livelihood depended. Matthew left his counting house and followed the Lord, not merely leaving behind the profits of his occupation but also paying no attention to the dangers which were sure to befall both himself and his family at the hands of the magistrates because he had left the tax accounts unfinished. To Paul, finally, the whole world was crucified, and he to the world.” [22] By cultivating this selfless love for God and all His creation, we come to learn the truth of the Lord’s saying, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light,” [23] for when one loves God for Who He is, and not merely on account of the blessings He provides, he realizes the profound joy and gladness that ensue from walking with the Lord. The Scriptures warn against seeking Christ merely for material purposes. When the Lord was sought by the multitudes after they were miraculously fed by Him, He emphasizes this perspective to them: “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” [24] Correcting their improper approach, He continues: “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” [25] Apart from the Lord’s direct teaching in the Gospels, the Old Testament likewise carries this message. In the experience of Job, it is evident that if Job’s love for God was founded in the material wealth and many blessings he enjoyed, he would have surely turned away from Him when those things were abruptly taken from him in his trial by the devil. Rather, Job’s love for God Himself allowed him to remain steadfast and faithful, even when his own wife and close friends goaded him to “curse God and die.” [26] The pursuit of ease and personal gain in this life prevents one from enjoying the presence of God and blinds his eyes from seeing Christ because it rather fixes his attention on himself. Thus, St. Augustine plainly reflects: “he loves You too little who loves anything with You, which he loves not for You.” [27] St. John Chrysostom similarly exhorts his hearers: “He came to do away with the old things, to call us to a greater country. Therefore He does all, to deliver us from things unnecessary, and from our affection for the earth. For this cause He mentioned the heathens also, saying that the Gentiles seek after these things; they whose whole labor is for the present life, who have no regard for the things to come, nor any thought of Heaven. But to you not these present are chief things, but other than these. For we were not born for this end, that we should eat and drink and be clothed, but that we might please God, and attain unto the good things to come. Therefore as things here are secondary in our labor, so also in our prayers let them be secondary.” [28] By seeking God for His own sake, we receive the means by which to obtain perfect love. When one finds God, he finds love, for God is just that — love . It is only with and through God that we can learn to love perfectly. For this reason, St. Macarius the Great writes that “[t]he lamp is always burning and shining, but when it is specially trimmed, it kindles up with intoxication of the love of God; and then again by God’s dispensation it gives in, and though the light is always there, it is comparatively dull.” [29] Indeed, as the Scriptures reveal: “without Me you can do nothing,” [30] and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” [31] From the spiritual journey of the Apostle Peter, this worldview comes to life. The Gospels do not shy away from displaying the shortcomings of even the closest disciples of Christ, for the edification of His followers thereafter. Shortly before the Pascha of our Lord, St. Peter exclaims, “[e]ven if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” [32] When Christ tells him that he will deny Him, he responds emphatically, “[e]ven if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” [33] Shortly thereafter, as the rooster crows, we find St. Peter struck deeply by Christ’s words to him and weeping bitterly. [34] It is only after the Resurrection of Christ that St. Peter is shown how to love Him. Christ reveals to him the sacrificial nature of perfect love, calling him to feed His lambs, tend His sheep, and feed His sheep. [35] The love which the Lord embodies, teaches, and shows His disciples is palpably self-emptying. It is centered around serving others: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” [36] In its foundation, the quintessential ingredient for knowing and experiencing this love is therefore service   — looking away from one’s personal gain for the sake of others. While venturing into this love is as treading into uncharted waters, when we fix our gaze on Him who is Himself love, who is able not only to walk on water, but also to enable St. Peter to do the same, we find ourselves capable of walking confidently towards Him. [37] And like St. Peter, only when we begin to fear for ourselves and our own good, happiness, and gain do we consequently find ourselves sinking quickly. [38] In spite of our own shortcomings, God is faithful to extend His hand and pull us out of the depths and into His secure, nurturing, and loving embrace. [39] St. Macarius the Great neatly summarizes this teaching, writing that “faithful souls receive that divine and heavenly fire…and that fire forms a heavenly image upon their humanity.” [40] By seeking to be reconciled once again to the Image of God after which we were created, through the grace of God, we are able to perfect our otherwise imperfect love, for “we love Him because He first loved us.” [41] — [1] Romans 3:23 NKJV (Hereinafter, all Scriptural references are taken from the New King James Version). [2]  See Genesis 1:31. [3] “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). [4] "For if sin sunders and dissevers man from God, surely righteousness will be a bond of union, and will somehow set us by the side of God Himself, with nothing to part us." (St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John ); See generally Genesis. [5] Genesis 3:12. [6] 1 Corinthians 12:20. [7] 1 Corinthians 12: 24-26. [8]  See generally St. Basil of Caesarea, On Social Justice , Homily 2, To the Rich . [9] Song of Songs 5:2-8. [10] It is pertinent to note that this does not only apply to human relationships, but also one’s relationship with God. As the Song of Songs is a representation of Christ’s love of His Church, one cannot discuss this Scriptural book without noting that it is this same selfishness that separates us from Christ, even when He knocks at the door. [11] St. Augustine, City of God, Book XIV, Chapter 13 . [12] Romans 7:15-20. [13]  See C. Paul Schroeder, On Social Justice: St. Basil the Great , 64   (SVS Press, 2009). [14]  See Philippians 2:5-7. [15] Fr. Daniel Fanous, A Silent Patriarch: Kyrillos VI: Life and Legacy , 226. [16] 2 Corinthians 12:9. [17] Ephesians 5:1-2. [18]  See Augustine,  Expositions on the Psalms  (Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, vol. 8, pg. 210). [19] 1 Peter 5:7. [20] It would be regretful to not note that in Christ’s unceasing and immense mercy, even our mere acknowledgement that we have hurt those we love, and our repentance and will to place them into His perfect hands despite what it may mean for us, not only results in what is best for them but also provides us immense spiritual blessing. [21]  See Revelation 3:20. [22] St. Basil of Caesarea, Long Rules  8. [23] Matthew 11:30. [24] John 6:26. [25] John 6:27. [26] Job 2:9; see generally Job. [27] St. Augustine, Confessions, X.29. [28] St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew 22.4. [29] Macarius, Homily 8.2 (A.J. Mason, The Fifty Spiritual Homilies of St. Macarius the Egyptian , 66). [30] John 15:5. [31] Philippians 4:13. [32] Matthew 26:33. [33] Matthew 26:35. [34] Matthew 26:75. [35] John 21:15-17. [36] Mark 10:45. [37] Matthew 14. [38]  Ibid. [39]  Ibid. [40] Macarius , Homily 11.2 (Mason, 80). [41] 1 John 4:19. — Hilana Said is a Coptic Orthodox Christian and a licensed attorney. She graduated from Albany Law School in 2023. Hilana developed a love for academic reading and writing during her time on the Executive Board of the Albany Law Review. Her deep faith and Coptic Orthodox heritage play an integral role in her personal and professional life and serve as constant inspiration for her academic pursuits. Cover Image by Johann Sadeler. DossPress.com  is a place for Christian men and women to collaborate for the sake of our common edification by sharing their written works. As we strive to uphold a standard of doctrinal and spiritual soundness in the articles shared, we note nonetheless that the thoughts expressed in each article remain the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Doss Press.

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6 < Back Further Reading: Christian Morality & Ethics Alasdair C. MacIntyre, After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory . Alasdair C. MacIntyre, Dependent Rational Animals: Why Human Beings Need the Virtues . Allen Verhey, Remembering Jesus: Christian Community, Scripture, and the Moral Life . Andrew Brian McGowan, Ancient Christian Worship: Early Church Practices in Social, Historical, and Theological Perspective . Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance . Basil of Caesarea, On Christian Ethics . Brad Hooker, Developing Deontology: New Essays in Ethical Theory . Brian Brock, Singing the Ethos of God: On the Place of Christian Ethics in Scripture . Charles Curran and Richard McCormick, The Use of Scripture in Moral Theology . Christopher R.J. Holmes, Ethics in the Presence of Christ . Daniel C. Russell, The Cambridge Companion to Virtue Ethics . Daniel J. Harrington and James F. Keenan, Jesus and Virtue Ethics: Building Bridges Between New Testament Studies and Moral Theology . David A. Clairmont, Moral Struggle and Religious Ethics: On the Person as Classic in Comparative Theological Contexts . David W. Jones, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics . Elizabeth Agnew Cochran, Protestant Virtue and Stoic Ethics . Elizabeth Theokritoff, Living in God’s Creation: Orthodox Perspectives on Ecology . Frank Matera, New Testament Ethics: The Legacies of Jesus and Paul . Geert Roskam, On the Path to Virtue: The Stoic Doctrine of Moral Progress and Its Reception in (Middle-) Platonism . Gilbert Meilaender, The Theory and Practice of Virtue . Gregory of Nyssa, On the Soul and the Resurrection . Hans Boersma, Embodiment and Virtue in Gregory of Nyssa: An Anagogical Approach . James Wetzel, Augustine and the Limits of Virtue . Jean Porter, Nature as Reason: A Thomistic Theory of the Natural Law . Jean Porter, The Recovery of Virtue: The Relevance of Aquinas for Christian Ethics . Jean-Luc Marion, The Visible and the Revealed . Jeffrey S. Siker, Scripture and Ethics: Twentieth-Century Portraits . Jennifer A. Herdt, Putting on Virtue: The Legacy of the Splendid Vices . John Breck, God with Us: Critical Issues in Christian Life and Faith . John D. Zizioulas, Communion and Otherness: Further Studies in Personhood and the Church . Jonathan J. Sanford, Before Virtue: Assessing Contemporary Virtue Ethics . Joseph J. Kotva, The Christian Case for Virtue Ethics . Joseph Mendola, Goodness and Justice: A Consequentialist Moral Theology . Joseph Woodill, The Fellowship of Life: Virtue Ethics and Orthodox Christianity . Julia Annas, Intelligent Virtue . Kathy L. Gaca, The Making of Fornication: Eros, Ethics, and Political Reform in Greek Philosophy and Early Christianity . Kevin Corrigan, Dr. Lewis Ayres, and Professor Patricia Cox Miller, Studies in Philosophy and Theology in Late Antiquity: Evagrius and Gregory: Mind, Soul, and Body in the 4th Century . Kevin M. Clarke, The Seven Deadly Sins . Lisa Sowle Cahill, Sex, Gender, and Christian Ethics . Michael R. DePaul and Linda Trinkaus Zagzebski, Intellectual Virtue: Perspectives from Ethics and Epistemology . Michael Slote, From Morality to Virtue . Michael Slote, The Impossibility of Perfection: Aristotle, Feminism, and the Complexities of Ethics . Nafsika Athanassoulis, Virtue Ethics . Nancy C. Murphy, Brad J. Kallenberg, and Mark Nation, Virtues & Practices in the Christian Tradition: Christian Ethics after Macintyre . Nancy Elizabeth Van Heusen, The Place of the Psalms in the Intellectual Culture of the Middle Ages . Naomi Koltun-Fromm, Hermeneutics of Holiness: Ancient Jewish and Christian Notions of Sexuality and Religious Community . Paul Evdokimov, Ages of the Spiritual Life . Paul T. Jersild, Spirit Ethics: Scripture and the Moral Life . Peter C. Bouteneff, Sweeter Than Honey: Orthodox Thinking on Dogma and Truth . Peter R.L. Brown, The Body and Society: Men and Women and Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity . Philip J. Wogaman, Christian Ethics: A Historical Introduction . Philippa Foot, Virtues and Vices and Other Essays in Moral Philosophy . Richard B. Hays, New Testament Ethics: The Story Retold . Richard B. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics . Robert J. Daly, Christian Biblical Ethics: From Biblical Revelation to Contemporary Christian Praxis: Method and Content . Robert Merrihew Adams, A Theory of Virtue: Excellence in Being for the Good . Robin Darling Young and Monica J. Blanchard, To Train His Soul in Books: Syriac Asceticism in Early Christianity . Rosalind Hursthouse, On Virtue Ethics . Rowan A. Greer and J. Warren Smith, One Path for All: Gregory of Nyssa in the Christian Life and Human Destiny . Stanley Hauerwas, A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic . Stanley Hauerwas, Character and the Christian Life: A Study in Theological Ethics . Stanley Hauerwas, Christian Existence Today: Essays on Church, World, and Living in Between . Stanley Hauerwas, The Peaceable Kingdom: A Primer in Christian Ethics . Stanley Hauerwas, Vision and Virtue: Essays in Christian Ethical Reflection . Stephen E. Fowl and L. Gregory Jones, Reading in Communion: Scripture and Ethics in Christian Life . Stephen L. Darwall, Deontology . Stephen M. Meawad, Beyond Virtue Ethics: A Contemporary Ethic of Ancient Spiritual Struggle . Victor Paul Furnish, The Moral Teaching of Paul: Selected Issues . Vigen Guroian, Incarnate Love: Essays in Orthodox Ethics . Warren J. Smith, Passion and Paradise: Human and Divine Emotion in the Thought of Gregory of Nyssa . William Brown, Character and Scripture: Moral Formation, Community, and Biblical Interpretation . William C. Mattison, Introducing Moral Theology: True Happiness and the Virtues . William C. Mattison, The Sermon on the Mount and Moral Theology: A Virtue Perspective . William C. Spohn, What Are They Saying About Scripture and Ethics? . William Werpehowski and Kathryn Getek Soltis, Virtue and the Moral Life: Theological and Philosophical Perspectives . Yiu Sing Lúcás Chan, Biblical Ethics in the 21st Century: Developments, Emerging Consensus, and Future Directions . Disclaimer: This list serves as a collection of various perspectives, titles, and backgrounds, and may not necessarily endorse the teaching, history, and understanding of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Previous Next

1/1 Ten Commandments for Sunday School Servants Hegumen Antonios Ragheb Ten Commandments For Sunday School Servants, by Hegumen Antonios Ragheb, a man whose ecclesial identity, theological acumen, and selfless service in theological education and pastoral care spanned over five decades in both Egypt and the United States of America, contextualizes and lays the framework for the proper approach to the service of Sunday School, and, more generally, of teaching in the Church. $8.99 Purchase at: https://tinyurl.com/TCFSSS The Very Reverend Hegumen Antonios Ragheb was born Labib Ragheb Fahmy in Shubra, Egypt on April 4, 1921. After graduating from the University of Cairo in 1943, he joined the Theological Seminary in Mahmasha in 1948, and subsequently served as the Sunday School Trustee of St. Antonios Coptic Orthodox Church in Shubra, Egypt. On May 28, 1972, he became the first person ordained to the priesthood by the late His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. In 1978, Fr. Antonios was sent to serve various churches in the United States, after which he was entrusted to permanently shepherd the congregation of St. George and St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church in Jersey City, NJ in 1985. He faithfully served this community until September 3, 1999, on which date he departed in peace. Paperback ISBN: 9781312003996 St. George & St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church - Jersey City, NJ, USA Previous Next