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The Apocalypse of John, whom Tradition names the “Liturgist,” [1] is inherently a book of worship, outlining for the believers the expectations and outcomes of the life of Faith. Through the various revelations recorded by John in this divinely-inspired book, the Lord Jesus Christ conveys, both to John himself and to the readers of the book more generally, a central message of exhortation to faithfulness. He, the Just Judge, is shown throughout the Apocalypse to be working patiently for the salvation of all souls, so that none would be lost except the son of perdition. [2] Indeed, divine violence in the Apocalypse is best understood as the patient enactment of God’s justice: “The One seated on the throne is the God of justice; but the justice of our God is spelt mercy.” [3] The Apocalypse begins with a message to each of the churches from the Lord who exhorts them to complete perfection: “Repent” and “be faithful unto death.” [4] The believers are encouraged to remain faithful to God and not forsake the Faith which they have accepted and received, being steadfast despite the threat of persecution and hardship [5] so as not to become conformed to the world which will soon reap the fitting results of her deeds and stance against God. By virtue of their acceptance of the Faith and abidance according to it, the believers are prepared for the impending judgment. [6] As for those who are not members of the Church — who belong to the world and submit to its influences — God is found in the Revelation providing these every opportunity for repentance and seeking their salvation through a variety of means. By exhorting the believers to remain steadfast, He intends for them to become His witnesses in the world, as the Lord often taught in His sermons. [7] Another method seen in the Apocalypse by which God seeks the repentance of those who are of the world is through unleashing plagues upon the earth. Evidently, these plagues, being permitted by God, [8] are intended for the repentance of the people — meant to cause them to realize the fleeting nature of the world as well as the power and authority of God as its Creator, and thereby compel them to seek refuge in Him. Thus: “when people cry out in terror, the movement toward judgment is interrupted and readers are shown the scale of divine redemption (6:16-17; 7:1-17). The trumpet visions continue depicting divine wrath against the ungodly, but when the plagues fail to bring repentance, judgment is again interrupted so that the faithful can bear witness (9:20-21; 10:1-11:12). Only when many have been brought to glorify God does the final trumpet sound (11:13-15).” [9] As the wrath of God unfolds through violence on the earth, this enactment of divine violence results in the peaceful scene of heavenly worship, the beautiful liturgy in which humanity is invited to participate. [10] While the strength of the victorious God is displayed throughout the Apocalypse, another power is also found exerting its strength over the world — that of the dragon, identified as “that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” [11] The antithesis of the patient and long-suffering mercy of God in seeking the repentance of all people is the cruelty, deceit, impurity, and violence of the beast and dragon. They, unlike God, utilize violence to inflict fear so as to impose their authority upon humanity. While the violence of God does not directly harm humanity, [12] the beast and dragon find their satisfaction in the persecution and torment of mankind. This dragon, representative of Satan and his evil powers, is found pursuing a woman “clothed with the sun” in Revelation 12: “And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God…And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished…The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.” [13] Much speculation is found regarding the symbolism of the woman. Since John amalgamates a variety of Scriptural features and contexts into the Apocalypse, thereby creating new imagery out of the old, a multifaceted consideration of the various revelations uncovers a deeper understanding that may be gleaned from the text. In presenting this imagery through a diversity of lenses, such as the Old Testament Scriptures, the New Testament Church, and Greco-Roman culture, the Apocalypse succeeds to convey an especially rich message — of the victorious Christ and the victory enjoyed by those who faithfully endure in the Faith in Him — to a wide array of diverse readers.  Utilizing Old Testament language, John presents the woman clothed with the sun as representative of the people of God, who is Himself the “Sun of righteousness.” [14] The twelve tribes of Israel, encompassing the entirety of God’s people in the Old Testament, are represented on the crown adorning the head of the woman, reminiscent of the twelve stones adorning the clothing of the Levitical priests. [15] The pursuit of the woman likewise recalls Israel’s most formative experience — the Exodus, in which, having been led out of Egypt, they crossed the sea and emerged from it into the wilderness, with the waters gathering together behind them to drown their pursuers: “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host He cast into the sea.” [16] Having reached Mount Sinai, the Israelites were reminded by God through Moses: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My own possession among all peoples.” [17] The Apocalypse hearkens to this covenant with God, as the woman clothed with the sun is given “two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness.” [18] The synthesis of Israelite imagery in the Apocalypse is not divorced from the experience of the New Testament, but rather reveals the profound christological and ecclesiological understanding of the Christian Church: the followers of Christ, constituting the Church, are the true Israel [19] — the perpetuation of the covenant established by God with His people [20] most perfectly realized in light of His economy of salvation. Thus, for early Christian commentators on the Apocalypse, the woman clothed with the sun is not understood as being representative of the Israelites exclusively, but through them, also the Church. [21] The understanding of the woman clothed with the sun as representative of the Christian Church further finds its foundation in the Virgin Mary: being the Mother of God, she becomes also the mother of all who put on Christ in baptism. [22] Thus, Augustine writes: “His Mother [Mary] is the [mother of the] whole Church, because she herself assuredly gives birth to His members, that is His faithful ones.” [23] Likewise, Origen identifies that if Christ is to be formed in the believers, they must not only become His beloved disciples, but also take His mother as their own. [24] In light of this Mariological understanding, the woman clothed with the sun emerges as an icon of the Virgin Mary, and through her, the Church. This imagery and interpretation is presented in the weekday Psalmody of the Coptic Orthodox Church, which contemplates: “I saw a sign shown in the sky: a woman clothed with the sun, she also had the moon abiding under her feet and twelve stars forming a crown on her head; being pregnant in labor, crying out to give birth — she is Mary, the new heaven on earth, from whom shines on us the Sun of Righteousness. For the Sun with which she is clothed is our Lord Jesus Christ, the moon below her feet is John the Baptist, and the twelve stars forming a crown on her head are the twelve apostles surrounding her, bestowing honor!” [25] In a similar manner, the pursuit of the woman by the dragon was interpreted by Oecumenius in the sixth century in relation to the Virgin Mary and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. [26] The situation of the woman in the wilderness can also be understood within the context of the Church’s vocation: to be in  the world but not of the world. [27] The Christians — the offspring of the Virgin Mary by virtue of their putting on Christ, her Son, through baptism — are “those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus.” [28] As a result, they continually face the spiritual warfare waged by the evil powers. The fluidity of the imagery presented in the Apocalypse enables such a diversity of interpretation. Being concerned with the conversion of the world to the Faith in Christ, the Apocalypse has for its audience all people, and not exclusively those deeply acquainted with the Holy Scriptures. As such, the Apocalypse also appropriates certain elements of Greco-Roman literature, embedding them within the same discourse in relation to the Faith in Christ. [29] Wilfred Harrington pertinently notes: “The closest parallel, however, to the narrative of the woman and the dragon is a Graeco-Roman version of the legend of Apollo’s birth. Leto had become pregnant by Zeus. The dragon Python foresaw that this child, a son, would replace him as ruler over the oracle at Delphi. He sought to kill the child at birth. Zeus commissioned the North wind and the sea-god Poseidon to aid Leto. She gave birth to Apollo and Artemis; Apollo slew the dragon Python. John adapted the story to describe the birth of the Messiah. But it is not his only source.” [30] In the Apocalypse narrative, the victor is Christ, rather than Apollo, who defeats the dragon by His own death. Craig Koester explains: “…the imagery would have engaged the interest of a wide spectrum of readers…The characters and plotline in John’s vision take on a distinctive form that is designed to shape his readers’ perspectives on the situation of Jesus’ followers in the world.” [31] In an innovative manner, the Apocalypse “baptizes” the mythological story, painting it in a Christian light in connection to the Scriptural narrative, thereby granting Gentile readers an effective means to understanding the reality and significance of Christ’s salvific act. The scenes of violence in the Apocalypse serve as catalysts for humanity’s return to God and pursuit of Him and powerfully depict the results of one’s allegiances. The dragon slays “those who would not worship the image of the beast,” [32] and despite this, humanity continues to submit to the authority of the dragon and the beast although they are actively killing them. The Lord, on the other hand, is “He who offers Himself as an acceptable sacrifice upon the Cross for the salvation of our race.” [33] Whereas God ultimately sheds His blood for the sake of humanity, the woman seated on the beast — becoming herself a distorted parody of the Incarnate Son of God seated on the throne with His Father [34] — rather feasts on the blood of the people. [35] For this reason, while God patiently endures the evil of the world and seeks to inspire repentance among mankind — being Himself merciful — the time comes when the final judgment is to be carried out — for He is also just. Those who experience all of the plagues and wrath of God and do not repent, [36] but rather flee to seek refuge within the earth, [37] submitting themselves to the beast and dragon who seek their destruction, have ultimately rejected God. He has conquered, and while the evil one is “loosed for a little while,” [38] deceiving humanity for a time with his cunningly attractive façade, the final and eternal triumph belongs to God. Sin deserves its consequence. [39] Thus, those who have aligned themselves with the earth and its ruler will be met with torment at the time of the final judgment: “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” [40] The theme of repentance echoes consistently throughout John’s Apocalypse, wherein the people of God — namely, all who adhere to the Faith in Christ — reap the benefits of their allegiance to the victorious slain Lamb. In conformity to Christ, [41] the believers are to expect rejection and aggressive opposition from the world and its powers. Despite this immediate state of persecution, even being cast outside the city and chased into the wilderness, the people of God are reminded of the victory of Christ which is enjoyed by those who endure the tribulation and remain faithful until the end. The endurance of such hardship becomes for them the opportunity to grow in conformity to Him who conquered, conquers, and will conquer, so that they too may emerge victorious over the powers of the evil one. For this reason, the people of the One whose voice “was like the sound of many waters” [42] are themselves heard crying with a voice “like the sound of many waters” [43] by the end of the Apocalypse. Utilizing a diverse array of imagery, drawing from both the Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures, the ritual expressions of the Church’s worship, [44] as well as contemporary Greco-Roman literary features, John presents this message of a reality that transcends sociocultural boundaries — that of the heavenly worship and eternal citizenship in the new heaven and earth with God to which all are called, both Jews and Gentiles alike. A nuanced reading of the Apocalypse as a whole, and especially as exemplified in the account of Revelation 12, therefore reveals the vocation of Christianity in the world, and through it the call of Christ to all of humanity — the same exhortation by which He began His earthly ministry: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” [45] — [1] See e.g. , José Granados, Introduction to Sacramental Theology: Signs of Christ in the Flesh , 64 [2] See  John 17:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; “Son of perdition is a Hebraism in which the genitive is ambiguous. It can denote the person’s character, as in Ps 57:4, where ‘children of unrighteousness’ is rendered in the LXX τέκνα άπωλείας ; or the person’s destiny, as in Isa 34:5, where ‘the people I have doomed’ appears in the LXX as τόν λαόν τής άπωλείας . The same expression, ‘the son of perdition,’ ό νίός τής άπωλείας , is applied to the Antichrist in 2 Thess 2:3 in parallelism with ‘the man of lawlessness,’ presumably to denote his evil nature, but it may also include the thought of his sure destruction, which is mentioned in 2 Thess 2:8” (George R. Beasley-Murray, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 36: John , 299). [3] Wilfrid J. Harrington, Sacra Pagina: Revelation , 32 [4] See  Revelation 2:5, 10, 16, 22; 3:3, 10-11, 19 [5] “The goal of each message [to the Churches, in chapters 2 and 3] is to evoke enduring faithfulness, and the interplay between encouragement and rebuke is designed to achieve this end. … Christ, the Lion of Judah, conquered as a Lamb whose self-sacrifice brings people into God’s kingdom. Christ’s followers are to conquer in a similar way through faithful self-sacrifice” (Craig R. Koester, The Anchor Yale Bible: Revelation: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary , 237). [6] Notably, this expectation of the eschaton was incorporated into many early Christian creeds of Faith. In the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, as one example, the believers chant: “We look for the Resurrection of the dead and the life of the coming age. Amen.” [7] For instance, in the Sermon on the Mount: “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16). [8] “…the Lamb, by breaking the first seal, unleashes the plagues…The second horseman has been given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slaughter one another: the complementary sides of warfare. Given  power — even destructive war serves a divine purpose! It is a forceful way of stressing that nothing, not even the most awful things that humans can do to one another, and to our world, can ever frustrate God’s saving purpose” (Harrington, 91). [9] Koester, 307 [10] See  Revelation 8:1-5; 10:15-19 [11] Revelation 12:9 [12] In the plagues which God permits, the only harm that comes to humanity is inflicted by humanity against itself: when the horsemen of Revelation 6 act, it is men who slay one another; likewise the death which results after the fourth trumpet is blown in Revelation 8 comes from the actions of men who drink of the water which had become wormwood ( see  Revelation 8:10-11); the locusts which emerge from the earth, moreover, are specifically instructed not to kill those who are not sealed (Revelation 9:4-5). God directly gives the initiative, in Revelation 7, that the creation should not be harmed until the servants of God are sealed (Revelation 7:3). [13] See  Revelation 12 [14] Malachi 4:2 [15] Exodus 28:21 [16] Exodus 15:4 [17] Exodus 19:4-5 [18] Revelation 12:14 [19] Robert Mounce finds the woman clothed with the sun as representative of “the messianic community, the ideal Israel,” although he excludes the possibility of understanding this imagery through the Virgin Mary, a stance that this paper seeks to assert as being insufficient ( See  Robert H. Mounce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Book of Revelation , 230). [20] See  Genesis 12:1-3 [21] “For Victorinus, the woman encompassed both ancient Israel and the followers of Jesus. She groans as the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles groaned for the coming of the Messiah. Her twelve stars relate to Israel’s early history, since they symbolize the sons of Jacob. The dragon’s threat against the child corresponds to the time of Jesus, when the devil tempted him in the wilderness. Finally, the dragon’s horns are ten kings who will reign at the end of the age” (Koester, 525-526); Harrington likewise understands the woman to be “the people of God of the Old Testament who, having given Christ to the world, thereby became the Christian Church” (Harrington, 130). [22] Galatians 3:27 [23] Augustine, On Holy Virginity , 5 [24] See  Origen of Alexandria, Commentary on John  1.23 [25] The Thursday θεοτοκια, 9 [26] Koester summarizes Oecumenius’ view, writing: “The devil’s attempt to devour the child occurred when Herod the Great ordered all the children in Bethlehem to be slain, and the woman’s escape to the wilderness was the holy family’s escape to Egypt, as reported in Matt 2:1-18” (Koester, 526). [27] See e.g. , John 17:11-19; 1 John 2:15-17; Commenting on the condition of the Church in the wilderness, John Chrysostom profoundly writes: “And now, should you come unto the desert of Egypt, you will see this desert become better than any paradise, and ten thousand choirs of angels in human forms, and nations of martyrs, and companies of virgins, and all the devil’s tyranny put down, while Christ’s kingdom shines forth in its brightness.” (John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel According to St. Matthew  8.5-6). [28] Revelation 12:17 [29] “Recent studies have noted, however, that Rev 12 has affinities with both Jewish and Greco-Roman traditions and does not follow any one tradition exactly…writers point out that myths are characterized by variety rather than uniformity. Mythic patters share certain typical elements while exhibiting variations in detail. Sometimes, ancient plotlines were combined” (Koester, 528). [30] Harrington, 129 [31] Koester, 530 [32] Revelation 13:15 [33] See  the Hymn Ⲫⲁⲓ ⲉⲧⲁϥ ⲉⲛϥ. [34] See  Revelation 3:21 [35] Revelation 17:6 [36] See e.g. , Revelation 6:15-17; 9:20-21; 16:9, 11, 21 [37] See  Revelation 6:15-17 [38] Revelation 20:3 [39] See  Revelation 16:4-7 [40] See  Revelation 20 [41] Conformity to Christ is a prominent theme found in the writings of John the Evangelist. The characters represented in the Gospel, as also its reader, grow step by step into deeper belief and relation with God and conformity to Him as the Gospel’s narrative progresses. The first-called disciples, for instance, are found echoing the call of the Lord Jesus Christ: as He says to them “Come and see,” Philip implores Nathaniel with the same words ( See  John 1:39, 46). Similarly, in his Epistles, John exhorts the believers towards conformity to Christ: “he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked” (1 John 2:6). [42] Revelation 1:15 [43] Revelation 19:6 [44] For instance, the use of incense and the chanting of hymns to God appear often in the Apocalypse ( See e.g. , Revelation 8:3-4; 4:8). [45] Matthew 4:17 —

“Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”   St. Augustine’s beautiful exhortation has achieved immortality not because it speaks to the presence of human desire, but because it exposes the true nature of that desire: our inborn purpose as created beings to remain in a state of eternal communion with God and with others. This divine purpose, or telos , is more than an attribute of our humanity. It is a fundamental and inescapable human reality. We can ignore it, we can resist it, but we cannot escape that eternal end   God has instilled so deeply within us. If eternal communion is our end, sacramental communication  is the means to achieve it. Such communication binds the Church together, in heaven as on earth. Indeed, the Holy Sacraments represent both a medium of divine communication and a model for Christocentric communication. This is because we were created by a Triune God, who exists in a state of perpetual communication, who created a sacramental cosmos by speaking it into existence — a God who shaped humanity into His likeness, and who left us with the Holy Sacraments, so that we may not only desire but also reach the true end of all communication — communion with God and with others. We should communicate sacramentally because we were created to live sacramentally. We are sacramental beings. Sacramentality is embedded in our reality. This shows us why we must communicate sacramentally to a world starving for wonder. When viewed through a sacramental lens, the universe — reality itself — becomes a blueprint for Christian communication, a multilayered mystery that reveals itself both broadly through the Church and acutely through the administration of her Sacraments. By living out the sacramental life, we begin to realize the fullness of our human potential for God-centered communication, marching ever closer to that ultimate reality we long for, the culmination of our relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ, that blessed eternal feast — the beatific vision. Outlining the form of sacramental communication in turn shows us the path to Christocentric communication. Thus, we see that communication not only binds the Church together, but also connects the faithful to God and to one another. In the Holy Sacraments, communication and ritual combine to remind us of, and conform us to, the divine order. Indeed, we were created for festivity, and that creative design demands to be lived out in properly ordered actions. The Church teaches that the Sacraments are the normative means to such fulfillment on earth. Even those outside the visible bounds of the Church, however, display an innate penchant for sacramental festivity and ritual, even if it is not always practiced in a proper or purified form. Whether replete with the pure or profane, sacramental rituals define the human experience, shaping, and not merely punctuating, our existence. Our innate festivity coaxes us toward the Sacraments by compelling us to embrace the “small-S” sacramental life: morning and evening routines, graduation celebrations and anniversary dinners, birthdays and funerals. The inclination to treat these as sacred naturally flows from our innate sacramentality, fueled by our festivity, pointing us toward the divine Source of all, whether we realize it or not. Identifying this sacramental common-ground affords the evangelist a solid foundation for further discussion. To reach those outside of, or on the margins of, the Church, we must first identify and celebrate that which we already share in common, using our shared sacramental orientation to redirect our gaze upward. This shows us how we can communicate these sacramental truths to an unbelieving world. When properly ordered, sacramental desire leads us straight to God. But if God is not at the helm, our human inclination toward festivity will be hindered by concupiscence, distorting the sacred good we desire into something profane. Godlessness will not remove the sacramental desire that defines our humanity, but it will corrupt it, presenting a decayed alternative to the Incorruptible Bread and Wine we crave by nature. Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI (Cardinal Ratzinger) was right to warn us of the dangers we would face as a result of our self-inflicted desacralization — a uniquely dangerous sacramental unraveling of our own making. In wide swaths of society, we have lost — no, abandoned  — all appreciation and respect for the sacred. This neglect no doubt stems from a related rejection of the sacramental worldview. But since the world is fundamentally sacramental, insofar as it exists in and for God, who is not only holy but also the Source of Holiness, then we must  view the world through a sacramental lens or risk obscuring reality. Both divine revelation and personal experience support this conclusion. It is for this reason that our human experience comes into focus only when presented in its sacramental context. For this context extends beyond abstraction to absolute reality: the existential framework underlying the sacraments is as real as the tangible elements we taste and feel in them — realer , in the sense that the metaphysical reality precedes the physical. The two realities are inseparable, at once parallel and interwoven. Christ, the glorious Sacrament of all Sacraments, perfects and harmonizes this multilayered reality in the Incarnation. And now, by receiving Him in the Eucharist, we mystically enter the reality of the Incarnation. By receiving Christ sacramentally, we not only become like Christ but become “little christs,” empowering us to give the gift of self to the world. This is both the object and the fruit of sacramental communication.   This shows us what we should communicate to those who doubt the sacramental.   Returning to St. Augustine, we observe an outline of this sacramentality in his description of human desire: “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” The sacramental life reminds us that we were made for more than this world; the sacramental life also leads us into the next. For we were designed in anticipation of a merging of the divine and the human, the visible and the invisible. We were created sacramentally . These observations highlight how sacramental communication is ingrained into existence itself, a reality we endeavor to emulate in our speech and actions. That is the sacramental communication the Church needs to effectively convey Christ’s message of hope to an unbelieving world. So, how can we use this knowledge to conform our lives to Christ? How do we elevate our natural festivity, accentuating the good while suppressing the bad? The Holy Sacraments are the answer to both. When we participate in the sacramental life of the Church, we actively reorient ourselves to Christ, encouraging festivity as it was intended. In its highest form, channeled through the Church’s Holy Sacraments, this transcendent communication represents a real participation in the divine. Just as heaven meets earth in the Mass at the moment of consecration, so too does God share something in common with us, his people, when he communicates grace through the Sacraments. In those moments, we truly “become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). What a beautiful glimpse of heaven that is! This shows us Whom we sacramentally communicate when we share the truth in love. We have seen how, in the Sacraments, our need to communicate and our yearning for festivity are both ordered toward and sanctified by divine decree. The sacred is made tangible and the tangible, sanctified. It is a Holy Mystery that speaks to the heart of our relationship with God and fuels our pursuit of the Heavenly Banquet that awaits us. In English, the meaning of “communication” is rather reductive, so I want to turn our attention to the Latin it borrows from, communicatio , to reinforce this point. In Latin, the term evokes an active participation in, partaking of, and communing with something, with someone . This highlights the relationship that motivates our own communication — eternal communion with God. Only when understood in that context does the proper sacramental order fall into place, inspired by the Word of God made flesh. Communication incarnate. Christ Himself. This divine communicatio  is on full display in the Holy Mysteries, as they are known in the East (for indeed they are both holy and mysterious!), when God unites heaven and earth, the invisible and the visible, the symbolic and the real. The depth and power of sacramental communication are most profoundly revealed in the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith — the ideal representation of sacramental communication. For when we consume the living flesh of Christ, we proudly remember, proclaim, and participate in the reality of the Incarnation, remembering that “the Son of God became man that we might become [like] God” (St. Athanasius). Thus, we see that “Holy Communion” represents not only the particular Sacrament but the telos  instilled in each one of us: that insatiable desire to be in eternal communion with God and humanity which St. Augustine so famously described. The cosmos’s sacramentality nudges us in the right direction; the Blessed Sacrament shows us the way home. Until that time, our task is to convert our lives into living sacraments — ensuring everyone gets their invitation to the eternal feast. — Noah Bradon is the director of marketing and executive producer at the University of Notre Dame's McGrath Institute for Church Life . Noah earned his Master of Arts in Theology from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Central Florida. His graduate research explored the intersection of theology and communication, which remains a focal point of his work at McGrath. Notre Dame Bio : mcgrath.nd.edu/NoahBradon YouTube Channel : youtube.com/@NoahBradon (@NoahBradon across social) Portfolio / Personal Blog : noahbradon.com 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.

A Homily on the First Sunday of Great Lent His Eminence Metropolitan Mina of Girga, Egypt, delivered at the Church of the Virgin Mary in Girga. Year unknown. The gospel reading of today’s Liturgy, in which the Lord of Glory reveals and clarifies the manner in which the life of the believer must be on earth. The Church has well chosen to present to us, on the first Sunday of the Holy Fast, the selection that was read aloud in our hearing: this selection, in which the Lord Jesus says at its beginning: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,” “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20), as we have heard. And at the end of the selection, the Lord says: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).  “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  The Lord Jesus, to whom be glory, teaches us in the gospel of today’s Liturgy, that we should not care about anything in this life more than we should, or more than our care about eternal life, because He taught us, saying: “What would it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what would man give in exchange for his soul” (Matthew 16:26)? The Lord explains that the treasures that we lay up on earth are exposed to dangers. The first danger is theft and robbery, and the second danger is moths. The third danger is rust, [which] takes hold of the [substance] and corrodes it. And the grains that we lay up are eaten by moths. And gold is exposed to theft by thieves and robbers.  So these treasures, in which we place our trust, cannot save us from anything in this life, for they do not last forever. For man cannot take anything with him from the wealth of this world. Alexander the Great did well when he commanded, at his departure from this world, that his hands be exposed open outside his coffin, saying: “Let the whole world know that Alexander, who conquered the world, came out of the world empty-handed.” This is the life for which we fight — we cannot take anything from it.  So the Lord warns us that the treasures in which we trust in this life, we must leave behind, either willingly or unwillingly. This is what the Divine Revelation says on the mouth of Job the Righteous, when he says: “We know that we entered the world without anything, and we will leave it also without anything.” “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there” (Job 1:21a). And our teacher Paul the Apostle says: “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7). We have not heard, and we will not hear, that a person can take with him money, or palaces, or gold, or silver. Rather, all he takes with him is a piece of cloth, in which he is wrapped and shrouded and placed in his final resting place.  But there is another work that he must take with him, because the life of man does not end with his death. The life of the body ends with death, while another life begins that differs from this life, for which we must lay up [treasures], as Christ, to whom be glory, says: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,” “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,” and as our teacher Paul the Apostle says: “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7b).  We do not take anything from the treasures we lay up, but what we offer here in this life on earth for the sake of the salvation of our souls is what we will find on the Last Day, as the Book taught us — the Revelator: “Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me, to give to every one according to his works” (Revelation 22:12), and as the Church says and repeats in every Liturgy: “[He will] give each one according to his deeds.” []  So here, life ends, but we begin a new life that differs [from it] in every respect. Here there is weeping, wailing, and worry, but there is eternal joy — the Lord “will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4).  So the Lord teaches us not to lay up treasures on this earth, but that we must lay up treasures for the kingdom of heaven. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).  The Lord teaches us not to live lazily, or as we say in the fallah ’s expression, [“good-for-nothing”], but the Lord teaches us not to depend on anything in this life, because the worldly life does not benefit man at all, but what benefits him is dependence on God. So the Lord teaches us, saying: “Consider the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns” (Matthew 6:26).  In the Coptic translation, it does not say “birds,” but “crows.” And the wisdom in this text is stronger in the Coptic translation, because all birds are able to gather grains from the earth, and they strive to provide for themselves and their children, but only the crow does not give to its children []. Perhaps you see this in your homes! But the crow is the only one that is unable to feed its children! How do its children live? As soon as the chick comes out of the egg, the little crow opens its beak, a thread comes out of its beak, it opens its beak and eats from it, until our Lord provides for it, without its father or mother feeding it, our Lord provides for it until it is able to fly, roam, and seek its own provision.  So God says: “Consider the crows of the air, they do not sow” — it does not even say “crows,” but “chicks.” The Coptic translation says: “Look at the chicks of the crows,” meaning the little chick, unable to provide for itself, and after it comes out of the egg, its father and mother leave it, and our Lord provides for it. “Look at the chicks of the crows, they do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26). He gives them their due!  God, as we say in the general saying, provides for the birds in the nests, and provides for the fish in the sea, and it is impossible for Him to create a mouth and leave it without provision. But the fault — all the fault — is in us, that we depend on our wealth and desire to be rich without the will of God. “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 22:10).  “Seek first the kingdom of God,” and all these matters our Lord arranges in a particular way. God cannot abandon you or neglect you! History provides us good examples of those who cared for God, so God cared for them.  [In] one of these [examples], our Lord dried up the sea, and he [Elijah] stood in front of our Lord and said to Him, people were hungry - - and He dried up the land, and there was no bread or food; and the rich, the Book says, “the rich grow poor and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:11). And then he found no food, and he found no sustenance, and the land was dry, and God withheld the rain from the land, and then he shouted to Him and said to Him: “O Lord, there is no rain on the land. You commanded me to pray, and to stop the rain, and so the rain stopped, but what should I do?” He said to him: “Do not worry about it, Elijah.” “What will You do, O Lord?” He said to him: “I have commanded a poor, needy widow to support you.” “A poor, needy widow will support me? The rich ‘grow in hunger’ and pain from the severity of their hunger, and a widow will support me?” He said to him: “Just go to a small village called Zarephath, Sidon, and you will find a woman there gathering sticks” ( see  1 Kings 17:7-16). So the man of God went there and found her gathering some sticks, so he told her: “What are you doing?” [] She told him: “I am gathering sticks.” “For what?” She said: “I have a little bit of flour, I will make them into a cake for myself and a cake for” - - two small handfuls [of flour] - - “I will make them into a cake for myself and for my son and we will eat them and die.” Meaning there is no more [flour], and this is the last breath of life — a handful of flour. A handful.  He said to her: “Let me tell you, go make me a [cake] first.” “O man of God! I am telling you, a handful of flour, I will make it [into cakes] for myself and my boy and we will eat them and die. And you want me to make you one first?” He told her: “Just go! Depart and make for me a cake first, for thus says the Lord: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day [the Lord] sends rain on the land’ (1 Kings 17:14).” And so the woman, the poor widow, became very rich by the life of faith when she hosted the man of God.  God, who says “consider the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap,” or “the chicks of the crows of the air, for they neither sow nor reap,” He is the one who sustains us. He sustains completely! A story in the history of the Church, which I recall telling previously: Anba Paula and his brother had a falling-out. While he was walking out, he saw a great, honorable man who had died and was being processed on their shoulders. So he asked: “What was this man?” [They] told him: “This was one of the noblemen of the city, an exceedingly great man.” “Then what happened?” “Then he died and you see the great scene of this funeral procession to his final resting place.” So he looked and said: “Oh! I am begrudging my brother over transient matters, while this rich man left this world empty-handed, not being able to hold onto anything from this life, of worldly wealth, with him, and he went to the hereafter while I do not know whether he offered or did not offer anything good.” So he went out without hesitation, and there he entered an abandoned tomb and began to worship God, saying to Him: “O Lord, guide me to the path in which I can be pleasing to You.” And the result was that the angel of God carried away the saint Anba Paula and took him to a spring of water that had a palm tree, and the great saint Anba Paula lived from the fruit of the palm tree all year long, and then every day the crow brought him half a loaf [of bread]. Every day it brought him half a loaf [of bread]. And when Anba Antonios visited him, and the time of dinner came, the crow brought down a full loaf [of bread], and they shared it together. Can you believe that until this time, in the monastery of Anba Paula, only a crow and its wife live. When they give birth, they leave the monastery and go to the monastery of Anba Antonios, because there are many palm trees there, and [the chicks] remain. And when a guest comes, ten or fifteen minutes before he arrives, the crow begins to make noise so the monks know that a visitor is coming. And this is so that God might uphold the continuous remembrance - - “the remembrance of the righteous shall abide forever” (Psalm 112:6) - - the remembrance of the crow that brought the bread to the saint Anba Paula.  So we can say that all these things - - the Book says: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” What is it that will be added to me? He says, “seek first the kingdom of God,” and then “all these things will be added to you.” The things of the world will be added. What is it that will be added?  Long ago, when we were young, a person’s mother at home used to tell him — those days were not as they are now [] — “go, son, get a [bar of] soap from the shop [or] go get a measure of sugar.” The shopkeeper would be clever: after he would give him the measure of the product, whether he wanted a [bar of] soap or some tea or some sugar, he would give him a piece of candy or a couple of beans “on the house.” A snare cast by the shopkeeper so the boy, whenever he wanted anything, would come to him to buy it for the sake of those beans! But are the two beans, or the piece of candy that he gave to the boy, the original sale? Or are they “on the house?” On the house! He has already gotten the sale!  So the whole world — the world and all that is in it — seek first the original sale, which is the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and this whole world, which does not equal even two beans or some candy, He will give you! This whole world, in the eyes of God, is nothing!  “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  I remember long ago, in the year [19]41, there was a man, God rest his soul, named Khay Habib Estafanous, in Samalot, and I suppose his wife may still be alive until this day. And I mentioned this in the book about Abouna Abdelmassih. See, it was myself and someone named Fr. Abdel-Salus al-Habashy, and the man invited us, saying: “Come.” “Why?” He said: “[My wife] is sick; pray for her so that God might heal her.” “Sure, alright.” And then he said: “This basket of bread here is our only one, and the baker refuses to come, and [my wife] is sick and cannot bake.” “What have we to do with the bread basket?” - - you know those from al-Minya bake wide bread that lasts one or two months, and when they come to eat of it, they pour a little water over it and eat it - - “what have we to do with [it]?” He said: “Pray! It is the blessing of Christ in the five loaves! Did not Christ bless the five loaves and the two fish?” “Yes he blessed!” He said: “Is not the Christ of the past the same as the one of today?” We said to him: “Yes, yesterday, today, and forever.” He said: “So pray for me that God will bless these loaves.”  We prayed for him — I myself was a young, novice monk, and I thought in my mind that this man was [deeply imaginative]. But the father who was with me was an elder and an ascetic, a man who had experience in life, who was praying deeply, but while I was praying with the father, in my mind the man was [deeply imaginative]. See what happened! We prayed and left. And those [loaves] in the basket were just enough to last a day, or a day and a half at most. We were absent for two months and then I and Abouna Abdel-Salus passed by again []. He said: “Come eat of the loaves you prayed over!” “What loaves? Do they still remain?” He said: “They remain and can last for even longer and longer []!”  “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 22:10).  I was in a monastery named the Monastery of al-Fakhoury, near Esna, and I was spending the night there. And we had at most two or three measures of flour. And we had to celebrate Liturgy in the morning. And I found a group of visitors came to me, and we did not have but some lentils. They did not bring with them a sacrifice [i.e. a lamb or sheep] and they did not bring bread. So there was there with me Abouna Ghattas, who is now in Edfu [], and there was [a man] also named Ghattas with us, so I told him: “Ghattas, where will we get bread for these people? Will they eat without bread?” [] We said: “Let us cook the lentils, since there is water. But after we cook the lentils, then what? Will they drink the lentils [] without bread?” [] So I told him: “Listen, split the two measures of flour in half. Make half into three or four korbanat  [offertory loaves] — enough for the morning’s offering — and the other half make into some thin, small pieces [of bread], put them in the oven, and we will break them and say: ‘We don’t have bread, just eat of these.’”  Believe me, perhaps three or four small pieces, each of which might equal a fourth of a korbana - - even less, not even a fifth! - - we flattened them like paper and put them in the oven and then pulled them out and I broke them and said: “May the blessing of the Lord which dwelt in the five loaves and the two fish bless these.” That day, we were six people, and we sat and ate until we were full and there were even leftovers!  “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 22:10).  Christ says in the gospel of today’s Liturgy: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The fallahi  expression is: “The foot steps where it wills.” [الرجل تدب محل ما تحب]. He who loves corruption chases after corruption. He who loves work chases after work. He who loves profit chases after profit. He who loves the Lord chases after the Lord. And every one’s foot goes, or steps, to where he loves.  As for you, what do you love? “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” If your treasure [] is the earth, God is not present in your life. Christ says as much: “No one can serve God and mammon” ( see Matthew 6:24b), in the gospel of today’s Liturgy. God and mammon. God and mammon cannot both occupy one’s heart. What? Does this mean that the Lord desires that we become beggars, poor, and needy? No! But the Lord wants us to depend on Him firstly! Not on money! Dependence on Him firstly!  The young rich man, when He told him, “go, sell all that you have” (Mark 10:21), the disciples told Him: “These are difficult words.” He told them: “Children, how hard it is for those who depend [on riches] to enter” (Mark 10:24) — how difficult it is for those who depend — those who depend on riches! Not the rich, but those who depend on their wealth!  He who depends on his wealth is a pagan. He who relies on his money worships idols. Wealth is not vice, but it is goodness and a blessing from God on the condition that it is according to God’s will.  Sometimes, when the love of money takes hold of one’s mind and heart, it makes him forget the Lord. How? The love of money, not wealth! Wealth is one thing, and the love of money is another. The wealth granted to me by God, of which I offer to the churches and the Lord and the poor and needy, is a blessing. Job was wealthy, and Abraham was wealthy. But the love of money is all evil. The Apostle says: “The love of money is a root of all evils, which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).  “Have been led astray from the faith.” How were they led astray from the faith? The love of money teaches lying, teaches greed, teaches grasping, [] and teaches one to take what is not rightfully his, and to forget the Lord and place all of his concern in money, such that he is converted from a worshiper of God to a worshiper of money. Not on the condition that I prostrate to money — placing it in front of me and prostrating before it. But placing in my heart the love of money, and thinking to myself: is God or money in my heart? The saying goes: “The heart cannot accommodate two.” God and money do not agree. Light and darkness cannot coexist in one place.  If the love of money has dominion over you more than the love of God, then you are a worshiper of idols. But if the love of God predominates your feelings more than the love of money, if God gave you some portion of money, then it is a great blessing that you give and tell Him: “Of your own we have given you” (1 Chronicles 29:14b). “What you have given us, we have given you.”  Do you really grasp for the world and believe that the money you have is yours? Do you think it is yours? It is a blessing from God. “He makes poor and makes rich” (1 Samuel 2:7a). He “kills and gives life” (1 Samuel 2:6a). He sickens and heals ( see Job 5:18). This is a gift offered to you by God! He has made you a steward over this entrustment. Are you a traitor or are you faithful? Determine your position. Are you a traitor or faithful to God in the entrustment He has given you?  A traitor does not give our Lord anything. Our Lord has given him, but he refuses to give our Lord of the gift He has given him. This is a traitor. But from the money God gave you, you give Him and say to Him: “From your money, we have given You.” So you will be found faithful in what God has given you. “There is no gift without increase save that which is [received] without thanksgiving” (Isaac the Syrian, Ascetical Homilies  2).  A gift that does not increase is devoid of thanksgiving. A gift that decreases is devoid of thanksgiving. A gift that increases has thanksgiving. What is thanksgiving? Does it mean eating, filling my stomach, and saying: “Thank You, Lord?” No. No! “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 7:21). But we offer thanks to God in deed. In deed. In good deeds! In kindness towards the poor and needy. Give God what is rightful[ly His], “give what is Caesar’s to Caesar, and what is God’s to God” (Matthew 22:21).  The Lord teaches us “seek first the kingdom of God.” Why? [] Firstly, one must seek the kingdom of God for a reason: he is a stranger on earth — a guest — and must inevitably leave the world. Has anyone taken anything with him? Has anyone taken a house? Has anyone taken a mansion? Has anyone taken money? So [he is] a stranger, and the stranger must leave. It is inevitable that he travels. Whether he wants to or not, he will leave. So he offers here what will profit him there, in the hereafter! He offers here what will benefit him in the afterlife. He will be surprised by the other life. If a man offers here, he will find there all that he offers here.  God says that He does not forget a cup of cold water ( see Matthew 10:42). Meaning if you offer a cup of cold water to a thirsty man, it is counted for you with God. It is counted. What more if you offer more than a cup of water? So God teaches us to seek first His kingdom. This kingdom is inevitable. And the kingdom of heaven is an eternal kingdom that has no end.  We will be confronted with a truth in the end. There is no way around it. What is it? We will be confronted either with an eternal life or a miserable life. Either a life crowned with glory or a life full of torment. “Fire that cannot be quenched and worm that does not sleep” ( see  Mark 9:48).  When Paul the Apostle thought about and contemplated the eternal life — the life of eternal bliss — and saw and perceived, he said: “I counted everything as rubbish.” Why? “To gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). This whole world is rubbish, to gain Christ. Why are you saying this, Paul? He said: “I saw with my own eyes. I heard with my own ears.” What did you see with your own eyes? He said: “I know a man who was in the body, I do not know, or out of the body, I do not know.” What about him? He said: “He ascended to the third heaven.” What did he see? He said: “He saw what eyes did not see and what ears did not hear and what did not enter the heart of man what God has prepared for” whom? “For those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). For those who have taken eternity into account. For those who took the kingdom of God into account. What these planted here, they will reap there. What they offered here, they will [receive] there. So when Paul the Apostle felt and saw the glories and the thrones on which the saints were seated, and the spiritual, luminous, heavenly bliss in the eternal life, he said: “I counted all things as rubbish so that I might gain Christ.”  Christ teaches us in the gospel of today’s Liturgy to lay up for ourselves firstly treasures in heaven, where no corrupting agent can reach them, and He taught us that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. And He said: “If your eye is simple, your whole body will be full of light. And if your eye is evil, your whole body will be evil, dark” ( see Matthew 6:22). Meaning if your heart is evil, then you have no goodness towards God. The evil heart cannot do good! It is entirely evil, from its beginning to its end. Because God says on the mouth of Isaiah: “There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21).  By the “good heart” He does not mean the eye. He means perception. There is sight and there is perception. Sight is [through] the eye, but perception is [through] the heart that God gave to man. “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26), and “above all, guard your heart, for from it flow all the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).  So the Lord teaches us that our gaze and our direction and our thinking and all our feelings must be towards the eternal life, knowing that we are strangers and will travel, and will inevitably reap what we offer here, because “God is not unjust to forget [your work and] labor of love” (Hebrews 6:10).  [Here, His Eminence congratulates his congregation on the beginning of Great Lent, urges them to arrive early to the Divine Liturgy every Sunday, and prays for them to receive blessings, good health, comfort, and healing, and to experience a holy and blessed Fast.] — Original Arabic Recording: https://app.box.com/s/c7rdw3lxvsxmudmzkxjv9u619apiway4 His Eminence Metropolitan Mina of Girga, a contemporary Coptic Orthodox saint, was born in Nag-Hammadi, Egypt in May 1919, and entered the monastic life on April 30, 1939 at the monastery of St. Macarius in Wadi al-Natrun. On November 18, 1939, he was ordained to the priesthood and named Fr. Luka, and in 1943, he was elevated to the rank of hegumen and appointed the monastery's secretary. After completing his theological studies at the Clerical College, Fr. Luka was appointed the personal secretary of His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI. Shortly thereafter, his father of confession, Fr. Abdel-Messih al-Maqari — another modern Coptic Orthodox saint — predicted that Fr. Luka would be ordained to the episcopacy, and on August 7, 1960, this came to pass. His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI ordained Fr. Luka as Bishop Mina to oversee the diocese of Girga, Bahjoura, and Farshut; he would later receive the rank of Metropolitan. Metropolitan Mina was renowned for his great piety, deep love, consecration to the service of the Church, innumerable virtues, miracle-working, and life of incessant prayer and prolonged fasting. He received the eskeem — the highest honor in the monastic life, which required increased fasting, prostrations, and spiritual canons — and was said by those who knew him to have been among those who are spirit-borne. On November 7, 2003, Metropolitan Mina departed after a long struggle with illness, and was buried in the church of his teacher, Fr. Abdel-Messih al-Maqari, in Girga. Cover Image: Metropolitan Mina of Girga, pictured on February 28, 1969 (Image Original).

< Back HH Pope Shenouda III Further Reading: Published During His Lifetime Being with God (Third Edition: Dar El Tebaa El Kawmia (hereinafter DTK ), 1998). Calmness (First Edition: DTK, 1989). Characteristics of the Spiritual Path . Comparative Theology (First Edition: Coptic Orthodox Publishers Association, 1988). Contemplations on Some Psalms of the Matin Prayer (First Edition: DTK, 1997; Second Edition: Egyptian Printing Company, 2004). Contemplations on the Ascension Day (First Edition: DTK, 2000). Contemplations on the Book of Jonah the Prophet (Second Edition: DTK, 1993). Contemplations on the Book of Revelation . Contemplations on the Book of the Song of Songs . Contemplations on the Resurrection (First Edition: DTK, 1990). Contemplations on the Sermon on the Mount (First Edition: DTK, 1991). Contemplations on the Ten Commandments Volume I: The First Four Commandments (First Edition: DTK, 1993). Contemplations on the Ten Commandments Volume II: The Fifth Commandment (Honour Your Father and Your Mother) (Second Edition: DTK, 1993). Contemplations on the Ten Commandments Volume III: The Sixth Commandment (Second Edition: DTK, 1993). Contemplations on the Ten Commandments Volume IV: The Last Four Commandments (Second Edition: DTK, 1993). Contemplations on the Twelfth Hour Prayer (First Edition: DTK, 2001). Diabolic Wars (First Edition: Nubar Printing House - Cairo, 1989). Discipleship (First Edition: DTK, 1990). Experiences in Life (First Edition: DTK, 1990). Fear of God . Feast of Nativity Q&A (Third Edition: Amba Rueiss (Offset), The Cathedral, Abbassia, 1999). God and Man . God and Nothing Else . Have You Seen the One I Love: Contemplations on the Song of Songs (First Edition: BookSurge Publishing, 2008). Heresy of Salvation in a Moment (First Edition: DTK, 1991). Holy Zeal (Second Edition: DTK, 1998). Homosexuality . Homosexuality and Ordination of Women (Coptic Orthodox Publishers Association, 1993). How to Relate to Children (First Edition: Westend Press, 1995). Inspirations from the Nativity (First Edition: DTK, 2001). Job the Righteous: Why Tried? . Judge Not Others . Life of Faith (DTK, 1989). Life of Hope . Lord, How? Contemplations on Psalm III (First Edition: Nubar Printing House, 1989; Second Edition: DTK, 1992). Man's Deification !! Part One (First Edition: Egyptian Printing Co., 2005). Man's Deification Part II! Partakers of the Divine Nature (First Edition: Egyptian Printing Co., 2008). May the Lord Answer You...Contemplations on Psalm 19 (20) (First Psalm in Third Hour Prayer) (Sixth Edition: 1992). Meditations on the Feast of the Ascension (Amba Rueiss (Offset), 1999). O Lord, Do Not Rebuke Me In Your Anger... Contemplations on Psalm 6 (Third Edition: 2003). Quizzes on the Holy Bible (First Edition: DTK, 1995). Return to God (First Edition: DTK, 1989; Second Edition: DTK, 1990). Salvation in the Orthodox Concept (Third Edition: Egyptian Printing Co., 2005). Some Characters from the Holy Bible Part I (First Edition: Egyptian Printing Co., 2005). So Many Years With the Problems of the People: Part I: Biblical Questions (Second Edition: DTK, 1993). So Many Years With the Problems of People: Part II: Theological and Dogmatic Problems (First Edition: DTK, 1995). So Many Years With the Problems of People: Part III: Spiritual and General Problems (Second Edition: DTK, 1991). So Many Years With the Problems of People: Part IV: Dogma and Ritual (First Edition: DTK, 1992). So Many Years with the Problems of People: Spiritual Problems . Spiritual Warfares . Tears in Spiritual Life (First Edition: Coptic Orthodox Publishing and Translating, 1997). Ten Concepts (First Edition: DTK, 1994). The Angels (First Edition: Amba Rueiss (Offset), The Cathedral, Abbassia, 1998). The Beholder of God Mark the Evangelist Saint and Martyr: A Concise English Translation of the Fourth Edition (St. Peter and St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church, Santa Monica, California). The Creed . The Divinity of Christ (First Edition: Coptic Orthodox Publishers Association, 1989). The Epiphany and St. John the Baptist (Second Edition: Amba Rueiss (Offset), The Cathedral, Abbassia, 1999). The Feast of the Annunciation (First Edition: Amba Rueiss (Offset), The Cathedral, Abbassia, 1997). The Feast of the Cross (Second Edition: Amba Rueiss (Offset), 1999). The Heresy of Jehovah's Witnesses (A Collection of Articles Published in 'El-Keraza' English Magazine) (First Edition: Baramous Monastery Press, 1993). The Holy Spirit and His Work in Us (First Edition: DTK, 1992). The Holy Virgin St. Mary (Amba Rueiss (Offset), 1999). The Life of Repentance and Purity (First Edition: Coptic Orthodox Publication and Translation, 1990). The Life of Thanksgiving (First Edition: Coptic Orthodox Publication and Translation, 1993). The Nature of Christ (First Edition: DTK, 1985; Second Edition: DTK, 1991). The Priesthood (COEPA, 1997). The Release of the Spirit (First Edition: DTK, 1990). The Seven Words of Our Lord on the Cross (Second Edition: DTK, 1991). The Spiritual Man (First Edition: Coptic Orthodox Publication and Translation, 1998). The Spiritual Means (First Edition: Coptic Orthodox Publication and Translation, 1998). The Spiritual Ministry (First Edition: 1997). The Spirituality of Fasting (First Edition: DTK, 1990). The Transfiguration and Some Meditations Upon the Feast of the Transfiguration (Fourth Edition: Amba Rueiss (Offset), 1998). The Two Saints Peter and Paul (Amba Rueiss (Offset), The Cathedral, Abbassia, 1997). Thine is the Power and the Glory (Second Edition: DTK, 1992). Virtues . What is Man? (Ps. 8:4) (Second Edition: Egyptian Printing Co., 2004). Words of Spiritual Benefit Volume I (First Edition: DTK, 1989). Words of Spiritual Benefit Volume II (Second Edition: DTK, 1989). Words of Spiritual Benefit Volume III (Second Edition: DTK, 1991). Words of Spiritual Benefit Volume IV (First Edition: Coptic Orthodox Publishing and Translating, 1989). Published After His Departure A New Heart and a New Spirit: How to Start a New Year (Coptic Orthodox Publishers Association, 2013). A Whisper of Love: Poems, Prayers and Sayings of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III (Coptic Orthodox Publishers Association). Before the Just Judge (Coptic Orthodox Publishers Association). Biblical Questions: Answers for Tough & Challenging 40 Bible Questions (Unknown Publisher (Kindle Format), 2017). Characteristics of the Spiritual Path (Second Revised Edition: ACTS Press, 2021). Diabolic Wars Fully Revised and Edited (St. Shenouda Press). Holy Week Contemplations (St. Shenouda Monastery, 2013). Life of Faith Fully Revised and Edited (St. Shenouda Monastery, 2018). Monastic Treasures for All of Us (St. Mary & St. Moses Abbey, 2019). On the Monastic Life (St. Shenouda Monastery). Praying the Agpia (St. Shenouda Press). Release of the Spirit Fully Revised and Edited . Return to Me (Return to God ). Signposts Along the Spiritual Path: Characteristics of the Spiritual Path (Independent, 2020). The Coptic Church: A Quite Outstanding Church . The Divinity of Christ (2020). The Holy Spirit and His Work in Us (Coptic Orthodox Publishers Association). The Life of Anthony: With Contemplations by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III (St. Shenouda Monastery, 2020). The Life of Repentance and Purity (Second Edition: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2016). Truly, He is Risen! . 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

< Back Online Resources Apologetics: BioLogos . William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith . Bible Study: BibleProject . BiblIndex, Index of Biblical Quotations in Early Christian Literature . Blue Letter Bible . Scripture 4 All, Greek/Hebrew Interlinear Bible Software . Coptic Manuscripts: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Collections: Coptic . Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), Collections: Copte . Chester Beatty, Egypt . Digital Vatican Library, Manuscripts Library . Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Egypt . St. Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society, Online Manuscript Depositories . The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Coptic Liturgical Codex . The Morgan Library & Museum, Coptic Manuscripts . Coptic Studies: Coptic Church Review . Coptic Hymns Library (SoundCloud). Coptic Scriptorium, Digital Research in Coptic Language and Literature . Service & Religious Education: Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Department of Christian Education . Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, Sunday School Curriculum . Grain & Vine, Coptic Orthodox Education . St. George & St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church, Coptic Sunday School Curriculum . Theological Study: Institute for the Renewal of Christian Catechesis . New Advent LLC, The Fathers of the Church . Roger Pearse, Early Church Fathers — Additional Texts . The North American Patristics Society, Early Christian Texts .

< Back Previously Featured Books Benedicta Ward, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Liturgical Press) Our first featured book was The Sayings of the Desert Fathers , a collection of wisdom and quotations from many monastic figures. This wonderful translation was completed by the late Sister Benedicta Ward, known for her remarkable dedication to bringing the world of early Christian monasticism, especially Egyptian, to life for English readers. https://litpress.org/Products/CS059/The-Sayings-of-the-Desert-Fathers Hans Urs von Balthasar, The Scandal of the Incarnation (Ignatius Press) Our second featured book is The Scandal of the Incarnation , a selection of many passages regarding the incarnation of the Lord from St. Irenaeus of Lyons' Against the Heresies . https://ignatius.com/the-scandal-of-the-incarnation-sip/ Athanasius, The Life of Antony and the Letter To Marcellinus (Paulist Press) Our third featured book is The Life of Antony by St. Athanasius the Apostolic, which introduced and pioneered the literary genre of Christian hagiography. This book has not gone out of print since it was penned by St. Athanasius, and is available in several different translations, including this one published in the Classics of Western Spirituality series by Paulist Press. https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/2295-2/athanasius.aspx Pope Shenouda III, The Life of Repentance and Purity (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press) Our fourth featured book is The Life of Repentance and Purity by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, a powerful and practical exposition of the Christian life and a must-read especially during the Lenten Season. https://svspress.com/the-life-of-repentance-and-purity/ Michael E. Molloy, Champion of Truth: The Life of Saint Athanasius (St Pauls USA) Our fifth featured book is Champion of Truth: The Life of Saint Athanasius , in which Michael E. Molloy presents an easy to read and historically accurate account of the life of one of the most important figures in the history of Christianity. https://www.stpaulsusa.com/English/Books/Saints-Biographies/CHAMPION-OF-TRUTH