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Christian Mentorship, Sponsorship, and Service According to the Biblical Model and as Lived and Practiced in the Church Until Today Discipleship is the way of the Church. It is the first component of the divine commission given by our Lord Jesus Christ to the Apostles, and to the whole Church, at His Ascension.[1] Properly practiced discipleship — involving the spirit of truth-oriented love, humility, and selflessness by both those being discipled and those who disciple — is foundational in the Christian Faith and to the life of a sound worshipping community. Only through the life in Christ, necessarily encompassing discipleship practiced both liturgically and socially according to the teaching of the Scriptures, can the believers fully live out their Christian calling together as the one Body of Christ and overcome by the grace of God the destruction of lovelessness, intergenerational conflict, and selfish ambition that devastates the Church in the absence of such a divinely-ordained ecclesial environment. Discipleship in the Old Testament Scriptures The teaching of the inspired Scriptures includes several paradigmatic examples of discipleship, including the necessary elements of love, humility, and absolute selflessness — both in sponsorship[2] by the teacher and submission by the disciple — in order to guide the faithful to properly order both their lives individually and their believing communities collectively. Moses the great prophet, for instance, recognizing his own natural limitations, empowered certain qualified Israelites and publicly designated them to positions of service for the benefit of all the people, such that he “chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.”[3] When the time of his departure drew near, he happily delivered the leadership of the people to his own disciple Joshua, — an obedient and faithful disciple “full of the spirit of wisdom,”[4] “in whom [was] the spirit”[5] and “who wholly followed the Lord”[6] — seeking neither to secure his legacy nor to defend his preeminent position. At that time, he encouraged his disciple “in the sight of all Israel,” saying: “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”[7] Thus, for Moses, as is the case for every Christian to whom God has entrusted the service of leadership in the Church, the glory of God and the edification of His people, rather than any selfish ambition or love of power or glory, were the primary goals of the service entrusted to and carried out by the servant of God. Discipleship in the Educational System Employed by Our Lord Jesus Christ The importance and practice of sound discipleship, repeated often throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, was emphasized frequently in the example and teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even prior to His crucifixion, while He still went about teaching, preaching, and healing,[8] our Lord Jesus Christ provided for His disciples a significant share in His ministry: He granted them to baptize[9] and cast out demons in His name,[10] and sent them to preach in the surrounding regions.[11] He did not await their perfection, but finding in them the proper spirit and necessary qualifications, He encouraged them, practically enabled them to serve, and corrected them as He deemed necessary.[12] While empowering, mentoring, and sponsoring them in these ways, He also warned them against imitating the Gentiles by lording their authority over the people,[13] and taught them firstly by His behavior and then by His words that they were to exercise the position and rank He bestowed upon them with all humility and selfless love, being last of all and servants of all.[14] In order to follow Christ as He desired, they would have to “deny [themselves], and take up [their] cross, and follow [Him].”[15] As His disciples, moreover, they were to imitate Him in serving rather than being served,[16] washing one another’s feet, both literally and metaphorically, as He Himself did for them at the Passover meal on the eve of His crucifixion.[17] Discipleship in the Lives of the Lord’s Disciples and Apostles This example and teaching of Christ — The Teacher — was internalized, practiced, and taught by His Disciples and Apostles, and the early believers generally, regardless of the measure of their authority or influence in the Church. While the Disciples initially, due to the worldliness that had not yet been extracted from within them, erred on various recorded occasions in their understandings and perspectives — such as by contending with one another several times regarding who among them was the greatest,[18] measuring their success in the service by worldly criteria,[19] and thinking or acting contrary to Christ's teaching and preferences[20] — they accepted and grew through Christ’s training and correction such that this foreign spirit was ultimately uprooted from their hearts and they were entirely reshaped as clay in the hands of The Potter.[21] Having undergone this transformation and been so converted, they became able to imitate and obey the Master in maintaining sincere love and humility, acknowledging His Lordship over all, and selflessly seeking the glory of God and the growth and establishment in faith of the believers more than their own power or influence. These great teachers were therefore first truly disciples, not only in name but also in spirit and deed — asking questions of or seeking to learn from the Lord, accepting His correction, exhibiting true consecration of heart, and proving time and again their faithfulness to Him and to the mission to which He entrusted them. In all things, they desired that Christ increase and they decrease[22] and denied themselves as He commanded them,[23] such that they sacrificed not only their money and time but even their very lives for His sake. Because of this training and spirit of discipleship, and having seen and experienced the Lord[24] intimately for over three years, they were also able to make disciples, understanding in doing so that it was not to themselves that their disciples were disciples — indeed, not to Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or any other Apostle, as St. Paul reminds the Corinthians[25] — but to Christ Himself, the true Teacher, Shepherd, and Master, whom they deeply loved and wholeheartedly served. It would be superfluous to assert that the Apostles without exception accorded particular concern to discipling others, as they are in all places throughout the New Testament found conducting their lives and services with this spirit and in this manner. In doing so, they were keen to fulfill the great commission entrusted to them by Christ — that they go, “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that [He] commanded [them]…”[26] To name but a few paradigmatic examples of this spirit and mindset: St. Barnabas emphasized in his life and service the discipling and empowering of others in the ministry, such that he embraced and promoted a young Saul, later St. Paul the Apostle, risking even his own position and credibility in order to persuade the Apostles that he was no longer a threat to them or to the Church, had truly come to believe, and should be accepted in the ministry and given the “hand of fellowship.”[27] Later he supported a young John Mark — St. Mark the Evangelist — to the extent of disagreeing with St. Paul in preferring to take him on the second missionary journey, resulting in his separation from St. Paul at that time.[28] St. Paul thereafter also made countless disciples; recognizing the value of discipleship and the interpersonal transmission and receipt of the Faith, he instructed one of them, St. Timothy, and certainly the others as well, to entrust what he had received “to faithful men who will be able to teach others also,”[29] thereby perpetuating the chain of Christian discipleship and the transmission of the faith, mind, and spirit of Christ in and through the Church. Besides Sts. Barnabas and Paul, St. John the Beloved, as a representative example from among the Twelve, also discipled many, including the two great bishops and second century martyrs — Sts. Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna.[30] Discipleship in the History of the Church The Catechetical School of Alexandria was later a school of discipleship, with Pantaenus discipling St. Clement of Alexandria, St. Clement discipling Origen, and Origen discipling countless fathers and teachers from his time until today “by the deeds he did more than by the doctrines he taught.”[31] Thereafter, Pope Alexander I of Alexandria discovered a faithful young boy named Athanasius,[32] built upon the foundation laid by his parents in delivering to him the Faith and manner of the Christian life, and sponsored him such that he permitted him to speak in the assembly of 318 clergymen assembled at the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, even while he was still only a 27-year-old deacon, and to participate there in defending the Faith delivered by Christ and His Apostles to the Church.[33] St. Athanasius himself was also a disciple to the great Abba Antony, having been “his attendant for a long time, and poured water on his hands.”[34] Perhaps it was St. Alexander who facilitated that relationship between his disciple and the great monastic father — in any event, this discipleship also played an important role in St. Athanasius’ formation. St. Antony, in his own right, was also a disciple — first to his family, then to his local church, then to an elder and at the feet of countless spiritual masters on the outskirts of his village, and then to solitude, silence, prayer, fasting, and the Scriptures for twenty years.[35] Having been so discipled, and having in himself, like the Disciples and Apostles, the spirit of selfless, faithful, and heartfelt discipleship, when others ultimately came to learn from and become disciples to him, he humbly said to them: “The Scriptures are enough for instruction, but it is a good thing to encourage one another in the faith, and to stir up with words. Wherefore you, as children, carry that which you know to your father; and I as the elder share my knowledge and what experience has taught me with you.”[36] This spirit of discipleship and sponsorship — submitting to being discipled and trained by an elder in the Christian life and then recognizing the importance, and accepting the task, of discipling others — extended far beyond Abba Antony, such that it became a foundational component of all monastic systems that developed thereafter. In this very spirit, in the generation after Sts. Antony and Athanasius, Pope Theophilus I of Alexandria discipled his nephew, Cyril, facilitated his education and theological training, sent him to learn from other great saints and teachers of his day, and upon finding in him the necessary qualifications and proper spirit and faith, promoted him to the rank of deacon and then to priest, granting him even to preach in the cathedral in Alexandria.[37] Having been trained, discipled, and sponsored by St. Theophilus in these ways, St. Cyril was the natural choice to succeed him in the papacy, and was elected to this great post soon after the death of his uncle.[38] He in turn never forgot his own discipleship and never abandoned his selfless humility and Christian love, such that even while being a great teacher in his own right, he humbly, faithfully, and competently delivered and defended the Faith he had received from his family and through his discipleship. Thus embodying the spirit and mindset of a disciple, he zealously submitted to and learned from the writings of the Fathers who came before him, and especially St. Athanasius, many of whose writings he committed to memory and certain of which he summarized in his own works for the benefit of the believers in his time.[39] Besides his work in defending the Faith against the threat and heresy of Nestorius, St. Cyril also championed the cause of a young man named Dioscorus, granting him to teach in the Catechetical School of Alexandria, including him in his delegation to the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D., and ordaining him to the rank of Archdeacon.[40] Having been thus discipled and sponsored, St. Dioscorus was thereafter chosen to succeed St. Cyril to the papacy and, in the same power and spirit of his predecessor, held fast to and defended the sound Orthodox understanding of the nature of Christ, faithfully striving to deliver the deposit of Faith he had received to the following generation unchanged.[41] Over the course of the Church’s history, spanning countless generations, this spirit of Christian discipleship and sponsorship continued, even until modern times, when in the late nineteenth century a young man named Habib Girgis studied at the revived Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary in Egypt, became discipled to a renowned preacher and teacher of his day — Hegumen Philotheos Ibrahim Baghdadi[42] — and was sponsored such that he became a professor at the Seminary even while still a student there.[43] He in turn discipled many, including innumerable servants, priests, and bishops, most prominent among them being a prolific teacher, faithful shepherd, and pious monastic father: Pope Shenouda III of blessed memory.[44] Pope Shenouda III himself also had many disciples, whether direct or indirect, through his many decades of writing and public and private teaching, many of whom continue to faithfully serve the Church until this day, and who themselves also have disciples to whom they deliver the faith as they have received it. Moreover, his great predecessor in the papacy, St. Kyrillos VI, was likewise discipled, not only to his family and certain spiritual elders in the Church community — such as Archdeacon Iskander Hanna of St. Mark’s Cathedral[45] — and then in the monastic life, but also to the Scriptures and Fathers of the Church, and especially Isaac the Syrian,[46] many of whose works and words he committed to memory out of his deep love for that great monastic teacher.[47] St. Kyrillos VI himself was also sponsored in his discipleship, so much so that his nomination to and ultimate inclusion in the altar lot that led to his election as patriarch came about as a result of the selfless and unprompted effort of a metropolitan — Athanasius of Beni Suef, Egypt — who nominated him, even while he was still a solitary monk and only a priest, without his prior knowledge.[48] This lifelong experience of sponsorship and humble discipleship permeated all aspects of this great patriarch’s life, motivating him to keenly seek out and empower countless qualified believers in the ministry of the Church — such as Nazir Gayed (subsequently Fr. Antonios al-Suryani,[49] then Bishop Shenouda, and ultimately Pope Shenouda III), Wahib Atallah (subsequently Fr. Bakhoum al-Muharraqi[50] and then Bishop Gregorios), Saad Aziz (subsequently Fr. Makari al-Suryani[51] and then Bishop Samuel), and Cantor Ibrahim Ayad[52] — and to disciple them, while never permitting either the exalted honor of the papacy or his position as a renowned mentor and spiritual guide to rob him of his simple monastic identity and spirit of discipleship. In these and countless other examples, the Church is found to have faithfully carried out the command of Christ by making disciples in every generation, maintaining the Apostolic Tradition and Apostolic Succession unblemished from St. Mark until today despite centuries of persecution and wholly unfavorable odds. Moreover, truly Christian teachers, in imitation of the Master and according to His teaching, have always maintained unceasingly their Christian humility, selflessness, and desire to serve God through serving their disciples, preferring them even to themselves and seeking always to promote, encourage, and benefit them. Never forgetting their own discipleship, and knowing themselves well,[53] these have always borne in mind the mutual interdependence of the Christian teacher and disciple upon one another, and ultimately their shared dependence on God, for growth in holiness, understanding, wisdom, grace, and perfection, seeking with all love and humility their own salvation and that of one another while always keeping before their eyes their common purpose. In this tradition of sound discipleship, the principle recognized and proclaimed by St. John the Baptist has always been the standard: it is Christ, the True Master, who must increase, and we, teachers and students, who must decrease.[54] Thus St. Paul exhorts the Corinthians, “imitate me as I imitate Christ,”[55] reminding them, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit:[56] “For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul,’ and another, ‘I belong to Apollos,’ are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”[57] It is always Christ who is the aim and center of all things: He is the one we must serve, all with the same spirit, in “the oneness of heart that is of love,”[58] “attuned together by the Holy Spirit as a Cithara, always blessing God.”[59] Discipleship and the Church Today In the service of God, let us submit to the teaching of Christ and abide by this spirit of discipleship — that great commission — with all humility, learning from His meekness and lowliness of heart[60] and understanding that “no servant is greater than his master.”[61] Let the teachers, leaders, and examples of the flock[62] carry themselves as “the last of all and servant[s] of all,”[63] imitating our Lord in emptying themselves[64] and washing the feet of the flock,[65] while shunning the best seats and exalted places[66] and without lording their authority over those whom they serve.[67] Let them fulfill the command of Christ to make disciples.[68] Let them carry out their entrustment by preaching and delivering the Teaching[69] without alteration, just as it was given by Christ, preached by the Apostles, and kept by the Fathers.[70] Let them heed the inspired guidance of the holy Apostles to speak the truth in love,[71] and to love according to the truth.[72] Let them correct, rebuke, and exhort the believers[73] without concern for personal, political, social, or financial gain.[74] In the words of St. Ignatius of Antioch, let them “preserve unity, than which nothing is better,”[75] while avoiding “foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.”[76] Let them imitate St. Paul in seeking to raise their disciples to maturity such that they surpass the need for mere milk and become capable of enduring solid food,[77] attaining maturity in their theological understandings and soundness in their Christian lives such that they can themselves be granted to make disciples and deliver to others that which they had received, firstly within their own homes and then to others if necessary and as God provides. Let them submit to the word of God in showing no partiality towards the believers based on wealth, poverty, or status.[78] In a word, let them become “all things to all men, that [they] might by all means save some.”[79] Let us all, masters and disciples, parents and children, teachers and students, heed the God-breathed words of the Scriptures.[80] Let the elder, who has attained maturity and become experienced in the virtuous life, hear the inspired words of St. Peter: “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock.”[81] Moreover let the young — whether in age or wisdom or spiritual maturity — “be subject to the elders,”[82] joyfully obeying and submitting to them, “for they watch for [their] souls, as they that must give account…”[83] And let us all clothe ourselves “with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”[84] In this way, we will “walk worthy of the calling by which [we] are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring diligently to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” as St. Paul urges the Ephesians by the Spirit[85] and as the Coptic Church reminds her members every day in the First Hour of the Ⲁϫⲡⲓⲁ.[86] The Church, by the grace of God, is sufficient to embrace and effectively serve every generation, every ethnicity, and every race — male and female, young and old, rich and poor — within the united community of believers — the one Body of Christ. We, as those members, are therefore called to embody this spirit of impartial love and selfless service: the elders teaching, discipling, selflessly promoting, embracing, and being an example to the young, and the young in turn learning from, receiving, preferring, honoring, and submitting to the elders. As St. Clement of Rome, in his first-century Epistle, advises, “let us honor the aged among us; let us train up the young men in the fear of God.”[87] In abiding by the Christian spirit in this manner — and in so doing, guarding against and shunning any semblance of worldliness as exhibited by self-interested apprenticeship, domineering leadership, and strategic networking aimed at self-serving ends or facilitating the advancement of personal status — the Church will flourish by the grace of God from generation to generation, and the believers will live according to the guidance of the word of God: “Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another. As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God; whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”[88] — [1] See Matthew 28:16-20 [2] In this paper, “sponsorship” is to be understood according to the biblical and ecclesial examples set forth throughout, whether that of Christ or His Apostles or several of the Fathers and teachers of the Church who are mentioned. It may be summarized and understood as: the Christian teacher’s selfless support of his or her disciples, as demonstrated by the teacher in: (1) embracing and praying for those who come to be discipled with the proper spiritual and intellectual qualifications; (2) undertaking the responsibility of training and teaching those accepted for discipleship, delivering to them the spirit and doctrine that the teacher has first received through his or her own discipleship; and (3) preferring those disciples to himself or herself after having trained and delivered the Faith to them, including by facilitating opportunities for them to utilize their gifts and training in the service of the Church as appropriate, whether directly by promoting their cause using his or her own measure of authority or influence or indirectly by acknowledging them as legitimate, qualified, and trained disciples in the public eye and before those with such authority and influence, as Christ did with His own disciples. [3] Exodus 18:25-26 [4] Deuteronomy 34:9 [5] Numbers 27:18 [6] Numbers 32:12 [7] Deuteronomy 31:7-8 [8] See, e.g., Matthew 4:23; Acts 10:38 [9] See John 4:1-2 [10] See, e.g., Matthew 10:1, 10:8, 12:27; Mark 3:14-15, 6:7, 6:13; Luke 10:17-20, 11:19. The Lord granted His disciples both authority and legitimacy in the service to which He appointed them, and they in turn acted not on their own power or authority, but by reference to and through Him. [11] See, e.g., Matthew 10:5-42; Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1 [12] See, e.g., Matthew 8:23-27, 17:14-21, 20:20-28; Mark 9:33-37, 10:35-45; Luke 9:46-56, 10:17-20, 22:24-30; John 12:1-7 [13] See Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45; Luke 22:24-30 [14] See Mark 9:35 [15] Matthew 16:24; See also Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23 [16] See Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45 [17] See John 13:1-17 [18] See Matthew 18:1-6; Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-48, 22:24-27 [19] See, e.g., Luke 10:17-20 (rejoicing in evil spirits being subject to them in His name) [20] See Mark 9:38-41 and Luke 9:49-50 (forbidding the man casting out demons in Christ’s name); Luke 9:51-57 (James and John asking whether they should pray for fire to rain down from heaven on Samaria); Matthew 19:13, Mark 10:13-16, and Luke 18:15-17 (forbidding children to come to Christ); John 13:35 (Christ emphasizing that the Disciples will be known as disciples of Christ if they love one another); John 8:31-32 (“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”). [21] See Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 18:6 [22] See John 3:30 [23] See Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23 [24] See John 20:25; See also 1 John 1:1-4 [25] See 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 3:1-9 [26] Matthew 28:19-20 [27] See Acts 9:26-31; Galatians 2:9 [28] See Acts 15:36-41. St. Paul, coming to recognize the productivity and usefulness of St. Mark in the service, ultimately requested that St. Mark rejoin him along with St. Timothy (See 1 Timothy 4:11), who was among St. Paul’s closest disciples. [29] 2 Timothy 2:2 [30] See, e.g., St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.3; Tertullian, Prescription Against Heretics, 32.2; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 5.20.6; Jerome, On Illustrious Men, 16-17; Jerome, Chronicle, 275-76 [31] St. Gregory the Wonderworker, Oration and Panegyric Addressed to Origen, 9 [32] See Socrates, Ecclesiastical History, 1.15; Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, 2:17 [33] See, e.g., Socrates, 1.8; Sozomen, 1.17 [34] St. Athanasius, Life of Antony, Prologue [35] Ibid. at 1-14 [36] Ibid. at 16 [37] For a helpful account of St. Cyril’s life, see John A. McGuckin, St. Cyril of Alexandria and the Christological Controversy. [38] See Ibid. The choosing of the patriarch was then unlike it is today, as the altar lot was formally established for the election of the pope in the Coptic Church quite recently. For a detailed account of the relevant history on this point, see Petro Bilaniuk, “Pope in the Coptic Church,” in The Coptic Encyclopedia, Vol. 6, 1998b-2000b. [39] See Cyril of Alexandria, Letter 39.7: “That we follow the doctrines of the holy Fathers in all ways, and especially of our blessed and all-glorious father, Athanasius, praying earnestly not to depart from him in anything at all, let your holiness [the bishop John] be persuaded, and let none of the others be in doubt.” See also Letter 100.2: “For I adhere to the faith of the sainted Fathers who assembled at Nicaea in all my discourses. No other path do I know but the orthodox faith, for I was nurtured, as were your holinesses, in the faith of the Gospel and the words of the Apostles. It is this faith which I shall do my best to teach the churches.” [40] For a helpful account of the life of St. Dioscorus, see Martiniano P. Roncaglia, “Dioscorus I,” in The Coptic Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, 912b-915b. [41] See Ibid.; See also Severus of al’Ashmunein (Hermopolis), History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church of Alexandria. Part 2: Peter I – Benjamin I (661 AD); Arabic text edited, translated, and annotated by B. Evetts., Patrologia Orientalis (1904), pp. 443-4 [42] See Bishop Suriel, Habib Girgis: Coptic Orthodox Educator and a Light in the Darkness, 21 [43] Ibid. at 22 [44] See Ibid. at 108, 169-170, 181, 259 [45] See Daniel Fanous, A Silent Patriarch: Kyrillos VI, Life and Legacy, 43-45 [46] See e.g., Ibid. at 103 [47] See, e.g., Ibid. at 133 [48] See Ibid. at 219-22; Indeed, Pope Kyrillos VI is the only Coptic pope consecrated from the beginning of the 20th century until today to have not had at least the rank of bishop prior to his enthronement as patriarch. [49] The name assumed by Gayed after he undertook monastic vows. Pope Kyrillos VI subsequently ordained Fr. Antonios to the episcopacy with the name Shenouda, General Bishop for Christian Education and the Religious Institutes. In 1971, Bishop Shenouda succeeded Pope Kyrillos VI to the papacy under the name Shenouda III. [50] The name assumed by Atallah after he undertook monastic vows. Pope Kyrillos VI subsequently ordained him bishop with the name Gregorios to oversee Higher Theological Studies, Coptic Culture and Scientific Research in the Church — the only person to be entrusted with this responsibility in the history of the Church until today. [51] The name assumed by Aziz after he undertook monastic vows. Pope Kyrillos VI then ordained him bishop of Public, Social, and Ecumenical Services with the name Samuel. Bishop Samuel was ultimately assassinated along with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat by the Muslim Brotherhood on October 6, 1981. [52] In 1968, Pope Kyrillos VI specifically requested Cantor Ibrahim Ayad, when he was only 16 years old, to remain as a cantor at the Cathedral under the tutelage of Cantor Fahim Girgis, Cantor Asaad Moussa, and Dr. Youssef Mansour. For certain of Cantor Ibrahim Ayad’s autobiographical retellings of his four years of experience with Pope Kyrillos VI, see (in Arabic): Video One, Video Two, and Video Three. [53] For a general overview of the necessity of proper self-understanding in the Christian life, see Abba Antony’s Letters, and especially the third and fourth Letters. [54] See John 3:30 [55] 1 Corinthians 11:1 [56] See Epistle of Clement, 47 [57] 1 Corinthians 3:4-6 [58] See the Petitions of the Divine Liturgy of St. Gregory the Theologian [59] Coptic Matins Ⲁⲇⲁⲙ Doxology for the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 [60] See Matthew 11:29 [61] John 13:16 [62] See Luke 12:32; Acts 20:28-29; 1 Peter 5:2-3 [63] Mark 9:35 [64] See Philippians 2:7 [65] See John 13:14 [66] See Matthew 23:6-7 [67] See Mark 10:42-43; 1 Peter 5:2-4; See also Epistle of Clement, 16 [68] See Matthew 18:19 [69] See 1 Timothy 5:17 [70] See St. Athanasius, First Letter to Serapion, 28 [71] See Ephesians 4:15 [72] See 1 John 3:18 [73] See 2 Timothy 4:2 [74] See Romans 16:18 [75] St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to Polycarp, 2 [76] 1 Timothy 2:23 [77] See 1 Corinthians 3; See also Hebrews 5:12-14 [78] See James 2:1-13; See also 1 Timothy 5:21 [79] 1 Corinthians 9:22 [80] See 2 Timothy 3:16 [81] 1 Peter 5:1-3 [82] 1 Peter 5:5 [83] Hebrews 13:17 [84] 1 Peter 5:5 [85] Ephesians 4:1-3 [86] “Agpeya” or Horologion: the Coptic book of the ten hourly prayers of the day. [87] St. Clement of Rome, Epistle 21 [88] 1 Peter 4:9-11 —

In the Coptic Calendar, which finds its roots in the ancient Egyptian calendar in use as early as 4250 B.C., and had been in use in Egypt until as recently as the 18th century, there are 12 months, each consisting of 30 days, with a remainder of 5 or 6 epagomenal days at the end of the year, called in Arabic “el-Nasi,” deriving from “the forgotten.” In keeping with the agricultural nature of common Egyptian life, the Egyptian people invented and passed on idioms characterizing each month — the Egyptian equivalent of “April showers bring May flowers.” In celebration of the Coptic New Year, we have assembled this amusing and instructive chart, providing these monthly idioms as an example of Coptic culture and a window into the self-perception of the Egyptian people! Happy Coptic New Year! Ⲛⲟϥⲣⲓ ⲣⲟⲙⲡⲓ ⲙ̀ⲃⲉⲣⲓ Nofri rombi emwari

There is a man in Egypt whose name is unknown to the ruling class, and who is yet the most talked of and the most deeply venerated man in all the valley of the Nile. Although he is a Christian bishop he is just as much a saint of heaven to the Moslem as to the Christian; and the Christians who join in the daily throng that seek his spiritual help and blessing number Copts and Greeks and Romans — the latter being by no means confined even to natives of Egypt. Before I even thought of seeking an audience of this wonderful old man I had heard Catholic people as far away as France speaking of the Bishop of the Fayoum and Gizeh in Egypt as an ascetic in whose powers were confirmed all the signs which our Lord had said should follow them that believe — “In My name they shall cast out devils…they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.” This old saint, whose power is known over all the Eastern world, is in the direct and unbroken succession of those early Christians who — again in the words of our Lord — spoke with new tongues; they took up serpents; and if they drank any deadly thing, it should not hurt them. These words have been understood alone in the East. When the Western Christians comment on the manifestations of Oriental Christianity, it should be kept in mind that these “signs” are all included in the first promise of the risen Christ to them that believe (Mark xvi. 17, 18). No matter where I had gone in Egypt, I had heard again and again of the Bishop of the Fayoum; and incredible stories were told to me of his self-denials, his fastings, his mystical wisdom, his power of divination, his faculty to exorcise evil spirits and to cure all manner of sickness; and of the comfort his words gave to the afflicted both in soul and in body; of his unstinted kindness to the poor, whom he helped out of a coffer which was like unto the widow’s cruse; and how, with flashes of insight, he reproved the evil-doers who thought to deceive him, the spiritual force that was in him seeming to overtake such even when they had left his presence. And of course the power was attributed to him, as it is to all Eastern saints, of being able to confound all thieves by a sort of spiritual detective gift. Many stories are told of his detachment from every sort of mundane claim, and of his contempt of the needs of the body which was like that of the saints of old. As he has now reached nearly a century of years, the veneration always felt for him has gained in depth as he has survived one generation after another of those who have felt his influence. […] The old man apparently had no liking for the idea of being sought out by travellers as a celebrity; this was not his Master’s work. If the Englishman was poor, or sad, or ill, or had need in any way of spiritual ministration, or counsel, then he would see him, but not otherwise. Again I was told what was not the old man’s answer, but that a serious relapse in the Bishop’s health that day had made it impossible for him to fulfil his earnest desire to see me. Still the troublesome Briton would not be satisfied, or say ma’aleesh (do not trouble), as the polite and easily turned aside Oriental would. Fortunately ill-manners are excused to the English by the Egyptian, on the ground that it is our national habits that are peculiar, and we are not altogether to be held accountable for them. Oriental courtesy will often cover the rudeness of a European guest, with this as a sufficient excuse; the host will still go on striving to create a feeling of satisfaction and content in his visitor, so long as there is a chance left of meeting his wishes. I ought to have said ma’aleesh, but if I could not show this politeness — well, I had left my friends in trouble which they must still struggle as my hosts to overcome. These men looked very gravely concerned when I maintained my protests, with an assumed mulishness that I knew well enough would intrigue them to try again to remove the direst of trouble to them, the displeasure of a guest. A Coptic friend, whom I have known in Cairo for some time, now had a brilliant inspiration. Had I not a weak throat; had I not, two years before, made a long stay in Egypt purely for health reasons? That was enough. The Bishop was quickly informed that an Englishman out of health sought his blessing. “Bring the poor man to me,” he said at once, and appointed the next afternoon at five o’clock for the visit. When the deputation returned with this news (they forgot now to be even plausible about the Bishop’s ill-health) we beamed upon each other with restored good feeling, like a party of children who, after prolonged sulks, are overjoyed to “make it up.” I recalled what I had read of that early Coptic saint, Anthony, who when persons of rank often sought, in vain, to tempt him from his hermitage, had but one reply, “As a fish dies out of water, so a monk dies out of his cell.” The only chance of gaining an interview with St. Anthony of old was to claim his intervention for some one in distress. The last thing that hindered the happiness of a great Coptic gathering of friends that evening were the misgivings, which now cropped up again, of what I might think of the state in which I should find the Bishop living. By every kind of delicate suggestion and apology they tried to prepare my mind for the visit, so that I might put the most favourable interpretation possible on things. The next day we set off in the carriages of my host, to be driven through the picturesque town (at that dashing pace which is the Egyptian’s delight) to the out-of-the-way slum in which the church of Fayoum is hidden. […] We reached an outer apartment, dark and bare as a garret in a ruined tenement, the floor black with grime, the walls naked as the builder left them ages since, except for the dust-laden festoons of spiders. The windows were opaque with dirt, and much of the glass was broken. In this apartment we waited, while the chief priest passed once or twice in and out of an adjoining room, whispering comments in Arabic to our party which I could not hear. Now the word is given, and we are ushered into a chamber, proving to be rather larger than the anteroom; in much the same condition, and equally bare, but for a square bed, and two chairs obviously imported for the occasion. On the bed, sitting in the Eastern posture, and wrapped in a threadbare robe of black, with a black plaited turban on his head, sat the frail, emaciated form of the Bishop. Introductions were made, the old man being particular to know correctly the names of those who were strange to him. He took the hand of each visitor in turn, but kept his own hands all the time partly concealed in the wide sleeve of his robe. The instinct of every Oriental is to kiss the hand of any man for whom he has deep veneration, but Bishop Abraam, I found, will never allow his hand to be kissed, if by covering it in this way he can avoid it. It was with deep emotion that I looked into the face of this modern saint. To doubt his right to the title was impossible, for the power of a pure and beautiful soul made itself felt at once, with a force that was almost overwhelming. The eyes looked out of a calm, grave face, fringed with a small white beard, which in no way obscured the sensitive mouth. The turban was worn farther back than is usual, leaving the broad unwrinkled forehead to suggest that the ascetic, in this case, had been governed by a fine intelligence. That the Bishop was a centenarian seemed difficult of belief; he might be as weak as the frailness of his body suggested, but nothing about him even hinted that the mind was touched with age; and when one caught the steady glance of his eye, and heard him speak, the physical limitations were forgotten, which perforce made of his bed the throne from which he ruled his diocese and ministered to the larger world of suffering humanity. The two chairs were placed close to the bed, so that my wife and I might sit near to the Bishop. He then questioned me earnestly about the Church in England, and the Bishop of London, who was visiting Egypt at that time, for he had heard of him, and that I was acquainted with him, and that we had met in Khartoum. Then he turned to more personal matters, and was concerned for our general well-being. To my request that the Bishop would give us his blessing, he asked, in a very quiet voice, one of the priests who were present to bring to him his hand-cross. I had often heard of this particular cross, which had been held in blessing over tens of thousands of Egyptians, and was believed by most of them to have in itself mystical powers. It is the cross the Bishop has used all his clerical life, and I know that he himself is so attached to it that he considers his powers would be disturbed by its injury or loss. It is usual, I believe, in every Christian Church to kneel in receiving a bishop’s blessing; but on no account would Amba Abraam consent to any person kneeling before him — to God, he said, alone was such obeisance due. He was distressed that I felt obliged to kneel, but when I explained that my first reverence was to God, and then to His good servant, he gently gave way. Taking the cross in his right hand, and holding it closely over our heads, the Bishop poured out, mostly in the Coptic language, in tones of rapt devotion, the wonderful prayers and blessings of his Church. Of the mere words, I of course recognised little, except the oft-repeated “Kyrie Eleison!” (Lord have mercy!). But I was thrilled nevertheless by the childlike earnestness of the man who uttered them; never had I heard a prayer which seemed to establish a link with the Throne of Grace with such instant security; it seemed as if earth fell away, to leave this man speaking in the clear presence of God Himself. The form of the blessing was so very Oriental that I afterwards asked the one priest present who knew both Coptic and English well, to transcribe it for me; and I give it here, omitting only the passages that were personal to my wife and myself. If I should relate the long-drawn-out endeavours by which I got this translation I should have to tell a story of many months’ ingenious persistency on the part of faithful Coptic friends and myself, which any one who knows the bookra (to-morrow) of the East would read with sympathy. The Coptic form of the Lord’s Prayer is of interest. I give the whole form as the priest wrote it. […] The blessing over, the gentle old man again inquired, in tones of tender solicitude, as to the welfare of all, myself and family. In Oriental terms he spoke of the pleasure such a visit had given him. Turning to a priest, the Bishop asked him to bring to him certain little gifts, consisting of as many coloured manâdîl (The Arabic word for handkerchief. These were red, stamped in black of a coarse quality, possibly of the value of a penny) as there were members of our party. Taking these separately in his left hand, he held his little cross over them and blessed them, in the name of each of us in turn, handing them to us as a souvenir of the visit. It is usual in the East, as I have already noted, always to make presents to visitors; this trifling gift was at the same time a sign of politeness and a symbol of the poverty in which the Bishop lived; it is the form the Bishop’s presents always take, and because of the personal blessing going with it, the little red handkerchief, distributed all over Egypt, is treasured in thousands of homes, doubtless as a sort of holy talisman. We now saluted the Bishop and withdrew. The chief priest, Abd-el-Sayed, accompanied us to the outer gate, where quite a crowd of natives of that quarter of the town were awaiting our appearance — and before the final leave-taking he formally addressed us, as we stood in the open court, in these words: “Your visit has brought us great honour this day. The Bishop Amba Abraam, the speaker, and all the people of El Fayoum, take a great delight in your visit. Accept our deep thanks. May God preserve you for ever. Amen.” So long as any Coptic record has been kept it has been usual to address visitors to the churches and monasteries in this way — generally at vastly greater length. […] After I had written the above sketch, I heard of the death of the sainted Bishop of Fayoum. From friends in Fayoum and in Cairo I have received particulars of his passing. A representative was at once sent from the Patriarch to report on the personal property of the Bishop, and the only things he found were the hand-cross and a walking stick. He had given to the poor all the money he had, so that the chief Copts of the town had to contribute the money to pay the funeral expenses. Over twenty thousand people attended the funeral, all mourning as for a personal friend. The poor people of that countryside are desolate and quite inconsolable. He has been buried in the cemetery of one of the desert monasteries. I am able to give a purely Coptic version of the Bishop’s life, translated from a little book published in Arabic, since his death, by a Coptic priest who knew him — the Rev. M. A. El-Baramousi El-Saghir: Amba Abraam was born in a village called Galada, in the Assiout province. His parents were true Christians, and they brought him up on sound Christian principles, which he always followed. He was sent to a kuttab (or village school). When he left this kuttab he was deeply interested in reading the Bible, Church songs, etc. At the age of nineteen he entered the Monastery of the Virgin Mary, known as Deir El-Moharrac, which is near to Assiout, and of which some speak as the place where Jesus stopped when He fled from Herod the King. He was very popular in the monastery. The monks got very fond of him, especially the Head, the Rev. Abd-El-Malik. The duty of Amba Abraam was, at that time, to receive the visitors and to attend to the sick. It was necessary to take the opinion of the monks present in the monastery about any one who was going to be nominated as a monk; so the Chief held a meeting of all the monks, and asked their opinion about the character of Amba Abraam, and whether he deserved to be their companion and brother. They all spoke favourably of him, and consequently he was nominated a monk, and was then called Bulos Gahabrial El-Moharrakawi. He has been always a good example in the monastery. He used even at that time to give all he possessed to the poor. He had a strong will, and was able always to rule himself. There was a Bishop at Minieh at that time called Amba Yakovous. He was very fond of spending his time with the monks. He chose Bulos Gahabrial El-Moharrakawi to be his companion, and wanted him to stay at Minieh. The Chief of the Monastery did not like the monk to live away, but he had to fulfil the duty of obeying the Bishop of Minieh, who was higher in the Church rank; and so Bulos Gahabrial El-Moharrakawi went to Minieh, and was authorised to take charge of the Visitors’ Department, and keep an eye on the Bishop’s house in general. The Bishop of Minieh used to admire him very much, and some time later, when he wanted to go back to his monastery, the Bishop before he left promoted him to the rank of Reverend, and asked him to pray for him. He encouraged him, and showed him great admiration. So he lived quietly in his monastery for some time with his brethren, who had great reputation at that time for their piety and purity. Being all admirers of him, they now joined in asking the Patriarch to appoint him Head of the Monastery, and he was officially appointed to this influential position, which enabled him to exercise his generosity. He continued five years as the Head of the Monastery, during which the institution was known as a shelter for thousands of the poor. During his tenure of this office he cultivated a four-acre garden, increased the buildings, and raised the morality of the monks, from whom there are now Bishops. The present Bishop of Abyssinia, as well as Amba Locas, Bishop of Keneh, Amba Marcos, Bishop of Esneh, and others, were monks at the monastery under his presidency. After five years as Chief of the Monastery he resigned, and went to another monastery called Deir-El-Baramous. He was followed by a great number of monks, who could not live without him. Deir-El-Baramous is one of the oldest monasteries in Egypt. At this last monastery he did not take an active part in managing affairs, but he took apartments for himself and his followers, and engaged himself in prayers and religious study, always showing great sympathy with the poor; he used to share his clothing with the bedouins and fellaheen in the neighbourhood. In the year 1597 (Coptic) he was chosen Bishop of Fayoum and Gizeh. When he got this important position, he showed great attention to the poor and the widows and orphans, and he lived exactly like one of God’s men. He never cared about wealth. His food was always very simple. He used to spend his nights in a narrow room on a rough bed — he never used a bedstead until the end of his life, when he was strongly advised to do so, on account of his age. When his name got widely known as the friend of the poor, his house was crowded with needy people, come from every part of the country. Consequently, he brought a nun, who was at one time Head of one of the nunnerys in Cairo, and asked her to take charge of the poor. This woman once thought to give to the Bishop food of a better quality than that given to the poor. This fact was unknown to the Bishop, but one day he decided to go and have his dinner with these poor people. It was a surprise to him to see that the food offered them was different from his own. He therefore approached the nun, and asked the reason why this was done. She did not utter a word in reply. He took the keys from her. She was greatly shocked, and has been lying ill ever since. I should not be exaggerating if I called him our father Abraham, for his faith and love to strangers; he might be called Moses for his patience; or David for the purity of his heart; or Elijah for the eloquence of his tongue; or Paul for the strength of his proofs. I once stayed a week with the Bishop of Fayoum. These are the things I saw during my stay. A woman of Balout, a village near Manfalout, in Assiout province, was ill for a very long period of time. She had spent all she possessed on doctors, with no good result. At last she heard the people talking about the Bishop of Fayoum. This woman was doubtful whether the Bishop’s blessing was given only to Christians, as she was not a Christian herself. However, she was taken by four men of her relatives to Fayoum. In addition to all her other ailments, she was dumb. When they arrived at the Bishop’s house, they laid the woman before him, requesting him to pray for her. So he continued praying for her for three days. After these three days, the woman was able to walk in the streets, and went back to her village, telling the people about the result of the Bishop’s prayers. Another man who had changed his Christian religion, and left his wife, was brought to him. The Bishop tried in vain to influence him to go back and live with his wife, and follow his original religion. The man did not listen. The Bishop said, “God knows what to do with you.” So the man went, but died shortly afterwards. I saw great numbers of women coming from all parts, with different diseases, and all were cured through his prayers. His annual visits to the people of his diocese were unique of their kind. The first thing he used to do when he entered a village, was to ask about its poor people. During his stay in villages he used to think a great deal about the peaceful relations between the community, and do his best to make them live on friendly terms. He used to examine carefully any candidate for the ministry. He used to consider greatly the people’s will, and unless the candidate was very popular, he would not appoint him. He used to follow the saying of Paul to Timothy, “Do not be hasty in putting your hand on one.” Very often he preferred poor candidates to rich ones. In any case, the approval of all the people was very essential. In the year 1618 (Coptic) the chief Bishop of Abyssinia visited Egypt. He was one of those nominated monks by the Bishop of Fayoum. After being received in Cairo by the Patriarch and the Khedive, he went through some of the capitals of the provinces. Then he intended to visit his old monastery. He asked his old Bishop to accompany him on this visit. He granted his request. They were joined by the Bishops of Alexandria and Esneh, and others, and they stopped at several places in response to invitations from Coptic notables. In Abu Kerkasa they were the guests of Adib Bey Wahba, who was until that time without a son. All the Bishops joined in asking the Bishop of Fayoum to pray for him, that God might give him a son. So the Bishop prayed that God would, after a year’s time, give him a son. The Bey believed strongly in the Bishop’s prayer, and after ten months God granted the prayer of the Bishop, and Adib Bey Wahba was granted a son, who is now about twelve years old. In remembrance of the Bishop’s visit, Adib Bey Wahba used to visit the Bishop every year, and he used to kill a number of beasts for the poor, and give meat and other things to the poor and needful. During recent years, owing to his age, the Bishop was unable to make his tour in the villages. He was a self-denying man. Once the Patriarch wanted to promote him to the rank of Metropolitan, but he courteously refused it. What makes the generosity of this Bishop more appreciated, is the fact that he never made a distinction between different religions and creeds. He was always ready to give when asked, and he never delayed a prayer when needed and when requested to make it. Most of his time was spent in praying, especially for the poor. — Adapted from S.H. Leeder, Modern Sons of the Pharaohs, 265-304. 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.

The continued growth and rapid advancement of digital technologies in recent years has created an urgent need for thoughtful examination of these mediums by Christians. While such new technologies present for many people and disciplines exciting new opportunities, previously untapped (and in some instances previously nonexistent) frontiers, and innovative methods for learning, study, and exploration, Christianity fundamentally differs from all other disciplines in that it is particularly and centrally concerned with those things that are absolutely real, personal, and tangible. Indeed, God Himself took real flesh and became truly human for the sake of our salvation. The experience of Christianity is inherently meant to be lived and “tasted” by each individual in an intimately personal way. For this reason, the Scriptures call each believer to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8), and the Lord Jesus Christ invites His disciples to “take, eat; this is My Body,” and “drink this, all of you; this is My Blood…” (Matthew 26:26-29). It is in tasting, eating, and drinking — through primary physical means of encounter and perception — that the believer most effectively experiences the Christian message, being transformed by it so that through the physical — sight, smell, taste, hearing, and the rest — the spirit may begin to enter into the spiritual realm and there encounter the living God. In the same vein, the work of Christian ministry also entails a faithful transmission of the deposit of Faith — spirit and life (see John 6:63) — from person to person. For this reason, the Apostles often sought to refrain even from writing to the early Church communities in order to resolve or address any problems or questions that arose in them, preferring to handle any such issues in person, “face to face” (see e.g., 2 John 12; 3 John 13-14). In contrast to this fundamentally personal milieu of Christianity, digital technologies have increasingly adopted an impersonal mode of expression, communication, and interaction with reality itself, thereby posing, in their prevalence and through their indiscriminate consumption by Christians, a significant threat to the very essence of Christianity as it is intended to be experienced. The Medium of Television In 1977, renowned journalist and television personality Malcolm Muggeridge published a series of lectures titled Christ and the Media wherein he offered a critique of an emerging media-oriented culture. The medium of television, for Muggeridge, carried the potential for the realization of either benefit or detriment to its consumers, being able to “enrich as well as debase a life.”[1] As it was at Muggeridge’s time and continues to be true today, the possibilities for television extend far beyond its ability to instantaneously provide communication and entertainment. Through television, evangelization is capable of reaching the eyes and ears (and thereby also the minds and hearts) of even the most passive consumers of this medium, inspiring them to begin their journey to Christianity. In illustrating this point, Muggeridge shares his experience of filming a television program of Mother Teresa, commenting: “…the fact that she does truly live in Christ, and he in her, shines triumphantly through the camera’s fraudulence.”[2] He recalls that he encountered many who enacted positive changes in their lives through viewing the program in which Mother Teresa was featured, and concludes: “the moral would seem to be that what is required to make a successful Christian television programme is merely to find a true Christian, and put him or her on the screen. This, rather than any televisual skills or devices, would seem to be the key.”[3] Here, however, lie the dangers of endeavoring into television evangelization: the operation of mass media by a select few and the anti-Christian ideologies they often embrace and proclaim, combined with the influential and formative power of television as a media outlet, poses a great danger not only for viewers, but also for those intending to utilize it to undertake the noble task of evangelization. It would be, according to Muggeridge’s powerful imagery, as if the Lord Jesus Christ produced a television program sponsored by the “very reputable” Lucifer Inc.[4] By developing a significant presence on the medium of television, which widely operates upon non-Christian principles and goals, Christian media developers may unintentionally sponsor or encourage the depiction and influence of unchristian ideals. Undoubtedly, television is a tremendously powerful visual tool. The Church, moreover, combines many audiovisual and literary components in her liturgical experience: for instance, the celebrant and altar deacon(s) dress in white, fixed prayers are used, and the Scriptures are read aloud melodiously. Incorporating the television in liturgical worship, however, introduces many detriments to worshippers, including what is perhaps among the greatest misdeeds of twenty-first century churches — liturgical “live-streaming.” Televising and providing worshippers — and virtually anyone — with the ability to live-stream liturgical services from their homes or mobile devices amounts to a total destruction of the sacramentality of liturgy. Liturgy is no longer the gathering of the community of believers in prayer if the believers are able to participate remotely through television. If one is unable to attend the liturgy in person — due to physical ailment or other restriction — the Church traditionally goes to them, not through television or computer screens, but in liturgical and sacramental prayers such as the Sacrament of the Unction of the Sick. Besides this point, televising or streaming liturgy also offends the sanctity of the worship itself, as cameras and sometimes even production lights are utilized to film the service, a person or team is tasked with overseeing the live-streamed production, thereby being deprived of attending the prayer, and elaborate cut scenes and multiple angles are sometimes captured in order to afford the viewer a high quality video product. Another detrimental emerging trend amongst Christian Churches is the use of television screens in worship rather than books to present the words of the prayers, which poses both spiritual and practical dangers that undermine rather than enhance the practice and intended benefit of the liturgical experience for the faithful. Liturgy is meant to be practiced with reverence, representing a multi-sensory formative encounter intended to unite the believers with God, lead them to recognize and abide in His presence, and inspire in them the desire and purpose of bringing this spirituality to the world beyond the walls of their church. In liturgy, incense is burned in the censer, icons are present all around the worshipers, with the icon of Christ the Pantocrator centrally placed in the front and center beyond the altar, the prayers — with their words being hymnically attuned in a reverent and stilling manner — are chanted with solemnity, and the rites are carried out in order. In all these and many other ways, the liturgical experience is meant to look, sound, and feel entirely different than anything else in the world — an “otherness” that is both practically instructive and spiritually inspiring. Thus, the believer is invited to “let [his or her] senses enjoy the beauty of Orthodox worship in all its aspects[,] including hymnology, iconography[,] and the richness of all our liturgical practice and teachings.”[5] With the incorporation of television screens in the liturgical experience, however, a pervasive[6] technology that is in many ways emblematic of the world is injected into what is built to be an otherworldly experience. Rather than gazing upon the face of Christ, believers are physically reoriented to the glaring screen; instead of being learned and recited, or read from physical books, the Scriptures and prayers are read from a television screen, tablet, or even a phone — devices that are often even affixed or placed upon the Holy Altar itself. These not only undermine the reverence and intended sanctity of the liturgical experience, but also represent an unwelcome invasion of the world and its hallmarks into the liturgical and sacramental encounter with God. In utilizing television screens in liturgical settings, churches also promote the spectatorship of their congregants in much the same way as recreational television, thereby rendering the liturgical experience a passive process of consumption rather than an active process of transformative struggle. The personal active involvement and struggle that books require — in turning the pages, spatially associating the words on the page, feeling the book in the hand, and being required to know the general structure of the prayer such that the prayer or hymn being chanted may be located, for instance — is replaced by a standardized, impersonal, and consumptive method of engagement.[7] What is more, the attention that is due to God is instead offered to the television screen which, by virtue of the prevalence of screens in our daily experiences and our habitual conditioning, coaxes the eyes towards it, numbs the congregants’ minds and hearts (as the shows and movies they recreationally watch on such screens are made to do), and nullifies within them any semblance of activity or requirement of mindful presence, attentiveness, or participation. This sort of exterior reliance on visual aids also diminishes one’s ability to memorize, retain, and internalize[8] the prayers themselves, because “intelligence is relentlessly reflexive, so that even the external tools that it uses to implement its workings become ‘internalized,’ that is, part of its own reflexive process.”[9] In utilizing the impersonal medium of television screens, it becomes all the more difficult to retain any of the words of the prayers so that they might become ours, leading to a wholly “external” encounter with liturgical prayer. Such prayers are rather meant to be internalized, so that worshippers, through the internalization process, come to embody in their own daily lives the doctrine, spirit, and life of the Church that are expressed in and through the words of those prayers. While learning and memorizing the Scriptures, prayers, and doctrines of the Church are not themselves the goal of the Christian life, they are nevertheless essential steps for properly and effectively living out the Christian message: “the mere memorization or knowledge of the church’s doctrine, her creedal statements, her liturgical regulations and moral wisdom is not adequate for evangelization. The knowledge of such doctrine…should become incarnate in family life, in human work, in politics and society, in art and leisure.”[10] The Medium of Social Media The continued development of audiovisual entertainment, with the introduction and popularity of social media platforms such as TikTok and its seconds-long “reels” concept, further complicates the landscape for Christian ministry. While such content was previously consumed at a much slower pace, thus allowing for the development of an idea or message in a fuller, more meaningful way, new social media platforms instead facilitate for their users a fast-paced bombardment of content disabling such thought development to any meaningful degree while de-conditioning their users from being able to tolerate slower, more deliberate, and intricate modes of experience, including communication, formation, and education. The Christian message, being one of personal intimacy with Christ, cannot be fully communicated in such a fast-paced or superficial way. The Apostles, when establishing churches, spent years and toiled night and day to establish the Faith and guide individuals to proper growth in Christ (see e.g., 2 Corinthians 11:16-28). The delivery of the Faith for them, as it was also for Christ, was formational before it was informational; it required personal relation and consecration of life. Social media, being a fully digital realm, falls short of creating personal, “incarnate” experiences. As such, this technology can quite easily transmit a message and spirit that is not only foreign, but also contrary, to the Christian message, thereby constituting a disservice to those whom Christian ministers may seek to serve using such platforms. The work of Christian ministry is to inspire a personal desire within individuals to delve deeper into the Faith; this growth, while it can be certainly aided by media technologies, cannot occur solely through virtual communication. The message of Christianity, requiring a complete transformation of one’s life (see 1 Corinthians 6:11) and being irreconcilable with the world (see John 17:14-16), stands in stark opposition to viral trends and popular movements; its proclamation must be guided by the ethos of Christianity rather than any worldly philosophy of administration or standard of success. St. Paul writes: “To those outside the law I became as one outside the law — not being without law toward God but under law of Christ — that I might win those outside the law” (1 Corinthians 9:21). In venturing to minister on digital platforms, the same approach, of having primary regard for the integrity of the proper Christian spirit and message, must be observed. The Mediums of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are quickly being embraced and adopted not only by educational institutions across disciplines and at all levels — institutions at which Christians also learn, interact, and grow — but also by Church parishes, ministries, and ministers. These technologies eliminate the physical boundaries of a classroom, enabling users to explore the world from their personal computers and handheld devices. In an article for Forbes, author Bernard Marr writes: “VR also enables teachers and students to explore different worlds without having to leave the classroom; this could include visiting historical sites, exploring outer space, or touring foreign countries virtually…With AR, we can also overlay digital elements on top of real-world classroom objects…[Froggipedia] walks students through the process of studying the internal organs of a frog without requiring any real-life dissection.”[11] The positives identified by Marr, however, are tempered by their practical implications, both generally and with particular consideration of Christian ideals. Indeed, while, as Marr describes, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality can walk students through the dissection process, for instance, in a detailed and visually engaging manner, these technologies simply cannot mimic the experience of dissecting a real frog — an activity that is vastly more intimidating and daunting in person, and formatively so. There are certainly many things that any (religious) classroom might be unable to do, due to geographical or financial constraints, in which case Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality might serve as similarly positive resources. Rather than simply speaking about the architecture of a particular cathedral, or even showing images or videos of it, for example, it would be a more engaging experience for students of a Christian institution or church class to take a virtual tour of that same building. However, in light of the necessities of social interrelation and tangible firsthand experience in Christian formation and communal experience, those students would be all the more benefitted by simply visiting a local church building — an even more immersive undertaking that furthers, rather than undermines, the goals of Christian education and Christian identity formation. The benefits of adopting a hybrid format may therefore not be in the best interests of the Christian person, or of Christian education more generally. The primary objective of Christian education and life in the Church is invariably to develop within the believers a personal, immersive, real, and living experience of the Lord Jesus Christ, and through Him, with one another. Being comprised of both soul and body, the human is called to “glorify God in [his or her] body and [his or her] spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Truly, “we do nothing without the body…Since then the body has been our minister in all things, it shall also share with us in the future the fruits of the past.”[12] Such truths are unrealizable in the experience of Virtual Reality technologies, which facilitate intangible experiences in the realm of cyber-reality. Through Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, a dissociation of body from space and time occurs, as experiences can be formed without one’s complete involvement, away from true reality. In such mediums, sin[13] can be practiced almost entirely metaphysically, encouraging the misconception that sinful practice in the virtual realm, being that it may not directly involve bodily activity and can be hidden by privacy settings, is in fact not sinful at all. The division and compartmentalization in experience made possible through Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are therefore discernibly detrimental to the sort of holistic Christian experience of total immersion and permeation into every aspect of one’s life that is meant for the Christian believer. Such technologies, carrying far-reaching anthropological, ethical, and spiritual implications, require further study and attention, and therefore ought not be eagerly introduced into Christian ministries. The Medium of Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence technologies, in a more direct and abrupt way, divest the human experience of humanity. Facilitating creation apart from human involvement, Artificial Intelligence renders human experience obsolete, replacing personal experience and knowledge with algorithms and computation. The submission to and reliance on such technologies, illustrated by the recent astronomical growth of the Artificial Intelligence platform ChatGPT,[14] is emblematic of the very central “gospel” of digital culture, placing technology at the apex of human existence and rendering the human a spectator rather than a creator. In doing so, Artificial Intelligence severely debilitates one’s ability to establish an intimate relationship with God, for the path to goodness is not in submitting to Artificial Intelligence — or any technology, for that matter — but rather in discovering and personally abiding with God Himself and submitting to His will. In affirming this very principle, Origen of Alexandria profoundly writes: “What each man worships in preference to the rest, what he admires and loves above all other things, this is God to him.”[15] It follows, then, that all Christians must examine whether they put their trust in God or in “human beings, who cannot save” (Psalm 146:3), or what is now further, in man-made technologies. Substituting the human for an algorithm or some other technological tool, most especially in the realm of the spiritual life — whether in preparation of exhortatory sermons and lessons,[16] Scriptural commentary and translation,[17] or similar endeavors — represents an unnatural, spiritually counterintuitive, and detrimental effort which perpetuates a sacrilege of the Scriptures and Tradition of the Church, which are inherently meant for personal experience and life. In the Church, teaching begins with receiving the deposit of Faith, which is meant to form and transform the teacher such that they can likewise transmit that Faith to others: “When we continue to keep Him in our inner being, He will make us rich so that we can give to others.”[18] The Apostles therefore spoke extensively about the need for preparation, the importance of discipleship, and sound Christian formation and education, yet after all of this, they advise that not many become teachers (see James 3:1). The matters and spirit of the Faith are meant to be received and delivered from living person to living person; utilizing Artificial Intelligence in the work of Christian education is therefore to outsource this important responsibility, of preserving and delivering the deposit of Faith, to digital tools, representing unfaithfulness at worst and misunderstanding at best on the part of Christian educators, who are entrusted by God through the Church to be discipled and to teach, having received and continuing to possess sound doctrine and exhibiting an exemplary Christian manner of life (see 2 Timothy 2:2). Out of one’s own learning and discipleship, one’s teaching should spring forth; in fact, a proper and full discipleship will transmit to each individual the teaching of the Scriptures, the Church Fathers, and more generally the Tradition of the Church, enabling them to deliver that which they had received to those whom they teach and serve. When Artificial Intelligence technologies become themselves the sources and teachers, being relied upon by those who teach to provide them with the content of their teaching, the necessary struggle of growth and advancement in understanding and knowledge that is required and expected of all believers — and most especially those entrusted to teach in the Church — is circumvented, to the detriment of both the teacher and the disciple. Artificial Intelligence must, for these and several other reasons beyond the scope of this paper, be carefully examined and understood before it can be considered for use in any capacity in the service of the Church. Conclusion The psychodynamics of today’s media landscape is malleable due to the speed by which technologies are introducing new mediums of communication and interrelation. With a simple update, often being pushed instantaneously “over the air,” the technologies we use on a daily basis can rather easily introduce novel ways by which we may experience reality and interact with others and information. With this unprecedented technological proliferation, we find ourselves at a crossroads. For each person and culture, and for every Christian ministry, a conscious and deliberate approach to the available technologies is essential: “Technology, properly interiorized, does not degrade human life but on the contrary enhances it…The use of a technology can enrich the human psyche, enlarge the human spirit, intensify its interior life.”[19] The technologies we possess and utilize today, and those yet to come, are what we make of them; they can either divest the human of himself or, if used properly and in appropriate settings, become powerful tools that enable the human to express and understand himself in deeper ways. As renowned Catholic theologian Romano Guardini suggests in his Letters from Lake Como, we might benefit today in our personal Christian lives, and in administering the services of our churches, from slowing down and carefully considering the technologies we use and their far-reaching implications (both good and bad), while submitting ourselves to God who “is at work.”[20] — [1] Malcolm Muggeridge, Christ and the Media, 68 [2] Muggeridge, 70 [3] Ibid. [4] Muggeridge, 41 [5] His Grace Bishop Suriel, Rethinking the use of Technology in Liturgical Services, (Facebook, accessed on August 9, 2023) [6] "The control screens have over our daily life is staggering. We spend countless hours at the office staring at a computer screen then come home to watch another big, flat screen for our evening’s entertainment. Between tablets, laptops, smartphones, and e-readers, there’s no getting away from the bits and bytes, the ones and zeros” (Tom Raabe, Why Churches Should Ditch the Projector Screens and Bring Back Hymnals, The Federalist, accessed on August 9, 2023). [7] "Screens represent a move away from permanence to the transitory. The words contained in a hymnal were printed in a book that was published with care. Inked on the paper accompanied by notes and staffs, hymnals were real. The words on a screen may look like the words in the book, but they lack substance. They’ll disappear the moment the switch is flipped off” (Ibid.). [8] See W.J. Ong, Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word, 79; Plato, Phaedrus 274-277 [9] Ong, 81 [10] Timothy P. O’Malley, Liturgy and the New Evangelization: Practicing the Art of Self-Giving Love, 13 [11] Bernard Marr, The Future of Learning Reshaped by VR, AR, and Blockchain (Forbes, accessed on July 1, 2023) [12] See Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures 18.19 [13] Indeed, the very concept and notion of sin has become extinct in the narratives promulgated by mass media and when technological advancement is considered, and in turn, in the societies and cultures in which we live, think, and interact. [14] Within two months of its launch, OpenAI’s ChatGPT had 100 million monthly active users, according to a study published for Time (Andrew R. Chow, How ChatGPT Managed to Grow Faster Than TikTok or Instagram, Time, accessed on August 7, 2023). [15] Origen of Alexandria, Homilies on Judges 2 (Elizabeth Ann Dively Lauro, The Fathers of the Church Vol. 119: Origen: Homilies on Judges, 55) [16] See Kirsten Grieshaber, Can a chatbot preach a good sermon? Hundreds attend church service generated by ChatGPT to find out (Associated Press, accessed on July 18, 2023) [17] See Fiona Andre, USC researchers use AI to help translate Bible into very rare languages (The Washington Post, accessed on July 17, 2023) [18] Wednesday Ⲯⲁⲗⲓ, 13 [19] Ong, 83 [20] Romano Guardini, Letters from Lake Como: Explorations in Technology and the Human Race, 96 —

A translation of an excerpt from a sermon delivered by His Eminence Metropolitan Kyrillos of Milan. — My beloved, I thank God with all my heart for this great blessing and this great grace, and His Grace Bishop Abakir was attempting to direct your attention from Sweden to Milan; truly tremendous efforts were undertaken in these countries, and we are grateful to His Grace that with God’s work and the labor of those who serve with him, the service grew and multiplied, and you have not yet seen anything — you will see many things, and God will bless, and the diocese will possess a sweet fragrance that will be enjoyed by all of the surrounding countries, and it will carry out a mission that all the people will [experience], and it will undertake a heavenly work from which we can all benefit. We as fathers always serve God, knowing full well that God knows how to work with both the worm and the whale; with both a crow and a dove. God works in the turbulent sea and the calm sea. Perhaps the most significant story that conveys to us this message — that God is the one who works, not us, and that we are merely people who observe the work of God with us […] — before the grace of the episcopacy, it was easy for me to deliver a sermon on blessing, for instance, and speak about God’s blessings. I would speak about what I would read in the Scriptures. But after God’s work with the person, he is able to say: “I have seen the blessing; I have touched the blessing; I have held onto the blessing; I have felt the blessing.” The one story that can easily lead us to recognize this, that God cares for both the one who serves and the one who is served, and cares for the edification of souls — is the story of Jonah the prophet and the great people of Nineveh. When you sit and contemplate this story, you will find that it is a beautiful one — God, the great teacher; God, the great governor; God, who “longs for the salvation and deliverance of everyone,”[1] desires to find everyone returning to Him. He desires houses of prayer; He desires houses of purity; He desires houses of blessing.[2] So what does He do? He calls a mischievous person, perhaps a mischievous servant, and tells him: “Come, Jonah, and go to this or that place.” Jonah knew God very well and understood Him, so he rebelled, and God then began to remedy Jonah’s problem so he would then remedy for Him the problem of the great Nineveh. What did God do? He gave him a lesson, as the Good teacher, in mysterious ways. All of creation moved so that the great Nineveh would be changed and so that Jonah would be changed. He escaped, but God pursued him. He went to sleep, and God woke him up. They brought him up from beneath: “Come here! What are you doing? Where are you from? What is your name? Where did you come from? Where are you going? Tell us about yourself.” And at the very end, we find that God began to teach him, and that every time he rebels, God teaches him not by means of a person but by means of a small plant that grows above his head, so that he loves it and rejoices, and then the plant is taken away by a little worm so that he becomes upset and depressed and tells Him to take his soul. He was by disposition a bit grumpy. He was easily angered and easily felt suffocated [by his circumstances]. And at the very end, the result was that the one who served was God. We do not know how to serve. It is God who serves through us. Just as His Grace told us. His Grace said that none of us serve — God is the one who serves in us. And God is the one who serves by us. And God is the one who serves with us. Without Him, we cannot. Yesterday we celebrated the enthronement of His Grace Bishop Luka in Geneva, and we as bishops recalled a few things about our pastoral work, whether bishops or priests [or] servants, and we always express our conviction that “without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Forgive me, but logically speaking, if I could do something, would God interfere? He would not interfere. But as His Grace said, if I cannot [do something], then God will intervene. If I tell God, “come intervene,” He will intervene. And this is very clear in God’s providence. It is clear that He comes to the one who cries out to Him. God comes to the one who calls for Him. Whether the priest or the bishop or the servant, all of us, before we serve, we tell God: “We want you to support us; without you we can do nothing.” And as the Psalm says: “the Lord will hear you” (cf. Psalm 20:1). If you ask for Him, He will come. And in our nature, we must always seek God and draw near to Him. And for every one of us who comes close to God, this is evidence of his love for God. Some people love God for the sake of selfish gain. Some people love God to gain His protection or because they are afraid of Him, lest He torture them. But some people love God for the sake of God Himself. For this reason I will remind you of a beautiful saying of one of the saints. He told God, “God if I love You due to a selfish desire for the Kingdom, prevent me from it. If I love You for fear of the suffering of Hades, burn me with it. But if I love You for the sake of Your love, confirm me in Your love.” When we serve, we serve for the sake of love. When one of us is asked, “why do you serve?” There is only one sound answer: “the love of God renders me incapable of being silent.” Why did His Grace join the monastery? Because the love of God was enflamed in his heart. He wanted God. This is undeniable. He had a job, a workplace, a community, a home, and the means by which he could establish his own home. And the same applies to his brothers the bishops and the fathers the priests who consecrated themselves and left their jobs for no reason except to enter the vineyard of the Lord. The love of God renders them incapable of being silent. I cannot be silent! I have tasted Him and I therefore want to lead others to also taste Him. Even as I speak to you now, the desire of my heart is not that I deliver a sermon. All of my heart’s desire is that God will dwell in your hearts and that He will fill your hearts. This is the desire of my heart. I know that God dwells in this house. This is the house of the Lord and the Lord of the house is in it. It is called the house of the Lord, and the Lord of the house dwells within it. So all of my thoughts concern these two things. I am coming to the house of the Lord to meet with the Lord of the house. This is what occupies my mind — that when you and me and all of us are in his house, we are wholly concerned with God who dwells in this house. We want God. We do not merely want to greet Him in His house, but we want to tell Him: “we long to be like the Virgin Mary, about whom we say in the [Midnight Praises], ‘she is exalted above than the cherubim and more honored than the seraphim, for she became a temple for one of the Trinity.’[3]” When the Virgin was a child, she entered into the house of the Lord, and in the fullness of time she became a temple for God. If we all come here and meet with God, who is present in this place and fills all places, who is uncontainable by any place — if we meet with God here, we must leave having also been filled by God in our hearts. How can one leave the house of God and feel that he is lacking anything unless he did not meet God there? The service of the father priest, the service of the father bishop, the service of the brother servant, all of these services concern one goal — that we are all united with God. Without Him, we can do nothing. The second thing is: who is the one who changes the people? What changes the people is the beauty of Christ in us. This is what effects the change in the people. Do we not hear about Abba Antony, “it is enough for me to see your face?”[4] You look at Abba Antony and say, “it is enough for me to see your face.” Why? What is in you, Abba Antony? He is preoccupied with God. He is wholly concerned with God, and the image of God has become imprinted upon his face and in his whole person. I love a saying of St. Habib Girgis: “the image of God is not imprinted in your heart unless your heart is as clear as water.” The image of God is not imprinted in my heart or yours unless our hearts are as clear as water. So we come to the house of God to purify the heart, so that it is pure, clean, and spotless. And not only does the image of God become imprinted in the heart, but when the heart is pure and clean and spotless, we also see God Himself. Without God, we can do nothing, as I have told you. [. . .] — Please find the full sermon at the following link: https://youtu.be/QyZJGjkR0Zw Cover Image: His Eminence Metropolitan Kyrillos of Milan of blessed memory (left) with His Eminence Metropolitan Arsenius of Minya of blessed memory (right), to whom he was a faithful disciple and alongside whom he served for many years in Minya and its surrounding regions prior to his reappointment to Milan, Italy. Image Original. — [1] cf. ⲡⲓⲟⲩⲱⲓⲛⲓ, An ⲁⲇⲁⲙ Doxology for the Lord Jesus Christ in the Coptic Orthodox Church, 11 [2] cf. Litany for the Assemblies in the Coptic Orthodox Church [3] The Wednesday θεοτοκια of the Midnight Praises of the Coptic Orthodox Church, 6.3 [4] cf. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Anthony the Great, 27 —

The following homily, attributed to St. Athanasius, is one of ten contained in a synaxary formerly in use during Eastertide and Whitsuntide at the Monastery of the Archangel Michael at Hamouli on the southern border of the province of Fayyum. The manuscript, written in A.D. 855 in the Sahidic dialect of the Coptic language, is still in excellent condition and is preserved in the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, which has published a facsimile of it under the capable editorship of Professor Henry Hyvernat.[1] The same manuscript contains two other homilies attributed to St. Athanasius. One, In Passionem domini et iudicium, was published in the Journal of Theological Studies, XXXVIII (April, 1937), 113-29; the other, Cathechesis in festum Pentecostes, has not as yet been published. The genuineness of these and other Coptic Athanasian homilies awaits a thorough investigation of all the available evidence. In the following homily the biblical quotations are made with freedom, and the internal evidence is of little help in dating its composition. The text reproduced here has been edited, and diacritical lines and punctuation have been added. (M595, fol. 108rβ) A discourse of St. Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, which he made concerning Lazarus, whom Christ raised from the dead. In the peace of God. Amen. The eyes of the Lord are rays of light, which lighten those who are in the darkness and in the shadow of death. The tongue of Christ is full of life for everyone whom death has conquered. The hands of Christ are restorers of life, with which He aids all and sets them on their feet. The garments of Christ are restorers of life, by which women (108vα) with issues of blood are healed. The feet of Christ are converters of the strayed sheep, which He brings back to the good fold. The commandment of Christ is a healer, by which He heals those who are leprous and cleanses them. The salivas within Christ’s mouth are healing, sight-giving salves, by which He gives sight to the eyes of the man blind from birth. The gaze of Christ is a restorer of life; He looked on the son of the widow as they were carrying him out dead, and restored him to life. The hand of Christ is an inviter of man to life; He came walking and calling His apostles to the kingdom of heaven. (108vβ) The passing-by of Christ is beneficent; as He was passing by He gave sight to two blind men by the wayside. The mercies of Christ are innumerable; for He had pity on five thousand men who were hungry. They were needed five barley loaves; He caused them all to eat and they were satisfied. What shall I say? For the time would not permit me if I spoke about the mighty works which Christ did in the world and of all the wonders which no human being could number. Neither is there a zealous scribe who would be able to enumerate them and write them in a book. Water was made wine; and the lame man took up his bed and (109rα) walked; and the demons which He cast out; and the dumb which He caused to speak; and the deaf which He caused to hear; and the withered hands which He healed; and the sea upon whose waters He walked as upon a stony rock; and the fig tree on which He did not find fruit, which He caused to wither; and the waves of the sea which were thoroughly frightened at His speech and calmed down; and the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue who leapt up, stood on her feet, and lived, when the hand of her Creator took hold of her. These things have we spoken and disclosed concerning the mighty works which Christ did. But, moreover, give heed that we may recall what (109rβ) was read to us today, and fulfil it because of the administration of the holy and universal liturgy — this which summons us to the holy bridal chamber. The word which was read to us today in the Gospel according to John leads me to a great and joyful teaching. What, indeed, is the word which was read to us? Give heed that we may declare it! Now there was one, namely Lazarus, sick in Bethany, the village of Martha and Mary her sister. This is the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with the hair of her head. This, then, was the one whose brother Lazarus was ill. His disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, behold, he whom Thou (109vα) lovest is ill.” Note well the statement and the saying of the Gospel. It says, “She who anointed the Lord with ointment.” O this great wonder which is promised! “Thou, indeed, hast anointed me with an ointment; I myself shall anoint thee with the oil of the unbreakable seal, in My Name and the Name of My Father and the Holy Spirit. Thou, indeed, Mary, a name worthily beloved, hast wiped My feet with the hair of thy head; I Myself shall wipe away thy sins which thou hast committed from thy youth until now. I shall hold thee fast in My hand and give joy to My soul. Thou, indeed, hast anointed Me with the ointment of this world (109vβ) in the gladness of thy soul; I Myself shall anoint thee with the ointment of heaven — that which came down upon Me upon the Jordan at the time when I received baptism. Verily, I say to thee, Mary, that in whatever place this Gospel is preached in all the world, moreover that which this woman has done will be spoken of in remembrance of her.” Now, indeed, was her brother Lazarus ill. His disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is ill.” O this great favor which He showed these three relations! Lazarus, indeed, did Jesus love. Likewise Martha (110rα) was serving the supper of Christ. Once again Mary wiped His feet with her hair. They were like a cord of three strands which He was not in a hurry to cut. After these things Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go to Judaea.” They said to Him, “Lord, behold, the Jews seek to slay Thee, and Thou wilt go there.” Jesus said to them, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? But he who goes in the light does not stumble, because he sees the Light of this world. But if one goes in the night one stumbles, because the Light is not in him.” (110rβ) Consider, moreover, what I have said, that the Light is Christ. Everyone who will walk in His commandments will not be laid hold of by evil. These twelve hours which are in the day are the twelve apostles. The devil, on the other hand, is compared with the night. He who walks in the will of the devil will stumble, because he has not the light of Christ. Jesus said to them, “Lazarus, our friend, has fallen asleep.” Jesus said to them, “If he has fallen asleep, he will rise again.” But Jesus was speaking of his death, but they truly thought that He was speaking of the sleep of slumber. For all who have fallen asleep since Adam (110vα) until now, who have fallen asleep in Christ, at the day of resurrection will He call to them in His divine voice, and they will all rise immediately incorruptible and act like those who have arisen from forgetfulness because of sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead; but I rejoice for your sake that I was not there. But let us go to him, in order that I may raise him up.” Didymus, however, one of the Twelve, said, “Let us go ourselves that we may die with him.” “Thomas, how dost thou fear death, when the Life goes with thee? Thou wilt know Him now, because He Whom they will put to death among us, is He Who seizes another from the hand of death. (110vβ) Follow Me, Thomas, and I shall show thee the type of My resurrection, which I shall display to the whole creation. Come with Me, and I shall show thee the body of Lazarus which has decayed and spread abroad a foul smell; and the manner in which I shall call to his soul and cause it to enter his body again. Follow Me, Didymus, and I shall cause thee to behold the hands of Lazarus and his feet which were bound with the cords and bands of death. I shall give them life again, and they will minister to Me. Go with Me, Didymus, and I shall show thee the eyes of Lazarus which have closed, and there is no sight in them. I shall open them again and I shall give them sight. Come to the tomb with Me, Thomas, and I shall show thee the (111rα) mouth of the grave closed, and his tongue decayed, and no breath in his nostrils. I shall open its mouth, and I shall cause his tongue to speak, and I shall give him breath. Come with Me, all ye My holy disciples, and ye will hear Me when I shall call in My divine voice; and Lazarus will hear Me and will walk and come to Me alive.” And when He had said these things, He went with His disciples to go to him. Martha, moreover, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went forth to meet Him. But Mary was sitting in the house. Martha, then, threw herself down at His feet, saying, “Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus said to her, “Thy brother will rise.” Martha said to Him, “I know (111rβ) that he will rise in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Everyone who believes on Me, even though he die, will live again; and everyone who lives who believes on Me will never taste of death. I am the voice of life which awakens the dead. I am the good odor which takes away the foul odor. I am the voice of joy which takes away sorrow and grief. I am the good Teacher Who rejoices in those who hear Me. I am the comfort of those who are in grief; those who belong to Me do I give them joy. I am the joy of the whole world. All My friends (111vα) do I gladden, and I rejoice with them. I am the Bread of life; those who are hungry do I satisfy with every good thing. I am the Physician, the Healer of all who are sick. Come to Me, I heal you for nothing. I am the Shepherd Who seeks after all His strayed sheep. Come to Me! Why art thou weeping, Martha, and art disturbed and lamenting? I am He Who will give thee thy brother alive, and he will speak with thee. Dost thou believe this?” She said, “Yea, Lord, I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, the One Who came down into the world. I have known Thee that Thou art the resurrection of the whole creation.” (111vβ) And when Martha had said these things, she called Mary, her sister, privately, saying to her, “Behold, the Master has come and calls thee.” Mary, therefore, arose in haste and came to Him. And when she saw Him, she stood behind His feet, saying, “Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died.” But Jesus, when He saw her weeping, and the other Jews who came with her weeping, was troubled in spirit, and His eyes shed tears. He said to them, “Where have ye laid him?” Thou art He Who said to them previously, my Savior, “Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep.” And now Thou askest, (112rα) “Where have ye laid him?” Observe the God Who has created the heaven and the earth and sea and the things in it, Who sits upon the cherubim in the seventh heaven, and Whose eyes behold those who are buried in the underworld, asking, “Where have ye laid him?” Is He, then, without knowledge of this where they have laid him? Heaven forbid! But since the Jews are always ignorant about this, He wished to cause them to be witnesses to what He was about to do, in order that they might not find a word to say or be able to deny the mighty works which Christ did. They said, “Lord, come and see.” And Jesus wept. O this great love and this great affection of Christ for His saints! (112rβ) Why dost Thou weep, Lord, when the life of the whole creation is in Thy hands? They said, then, “See how He loves him!” Others again among the Jews were saying, “Is it not possible for this Man Who opened the eyes of the man blind from birth to prevent this one from dying?” But Jesus was sorely grieved within Himself. He came to the tomb; but there was a stone at the mouth of the cave. Jesus said to them, “Take away the stone.” Observe the wisdom of this merciful God. Is He not able to cause the stone to roll away? Yea, I tell you that He is able. But He was saying these things on account of witnesses, in order that they might not find a way of denying, if they wished. (112vα) Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him, “Lord, now he is already decayed, for it is his fourth day. His whole body has poured forth pus; his eyeballs have dropped out; and his interior organs have become useless. How, moreover, will the body rise again? His hands and his feet and all his parts are bound with grave clothes, and his head is bound with a napkin; the whole body is bound with cloths lest it dissolve and fall to pieces. And how will he rise again, and all of those there? Again I know that all things which Thou wilt ask of God, God will give them to Thee.” But Christ, the Comfort of those who are in (112vβ) grief, answered and said to her, “Did I not say to thee that, if thou believe, thou wilt see the glory of God?” They took, then, the stone there from the mouth of the tomb. The whole crowd marveled, witnessing the smell of pus of Lazarus who was decayed. He had rotted so that they were not able to approach within the tomb on account of the smell of his body and its decay. But into the midst came Jesus, the Storehouse which is full of life, the Mouth which is full of sweet odor, the Tongue which frightens death, the Mighty One in His commands, the Joy of those who are sorrowful, the Rising of those who have fallen, the Resurrection of the dead, the Assembly of the strong, the Hope of the hopeless. (113rα) He came and stood openly by the mouth of the tomb, with the preparations of salvation in His divine mouth. Now all the crowd were standing and beholding and wondering what He would do in starting to raise him from the dead. Now the body was lying dead; but God Himself was standing over it, looking down upon him and grieving for him. First, He raised His eyes to heaven and spoke with His Father in a gentle voice, saying, “My Father, I am able to do this gracious act through Thee, because Thou hast heard Me. Now I know that Thou always hearest Me; but speak on account of this crowd standing here, in order that they may believe that Thou art the One Who has sent Me.” But when He had said these things, (113rβ) He ceased speaking with His Father, and turned to the body of Lazarus, which was lying without breath in it, nor movement in any limb. He called at the mouth of the tomb in His divine voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” Immediately the voice of Christ awoke him who was slumbering, like a man who has arisen who was asleep. He said to him, “Come forth. Behold, I am standing by thee. I am thy Lord; thou art the work of My hands. Why hast thou not known Me, because in the beginning I Myself formed Adam from the earth and gave him breath? Open thy mouth thyself, in order that I may give thee breath. Stand upon thy feet and receive strength to thyself; for I am the Strength of (113vα) the whole creation. Stretch out thy hands and I shall give them strength; for I am the straight Staff. I command the foul odor to depart from thee; for I am the sweet odor of the trees of paradise. Behold, the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet will be fulfilled in thee, namely, ‘I shall open your tombs and I shall bring you forth.’ Open thy mouth and speak with Me; it is I Who command thee. Cast from thee the fear, and know Me, that I am the living God. Do not be frightened about the things which thou hast seen; for I have taken thee out of their hands. Observe the place where thou wast sleeping, that it is full of pus and stinks. (113vβ) How have they come out of thy body? Cast from thee the corruption of the valley of death, as again thou hast seen the Life, which is I Who am standing by thee. Do not be disturbed about what thou hast seen, for they are greatly disturbed since thou hast received strength and entered into the world again. Be strong about thy ministry. Notice the place where thou art standing, that thou art inside a tomb, in order that thou mayest know that I have taken thee out of the hand of death. Observe the grave clothes which cover thy body, in order that thou mayest know that I have placed thee in the world again after thou hadst become a stranger to it. Come out of the tomb; it is I Who command thee.” The dead man, indeed, came (114rα) forth, with his hands and his feet bound with grave clothes, and his face bound with a napkin. Jesus said, “Loose him and release him, that he may go.” Notice particularly the saying, “He came forth with his hands and his feet bound, and after he came forth, Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him and release him, that he may walk.’” How did he come forth with his hands and his feet bound so that he was not able to walk? Who raised him up, being buried? For truly he came forth with the grave clothes covering his body, and his hands and his feet bound; and his eyes were not uncovered, for truly there was a napkin bound about his head and his (114rβ) face; and he came forth with no man to support him. How did he come forth, my faithful one, except by the command of our Savior Who raised him? Moreover, He said to those standing by, “Loose him.” What, therefore, is the meaning of this saying, my Savior? Thou hast granted him life after the fourth day. Thou hast brought him forth from the tomb with no one to lift him up. Why, on the other hand, didst Thou not command the grave clothes to loose themselves, in order that the unbelieving might not touch him, although Thou knowest them better, my Savior? “But My wish is not this,” He said. “For I (114vα) have brought him forth, ye yourselves come release him, in order that your own hands themselves may testify to you that ye have not believed Me. For I have not done this in the case of Lazarus alone, but I did it again another time in Cana of Galilee, when I was invited to their wedding feast and I had the power to cause them to find the water jars full of water. No one filled them; but I said, ‘Fill the water jars with water.’ And they found that they had become wine as a witness to them.” Now they loosed Lazarus, and all the crowd saw Him speaking quite openly with Lazarus, whose body was clothed. This one who had arisen came forth from the tomb with all of his members (114vβ) full of life in the life of Christ. The eyes, which had closed so as never to open, opened again filled with light and saw everyone. The head, which had been bound with a napkin, loosed itself and became strong again and bowed to Christ. The ears, which had been closed by the stroke of death, opened again and heard Christ calling in the tomb in His divine voice. His nose, which had been a stranger to the breath of life, functioned again and smelt the sweet odor of Christ. The tongue, which had ceased speaking forever, moved once more, stretched, and praised God. The lips, which had closed so as not to speak again, opened (115rα) once more and spoke with the Son of God. The mind, which had dissolved so as not to speak or to think or to be able to see a man to know him or to be able to perceive anything, became strong again and knew its Creator. All the members, which had decayed and dissolved in the earth, became alive again and ministered to the body. The feet, which had been bound so as never to walk, were loosed again and stretched and ministered patiently to Christ Jesus, the Son of God. The prophecy of David was fulfilled in the case of Lazarus, when he says, “The Lord will loose those who are bound. The Lord will cause those who have fallen to stand. The Lord will instruct the blind. The Lord loves the righteous.” (115rβ) All these were fulfilled in the case of the body of Lazarus, which Christ loosed, being bound; He set him up, after he had fallen; He opened his eyes, being blind; and, furthermore, He loves them all. For his sister told us this at the time when she said to the Savior, “Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is ill.” Furthermore it is said, “Jesus loved Martha and Mary her sister and also Lazarus.” O this such great grace! O this great praise which rejoices everyone who hears it! O this great fame which no one will be able to prevent! O this great boldness which God granted to men! (115vα) O this promised fruit which these good workmen joyfully acquired for themselves! O this great and holy light in which these blessed ones walk! But the Jews who came with Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother Lazarus saw the things which Jesus did and believed on Him. But the Pharisees said to one another, “Ye have seen that we shall not profit anything. Behold, the whole world has gone after Him.” O the evil shepherds who scatter the sheep of Christ! O the corrupt shepherds who scatter the herd of which God made them the head! O the merciless shepherds who tear in pieces the sheep instead of the wolves! (115vβ) O the unclean shepherds who foul the pasture of the sheep! “The good among My sheep have ye devoured with insatiable eyes. The wool have ye given to yourselves. The weak have ye not strengthened; the scattered have ye not assembled; the strayed have ye not sought; the fallen have ye not raised; the strong have ye not employed; the sick have ye not healed. My sheep are scattered because they have no shepherd.” “For this reason, lawless shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says, ‘I shall seek after My sheep by your hand; and I shall take My vengeance on you in My wrath and My anger; (116rα) and I shall bring My wrath upon you in accordance with your lawless acts; and I shall send My curse upon you and scatter your counsel and take away My countenance from you, because I hate you.’ For I am He Who will pasture My sheep. I shall seek them and gather them that there may be one flock and one shepherd. The scattered shall I gather; the weak shall I strengthen; the sick shall I heal; the strayed shall I bring back to Myself; that I may be to them God, and that they may be to Me a people.” All these sayings have I spoken concerning the high priests of the Jews, because they attempted to disparage the resurrection (116rβ) of Lazarus, in order that no one might believe on the mighty works which Christ did and be saved. When the crowd took the palm branches from the date palms and went before Christ as He was about to go up to the feast, all of them bore witness that He had called Lazarus forth from the grave and had raised him from the dead. Because of this, this great throng believed on Him when they heard that He had done this sign. For all the men had come out of the tomb before they buried him and closed the mouth of the tomb. A great wonder seized them all when they heard that he was alive again; even though this is truly a great wonder to hear it about a man that he has risen from (116vα) the dead after being four days dead. But the lawless ones took counsel full of guile to kill Lazarus also, because a crowd of the Jews came on his account to see him alive again; and believed on Jesus. But Jesus, then, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, the place where He raised Lazarus from the dead. Now they prepared a supper for Him there, and Martha was serving. Lazarus, however, was one of those reclining with Him. Mary, moreover, took a pound of ointment, pure nard, costly in price, and poured it upon His head, as He (116vβ) was reclining. She anointed His feet with the ointment and wiped them with the hair of her head. The whole house was filled with the odor of that ointment. Thou hast seen this great public favor, that Lazarus was one of those who were reclining with Jesus; not only that He gave him life again and took him from the hand of death but also that He granted him this great honor of eating with Him at His supper. O these great favors which God grants to those who love Him and keep His commandments! Moreover, thou hast seen the favor well fulfilled. Lazarus was reclining, eating with Jesus. For He relied on His holy apostles to suffer with (117rα) mankind, when He said to them, “Behold, I shall establish My covenant with you, that ye may eat and drink with Me at the table of My kingdom. And ye will sit upon your twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Lazarus, on the other hand, ate and drank with My Father. Come to Me, Lazarus, and I shall take away the evil odor which is in thy flesh, over which death ruled; and I shall give thee the sweet odor. Behold, I shall go to Jerusalem, and everyone will see thee going with Me in this body in which thou hast slept in the grave for four days. Afterward I gave thee life, for truly (117rβ) again thou thyself hast served others; for in accordance with the measure which a man measures, it will be measured to himself.” Hail to thee, Lazarus, because Christ has granted thee this great honor beyond all those whom he has healed! For these fled to Him and besought Him to heal them. Thou wishest to know; listen and I shall instruct thee. First, then, the nobleman went to Him and besought Him, and his son was healed. Likewise the centurion, when his son was paralyzed, came and besought Him. He said, “It is I Who shall go and heal him.” Now when the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue died, her father went and besought Him, until (117vα) He came and raised his daughter. The two blind men who were sitting beside the way, when they heard that Jesus was to pass by, cried out, “Have mercy upon us, Son of David.” The man who was a leper came to Him and asked Him, and He caused his flesh to be cleansed. Again, as He was coming down the mountain, a man besought Him, “Lord, have mercy upon me, because the only son that I have has a demon.” And He cast out the demon, and his son was whole from that day. Other multitude of signs did Christ without number; as they all besought Him, whom He had not yet healed. Now Lazarus, on the other hand, did Christ love. But when he died, Christ went this interval with His twelve (117vβ) apostles until He came to him and gave him life; not only the life of this place, but that of the other place did He grant to him. Ye have heard, moreover, my beloved brethren, the great honor of these people and the variation in the esteem of each one. Now Lazarus did the Lord love, as he was reclining with Him at supper. Martha herself was taking great care with the service and was ministering to Christ with all her heart. Mary herself was seated at the feet of Jesus and kissing them. The vessel of ointment of pure nard was in her hands, and she was anointing Him on His feet and wiping them with the hair of her head. The whole desire of her heart (118rα) clove to Him in an embraceless token. The whole house was full of the odor of the ointment. For this reason there was nothing evil in her life at all, but rather her conversation was in heaven, full of sweet odor and virtue. Christ beholds them with His divine eyes and is cheered and rejoices over the purity of their mode of life and the offering to Him of their undefiled service. O this kissing of the feet of Christ! O the holy woman because of how her deed succeeded! O this famous purified one! O this wiping of the feet of God, which caused the forgiveness of the sins of the repentant woman! (118rβ) O this holy and pure anointing, because it effected a permanent cure of the soul of the woman! O the greatness of the loving-kindness of God, which we shall not be able to reckon! O this goodness, of which there is no measure to its greatness, and which extends to the whole creation! He provides for them all and has mercy upon them and forgives all their sins, because great are the mercies which He shows to him who is good and His creature; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to Whom be glory and honor now and forevermore. Amen. — [1] Bybliothecae Pierpont Morgan codices Coptici photographice expressi (Romae, A.D. MCMXXII), Tomus XLIII. — Adapted from Joseph Buchanan Bernardin, "The Resurrection of Lazarus," The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Vol. 57, No. 3 (Jul. 1940), 262-290. 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“Let us purify our mind, for I believe that when the mind is completely pure and is in its natural state, it gains penetrating insight, and it sees more clearly and further than the demons, since the Lord reveals things to it.”[1] Such was the teaching of Abba Antony, for whom sainthood was nothing more than the natural state of humanity — that is, the state intended for it by its Creator. Indeed, the Lord directs the multitudes, without qualification, that they “be perfect as [their] heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), and Saint Paul unmistakably declares that “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). The calling to sainthood is therefore offered to all by God, who “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), if only they wholeheartedly desire God, freely accept the cost of discipleship, empty themselves in total submission to the word of God, accept to take up their cross, and follow Him by living the ecclesial life by His grace and the guidance of the Spirit. It was this calling that His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI accepted, and God, by that acceptance, saved both him and the Church he was ultimately called to shepherd. Much has been said in recent years of His Holiness, whether in scholarship or among the believers in meetings, sermons, and various other media. In approaching a man of such stature, it is easy to lose oneself in considering his virtues, or his miracles, or his personal story and circumstances, and to think, because of his distinct piety, that he was an entirely different sort of person whose virtuosity cannot be attained and whose saintliness cannot be replicated. In accordance with the teaching of the Scriptures described above, however, it would not be prudent to approach this truly unique man with such reverent otherization. Rather, it is both edifying and necessary to approach him with a clear recognition that his marked greatness was not because of eloquent homilies, or prolific writing, or charismatic leadership, or even his many miraculous activities, but because of the stillness and simplicity of a prayerful life borne out of his sincere love for God and his deep conviction that the Christian life, and by extension the administration and leadership of the Church, must be ordered according to the teaching of Christ and cannot be guided by, modeled after, or in any way resemble the world. Pope Kyrillos inherited the papacy of a Church in need of reform — a Church suffering from a loss of vision and purpose directly attributable to an increasing worldliness by her members at all levels. Several churches resembled family businesses and social clubs rather than churches, liturgical prayers were often neglected in the parishes, and many members of the clergy abandoned their primary vocations of prayer, fasting, theological education, and spiritual fatherhood, enjoying the status and place of princes among their people by virtue of their ecclesial rank and managing, rather than shepherding, the flock of Christ. The liturgical services, and thereby prayer and worship, were therefore often disregarded, carried out in haste, and used for material gain, and, when observed, were commonly practiced without the requisite care, spirit, or love, relegated to the wayside as a result of the foreign operating philosophies that had insidiously overtaken many of the churches. It was in this milieu that Pope Kyrillos became patriarch and endeavored by God’s grace to reorient the Church to her proper mission. This he accomplished in reverent meekness accompanied by prayer, fasting, and a Christian life properly lived. It was not by signs and wonders that he exorcised the demons of worldliness and misguidance that warred against the believers in his time, but by faithfully abiding by the word of God despite those who vigorously opposed it as contrary to their philosophies and frameworks of thought. In the face of staunch opposition by those who, having succumbed to worldly wisdom, thought that qualification in and fitness for the service of the Church arises from conventional appearances, advanced degrees, and practices conforming to public expectation and approval, this great shepherd held fast to the teaching of his Master, faithfully upending all such notions by his markedly distinct manner of life. The Church in this state required emergent rehabilitative measures — not radical reformist policies akin to those effectuated in political, social, and cultural contexts, but the reimplementation of spiritual measures proper to the Christian life which had unfortunately deteriorated, particularly amongst members of the clergy and lay leaders in the churches, amidst the turmoil of that time. It was precisely such measures that Pope Kyrillos embodied, beginning with his childhood and continuing throughout his life and eventual papacy, thereby reinvigorating in the Church the spirit of prayer and sound ecclesial life and administration that had become scarce in the years prior to his patriarchate. Beginning at a young age, His Holiness was accustomed to prayer and the life with God, having been raised, in his own words, “in the fear of God”[2] by pious parents who faithfully observed the life of the Church in all of its fullness. As but one illustrative example of this characteristic disposition, as a young boy between five and eight years of age, His Holiness, then Azer Youssef Atta, attended the festival of Saint Mina the Wonderworker in the town of Ibyar, Egypt, where, while multitudes were gathered outside the church enjoying theater, food and drink, live music, and other activities, he was not found except inside the church, participating in the liturgical prayers that took place throughout the week.[3] Later, as a young man still living in the world, he would attend the morning prayers at the local church daily on his way to work,[4] and afterwards, upon joining the Baramous Monastery, he continued to attend the daily prayers and praises with his brother monks as a matter of course. Thereafter, upon relocating to the solitude and simplicity of a cave, then to his beloved windmill, where he resided for a few years as a hermit, and finally to the Monastery of Saint Mina in Old Cairo, which he established and where he lived for the twelve years immediately preceding his election to the papacy in 1959, he continued to pray fervently on a daily basis, chanting the evening, midnight, and morning praises, offering the evening and morning incense, and celebrating the Eucharistic service, recognizing by his manner of life this fundamental truth: that the Church’s life is in her liturgical worship, and it was this, with God’s help, that would render him soundly Christian and which would ultimately restore to the Church the glory intended for her by Christ. Even after his election as patriarch, His Holiness did not assume the grandeur and pomp that might be expected of that position, but instead maintained his humble demeanor, simplicity of speech, and common attire, continuing to abide by the life of prayer and asceticism he had practiced since his youth and thereby fulfilling in every respect the teaching of Christ: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-29). It was this distinct and profoundly courageous manner of life — a life unlike that of the world or of those in the Church who had been compromised by the world — that led the Church to the spiritual revival she experienced during his papacy. The blueprint for a living and active Church is not in an abundance of meetings and sermons, or in a diversity of social or cultural activities, or in any other measure separate and apart from the altar and the word of God. Indeed, the altar, along with the Scriptures, was found at the center of His Holiness’ life. In the words of Fr. Daniel Fanous, prayer was for His Holiness “both the beginning and the end of the spiritual life, its nourishment and its treasure, the means and the goal, the ‘support,’ ‘core,’ and ‘giver’ of virtues.”[5] In this way, in all circumstances, acting with and through prayer, and permitting God to work in him through his intimate relationship with the altar and his intimacy with His word, he submitted all challenges, questions, and issues to God in prayer, with the prayers and intercessions of those among the saints with whom he had a special relationship — namely the Virgin Mary, Saint Mina the Wonderworker, Saint Mark the Evangelist, and Abba Isaac the Syrian. As it was with His Holiness, the altar — denoting both the physical church altar and, in a spiritual sense, rightly offered prayer, worship, and praise — must enjoy the primary place in the life of the properly ordered community of believers, never subordinated to any other activity or goal and never compromised to accommodate any agenda, schedule, or plan. The life of the Church, like that of every believer, must in all instances be oriented towards and lived through the liturgical experience, since it is through prayer, along with all Christian practices complementary to it, that the believer comes to know, love, and abide with God. It was this fundamental truth that Pope Kyrillos recognized and had the courage to implement both throughout his life and, by extension, in the Church he was chosen to lead, accepting the consequences of this decision out of his deep love for and fidelity to Christ and His teaching. In teaching His disciples, the Lord taught that demons can only be cast out by prayer and fasting.[6] As a faithful disciple to Christ, Pope Kyrillos took up these necessary weapons to overcome the demons, and by his fasting and prayer, with complete selflessness, sincere humility, and godly wisdom, submitting himself to the wisdom of God and rejecting any semblance of worldly wisdom, he was able, by the support and guidance of God, to exorcise from the Church not only those evil spirits that tormented certain of the believers, but also, and more importantly, the demons of worldliness, corruption, ignorance, prayerlessness, lukewarmness, and a myriad of other vices that had taken root among the flock. May the prayers of His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI continue to aid the Church he faithfully served and guarded as she continues to struggle against sin, worldliness, and the onslaughts of the devil, and grant us by his example the courage and faithfulness to accept the cost of discipleship, discern and submit to the teaching of the Lord and the guidance of the Spirit, take up the weapons of fasting and prayer, and live the Christian life with love and sincere conviction regardless of the consequences, for the sake of Christ, to whom, with His good Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory and honor both now and forever. Amen. — [1] Abba Antony the Great, as recorded in Hesychios the Priest, On Watchfulness and Holiness 179 (Philocalia vol. I, 194) [2] See Daniel Fanous, A Silent Patriarch: Kyrillos VI: Life and Legacy, 21 [3] Id. at 28 [4] Id. at 39 [5] Id. at 134 [6] See Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:29 —

A translation of an excerpt from a sermon delivered by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. — Fasting does not concern the relationship between ourselves and food — when and what to eat — it is rather, before all else, the relationship between ourselves and God. So examine yourself to determine whether you experience it. St. Isaac the Syrian says: “He who deprives his mouth from food but does not deprive his tongue from idle words and his heart from lust, fasts in vain.” We should, therefore, in the period of fasting, consider how to walk in it spiritually, and not merely change the kind of food we eat to a vegan type. And if the body fasts, does the spirit also fast along with it or not? In the bodily sense, fasting can be summarized in one phrase: self-control. Even if you eat vegan food, if you do not control yourself, you will not experience the value of fasting. Because there are many vegan foods that are quite enjoyable, and nowadays the people make flavorful vegan desserts. But fasting in the bodily sense is self-control. If you do not control yourself, you will not benefit from fasting. You will tire and deprive yourself, but finish without having benefitted. For this reason, if those who smoke cannot complete the Fast while having ceased the habit of smoking, then they have not benefitted. There are then certain conditions of fasting that we must know. Fasting alone is not sufficient. It must be conjoined to certain things in order to constitute an acceptable fast. The first thing to which it must be related is repentance. Fasting must be accompanied by repentance. Do not think that one who fasts while drowning in sin is really fasting. This is an unaccepted fast. God desires a pure heart more than he does a hungry stomach, but the unity of the two is for the better. So sit with yourself in the period of the Fast and ask yourself: “What are the sins of which I must rid myself so that I may repent?” Notice in the story of the Ninevites — who offered a diligent fast to the extent that they wore sackcloth, abstained from food, and humbled themselves before God — the Bible says: “When God saw that they had abandoned the evil in their hands,” He forgave them. He did not only consider the extreme asceticism with which they fasted, but He also looked to their abandonment of their sins and forgave their sins. The second point is that fasting must be accompanied not only by repentance, but also by prayer. With fasting, you bring your body into subjection, but with prayer, you nourish the spirit. For this reason, you find the phrase “fasting and prayer” together repeated frequently in the Fraction that we pray [in the Great Lent] — fasting and prayer. You may say, “we have been praying our whole lives, why should we specifically pray while fasting?” You indeed pray throughout your life, but during the time of fasting, the degree of your prayer should be elevated beyond your normal practice. Begin experiencing meek prayer, fervent prayer, deep prayer, prayer with understanding, and prayer in which you feel that there is a direct connection between yourself and God. For this reason, the word for “prayer” in the Arabic language (صــــــــلاة) is more expressive than its equivalent in other languages. “Prayer” [in English] means to entreat, but [“prayer” in Arabic] denotes a connection — between yourself and God. Do you feel in your prayers that such a connection exists? In your prayer, correct the quality and increase the quantity, and by this you will walk in a sound manner, because prayer during the Fast is of a higher caliber than other prayers. Also among the things that accompany fasting is almsgiving, or feeding the poor. This is because the one who fasts and feels hunger experiences the pain of hunger and will therefore have compassion on those who are hungry. Without this, as one of the Fathers said, “if you do not have anything to give to those [who are hungry], fast and give them your own food.” And in Isaiah 58:6[-7] it says: “Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen . . . to feed the hungry, and to shelter the stranger in your own house,” meaning the acts of mercy that you perform during the Fast. [And] fasting is not that you preserve food; rather the food that you do preserve, you should give to the poor. And you should eat without desire, because we fast to avoid desire; what do we benefit then if we come to the Fast and eat with desire? Train yourself that you do not request a particular type of food [during the Fast], and if you are offered a particular food that you like, as the Fathers say, “lift your hands from it while your desire for it remains.” That is, finish half of the plate and leave the rest instead of eating the whole plate and requesting another, or else you are eating what you desire. Daniel spoke of his fasting and said: “I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I eat delectable food” (Daniel 10:2-3). Of course, if food were not appetizing, you would not eat at all. But you should eat with limitation. Fasting, as we have said, must be accompanied by repentance and prayer and giving to the poor. It should also be accompanied by spiritual contemplation — reading from the Bible. The Lord Jesus Christ, in the time of His fasting, was likely meditating on chapter eight of the Book of Deuteronomy, because from it He responded to Satan saying, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” which was mentioned in this chapter. Fasting must also be accompanied by training. Train yourself in many things, such as forsaking sin and certain tendencies, and acquiring virtues which will aid you to be saved, as you see fit, or else you will complete the Fast while remaining as you were. Let me ask you — how many periods of fasting have you experienced throughout your life? Many fasts every year, and [you have lived] many years. What have you benefitted [from them]? You must train yourself and be strict and diligent with yourself, so that you may experience the results, to the nourishment of your spiritual life. How many are our fasts, and not only the large and known fasts! For example, we fast before every one of the Mysteries of the Church. There is fasting before Baptism and the [anointing with] Myron, and also before communion, so that we may prepare ourselves for the grace that we receive from God. We receive grace from the Mystery, so we must prepare ourselves for it through fasting. But for Confession, we do not require fasting, because we eagerly await the coming of a person to confession, even if he had eaten an entire lamb! What is important is that he comes and confesses and repents. And in Marriage, for the sake of the weakness of the people, they are not required to fast, but long ago, they would be married after the Morning Raising of Incense and would be fasting and would receive communion, and for the following three days they would live in virginity, and afterward they would live their normal married life. So they would begin their married life with fasting also. This was in the old days, when the people were godly. Regarding the Priesthood, they would also be fasting: the person being ordained fasts, and the one ordaining him also fasts. And in Baptism, the woman who brings her child to be baptized must also be fasting, as must the priest who will baptize the child. So, it is not only the large fasts; there are other smaller fasts along the way that we fast so that we may be worthy of the grace associated with them. Without the spiritual state that belongs to fasting, our fasts will never be acceptable. There are many fasts that are not accepted, as there are also prayers that are not accepted. One example of the unacceptable fast is [that of] the Pharisee who entered the Temple and spoke to God saying: “God, I thank You that I am not like other men . . . unjust, kidnappers, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:11). And he did not leave justified, even though he considered himself better than the other. An unacceptable fast. Another unaccepted fast is that of the [more than forty] people who vowed to fast and not eat anything until they killed the Apostle Paul (See Acts 23:12-14). Their fasting profited them nothing, they did not succeed in killing him, and I know not what became of their vow. We thank God, who granted us fasting out of His desire to revive and awaken us, instructing us to be keen to enter into a period of distinct spirituality, with the condition that the virtues gained by fasting are not then lost on the day of the Feast at the breaking of the Fast. Do not come on the day of the Feast and say with Solomon, “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure” (Ecclesiastes 2:10). What did you benefit then? You are then like the prince of [poets] Ahmad Shawqī, who during his fast did not drink wine but afterward said: “Bring, O steward, the desired one which longs for the one who desires her.” We should rather acquire virtues so that they remain with us and become a way of life. I wanted to share with you these words about fasting before the Fast concludes, so that during the coming days of the Fast, you may correct what you previously did not do, and may God be with you. — For the Arabic original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVEjC8vo5tw

A translation of an excerpt from a Sermon delivered on August 25, 1978 by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. — The human, in his journey towards God in his spiritual life, sometimes goes astray and loses his way, especially if they lack the virtue of discernment, or that of wisdom, or if they do not have experience in the spiritual atmosphere and the way of God. There is a verse in the scriptures that is found more than once, saying: “There is a way that seems right for man, but the end of it are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). This means that there is a way that, in a person’s opinion, is correct. And there are many who depend on their own understandings, stubbornly hold fast to their own ideas, and think that their ideas are correct. Such a person might read a reading and find it opposed to his thinking, and suppose that the reading is mistaken while he is not. He might hear homilists and spiritual guides opposing his opinion and nonetheless believe that these are wrong while he is not. And it is possible that even his father of confession might advise him against this opinion, and nonetheless he holds fast to his opinion and believes it to be correct, believing that all of these people are persecuting him. To this person the Bible says: “Lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). For this reason, guidance is found in the Church. And one of the fathers (c.f. Palladius) says “Those who are without a guide fall as the leaves of the trees.” Why? Because “there is a way that seems right for man, but the end of it are the ways of death,” and the person is lost on the way. Do you think that, when Jonah fled from God to Tarshish, he did not think that he was walking correctly? God even came to him in the end and asked him, “were you angry?” And he told God “I was angry even to death” (Jonah 4:9). His thinking was beautiful in his eyes. The most difficult thing for a person to resist is his thinking. It is possible that we might oppose the thinking of others, but it is difficult for us to oppose our own opinions. And if someone is too staunch to his opinions, this thinking might lead him to rebellion, and to hardness of heart, and to stubbornness of thought, because he is too unwavering in his thinking. The humble person concedes at times. It is not necessarily true that whatever I think must be true. Perhaps what I think happens to be wrong. There are some people who, when faced with an issue, think that there is absolutely no room for discussion. But is it really true that there is absolutely no room for discussion? Many people trust in their opinions and believe that they are true. But these people require humility and willingness to rethink their opinions, and to be able to say “I might be wrong,” and “the other opinion may be sound.” There is no reason for too much staunchness, or too much discussion, or too much debate or resistance. For this reason, the humble find the way of the Lord to be an easy way. In monasticism, the humble person progresses more quickly in the way than the other. That is because he accepts advice, concedes his opinions, is not staunch with his opinions, and does not believe as true everything that comes to his mind. The way whose end is death appears beautiful in the eyes of man, despite its end being death. This shows us the ego that stands against man. And the one who wishes to walk in the way of God must resist his ego, just as our Lord Jesus Christ says that man ought to hate even himself for the sake of God (Luke 14:26). He resists his ego. Here is found the idea of self-denial. The resistance of the ego is in some of the spiritual books called the “putting to death.” The person enters into the “putting to death;” putting the self to death so that it may live; rejecting himself so that he may find life; rebelling against his own self, struggling with his own self, and putting his own self under subjection; not obeying his own will. The most troubling thing in your spiritual life is to walk according to your own will. As one of the saints said: “I have not found a stumbling block for a young man greater than for him to walk according to his desires.” Good is the saying of the Lord who said to Hagar: “Go and submit yourself to your mistress” (Genesis 16:9). “Submit yourself” — that is a good saying. It is good to submit yourself, and to resist the self. Our problem is that, instead of warring against our egos, we war against people; and instead of resisting our egos, we resist people. And the power of anger that is given to us, that we may anger against our sins, and anger against our souls in their falls, we misuse and become angry with people. Try to resist your ego, to oppose your ego, to subdue your ego, and not to walk according to your own desires, nor to walk according to your own opinions, and to live first according to the virtue of obedience. Strive against your ego. This is what is required of the person who wishes to live with God. There is a verse the Lord Christ said, and it is a beautiful verse that encompasses within it many things: “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39). In your spiritual life, do you find yourself, or do you lose yourself for the sake of God? Every person’s ego is beautiful in his eyes. It is dear to him. He wishes to give rest to himself, and wishes to please himself, and wishes to feel his own status. He says “I want to feel my existence.” Just like those who follow existentialist philosophy, who think that the existence of God eliminates their own existence. They say: “God does not feel our existence. I want to avoid God and feel my own existence. I want to live my life and find myself and enjoy the world. I want to live my life.” This is the self that is leading you astray. “He who finds his life will lose it.” The prodigal son, one day, wanted to enjoy his existence and find himself: “Why should I stay in my father’s house? What makes me live under orders and ‘where are you going and coming from?’ What makes me live the life of obedience? Why don’t I live the life of freedom, which is better?” The life of freedom was better than the life of obedience in this young man’s opinion: “Why should I live in an old man’s house while I am young? Why don’t I live on my own, and live in my own home, and become my own master, and find myself? My self that is lost in that home.” So he told his father: “Give me my inheritance. Give me my freedom. Let me live my life as I want.” So he took the money and did whatever he wanted, thinking that he had found himself. Yet the saying rang in his ears: “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” There is the person who, to find himself, wants to find freedom. He says: “I want liberty; I don’t want to be bound by anything.” The majority of the problem of our youth in this generation is this freedom — this “liberty.” They want to live however they want: “I will style my hair however I want, and I don’t care what anyone says. I will do my nails however I want, and I don’t care what anyone says. I will wear tight clothing, and I don’t care what anyone says. I will work and travel, and I don’t care what anyone says. I want to live my life.” “He who finds his life will lose it.” My beloved, God has not given you the self to say “I will please it and give it freedom as it wants.” God gave you the self so that you may control it and govern it. Solomon the Wise says: “Better to have self control than to conquer a city” (Proverbs 16:32). This is the self that you are given to govern and conquer. Do not fulfill every thought that comes to your mind. Our saintly fathers were not quick to fulfill the thoughts that came to them. To every thought that came to them, they said: “Let us be patient. Let us run this thought by God and see what He thinks. Let us put this thought on the altar and see what God thinks of it.” You speak to a great person and say “let us do this or that,” and he will tell you “be patient my son. Let us run this thought by God, and ‘if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it’ (Acts 5:38-39).” But zeal, speed, and haste are what put us into trouble. Zeal, speed, and haste do not give us a chance to run the thought by God, nor by a spiritual guide, nor wait to see God’s will. Believe me, what led Eve to fall was this haste. The thought came to her and she carried it out right away. If Satan told her “eat from the tree” and she told him “let me think about this for two or three days,” she would not have fallen ever. It would have been impossible. For the full sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IfPtjw-ilI&feature=youtu.be This translation by Anthony & Andrew Doss was first shared by H.H. Pope Shenouda III Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary on March 17, 2020.

In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the departure of Fr. Samuel Habib, hegumen of Amir Tadros el-Shotby Coptic Orthodox Church, Minya, Egypt, the following is a translation of a homily delivered on November 17, 1991 at St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, Minya, Egypt by hegumen Fr. Samuel Habib. May his prayers be with us. — In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — One God. Amen. May His grace and blessing be with us all. Amen. On this blessed morning, the Word of God speaks to us about the Sower, because the month of Hatour is the month of planting: “If you miss the planting of Hatour, you must wait until the year comes round.” See, when someone leaves or forgets something, when one forgets to pray, they lose the blessing of prayer. When one forgets to go to Church and attend the Liturgy, they lose the blessing of the Liturgy. This is why we should not delay in making our requests to God and standing before Him in prayer. We should not delay in performing good deeds. Our Lord Jesus Christ speaks to us about His being the Sower; when He went out to sow, He threw the seeds on the soil, and thorns grew with the plants. The soil was not good, mingled with things unpleasant for tilling — rocks, stones, and things of that sort. Of course, if it were good soil, there would be no thorns growing in it. Often, thorns grow on cliffs. When one walks, they find thorns on the edge of the road, before you reach the good soil, because this part of the land is not suitable for planting — it must have something that prevents the plants from growing. These thorns are very difficult. The thorns are the worries of this world and its distractions. The thorns are the sins which occupy one’s life. Maybe there are thorns in one’s eyes which prevent him from seeing clearly, so that he cannot see the road well. Maybe there are thorns in one’s tongue, so that his words are not “seasoned with salt” (See Mark 9:49) but rather full of stumbling, cursing, and unpleasant language. Maybe there are thorns in one’s heart, preventing the Lord from dwelling within. The Lord loves His dwelling place, as it is written about Him: “If He charges His angels with error” (Job 4:18); and “the heavens are not pure in His sight” (Job 15:15); and “what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). So, the throne of God and the dwelling place of God must be holy and suitable. Why else do we say “Holy” (Isaiah 6:3) and “Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever” (Psalm 93:5)? Each of us are a dwelling place for our Lord: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). There are thorns which enter and choke the inner dwelling place, preventing the Lord from residing within us. There are thorns surrounding our bodies which prevent us from performing the good deeds we desire to do: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24); “Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good” (Romans 7:20-21). You may find that you cannot even extend your hand to perform good deeds, to serve the weak, the widow, and those in need. There are thorns which surround our feet, preventing us from going and serving one another. There are many people who are in need of our condolences and visitation to them to offer our consolation. There are many people who are in need of cheerful words or congratulations — this small word carries a large meaning. The small act of offering condolences with few words carries a significant meaning. This is why we must be sure that our feet walk in the way of charity: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). There are many thorns which plague your legs, so that you are prevented from coming to Church, and you forget to say: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1). These are the same thorns that hurt the feet of the Prodigal Son when he left his father’s house and went afar — thorns of pleasures, thorns of desires, thorns of arrogance, thorns of pride, thorns of conceit, thorns of sinful deeds — all of these choked him. He squandered his money, his honor was lost, even his clothes were torn and dirtied, his feet bled, and his life became miserable and bitter. He was in need, whereas before he lived in luxury. He lost his dignity and thought: “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luke 15:17). He thought: “The servants in my father’s house are many, and they lived in luxury, eating, drinking, and enjoying many blessings, while I, the son of luxury, lost this luxury! The son of honor, I lost my honor. The son of glory, I have become shameful. The son of the rich, I became poor.” All of this because he strayed away from his father’s house, and the thorns suffocated him and did not allow him to experience the true beauty of life, for “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). There are thorns that grow, and because we have strayed from our Lord and do not repent, and do not have pure hearts, “you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:5). Remove the thorns immediately, so that the soil is good. If there is a thorn in your eye, pluck it, lest it grow and bring more with it, and instead of being a speck, it becomes a plank. When it becomes a plank, you will be prevented from seeing clearly: “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). There are planks, my beloved, that are of discontentment and are caused by the growing thorns when a person is not satisfied with what he has, and does not say: “We thank You for every condition, concerning every condition, and in every condition,” (See the Thanksgiving Prayer) or “We thank You for the clothes which I wear and the food that nourishes me, which others do not possess. I thank You for my health, which others long to find.” Oh, how many people have this plank of discontentment! They come to church and see those who are dressed better than them, and become angered or want to imitate them. There is no contentment within them, and they have lost the spirit of thankfulness. There is also the thorn of impurity which enters an eye, so that instead of preserving the eye’s purity, knowing that “the lamp of the body is the eye” (Matthew 6:22), a person neglects to remove this thorn before it corrupts the body. Time after time the person finds that he no longer merely desires, but also acts upon his desires as well, and falls into acts of greed, revenge, lying, and even murder, amongst many other sins. There are many thorns — we must pluck them right away, lest they destroy our lives and we struggle. “The Word of God is living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). You were created after the Image and Likeness of God, and God gave you beauty, “the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel” (Isaiah 11:2), and innumerable blessings. What causes you to lose these blessings and gifts? The thorns of the world, the thorns of vanity, the thorns of conceit, the thorns of unthankfulness, the thorns of discontentment, the thorns of anger, pride, and hatred, and the thorns of revenge. St. Moses the Strong had these thorns controlling his life, so much so that he put every effort into killing those who opposed him, even going out of his way for the sake of revenge. He subjected his body to lust, and committed sins as if he were drinking water. How would the Word of God grow and produce fruit in this person? He would not find improvement unless he removed the thorns and emptied his life of all these evils. The people surrounding you, if they are bad influences, are thorns which choke your life: “Evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Remove these thorns which corrupt good behavior. When we remove these thorns, we become pure, for “every word of God is pure” (Proverbs 30:5), and we suffocate it and cause it to lose its sweetness and splendor. What changed your beauty into ugliness? What changed your sweetness into bitterness? What changed your virtues into shameful deeds and actions? All of this is because of the thorns. For this reason our Lord Jesus Christ accepted to have a crown of thorns placed upon His head, to remind you of all of the sins which come from the thorns which trouble you. He comes and accepts shame for you, “having become a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13), and He hung on the Cross, as the Bible says: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13; c.f. Deuteronomy 21:23). He wears the crown of thorns in order to crown us with the crown of honor, so that you might remove every thorn from your life and give yourself wholly to our Lord and ask Him to adorn you with the crown of glory, holiness, righteousness, and struggle, as He crowned the saints — such as St. Paul the Apostle, St. George, and all the saints — so that you may proclaim with them: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). My beloved, our Lord warns you: “Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown” (Revelation 3:11). You remove the crown of thorns so that He may adorn you with the crown of glory. Struggle, even so far as to resist “to bloodshed, striving against sin” (Hebrews 12:4), so that the Lord will remove these thorns from you and carry them on your behalf: “And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). He will carry them in order to adorn you with the crown of glory and dress you with white garments (See Revelation 3:5), so that you may be with Him in His glory, and He tells you “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21). May God grant us grace, my beloved, and let us ask Him for help in removing the thorns from our lives. Alone, we are unable to remove these thorns, but He is the one who is able to help us remove them from our lives. Assist me, Lord, to please you with every good deed. To God is due all glory and honor — now, forever, and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.

A translation of the First Papal Sermon of His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI, delivered at his enthronement by the late Metropolitan Anba Lucas — May 10, 1959. — Our beloved brethren, the fathers, the metropolitans and bishops, and our dear children, the priests and deacons and all the people everywhere in the See of St. Mark. Grace and blessing and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I thank my good God, the Lord of Glory, who has called me and chosen my weakness for this holy service, not worthily, but out of the abundance of His grace, for the purpose of shepherding His blessed people and for the service, that the sign of His glory may be exalted, and for the preparation of individuals as well as nations for the inheritance of eternal life. Beloved, I feel in myself the responsibility that has been placed on my shoulder, and the holy deposit that has been tied around my neck, and these talents that have been delivered to me from the Lord of the Church – these talents in which I must invest to bear fruit and multiply. But who am I? It is the grace of God that works in us and with us. Certainly, He who has called me will assist me in the apostolic service. I trust in His blessed promise: “I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break the gates of brass and cut asunder the bars of iron” (Is. 45:2). My entire trust is in the mercies of our God, who says to His Church: “‘For a brief moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,’ Says the Lord, your Redeemer.” (Is. 54:7-8). What does the human need more than the service of the Spirit in this age of materialism, infidelity, atheism, and deviant intellectual tendencies? What will benefit the people except that they see Christ in our lives, and smell His beautiful fragrance in us. The Church is entrusted with a dangerous mission in the moment that the world is currently going through. She must establish faith in the hearts, and spread virtue, and send peace and tranquility to every troubled soul, so that stability may ensue and joy may increase. For the message of the Lord Christ is the inauguration of a better life for the people: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). That is the pure, calm, purifying, and active life, which constitutes the good, productive citizen and the active member of the Church, who knows to be honest always to God and to country, cooperating with all with the spirit of collegiality and brotherhood. I rely on the support of God and your love, which I hold dearly, needing the spirit of the saintly fathers and [walking in] the footsteps of the past patriarchs, the successors of Saint Mark the Apostle, who fought the good fight and completed their struggle and kept the Faith and delivered to us the holy deposit. I wish that I may open to you my heart, that you may see the deep love that covers all, that is the love that pours forth from the heart of our Savior, who loved us and redeemed us by His blood. I ask all to persevere in the offering up of prayers for the sake of the peace of the Church and for my weakness, and for the sake of all servants and workers. “You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest” until He confirms and grants that His Church “may offer praise on the earth” (Is. 62:6-7). If our mission is so great and dangerous, then this matter calls for the unity of powers and efforts, that we may complete our work with joy. I am confident that our brethren the metropolitans and bishops, our blessed children the priests and deacons, the members of the general and individual lay councils, the various entities and active societies, and all servants in the vineyard of the Lord, will all work together in cooperation with us in love and loyalty, with self-sacrifice and the denial of the ego, in harmony with the leadership and the grace of the Great Shepherd of shepherds; may we disappear that He may appear with His blessed glory. I ask the Lord that He may grant us all oneness of spirit and heart and thought, that we may work together with one mind and one will, that is the will of the Holy Spirit, Who has guided the Church throughout her long glorious history. And we have one holy goal: the glory of God and the service of Truth and the highest aspirations. I do not aspire to anything and “neither is my soul haughtily raised within me” (Ps. 131:1), except that I may complete my struggle joyfully, and the service that I have taken from the Lord Jesus, knowing that you are my joy and pleasure and crown of boasting (cf. 1 Thess. 2:19). My joy is in your success, and my pleasure is in the steadfastness of your faith and the power of your hope and the increase of your love (cf. 1 Thess. 1:3). May the God of all love and peace shepherd the people of the United Arab Republic and keep the life of the President Gamal Abdel Nasser, the president of the Republic, and aid with wisdom and peace his struggle and hard work for the sake of peace and the liberty of the peoples. We also convey the sincerest greetings and our Apostolic blessings to the beloved blessed Orthodox brother, the honorable emperor Haile Selassie I, the emperor of Ethiopia, and to the honorable empress and princes, and our brothers the Metropolitan Anba Basilious, and all the bishops and priests and deacons and dear Ethiopian congregation. We implore God that He may preserve the congregations of the See of St. Mark, and grant peace and success to its governments in Africa and Asia, for the sake of the establishment and spread of the principles of love and peace in all the world, and to His greatness is due all thanks and glory and honor always and forever. Amen. — If you find this translation lacking or mistaken in any way, due to our own shortcomings and weakness and not those of our fellow workers, please let us know so we may correct it. Please pray for those who took part in this work and may this be for your edification. The link to the video is below: https://youtu.be/SViqWBvdA2M (@ 11:57 — 21:51)

During the distribution of the Holy communion, it is possible, albeit infrequent, that a morsel or portion of the Holy Eucharist[1] may accidentally be spilled or fall from the hands of the priest or bishop distributing the Sacrament. In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Eucharist that is offered to the communicants is well understood and believed to be the true Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and this faith, held by the believers in the Church who approach the Table, is evident in practice even in such events, as the priest or bishop from whom such an accident occurs seeks with great care to retrieve the fallen portion so that no part of the Eucharist is wasted. Such care for the entirety of the Eucharist is an integral component of the work of the celebrant in administering the holy communion, especially as it reveals the Church’s faith in the actualization of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ when establishing the Eucharist with His disciples: “Take, eat; this is My body.”[2] In light of these words, and the unshaken belief of the believers in their truth, it would be absolutely unacceptable that even the smallest piece of the Body and Blood of the Lord, which were broken and shed on our behalf, be wasted. In most circumstances wherein such an affront occurs, only a fraction of the Eucharist falls or is spilled from the chalice, and so it can easily be retrieved, especially in the case of the Body, allowing for the administering of communion to continue. In the event that the whole chalice is spilled, however, the Church has prepared a liturgical prayer for the reconstitution of the chalice so that the congregation may not be prevented from partaking of the Eucharist. This prayer, translated into English below, as well as the attention given to the communing and distribution of the Eucharist, reveals the Coptic Orthodox believers’ living practice of the Church’s teaching: more than mere philosophy or ideology, the faith that the Eucharist is the true Body and Blood of Christ is lived and practiced throughout the rites of the Church’s worship, and the liturgical prayers express, preserve, and make practical this faith of the Church. During times when the Christians prayed liturgies in the homes of believers — especially during the years of the Apostles’ establishment of churches,[3] but also throughout history, especially during times of persecution — simple chalices and plates were consecrated and used in the administration of the Eucharist: “Probably, the first chalices used by Christian priests were made of glass. It seems likely at least, though the inference cannot be called certain, from Tertullian’s words, that in his time glass chalices were commonly used in church, and undoubtedly such chalices were still common during the fifth century, as appears from the testimonies of St. Jerome and Cyprianus Gallus, the biographer of St. Cæsarius of Arles. Gregory of Tours mentions a crystal chalice of remarkable beauty, which belonged to the church of Milan.”[4] Over time, the use of gold and silver became predominant, replacing the use of these simpler and less durable materials: “However, even before persecution had ceased, the Church began, from natural reverence for Christ’s blood, to employ more costly vessels … Of course, such precious chalices became more common when the Church grew rich and powerful … Still for a long time chalices of horn, base metal, &c., were still used…”[5] Even with the development of such protective measures, however, it was not unheard of that a chalice would leak or break from its frequent use, regardless of the material from which it was made. Chalices made from copper or brass would also easily rust, rendering their contents unfit for consumption and ultimately leading to prohibitions against the use of such materials in making the Eucharistic chalice: “Let not the chalice be made of copper or brass, because from the action of the wine it produces rust, which occasions sickness.”[6] To further preserve the integrity of the chalice and thereby ensure the security of the Blood therein, the liturgical rites of the Coptic Orthodox Church require that the celebrant trace around the edge of the chalice with his finger during the Institution Narrative to confirm that there are no cracks or breaks in the chalice that would either cause the Blood to leak or cause harm to the communicants. Such measures were enacted in the preparation of the chalice and within the rites of every Eucharistic celebration to ensure that the chalice was adequate for the reception of the Eucharist by the congregation. The many precautions and careful preoccupation with even the material of the chalice used in the administration of the Eucharist were not practiced without reason. As mentioned above, the faith of the Church in the truth of the Eucharist — that it is the true Body and Blood of the Lord, and not merely symbolic of them — required such care and attention, lest any of the Body and Blood of the Lord, which He offered as a ransom on behalf of humankind, be wasted or disregarded. Such faith is expressed liturgically, especially in the Confession said by the celebrant immediately prior to the distribution of the Eucharist — a prayer unique to the rite of the Coptic Orthodox Divine Liturgy: “Amen, Amen, Amen. I believe, I believe, I believe and confess to the last breath that this is the life-giving Flesh that Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ … given for us as a ransom (ⲛ̀ⲟⲩⲥⲱϯ), remission of sins, and eternal life to those who partake of It (ⲛ̀ϧⲏⲧⲥ). I believe, I believe, I believe that this is true. Amen.” We also find in many writings of the early Church Fathers an emphasis on the care for the administration of the Eucharist. Origen the Great, in the third century, writes: “You are accustomed to take part in the divine mysteries, so you know how, when you have received the Body of the Lord, you reverently exercise every care lest a particle of it fall, and lest anything of the consecrated gift perish.”[7] Around the same time, Hippolytus similarly mentions in his Apostolic Tradition, which was also pertinently called the Egyptian Church Order: “All shall be careful so that no unbeliever tastes of the Eucharist, nor a mouse or other animal, nor that any of it falls and is lost. For it is the Body of Christ, to be eaten by those who believe, and not to be scorned. Having blessed the cup in the Name of God, you received it as the antitype of the Blood of Christ. Therefore do not spill from it, for some foreign spirit to lick it up because you despised it. You will become as one who scorns the Blood, the price with which you have been bought.”[8] Later, in the fourth century, Cyril of Jerusalem, in his Mystagogical Catechesis, outlines the proper approach of the believers to the Eucharist: “In approaching therefore, come not with your wrists extended, or your fingers spread; but make your left hand a throne for the right, as for that which is to receive a King. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. So then after having carefully hallowed your eyes by the touch of the Holy Body, partake of it; giving heed lest you lose any portion thereof; for whatever you lose, is evidently a loss to you as it were from one of your own members. For tell me, if any one gave you grains of gold, would you not hold them with all carefulness, being on your guard against losing any of them, and suffering loss? Will you not then much more carefully keep watch, that not a crumb fall from you of what is more precious than gold and precious stones?”[9] In light of these and many other testimonies from the early Church, there is great caution and emphasis upon the particularities of the believer’s approach to the Table, to prevent any accidental loss of or injury to the Eucharist. In her wisdom, the Coptic Church, understanding the plausibility of the accidental spilling of the chalice, offers a theologically sound liturgical solution in presenting a prayer for the reconstitution of the chalice, so that no believer is prevented from partaking of the Eucharist in the event of such error on the part of the administering priest or bishop, who would be justly subject to punishment by the Church if found to have been negligent in his responsibility towards ensuring the safety of both the chalice and its contents. This prayer, which is in essence a summary of the Divine Liturgy, including each of its components — Trinitarian Doxology and the Thanksgiving Prayer (which introduce each of the Coptic Church’s sacramental prayers), raising of incense, Scriptural readings, supplication, reconciliation and the holy kiss, anamnesis, epiclesis, hymnological chant, etc. — provides the Church with an appropriate solution which enables the distribution of the Holy Mysteries to continue. Unable to compromise the liturgical worship and sanctity of the Eucharistic Table for any reason or situation, the Church’s presentation of this prayer reveals the sincerity and reverence by which the believers approach the Holy Communion and their expression of the faith in the truth of the Eucharist, the true Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. May God prevent such circumstances and aid our fathers the priests and bishops who are entrusted with delivering the Eucharist to us, that we may not be found guilty of wasting even a crumb or droplet from the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which He entrusted to us as a life-giving medicine of immortality. Source: الخولاجى المقدس القداسات الثلاثة عربى قبطى (مصححه بمعرفة القمص عبد المسيح صليب، ١٧١٠ شهداء ١٩٩٣ ميلادية) — [1] In the Coptic Orthodox Tradition, the small pieces of the Holy Eucharist are called “jewels” (جواهر). [2] Matthew 26:26 [3] See e.g., Acts 2:2; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2, [4] William E. Addis, A Catholic Dictionary Containing Some Account of the Doctrine, Discipline, Rites, Ceremonies, Councils, and Religious Orders of the Catholic Church, “Chalice,” 139 (Harvard University, 1884). [5] Ibid., 140 [6] Hefele, “Beiträge,” ii. p. 322 seq. (See Ibid., 140) [7] Origen the Great, Homilies on Exodus 13.3 [8] Hippolytus of Rome, The Apostolic Tradition 37-38 [9] Cyril of Jerusalem, On the Mysteries 5.21