A Coptic Orthodox Parish in San DIego, CA
As we begin the Fast of the Ninevites and remember how God sent the Prophet Jonah to exhort them to turn away from their wickedness and repent, it is meet and beneficial for us to meditate on the significance of Jonah’s mission to the Ninevites. The key to understanding Jonah’s mission is found, not in […]
Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man, take pity on him. If you see a friend being honored, do not envy him. Do not let only your mouth fast, but also the eye and the ear and the feet and the hands and all the members of our bodies. Let […]
In the English language, success is defined as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” In other words, a person sets for herself a certain goal or purpose and then works to achieve it. When she achieves it, we look at her as being successful. She attained success by achieving her specific goal or purpose. For this […]
This week, we celebrate the feast of one of the great saints of Christianity whose life and example are a light to all of us, the Strong Saint Abba Moses. Biography Let us first speak of the details of Abba Moses’ life. We know about Abba Moses primarily from an early Christian work known as the Lausiac […]
First of all, to me the problem arises from the problem that we do not distinguish between “what I want” and “what I need.” I want many things, but do I need them all? The assumption in our western society has been that we should have a continuing rise in the level of our economic well-being, that people should have […]
Do you read? Reading involves you intimately with the word, and the word is the definitive means of communication between man and man, and between God and man. Remember, the Son of God Himself is called the Word in the holy Scriptures. The Scriptures themselves form a record of God’s revelation to mankind, written in the […]
Our beloved father, the thrice-blessed Pope Shenouda III of blessed memory, was fond of repeating a simple, yet powerful phrase: “God exists.” What does this phrase mean in the context of our Lord’s Resurrection? In his First Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul addressed those people who deny the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and told […]
The gospel reading of the Sixth Sunday of the Great Holy Fast is full of powerful images of light and darkness. Our Lord says, for example, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the […]
He who flies after dignity, will be ignored of it; who refrains from dignity with discretion, will be pursued by dignity, and will be led to it by people. “… Watching this elderly man, near the age of seventy, rise daily at four o’clock in the morning to pray with intensity and perseverance, made many […]
Beloved brethren, as we begin the Great Holy Fast, I would like to emphasize that the Fast is a great and wonderful opportunity. We shouldn’t look at the Fast in a negative sense as though it were some kind of horrible punishment or obligation. Rather, we should look at the Fast as an incredible opportunity to return to […]
Among all of the talents and abilities that God has given us, faith is the most precious, because faith gives us the proper outlook to understand God and our relationship with Him. Faith reveals to us the very purpose of our lives; it encourages us during tribulations and gladdens our heart; it moves our prayer […]
On the second Sunday of Kiahk, we celebrate the Annunciation of the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Holy Virgin Mary. As we rejoice in the news of our Lord’s glorious Birth, we cannot underestimate the value and importance of the Holy Theotokos St. Mary. She was the person for whom all generations […]
