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H.H. Pope Tawadros II

Pope of Alexandria &Patriarch of the See of St. Mark

H.G. Bishop David

Bishop of the Diocese of New York and New England

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Table of ContentTopic Page

2 Be Ready 4

3 The First Epistle to Timothy 13

4 The Foundation 32

5 Heaven 44

6 What Am I?! 52

7 Memorization 60

Verified Truths:

There are many truths we all believe in. For example:

1. God exists and He is the Creator of this universe. He is the reason for our existence, salvation, and our eternal life.

2. God created Adam and Eve from the dust of the ground: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

3. “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.” (Genesis 2:8)

4. “And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.” (Genesis 2:9)

5. “The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Genesis 2:9)

6. “Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.” (Genesis 2:10)

7. “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.” (Genesis 2:21-22)

8. “And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’” (Genesis 2:23)

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour

you do not expect.” Matthew 24:44

Be Ready.. .

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9. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)

10. “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:25)

The Question to ask is: What did God do with Adam and Eve after the fall?

A New Nature After the Fall1. Our forefathers Adam and Eve fell when the serpent deceived Eve cunningly saying: “The day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)

2. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6)

3. “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8)

4. “Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9)

5. “So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:10)

6. “And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”” (Genesis 3:11)

7. “Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12)

8. “So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.” (Genesis 3: 14)

9. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

And this is what happened on the cross of Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory. Although Satan made the Jews bruise the heel of Christ, our Lord trampled down Satan under His feet through the Cross.

And this is how:The work of creation was completed after the fall of Man.

1. Redemption and salvation were promised and fulfilled through the Lord Jesus Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into the heavens.

2. He sent us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, and instituted for us the holy Church, the ship of deliverance and tower for our salvation.

3. He promised He will return in His glorified Second Coming “in which He will come in His glory and the glory of His Father, and judge everyone according to his deeds.” (Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil)

4. We cry out together, “According to Your mercy O Lord, and not according to our sins.” (Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil)

5. Through faith, repentance, confession, spiritual guidance, and the holy sacraments we abide in the Lord and the Lord abides in us, and we have eternal life and are sons and daughters of the Church. Therefore, take heed to partake of the Communion of the Holy Body and the Holy Blood of the Lord, beginning right after baptism (which should never be delayed except for emergency situations and under the guidance of the priest).

In this, the members of the church abide in the Lord, and the Lord abides in them. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” (John 6:56)

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Preparation for The Second ComingThe Church teaches us the necessity of being prepared to partake of the holy body and holy blood of the Lord: “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 11:27) This preparation includes the following:

1. Preparation by Faith“For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24) In the Old Testament, when Moses asked God about His name, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ (Exodus 3:14) And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’’” (Exodus 3:14). In Greek, “I Am” is “ego eimi,” which theologically means “I exist and am the source of existence.” We believe in One God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in His promises in the Old Testament which were fulfilled in the New Testament through His: Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, and we await His Second Coming and the life of the age to come. This is what we proclaim repeatedly in all our liturgies, rituals, and Church prayers believing that He is the God of both, the Old and New Testaments. We believe what our fathers have taught us, “that the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament, and the New Testament is hidden in The Old Testament.”Therefore, we believe that both Testaments are one book and one revelation, and that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16), “for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21)And here, we stop some allegations made in the current era in which they devalue the holiness of the Old Testament or some of its books, and completely neglect that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

2. Preparation by DoctrineIn our Coptic Orthodox Church, we: Hold fast the understanding of our Orthodox doctrine, protect it from alteration, and truthfully and confidently respond to all heresies. Our Church also provides different methods of explanation for understanding the doctrine to all members of the Church, and warn the people of God against giving in to heresies of various sects, whose goal is to distort and twist Orthodox doctrine.

Through these practices, the true children of God and the Church become pillars of faith to depend on.It is our duty to know and understand:

1. The Holy Trinity

2. The differences between our doctrine and the doctrine of other sects and denominations

3. The true meaning of Christian unity

4. The role of the Council of Nicaea in the establishment of the faith

5. The birth of The Nicaean Creed

6. That which was handed down to us from our Church Fathers and was “delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3)

7. The Holy Tradition, which was handed down to us and for future generations

These are all matters of the greatest importance and will be studied through St. Mark’s Festival.

Our Coptic Orthodox Doctrine is:1. A True Doctrine – Our doctrine is built on the Holy Bible and Holy Tradition and has a correct understanding of Church sacraments, intercessions, prayers for the departed, fasts, feasts, and other such religious matters. Our Church takes pride in God’s grace which produced for Christianity theologians who were able to teach the true Christian faith, the true doctrine, and formulate the Nicaean Creed. Our Coptic Orthodox Church is the most authentic and traditional Church in the world.

2. A Pure Doctrine – Our doctrine has not deviated to the right or the left since the time of the apostles until today, remaining faithful to the original teachings which were handed down to us by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. When other churches strayed too far in one direction, it resulted in other sects and denominations rebelling against them and deviating in the opposite direction, causing more schisms and sectarian churches. If these other churches met to discuss and debate their differences, they would find that Orthodoxy is the only way to return to their roots and understand the true teachings of Christ.

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3. A Complete Doctrine – Our doctrine does not focus on one aspect of Christianity while ignoring others, nor does it focus on certain verses in the Holy Bible while ignoring others. For example, we read in the Word of God about having faith without neglecting works; we honor the Virgin St. Mary but without giving her the rank of the godhead; we read and meditate on the Holy Bible without giving anyone the freedom interpret it (especially since we did not establish Christianity); our priests have authority in the Church but our congregations also have their place in making Church decisions; and our faith involves both grace and struggle. Our Church provides a complete and thorough view of Christianity.

4. A Biblical Doctrine – The Bible governs all aspects of our doctrine, tradition, and rituals. Although our Church is a traditional Church and believes in the importance of Tradition, and that the Bible itself came from and is part of our Tradition, it also believes that none of these things can be substantiated apart from the Word of God. For this reason, all our Church canons are written, because there are many verses in the Bible on the sacraments, intercessions, traditions, venerating the Virgin, unction of the sick with oil, priesthood, the altar, etc. …

There is no doubt that the doctrine of our Coptic Orthodox Church is the true way to understanding the Holy Bible and also life. We do not make this claim out of a bias position, but this is the heritage that our Fathers have handed down to us without any alterations. Our Fathers lived Christianity, they lived the Bible, and they also lived in society. Thus, we study their lives, sayings, interpretations of Scripture, their theology, dogma, and we work to continue in the same path, as it is written, “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.” Hebrews 13:7If we realize our roots in the depth of history and understand our Fathers’ conduct and emulate them, we “shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water” (Psalm 1:3), yielding fruits which bring glory to Christ our Lord, and building the kingdom of God, “some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:23

3. Spiritual PreparationThe spirit is one of the components God created man with. Through the spirit, faith, and spiritual means, man is able to connect with God. So, be wary not to have this component destroyed in your life due to negligence in the spiritual life. Our Church is careful in satisfying the spiritual needs of her children through prayer, fasting, the Holy Bible, the Eucharist, spiritual readings, spiritual meetings, service, daily praises, etc., and brings them to a life of sacrifice, love, and joy for the sake of Christ and the holy Church.

4. Church PreparationCommitment to the Coptic Orthodox Church life is of utmost importance individually, with family, and also with the Church congregation. From childhood, it is expected that all proclaim the history of our glorified Church and honor our great Fathers who preserved the faith, such as Pope Athanasius the Apostolic, Pope Cyril the Great, Pope Dioscorous, Pope Shenouda III, etc., and keep all they have written during their lives.

5. Preparation for ServiceA Church servant is one who is steadfast in the Orthodox faith, doctrine, and daily life. Most importantly, he or she should know what service is. Although it is typically understood that one gives to others when serving, one soon realizes that it is indeed they who are bestowed with much grace and blessings from God as it is written, “the generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.” (Proverbs 11:25) This means that the servant is the primary beneficiary from his or her service.There are many ways to serve as Jesus our Lord illustrated and the Holy Bible teaches us. There is educational service, remembrance service, prayer service, agape service, etc.…The person who does not offer service is like a well with no water. Therefore, we are called to serve with all our abilities for the glory of the Lord, for the nourishment of our lives, and the building of His kingdom.

6. Preparation for Eternal LifeOur daily goal is that “we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the coming age (Nicaean Creed).” All the labor of a Christian will stop at this point, the time of reaping, when the Lord Jesus comes a second time in a vibrant manner “with clouds, and every eye will see Him.” (Revelations 1:7) in contrary to His first coming where He was incarnated from the Virgin Mary

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in humility, disguising His Divinity according to His Divine plan for our salvation, “for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:8). His Second Coming will be “in His glory” (Matthew 25:31), in a revealed manner “with the brightness of His coming.” (2Thessalonians 2:8). For if the goal of the first coming was redemption, then the goal of the Second Coming is judgement. Hence, it is a great responsibility towards of every believer and every individual that they must attend to their daily spiritual life which includes continuous confessions, spiritual wakefulness, and being ready for the end of the world or at least the end of their life.Finally, we come to…

7. Daily PreparationThere are many question about many matters which ask, “Is this lawful or forbidden?” To answer these questions, St. Paul illustrated for us the principles by which we are to follow in our daily life when he said:

1. “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:12)

2. “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.” (1 Corinthians 10:23)

There are three principals to abide by in our daily life and use to answer any questions about my actions, or when making a tough decision:

1. Is this choice suitable for me as a child of God?

2. Will this decision build me, my family, my church, and my nation?

3. Will this issue gain control over me in a way that I become dependent on it and enslaved to it (as in smoking, drugs, or fornication)?

When I ask myself these questions, it will help me know how I should make my decisions and what is truly best for myself, my family, my church, and my nation, always rejecting all negativity around

me and all that is against my Christian faith, the Holy Bible, and Holy Doctrine. Also, I will be watchful against various internet sites, social media, inappropriate and/or excessive cell phone use, being superficial and any type of drug or sexual immorality.When you have “fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7), then the Lord will take us with His right hand and crown us with eternal life.“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21)Through the prayers of our beloved shepherd His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, and the great and honored metropolitans, bishops, fathers the priests, the head servants, the servants, and the entire congregation of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

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Introduction:First Timothy is one of the first three pastoral epistles that include guidance in pastoral care and service. The names of the three pastoral care epistles are named after three individuals who were shepherds who care for their spiritual being and not named after places or churches.

Who is Timothy?1. Timothy is a Greek name (Timotheos) meaning “the honor of God” or “righteous man of God”.

2. He believed in Christ through Saint Paul during his first missionary journey.

3. His father was Greek, but His mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, were Jews. His father died when he was young, his mother and grandmother raised him, teaching him the Holy Scriptures, but Timothy was never circumcised.

4. St. Paul circumcised Timothy when he visited him in Derbe and Lystra (See Acts 16:22) not because circumcision is important but in order for him to preach in the synagogues, because everyone knew that his father was Greek.

5. St. Paul had a very close relationship with St. Timothy. He ordained him a bishop of Ephesus.

When was this epistle written?This epistle was written around 64-65 A.D.

What is the purpose of this epistle to Saint Timothy?This is a Pastoral Letter. While most of St. Paul’s epistles are directed to a particular church, St.

Paul wrote this letter to Timothy to clarify his pastoral commitments in Ephesus.

St. Pau l ’s Fi rst Ep ist l e to H is Disc ip l e Timothy

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Theme of this epistle: ¿ The Pastoral Care of the Faithful. ¿ The role of the Church is to manifest the Kingdom of God on earth – “Heaven on

Earth.” ¿ How is this done? The Church’s function integrally connects apostolic doctrine/

teachings with worship.

Other themes of this epistle include: ¿ The role of the clergy, ¿ Combating heresy, ¿ Care for women, widows, and slaves. ¿ Money and the ministry

This is a particularly attractive epistle to the youth as Timothy was a young minister himself. Also,

we too will be called to lead in some capacity or another, whether in church, at work, at school,

or in our own homes. (NOTE: To learn

more about who St. Timothy was, see 2

Timothy 1 & 2 Timothy 3:15). This epistle

overall teaches us about the characteristics

of a strong leader in Christ.

1 Timothy, Chapter 1

The commandment is the goal of pastoral work

The Opening of the Epistle

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1)

Verse 1-2 Greetings: ¿ St. Paul confirms that the ministry he serves was not given to him by a person but was

given to him by God Himself. It is a service that cannot be abandoned. ¿ St. Paul repeats the phrase “our Savior” in the Pastoral Epistles more than all the other

epistles. ¿ St. Paul calls our Lord Jesus Christ “our hope”, which is why in the Litany of the

Gospels we pray: “For You are the life of us all, the hope of us all, the healing of us all, and the salvation of us all, and the resurrection of us all.”

¿ St. Paul calls Timothy “a true son” (gensios – the original, true, genuine, or real son). St. Paul is Timothy’s spiritual father. This fatherhood reflects the heavenly fatherhood of God. The Church reflects heaven on earth. The Church is a new family in faith.

¿ Also, the typical Pauline greeting, “grace and peace,” is now expanded to include “mercy.” We need to realize the steadfastness of God’s love in order to be patient with others and offer them the same love and mercy.

Verse 3: St. Paul urges Timothy to do two things:

1. Stay in Ephesus

2. Instruct some of the Ephesians not to teach other doctrines.There was another disciple of St. Paul who was called an honest son, whose name was Titus. After the release of St. Paul the Apostle from his first imprisonment in the year 66 A.D.,St. Paul went to Macedonia and asked Timothy to stay in Ephesus to forbid wrong teachings that were being taught by

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various priests and teachers. He asked him to bring them back to the true faith and doctrine. In fact, the responsibility of a bishop is to be alert to any wrong teachings. Even something as little as a word in a spiritual song may convey the wrong message or meaning about our faith.

Wrong Doctrine1. Judaism: Judaism is the belief in God but denies the Incarnation and Salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. Gnosticism: Gnosticism is the belief that salvation is obtained through knowledge and that matter, including the human body, is evil while the spirit is good.

Submission in the ServiceVerse 4- Some of those who believed in the Christian faith valued the fact that they are from the tribe of Levi (lineage of the priesthood) or from the tribe of Judah.

Verse 5-6: “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith”St. Paul the Apostle identifies the characteristics of Christian love as follows:

¿ Love from a pure heart ¿ Love from a good conscience

¿ Love from a sincere faith If love is not our goal in our relationship with God and with

others, then everything we do will be in vain. ¿ Those who turn away from the true, Divine love mentioned in verse 5, are left with

emptiness. ¿ Instead of filling that emptiness with God’s love, they turn to idle talk corrupt

conversations, aimless controversies, and an unrighteous life that is devoid of understanding what its purpose in life is.

The Need for SalvationVerse 7- “The group of people St. Paul spoke about in this verse come from Jewish origin. They were filled with love for authority and power yet they are far from the Law. They have the outer appearance of religion through teaching and preaching but they were without life.

¿ A major source of evil comes from a desire for authority. These people seek out dignity and disregard the truth. St. Paul blamed them because they do not know the real purpose of the law but instead they acted aimlessly.

¿ They covered their weakness by claiming to be teachers and defenders of the Law. Their activities were not concerned with bringing themselves and others to the Truth, with a capital ‘T’, God, but they wanted to satisfy their selfish love of authority and supremacy.

Verse 8- In the Holy Liturgy of St. Gregory, we say, “You have bound me with all the remedies that lead to life. You are He who has sent to me the prophets for my sake, I the sick one.” We continue to pray, “You have given me the Law as help.” St. Paul teaches us in verse 8 that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, and this is why we pray the above during the Holy Liturgy.

¿ The fault is not in the law but in its abuse.

¿ The Jews at that time had stressed the letter of the law without realizing its purpose.

¿ The Law points to Christ at its heart.

Verse 9-11- The Law is presented to the worst and most profane of men to bring them into the glory of God’s message and His love.

¿ He wants these people to feel the need for a Savior

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¿ Once we enjoy a life with Christ and know that He dwells in us by His Holy Spirit, guiding our lives, and filling us, then there is no need to return again and fall under the ruling of the Law.

The Mercy of God to St. Paul the Apostle“ And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, (1 Timothy 1:12)

¿ Our teacher, St. Paul the Apostle, gives thanks to Christ for considering him faithful and entrusting him with this ministry despite his unworthiness. With humility, St. Paul confessed his sins before converting to the faith, in which he described himself as a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man.

¿ Despite all his sins, Christ granted him mercy and saved him. Not only that, but appointed him to serve and evangelize. The grace of God granted him gifts and the fruit of the Holy Spirit in addition to him enjoying the Christian Faith, pleasure in the Christian Faith and God’s love.

¿ “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15) Our teacher St. Paul, a man who evangelized throughout the whole world, always kept his sins in his sight and called himself the chief of sinners.

¿ Saint Paul shows the practicality of God’s love by drawing on his own experience.

Verse 18: What does “wage the good warfare” mean? ¿ It is not enough that the minister struggles, but that he fights the good fight which

means to be persistent in overcoming our struggle against sin. Fighting the good fight is the understanding that we should never let our guards down but instead fight constantly the temptations around us.

¿ Today, we are fighting against a lot of false teachings and doctrines, so we are also fighting to preserve the Truth, which is God’s commandments as they have come down to us from the Old and New Testaments.

Verse 19: St. Paul likens those who have deviated from the faith and Christ to those who have drowned in a shipwreck.

1 Timothy- Chapter 2:

Important Commandments in the Worship

Prayer is for all people“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ” (1 Timothy 2:1)

Verses 1-4: St. Paul starts out by outlining the types of prayers noting among them the impor-tance prayer of thanksgiving. The prayers types are as follows:

¿ Supplications: making requests for our essential needs or pleadings made in hope of receiving something.

¿ Prayers: entering into a deep and loving relationship with Him and for Him alone; an expression of worship filled with praise and offered to God alone.

¿ Intercessions: Offers intercessions on behalf of all men; forgetting his needs, and instead, prays for the needs of others. This is an act motivated by love. They are requests for specific matters presented before God by someone who has great and unusual hope.

¿ Thanksgiving: An angelic life based on uninterrupted and constant thanksgiving and praise to God.

At the start of every Agpeya prayer we say the “Prayer of Thanksgiving” to give thanks to God for His gifts. “We thank You for every condition, concerning every condition, and in every condition.” (From the Prayer of Thanksgiving in the Book of Hours (Agpeya)).

Note on Prayer: In our spiritual lives we should always remember to pray. We should train ourselves to pray for others every time you stand up for prayer. Pray especially for those in distress, including countries at war like Iraq and Syria, and for the sick. For we do not pray for ourselves only but for others as well. St Paul prays for “kings and all who are in authority” in this verse which is significant to mention. In the Divine Liturgy, the priest prays saying “Remember, O Lord the leader of our land your servant… keep him in peace and justice and strength. Let all nations submit to him.” God desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

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Christ is the ONLY Mediator“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” (1 Timothy 2:5-7)

Verse 5: In this verse, we learn that the only Mediator between God and mankind is Jesus Christ.

Verse 6-7: In these verse, St. Paul is affirming that he is telling the truth in fulfilling his responsibilities as an appointed preacher and apostle of God.

Men and Women in the Church Verse 8: “ I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; “

Instructions for Male Worshippers:

Pray everywhere:Saint Paul calls for liberation from the customs of the Jews who were only permitted to draw near to God and offer their sacrifice in a specific place. Prayer is not confined to a specific place. If Saint Paul asks the Church to pray for everyone since Christ died for all, then it only makes sense that we pray everywhere.

Holy hands: ¿ This represents a holy life, sanctified (made holy) in the spirit. Prayer must be united

with quiet and godly behavior. ¿ We ought to approach God in the spirit of repentance; to be holy as He is holy. ¿ When we stand to pray, we ought to be reconciled with all; being without anger. We

also ought to pray with conviction and without doubt.

Instructions for Women Worshippers Verse 9-15:

1. Here, women are called to concern themselves with inner adornment rather than outer appearances.

2. Braided hair, gold pearls, costly clothing: ¿ In the presence of God, there is no need for such things. ¿ We are coming to pray for the forgiveness of sins. ¿ How can one approach God in pleading, supplication, in humility, when they are

adorned in such manner? ¿ The ornaments pleasing to God are humility, chastity, commitment to order, and

decency in one’s attire.

3. Virtue is not in abstaining from outward adornment. Virtue lies in the commitment to adorn the heart with Christ’s love.

4. “Professing godliness with good works”: ¿ Women ought to reflect God’s sanctity and holiness and His characteristics within

them. ¿ “learn in silence with all submission”: ¿ Within the Jewish community, a woman was forbidden to study the Law and was not

allowed to play any leadership role in social service. ¿ However, under the Mosaic Law, women enjoyed many rights as compared to others

living in the world in that time. ¿ The Christian Church considers men and women to be perfectly equal in the eyes

of God. Each however is responsible for different, but essential roles. When everyone understands, accepts, and is successful in his/her God-given role, misunderstandings in marital relationships are often avoided.

¿ In the New Testament, we see how women were important during the time of Christ’s ministry, and how fervent the women servants were in the Book of Acts. Saint Paul mentions these great women in his epistles, and often mentions them before their husbands, which was unusual at the time.

¿ Saint Paul does not ignore the role of women in educating the family, fellow women and towards herself.

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¿ It is a great honor for women to bear children and to teach their children to walk in faith, love, holiness, and with self-control. Women offer saints to the Church in their children.

Moses would lift up his hands for prayer during wars. Likewise, the priest also lifts up his hands for prayer in the Divine Liturgy. “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 3:3-4)Likewise, in 1 Timothy Chapter 2, we find a similar verse when St. Paul says, “in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.” (1 Timothy 2:9-10)

1 Timothy- Chapter 3: Characteristics of the ShepherdsSt. Paul discusses the character traits of a Bishop

“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2)

Who are Bishops?

I. The word “Bishop” means “Overseer”, he who beholds the needs of his congregation and shepherds them.

II. The responsibilities of a bishop are great because he carries the responsibility of leading the church. St. Paul declares that whosoever desires to consecrate his life for the ministry of priesthood chooses a good thing and puts joy in the heart of God. III. The “desire” to be a bishop that St. Paul mentions, is neither a desire for power or authority. It is instead,

a desire to wash the feet of Christ.

IV. Spiritual struggle requires daily consistency from the shepherd and perseverance in his spiritual life so that the flock may partake of the ecclesiastical life. A shepherd must be vigilant and watchful against any wrong teachings or heresies.

St. Paul addresses the character traits of a deacon“12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timo-thy 3:12-13)Who are deacons?

¿ Comes from the Greek “diakonos”, which means “servant”. ¿ The meaning of deacon in this chapter refers to full deacons.

Characteristics of Deacons: ¿ Reverent:

I. They need to have dignity, having the same characteristics of the bishop.

II. “For there is nothing more demeaning to man than dishonesty, and nothing more harmful to the Church than not attaining salvation” (Chrysostom).

¿ Not double-tongued, Not given to much wine, Not greedy for money, Holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience:

I. These are the same characteristics listed for the bishop.

II. Double-tongued – to say one thing and say another (or do another).

III. Working in the same vineyard, everyone needs to possess the same traits as the Owner, who is Christ. They need to possess His One Holy Spirit.

IV. St. Paul also mentions that deacons must first be approved since they have not been ordained before. Whereas bishops have first received the priestly rank and have practiced before their ordination as bishop.

¿ Blameless.I. Wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things (a teaching concerning the wives

of deacons).

II. Husband of one wife.

III. Ruling their children and their own houses well: All these words about the conduct of the hierarchy lead to the correct view, role, and conduct of the Church.

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The ChurchVerses 14-16: Saint Paul may have been concerned that Timothy would be overcome with frus-tration, so he promises to go to him. Although he promises to come soon, Saint Paul assures him not to give in to depression if he does not arrive soon. This is a better opportunity for Timothy, to use this tribulation, to exert an even greater effort as a minister in the Church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of truth. St. Paul the Apostle confirms with his disciple Timothy that he will come to him, but that if he is delays it is from the Holy Spirit. Moreover, St. Paul says that this will give them a greater opportunity to serve in the ministry as servants in the Church of the Living God which he calls:

I. “The House of God”

II. “The Church of The Living God”

III. “The Pillar and Ground of The Truth”

We ought to see the Church as a practical enjoyment of truth. She embodies the mystery of the Incarnation, the entry into the life of godliness, the justification of the soul, and the fellowship with the angels.

The Mystery of Godliness Verse 16:“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16)

¿ The Church does not concern itself with mere intellectual knowledge of truth, but actually represents the practical attainment of truth through a holy and godly life.

¿ The Divine Incarnation – Christ taught us how to live. ¿ We can enjoy His life, His characteristics, and by the Divine Incarnation have

fellowship in His glory!

Justified in the Spirit: It is the Spirit that makes us steadfast in the Lord Jesus Christ and takes us to Him, not only to be washed in His precious Blood for our sins, but also to grant us His righteousness so that we may be seen as righteous by the Father.

Seen by Angels: The Church is truly heaven on earth; living an angelic life. The believers are like angels able to perceive the intangible God. The Church in the New Testament is the revelation of the only Son in the midst of His believers. The angels who had seen God before the Incarnation have come to see Him in a new lightafter He was incarnate in His Church: He is seen as the Lover of mankind through His crucifixion and His amaz-ing work among the believers. Those who were once sinners and enemies have been transformed, sanctified, justified, and have become beloved children, glorified in Him! Preached among the Gentiles. These gifts are offered to all of mankind. No nation or race is given preference in order to elevate all of mankind into the heavenly glory.

1 Timothy- Chapter 4

Spiritual Discipleship

Struggle of the Shepherd in the Ministry “For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4: 4-5)

Verse 1: This verse refers to those people who will eventually depart from or deny, the faith. Those who deny the faith, likewise deny Christ. Some people’s hearts will deviate from the love of God and go astray. The natural consequence of departing from, or denying Christ, is as the verse says, “giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”

Verse 2: This verse refers to those who have silenced their conscience and have become used to choosing the evil path. When a person burns their skin, they lose their sense of feeling in that area of skin. In the same way, the bible is referencing “conscience seared with a hot iron” to illustrate the idea that these hypocritical people have consciences that are numb to feeling the difference between right and wrong when making decisions.The “hot iron” also refers to a sign that was placed by burning on a slave’s face. Likewise, those who have become property (i.e., a slave) of the devil, have gained demonic features and have this stamp.

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Verse 3: This verse refers to the false teachers, like the Gnostics, in our lives who desire to de-stroy the image of God in us and try prohibiting us from enjoying the gifts that God grants us. As detailed in verses 1-2, we know that these false teachers preach wrong doctrine, speak lies and are hypocritical. Moreover, in verse 3 it says that they, the Gnostics, forbid marriage, which God gave to us as a gift. They claim that we should abstain from certain foods when in actuality, these foods were given to us from God to enjoy.

Verse 4-5: This verse teaches us that the creatures God has created were made good and that we should not refuse any if we receive them with thanksgiving. Unlike the Gnostic belief, which teaches that we should abstain from specific food items, we believe that since God created every-thing good and for us, we should be thankful and receive the gifts that God has blessed us with. The Gnostics also forbade marriage because they have an unholy perception of the body; however, we know that whatever God created “is good” and that there is nothing impure in creation (See Gene-sis 1:31). We know that marriage is good because God granted it as a gift to man and no gift from God is bad thing. God created that gift to man when He gave Adam his wife Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Verse 6: St. Paul here is telling Timothy that if he teaches these things that he will be a “good min-ister” of Jesus Christ. The question and lesson we can learn from this is to ask ourselves if we are good ministers for the Lord. If so, you will be “nourished” as St. Paul says, “in the words of faith.” Our nourishment will be completely from the Lord and He will quench our hunger and thirst so that we do not look for nourishment in false places. When our focus is on the Lord, and we minis-ter to God, God satisfies us with the spiritual vitamins we need to face the challenges of life.

Verse 7-8: In this verse, St. Paul teaches that we should reject the falsities of profane and old wives tales, which can hinder our focus towards the things that actually matter in our spiritual lives. St. Paul urges us to reject and leave those things behind, to “exercise” towards godliness. St. Paul uses the word “exercise” to demonstrate the spiritual struggle and the constant pursuit of the Lord. It is a recognition that we are not perfect and that exercise is in fact needed to bring our-selves closer to the perfection of godliness.

Verse 12-16: Take Heed to Your Ministry. Although you are young, you have a role in the Church and should not feel inferior. The elder is not judged according to his age but according to his wisdom.

¿ As you are blameless, your youth will never be despised. ¿ At the same time, those who are blameless will never be despised because of their

youth. On the contrary, these blameless youth will be admired in the end (both from the elders and their peers).

¿ The gift of the priesthood is granted to entrust a person with responsibility rather than an honor. It needs someone to dedicate their whole life, their energy, and talents to the ministry of these free gifts (Priesthood).

Prepare Yourself for Righteousness: ¿ The Passive Way: You refuse imaginary and defiling thoughts. You do not allow

depressing feelings or thoughts of idolatry to fill your mind or heart, knowing that they do not provide any spiritual nourishment.

¿ The Proactive Way: You prepare yourself…meaning practice righteousness in your spiritual practices.

Chapter 5

General CommandmentsCommandment to the elders, widows, and the priests. St. Paul talks to his disciple Timothy as bishop on how to deal with different types of people, because shepherds are responsible fathers of the people.Verses 1-2: St. Paul gave recommendations to Timothy, who was a young man at that time.

¿ Wisdom in dealing with everyone to gain them to Christ. ¿ Use the appropriate method for each situation. ¿ The pastor does not deal with people from a position of authority but with love and

gentleness.

Verses 3-16: Who is an Ecclesiastical Widow indeed? In the Church at Jerusalem the widows were honored (Acts 6:1). The teaching of Saint Paul here seems to place widows who were above

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sixty years old, and without children or grandchildren to support them, in a class of Church widows devoted to the work of the Church, to be supported from its funds.

I. The Church cares for the widow and God is her guardian.

II. What is the behavior of a widow?

III. Trust in God.

IV. Continue in supplications and prayers night and day.

V. Not lead a life of pleasure or leisure.

VI. Blameless.

Role of the family members towards widows:Children and grandchildren must support their aged parents. Any one who does not providefor his own family, whether it is wife and children, or aged parents, has practically denied thefaith, and is worse than an unbeliever, for even unbelievers do these things.

Conditions to enroll widows in the rank of the Church:

I. Age.

II. Wife of one man.

III. Well reported for good work.

IV. Brought up children.

V. Lodged strangers.

VI. Washed the saints’ feet.

VII. Relieved the afflicted.

VIII. Diligently followed every good deed.

Care for the elders (priests):

“Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” (1 Timo-thy 5:17-18) Verses 17-25: The care of the Church for the priest.

¿ Support their needs to focus on their spiritual labor. “And the laborer is worthy of his reward” (Mathew 10:10 and Luke 10:7)

¿ Do not accept an accusation against an elder except from two to three witnesses ¿ If there is a threat to the faith from their behavior, rebuke them in public to protect

the faith of the Church. ¿ Care in choosing priests. He who appoints an unfit man to office becomes, in a certain

sense, responsible for that man’s sins.

Chapter 6

Social RelationshipsVerses 1-2: Advice for Slaves: St. Paul asks slaves who are ‘under the yoke’ to live a Christian life and not disrespect their masters,even if they are oppressing them. Everyone is worthy of Christ’s love. The slaves with gentle masters should also treat them with love because the masters are believers. Do not abuse the brotherhood relationship. We have our temporal duties and St. Paul asks us to abide by this fact.

Verses 3-5: Error in the Doctrine. Those who do not abide by the laws of Christ and think they know everything by using many words and arguments really know absolutely nothing. St. Paul asks Timothy and his congregation to stay away from such people.

Verses 6-10: A message to those who wish to be rich (not necessarily those who are rich): ¿ We need to seek godliness and nothing more. This is considered “great gain” according

to St Paul.

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¿ Realize that we only need to survive, not live in riches. We will die carrying the same things as when we came in to the world—absolutely nothing.

¿ Those who use their money wisely to help people can be rich and still be on the path of salvation.

Verses 11-16: “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (I Timothy 6:.12)

The Good Confession: St. Paul reminds Timothy that a man of God, has a responsibility. It is not enough to simply not lust for riches. He must flee from these things, fight the good fight of faith, and hold fast to the eternal life.

A Final Advice“O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and vain babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge - by professing it; some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen” (I Timothy 6: 20-22).The Apostle ends his conversation with his disciple by asking him to guard what has beenentrusted to his care: the living faith given once to the saints. This is what we call the ‘Tradition’ or the ‘Apostolic Inheritance.’The sign of our commitment to guard that trust is our restraint from false and foul conversation,such as useless controversies concealed under the name of ‘knowledge’ or ‘gnosticism.’ In these, theliving faith is distorted into expressions or linguistic terms that lack life or experience. This is what leads a man to lose his life. The apostle may have intended to point to the Gnostics as we have previously indicated - who have substituted faith by knowledge, and have thus fallen victims of false knowledge.St. John Chrysostom says: “The apostle has rightly spoken about it as what is falsely calledknowledge. For where there is no faith, there is no (true) knowledge.”

The Foundation

The first statements of faith, or creeds, that are present in the Church are those stated by be-lievers at the time of their baptism. According to the first documentation we have of this in the book of Acts of the Apostles, the person who wanted to be baptized in the era of the Apostles had to confess that Christ is the Son of God. We see this when the Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized? Then Philip said, if you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God” (Acts 8:36-37). Then Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch after he had declared his faith. Shortly afterwards, this baptismal confession expanded to a belief in the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, the Virgin birth through the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary, the Church, and the Resurrection of the flesh in the last day.

However, due to the uprise of heresies within the Church from those who interpreted the Bible in their own personal way and proclaimed doctrines that had nothing to do with Christianity, the Church saw that it was best to draft a creed that contained the details of the Christian faith, which all churches had to agree upon. Churches that did not believe in this creed were considered non-Christian. A “creed” simply is a statement of belief wherein the integrity of the Christian doctrine and Apostolic teaching is documented.

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Arius, a man who spread his heresy to many of his followers, denied the Divinity of Our Lord Je-sus Christ. He said that the Son was not equal to the Father. He based this heretical view on wrong and incomplete interpretations of some verses in the Holy Bible. Thus, Emperor Constantine called for the first Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325 AD to discuss this matter. This council was attended by 318 bishops from churches all over the world. It was at this council that the Church formulated most of the first part of the Creed, called the “Nicene Creed”, followed by four anath-emas condemning the different phrases Arius and his followers used to express in their heresy. Before he became the 20th Patriarch of Alexandria in 328 AD, Pope Athanasius the Apostolic, was a deacon at this council, and played a significant role in defending the Orthodox faith against Arian-ism.

The second Ecumenical Council was held in Constantinople in 381 AD and was attended by 150 bishops. This council was called by Emperor Theodosius the Great against the semi-Arians and those who denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit, a heresy which was attributed to Macedonius. These “Macedonians” were called Pneumatomachians, or “fighters against the Holy Spirit.” They all affirmed what was discussed in the previous council as expressed in the Nicene Creed, and made some additions to it including the last part of the Creed beginning with the phrase, “Yes we believe in the Holy Spirit ...” to the end. This part of the Creed answered both questions about the divin-ity of the Holy Spirit, as well as some other fundamental Christian beliefs including the Church, one baptism for the remission of sins, and the resurrection in the last day. This creed altogether is known as the “Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.”

In the 5th century, there arose another heresy by Nestorius, the bishop of Constantinople. Thus, once again, Emperor Theodosius II called for a council, this time in the city of Ephesus. The council was held in 431 AD and was attended by 200 bishops. The heresy of Nestorius claimed that there were two separate natures of Jesus Christ, which questions the holiness and importance of the Virgin Mary as the “Mother of God”. This is why in the Coptic Orthodox Church, we recite the Introduction to the Creed saying, “We exalt you, the mother of the true light…we glorify you, O Saint, the Theotokos” to affirm that St. Mary is in truth the Theotokos (Mother of God).

Role of the Ecumenical Councils: The Three Ecumenical Councils played a great role in maintaining the upright Christian faith. One of the most important achievements of these coun-cils was the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, which was formulated to document and proclaim the correct Christian faith. Many of the churches in the world today believe and accept it, but those who don’t, including Jehovah’s Witnesses and Adventists, are not considered Christians. The Coptic Orthodox Church has placed this Creed for us in all Agpeya prayers, because our doctrine is a fundamental element in our spiritual lives. Reciting the Orthodox Creed is an important part of any liturgical prayer, especially in the Divine Liturgy, and it is a way in which we offer our praise to God.

In this topic we will discuss parts of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed from the beginning of the text, “Truly we believe”, to the end, as was agreed upon in the Councils of Nicaea and Con-stantinople. We will explain the meaning of each word in the Creed, its purpose, and the dogmatic meaning that every Christian must believe in.

1- “One God”, then a Statement about “God the Father”:

Truly we believe: The Apostle Paul defined faith when he said, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)So faith encompasses thinking, trust, heartfelt conviction, and a total surrender of the mind and heart. Faith does not contradict reasoning but is considered to be a higher level than reasoning. For example, we as Christians believe that the soul is the cause of life in the body, although we are not able to see it. So, if a human’s soul departs their body, they die. This concept is accepted by faith and can be conceived, to an extent, in one’s mind; however, the mind is limited and cannot know all the details relating to the soul such as its form, essence, etc... But nonetheless, the mind accepts what faith declares concerning the soul.

Faith needs a humble heart, submission, and simplicity. It is strange that the mind grows at the ex-pense of the faith, and as it grows it increases in doubts and questions! For this reason, it is our re-sponsibility to implant the basics of our faith in our children during their early years of childhood. Poor is the man whose faith is not stronger than his mind or not more advanced than his mind.

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Christianity believes in the Holy Trinity, One God. In the Old Testament, the first of the Ten Com-mandments, which the Lord commanded His people was, “I am the Lord your God...You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:2-3). Again in the Book of Isaiah it says, “Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me, I even I am the Lord, and besides Me there is no Savior.” (Isaiah 43:10-11).

Also in the New Testament it says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). And in the Epistle of St. James it says, “You believe that there is one God. You do well.” (James 2:19).There are many other verses that can be found in both the Old and New Testaments, which men-tion the Christian faith in One God, Three Hypostases, known as the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

This can be explained by saying that if each Hypostasis is expressed by the number 1, then 1x1x1= 1 (One God). A popular analogy given by the Fathers of the Church to express this same doctrine is that of the sun. The sun gives forth light and heat. Conceptually, we distinguish these three things, the physical sun, the light, and the heat, but they are never separated from one another and are still one.These examples show that we do not believe in polytheism and that the Holy Trinity does not mean a multiplicity of gods but rather helps us understand the One God, Three Hypostases. The divinity is not divided (means that there is no separation in the divine essence)

Hypostasis:This is a Greek word meaning “substance” or “concrete being” but was later translated into En-glish as “Person.” The language that we use to express our faith in the Holy Trinity is that God is one in essence (Greek word is “ousia”), and at the same time Three Hypostases or “Persons.” Just as Christians do not believe that there are three separate gods, we must also understand that the Three Hypostases are NOT parts or sections of the One Divine Essence, because God has one essence that is not divided or partitioned.

Based on the language given to us from the Holy Scriptures and the explanations of the Fathers of the Church, we believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are One in essence, meaning

that they are one in everything except that each of the three Hypostases has His distinct Hypostat-ic characteristics: the Father is unbegotten, the Son is begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.

Other than these distinct hypostatic characteristics, all the hypostases are equal, one in essence, perfect, and hold Divine titles such as “Holy”, “The Truth”, and “Love”, etc…

God the Father: After stating the belief in the One God, the Creed discusses each of the three Hy-postases in sequence, beginning with God the Father. He is referred to in the Book of John when it says, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” (John 1:18).

Therefore, the Divine manifestations in the Old Testament were manifestations of the Son, since no one has ever seen the Father.

The Pantocrator (which literally translates “ruler over all”, but often translated “Almighty”): Pantocrator means that God controls all of creation. Nothing escapes His control or supervision. And “all” includes both heavenly and earthly creation, both rational and irrational. The angels and demons are all under His control. Because of His great mercy and tenderness, He gave us free will and choice. With this freedom, we can choose either to obey or disobey His commandments, but all our actions are known by Him.

The devil is not the god of evil, but is a creature under the control of the Pantocrator. For example, in Job’s story, Satan took God’s permission to tempt Job, and he was only able to tempt Job to the extent which God permitted. In the first trial, God allowed him to take Job’s money and his home.In the second trial, God allowed Satan to extend his hand over the body of Job, but not to touch his soul, and so it was.In the story of the legion of devils, the demons asked the Lord to authorize them to enter the pigs, so the Lord authorized them. Thus we see that the devils had no power to move and enter pigs without His permission. Therefore, we should no longer fear the demons since our God, the

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Pantocrator, has all authority over them. But some may ask: “If God is the Pantocrator, why does He permit trouble and harm to happen in the universe?” The answer is that the Lord has wisdom beyond our human capacity. He may seek to give the person a blessing from the hardship or expe-rience, or bestow His grace of endurance upon them. If He allows the experience, He will be with us through the hardship as He was with Joseph.

There is a difference between the will of God and His permission. The will of God is absolute good, yet He allows the wise beings to freely act within certain limits. They may make mistakes and cause harm to themselves and others by God’s permission. In all of this, the Lord watches all their actions, but holds them accountable. He corrects and punishes as the Pantocrator, but He extends His mercy on them. God is extremely patient in giving every person every possible chance to repent, but He is also the judge. Even if there is no apparent earthly judgment in this life, there will be a judgment for all people on the last day.

The Creator of heaven and earth: Creation is a feature of God only. God creates from nothing (from non-existence), however the human mind can only be a designer and fashioner from the matter that God created, and not a creator. This is despite all of man’s intelligence and knowledge in making spaceships that can reach the moon and all the technology that can go beyond the limits.

Seen and unseen: The word seen is easy to understand, but what is the meaning of “unseen”? It means that what is unseen by our human senses was also created by God. For example, we cannot see the soul, yet it is God Who created it.

The sonship of the hypostasis of the Son to the Father is totally different than the sonship in humans and animals in the following ways:

1. Filiation among humans is sensory, materialistic, and physical. It requires human reproduction through a male and a female. However,

the Son is begotten of the Father in a manner that is beyond human comprehension.2. Filiation among humans has a time factor that spreads from one generation to the next, from parents to children. However, the Son is begotten of the Father eternally, before all ages. The Father was always and eternally the Father due to the Son begotten of Him, and the Son is always and eternally a Son begotten of the Father.

3. For humans, children are physically separate beings from their parents. However, the Son is of one and the same essence with the Father without separation. The Son is in, and with, the Father.

Therefore, in the Creed we state: “We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten, not created; of one essence with the Father by whom all things were made.” (From The Nicene Creed)We can summarize the preceding points by saying that the sonship of the Son in the Father is:

¿ Not physical or material ¿ Eternal and not generational ¿ Distinct from the Father, but not separate

When the Lord Jesus Christ asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:13-18). This is the rock of faith that declares that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Begotten of the Father before all ages: The Lord Jesus Christ said about himself: “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:56). So the hypostasis of the Son is eternal, and was present in His divinity before Abraham.

Light of Light, True God of True God: Christ said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). This is the light of the

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divine essence, not the physical light. “The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immor-tality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see.” (1 Timothy 6:15-16). Therefore, God is Light and the Son is Light of the Light. The Lord is the true God and fully divine. He is omnipresent, eternal, the Creator, omnipotent, omniscient and Holy.

Begotten, not created: As St. Augustine said: The Lord has two births, an eternal birth from God the Father with no mother before all ages, and a birth in time which was through the incar-nation from a Virgin Mother (the Theotokos) without a human father. He was born of the Father before all ages, and uncreated, for He is and was eternal, “having neither beginning of days nor end of life” (Hebrews 7:3). As long as He has no beginning days, He is uncreated, because every creature has a beginning (i.e., the day of its creation) and has an end (i.e., the day of its death). The Creed reveals the proper teaching which is against the teaching of the Arians. The Son is born of the Father as thoughts are born from the mind, and light is born from the sun.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnate:

The Creed here begins to explain the main purpose of the Incarnation, which is Redemption. In the beginning of the creation, God created man after He prepared everything for him, and did not deprive him of any of the works of His dignity. Man was distinct above all other creatures in the way he was created. He is the only creature in whom God breathed the breath of life. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7).And by nature of his creation, the human being is the only one to be made in the image and likeness of God as He said: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). But the human being, with his free will, transgressed God’s commandments, disrespected it, and was attracted to Satan’s temptations, and suffered the result of his fall and transgression.

Incarnate of the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary:

Saint Mary would not have been able to conceive a child since she was a virgin: “Then Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:34). And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35).

The Holy Spirit came upon the Holy Virgin Mary for two reasons:First: to sanctify the womb of the Virgin Mary in order not to pass along the original sin of man.Second: to give power in order to initiate her bearing the Word Incarnate without any human seed. Therefore, there was never a moment that our Lord Jesus Christ’s humanity existed without being united with the Son, the Word of God. This is why it is said in the confession before communion in the Divine Liturgy: “His divinity parted not from His humanity for a single moment, nor a twinkling of an eye.”

And became man:He had the full human nature with body, soul, and spirit, resembling us in everything except for sin alone as St. Paul said, “For there is one God and one Mediator be-tween God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1Timothy 2:5).So the Redeemer had to:

1. Be a full human resembling us in everything except for sin. If He was not a complete human, He would not be like us in everything, and would not have redeemed us since only that which was assumed by God the Word in the Incarnation was redeemed.

2. Die on behalf of humans, for the wage of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

3. Be without sin because He is the Holy Redeemer Who redeems everyone, and should not need to be redeemed by anyone, since any regular human could not have been a redeemer.

4. Be unlimited: because the punishment of Adam’s sin is unlimited and spread to all people!

5. Be the Creator: so that He can renew the corrupted nature of man, and purify it of corruption in order to restore the original image of Adam – to become a new creation.

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Ascended into the heavens, He sits at the right hand of His Father: The meaning of the ascension of Christ, is His ascension with the body, for the divinity neither ascends nor descends. God exists above and below and everywhere without boundaries or lim-itations. He exists in heaven and on earth and in between them; He does not ascend and descend, because He is omnipresent and everywhere. Nevertheless our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven with His glorified body, according to what we say in the Gregorian Liturgy: “And when you ascended to heaven bodily.” Christ ascended to heaven with the holy glorified body of the Resur-rection.

And Christ’s sitting on the right hand of the Father is mentioned in many places in the New Testament: “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was re-ceived up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:19); “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Hebrews 8:1); also what Saint Stephen saw at the time of his martyrdom, he said: “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55); and many other verses referring to this event.

But what is the meaning of the phrase “He sits at the right hand of His Father”? First, we must know that God has no right or left, because the limited creature is the one who has a right side and left side. But God is unlimited, and therefore does not have a physical right and left. Here the word “right” as a Biblical term sometimes means strength, righteousness, or dignity: as the Psalm says: “The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” (Psalms 118:16-17).

Also note that on the Day of Judgment, the Lord will have the righteous on his right side, and the wicked on his left side, where the right symbolizes righteousness and dignity. And in the same sense we call the thief who took the promise of the Paradise on the Cross “the thief on the right.”

“And He is coming again in His glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end”Christ will come in His glory at the Second Coming and will judge everyone according to their deeds. The Bible says, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left” (Mat-thew 25:31-33).

And the kingdom of God has no end, be-cause it is a spiritual kingdom, not an earthly kingdom. As it was said in the prophecy of Daniel the prophet, “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14).

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HeavenThe Island of after Death: It has been said that in a certain city, the people would enthrone a specific king every year and at the end of the year, they would make him step down for no reason. The king would wander around the city before being banished to an Island where he would die out of hunger and sadness.Ask your servant: what would you do if you were in the place of this King? What would a wise man do?

Man is a Heavenly Creature

Human beings are distinguished from all other creatures by a heavenly element that is the Spirit which is the breath of God. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

“The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.” (Genesis 2:8)

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)

Jacob dreamt of a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven and the angels of God ascended and descended on it and the Lord stood above it. (Genesis 28:12-13). This dream refers to the true role of the human being and his connection to heaven. This truth became manifested in the image of God when He told Nathaniel that He is the Son of God. “And He said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you,

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hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’” (John 1:51) From these discourses it is clear that the human being is a heavenly being even if there is an element of dust within him. The final destiny of all human beings is Heaven. It is mankind’s eternal home and that is why man longs for heaven while still on earth. As it says in Psalm 42:2, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”

1. Human beings offer prayers as an expression of love. “Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens.” (Psalm 123:1)

2. Charity and Almsgiving: The idea of Christian almsgiving confirms that human beings are heavenly creatures. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19-20)

3. Intercessions of the Saints and Angels: In addition to praying for those who have departed, we should remember that we are in communion with the Body of Christ that is here on earth as well as with those who have departed to heaven. The Church reminds us about this concept in the Commemoration of the Saints in every Holy Liturgy specifically when it says, “As this, O Lord, is the command of Your Only-begotten Son, that we share in the commemoration of Your saints.” We then go on to mention the names of the Saints and say “Those, O Lord, whose souls You have taken, repose them in the Paradise of joy.” Also, in the Liturgy of St. Cyril, we say that the departed Saints stand before Jesus Christ to intercede on behalf of our weaknesses.

4. Human beings have the ability to inf luence heaven through their prayers. For example, Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ disciple, was able to keep the sun steady for a whole day without setting (See Joshua 10:12-13). Also, Elijah was able to keep heaven from raining for three and a half years and likewise was able to open it again through his prayers (See 1 Kings 17:1).

Heaven is a Confirmed Reality

What does the word “heaven” mean? The word “heaven” has been used to describe the upper sublime world in the Universe that God has created. This heaven is opposite the earth, which is the lower portion that human beings inhabit. There are three different heavens:

¿ The first heaven: includes the firmament containing all the f lying birds; all the air within the earth’s atmosphere.

¿ The second heaven: includes outer space containing the planets, stars, and galaxies

Both the first and second heavens are considered materialistic heavens and will both pass away along with the earth. There will then be a new heaven and a new earth.

¿ The third heaven: includes the Paradise of Joy and is the spiritual heaven through which God’s glory is manifested. We learned of this heaven from St. Paul when he says, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). The third heaven is considered a spiritual heaven and will never pass away.

Here is a wonderful story: There was a certain man who lived in a tent in the desert. A group of scientists were wandering around in the same desert searching for archeological artifacts when they came across this man’s tent. When they approached the tent, they heard the man praying inside so they decided to wait until he was finished. When he finished, the scientists went in to introduce themselves and asked the man, “How do you know that there is God who accepts your

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prayers?” He answered, “How did you know that someone came to visit me yesterday?” They responded by saying, “We followed his footprints.” So the man replied to them, “I know that God exists because His footprints are all around me.” Indeed God does leave His footprints around us everywhere and in every place. “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest?” (Acts 7:49)

None of the martyrs were foolish for the sacrifices they made in enduring all their tortures because they did this to obtain a much better place in heaven. However, is heaven really worth all of those sacrifices? Yes, it most certainly is. Now let’s see why that is.

The City of God

It is difficult to find words to express heaven in the affirmative and that is why St. Paul described heaven by phrasing it in the negative.

“But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Although St. Paul introduces a huge mystery by describing heaven in this way, what he says is true: heaven cannot be described by words. Heaven, eternal life, and heavenly glorification are all sealed mysteries of joy, which cannot be unsealed on earth. However, the most eloquent description of God’s City can be found in the words of Saint John the beloved in the book of Revelation, “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:10). One should read the entirety of chapter 21 in the book of Revelation in order to learn the details concerning the great City of God. We will begin now to explore and explain some of the significant symbolism found in this chapter.

1. The entire city is made of pure gold: This indicates the richness of the Owner of the city and the wealth of its inhabitants. The gold found in heaven indicates that which is considered a rarity and a precious metal on earth is abundantly present in heaven and the feet of the saints tread

on it as they walk through the city. Also, the gold found in heaven is like glass or pure pearl which refers to the purity of the city’s inhabitants, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

2. The city from the outside: The city from the outside has the glory of God. It shimmers and sparkles like a jasper gem. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai after receiving the commandments his face was shining, “Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.” (Exodus 34: 29-30) If this was the case when Moses met our Lord on the mountain, how much more will it be with us in God’s City as residences of God Himself?

3. The city is square-shaped with four equal sides: “The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.” (Revelation 21:16) The four equal sides of the city are symbolic of her being the carrier of the four gospels that lift the believer up to heaven. She prepares them to become heavenly brides through the strength of the Word of God. It’s measurements of 12,000 cubits in both its length and width are also symbolic. The number 12 refers to the children of heaven while 1000 refers to its ability to contain all the children of heaven.

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4. The city wall: “Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel” (Revelation 21:17). The number 144 refers to the communal church as it is the church of the Old Testament (12 Tribes) times the church of the New Testament (12 Apostles). This communal church is all surrounded by one wall as it enjoys the existence of one God. An angel, and not a human, took the measurements so that we don’t think that there are earthly materialistic objects in heaven.

5. The City’s Foundation: “The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald” (Revelation 21:19).

¿ First: the gems refer to the apostles because it is an Apostolic Church as it says in Ephesians, “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).

¿ Second: the gems also refer to the virtues that God has bestowed upon us in order to beautify us. The foundations that we build on, for eternity, are the virtues that God renders us during our struggle on earth. Therefore, these virtues shine within us with heavenly glory and are granted to the struggling Church by God in order to be a source of comfort, “O you aff licted one, Tossed with tempest, and not comforted. Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, And lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, Your gates of crystal, And all your walls of precious stones.” (Isaiah 54:11-12)

¿ Third: the number 12 refers to the children of heaven, as if every son of heaven is adorned with a different expensive and beautiful gem.

6. The City’s Gates: “The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl.” (Revelation 21:21) The pearl represents our Lord Jesus Christ Himself who is the one most precious and expensive pearl. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one Pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)

7. The Market of the City: “And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.” (Revelation 21:21) The market of the city being made of pure gold is symbolic of the undefiled nature of the righteous. The entire city, is pure gold and heavenly, having nothing that is earthly in it. It is like transparent glass which is not defiled or complex but rather simple and pure in heart.

8. The Sanctuary: “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” (Revelation 21:22)

¿ In the old days, God asked His people to build the tabernacle so that they could meet with God through symbols and shadows. Then, He commanded that the people build Him a temple that would represent God’s presence among His people. However, since the Jewish people deviated and rejected God, the temple was destroyed.

¿ Next, God presented to us Christ’s own Body as the new temple as He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19)

I. In Ephesians it also says, “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.” (Ephesians 5:30)

II. Again in 1 Corinthians it says, “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) III. Finally, as children of God it says, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s

building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9) ¿ In heaven however, St. John did not see a temple in the city because the Lord God

Almighty and the Lamb is its temple. (See Revelation 21:22) 9. The City’s Light: “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” (Revelation 21:23)

10. The City Glory: “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelation 21:27)

Guided by its light, many will come to the great city from all over as Christ said, “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11).

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Those who come will come with dignity and confidence in the Lord while forsaking any earthly pride. They will come willingly and not by force or coercion as her gates are open and the invitation is for all. They will come in the daylight to find her doors open as she receives the rich and the poor, the slave and the free. Darkness can never get into her and neither can those who are defiled or those who tell lies.

Heaven is worth any and all the suffering that we may have to endure to reach it. So then let us say with St. Augustine: “We will see God, this is a great thing. Everything else is trivial and without a value.”

What AM I? A Mountain or A Leaf?!

What am I: A Founded Mountain or a Withered leaf?

Me: What do you think of this new haircut?

Him: Why?

Me: Because it’s new! Why don’t we try it? We don’t always have to stick to that old style you know.Him: Sure, but I don’t really like that new haircut. It doesn’t really suit us.

Me: Good or not and whether it suits us or not, it’s just a haircut. It’s ok.

Him: No, it’s not ok. We don’t have to follow every new trend that comes by.

What do you think of this dialogue? While the world around us is always changing and expecting us to live up to its standards, do we find ourselves in these types of situations? The first thing that we must do is know that we are different and distinct from the world. We are different because we were bought with a great price. Consider the following story:

A young boy stood on the side of the street carrying a cage full of many birds of different sizes and colors. A man passing by who saw the boy wondered to himself, “how did that boy collect all those birds in that one cage?” So he asked the young boy, “where did you get all these birds?’ The young boy answered saying, “from many places all around.” The man then asked the boy how he was able to catch them all and the young boy answered cunningly, “I seduced them

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with bread crumbs by pretending to be their friend. When they finally felt safe around me, I threw my net on them and caught them.” Then the man asked the young boy about what he planned to do with the birds. The boy answered, “I’ll beat them with a stick and throw some bread crumbs between them so that they fight over them and kill one another. If any of the birds survive the fight, I’ll kill them myself.” The man stood for a moment thinking about the fate of the birds and the harsh, cunning nature of the young boy. He then asked the young boy, “how much would you sell me this cage for?” The young boy, wanting to take advantage of the opportunity, said to the man, “ this cage cost me a lot of money and I’ve spent all day catching them so I won’t sell it for less than $300.” That amount was all the money the man had in his pocket and if he spent them, he would have to go back home on foot. So calmly, the man reached into his pocket and gave all the money to the young boy in exchange for the cage. Can you guess what the man did with the cage? Yes, he opened the door and freed all the birds. What is the moral of this story? Do you still believe the devil when he entices you with offers of joy that are fleeting and do not endure? Do you know the fate towards which he intends to drag you? Do you know who the Man is who bought your freedom by being willing to die for you? Thus, we are distinguished from the world because of Jesus Christ who is within us and you must be aware that he who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ will be hated by the world as He said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19). The believers are not of this world, not because they are of a different nature, but because they accepted God’s call and were chosen by Him. The world hates them because the life of the true Christian condemns the evil deeds of the world with-out the use of any words. So how then could you accept to be like the children of this world when you are the son/daughter of the King? We are called to be honest people in the midst of a deceitful world and chaste individuals in the midst of a corrupt atmosphere. Although we are rejected by the world, we are not supposed to withdraw from the world. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)Our Lord asks God the Father to be with us in the world and not to take us away from it but, rath-er, to keep us from the evil one. Thus, rejection and distinction do not justify our withdrawal from the world. God, who created you and everything else for you, wants you to enjoy His love in this

life. Does He not then deserve that we live according to His likeness and His image? ¿ “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God

prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) ¿ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its f lavor, how shall it be seasoned? It

is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:13-14)

Be Careful and Select

In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses the prophet gave the children of Israel the Commandment before entering the promise land. “And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail.” (Deuteronomy 28:13)The difference between the “head and the “tail” is that the former leads while the latter follows. Thus, God has given us to be leaders and to make our own choices rather than to be followers of the world’s trends and fads. Following others is an indication of a weak personality, a lack of vision, and a lack of goals. We should avoid saying “It’s ok, everybody is doing it.” If you are a mere follower of the majority, then you are a tail and not a head. We should be a voice, not an echo.

Learn how to “Select and Reject”

There might be certain things that are obligatory or beyond our control. However, there are many things which are within our control such as our choice of attire, choice of friends, way of speaking, personal goals, and the environments we put ourselves in. Are you making smart choices? Do you

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pick and choose what is good or do you just follow the passing trends?! We have to be careful of the culture of conformity and emulation because, through it, we lose our distinction from the world, our personal identity, and become lost in the crowd. If you do not de-termine a goal for your life, you may deviate from the right path and not reach the goals you have set for your life. There are so many things in this life that we will need to reject and many other things that we will need to select.

How to select and reject?

Discuss with your servant what motivates you to be selective? By now, I think you understand why this subject is called “A Mountain or Leaf.” So what are you? The only one who can truly know a person is the spirit that dwells within that person. See the table below to find the differences be-tween the Leaf and the Mountain.

Steady Mountain Withering LeafA steady mountain cannot be affected by the wind.

A leaf goes with the wind wherever it takes it.

Perseveres in the face of change. Changes its color with the surroundings.

Adapts, but keeps its core untouched. Changes and may forget who it is.

High, Strong, upholds values and princi-ples.

Waverly, light, has no roots, goes with the flow.

In the following set of verses, our Lord Jesus Christ explains how we can be strong and unwavering mountains:

¿ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” ( John 15:5)

¿ “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

¿ “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” ( John 10:27) ¿ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven,

but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

We must hold fast to our principlesAlthough you may be an ambitious and hardworking person with many great goals, you must never be willing to sacrifice your morals and principles in order to achieve them. Many of your acquain-tances in school may have the same ambitions as you and may put in similar amounts of work and effort to attain to that goal. But what makes you different is that you are not willing to sacrifice or compromise your values on your way to that goal. Those of the world may be willing to step on others, even those closest to them, to achieve a high rank or position. They often do not care who they might have to sacrifice or offend to reach their goal. We must remain strong and steadfast, keeping to our values whilst pursuing our goals. Follow these three steps in order to become a person of principle:

1. Know what you have: Make sure you are knowledgeable about your Church’s doctrine, history, and forefathers. Learn the Church rites and the lives of her saints and martyrs. Finally, through your strong and continuous relationship with God you will be able to know yourself and have confidence in the talents and strengths which He has granted you and will be able to utilize them for the glorification of God’s name. If you know what you have, you can use it for the benefit of the Church and the glorification of Christ.

2. Hold fast what you have: Be honest in keeping God’s commandments and, in turn, it will help you form principles and basic values for your life. Hold on to the commandments and to the teachings that you have learned from Christ and He will hold on to you more than you can ever imagine. He will help you to stand on a strong and immovable foundation. Hold fast to the Church, the Holy Bible, and the Church Fathers. Remember the three saintly children, Daniel the prophet, Pope Dioscorus, Pope Athanasius and the many other saints who held fast to what they had received.

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Thus, honesty in keeping God’s commandments and living with them will make you a strong person of principle.

3. Preserve what you have: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10). When you realize what you have and appreciate its importance for your life and eternity, then you will hold fast to it. Holding fast to it will lead you to preserve it as diligently as you preserve your own life. This is very evident in the History of our Church in how our saints and martyrs did not forsake their principles, beliefs, and faith even in the face of severe torture and death. We learn from the life of Saint James the Mangled that even the most agonizing torture did not deflect his love for Christ. Saint Dioscorus struggled vehemently in keeping the faith. The monks in the wilderness endure harsh spiritual practices and persevere in the face of diabolical wars as they hunger, thirst, and are in solitude for the sake of Christ. The three saintly children refused to worship the idols and refused to forsake their principles even in the midst of the fiery furnace. Daniel the prophet refused to eat from the defiled food to the extent that he was thrown into the lion’s den.

We too, must hold onto our principles and values. The person who possesses principles knows a truer happiness than those who waver or are tossed to and fro by every passing trend. It is beau-tiful when a person is unique, remaining steadfast in his/her values without hypoc-risy, and does not try to act in a way that will attract false compliments or temporary welfare. From where can an individual gain the strength to hold fast to his/her princi-ples? The answer is so simple… our Lord Jesus Christ who is Himself the source of all strength. All you need to do to have internal strength is to believe in your God, your Church, and God’s gifts for you. Finally, we must have a measure to know whether or not our principles are in agreement with our lives as children of God and if they are proper within our culture or not. These measures include:

I. Holy Scripture.

II. Father of Confession.

III. Spiritual Guidance.

IV. Family and Friends who possess experience and spiritual knowledge.

Self Evaluation:

If someone gets a hold of your cell phone, will they be able to tell who you really are by the things (songs, pictures, snap-chats, instagrams, texts, emails, etc.) that are on your phone? Will they be able to tell you are a Christian or will they think you are no different than everyone else in the world? Does the language that you use indicate to others that you are a child of God? Is the way you dress appropriate for a son/daughter of God or do you conform to whatever the latest fashion trend is regardless of whether or not it is appropri-ate?

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Me morization THANKSGIVING PRAYER

Let us give thanks to the beneficent and merciful God, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for He has covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us unto Him, spared us, supported us, and brought us to this hour. Let us also ask Him, the Lord our God, the Almighty, to guard us in all peace this holy day and all the days of our life.

O Master, Lord, God the Almighty, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, we thank You for every condition, concerning every condition, and in every condition, for You have covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us unto You, spared us, supported us, and brought us to this hour.

Therefore, we ask and entreat Your goodness, O Lover of mankind, to grant us to complete this holy day, and all the days of our life, in all peace with Your fear. All envy, all temptation, all the work of Satan, the counsel of wicked men, and the rising up of enemies, hidden and manifest, take them away from us, and from all Your people, and from this holy place that is Yours.

But those things which are good and profitable do provide for us; for it is You Who have given us the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, by the grace, compassion and love of mankind, of Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, through Whom the glory, the honor, the dominion, and the adoration are due unto You, with Him, and the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giver, Who is of one essence with You, now and at all times, and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.

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Me morization THE COMPLINEPRAYER

Psalm 141With my voice to the Lord I cried; with my voice to the Lord I made supplication. I will pour out before Him my supplication. My affliction I will pour out before Him, when my spirit was fainting within me, and You knew my paths. In the way in which I was walking, they hid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, for there was no one who noticed me. Refuge failed me, and there was no one who cared for my soul. I cried unto You, O Lord, and said, “You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living. Attend to my supplication, for I am brought very low; deliv-er me from those who persecute me, for they are stronger than me. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may confess Your name, O Lord. The righteous wait for me until You reward me.” ALLELUIA.

Psalm 132 Behold! What is so good, or what so pleasant, as for brothers dwelling together? It is as ointment upon the head, that came down upon beard, the beard of Aaron that came down to the fringe of his clothing; as the dew of Aermon, that comes down upon the mountain of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing and the life forever. ALLELUIA.

The Holy Gospel According To

St. Luke (Ch. 2: 25-32)And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen Christ the Lord. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God, and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light for the revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

Glory to God forever. Amen.

The Litanies Behold, I am about to stand before the Just Judge terrified and trembling because of my many sins. For a life spent in pleasures deserves condemnation. But repent, O my soul, so long as you dwell on this earth, for inside the grave, dust does not praise. And among the dead, no one remembers, neither in hades, does anyone give thanks. Therefore arise from the slumber of laziness, and entreat the Savior, repenting and saying, “God, have mercy on me and save me.”

(Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.)

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O Christ our God, before Your awesome seat of judgement I am terrified, and before Your council of judgement I submit, and from the Light of Your divine radiance I tremble, I, the wretched and defiled, who lies on my bed, negligent in my life. But I take example of the Publican, beating my chest and saying, “O God, forgive me and have mercy on me, a sinner.”

O pure Virgin, overshadow your servant with your instant help, and keep the waves of evil thoughts away from me, and raise up my ailing soul for prayer and vigil, for it has gone into a deep sleep. For you are a capable, compassionate and helpful mother, the bearer of the Fountain of Life, my King and my God, Jesus Christ, my hope.

(Both now and forever and unto the age of all ages, Amen.)

Me morization

<ere ne ten]ho ero@ w ;ye;ouab e;meh nwou@ etoi mpar;enoc ncyou niben@ ]macnou] ;mau mPi,rictoc.

Hail to you we ask you, O saint full of glory, the ever-Virgin, Mother of God Mother of Christ.

Anioui ntenproceu,y@ epswi ha pesyri mmenrit@ ntef,a nennobi nan ebol.

Lift up our prayers, to your beloved Son, that He may forgive us our sins.

<ere ;yetacmici nan@ mpiouwini ntavmyi@ Pi,rictoc Pennou]@ ]par;enoc e;ouab.

Hail to the holy Virgin, who has brought forth unto us the true Light, Christ our God.

Ma]ho mP[oic ehryi ejwn@ nteferounai nem nen'u,y@ ntef,a nennobi nan ebol.

Ask the Lord on our behalf, that He may have mercy on our souls, and forgive us our sins.

}par;enoc Mariam@ ];eotokoc e;ouab@ ]proctatyc etenhot@ nte pgenoc nte ]metrwmi.

O Virgin Mary, the holy Mother of God, the trusted advocate, of the human race

Ariprecbeuin ehryi ejwn@ nahren Pi,rictoc@ Vyetarejvof@ hopwc nteferhmot nan@ mpi,w ebol nte nennobi.

Intercede on our behalf before Christ whom you bore, that He may forgive us our sins.

<ere ne w ]par;enoc@ ]ourw mmyi naly;iny@ ,ere psousou nte pengenoc@ arejvo nan nEmmanouyl.

Hail to you O Virgin, the right and true Queen, hail to the pride of our race, who bore for us Emmanuel.

Ten]ho aripenmeui@ w ]proctatyc etenhot@ nahren Pen[oic Iycouc Pi,rictoc@ ntef,a nennobi nan ebol.

We ask you to remember us, O our trust-ed advocate, before our Lord Jesus Christ, that He may forgive us our sins.

<ere ne ten]ho ero...

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