Be A Monk
I am glad to be around all the bishops and our beloved fathers the monk(s) of this great monastery. I have a strong notion the...
Articles
Fasting And The Gym
If there were patron saints for working out during the holy fasting periods, it would have to be Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. During Israel’s...
To You Is The Power
With this song we praise our Lord Jesus Christ during Holy Week, following Him step by step. Our Lord Jesus Christ left Jerusalem to Bethany,...
Life of Continuous Prayer
Monastic life above everything is a life of continuous prayer. A layman can do everything that a monk does, except continuous prayer. This is the...
On Fasting
Fasting, neither above nor below your ability, will help you in your vigil. One should not ponder divine matters on a full stomach, say the...
6 Questions People Ask About Fasting
Why do we fast? The simple answer to this question is because Jesus fasted. When Jesus was on earth He did many things that He...
Symposium Report
With the kind permission of Bishop Daniel I was honored to participate in the 8th symposium of the St Mark’s foundation for Coptic History (February...
Instruction On The Six Days Of The Passover
Let us struggle, my beloved, during these six days of the Passover, for they are given to us each year for the redemption of our...
St Demetrius 1, The 12th Pope of Alexandria
The Twelfth Day of the Blessed Month of Babah. 1. The Departure of Abba Demetrius I, 12th Pope of Alexandria. 2. The Martyrdom of St....
Prayer & Psalmody
Pray as is fitting and without trouble, practise psalmody with understanding (Ps. 46: 8) and harmony, and you will be like a young eagle soaring...
How Do I Respond To Humiliation?
How do I Respond to Humiliation? Abba Isaiah answers this question as follows: If a person hurled a harsh word at you do not be...
Finding Peace Despite The Sufferings
As we endure these difficult times and suffering, we experience a range of emotions, including despair, anger, and restlessness. The Lord has blessed us with...
How Should We Praise In The Church?
How should we praise in the Church? Besides the great awe of this inheritance, yet how much we distort it whenever the worship is changed...
On The Relaxation Of The Fast During The 50 Days
Abba Theonas visited us in our cell, and when evening prayers were over and we had been sitting for a short while on the ground...
St Shenoute’s Life and Times
When Shenoute was born in the middle of the fourth century C.E., Coptic literature barely existed. Only a century had passed since a writing system...
Meditation on the Fear of God
“I no longer fear God, but I love Him. For love casts out fear.” After reading this quote from Saint Antony, some of us wonder...
The Bible In The Life Of St. Shenouda
“For my father Abba Shenouda of good memory whose feast we celebrate today is worthy to have his good works related, his asceticism, his way...
How Do I Know My Calling?
It is an important question that most young people ask themselves, “How do I know if monastic life is for me? As it seems too...
The Dove Returns to the Ark
When I left the bishopric and returned to my desert cave at the beginning of January 1964, I found the monk Antonius (Pope Shenouda’s name...
Fasting & Prayer
In the name of the living, holy God, Creator of the bodies and the souls, who made thanksgiving due upon us forever. And made us...
Monastic Poverty In Evagrius’ Work
Evagrius’s ideal monk lives simply, at the edge of poverty, so to speak, accumulating only enough to support himself and to provide basic hospitality to...
Theology of Tears in the Writings of Climacus
The gift of tears is something ‘native’ to historical Christianity which distinguishes it from the ascetic or mystical traditions of other religions. There is a...
A Broken Road
Louis Armstrong flared our passions, almost teasing our poignant yet innocent desires singing the lyrics of his song “What a Wonderful World” as such we...
On Fasting?
The brethren said, “Is it possible for a man to fast and not to be redeemed?” The old man said, “There is a fasting which...
Wisdom Derived From Humility
St. Anthony’s humility took many forms. St. Anthony listened to others without insisting on his own opinion from his childhood. As an adult, St. Anthony...
Monasticism
In the Orthodox Church the rite of monastic tonsure has a sacramental character. It is called a ‘sacrament’ (mystery) by Dionysius the Areopagite and other...
Showing Longsuffering Then Becoming High Minded?
If it happens that I show longsuffering in some matter, my thought becomes high-minded; how should I be thinking about this? When you happen to...
On Virginity
The holy look of virginity is precious indeed in the judgment of all who make purity the test of beauty; but it belongs to those...
Fear Is Not In Love
What then do we say about him who has begun to fear the day of judgment? If love were perfected in him, he would not...
Calling Shenoute A Prophet
I am not sure that Shenoute ever explicitly called himself a prophet, but others have used the label for him frequently. What have they meant...
A Monk Under Attack
When Abba Macarius dwelt in the great desert, he was the only one living as an anchorite, but lower down there was another desert where...
Revealing Temptations?
A brother questioned an Elder, saying: “Father, must I seek the counsel of the Elders for all of the temptations which come passing in my...
Monasticism Is?
To continue my reflections of my numerous spiritual counsel with monks and Bishops during my last retreat in the Egyptian desert, a definition of monasticism...
The Garden Of Monks
With the kind permission of Bishop Daniel (the Bishop of St Shenouda Monastery), we, the monks of the monastery, went on a spiritual retreat to...
Becoming Liberated From Shameful Thoughts?
How can someone become liberated from shameful thoughts? Let us follow what St Basil has to say Concerning this topic: We should confront these attacks...
Where Is The Joy?
All these monastic practices makes monasticism seem to be full of grief and sadness, where does joy fit in all of that? At the first...
Homily On Repentance
O repentance, how great are your consolations: the joy that is rooted in grief, and the happiness that is born of tears. The fruits of...
The Sign of the Cross
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian author who spent many years in the gulag of Siberia, bears witness to the power of the cross. After long suffering...
Breaking Barriers
In everyone’s spiritual life there comes a point where we can either excel or stay the same, both of which have a corresponding result. Sadly,...
Ascetical Hermeneutics
Monasticism began as a result of one man’s attempt to fulfill a Scriptural challenge, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and...
