Christ Will Fill the Emptiness in Your Heart
Open the bed chamber of your heart to let Jesus in and you will find perfect rest, for everything is vain without Him. You will...
Articles
Weigh Your Heart
St Macarius is one of the monastic leaders of the fourth century. He was a disciple to St Anthony the first monk. In his life...
An Account of a Personal Encounter of an Englishman with Saint Abraam
There is a man in Egypt whose name is unknown to the ruling class, and who is yet the most talked of and the most...
Who is Like You My Father the Monk!
My father, who is like you…Who has offered himself to the Lord?! Who is like you, who has placed his life in the hands of...
11th Congress of Coptic Studies (July 25th – 30th)
Fr Theodore and I have been very fortunate to be part of the 11th congress Coptic studies, thanks to Bishop Daniel’s encouragement and support. The...
St Shenouda Travelling By A Cloud
It happened on one occasion that the holy Patriarch Abba Kyrillos sent for my father St. Shenouda and Abba Victor the Archimandrite of Tabaneese on...
The Saint Abba Shenouda
St Shenouda was born in ‘Shandweel’ in Sohag on the 2nd of May 333 AD. He was the only child to his parents. His father...
The Daily Spiritual Solitude
“Solitude precedes prayer and is practiced by prayer, and from the two we grasp the love of God…” – Mar Isaac the Syrian If you...
A Comparison Between a King and a Monk
Since I see that most people love and admire things that seem to be good, rather than things which are by nature beneficial and truly good,...
Life of St Pachomius – The Brother Who Wanted to Become A Martyr
There was one of the very outstanding brothers, who was practising ascetism by himself. He heard of the godly life of the great St Pachomius and begged...
Asceticism: The Contemporary Martyrdom?
It is well documented that in the early centuries, the blood of Coptic martyrs bathed the knees of the horses of their persecutors. However, since the legalisation...
Early Christian Writings – The Epistle of St Ignatius to the Romans
St Ignatius (35-107 AD) the bishop of Antioch is the second Bishop of Antioch after St Peter the apostle. He was taken from Antioch to Rome...
Christian Music Challenge
I challenge anyone reading this article to tell me the names of St George’s parents… How about a tougher challenge, tell me the name of...
Who Is Asaph?
Asaph is one of the very little known characters in the bible yet he holds a very prominent position. He wrote 12 of the 151...
Why Produce Orthodox Christian Music?
Music is an integral part of our make up as human beings. Music has always been found to inspire many different emotions in the human...
The Memory of Death
Every good and beloved soul… when it has been released by death from the body with which it was united… immediately experiences the joy and...
The Death of the Righteous and the Death of the Wicked
It is not only a single time that God has talked about the death of the righteous and of the wicked people, it is written...
Lessons to be Learned from Death
You learn not only from life, but also from death. It is the old professor for you, and for many others. Many of the fathers...
Proof of the Resurrection
If, then, it is by the sign of the cross and by faith in Christ that death is trampled underfoot, it is clear that it...
Repentance as Resurrection
Most Christians intuitively understand a connection between repentance and resurrection. Many appreciate how repentance and forgiveness can lead to new life. What is harder to...
Christ Is Risen, Indeed He Is Risen
Let all pious men and all lovers of God rejoice in the splendour of this feast; let the wise servants blissfully enter into the joy...
An Old Man Refuses The Gift of Seeing Visions
They used to say concerning a certain old man that, on account of the great humility which he possessed, God gave him the gift of...
Humility: Consciousness of Sin and Dependence Upon God
For the monks, cultivating a spirit of humility meant moving in two opposite directions at once: fostering both a sense of one’s sinfulness and a...
How Can We Obtain Humility?
There are people who are humble by nature and there are those who obtained humility through spiritual struggle and much spiritual training. We do not...
A 7th Century Monastery Discovered In United Arab Emirates
The news of the opening of an archaeological site of a 7th century Christian Monastery in the island of Sir Bani Yas, in the United...
Abba Poemen, The Moderate Ascetic
Many of the Desert Fathers experimented with harsh ascetic regimens, severely limiting their sleep and their intake of food and drink. For example, Abba Arsenius...
Asceticism
Asceticism is to live with satisfaction on your minimal needs without experiencing delight and getting away from materialism. St. Paul the Apostle reminded his disciple...
Resurrection, Monasticism, and New Creation
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 The...
The Joy Of The Resurrection
The angels proclaimed the news of Christ’s resurrection to the women saying, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here,...
Anba Abraam Late Bishop Of Fayoum, “Merciful and Giving”
Anba Abraam was a saintly monk of the twentieth century. As it is said, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven...
Saint Abraam Of Fayoum
The life of this saint is a poured ointment and a sweet incense accepted by God… He appeared as an angel among men… My mouth...
Portrayal Of St Shenoute In Besa’s Life Of Shenoute
According to Besa (wissa), Shenoute’s relationship with God began early in life and was the reason he joined the White Monastery. Besa portrays the seven-year-old...
Three Friends
There was a man that had three friends, then came a messenger from the king to call upon him. And when he asked this man...
Monasticism In Countries Of Immigration
Monasticism is the backbone of the church that protects it and carries it just like how Moses was to Joshua in his fight against Amalek....
First Papal Monastic Letter
My dear beloved children, monks and nuns of our Coptic Orthodox monasteries in the Egyptian deserts and the lands of immigration; May the Peace of...
Monastery Retreats
The Lord of Glory sent a cherub, he led him into this mountain and when he had set his seal on Abba Macarius by placing...
The Repentance Of A Harlot
One day Abba Serapion passed through an Egyptian village and there he saw a courtesan who stayed in her own cell. The old man said...
The History Of The Settlement Of Scetis
In 407, a tribe of barbarian raiders known as Mazices came sweeping off the Libyan desert and devastated one of the first great centers of...
Travels In Africa, Egypt, And Syria From The Year 1792 To 1798
During my stay near the lakes, I visited two of the Egypt Coptic convents, that are called the Syrian, and that of St. George; where...
The Lonely Desert Of The Coptic Church
Missionaries and religious travellers to Egypt were baffled by the willing long-term relocation by ascetics to the desert, which they considered dreary and lonely the...
