By: Fr Youssef Asaad The disciples said to Him, “If this is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry!” But He said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who were born this way from …
Multicultured Monks of Wadi Al Natrun The prophecy of the child Jesus, which he gave during the journey of the Holy Family to Egypt, when they passed by the area of Wadi Al Natrun, fulfilled. According to what Zacharias, the bishop of Sakha in the 7th century, wrote in the homily about the Holy Family, …
Spiritual Life in the monastery according to St Pachomius The monastic foundation by Pachomius was primarily a spiritual one, and if it was to be successful, then the spiritual life of each monk was of paramount importance. He attempted to ensure this in three ways. Firstly by legislation, which would not only protect the spiritual …
Let us turn our mind to the task of prayer at appointed hours. Let us always desire the happy life from the Lord God and always pray for it. But for this very reason, we turn our mind to the task of prayer at appointed hours, since that desire grows lukewarm, so to speak, from …
But if we wished also to examine the nighttime, we would see the monk adorned with the worship of God and with prayers, singing much earlier than the birds, living with the angels, conversing with God, enjoying the goods of heaven. But he who commands many nations and peoples and armies, who rules over much …
St. Bishoy struggled in much asceticism and many worships that made him worthy to see the Lord Christ. Emperor Constantine appeared to him in a vision, saying, "Had I known how great is the honour of monks, I would have abandoned my kingdom and became a monk." St. Bishoy told him, "You have banished the …
A leader of a community asked Abba Poemen: “How can I gain the fear of God?” Abba Poemen replied: “How indeed can we gain the fear of God when we have bellies full of cheese and jars of salted fish?” Abba Poemen thus teaches us that the ultimate goal of fasting is to help lead …
There was also another brother sitting in a corner reciting the twelve minor prophets, and as often as he would recite them, beginning each one in order, our father Abba Shenouda would see the prophet he was reciting standing by the brother until he finished the recitation. He would then leave and sit by our …
A prominent event in the Lives of St. Shenouda is that in which the Abbot accompanies St. Cyril to the Council of Ephesus (431 AD.). This fact has been attested to by St. Wesa as well as St. Shenouda himself. It is also upheld by the majority of scholars. However, "why was Shenoute invited to …
St Shenouda was born on the 7th of Pashans 49AM / 2nd of May 333 AD, in Shandawil, a village near Akhmim in Upper Egypt. At the age of nine years old, St Shenouda’s righteous parents Darouba and Agbous asked shepherds to teach him how to care for the sheep, and to send him back …
