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 ascetics. For the well-fed, even the most superficial secrets of the Trinity lie hidden. Christ Himself set the example with His long fast; when He drove out the devil He …
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 did not need to do for Himself such as fasting, praying, doing charity, etc these thing Jesus did in order to pave a way for us to salvation. This path …
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 in the heights. • Psalmody puts the passions to sleep and works to calm the incontinence of the body; prayer prepares the mind to exercise the activity that is proper …
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 disgusted or become haughty but hasten and make a metanaya. Do not blame him in your heart for in this way you will give rise to anger. If someone accused …
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 His peace and promised us victory over all evil. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.” (Jn 14:27) Jesus gives His peace. He does not loan …
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 to just a ritual and this appears a lot in: *The competition of voices in the church, so that some people try to reply and sing the hymn before others …
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 we began to question him in considerable detail as to why they were so careful that no one ever kneel in prayer during all of Pentecost or presume to fast …
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 began to be standardized for the notation of Coptic, and although translations of the Christian Bible and a variety of other religious works were being disseminated, original compositions in Coptic …
“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 of life, his admirable virtues and the great and incredible signs, just like those of the holy prophets and the apostles of the Lord.” The life of Abba Shenouda This …
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 hard, lifelong commitment, fasting, asceticism, obedience. Many young people think that something miraculous has to happen to them to know what is God’s will for me, especially when people read …
