Our need for Christ The greatest experience which strongly drew my attention during my early Christian life is that whenever I felt my want of so many things in my dealings with the people, the Church or the monks, I got so distressed and agonised that my energy, ministry and influence upon others were consequently …
I want nothing from the world I want nothing from the world.., for the world has nothing to be desired. The desires of the world are only attractive to those who value them. I want nothing of the world, for the world is too poor to give me. If what I want was available in …
Desert Fathers on Fasting 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 …
Fasting is the champion of every virtue, the beginning of the struggle, the crown of the abstinent, the beauty of virginity and holiness, the resplendence of chastity, the commencement of the path of Christianity, the mother of prayer, the well-spring of sobriety and prudence, the teacher of stillness, and the precursor of all good …
CHRIST THE NEW MOSES The Israelites witnessed marvels; you also will witness marvels, greater and more splendid than those which accompanied them on their departure from Egypt. BAPTISM & THE RED SEA You did not see Pharaoh drowned with his armies, but you have seen the devil with his weapons overcome by the waters of baptism. …
CHRIST THE TRUE SOLOMON Because Solomon had built a temple to the Lord – a prototype and an image of the future Church, the Lord’s body, which is why the Gospel says Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up – because the Solomon of history had built that temple, our Lord Jesus …
Why make requests of God if He already knows what we need? “Even if I grant your point and admit that answers to prayer are theoretically possible, I shall still think they are infinitely improbable.” I don't think it at all likely that God requires the ill - informed (and contradictory) advice of us humans …
SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS INTO THE MIDNIGHT PRAYER OF THE COPTIC CHURCH Father Matta El-Meskeen. The Church begins her daily service of worship at the hour of midnight in order to profess her belief in the second coming of Christ and in order to remember and also to be ready for His second coming. The Church has …
THE WISDOM OF THE PRAYERS OF THE HOURS The first wisdom is the unity of the church when praying, with one soul The church used to pray with “one soul" lifting up one voice to God (Acts 4:24). This will not occur unless the church is praying with one prayer, or the majority are leading …
On the Eucharist St. Ignatius of Antioch "I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire his blood, which is love incorruptible" (Letter to the …
