Feast of the Cross
In early Christianity, the Holy Cross was very revered. It signified protection, holiness, worship, and blessing to believers everywhere (even before Empress Helen discovered it). In this feast, the churchfocuses on the Holy Cross and how through the Cross, the Lord, descended to Hades to save the righteous. Though the Holy Cross, the Lord opened the doors of the Paradise of Joy again. The Holy Cross is the true power of Christians. The church celebrates the – …
The Apostles' Fast
The Pentecost, descent of the Holy Spirit, is immediately followed by the Apostle’s fast which lasts from the Monday after Pentecost to July 12th (Abib 5th). The apostles started preaching after the reception of the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts does not end with the word “Amen,” unlike most other books in the bible. This is significant because the preaching of the apostle did not stop at the end of the book. It is – …
The Glorious Feast of our Lord's Ascension
On the Feast of Ascension, we commemorate the last day of the physical presence of the risen Christ amongst His disciples and His ascension to the heaven. It may seem like a parting, a separation, and that after it, our Lord is not with us in quite the same way any longer. However, Christ ascending to heaven opens the gates to us, His people, He prepares a way for us, and He carries us and – …
Glorious Feast of the Resurrection and the Holy Fifty Days
The Coptic Orthodox Church brings to mind the present reality of the power of Christ’s resurrection from the dead on the third day. By His death, Christ has trampled death and has bestowed eternal life to those in the tombs. The Lord of Glory raised Himself from the dead on the Sunday of Resurrection. He rose for us to clothe us with the new man and grant us eternal life. Quote: Before the divine sojourn – …
Sixth Sunday of the Great Lent
The last Sunday in Lent is the Sunday of Baptism, during which we read the gospel reading of the man born blind. “I was blind and now I see.” This is our everlasting experience as children of the Heavenly Father. We were blind and He opened our sight so we beheld miracles of His laws and we saw what the prophets longed to see, and He gave us understanding of the Scriptures. “Go wash in – …
Fifth Sunday of the Great Lent
The gospel of the fifth Sunday talks about Bethsaida which symbolizes Baptism. We, the crowds of Christians, were beside it sick, lame, blind and paralyzed, suffering every spiritual sickness. The Angel that moves the water symbolizes the Holy Spirit Who comes down on the water of baptism. This is our share in Christ: those who are baptized have ever in the Father even if they have been sick for 38 years. The practice of this – …