Learning to Say No
Fasting, coupled with prayer, is one of the most powerful spiritual weapons we have in our struggle against the devil, sin, and the passions. This is undoubtedly why the Holy Church, as a loving Mother, consecrates several periods of fasting throughout the year, including the 43-day Fast of the Nativity, which we just began. The […] The post Learning to Say No appeared first on Become Orthodox.
Beginning the Nativity Fast: More than a Diet
For those of us following the Old (Julian) calendar, as we do in the Coptic Orthodox Church, we have just begun the Nativity Fast, which culminates in the Feast of our Lord’s Nativity in the flesh on January 7, 2017. Throughout this Fast, we commemorate the events that preceded the birth of our Lord Jesus […] The post Beginning the Nativity Fast: More than a Diet appeared first on Become Orthodox.
The Necessity of Self-Denial
On the Third Sunday of the Coptic month of Hatour, our Mother, the Holy Church, nourished us with a passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke 14:25-35 in which our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us that the cost of being His disciple, the cost of being a Christian in this world, is a total and complete commitment to Him. This total commitment to Christ necessarily begins with self-denial, as our Savior teaches us, “And – …
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 – …
Pastoral Letter for the Fast of Jonah 2010
From Monday, January 25 through Wednesday January 27, the Coptic Orthodox Church observes the Fast of Jonah, a three-day fast commemorating the fast of Jonah the Prophet in the belly of the great fish and culminating in the Feast of Jonah the Prophet on Thursday, January 28, 2009. To commemorate this holy period of fasting, our beloved father, His Grace Bishop Serapion has issued an audio Pastoral Message concerning the observance of the Fast of – …