St.
George
Coptic Orthodox Church
Bellflower - California
كنيسة الشهيد العظيم مارجرجس- ببلفلاور
Coptic Orthodox Church Bellflower - California كنيسة الشهيد العظيم مارجرجس- ببلفلاور
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From the Sayings of Our Church Fathers "A Queen, She Never Grow Old" By: St. John Chrysostom Nothing is more abiding than the Church; she is your salvation; she is your refuge. She is more lofty than the heavens; she is more far reaching than the earth. She never grows old; she always stays in bloom. And so Scripture indicates her permanence and stability by calling her a virgin; her magnificence by calling her a daughter; her barrenness turned to fecundity by calling her: "The Mother of the Seven". A thousand names try to spell out her nobility. Just as the Lord is called by many names: Father, Way, Life, Light, Arm, Propitiation, Foundation, Gate, Sinless, One Treasure, Lord, God, Son, Only-Begotten, Form of God, Image of God, since one name could not hope to describe the Omnipotent and many names given us some small insight into His nature, so the Church goes by many names. The Church is many things: at one time a bride, at another a daughter, now a virgin, now a handmaid, now a queen, at one time barren, at another a garden, at one time fertile, at another a lily, at another a fountain. Therefore when you hear these names beware of regarding them as physical… A mountain is not a virgin. A virgin is not a bride, a queen is not a servant, yet the Church is all of these things. Why? Because these are spiritual, not physical, realities, and the spiritual is a vast ocean. The Church is many things: at one time a bride, at another a daughter, now a virgin, now a handmaid, now a queen, at one time barren, at another a garden, at one time fertile, at another a lily, at another a fountain. Therefore when you hear these names beware of regarding them as physical… A mountain is not a virgin. A virgin is not a bride, a queen is not a servant, yet the Church is all of these things. Why? Because these are spiritual, not physical, realities, and the spiritual is a vast ocean.
Concerning the boundless love Of God (St. John Chrysostom)
Such is the love of God for mankind that He never regrets enuine repentance, but even if someone were to go beyond the limit of evil and desired to return from there to the way of virtue, He would receive and approach him, doing every thing to guide him to his former condition. In fact, He is still more loving: for even if he did not show all repentance _ even the very least – He would reward him much for the little repentance shown. It is not He Who ever turns away from us, but rather we who detach ourselves from Him. If you have sinned and fallen, rise, arise please. For the Good and Loving Master Who was put to shame by our sin is besides you and does not reject cohabitation with you. Give Him your hand.
Teachings from the Holy Bible
Question: Why does the Holy Bible say, "For you shall worship no other God, for the Lord, Whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God?" (Exodus 34:14) Is God Jealous? Answer: Yes, God is jealous in the good sense of the word. It means that God has intense (very strong) love for His people. The Hebrew word for "jealousy" describes a deep emotional warmth, zeal, enthusiasm or eagerness. Thus God’s jealousy is a love which is so strong that He wants only what is the best for His people. God loves us so much that He cannot tolerate (bear) to see us sin. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16) But to speak generally in humans, the word "jealousy" is one of those emotions that may be used in a good sense or a bad sense. The following are some examples from the Holy Bible:
In the New Testament: "Then His disciples remembered that it was written ‘Zeal for your house has eaten me up" (John 2:17) "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God." (Romans 10: 2) "Your zeal has stirred up the majority" (II Corinthians 9: 2) "For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." (II Corinthians 11: 2) "But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you." (Galathians 4: 18)
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly. What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly! I asked for Strength......... And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong. I asked for Wisdom......... And God gave me Problems to solve. I asked for Prosperity......... And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work. I asked for Courage......... And God gave me Danger to overcome. I asked for Love......... And God gave me Troubled people to help. I asked for Favors......... And God gave me Opportunities. I received nothing I wanted........ I received everything I needed! May your path be bright and full of light everywhere you go. And, I pray your feet will never stumble out of God's plan. May the desires of your heart come true. And may you experience Peace in everything you do. May Goodness, Kindness, and Mercy come your way. And, may you gain Wisdom and grow in the Lord everyday.
"Beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." (Luke 12:15) According to research by university professors Richard Ryan and Tim Kasser, there's a dark side to the "American dream" of prosperity, and the problem isn't confined to the United States. Based on data collected from subjects in 12 countries, Kasser says that in every culture he's studied, there are psychologically unhelpful and often destructive results from pursuing wealth. The problem is not having money, but "living a life where that's your focus." In today's Scripture, Jesus warned His followers: "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). But our lingering conviction that more money will bring us more happiness and satisfaction makes it difficult to believe either the psychologists or the Sons of God. To counter our natural tendency toward covetousness, the Messiah urged us to be rich toward God and to trust Him for all our needs. He commands us to "seek the kingdom of God," and promises that "all these things" (life's necessities) will be added to us (v.31). Making the Messiah our focus does not guarantee riches but joy and contentment beyond our dreams.
True happiness comes not from wealth, Real peace you can never buy; The contentment that you long for Is in Christ who reigns on high.
Our greatest riches are the riches we have in Christ.
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They both spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the pictures queue scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you." Epilogue... There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy. "Today is a gift, that's why it is called the "present."
(The origin of this letter is unknown)
We share your joy! + Steven Youssef + Peter Makhlouf + Kenneth "George"
For receiving the grace of Baptism
Congratulations On your Engagement!
+ Jake Yacoub and Mary Brownfield + Peter Makhlouf and Sylvana Bakhoum + Magdy Massoud Mikhail and Dina Makram Guirguis
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