St. Peter & St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church - Santa Monica

Fr. Isaac - English Sermon - 12/31/2023

The Martyrdom of St. Stephen the Archdeacon
On this day of the year 37 A.D. the great St. Stephen was martyred. He was an archdeacon and the first martyr (protomartyr). He was chosen among six other deacons full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom and faith for the diaconate service and the ministry of the poor. Stephen preached and did great wonders and signs among the people. His personality and miracles incited the envy and resistance of the Hellenistic Jews who were not able to oppose the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
The Jews seized him and brought him to the Council. They accused him of blaspheming against the temple and the law. Stephen stood before them and reviewed his argument in a profound historical and elaborate illustration.
His words were convincing and fiery and they saw his face as the face of an angel. They ran at him with one accord and they cast him out of the city and stoned him as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus receive my spirit.” He saw the glory of the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice saying, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Devout men carried St. Stephen’s pure body and buried him with great veneration.
The blessing of his prayers be with us all. Amen.

Did you know today, Kiahk 29, is the Feast of Nativity? Happy Nativity Feast!

Blessed Nativity Feast
“Today the Virgin gives birth to the Supreme Essence and the earth offers the cave to the Unapproachable.
The angels with the shepherds glorify, and the wise men with the star journey, for to us is born a new Child, God before the ages.”
-Ηπαρθένος

May the Lord Christ be born in our hearts on the Glorious Feast of Nativity
On this day, of the year 5501 of the world, (and in the fullness of time) according to the tradition of our Coptic Orthodox church and in the 42nd year of the reign of Caesar Augustus, Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, born (Incarnate) in the Flesh from the pure Virgin St. Mary.
Through the Divine plan of God and His foreknowledge, Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a general census in all the Roman Empire. For that reason, St. Joseph and with him the virgin St. Mary went from the city of Nazareth up to “Bethlehem” to be counted there in the census. St. Joseph was from the tribe of Judah, descendant of King David, and from the city of Bethlehem. When they arrived to Bethlehem, the days were completed for the Virgin St.
Mary to be delivered and she gave birth to the Savior of the world. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and put him in a manger, for they did not have a place for them in the inn.
Now there were, in the same country, shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all the people For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.” Suddenly there was, with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. (Luke 2:1-20)
On this day, the prophecies about the birth of the Lord from a chaste virgin had been fulfilled. Isaiah the prophet said, "Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His Name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)
As Daniel the prophet said, "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a Kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)
Jeremiah the prophet said, "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise tc David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment anc righteousness in the earth. In His days, Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His Name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness." (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
Therefore now we must direct our minds toward the manger of Bethlehem contemplating the mystery of incarnation of God, and His birth in a manger for our salvation. Knowing by this; that He is teaching us through this mystery to despise the world and all the vain things in it, urging us to be humble and to love our neighbor and to seek doing whatever is good.
We should live in godliness, and Christian virtues realizing the great dignity that has been granted to us by this Divine Incarnation of our Good Savior.
Since we have kept this fast, and have arrived at this glorious feast, we should receive it with purity and goodness. We should extend our hand to comfort the weak, to help the poor, and to be instruments of peace and reconciliation among people taking our good Savior as our example. Entreating God to have compassion upon us, to forgive our sins, to bless our gatherings, homes and work and to keep the life of our blessed father His Holiness Pope Anba..., the Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, and his partner in the apostolic liturgy our honored bishop His Grace Anba ... to keep their pontificate for many years with the joy, peace and the safety of the church, and the advancement of their flock in virtue. May God grant us many returns of this feast, filled with the blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who was incarnate for our salvation.
To Him be the Glorv and Honor in His church forever. Amen.

Fr. Isaac - English Sermon - 12/24/2023

We are proud of our choirs and our Sunday School children, who used their talents to glorify God in our Nativity Performance

Don’t miss our Nativity Performance this Sunday!

Comment on the Vatican Permission of Blessing the Same S*x Marriage

The Commemoration of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra
On this day of the year 58 of the martyrs (342 A.D.) the righteous St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (Mora) departed. His father’s name was Epiphanius and his mother’s name was Tounah. Besides being wealthy, they were God-fearing also. They had no children to bring joy to their hearts. When they grew old God had compassion on them and gave them this saint. The child was filled with divine grace since his childhood. When he grew, he demonstrated distinction in learning which indicated that the Holy Spirit was inspiring him. Since his young age he learned the Church subjects and was ordained a deacon.
He lived a life of asceticism and moral excellence. When they recognized his advancement in grace and piety they ordained him a priest. God granted him the gift of working signs, healing the sick and casting out the evil spirits. There was a very rich man in the city of Myra who lost all his wealth and became in need of his daily rations. He had three daughters who had passed the age of marriage, and could not get married because of their father’s poverty. Satan wickedly suggested to the man to make his daughters work in evil places. God revealed to St. Nicholas what this man intended to do. St. Nicholas took one hundred dinars of his father’s money and tied it up in a sack, and during the night he threw it into the window of that man’s house. When the man found the gold, he was astonished and rejoiced and was able to give his eldest daughter away in marriage. During another night the saint threw another hundred dinars into the man’s house and the man was able to give his second daughter away in marriage. The man wanted to know who this charitable person was. The third time when the saint threw the gold into the house, the man was watching and immediately he went out of his house running to see who was throwing the gold to him. He found St. Nicholas and the man bowed down at his feet and paid him great homage and thanked him because he saved his daughters from poverty and from a life of sin.
When the Bishop of Myra departed, the people chose him to be their bishop. He took it upon himself to be the good shepherd who gives his life for the sheep.
Shortly after, Diocletian incited the persecution against the Christians. He imprisoned many of them and closed their churches. St. Nicholas encouraged them to endure the persecution and to steadfast in the faith. The soldiers seized him and tormented him with many tortures. He remained in prison until the reign of Emperor Constantine who released all those who were imprisoned for the sake of the faith. St. Nicholas was one of them and he returned to his parish with great honor.
He was one of the 318 bishops assembled in the city of Nicea in the year 325 A.D. to judge Arius the heretic.
Having finished his course and guarded his flock, he departed to be with the Lord. He sat on the Episcopal throne for more than forty years, and all the days of his life were about 8o years.
The blessing of his prayers be with us all. Amen.

With hope in the Resurrection, we bid farewell to the beloved servant of God, Soad Erian, who departed to the Paradise of Joy on December 18, 2023. Our deepest condolences to all of her family.