Coptic.Hymns

God wants you, but do you want Him? If we truly want to find God, we need to seek him with our whole heart, not just partially.

Blessed Feast of the Ascension!

But you will say, How does this concern me? Because you also shall be taken up inlike manner into the clouds. For your body is of like nature to His body, therefore shall your body be so light, that it can pass through the air. For as is the head, so also is the body; as the beginning, so also the end. See then how you are honored by this beginning. Man was the lowest part of the rational creation, but the feet have been made the head, being lifted up aloft into the royal throne in their head.

– St John Chrysostom, Homily on Luke 24

During our gatherings with friends and family, it is important to consciously try to avoid engaging in trivial conversations frequently. Instead, we should focus on discussing the stories of the remarkable figures in our faith.

By doing so, the presence of God becomes palpable and profound. This elevates our gatherings into beautiful moments where the divine presence of Emmanuel is truly felt in our midst.

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

“I am your forgiveness. I am the Passover that brings salvation. I am the lamb who was immolated for you. I am your ransom, your life, your resurrection, your light.”

– Melito of Sardis, On Pascha

Then he entered the temple—but not by chance, or naively. He "came to the temple in the Spirit of God." (Lk 2:27) "For, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." (Rom 8:14).

Therefore the Holy Spirit led him into the temple. If you wish to hold Jesus, and to embrace him with your hands, and to be made worthy of leaving prison, you too must struggle with every effort to possess the guiding Spirit and come to God's temple.

See, you stand now in the temple of the Lord Jesus—that is, in his Church. This is the temple "built from living stones” (1 Pt 2:5). But you stand in the Lord's temple when your life and your conduct are worthy of the title "church."

— Origen (185-253 AD) Homilies on Luke

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Blessed Fast of the Nativity!

St John Chrysostom warns us here that if we reduce fasting to an abstinence from meat, we reduce fasting to being something of little worth and we will see no value in it.

However, as Christians we should utilize fasting as a tool that can help us withdraw from sinful practices.

This is just one of the major reasons why we fast!

May God strengthen us during this fast and instill within us his fiery grace so that we can withdraw from sinful practices and also perform good works ✝️🙏

Look inwards instead of outwards

“Service is a natural expression of the life of fellowship with Christ. Service is not a duty or obligation, but a natural part of life for one who has entered into fellowship with Christ; one cannot but serve. Anyone who has reached a stage of fellowship with God and Christ finds that the natural expression of this fellowship is to serve.”

- Bishop Samuel (Dec 8, 1920–Oct 6, 1981)

Christ is the True Vine

“Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,”
‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭80:14-15‬)

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”
‭‭(John‬ ‭15:1‬)

For as the vine and its branches are of one nature, therefore, His own nature as God being different from ours, He became man, that in Him human nature might be the vine, and we who also are men might become branches thereof. - St Augustine

If I say that heaven is exalted, yet it does not equal you, for it is wrriten: “Heaven is My throne” (Isa. 66:1), while you are God’s place of repose.

If I say that the angels and archangels are great — but you are greater than them all, for the angels and the archangels serve with trembling the One Who dwells in your womb, and they dare not speak in His presence, while you speak to Him freely.

If we say that the cherubim are great, you are greater than they, for the cherubim carry the throne (cf. Ps. 80:1; 99:1), while you hold God in your hands.

If we say that the serphim are great, you are greater than them all, for the seraphim cover their faces with their wings (cf. Isa. 6:2), unable to look upon the perfect glory, while you not only gaze upon His face but caress it and offer your breasts to His holy mouth.

- St Athanasius on the Theotokos

The knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve had bound in unbelief, the virgin Mary loosed through faith.

— St. Ireaneus, Against Heresies

A brother asked Abba Sisoes, 'What shall I do, abba, for I have fallen?'

The old man said to him, 'Get up again.' The brother said, 'I have got up again, but I have fallen again.' The old man said, 'Get up again and again.' So then the brother said, 'How many times?' The old man said, 'Until you are taken up either in virtue or in sin. For a man presents himself to judgement in the state in which he is found.'

Blessed Feast of the Ascension!

The Feast of the Ascension teaches us the principle of ascending.

Spiritual life, or life with the Lord, is a perpetual ascension, a constant development upwards, till we arrive at the life of perfection. It is a continuous relationship to heaven. - Fr Moses Samaan

"The Lord Christ's entry into the land of Egypt teaches us an important spiritual principle; which is fleeing from evil and sin” - Pope Tawadros II

"The fleeing of the Holy Family to Egypt and the Lord's visit to it meant the destruction of its idols and removal of its abominations, for the sanctification of its people. Through it, Egypt became a living center which radiates faith. As Joseph stored wheat in Egypt to support the
world during the famine for seven years, likewise the Lord Christ offered overflowing blessings to Egypt so it can be a cause of blessing to the entire world”
- Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty

Be on your guard, therefore, and bear in mind this example of severe loss sustained through arrogance.

The one guilty of insolent behavior suffered the loss of his justice and forfeited his reward by his bold self-reliance.

He was judged inferior to a humble man and a sinner because in his self-exaltation he did not await the judgment of God but pronounced it himself.

Never place yourself above anyone, not even great sinners.

Humility often saves a sinner who has committed many terrible transgressions.

- St Basil the Great

The quick realization that one has sinned is a gift from God bestowed on one’s conscience.

Ascetical Homilies of St Isaac the Syrian

Christ is risen!

He having been made Himself the beginning of those that live, as Adam became the beginning of those who die.
- St Irenaeus of Lyons

——

For the sake of all he tasted death. Although by nature he was life and was himself the resurrection, he surrendered his own body to death. By his ineffable power he trampled upon death in his own flesh that he might become the firstborn from the dead and the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
- St Cyril of Alexandria

Blessed fast of the Great Lent!

Fasting is not counted as good in its own nature, but becomes ‘good’ and pleases God if combined with other works. - Abbot Theonas

This beautiful prayer is chanted during the Great Lent in many of the Coptic hymns.

Coptic text:

ⲁⲓⲉⲣⲛⲟⲃⲓ ⲁⲓⲉⲣⲛⲟⲃⲓ ⳾ ⲡⲁϭⲟⲓⲥ ⲓⲏ︦ⲥ︦ ⲭⲱ ⲛⲏⲓ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ ⳾ϫⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲛ ⲃⲱⲕ ⲛⲁⲧⲉⲣⲛⲟⲃⲓ ⳾ ⲟⲩⲇⲉ ⲙⲙⲟⲛ ϭⲟⲓⲥ ⲛⲁⲧⲭⲱ ⲉⲃⲟⲗ

Let us fast a pure and holy fast so that we may return to paradise!

Grace will visit you gradually…

‘Radically’ Applying God’s Word in Our Lives

In the Life of St Antony by St Athanasius, we read that upon hearing this verse St Antony IMMEDIATELY enacted God’s message. He didn’t wait a couple of days, weeks, or months, but he acted immediately after hearing the verse. He wasn’t distracted. He gave up all the money he inherited and left just enough for his sister. And once again as he is listening intently in Church he hears another message from the gospel saying “do not be anxious about tomorrow”. Once more upon hearing the word of God he IMMEDIATELY reacts and also gives the portion he saved for his sister to the poor.

Every time I read this excerpt from the Life of St Antony, I am reminded that:
1. Sainthood is attainable by applying God’s word to myself and myself only.
2. We have to act immediately upon hearing God’s message.
3. We have to be radical with our spiritual life. We have to examine ourselves and cut off anything that is cutting US off from GOD.
- “Social Media is wasting my time.” Then delete the app or at least limit your time on it!
- “My friends are bringing me down. I have tried helping them grow spiritually but instead I have been negatively impacted.” Cut them off!
- “Every time I speak I tend to speak badly about others.”Practice silence!

Apologetics Series
Week 2 - Archaeological Evidence

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Apologetics Series
Week 2 - Manuscript Evidence

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Apologetics Series
Week 2 - Historical Evidence

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Apologetics Series
Week 2 - If God does exist, then why believe in the Christian God?

Check out previous posts to see how we reached the conclusion that God exists.

Apologetics Series
Week 1 - Moral Law Argument

This post concludes the first week of the apologetics series.

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Apologetics Series
Week 1 - The Teleological Argument

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Blessed Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ!

This day He Who is, is Born; and He Who is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassability, remaining unchanged.

- St John Chrysostom

Apologetics Series:
Week 1 - The Kalam Cosmological Argument

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Apologetics Series:
Week 1 - Does God Exist?

I’ll be using these three arguments to prove that God does exist. There will be 3 apologetic posts this week for each argument.

Keep an eye out for those posts!

Comments will be turned off but if you have any questions or comments feel free to DM me.

Ill have a post just for FAQ at the end of the series!

There is a dire need for apologetics in the age we currently live in.

Therefore, God willing, I will be starting an apologetics series answering three questions using several arguments to defend the faith.

The goal of this series is to bring people to the true faith, or at the very least plant a seed. Also, my goal is to have this series help educate people of the faith in order to better defend the faith and evangelize.

Watch out for posts!