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His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
The 2009 Papal Feast of Resurrection Message
My beloved children in the lands of immigration, clergy and laity.Peace and grace to you from the Lord. My greetings to you on the Glorious Feast of Resurrection. The Resurrection of the Lord offers to us beneficial lessons that we will not forget.The first lesson is that there is no impossible, and everything is possible with God. The second lesson is that the Lord Christ, in His Resurrection, was always working for our sake. Firstly, He removed the feelings of fear and doubt that troubled the disciples. He comforted them and planted in them the power of faith. Then He granted them the grace of the priesthood. And He said to these disciples: "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." (Luke 20:21) He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (Luke 20:21-22) Likewise, He pledged to the disciples mission work and teaching and said to them: "preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15) He also said: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them ... teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you..." (Matthew 28:19-20) He also stayed with them for forty days "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." (Acts 1:3) During this period, He delivered to them what we received through Apostolic Tradition; the most important of this is what pertains to the sacraments and order of the Church.In His Resurrection and appearance to them, He changed them from fear to being bold, so they were able to say to the Jewish leaders at that time: "We ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29) He explained to them all that related to Him in the Mosaic law, the Prophets and the Psalms.After He left them and ascended to heaven, He sent them the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire that rested upon them, so they were able to preach in His name amongst all the nations. After this, He also granted them many gifts from the Holy Spirit which helped them in the work of mission and pastoral care. He did not suffice with this, but said to them: "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age..." (Matthew 28:20)After a period of time from His ascension, He appeared to Saul of Tarsus who was persecuting the Church; and He was able to change him to an Apostle — one of the greatest apostles who "labored more abundantly than they all..." (I Corinthians 15:10)And the Lord Christ who worked with His disciples after the Resurrection, is still working until now in His Church. This is through His grace and the work of His Holy Spirit. Did He not say: "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." (John 5:17) We thank Him for all that He has done with us; for He is the One who encourages us by saying: "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)From all this, we see in the Resurrection and work of the Lord an encouragement to us to work; and He works with us. How beautiful is the saying about the Disciples of Christ, at the end of the Gospel of St. Mark: "And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs." (Mark 16:20)In conclusion, every blessing from the Lord to you all, and be absolved from His Holy Spirit.(Signed)His Holiness Pope Shenouda III April 2009
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 06 January 2010 )
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His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
Sacrifice
-An excerpt from His Holiness' book Words of Spiritual Benefit.
The love which does not sacrifice is a barren love, without fruit.
Love is a productive mother that gives birth to numerous virtues such as compassion and affection, a word of encouragement and a word of consolation, attention and care, forgiveness and seeking the salvation of the soul. This is the spiritual love...
Perhaps the most distinguished quality in love... is sacrifice.
This is the big difference between love and lust: love always seeks to give whereas lust always seeks to take.
Lust seeks to take because it is concentrated around the self, but love, as the Apostle said, "... does not seek its own."
Love that does not sacrifice is not a true love.
Love sacrifices everything, does not keep anything from whom it likes, no matter how this thing is precious or essential to self. It gives from its needs.
The greatest thing a loving person can offer is to sacrifice himself, and the Lord said, "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13). This was shown in depth on the cross...
The crucified Jesus is a sacrifice of love... The Bible said, "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).
During the Passion Week, many contemplate on the passions of Christ. Christ's passions are merely a natural result of His love. Love here is the origin, while pain is the outer appearance...
I wish we would contemplate on His love which He revealed through His passions.
The candle melts to give light to others; this is also a kind of self-sacrifice for the sake of others. So, we put candles before the icons of the saints... as a symbol.
Also the incense burns in fire to give sweet smell which ascends to God... It is a delightful burnt offering to God, and it is also a symbol...
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 15 April 2009 )
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His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
The 2008 Papal Christmas Message.
Peace on the Feast of the Nativity.
My beloved children in the lands of immigration, Clergy and Laity, It gives me joy to congratulate you on the Glorious Feast of Nativity and with the start of the New Year. We pray that it is blessed and joyful in the life of each of us.
The birth of the Lord is full of deep spiritual contemplations; we hope that they may be a lesson to us all, having its effects and results.
Firstly, He came down to us, to visit us, reconcile us and save us. One of the fathers the saints said: “With sin there was contention between man and his creator, and since man could not ascend to God and reconcile with Him, God came down to man.” Yes, He came down and continues to knock on the door of the human heart so it may open for Him.
In His coming down, He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant ... and being found in appearance as a man...” (Philippians 2, 8:7) He did not desire to frighten us with His Divinity, but attracted us with His humility. He also attracted us with His love, as He went about doing good. And this is another lesson for us.
In His Nativity, He was born in an amazing simplicity: He did not come down upon the wings of the Cherubim, engulfed by a choir of angels. Instead He was born from a poor orphan virgin, who was in the care of a simple carpenter. His birth was in a manger, on a day not known to anyone, but was proclaimed to some shepherds, and then visited by three Magi representing the estranged Gentiles... It is a mixture of simplicity and humility, which was a third lesson for us to be far from outer appearances.
The Lord Christ lived an alienated childhood far from being famous. A part of this childhood was threatened by the sword of Herod, and in a part of this childhood, He was a stranger in the land of Egypt, although He blessed it. As for His youth days, we do not know anything about it. And the title that the Jews gave Him was “the carpenter’s son.”(Matthew 13:55)
When He started His ministry, He lived for more than three years without a position of leadership in the Jewish community. The title that He was known by among His beloved was “Teacher.” He did not possess a house for the ministry, He did not even have a place to lay His head (Luke 9:58). He sometimes preached from the mountain, or in the wilderness, or in the fields, or upon the sea shore...
His strength was in His personality and not in any appearances that surrounded Him; loved by the people and envied by the leaders, but He was a source of love to all, being compassionate upon everyone in need, every sick person and upon those tormented by evil spirits.
He had disciples who were also simple; and He filled their hearts with love, filled their minds with knowledge, granted them His Holy Spirit, and also granted them gifts.
This is The Christ whom we celebrate His birth, and we are proud that His Name has been called upon us. Blessed is the day of His birth, and may we also celebrate His characteristics as well. Finally, be all well and healthy in the Lord, absolved from His Holy Spirit.
May this year be a blessed one,
Pope Shenouda III
January 7, 2008
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 06 January 2010 )
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