Weekly Bulletin 19th February 2023

Services at St Mary’s Church

Monday: Mass 9 - 11 am

Tuesday

Liturgy 5:30 - 7am

7:30pm The Way Orthodox Fellowship in Englisg for adults - All ages

Wednesday: Mass 9 – 11 am

6:30-8pm School of Deacons Adults Arabic ; 7-8:15pm English (Zoom)

Hymns Class Arabic 8-9pm (Zoom)

Thursday Mass 9 - 11 am - English

English Midnight Praises 7:30pm

English Bible Study 7:30pm

Friday: Mass Mass 9 – 11 am

Youth 25 and above 7-9pm

Family Meeting 7-9pm (fortnightly)

Discipleship Clas Class 7-8:30pm

Year 10-12 Sunday School 6-9pm

Saturday: Mass: 8:30 – 11am

Sunday School 4 – 5.30pm

Vespers & youth meeting 7-8:30pm Eng-

lish

Vespers &Bible Study Arabic 5:30-7pm Scouts 1:30 - 3pm

School of Deaconsgip 3 - 4pm

Sunday: 1st Mass6 - .7:45am Arabic & English

2nd Mass.7:45 – .9:30am English

3rd Mass 9:30 - 11:15am Arabic

Hymns Class - English 11:45 - 12:30pm

Church Priests:

Fr Tadros Sharobeam 0414251251

Email: frtadros@me.com

Fr Habib Girgis Younan:

0401238177 – 94498871

Email: habibgirgisyounan@hotmail.com

Fr Michael Salib: 0422431821

Email: frmichael@sac.edu.au

Church Address: 5 Epsom Rd., Kensington

Vic 3031 Tel: 93766651

Fr Kerillos Tawadros 0411 518 399

Fr John Macary 0433 445 636

The Departure of St. Gelasius.

19th Februarey - 12th Amsher

Also on this day, St. Gelasius, the struggling ascetic, departed. He was born of Christian parents, who brought him up in the Christian faith. They taught him the church subjects, and then he was ordained a deacon in the church. He labored in his obedience to Christ and in carrying His yoke. He went to the wilderness of Shiheet and became a monk. Afterwards, he was ordained a priest, and the angel of the Lord guided him to a distant place where many monks gathered around him, and he was a great example for them. He considered himself as one of them. He was patient and long suffering to the point that he transcribed the Holy Bible and placed it in the church for the other monks to read.

One day a stranger visited him and stole the transcribed Bible and went to try to sell it to someone. That person wanted to know its value, so he went to St. Gelasius and showed him the Bible. St. Gelasius knew that it was his book and asked him, “For how much did he sell it to you?” He answered, “For sixteen Dinari.” The saint said to him that it was cheap, and so the man took it and went to his home. When the seller came back to him to pick up the price, he said to him, “I have shown the Bible to Father Gelasius and he said that the price was too high.” The seller asked, “Did the father tell you anything else?” The buyer replied, “No.” The man who stole the Bible said, “I do not want to sell it.” He took the book and went to Father Gelasius and gave it to him weeping and regretting what he did. The saint did not accept it from him. However, after the man had insisted with many tears, the saint at last accepted it from him.

God granted this saint the gift of performing miracles. One day, the monastery was presented with an amount of fish. After they were cooked, the cook asked one of the servants to guard it, but the servant ate a great part of it. When the cook knew what had happened, he was angry at that servant, for he ate before the time of eating and before the elders had blessed it. The cook beat him with a deadly hit that killed him.

The cook was afraid of what he had done and went to St. Gelasius and told him what had happened. The saint told him to take the body and put it in the church in front of the altar and to leave it there. The saint and the monks came to the church, prayed the Vespers prayer, and then the saint departed from the church, and the boy rose up and followed him. The monks did not know of this miracle until the saint had departed.

When this father finished the course of his life in a good old age, the Lord wanted him to rest from the labors of this world, and he departed leaving us with this good memory. His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.

The Departure of St. Severus, Patriarch of Antioch.

21st February – 14th Amsher

On this day of the year 538 A.D., the holy father St.

Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, departed. He was from Asia Minor. His grandfather, whose name was also Severus, saw in a vision someone telling him, “The child who is for your son will strengthen Orthodoxy, and his name will be after your name.” When his son had this saint, he called him Severus. He was taught the Greek wisdom and church subjects.

Once, the saint was strolling outside the city, a shut-in saint came out of his cave crying, “Welcome to you Severus, teacher of Orthodoxy, and Patriarch of Antioch.” Severus marvelled at how he called him by his name, for he did not know him before, and how he foretold what would become of him.

Severus grew in virtue and became a monk in the monastery of St. Romanus. The fame of his righteousness and his ascetic life spread out. When the Patriarch of Antioch departed, the bishops had a consensus to ordain him the Patriarch of the city in the year 512 A.D. The church was illuminated by his teachings which spread to all the universe, and he was one of the fathers who attended the Universal Council at Ephesus. Shortly after, Emperor Anastasius died and Justinian, who was Chalcedonian in faith, reigned after him. He called upon this holy father and gave him great honors to persuade him to change his stand and to follow the Emperor’s belief, but the Saint refused. The Emperor became angry, but the Saint did not fear his anger, and so the Emperor ordered him to be killed. Theodora, the Emperor’s wife who was Orthodox in faith, knew about what the Emperor intended to do, so she told the saint to flee from his face.

St. Severus escaped to the land of Egypt and traveled everywhere and visited monasteries disguised as a monk. He strengthened the faith of the believers in the Orthodox doctrine. He dwelt in the city of Sakha in the home of a holy lay leader called Doretheos. God performed through him many miracles. He departed in the city of Sakha, and his body was relocated to the monastery of El-Zugag. His prayers be with us all. Amen.

The Departure of St. Zechariah, the Prophet. 22nd February - 15th Amsher

On this day St. Zechariah the Prophet, the son of Berechiah, one of the twelve minor prophets, departed. He was from the tribe of Levi, born in the land of Gilead, and was exiled to the land of the Chaldeans.

In exile, he started to prophesy, in the second year of King Darius, 520 B.C. He prophesied about “Jeshua, the son of Jozadak,” and “Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,” that they would rebuild the temple. (Ezra 5:1; 6:14)

He prophesied also about the entrance of the Lord to Jerusalem riding a donkey, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9); the thirty pieces of silver that Judas Iscariot received to deliver his Master to the Jews (Matthew 26:14-15); the scattering of the disciples on the night of the crucifixion; the coming of Christ in glory; and the grief of the children of Israel who did not believe in Him (Zechariah 12:10). He also prophesied about many other things. He was the prophet who was killed between the altar and

the temple. He was buried in Jerusalem in the tomb of the prophets. His prayers be with us. Amen.

Departure of St. Elizabeth, the Mother of St. John the Baptist.

23rd February - 16th Amsher

On this day the upright and righteous St. Elizabeth, mother of St. John the Baptist, departed. This holy woman was born in Jerusalem to a righteous father called Matthan from the tribe of Levi and from the house of Aaron the priest. Her mother’s name was Sofia. Matthan had three daughters. The first was called Mary, the mother of Salome, the midwife who cared for the Virgin St. Mary during her virginal birth. The name of the second daughter was Sofia, the mother of St. Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist. The youngest daughter was St. Hannah, the mother of the Virgin St. Mary, the mother of the Savior. Therefore, Salome, Elizabeth and the Virgin St. Mary were cousins. When St. Zacharias the priest married St. Elizabeth, they lived in righteousness and holiness before God, as the evangelist said, “They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” (Luke 1:6)

This upright woman was barren. She and her husband continually supplicated God who gave them St. John the Baptist. God was slow in answering their prayers until the time when the Virgin Mary conceived with the Word of God. When they were stricken in age, God sent His angel Gabriel to Zacharias to announce to him, “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John,” (Luke 1:13) and the angel told him what would become of St. John.

The Virgin St. Mary visited St. Elizabeth to congratulate her on her pregnancy. “And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” )Luke 1:41( When she gave birth to St. John, the shame of her barrenness was lifted up from her and her people. When she completed her days in purity, righteousness and chastity, she departed in peace. Her intercession be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.

The Martyrdom of St. Mina (Menas), the Monk.

24th February - 17th Amsher

On this day St. Mina the monk was martyred. This saint was born in Akhmim to Christian parents who were farmers. Since his youth, his heart was inclined to renounce the world, so he became a monk in one of the monasteries of Akhmim. For a period of time, he fasted two days at a time and he was ascetic in his food and drink. Then he went to El-Ashmounein and dwelt in a monastery there for 16 years without leaving it. When the Arabs ruled the country, St. Mina heard that they denied that God had a Son from His nature and essence, and equal with Him in Eternity. This denial of faith was painful to the saint, so he took permission from the abbot of the monastery and went to El-Ashmounein. He came before the commander of the Arab camp and asked him, “Is it true that you say that God has no Son from His nature and essence?” The commander replied saying, “We deny that saying about God and totally reject it.” The saint told the Arab commander that it should only be rejected if His Son

was born through parental procreation, but our belief is that the Lord Christ is God of God, and Light of Light. The commander replied, “In our faith, this is blasphemy.” The saint told him that the Bible says, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him.” (John 3:36) The commander became enraged at this and ordered his soldiers to cut the saint into pieces and to throw him into the sea. The believers gathered the pieces of his body, shrouded and buried it. They arranged a commemoration of St. Mina the monk on this day. His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.

The Departure of St. Malatius the Confessor, Patriarch of Antioch.

25th February – 18th Amsher

On this day of the year 381 A.D., St. Malatius (Miltius) the Confessor, Patriarch of Antioch, departed. He was ordained a bishop for Sebaste in the year 357 A.D. He left it because of the rudeness of its people and lived a solitary life nearby the city of Halab in Syria. In the year 360 A.D., he was chosen a patriarch for Antioch during the days of Constantius, the son of Constantine the Great. He was an eminent, learned and meek man, who was loved by everyone. When he entered the city of Antioch, he resisted the Arians and kept them away from the churches. When the Emperor heard that, he exiled him in the same year that he was enthroned patriarch. The noble men of the city of Antioch, the bishops and the priests met and wrote to the Emperor asking for the return of the Patriarch. The Emperor returned St. Malatius in shame to them.

When St. Malatius came back in the year 362 A.D., he did not cease resisting the Arians, excommunicating them and all those who believed in their doctrines. He made clear to them their errors and explained to them their blasphemy. He declared, preached and confirmed that the Son was of the same essence as the Father, consubstantial with Him in essence and in Godship. The followers of Arius returned to slander St. Malatius before Emperor Valens, who exiled him again to a country further away than the one to which he was exiled first. When he arrived to his exile, the bishops and the fathers that were exiled from different countries came and gathered around and stayed with him.

St. Malatius did not slack in teaching and interpreting what was difficult to understand in the Holy Scriptures. His epistles reached his flock, in spite of the distance, confirming their faith in the Holy Trinity, preaching the faith of the Council of Nicea and refuting the teachings of Arius. He was in exile for many years until his return to Antioch in the year 378 A.D. He was present in the Council of Constantinople in the year 381 A.D. Then he departed in peace.

St. John Chrysostom (Golden Mouthed) praised St. Malatius on his feast day declaring his greatness and that he was not in any less stature than the apostles in honor for what he suffered from exile and humiliation for the sake of the Orthodox faith. His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.

Silent in His love

His Eminence Bishop Youssef, Bishop of the Southern United States of America

Since Christ in his incarnation took on a perfect flesh, it is natural that at his birth he was silent and did not speak. It is easy to conclude that like all children he learned to speak gradually until he spoke fully in his second year approximately. This means that Jesus came to our world silently and spent the first two years of His life on earth without words.

God’s silence has occupied many throughout the ages, especially in periods of trial and suffering. Habakkuk asked, “Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves (Hobb 1:13), and Isaiah was puzzled, saying, “Will you restrain yourself at these things, O LORD? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly” )Isaiah 64:12(. David begged God, saying, “O God, do not be silent, do not be silent, do not be quiet, and do not calm down, O God” (Psalm 83:1), and also, “O God of my praise, do not be silent” (Psalm 109:1). The prophet Zephaniah, seeing God’s silence from a completely different perspective, sang about it: “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” (Zeph 3:16-17). The Virgin of the Song, relishing the silence of her bridegroom, rejoiced, “O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please” (Songs 8:4).

God’s silence does not mean His silence from action. The silent baby Jesus in the arms of the Virgin controlled the whole universe with a word in it. Similarly, when he died and was placed in the tomb, he was silent while working vigorously, calling for emancipation and freedom to those in hell!

Our Lady knew how to communicate with her silent Son, her conscience was united with his conscience and words no longer needed. One glance of Him was enough for the Virgin to know His will. Perhaps God, in His wise Management, intended to be born a child and spend the first period of life without words to teach us how to communicate with God’s silent presence, as Our Lady did. This is one of the stages of spiritual life that hermits and worshippers have described as the richest spiritual stages in which their souls are united to God, and in the silence of the union alone they received from Him all the graces and lights: “For thus the Lord said to me, ‘For this is what the LORD has said to me, “I will be quiet and I will look on from My dwelling place, Like shimmering heat above the sunshine’ (Isaiah 18:4). God’s stillness was reflected in their souls, and they dwelt, and there became great tranquillity in them, like clear heat and cloudy dew. Man cannot communicate with God’s silent presence unless he is silent and calm. Civilization has made man lose his calm and today everything is noisy. That is why the divine Revelation exhorts us, saying, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, (Isaiah 30:15). May we learn to silence not only our tongue but our senses, thoughts and feelings. The silent manger baby can only be heard by the silent ones. These are the only ones who are entrusted with the strange secrets of the manager

Meditations & Reflections on The Holy Gospel readings of Pre-Lent Sunday Matthew 6:1-18

“your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly”.

The man who truly love God, desires at all time to please God’s heart…. indeed he wants to do all that pleases God….the most pleasing to God is for man to grow in grace and faith before God….this growth requires the grace of God and man’s labour and seriousness in his love to God. This labour which is required from man is his means of attaining God’s grace and train one’s self and purify him to transcend beyond the physical body into the spiritual heavens….one of the most important gifts for the Christian man is Charity, Prayers and Fasting … Even Though prayers is a direct relationship with God but as one of our elder saints said “prayers is soaring with two wings of charity and fasting. In charity one shows his love to his fellow man and his honesty in interpreting God’s commandments…and in fasting one declares his aspirations to overcome the body’s needs and his longing for spiritual transcendence. There are those who neglect the labour for grace satisfying one’s self with a strong relationship with God in fulfilling the commandments of love and honesty thus losing the two wings (of charity and fasting) which would enable him to grow and soar in his relationship with God….and others concentrate on the ways of grace only and it might become a goal in its self-leading to self-righteousness, thinking that own righteousness will lead him to the heavenly kingdom! Forgetting that it is only a help and without the Grace of God it becomes useless and it becomes a burden on the body (fasting & charity( without any spiritual benefits. But what makes ( this means (fasting & charity) lose its power and effectiveness?... The most dangerous reason is the appearance of a ritualistic worship….in this façade one can forget the main aim of worship…and worship loses its most important aim that is loving God and worship becomes only to be praised by people and to be noticed and respected by others and the glory of men!

+ Let your charitable deeds be hidden +++

Hidden is the man’s heart and outward show is the physical body…. worshiping and prayers without displaying it on show comes from the heart, from the inner self and the outward worship is the physical worship (of the body) ….just moves and appearances of worship without the presence of the Grace of God in the inner self.. God asked the Israelites to offer five offerings; they are Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1) and this is burned offering which a sweet aroma is pleasing to the Father (God)…. and in this offering one is offered by man before God for credence and a general offering for the atonement of all

the people…which is continually burning on the altar night and day

Then the Grain Offering (Leviticus 2) and this also is a sweet aroma before the Father and represents Christ Himself and this offering is burned on the altar and only the priests can partake or eat from it. And the Sin and Unrighteousness offering (Leviticus 4) which is for the atonement of sins of ignorance and forgetfulness and finally the Peace Offering (Leviticus 3) which is the only offering all partake in it, and is divided among the congregation, the altar, the priests and even the priest’s family and the offeror and what remains is given to the poor. All partake in the offering, each according to his need within his own house before God. In this offering specifically, God acts as the host and the one who is offering it and all are His guests; all partaking of the offering. A symbol to Eucharist Offering without blood which God gives us….and it is permitted to all to partake of it but he who partake of being unworthy; receives the curse of God…(a symbol of communion of the Eucharist) and the Bible says “But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, while he is unclean, that person shall be cut off from his people” (Leviticus 7:20). And the time came where the Lord has scolded the Israelites on being unserious in the preparation of the offering being clean and pure, and their interest only in the appearances and outward looks! They have converted the Lord’s feasts to occasions for fun and, evil and sin…” I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savour your sacred assemblies” (Amos 5:21).

To celebrate the various occasions is natural for man and to rejoice with others this is also natural…even fulfilling the Biblical commandment “Rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15), But it should be in manner suitable for God’s children and do so in a manner not suitable is wrong. My beloved…how do you celebrate the various church celebrations?? How do you celebrate occasions such as baptism and weddings?? What do offer to God on these occasions?? To rejoice is a must; but to break God’s commandment and saddens God’s heart, then this is the unacceptable worship which God despises. How many occasions for spiritual rejoice (we act inappropriately), then how do you except God to hear your pleadings and to bless the baptised child and make him or her grow in God’s grace and care while you are aggrieving God with your action! How do you expect God to bless a wedded couple? And them the blessing of the wedding of Cana of Galilee (John 2:1-11) and you have made it an occasion for drinking, getting drunk and lewd dancing, thus tey starting their married

life with breaking God’s commandments…. where is the blessing then??

If you are sad and suffering for the departure of a loved one and asking for condolences and solace from God and the repose of the departed person, the you invite your friends and relatives to condole you and instead spend this time in gossiping and e tearing other? Where is the solace you ask then??

And there are charitable deed which is rejected by God…. such as the imposed deeds, conditional deeds and displayed deeds.

The Imposed Deeds; which the charitable deeds one offers without pleasure or joy and how many charity is offered to imitate other or for fear of being not accepted or rejected and to please others, but not from the heart it is unacceptable charity.

The Conditional Deeds; which is offered with a condition or a caveat… where one is asking for reward, making the deed conditional upon receiving specific ask or reward or asking for leadership or positions etc, Although the person does not declare himself or herself publicly but still it is an unacceptable deed hence the person has laid the ground rules and received his reward.

The Displayed Deeds; this is the deeds of boasting and honour… it is the deeds of the Pharisee who throws the coins from high to make a sound and all can hear it! How much charity offered by man for the self-glorification and even if one does not declare his or her name, still a charity for the glory of men and not for the glory of God.

+ Pray to your Father in secret.

The Pharisee stood to pray and compared himself to the tax collector, he prayed and thanked God that he is better than the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14), while the tax collector stood beating his chest feeling the burden of his sins and how undeserving he is, his heart is praying in tears and not just his lips…his tears spoke and not his self-righteousness and for this he went to his home forgiven and the Pharisee did not. Even Pharaoh had asked Moses and Aaron to pray for him (Exodus 8:28) …he wanted to give the appearance of praying to please others and not to please God. Also, Simon the sorcerer had asked Peter and John to pray for him (Acts 8: 9-24), but his heart was intent on his personal gains (Acts 8).

Many who pray for their needs or will but not God’s will, it is a prayer not from the heart which pleases God, but from the physical needs to please the worldly needs.

Many prayers are not acceptable to God…. like the prayer of the lips (but not the heart)…the prayers of the void world people and the prayers of a harsh heart

and the prayer of the uttering the lips…simply to please others. Those who attend prayer gathering because it is a habit or an occasion where all will go to church…. And prayer for decorative show…those who go not to pray but to display one’s self and be admired by others and receive their praise.

The Prayers of the void world… it is the external motions of prayer where numbers count, the quantity not the quality…how many time we kneel the body but not the heart…what is important is the length of the prayer and not it’s depth…the tune and beautiful music but not it’s spiritual meaning.

And the prayers of the hard and problematic heart; this is the hateful prayers, of the angry and squabbling person, prayer to curse others…this is a prayer detested by God.

+ Do not outwardly show that you are fasting…

Jezebel wanted to destroy Naboth the Jezreelite (1Kings 21) so she asked for a fastand seated Naboth in front and got 2 false witnesses that Naboth had blasphemed against God and the king and he deserved death and was stoned to death… Jezebel wore the fasting tatters to commit a murder and made other fast to bear false witness (1Kings 21)…it is an inacceptable fast.

When fasting becomes simply a practice or a physical exercise or when fasting becomes simply a mean to punish the body without any spiritual benefits or practices to benefit spiritual and grow in faith, then fasting become an outward show of fasting without any meaning and the fast loses its meaning and benefit.

When fasting becomes just a substitute type of food, and how do we excel in making good foods to satisfy ourselves with this alternative type of food…then it does not become a fast (but simply a change of diet), but a fast which is not accompanied with depriving the body so that the spirit can feel full the fast loses its meaning.

The fast which become a mere tradition or an occasion… so we fast because others fast…or we fast so others do not criticise us, then it is a fast without being inwardly prepared, without the heart fasting as the body is fasting then the fast becomes only a physical hindrance without any need.

The fast which only affecting the stomach become a physical exercise, but when the fast is extended to one’s feeling, senses and thoughts it becomes a spiritual fast. + anoint your head… with the oil of grace and adore yourself with good deeds…then your fast becomes a blessing to your body and spirit. Wash your face …wash your eyes from the evil visions…wash your ears from lowly talk…wash your mouth from the gossip of others and bad words (cursing)…wash your teeth from devouring others and wash your lips from slothful speech. And your Heavenly Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Amen).

A new creation

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II

‹If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old things have passed, behold, all things have become new› (2 Corinthians 71:5).

If anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation, you who live your faith in Christ live this new creation. But this new creation has characteristics that you must know, and that must always be in front of you, and these characteristics are what make you in fact a new creation. I would like to remind you that the word »new« in the concept of the Bible means that it is new every day, it is not subject to time. If you come up with something new today, it will become old in a month. And after a year it becomes older and so on, but in Christ Jesus a new word means new every morning, you do not know the predominance of time over it, you do not know the old, because in Christ Jesus you are always new, and this new life is the responsibility of each one of us. What does it mean for man to have a new creation?

The old things that have passed mean the man who renounces his sins every day, hence the new three-dimensional creation, it means: a new heart, a new nature, a new thought.

1) New Heart

We pray every day and say: »A pure heart I create in me, O God, and a righteous spirit that I renew in my womb«, and these are the morning and evening students, and indeed the students of all the time. What a human heart desires to always be new, for an old heart, full of evils, tainted with sins and thoughts, is a heart that is not fit to be part of the new creation. The new heart is renewed in the spirit of permanent repentance, and the spirit of repentance always begins in the prayers raised, so when you are alone with the beloved and unique in your personal relationships with our Lord Jesus Christ, and you raise your heart and put it in the hands of Christ and ask him for a pure heart, this is the beginning for your heart to be new. It is the spirit of prayer expressed by our Lord Jesus Christ in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of our teacher Matthew (the Gospel we read in Pre-Lent Sunday( who said, »Enter into your room and shut your door.« We live in these days in the rite of Lent, and Lent is the period when we enter into the heart because outside of Lent our hearts are busy with many things. It is more delicious for a person to devote time every day, and if he is accompanied by fasting, the spiritual action will be stronger and stronger, so that this heart is renewed by the spirit of prayer. And this, my beloved, is very important because this time has many things that steal our time for the earth, and the question comes: Do you have time to devote to our Lord? To take the time God gives you to bring it back and present it to God? Sometimes, my beloved brothers, you pass by a closed street with »Closed to improvements«, your heart in the deception is closed to improvements, and what is meant by improvements is the spirit of repentance.

2) New Nature

This nature is obtained through the means of grace, and in the first Psalm we read of the righteous man who is like a tree planted on streams of water, and streams of water mean the means of grace, the graces of the Holy Spirit that He gives us through the sacraments, and at the beginning of the sacraments in the sacrament of baptism where the baptized child wears white clothes and the red girdle is placed around his shoulder as a symbol of the blood of Christ, because he has become a new creation. We call the sacrament of baptism the »sacrament of new birth.« This nature continues through the Sacrament of Holy Communion or the Eucharist, which gives us salvation, forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all who partake of it, eternal life of a new nature, and this new nature is the responsibility of each one of us. There are many people who have anxiety, fear, disorder and mental illness, do you

know what the cause is? They have not yet entered the new nature, even if some of them are Christians but have no personal contact and personal relationship with God. Beloved, you always have the new nature, live in the sacraments and the means of grace this nature, live in it with life and not usually as someone who goes to partake as usual, these spiritual concepts are powerful concepts of the new nature.

3) New Thought:

I don›t want to call it a new thought, but I can call it a new look or a new vision. There is a person whose eyes only see ugly things, and if they see what is good sometimes, he turns it to the contrary! These are the ones who spread rumors, tell bad news and scare people. Others have a new vision, the main reason for which is God›s holy Word and connection to the gospel. The gospel gives you a spirit of enlightenment, and the permanence of the relationship with Scripture gives you this new outlook. Through the Gospel we see life as God›s great gift to man, so the Church recommends reading the Gospel daily, and has established regular readings in her prayers so that there is daily dealing with the Word of God. The apostle says, ‹Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.› )Hebrews 4:12).

In conclusion, the old things have passed, the sins and the concerns of the world and the concerns of the dust, behold, all has become new, new with a new heart through prayers, with a new nature through the sacraments, with a new outlook through the Holy Word.

The practice you take is to pray: »Lord, make me of this new creation, give me a pure heart, give me a new heart, give me this new nature in my life always, always give me a new vision and a new outlook.«

+ Remember O Lord the Departed:

“…having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” (Philippians 1:23)

Departed in the Lord in Egypt Mrs Erini

Elkoumos Mikhail

Sister of the beloved brother Mr Victor Morcos in Melbourne, husband of Mrs Samah Morcos and father of Abanob, Maria and Demiana Morcos.

And sister of + Mr Girgis Elkoumos Mikhail

+ Late Mr Arsanious Elkoumos Mikhail

+ Late Dr Milad Elkoumos Mikhail

Wake details:

Family will accept your kind condolences on Friday 17/02/2023 from 6:30-8:00 pm at ST MAKARIOUS THE GREAT Church

623/615-623 Yan Yean Rd, Yarrambat VIC 3091

We pray for the repose of her soul in the paradise of joy and to give the family comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Blessed Marriage

Daniel Abdou & Stephanie Ayad

Sunday 12th February

2023

St. Mary’s Church

Monday 13th February 2023

Celebrating the VCE high achievers for 2022

St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Collge

Program of HE metropolitan Anba Thomas

Visit to Melbourne (18th - 25th February)

Saturday 18th February

HE arrives in Melbourne at 11:20 pm - QR1302 from Doha.

Sunday 19th February

9 AM - Liturgy at St George Church – St Albans

6 PM – Youth Meeting at St Mark’s Church – Preston

Monday 20th February

8:30 AM – Liturgy at St Mary’s Coptic College – Coolaroo

12:00 PM – Private visits

7:00 PM – Clergy Conference

Tuesday 21st February – Clergy Conference

Wednesday 22nd February - Clergy Conference

Thursday 23rd February AM – Conclusion to Conference

7:00 PM – Congregation Meeting – St Mina & St Marina Church - Hallam

Friday 24th February

6:00 AM – Liturgy at St Athanasius Church - Donvale

12:00 PM – HE departure to Sydney on QF 440

Construction of New Buildings started Thursday 28th April

The new Building is expected to be ready within 9 months. church services are continuing as normal as in the Timetable inside the Bulletin. You can donate monthly contribution using Direct Debit forms available in the church or downloaded from church website. Cost of building works is around $13,000,000. Your support and donations will be blessing and very appreciated.

Donations to St Mary’s Church and Building project can be made by the following Link

for all who keep working tirelessly for the success of this project. May the Lord reward them all and bless all their works