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

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