Commemoration Of the Appearance Of The Glorious Cross.

19th March - 10th Baramhat

The church celebrates the appearance of the glorious Cross of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ twice: The First on the sixteenth day of the month of Tute, 326 A.D. by the hands of the righteous Empress St. Helen, the mother of Constantine the great, the righteous Emperor. This Saint when her son Constantine accepted the Faith in the Lord Christ, she vowed to go to Jerusalem. Her righteous son prepared everything needed to fulfill this holy visit.

When she arrived to Jerusalem with multitude of soldiers, she asked about the place of the Cross but no one would tell her. She took one of the jewish elders and pressured him by hunger and thirst until he was forced to direct them to the place where they might find the Cross at the hill of Golgotha. She ordered them to clear out the site of Golgotha where they found three crosses and that was in the year 326 A.D. However, they did not know the cross upon which Our Lord Christ was crucified, they brought a dead man and they laid upon him one of the crosses and then the other but he did not rise up but when they laid the third cross upon him he rose up immediately, then they realized that this was the Cross of Our Lord Christ. The Empress and all the believers kneeled down before the Holy Cross, and she sent a piece of it with the nails to her son Constantine. Immediately after, she built the churches that were mentioned on the Sixteenth day of the blessed month of Tute. The Second celebration that the church commemorates the Cross is on the Tenth day of the month of Baramhat by the hands of Emperor Heraclius, in 627 A.D. When the Persians were defeated by Heraclius they retreated from Egypt to their country. On their way back they passed through Jerusalem, a persian prince entered the church of the Cross which was built by Empress Helen. He saw a great light shinning from a piece of wood located on a place decorated with gold. He thrust his hand to it and there went forth from it fire which burned his fingers. The Christians told him that this is the base of the Holy Cross and they told him how it was discovered and no one was able to touch it except a Christian. He deceived the two deacons who were standing to guard it and gave them much money so they would carry this piece and go with it with him to his country. They took it and put it in a box and went with him to his country along with those who were captured from the city of Jerusalem.

When Emperor Heraclius heard that, he went with his army to Persia, fought with them and slew many of them. He traveled about this country searching for this piece of the Holy Cross but he could not find it, for the Persian prince had dug a hole in his garden and ordered the two deacons to put the box in it and buried it and then he killed them. One of the captives of that Persian prince which was the daughter of one of the priests, was looking out of the window by chance and saw what happened. She went to Heraclius the Emperor and told him what she saw. He went with the bishops, priests and the soldiers to the place. They dug there and found the box, they took the piece of the Holy Cross out, in 628 A.D., wrapped it in magnificent apparel and Heraclius took it to the city of Constantinople and kept it there. May the blessings of the Holy Cross be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.

The Commemoration of the revealing of the virginity of St. Demetrius the Twelfth Pope of Alexandria.

21st March - 12th Baramhat

On this day also the church celebrates the commemoration of the revealing of the virginity of St. Demetrius the Twelfth Pope of Alexandria. The angel of the Lord appeared to St. Julian, the Eleventh Pope, before his departure and said: “You are going to the Lord Christ, the one who will bring you tomorrow a cluster of grapes, is the one fit to be a Patriarch after you.” On the morrow, this saint came with a cluster of grapes, Abba Julian held him and told the people: “This is your Patriarch after me,” and told them what the angel told him. After the departure of Abba Julian they took him and ordained him Patriarch on the 9th day of Baramhat (March 4th., 188 A.D.) and he was married. Since no married Patriarch ever before this father been enthroned over the See of Alexandria, satan entered the hearts of the laity and made them talk and grumble against the Patriarch and the one who recommended him. The angel of God appeared to St. Demetrius and told him about that and ordered him to remove the doubt from their hearts by revealing to them his relation with his wife. When St. Demetrius refused, the angel told him: “It is not meet that you save your self alone and let others be perished because of you. But because you are a shepherd you should fight to save your people also”. On the next day, after he had finished celebrating the Divine Liturgy, he asked the people not to leave the church. He brought flamed charcoal, and brought his wife from the place of the women and the congregation wondered at his action, not knowing what he was going to do. He prayed and walked on the blazing fire, he took a piece of the blazing fire and put it in his shawl, then he took another piece and put it in his wife’s shawl. He prayed again for a long time and both shawls did not burn. The congregation marvelled and asked him to tell them why he did that. He told them of his strife with his wife, and how his father and her father married them against their will, and they have lived together as a brother and sister since they were married forty-eight years ago, the angel of the Lord each night covered them with his wings, and no one knew that before that time until the angel of the Lord ordered him to reveal his

The congregation marvelled for what they had seen and heard, they praised and glorified God asking the Saint to pardon them for what they had done or said and to forgive them. He accepted their apology, forgave them, blessed them, and sent them to their homes glorifying the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit talking about what they saw of wonders from this Saint.

May his prayers be with us. Amen.

The Martyrdom of the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia. 22nd March - 13th Baramhat

On this day also the holy forty martyrs of the city of Sebastia were martyred. Emperor Constantine the great had appointed his friend Lecius ruler for the east and commanded him to treat the Christians well. When he arrived to his headquarter, he ordered his subordinate to worship the idols but they refused and cursed his idols. That night some of the soldiers and their children, from the city of Sebastia, made an agreement among themselves to go to the governor confessing their faith. While they were sleeping the angel of the Lord appeared to them, strengthened them and comforted their hearts.

In the morning they stood before the Governor and confessed their faith in the Lord christ, he threatened them but they were not afraid. He commanded his men to stone them, but the stones came back upon those who stoned them. He ordered to throw them in a nearby lake, which was icy. Their organs were severed because of the excessive cold. One of them whose strength was weakened, went out of the icy water and entered the bath house nearby the lake. The heat in the bath house melted the ice that was on him but he died quickly, and lost his reward.

One of the guards saw angels descending from the heaven and in their hands crowns, they placed them over the heads of the thirty nine martyrs and remained one crown in the hand of the angel. The guard went down into the lake shouting “I am christian...I am christian.” He took the crown that was in the hand of the angel and was counted among the martyrs.

Among the martyrs, were young men, whose mothers encouraged and strengthened them. Because they remained in the lake for a long time and they did not die, the Governor wished to break their legs, but the Lord took their souls and reposed them. He ordered to burn their bodies and to cast them after that into the sea. As they were carrying them out of the lake, they found a young man alive, so they left him. His mother took him and tried to threw him on the wagon with his mates but they put him off the wagon again for he was still alive. His mother took him and he died in her bosom so she put him back on the wagon. They took them outside the city and cast them into the fire which did not harm them, then they casted them into the river. On the third day those holy martyrs appeared to the Bishop of Sebastia in a vision and told him: “Go to the river and take our bodies.” He went with the priests, deacons and the people to the river and found the bodies. They carried the bodies with great honor and placed them in a beautiful shrine, and their strife was heard in all th e countries. May their prayers be with us and Glory be to God forever. Amen.

The text of the addition to the Synaxarium book on the 12th of Baramhat regarding Saint Hegomen Bishoy Kamel )Inside the file submitted to the Holy Synod to declare His Holiness)

Also on this day, we commemorate the departure of the venerable father, Archpriest Bishoy Kamel, the priest of St. George Church – Sporting - in Alexandria. He was born in Damanhour on December 6, 1931, from a pious Christian family. Then he moved to Alexandria for university studies, and obtained a Bachelor of Science in 1951, then a Bachelor of theological Seminary in 1955, and also a diploma in psychology. He began to participate in the Sunday school service at the Church of the ST. Virgin Mary in Moharem Bek , until he became superintendent for youth service in Alexandria. After which he was ordained a priest to the new church named after Martyr Saint George in Sporting, on December 2, 1959.

Hegomen Bishoy was distinguished by his purity of life, fiery service, love of prayer and solitude, and a paternal spirit full of tenderness and encouragement. He used to stand before the Altar at Mass, listening fervently, like a blazing fire. It was as if he had been ignited by the fire of the Divine Sacrifice slaughtered for the life of the world. His rich experience with the Divine Liturgy was an inexhaustible spiritual fuel, igniting his meek heart with kindness, holiness, joy, and the spirit of giving. He used to say: The benefit of our attendance at the Mass lies when we discover the secret of love in the sacrifice, and that it embodies divine love, so our heart breaks with love for that love that we came to see sacrificed for us on the Altar. Hence, our souls and hearts are crushed before this Divine secret.

Hegomen Bishoy Kamel, by the grace of God, was able to build seven new churches in the city of Alexandria, under very difficult adverse conditions. And he cared about providing them with priests and deacons from among his spiritual children. He also founded the first church in the American West in 1970, then another church in New Jersey in 1974 AD. .

Abouna Bishoy was preoccupied with spreading the kingdom of God. He was seeking every soul so that it might taste the tenderness of the bosom of the Heavenly Father, and enjoy union with Christ. He cared about childhood, and he was the first to open a nursery in the bosom of the church in 1972 AD, so that they could breastfeed them with unadulterated milk. He also opened in 1976 a orphanage for children who are subjected to harsh conditions, and called it “St. George’s House”.

He was a student of his holy Bible, so the Lord opened his mind, discovered its treasures, and delved into its depths. Henceforth, he produced many deep spiritual pamphlets and books, which were characterized by simplicity and tenderness, with a richness of spirit in them.

Patients were the luckiest people to feel his tenderness. He would spend the nights standing beside them, listening, and encouraging them to carry the cross with thanks and joy. He used to call cancer the “paradise disease”, as in it a person is preparing to go to heaven. God allowed him in his last years to be afflicted with this disease, and he continued in his faithful service despite weakness of the flesh, until the end.

He endured the cross of illness with thanksgiving and praise, and his soul was released into the heavenly kingdom on Wednesday 12 Baramhat, corresponding to March 21, 1979 CE. His Holiness Pope Shenouda III attended the prayer on his pure body, along with many bishops and priests, and nearly fifty thousand people, who filled the church, its courtyard and the surrounding streets. His body was placed in a shrine at Saint George Sporting Church.

+ From his sayings:

+ Through baptism we have taken all the graces, blessings and capabilities. And through repentance we benefit from these possibilities.

+ We carry Christ in our lives, and the Church believes that Christ never leaves us. This belief means that we have become more than ourselves. It means that there is an unlimited divine addition to our limited humanity.

+ Christianity is not ethics, but the life of Christ in people. Ethics without Christ is self-glory, but in Christ is the sweet fragrance of Christ.

+ The Church is compassionate towards the world, to lift up the souls that have been stricken by the waves of the world to drown them. Hence, the church is a rescue ship and a ship for survival. It does the Good Samaritan’s works with all races.

+ The first work of the church today is to be poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice of the faith of her children (Philippians 2:17), through prayer, fasting, teaching, and liturgies. Then she sends them out into the world, to serve, to endure, and to love endlessly; to the possibility of Christ who is in them. The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church recognized his holiness on June 9, 2022 AD. The blessing of his prayers be with us, and glory be to God forever, Amen.

+ Fourth Sunday of the Blessed Blessed Holy

Lent – Feast of te Holy Cross.

Today Sunday 19th March 2023 – 10th Baramhat 17396 of the Coptic calendar of martyrs, is fourth Sunday of the Holy Lent and it is the Feast of the Holy Cross. This feast is a Lord feast and the readings are from the Feast of the Cross readings as follows:

Pauline: 1 Corinthians 1:17-31 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God 1Corinthians 1:18).

Catholicon (Universal Letters): 1 Peter 2:1-15 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24).

Apraxis: Acts of the Apostles 10:34-42 He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins (Acts 10: 42-43).

Holy Bible: John 10:22-38 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand (John 10:27-28).

+ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them: They hear Him … recognize His voice among all other voices … love Him … yearn for Him.

+ Hear Him … and respond to Him … at the time when the world rejects to listen to Him … but His sheep listens to Him … Noah … at a time when the whole generation were complacent … even, despised God’s commandments … he listened to God’s voice (Genesis 6) …

Abraham … hears the voice … leave your land and people (Genesis 12) … then, he leaves and spend all his life estranged … Gideon … the angel of the Lord calls him … the LORD is with you, you mighty man of val- our … the amazing voice of the Lord in the midst a life of tribulations and miseries … and Gideon listened … the Lord ordered him to go and save the Israelites from the hand of the Midianites … so, he emerged with strength and integrity to destroy the idols of Baal and took with him an army of three hundred men only to defeat all the armies of the medians (Judges 6-7)

Samuel … the Lord’s voice was very clear to him since his childhood … at the time when God’s word was scarce … the Lord spoke to Samuel … and since Samuel listened and recognized the Lord’s voice … (even) at the time of choosing Saul as a king (for the Israelites) … the Lord revealed it to Samuel before Saul (1st Samuel 9:15) And at choosing David as king … the Lord said … arise and anoint him for this is the one (1 Samuel 16:12) … and thus the deeper one lives in Holy life with God, the more God’s voice is clears in one’s life … At the beginning, maybe it is like a whisper … then a calling … and finally a language … Gradually God’s voice will become your voice … and you will feel that God’s voice is the only voice you will hear and all the voices of the world will completely disappear from around you …

+ Recognize His Voice … and amazingly, there are many who recognize God’s voice but they ignore it

The voice which calls you to repent … who reproaches you for your sins

The voice which invites you to pray … the one who leads you to good deeds …

The voice which comforts your heart at the times of pain … who offers your soul solace at times of hardship …

Do you recognize this voice … there is a great difference between this voice and other voices … for there is another voice who calls for laziness, complacency and deferring

repentance …

And another voice tempting you to continue with bad (and evil) habits, illicit friendships. Beloved, when you hear and recognize God’s voice… do not shut the doors to your heart … today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts (Hebrews 3:15) …

For, the land which swallows lots of water and yields no produce … is an arid land … and near being cursed.

Love Him and yearn for Him …

The queen of Sheba (the south) … she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed, a greater than Solomon is here (Matthew 12:42).

+ Neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand …

How beautiful is this promise …?

Beloved, your soul is very dear to God … God

Who will not accept for the world to snatch you out of His hand … then how do you accept offering yourself (by yourself) … to humiliation, shame and the domination of evil habits … the soul which Christ died for … how can it be enslaved to the lusts and vanities of the world … the whispering gentle and comforting voice of the Lord … has disappeared among the loud of the world … with its chaos and concerns … till when?? How did we become like this, easily and under the guides of advancements and the world deceiving slogans, we have taken off our cloak of righteousness and we left the life of virtue … we became like people of world in their actions and appearance … but, we even make others stumble and cause the loss of these simple and pure souls … (and for what) for running after the western traditions and we let foreigners into our lives and we are following them without any control or discernment …

Beloved … be careful …for we are surrounded by devouring wolves which deceives us with the clothing of lambs … and they will have no mercy upon us or upon our young’s … for they are devouring wolves … God wants and loves you and will not allow anyone to snatch you from His hand ever … as long as you hear His voice and follow Him … but, the day you shut your ears and burden your heart to hearing His voice, the wolves will come and find the doors to your heart wide open without any control then the wolves will snatch you one following the other … Be aware beloved … for they are unmerciful wolves … and (they will devour you fully) till nothing is left of you … remember you are just a young lamb among these wolves … But, with the Good Shepherd and among His other lambs, you are much stronger than all the wolves.

Amen, Lord here I am, your servant is listening to Your voice … Lord, let Your voice penetrate my heart, thoughts and soul that I hear nothing but Your Holy Voice in all my life. (Amen)