Showing results by author "Bishoy Boshra Behnam" in All Categories

Immerse yourself in the journey of Holy Week with "Time of Love!" This work invites readers to follow in Jesus's footsteps from the Friday of the culmination of Lent to the joyous Resurrection, offering daily reflections that illuminate the deep, spiritual significance of this sacred period. "Time of Love!" is a spiritual guide through the most pivotal week in the liturgical calendar. Each day unveils the scriptures of Holy Week with rich commentary and heartfelt meditations that engage both the mind and the spirit. From Lazarus Saturday, through the triumphant entry on Palm Sunday, to the ...

Every believer can relate to this Catechism series, regardless of his nationality. He is about becoming a man of God and His beloved Son, so that his heart may be filled with love for all humankind, praying for everyone, even to those who persecute the Church. It invites us to enjoy the heavenly experience, righteousness in faith and growth in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our teacher St. Paul talks about “the mystery that was kept secret since the world began” (Cf. Rom 16:25). He refers to God’s work in the New Testament, Who fulfilled the mysterious Heavenly plan so that ...

I dare to talk about Divine Love, to find myself talking about 'God' Himself, because "God is love" (1 John 8:4). Thus, I challenged myself to write about matters of which I do not deserve to speak. There are no human languages, not even angelic, capable of explaining it, for no one knows Godly affairs except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11). Let the Spirit of God help us to feel His presence in the depths of our hidden hearts and to open our eyes in recognition of the dimensions of unlimited Divine love. These dimensions cannot be expressed in words or letters nor measured by any ...

The child Mark brimmed with excitement as he and his family made their way to Kennedy Airport in New York to board their flight departing for Cairo. It would be the first time he would travel by jet and his first visit to Egypt. Mark sat next to the window; on the other side sat his older brother, Andrew. Mark was deep in thought while the aeroplane ascended through the clouds going toward Egypt. After a while, Andrew asked his younger brother, "O Mark, what are you thinking?" Mark answered him: "Andrew, as we jet our way above the clouds toward Egypt, I remember what Tasony (Sister) ...

The Bible in both its Testaments tells the story of practical divine love. It may be said that humanity occupies the center of God’s heart and mind. Man is His beloved creature and His icon, and he should have followed His example, being His divine ambassador and celestial agent on earth. Whenever I try to express my feelings about the Bible in writing, I am overwhelmed with shame. Human language fails to express our gratitude towards God’s transcendent love of humanity and every individual. I now beseech the Holy Spirit to guide us on the journey of divine love. I urge Him to ...

Christology of the Coptic Orthodox Church has been shaped and developed by a long-standing tradition based on the biblical truth. This book aims to track the development of Coptic Christology throughout the centuries. To do so, we shall attempt to evaluate ‘the Coptic’ or the Alexandrian view towards Christology in the past and today by discussing the theology of the School of Alexandria, various historical accounts, and finally modern theology and practices. The Coptic Church believes that Christ’s humanity has never been alone; there was no time lapse in realizing this unity. Our ...

The Church is the new “life in Christ,” or the "communion with the Father in the Son by the Holy Spirit,” or the enjoyment joy or partaking of the grace of God. God purchased her at the cost of Christ's Blood (Acts 20:28). Understanding the Church means perceiving the relationship between God and man, manifested in the divine plan of salvation, God's Fatherhood, the kingdom of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, the means of grace, the lessons from the history of mankind, the destiny of men etc. It is through the Church that God makes known His redeeming wisdom even to the heavenly ...

On Saturday 17th of March 2012, the long trip of pain, which the holiness Pope Shenouda the third has lived, had ended and the trip of the glories, the manifest and the hidden from the human eyes, has begun. Those days on which Egypt has been lived with his departure to the paradise were called “Meeting of millions”. That meeting included the majority of Egyptian categories; if not all of them. It included Christians with all the denominations and Muslims, leaders and people. He had been the messenger of peace struggling in a difficult era, and a peaceful man even in his departure from ...

Christ our Lord entered with us into the experience of His Glorious Resurrection through His death. His death is called a Christian Pascha or Passover; He passed over with us while we are still in this world into the token of Heaven (1 Cor. 5:7). That is what all believers experience, from the young to the elderly. Under all circumstances, the believer feels that the week of Holy Pascha is the generator, that brings forth the power and joy of the Resurrection, to live all the days of one’s life as if one is in Heaven itself. In that week, a wonderful message is noticed: cleave to the ...

Volume 2 - Book 7 of the Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church Eschatology and the After Life The book addresses questions about the following topics: The Gift of Death and the Resurrected Life in Christ The Sacred Pain of Loss Millennialism (Chiliasm) The Two Comings and the Rapture The Final Judgment The Resurrected Body Heaven and the Jerusalem Above

Whoever reads the Book of Revelation discovers what Christian worship actually is. It is not just duties to be carried out, rituals to be performed, or orders to be observed, but one sees through all that the invisible divine hands hurrying towards him to receive him, embrace him and raise him to heavens where he lives as a partner in the eternal glory. Whoever tastes the Book of Revelation, no matter how much his fasts are, how long his prayers are, his kneelings, asceticism, suffering and his everyday crucifixion, they all turn to unspeakable joy and happiness. Through this Book, one is ...

Volume 1 - Book 1 Introduction to the Coptic Catechism That is the first book of the Coptic Catechism series; the series consists of seven books: Egypt that is Within Us and the Open Heavens (a) Catechism (b) The Coptic Catechism Through the Ages The Basic Principles of Catechism Faith That Works Through Love The Holy Bible Holy Tradition

Christ’s resurrection is not a day that we celebrate, then ends. But it is a life with Christ, who is the resurrection. We live it all the days of our pilgrimage in the midst of our suffering, until we are released to and through Him, to dwell with Him in the Heavenly Jerusalem to enjoy the fellowship of His Glory.

BLESSED IS EGYPT MY PEOPLE Isa. 19:25 God's promise to His people is always fulfilled; He foretold that He would ride on a light and upon a swift cloud and come to Egypt (Isaiah 19:1), and in that day there will be an altar for the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border (Isaiah 19:19). This promise was fulfilled by the flight of the Holy Family from the tyrant Herod to find refuge among the Gentiles. Thus, Jesus Christ came to Egypt during His childhood to lay the foundation stone of His Church in Egypt which has be­come one of the four primary "Sees...

The book of Sirach may seem like the constitution which governs our earthly life and practical conduct. This perspective is right though incomplete. The book is a journey into a deeper understanding of divine guidance, which purifies our thoughts, feelings, words, and conducts through the wisdom of God the Word and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. The believers take pride in the divine gift of mental enlightenment while taking into consideration the following facts: 1- The Lord gave the rational earthly and heavenly beings both “wisdom” and freedom of will. 2- Heavenly wisdom bestows ...

To my father, whom I truly love Your soul never stopped working for the sake of every soul, when it was imprisoned in your weak body - even in the bitterest moments of pain. It will never stop working even, now, after leaving the body and fleeing towards heaven to enjoy complete freedom in God's bosom and with the saints. When you were living in faith, God's peace filled your heart and pushed you to the pastoral work with great conviction - that everybody may experience unity with the suffering and the risen Jesus Christ. Now that you are in the Savior's bosom, seeing Him clearly, don't you...

Volume 1 - Book 2 of the Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church Christian Dogma The book addresses questions about the following topics: (a) The Creed of Faith and the Origin of the Canons of the Church (b) Regarding the Coptic Orthodox Creed (c) Exposition of the Creed Faith in God and Our Knowledge of Him The Holy Trinity The Wondrous Creator, the Guardian of the World The Exalted Nature of the Human Creation Divine Providence Divine Grace The Fall of Humanity Our Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the World Titles and Names of the Savior that Witness to the Works of His Love The Holy Spirit ...

The Book of Ben Sirach clarifies that the first step towards enjoying wisdom is to attain the fear of the Lord. Then the believer is prepared to receive wisdom as a gift from God. The fear of the Lord is not unjust, but a means to honor; it is a crown of glory, loftiness, and constant gladness and rejoicing until the moment of death. Ben Sirach differentiates between fear leading to grief and shame, and fear which grants honor and glory (4:20-21) and lasting gladness. The first kind of fear occurs as a psychological disease leading to a condition of depression. In contrast, holy fear, which...

Alexandria was famous for its many schools long before Christianity became established in the city. By far the largest school was the "Museum," founded by Ptolemy and destined to become the most renowned school in the East. Other celebrated institutions were the "Serapeum" and the "Sebastion." Each of these three schools possessed its own enormous library. St. Jerome records that St. Mark himself founded the Christian School of Alexandria . The Holy Spirit inspired him to establish the school in order to teach Christianity since this was the only way to provide the new religion a solid ...

Dive deep into the heart of the most holy periods of the Christian liturgical year, Holy Week and Pascha. This exploration invites readers into a profound dialogue with Christ, mirroring the intimate conversations that shape our journey towards spiritual renewal and resurrection under his leadership through His Holy Spirit. The book weaves the narrative of Lazarus Saturday with the sequential days of Holy Week, shedding light on the powerful biblical events and their implications for personal practical faith. From the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday to the profound mysteries of the Last ...