Contemplations Archives • Page 463 of 514 • Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Midlands, U.K.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” – John 10:11 . ‘I am the good Shepherd’: the Lord speaks here about suffering and underlines that it brings salvation to the world. He was not obliged to come; therefore He presents the model of the shepherd and the hired servant once more.” – St. John Chrysostom #thegoodshepherd #givesHislife #imitateHim #service #servant #howtoserve #dailyreadings #coptic #orthodox

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” – John 10:11 . ‘I am …

“They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented of whom the world was not worthy.” Hebrews 11:37 . “Name of pride is your name, O kinsman of Emmanuel, for you are great among all the saints, O John the Baptist. You are exalted more than the patriarchs, more honored than the prophets, for no one born of women, is like you. Come and hear the wise, the golden tongued Theodosius, speaking of the honor of the baptizer, John the Baptist. What do I call you, how can I honor you, what can I liken you to, O who is worthy of every honor. You are the sweetness of the fruits, you are he who moves branches, you are the flower of the trees, that are planted in the land of lilies.” Intercede on our behalf, O forerunner and baptizer, John the Baptist, that He may forgive us our sins.” Coptic Hymn of John the Baptist #JohntheBaptist #forerunner #martyr #friendofTheGroom #dailyreadings #coptic #orthodox

“They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented of whom the world was not worthy.” Hebrews 11:37 …

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Luke 4:18,19 . Beginning of the Coptic Year Today is the beginning of the blessed Coptic year. It is necessary to keep it a holy day with full purity and chastity. Let us start a new demeanor as St. Paul the Apostle says, ‘therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; Behold, all things become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor. 5:17-18) And Isaiah the Prophet says, ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ (Isaiah 61:1-2) And David the Prophet says, ‘Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness; and Thy paths drop fatness.’ (Psalms 65:11) We ask our God to keep us without sin and help us to act according to His will with the intercessions of the pure Saint Mary and all the Martyrs and Saints. Amen. Coptic Synaxarium #Nayrouz #CopticNewYear #Martyrs #dailyreadings #coptic #orthodox

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; …

“Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.” John 16:20 . “Nothing in this world can distress or perturb me, for I take refuge in the impregnable fortress of the Church. I am reassured in the bosom of God’s mercies. Comfort and blessing continuously flows from Him. The Lord’s grace flutters its wings and casts away all sadness, and heals the heart with its indescribable balm. Oh, how sweet it is! No one can withstand the trials of this world without His care or power. Our Fathers compare this Grace with a mother teaching her child to walk. She stands at a distance and when she sees that he is about to fall she hurries to him and wipes every tear from his eyes. Such is the way that God’s Grace deals with man. Amid his struggles, God’s Grace distances itself just a little in order to train him to walk in the path of virtue. But when he is found to be saddened or discouraged, this Grace hurries to comfort and encourage him.” St Pope Kyrillos VI #StParsouma #AnbaBarsoumElErian #sorrowleadstojoy #resurrectionfollowsthecross #dailyreadings #coptic #orthodox

“Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will …

“O Lord, truly I am your servant” – Psalm 116:16 . “Do we return thanks to our servants, for waiting upon us? By no means. Yet God is thankful even to us, who serve not Him (as we should), but rather do that which is expedient for ourselves. But let us not act as if God owed us thanks. Let us act instead as if we were paying a debt. For the matter truly is a debt, and all that we do is of a debt. For if when we purchase slaves with our money, we wish them to live altogether for us; and for whatever they have, to have it for us, how much more must it be so with Him, Who brought us out of nothing into being; and Who, after this, bought us with His precious Blood, having paid such a price for us as no one would endure to pay even for his own son, and Who shed His own Blood for us? If therefore we had ten thousand souls – even if we should lay them all down for Him – would this make an equal return? By no means. And why? Because He did this owing us nothing; instead, the whole was a matter of grace. But we, on the other hand, are debtors. Being God Himself, He became a servant; and not being subject to death, He subjected Himself to death in the flesh. We – if we do not voluntarily lay down our lives for Him now – must by the law of nature must certainly lay them down later. The same is also true in the case of riches; if we do not bestow them on our fellow men now for His sake, we shall render them up from necessity at our end. So it is also with humility. Although we are not willingly humble for His sake, we shall be made humble by tribulations, by calamities, by over-ruling powers. Do you see, therefore, how great is the grace! Our Lord does all the work, making us humble by these things, and then He rewards us for the humility He has implanted in us.” – St. John Chrysostom #Humility #servantofGod #HeInstitutedForUsThisGreatSacramentWhereforeHeResolvedToGiveHimselfForTheLifeOfTheWorld #sacrifice #orthodox #coptic #dailyreadings

“O Lord, truly I am your servant” – Psalm 116:16 . “Do we return thanks to our servants, for waiting …