Sunday School Corner

The greatness of the Virgin has been decreed in the sacred ecumenical council of Ephesus which was assembled in 431 AD. Two hundred bishops from the world were present. They formulated the prelude to the creed of the Christian Faith, in which it is cited: "We honour you, O mother of the true Light, and we glorify you, O Saint Virgin Mother of God, for you gave birth to the Saviour of the world. He came and delivered our souls".
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Be true to God always and in everything. If you say the prayer Our Father pronounce each word sincerely, with reverence, fixing your mind and heart upon God alone, not paying attention to anything or anybody around you. If you say any other prayer, say it also with all your soul, not with your heart divided, not paying undue attention to anything or anybody. + St. John of Kronstadt +
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What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Him today...
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The people of Fayoum, collected funds to build a new Church for the bishopric, together with a new residence for their bishop, Abba Abraam. They handed the money to our beloved saint, who instead, gave it to the needy. Some of the people went and complained to the Pope, as this was not the first time such a thing happened.
Pope Cyril V sent for the bishop. Abba Abraam who at the time was a very old man, went to see the Pope without any delay. As he walked into the room, he threw his 'Faragia' (Overcoat) on what he mistook for a laundry rope. (It was a common practice to have a laundry rope for hanging cloths, at that time.) In actual fact, it was a beam of light, which came through a pinhole in the closed shutters due to the afternoon sun. The Faragia stayed there, hanging on the beam of light. The Pope was in awe, he greeted him, inquired about his health, asked for his blessings and prayers and did not even discuss the reason for the meeting. Later on, Pope Cyril V gave Abba Abraam money from the patriarchate to pay for the projects at his bishopric. When the people of Fayoum went to see the Pope complaining that nothing changed, he told them that he could not argue with the power of God in Abba Abraam and described to them all what had happened in front of his own eyes.
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A church
I think that I shall never see
A Church that's all it ought to be
A Church that has no empty pews,
Whose Pastor never has the blues.
A Church whose Deacons always Dike
And none is proud but all are meek
Where gossips never peddle lies
Or make complaints or criticize
Where all are always sweet and kind
And all to other's faults are blind
Such perfect churches there may be
But none of them are known to me
But still we'll work, and pray and plan
To make our Church the best we can!
Page 4 A Poem I liked (thanks for forwarding this)
Theotokos, is a Greek word. It’s:
the Mother of God, Saint Mary
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Introduction
Music is the language used by the Seraphim in heaven and humans on earth to Praise God. It is the language of the soul as prayer is the language of the heart. St Augustine says "There is no emotion of the human spirit which music is incapable of expressing".
Although the Coptic hymns are very ancient they affect us so deeply to make you feel that you are actually in heaven praying with the angels.
The Coptic music inspires both the simple and the sophisticated. It offers joy, peace, admiration and fulfilment to whoever takes interest in it. All other forms of music run out of fashion with time but the Coptic hymns have provided the Copts with an everlasting means of praising God as well as of self comfort.
It is very cumbersome to try to trace back the origin of the Coptic hymns as they were not recorded on musical notes but in the minds of clergy and deacons. Thus, no one can be certain as to how the hymns were developed and to what extent they were influenced by the surrounding cultures and time. However we are certain of one thing; that they were developed through the gifts and inspirations which accompanied the Apostolic Period.
As to the value of hymns in the Coptic Church, our fathers consider that God’s praise through hymns is the means which lead to the rewards obtained in the holy Sacraments i.e. praise is essential for receiving the grace of God.
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(Synopsis from: “The story of the Copts, by Iris Habib El-Masry)
Abba Demetrius, the twelfth pope, appointed Heracles Dean to the School of Alexandria, as successor to Origan. Heracles had grown to be not only a scholar, well versed in philosophy and theology, but also an outstanding orator, and a convincing, eloquent preacher. His powerful logic, together with his quiet and engaging manner, were responsible for winning many converts to the Christian faith. Because of these qualities, clergy and people in spiritual accord elected him to be their Pope in 232 A.D. when Abba Demetrius went to his reward.
One of the people who lived in the city of Alexandria during this period was a young Sabeanl physician called Dionysius, who had gained a high repute for his love of learning. One day he encountered an old woman offering some of St. Paul's Epistles for sale. Being a constant seeker of knowledge, he bought them. Upon reading them, something within him was touched and responded to the teachings they contained.
He sought out the old woman again and eagerly asked her if she had any more such books to sell. Seeing that "Divine Grace had touched his heart" the old woman told him that if he went to see a priest, he would be given all the books on the subject freely. Acting on her advice he went to the nearest priest and openly expressed to him his desire to learn more about the “New Way”. The priest gave him more books and spoke to him about Christ, the Saviour. Soon after, Dionysius became a Christian, and joined the Alexandrian School, where he studied under the guidance of Origan, whose courage and virtues he assimilated. Abba Heracles, who was not a pope yet, was at the time also a disciple of Origan and thus he got to know Dionysius. Both of them proudly wore the philosophers' gown, and both delved deep into the Scriptures. As a result of their common interest, a strong bond of fellowship and understanding developed between the two and cemented their hearts together in mutual love and respect.
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The corner cordially congratulates Dalia and Chris Boulis On the wonderful gift Joshua Luka, May the Lord keep him in His Good name. Amen
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