2 تموز

جوفينال بطريرك اورشليم

بعد ثلاثين سنة من الضوضاء والضجيج ، كان الشيخ الوقور في النهاية يحتضر ، وفي سنة

458 رقد بدون حركة على سرير المرض الذي كان قد ادرك انه سرير الموت ايضا ، وفي الايام الاخيرة من حياته ، كانت له الفرصة لمراجعة جهاده ونضاله كبطريرك على اورشليم ، كقائد كنسي عمل ما بوسعه كي يخدم الله واخوته المسيحين طوال فترة القرن الخامس الصاخب .

بالنسبة للقديس جوفينال الذي ولد سنة 380 م ، والذي كان صديقا حميما لبعض النساك الذائعي الصيت في الكنيسة الاولى من امثال افتيميوس ، ثيودوسيوس ، جراسيموس ، وسمعان العامودي ، فان اهم شيء الان الشكر والعرفان الذي 

يشعر به تجاه الله القدير ، كان يشكر الله 

READ  MORE

Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem

July 2^nd

After thirty years of tumult and turmoil, the venerated old man was finally dying.

The year was 458 A.D.  The old man lay motionless on the sickbed that he knew would also be his deathbed.  During the last few days of his life, he would have a chance to review his struggles as the Patriarch of Jerusalem – as a dedicated Church leader who had done his best to serve God and his fellow Christians during the tumultuous Fifth Century.

READ MORE

June 27^th

Joanna the holy Myrrh-Bearer

As soon as she touched the body of the Holy Redeemer, she was cut with the sword of an overpowering grief.

At the same time, however . . . amazingly . . . she also felt an immense wave of joy flowing deep within her heart!

Her name was Joanna, and she was the wife of Chuza, the household steward of the tyrant King Herod of Judea (as identified in Chapter Three of the Book of St. Luke).  Yet she was also a deeply committed and faithful follower of the Messiah, Christ Jesus.  And when the news arrived that he had finally died – after three torturous hours on the cross at Mt. Calvary – she hurried off in secret to assist several   READ MORE

27 حزيران

يوانا القديسة الحاملة الطيب

ما ان لمست جسد الفادي القدوس ، حتى جرحها سيف حزن عميق ، في الوقت عينه ، وعلى نحو يدعو للدهشة ، احسّت بموجة عارمة من الفرح تنساب في اعماقها .

كان اسمها يوانّا ،وكانت زوجة شوزا خادم بيت الملك الطاغية هيرودس ( كما هو محدد في الاصحاح الثالث من انجيل لوقا ) ، كانت ممن تبعن المسيح بكل محبة ، وعندما انتشر نبأ موته ، بعد ساعات ثلاث على الصليب في الجلجلة ، هرعت سرا لمساعدة بعض النساء الوفيات كي يدهن جسد الرب بالطيب .

وفي اللحظة التي نظرت فيها الى جسد ربها ومخلصها ، ذاقت الحزن والفرح بآن معا ، لقد لفحها الحزن لأنها عرفت ان المحب والوديع الذي كانت تخدمه طوعا ، زمنا طويلا  قد غادر هذا العالم الفاني ، وهي لن تعود قادرة ان تراه في هيئة ارضية ، الا انها كانت فرحة في الوقت نفسه لأنها عرفت انه انجز مقاصده ، وانه سوف يعزي 

الاحياء ، ويقيم الموتى 

READ MORE

لماذا نصوم صيام الرسل ومعرفة عدد ايام الصيام

لا يستهن أحد بصوم آبائنا الرسل، فهو أقدم صوم عرفته

الكنيسة المسيحية فى كل أجيالها وأشار إليه السيد بقوله "ولكن حينما يرفع عنهم العريس فحينئذ يصومون"..

وصام الآباء الرسل، كبداية لخدمتهم. فالرب نفسه بدأ خدمته بالصوم، أربعين يوماً 

READ MOREعلى الجبل

The Spiritual Father

by Bishop Kallistos Ware

One who climbs a mountain for the first time needs to follow a known route; and he needs to have with him, as companion and guide, someone who has been up before and is familiar with the way. To serve as such a companion and guide is precisely the role of the “Abba” or spiritual father—whom the Greeks call “Geron” and the Russians “Starets”, a title which in both languages means “old man” or “elder”. [1]

The importance of obedience to a Geron is underlined from the first emergence of monasticism in the Christian East. St. Antony of Egypt said: “I know of monks who fell after much toil and lapsed into madness, because they trusted in their own work … So far as possible, for every step that a monk takes, for every drop of water that he drinks in his cell, he should entrust the decision to the Old Men, to avoid making some mistake in what he does.” [2]

READ MORE

Prosphora:

An Offering to God

by Phyllis Meshel Onest, M.Div.

Every Orthodox parish must have one or more persons to make prosphora, the bread used in the Liturgy. It could be the priest or a layperson. For those who live a devout Orthodox Christian life, making prosphora is a very special way to serve God and His Holy Church. It is a great privilege and requires a blessing from the priest. This does not mean that a family cannot make prosphora for a special occasion, perhaps in memory of a deceased loved one. This is actually a longtime practice in the Orthodox Church. I am aware of parishes and monasteries in this country that receive 40-50 loaves of prosphora for special feast days! That is astounding to me! I think of this happening in Orthodox Churches in the motherlands but not in America. It appears that among some American Orthodox Christians this pious READ MORE

Well Done, Thou good
and faithful Servant!

1. What is the Definition of Stewardship?

By Bishop Demetri
Good evening! I am very happy to be here and speak to all of you on the subject of Christian Stewardship. For each one of us is called by God to be a steward.
What does stewardship mean? Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines it as follows:
Stewardship:
… the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care. –
When we act in the role of steward it means that we have been entrusted with something that does not belong to us. For instance, if you loan your car to me, both you and I would expect that I would take very good care of your vehicle. You may permit me to use it. However, you would expect me to take care of it and return it in substantially the same condition it was when you loaned it to me. This is an example of stewardship.
II. How does the term Stewardship apply to us as God’s children?
READ MORE

Question: “What is the Pentateuch?”

While there are some verses in the Pentateuch that would appear to have been added by someone later than Moses, for example Deuteronomy 34:5-8 which describes the death and burial of Moses, most if not all scholars attribute the majority of these books to Moses. Even if Joshua or someone else actually wrote the original manuscripts, the teaching and revelation can be traced from God through Moses.
FOR MORE READ

The Fast of the Apostles: On being sent into the world

Adapted from an essay by Dr. Alexander Roman

The Apostles’ Fast is one that was actually engaged in by the disciples of Christ following the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Having rejoiced throughout the fifty days following Pascha, the Resurrection of our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Apostles began to prepare for their departure from Jerusalem to carry Christ’s message to the far corners of the world. As part of their preparation, they began a fast with prayer to ask God to strengthen their resolve and to be with them in their missionary undertakings. DEAD MORE

A Cloud of Witnesses

Saints and Martyrs

From The Holy Land

By

Bishop Demetri M. Khoury

INTRODUCTION

According to the Church Fathers, a saint is simply a Christian who has received an immensely valuable gift from God—the gift of being able to strive toward the “spiritual perfection” of Jesus Christ.  Although human beings are imperfect and can never hope to actually achieve such infinite perfection, a few individuals in each historical epoch managed through the grace of God to rise to such a level of spiritual holiness that they were canonized, formally declared to be saints.  Canonization occurs when the Holy Church determines that the righteousness of a Christian’s life warrants this special elevation.READ MORE

بمناسبة عيد الأب

يسعدنا أن نتقدم بالتهاني 

والتبريكات الى كافة الآباء أينما وجدوا مع   دعوة  من

الله العلي القدير لهم جميعا

.بالسلامة والصحة والعافية والعمر المديد

وليكن ذكر الآباء اللذين سبقونا الي الاخدار السماوية ذكراً

موءبداً

+ المطران ديمتري

Top of Form

On this Father’s Day, we wish all the fathers good health, prosperity, and peace.

May the Merciful Lord bless you and your family with His choicest

blessings for many happy and blessed years.

May He grant all our departed Fathers blessed repose and eternal memory in Heaven!

+ Bishop Demetri

Bottom of Form

سحابة الشهود

قديسون وشهداء

من

الأرض المقدســـــة

بقلم

الأسقف ديمتري (متى) خوري

مقدمة

بحسب الاباء القديسين ، القديس هو ببساطة مسيحي اقتبل بغزارة عطية جزيلة الثمن من لدن الله  مفادها ان يصبح قادرا على الجهاد من اجل الكمال الروحي الذي ليسوع المسيح . ولئن كان البشر جميعهم ضعفاء ناقصين ، ولا يمكنهم ان 

يرجوا حقا ، كمالا غير محدود ، كهذا ،الا ان قلة منهم بين حقبة واخرى من الزمن ، سعوا بنعمة الله ، للنهوض نحو 

READ  MORE

A FORGOTTEN DIMENSION OF 

PRAYER

by Fr. Gregory Buss

The subject of prayer is a vast one and it would be impossible to say all of the things that can be said, and should be said, about it. For that reason I would like to say something about a dimension of prayer that comes from the Christian East and is often overlooked in our busy and noisy American culture. I am not claiming that what I will be sharing is the only way of prayer. But it is a crucial dimension of prayer for those who wish to go deeper into the life of the Spirit. I will refer to it as the Prayer of Silence. READ MORE

ORTHODOX SPIRITUALITY IN PARISH  ADMINISTRATION

Ninth Biennial Clergy Symposium

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

July 15-19, 1996

“Orthodox Spirituality in Parish Administration”

Fraternal Charity among the Clergy

By His Grace Bishop Demetri

As we begin our deliberations and discussions on this year’s topic of “Orthodox Spirituality in Parish Administration, it seems to me that we ought to take a moment to look at our relationships amongst one another. There is an old adage, that “we cannot give to others what we do not ourselves possess.” Specifically, I am referring to fraternal charity among the clergy of our God-protected Archdiocese. What I am about to say to you is based on twenty years of experience as a parish priest and one and a half as a bishop. It is not theory but rather practical advice. Those of you who know me well know that if I am anything it is practical.  READ MOREhttp://almoutran.com/2011/04/1057

في العنصـــرة

عظة للقدّيس يوحنا الذهبي الفم

1-   أيها الأحبّاء لقد منحنا الله المحبّ البشر اليوم عطايا تتخطّى كلَّ منطق بشريّ. لذلك لنفرح كلّنا معاً ولنرقص بفرح مسبّحين ربّنا. لأن اليوم هو عيدنا واحتفالنا. كما أن عصراً يخلف الآخر ودورة شمس تخلف أخرى هكذا وفي الكنيسة عيدٌ يخلف آخر فتتوالى الاحتفالات الكنسيّة الواحد تلو الآخر.

قبل أيّام احتفلنا بالصليب بالآلام وبالقيامة. بعدها 

READ MORE

Fr. John Meyendorff on the 

Trinitarian  Dimension of the 

Holy  Spirit

It has often been noted that East and West differ in their approach to the mystery of the divine Trinity. The West takes for granted God’s unity and approaches his “trinity” as a matter of speculation, while the East starts with a living experience of the three and then moves to affirm their equal divinity, and therefore, their unity. Thus the Greek Cappadocian fathers of the fourth century were accused of tritheism because “the groundwork of (their) thought lay in the triplicity of equal hypostases (persons), and the identity of the divine ousia (substance) came second in order of prominence to their minds.”

The difference of approach of the trinitarian mystery is not a philosophical one. It is based on a fundamental interpretation of the New Testament by the Greek fathers who understood the Christian faith as primarily a revelation of divine persons. The Christian faith to them is first of all an answer to Jesus’ question, “Whom say ye that I am? … The Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:15-16). The authority and effectiveness of Jesus’ actions, as well as of His teachings, depend upon His personal identity. Only God Himself can be the savior, only God overcomes death and forgives sins, only God can communicate divine life to humankind. And the same approach is valid for the interpretation of Jesus’ sending of “another” from the Father—the Spirit. The primarily personal revelation of God is discovered by the early Greek fathers not only in the classic trinitarian formula—the baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19, or the three gifts personally qualified in II Corinthians 13:14 (“ the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion [κοιυωυια] of the Holy Spirit”) but also in the Spirit speaking personally to Philip (Acts 8:19), to Peter (Acts 10:19; 11:12), to the church of Antioch (Acts 13:12), to the apostolic council of Jerusalem (“it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us”-Acts 15:25). The Spirit is understood here as a presence distinct from that of Jesus but possessing the same divine sovereignty.

READ MORE

العنصرة

بقلم: المطران جورج خضر

بعد ارتقاء المسيح في ناسوته المبارك الى السماء او من بعد ان رفعه الله اليه كما يقول القرآن صار الرب يتدبر اهل الله والتاريخ والكون بهذا الذي تسميه الاناجيل الروح القدس. وهذه الرعاية للدنيا نقول لها، بالمصطلح المسيحي، العنصرة التي تشير، حدثا ومعنى، الى انعطاف الله على التلاميذ “بصوت كما من هبوب ريح عاصفة” و”بألسنة منقسمة كأنها من نار”. ثمر الصعود كان ان المسيح الجالس على العرش صار في من هم له صوتا أي كلمة وصار ناراً أي حباً ومواهب حب. فبالكلمة الملتهبة تتكون  الكنيسة وبلا لهب ليس من شيء. سوف يأتي من يعمدكم “بالروح والنار”. الذي يحمل الروح يعمد بالروح اذ    READ MORE....يكون 

Sermon on the Feast

of Pentecost

by St. John Chrysostom

Our father among the saints John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, was a notable Christian bishop and preacher from the fourth and fifth centuries in Syria and Constantinople. He is famous for eloquence in public speaking and his denunciation of abuse of authority in the Church and in the Roman Empire of the time. His banishments demonstrated that secular powers had strong influence in the eastern Church at this period in history.
Let us spiritually extol the grace of the Holy Spirit in spiritual hymns, since spiritual grace has on this day shown upon us from heaven. Though our words are too weak to express adequately the greatness of this grace, we shall praise its power and activity to the extent of our abilities; for the Holy Spirit probes all things, even the depths of divinity.
We are celebrating the day of Pentecost, the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, the day of the hope of perfection, the end of expectation, the longing for salvation, the fulfillment of prayer and the image of patience. Today the Spirit Who acted to scatter the nations in the time of Heber has formed tongues of fire among the Apostles. His action of old led to the confusion of the nations, in order to restrain the will of man from its brazenness and consequent chastisement; on this occasion, however, amidst fiery tongues, the deeds wrought by the activity of the Holy Spirit served to preserve us as recipients of preaching, in fulfillment of the will of God.
READ MORE http://almoutran.com/2011/06/3508

General Explanation of The Divine Liturgy

General Explanation of The Divine Liturgy

By Nicholas Cabasilas
Translated by: Rt. Rev. Athanasius E. Saliba
A resume of the first chapter “General Significance of Sacrifice”
of the book Explanation of the Divine Liturgy
The essential function of the celebration of the Divine Liturgy is the transformation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The purpose of the celebration is the sanctification of the faithful who receive (during the service) the remission of their sins and become inheritors of the kingdom of heaven. The believers prepare themselves for this Divine and mysterious act by prayers and reading of Holy Scripture.  REED MORE