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The three Youths
Hey, i recently heard a beautiful sermon about the three youths and i thought i'd share it with you. Abouna was speaking about how the three were sad because they were away from their country and away from the tempel which was destroyed. And even though they were tempted by the king and his associates, they didn't give in and remained faithful to God till the end. And I know many of you, including myself, are living in a foreign country far from our beloved Egypt. In my case it's not just far from Egypt but also from the church. So the lesson is that we can be sad for missing our friends, family and our church in Egypt, and we can be tempted by the ideals and ideas of the western world (which aren't always bad, of course, but sometimes go against our traditions and morals as orthodox copts..) but we have to stick with the Lord, knowing that He never leaves His beloved children for whom He gave His life.
I just thought this was really comforting for all those people living in foreign countries as it was for myself.
God Bless you
Plz pray for me
I just thought this was really comforting for all those people living in foreign countries as it was for myself.
God Bless you
Plz pray for me
Comments
pray for me
joe
Where do you live? I hope it is not Holland.
Your reflection on the sermon was very nice. Too true...
One of my favorite verses from the Psalms is: "If I forget thee Jerusalem, may I forget my own right arm."
I think every person of Jewish ancestry is taught that verse, and cherishes it. As for myself, it reminds me of Egypt and the glories of our heritage there (historical pharaonic and Coptic).
Live and remember.
p.s. Abouna Anthony Messeh has great sermons (on the net) on orthodoxsermons.org
Hey, i recently heard a beautiful sermon about the three youths and i thought i'd share it with you. Abouna was speaking about how the three were sad because they were away from their country and away from the tempel which was destroyed. And even though they were tempted by the king and his associates, they didn't give in and remained faithful to God till the end. And I know many of you, including myself, are living in a foreign country far from our beloved Egypt. In my case it's not just far from Egypt but also from the church. So the lesson is that we can be sad for missing our friends, family and our church in Egypt, and we can be tempted by the ideals and ideas of the western world (which aren't always bad, of course, but sometimes go against our traditions and morals as orthodox copts..) but we have to stick with the Lord, knowing that He never leaves His beloved children for whom He gave His life.
I just thought this was really comforting for all those people living in foreign countries as it was for myself.
God Bless you
Plz pray for me
You thought that was beautiful.
Sure, its good, really good, but I really feel that the one story in the Bible that is SO common with our daily life with respect to this is the story of Joseph. (Jacob's son).
Joseph was sold by his brothers, they denied him and he became a slave and worked for the Egyptians as a slave. He then got in jail for being righteous. Although it looked like God had left him (being sold off as as slave etc), he NEVER left God and said to Pharoahs wife: "How can I commit this sin before the Lord". Although in a different land, he did not forget either his traditions and his morals. He didn't say to himself: "well.. that's what my parents taught me, but they are not here, i might as well adapt to this new country I am in, and make friends otherwise I'll be in trouble".
And then, for doing something righteous, he gets thrown into prison for it.
I love that part, because I know that no one in our day and age will throw me to lions if I do not obey them. Perhaps - metaphorically - yes, but, i love Joseph's story because he was already a slave, and made his way up from being a slave, to then being a prisoner for righteousness sake. His own family denied him, but the foreign people of Egypt accepted him as their ruler.
By the way, there is a parallel between Joseph's story and Christ. Joseph, although righteous, and not guilty of anything, and being the son of Israel, he was sold off as a slave and by being sold off, he rescued his family and his people, and forgave them for what they had done, and because of the famine-he gave them food when he became ruler of Egypt. He could only have saved them if he was sold off as a slave.
Jesus Christ is also the from the descendants of Israel. He had 12 disciples. They denied him also (and sold him for money). The theif on the cross accepted Christ's Righteousness, yet his own denied him. THey only accepted Him after he had resurrected (the same with Joseph). By His own will, He suffered for being Righteous, and through His sufferings He also gave us the food: The Bread of Life.
Does anyone here find that interesting.. i was thinking about that myself.
I know many of you will find that interesting, but I've never heard it before.. its my contemplation. If EVER u use this contemplation in anyway, any form, please do not hesitate to say it was from me. I was reading the contemplations of Metropolitan Anba Bishoy on his website, and I was jealous that I didnt think half of that stuff myself.
i think that is a really nice contemplation ..i never thought of it or looked at it like that .thanx for sharing that with us
pls keep my weakness in ur prayers
-sister in Christ
hey,
i think that is a really nice contemplation ..i never thought of it or looked at it like that .thanx for sharing that with us
pls keep my weakness in ur prayers
-sister in Christ
Thanks,
Remember, there's more where that came from! But i really need credit for this. I thought of that all alone when I was like 17 years old. And then, i realised that no one thought of that before. Did they? And I was scared until now to talk about my contemplation unless I would be ex-communicated for heresy or anything.
You can see the problems we have just over different pronounciations of a coptic letter.
But now I have a stronger understanding of theology, and my contemplation is not in the coptic language, this gave me confidence to post my contemplation.
However, if u do like the contemplation, feel free to use it, but always mention my name. I wanna be discovered and made into a saint.
It may please you to know that this is actually a well known contemplation... And you thought of it all by yourself at 17!! Quite amazing.
The down side is you can't really claim copyright. LOL
But I'm sure the genius brain God provided you with will make you famous. Good luck!!
+God Bless.
LOL you're hilarious.
It may please you to know that this is actually a well known contemplation... And you thought of it all by yourself at 17!! Quite amazing.
The down side is you can't really claim copyright. LOL
But I'm sure the genius brain God provided you with will make you famous. Good luck!!
+God Bless.
NONSENSE.. .don't give me well known contemplation.
HIZZ, i thought of it all alone!! OK!!
You're just jealous. lol
God bless.
About Joseph though, what I like most about him is his ability to forgive, also a symbol for God's love and forgiveness of course..
When he saw his brothers he could have avenged himself by not giving them anything and just sending them away. But he had it in His hart to forgive them after all they had done to him. I pray that we can one day find the strength to truly love our enemies and bless those who do us wrong ..
God bless u and plz pray for my weakness