"Those who are trying to lead a spiritual life have to carry on a most skillful

and difficult warfare, through their thoughts, every moment of their life - that

is, a spiritual warfare; it is necessary that our whole soul should be every

moment a clear eye, able to watch and notice the thoughts entering our heart

from the evil one and repel them; the hearts of such men should be always

burning with faith, humility and love..."



St. John of Kronstadt.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your

spirit, which are God's."  1 Corinthians 6:20

"Those that forever seek our soul do so through bad thoughts that they may throw

it into some sin of thought or deed. When therefore they find the mind

unreceptive, then will they be ashamed and confounded; but when they find it

given over to spiritual contemplation, then will they be turned back and utterly

put to shame in short order."



St. Maximus the Confessor.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not

receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not

received it? " 1 Corinthians 4:7

"...just as insensibility, callousness and hardness of heart develop as a result

of ease, soft living and self-indulgence, so from a way of life marked by

self-control and renunciation come contrition of heart and compunction,

expelling all bitterness and generating a gentle gladness."



St. Gregory Palamas.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is

written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord."  Romans 12:19

"...a single righteous man is worth more than the whole world."



St. Peter of Damaskos.



--------------------------------------------------------------



Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How

unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!  Romans 11:33

"Do not look for a throne of human glory, that God may shelter you against winds

you do not know and set you up in His metropolis, the heavenly Jerusalem. 'Try

everything and keep what is good' (1 Thes.. 5:21). Likewise, do not be

overbearing towards the image of God. Watch also over your youth so that you may

be able to watch over your old age, lest you have shame and regret in the valley

of Josaphat, where all the creatures of God will see you and reproach you

saying, 'We thought all along you were a sheep, and here we see you are a wolf!'

"



St. Pachomius.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering

and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."  Ephesians 5:2

"It goes without saying that neither merciful men nor angels need to inform God

of what is happening in the world, that God should know in this way, for the

most high God is all-knowing and all-seeing. All that they see and understand

they do by God's help. Why, then, does it say that the servants saw what was

done by their merciless fellow-servant and told their lord? In order to show the

compassion of good men and angels. Because it is the will of God Himself that

all His faithful servants rejoice in good and grieve at sin. God's sorrowful

servants, then came and informed their lord of what was happening. (Mt. 18:31) "



St. Nikolai Velimirovic.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends."  2

Corinthians 10:18

"What then do we say about our admiration of the life of the Saints when the

Ancient Fathers themselves, considering the life of the preachers of Holy

Church, admired them exceedingly? And did not the Psalmist admire their lives

when he said: 'But to me, exceedingly honorable are Thy friends, O Lord; their

principalities are made exceeding strong' (Ps. 138:17)? Ask what it says about

His friends in the Gospel in which Truth says to the preachers: 'Ye are My

friends' (Jn. 15:14)."



Saint Gregory the Great.



--------------------------------------------------------------



Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with

indignation?  2 Corinthians 11:29

"If we want to fare well in this life and go to Paradise, and to call our God

love and father, we must have two loves: the love for God and the love for our

neighbor. It is natural for us to have these two loves, and contrary to nature

not to have them. Just as a swallow needs two wings in order to fly in the air,

so we need these two loves, because without them we cannot be saved."



St. Cosmas Aitolos.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in

Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the

courts of our God."  Psalms 92:12-13

"To the saints honour must be paid as friends of Christ, as sons and heirs of

God: in the words of John the theologian and evangelist, 'As many as received

Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God' (John 1:12). 'So that they are

no longer servants, but sons: and if sons, also heirs, heirs of God and joint

heirs with Christ' (Gal 4:7, Rom. 8:17)..."



St. John of Damascus.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives

in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of

God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."  Galatians 2:20

"Let us be careful of our salvation, let us in all things call upon God, that He

may stretch forth His hand to us. How long will you be slothful? How long

negligent? How long shall we be careless of ourselves and of our

fellow-servants? He hath shed richly upon us the grace of His Spirit. Let us

therefore consider how great is the grace He has bestowed upon us, and let us

show as great earnestness ourselves, or, since this is not possible, some,

although it be less. For if after this grace we are insensible, the heavier will

be our punishment."



St. John Chrysostom.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads slander is a fool." 

Proverbs 10:18

"He [Christ] came in utter meekness, the poorest of the poor with nowhere to lay

His head. He had no authority, neither in the State nor even in the Synagogue

founded on revelation from on High. He did not fight those who spurned Him. And

it has been given to us to identify Him as the Pantocrator precisely because He

'made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant' (Phil.

2:7), submitting finally to duress and execution.As the Creator and true Master

of all that exists, He had no need of force, no need to display the power to

punish opposition. He came ' to save the world' (John 12:47)..."



Archimandrite Sophrony.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if

we do not lose heart."  Galatians 6:9

"Uncontrolled contemplation may well push us over the edge, when we seek for

what is beyond our strength and are unwilling to say, 'God knows this; but who

am I?' "



St. Peter of Damascus.



--------------------------------------------------------------



How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who

proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims

salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"  Isaiah 52:7

"First the soul has to surmount afflictions embraced willingly, thereby learning

to spurn sensual pleasure and self-glory; and this in its turn will permit us

readily to bear the afflictions that come unsought."



St. Gregory Palamas.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice

in the Lord, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy

name."  Psalms 97:11-12

"When you go to bed with a contented mind, recall the blessings and generous

providence of God; be filled with holy thoughts and great joy. Then, while your

body sleeps, your soul will keep watch; the closing of your eyes will bring you

a true vision of  God; your silence will be pregnant with sanctity, and in your

sleep you will continue to glorify the God of all with the full strength of your

soul."



St. Antony the Great.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. The

law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide."  Psalms 37:30-31

"By this, therefore, one can see how greatly He loves man, that He bestows the

precious reward not on pain and sweat, but, so to speak, on the enjoyment of

happiness. Peace is indeed the greatest of the joy-giving things; and this He

wishes each of us to have in such a measure as to keep it not only for himself,

but to be able to dispense from the overflow of his abundance also to others.

For He says, 'Blessed are the peacemakers.' Now a peacemaker is a man who gives

peace to another; but one cannot give another what one does not possess oneself.

Hence the Lord wants you first to be yourself filled with the blessings of

peace, and then to communicate it to those who have need of it."



St. Gregory of Nyssa.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"Come now, and let us reason together, Says the Lord, Though your sins are like

scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They

shall be as wool."  Isaiah 1:18

"You gaze upon the icon of the Saviour and see that He looks at you from it with

the brightest eyes; this look is the image of how He actually looks upon you

with His eyes, that are brighter than the sun, and sees all your thoughts, hears

all your heartfelt distress and sighs. The image is an image, and represents in

lines and signs that which cannot be delineated, cannot be given in signs, and

can be comprehended by faith alone. Believe, then, that the Saviour always

protects you and sees each one of you - with all your thoughts, sorrows and

sighing, in all your circumstances, as upon the palm of the hand. 'Behold, I

have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually before

Me' (Is. 49:16), says the Lord God. How much consolation and life are contained

in these gracious words of the Almighty and Provident God! Therefore pray before

the icon of the Saviour as before Himself. The Lover of men is present in it by

His grace, and with the eyes depicted in it really loo



ks at you: 'The eyes of the Lord are in every place' (Prov. 15:3), while with

His ears as represented on the icon, He hears you. But remember that His eyes

are the eyes of God, and His ears are the ears of the omnipresent God."



St. John of Kronstadt.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good

conscience, and from sincere faith,"  1 Timothy 1:5

"When every shameful indwelling passion has been expelled and the

intellect...has returned wholly to itself, converting at the same time the other

powers of the soul - and when through cultivating the virtues it sets the soul

in good order, ever advancing to a more perfect state, ascending through its

active spiritual progress and with God's help cleansing itself more fully - then

it not only expunges all imprints of evil but also rids itself of every

accretion, however good it is or appears to be. And when it has transcended

intelligible realities and the concepts, not unmixed with images, that pertain

to them, and in a godly and devout manner has rejected all things, then it will

stand before God deaf and speechless (cf. Ps. 38:13)."



St. Gregory Palamas.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"... I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For

there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the

Lord."  Luke 2:10-11

"...we are meant to participate in His [God's] Being - to be like unto Him in

all things. By its very essence this design on God's part for us excludes the

slightest possibility of compulsion or predestination. And we as Christians must

never renounce our goal lest we lose the inspiration to storm the kingdom of

heaven. Experience shows all to clearly that once we Christians start reducing

the scope of the revelation given to us by Christ and the Holy Spirit, we

gradually cease to be attracted by the Light made manifest to us. If we are to

preserve our saving hope, we must be bold. Christ said: 'Be of good cheer; I

have overcome the world' (John 16:33). He had overcome the world in this

instance not so much as God but as Man for He did in truth become man."



Archimandrite Sophrony.



--------------------------------------------------------------



How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who

proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims

salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"  Isaiah 52:7

"...surely ...the saints are gods and lords and kings...not in nature, but as

rulers and masters of their passions, and as preserving a truthful likeness to

the divine image according to which they were made,...and as being united to God

of their own free-will and receiving Him as an indweller and becoming by grace

through participation with Him what He is Himself by nature."



St. John of Damascus.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins."  Proverbs 10:12

"Be a herald of God's goodness, for God rules over you, unworthy though you are.

Although your debts to Him is so very great, He is not seen extracting payment

from you; and from the small works you do, He bestows great rewards upon you."



St. Isaac the Syrian.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of

trouble."  Psalms 40:1

"The source and ground of our distractive thoughts is the fragmented state of

our memory. The memory was originally simple and one-pointed, but as a result of

the fall its natural powers have been perverted: it has lost its recollectedness

in God and has become compound instead of simple, diversified instead of

one-pointed."



St. Gregory of Sinai.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be

kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving

preference to one another."  Romans 12:9-10

"But see the Evangelist, how he relates all without invidiousness, and as far as

he can, absolutely makes out an excuse. Thus first in behalf of Herod he saith,

'For the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat,' and that 'he was

sorry;' then of the damsel, 'Being before instructed of her mother,' and that

'she brought the head to her mother;' as though he had said, it was her command

that she was fulfilling. Since not for the sufferers but for the wrongdoers do

all righteous men grieve, since in fact these are they who properly speaking

suffer ill. For neither was John injured, but these the contrivers of such

proceedings."



St. John Chrysostom.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to

You. I will worship toward Your holy temple."  Psalms 138:1-2

"If we are on the watch to see our own faults, we shall not see those of our

neighbour. It is folly for a man who has a dead person in his house to leave him

there and go to weep over his neighbour's dead. To die to one's neighbour is

this: To bear your own faults and not to pay attention to anyone else wondering

whether they are good or bad. Do no harm to anyone, do not think anything bad in

your heart towards anyone, do not scorn the man who does evil, do not put

confidence in him who does wrong to his neighbour, do not rejoice with him who

injures his neighbour."



St. Moses the Ethiopian.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and

after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should

fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say

to you, fear Him!"  Luke 12:4-5



---------------------------------------------------------------



Prayer Requests:

If you have an update on a prayer request, please let me know.



Please remember the following in your prayers:



Kassab - Back operation.

Somaya M. - Being tested for breast cancer.

Peter and family - inoperable grade 4 brain tumour

Eman, Hany and Daniel - Suffered serious injuries from a car accident

The family of Neveen M.

Emil S. - Open heart surgery.

Clement - Lung and liver cancer

M.M.- metabolic syndrome

Mary Ann G. - Stomach Cancer

Sherien - Cancer

Emad. Please pray for his family

Theresa - Cancer.

Scott - Crones Disease

J. Shapiro - Cancer.

C.L. - Complete recovery after a tragic car accident.

T.M. - Imprisoned in Abu Dhabi

M. Ragheb - Out of the ICU but he is still under critical care

M. Fleming - Multiple brain and spinal cord diseases.

Fr. Wissa Bessada

G. Roubil - Out of ICU

Elizabeth - Liver cancer.

The Coptic mission trip to Mexico.

Camilo, Julio Renaldo, Diego and family, Hong and Pablo - Accept the faith and

get baptized.

H.H. Pope Shenouda III

David - rectal and liver cancer.

The family of Larry W. - May the Lord grant them peace.

H.M - Hardship.

William H. - Cancer

Makram G. - Liver Cirrhosis in the last stages

Emad - Lung cancer.

Albert - Operation

Abanoub

Eva S - Breast Cancer- Thank God the critical stage is over and she's recovering

well now!

M.B.- Breast Cancer

Mark - brain tumor

Fr. Anthony H.

Luka-- May God unite him with his family.

F.Z. may God help him in his service.

Tasony Esther, May God heal her and comfort her.

Akmal T. - Major heart surgery.

Amal M - Lymphoma Cancer.

Shery - Tumor near her spinal chord.

E.Salamah - Breast Cancer.

Mena - Displaced mandibular joint.

Esme - Severe lupus with heart & brain function involvement.

Yvone Y. - Serious Eye Surgery. The doctors now feel she might not need the

surgery at all.

Anthony - PTSD from Iraq

Elisha Mary - return to Communion

E. - Brain tumor, 22 yrs old with 2 kids.

M. Chouinard and her family and students.

Sharon P - Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, PTSD

Jan P - pancreatic cancer

Becky Cox D - bone marrow cancer

Eric G - throat cancer

Samantha M - Type 1 diabetes

Amelia T - Breast Cancer

Anthony C - Kidney Stones

Emad: To be closer to God

Safa: To be closer to God

Badra: Comfort

Souzy: Guidance

Leelamma M - Please pray for her family.

Vladimir and Vaclav.

Steve - Depression.

M Said.

Viola - Pray for her soul and her family to know the Lord and understand HIS

work

K. Abdelmessih



Ramy's soul which is far from Christ

Andrew - Fill his heart with faith, peace, forgiveness and love toward his

parents

Sue A & family - return of the family’s faith, spiritual growth, guidance &

strength in their homeschooling

Lackraj L. - has been in the hospital for 2 months

Marianne and her family

E. Farag's family

Fr. Leonidas - Brain tumor

Joseph W. - Prostate cancer

DS and family - cancer, stroke and paralysis

Nader S - Hardship

Hanaa S - Breast Cancer

Zakia A. - Cancer

Nasr H. - Emphysema - Doing better.

Lucy B. - Breast cancer

Amira C - severe and chronic Lyme Disease

N M- God's will in her testing for cancer; and His GREAT support for her if it

is positive. Thank God, the testing result turns out to be negative.

Susan - mental illness, marital problems and neglect of children.

Dina - Spiritual healing and wisdom

Carol - Rare autoimmune disease that's left her immobile.

Karim

Hayam R. - Cancer in her ovaries.

Susu G. - Breast Cancer.

MH - Major heart problems and in dire need of spiritual guidance.

Tony H. - Colon cancer, kidney and heart problem.

Ramy M - Insomnia and mental problem.

Ghassan A. - Cancer. He has 3 kids.

Maria B. - Lymphoma Cancer - away from God.

Neveen S. - Brain Damage.

N.S. - Breast cancer.

Veronia - Newly born baby girl in intensive care with brain damage.

Walter O. - Was operated on to have cancerous growths removed from inside his

right lung.

Celeste D. - Cancer.

Nasr N. - Cancer.

Angelita - Severe Insomia and Depression.

Fr. Abraam.

Susan - depression and spiritual healing.

M.H. - Lymphoma

Hoda - Depression and suicidal thoughts

Ibrahim - Renounced his faith due to failures and hardships

Steve, Paul, Victor, Frances, Foad - To experience and love Christ

The family of Olympia.

Greg - throat cancer

Marian and Paul - Marian recently had a miscarriage

Sophie - multiple health issues

Fathia - dementia

Family of HW who committed suicide

Mark H - MS

F. Saad - Heart Attack.

Angel N. - Lymph Node Cancer - recovered, Pray it won't return

Marina - A Highschool freshman with Leukemia

R.T. - A 14 years old girl with Leukemia.

S.Henin - Autoimmune Disease.

Mike - recovering alcoholic, who lost his son to alcohol & drug addiction &

suicide.

Matt - May God have mercy on his soul

Mark N - 20 years old with cancer and just started chemeotherapy.

Berna, Raouf and Alex Halim - Serious car accident, Raouf is in the ICU.

Wahid Girgus - MS

Andrew and his parents - 10 days old infant with the Lymphatic nodes not working

and other medical consequences.

John and his parents - unborn baby with kidney damage.

S. Magda - Health problems.

M & O - Family problems

Ariana - 3 1/2yrs, inoperable brain tumor

Noussa B. - Heal her.

Magdy B - Cancer.

Megan - Hodgkins Lyphoma - Thank God, her Hodgkins Lymphoma is now in remission

Abouna A - Prostate Cancer - unforuntately, now has brain cancer as well.

Judi & John - Son with Severe Developmental Disabilities

Anthony - Autism

Christina - Chronic Pain

Karen & Tony - Infertility - Thank God, They, had a Baby Boy (Garrett)

Steve - Cancer (fighting it for 10 years +)

Samiha - Dementia

Adly - Parkinson's Disease

The Christian Minority in Noshara, Pakistan.

Nancy - Glass went into her right eye.

D. Arteaga - Surgery

Fadia - Breast Cancer.

Tara - Systematic Lupus and financial and family problems

J.David - Depression,School,Drug problems, needs God's Guidance.

George k - Cancer

Frances - Brain Tumor

Alber - Cancer

K - Depression, anxiety, addiction, pride and spiritual estrangement

E. Tawadros - Guide her to the right path and grant her wish.

E. Sidhom - Cancer.

Adel Gendy - 10 years old with kidney failure, needs a kidney transplant.

Joseph - Prostrate Cancer

Mary - Breast cancer

A.K Matthew - Colon Cancer

Enyat - severe diabetes.

Samy - Bone cancer.

MS - Mercy, Comfort, Strength, Healing and Protection

AAM -- Love, Healing, Comfort, Strength, Support and Guidance

MM -- Love, Healing, Comfort, Strength, Support and Guidance

SE -- Love, Healing

GE -- Love, Comfort, Strength, Support, Guidance

Helen - severe epileptic seizures.

Stephan - 48 years old, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, stroke.

Scott - 4 months old baby desperately in need of a bone marrow donor.

Douglas McLead - Cancer and kidney failure.

Mrs. McLead - Parkinson disease.

Fr Benjamin, Photini, Marina, Miriam, Moses.

Nicholas - constant back pain.

Michael - 9 years old boy with a progressive brain tumor.

Sarah - Back problems and might need an operation soon.

Mayrvat and her 3 kids. She has been separated from her kids.

Elizabeth - bi-polar disease and other problems.

Fr. Constantine S. Palassis - suffers from symptoms of dementia.

Heidy - Depression and other problems.

Esther - Intestinal problems.

Nick - chemotherapy.

Sue S. - Advanced Cancer.

Helen P. - severe depression and diabetes.

Pamela P. - chronic depression and financial difficulties.

Shafika - kidney failure.

Mary Beth - Obesity & Diabetes.

Jean - Neurological back problems.

Therese - Emotional problems.

Reggie - Cancer.

Detra - Stress related health problems.

Walter Sr. - Depression.

Denise I. - Breast Cancer.

Cuba Plain - cancer that is high up in the breast.

Zouhair - stomach cancer.

Magdy - brain tumor.

John Rittel - cancer of the lymph node and voice box.

H. Adel - finish the immigration papers and preparation successfully.

E.Tawadros - Guide her to the right ways and complete IT to the best it will be.

Shareen - Stays out of trouble, gets closer to God, and Leads a pure life.

Mark H - MS

Mamdooh, Nahed, Marina and Cyril - May the will of The Lord be done.

M. Michael, C. Michael, M. Michael, R. Michael and family and friends.

M. M. Fayez.

R. Farouk's Family

Kristen and her brother

David - To be close to a Church

George - pass the final interview for a Job,to survive extreme debts.

Kristina may God heal her and help Ed in school, and help Joan with her finance

problems.

Bassem - bare the severe circumstances he is passing through and give him peace.

Alfred - needs  guidance and acknowledgement of the right way.

Hala - give her peace.

Evette - let her find the right way and have satisfaction.

Heba - give her the right decision.

Mona - take care of her cause she's alone.

William E. and Family

Fr. Heinen and family.

Norma, Laura and Ibrahim.

Stephanie - autism, and for her family

Dina's salvation

Marie Y -  Rheumatoid arthitis

MMH: For guidance, strength, and wisdom

Heidi - work problems, May God give her the right choice

Luka - Autism and to relief his family

Shery - in her school and Master preperation.

Jarcie - legal and financial difficulties, and return her to Christ.

Gabriel & family - May they find a suitable Orthodox Church to be catechized and

baptized in.

S.H. - Needs God's guidance to make the right career choice

Mario F. - Grant solitude to his family and to repair all damaged relationships.

STMCOC of DC mission trip to Africa and India this fall.

The mission of the Coptic Church in Africa and throughout the world.

ERA: The mission of the EgyptiansRelief.org in Egypt may God prosper all the

work done everywhere the service is.

Yvone - Dizziness and a bleeding mouth and nose.

Widad - Cancer.

Nour - God would reunite his broken family.

Jimmy, Fady, Shady - To experience and love Christ.

PM, EM, CM and JM - Salvation and to be brought to Christ.

Fr. Wade+ and family - protection and support

St. Andrews Mission, Lakeland, FL - new mission plant

E and L - Solution to their problems according to God's will.

Hani - To experience the love of Christ through salvation.

Safwat - Away from God.

A.S. - Find the right path.

E.F. - Spiritual guidance from God to find his way back to Him.

RMG & Family - Comfort & Peace in time of grief.

Clara M -  (3 years old) has Lukemia.

F.Tawfik - High sugar level.

Baby H.M.Hany - May God heal her.

E.Tawadros - Difficult times, in need of God's guidance.

Kamal G.

Samir A.

Hazem

Shady S. - Guidance and support.

Richard - Heart condition, sorrow and despair.

Give peace and prosper to St Bishoy church - stouffville.

Mariam - Show her compassion after being so broken hearted

M&M: Family problems

The Christians in Iraq, and those who have fled from there and are living

destitute as refugees.

A.S. - Gets closer to God

Hala - God lead her to stability and peace

AnaSimone, may God unite her with her father.

Kathy, May God unite her with her husband.

Mina, may God unite hime with his wife and daughter.

Mina's family, may God grant them love and peace.

Carla Jean, Tessa, James.

The unity of the Churches and all Christians.



The Christians in Egypt. "Blessed is Egypt My people." Isaiah 19:25



Please remember me in your prayers.



Please pray for the peace of the world.



"casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

"Poverty, hardship, austerity and fasting, such are the instruments of the

solitary life. It is written, 'When these three men are together, Noah, Job, and

Daniel, there am I, says the Lord.' Noah represents poverty, Job suffering and

Daniel discernment. So, if these three works are found in a man, the Lord dwells

in him."



St. Pimen the Great.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be

kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving

preference to one another."  Romans 12:9-10

" 'For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds, and to him that

knocks it shall be opened' (Luke 11:10). Wherefore let us knock at that very

sweet garden of the Scriptures, so fragrant and sweet and blooming, with its

varied sounds of spiritual and divinely-inspired birds ringing all round our

ears, laying hold of our hearts, comforting the mourner, pacifying the angry and

filling him with joy everlasting: which sets our mind on the gold gleaming,

brilliant back of the divine dove (Ps. 68:13), whose bright pinions bear up to

the only-begotten Son and Heir of the Husbandman (Matt. 21:37) of that spiritual

Vineyard and bring us through Him to the Father of Lights (James 1:17)."



St. John of Damascus.



--------------------------------------------------------------



"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be

upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!



"And thou then, brother, though thou shouldest remain without food, though thou

shouldest sleep upon the ground, though thou shouldest eat ashes and be ever

wailing, and do good to no other; thou wilt do no great work. For so also those

great and noble persons  who were in the beginning made this their chiefest

care: examine accurately their life, and thou wilt see clearly that none of them

ever looked to his own things, but each one to the things of his neighbor,

whence also they shone the brighter. For so Moses (to mention him first) wrought

many and great wonders and signs; but nothing made him so great as that blessed

voice which he uttered unto God, saying, 'If Thou wilt forgive their sin,'

forgive: 'but if not, blot me also out' (Ex. 32:32)."



St. John Chrysostom.



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"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the

glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."  John

1:14

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!



"Whereas we contribute our utmost, we enjoy in generous measure as well

cooperation from God. You see, in case we show indifference and prove

recalcitrant, He wants us also to make an effort so that in this way our

contribution may be demonstrated. It is neither the case that everything is due

to help from on high (rather we , too, must contribute something), nor on the

other hand does He require everything of us, knowing as He does the

extraordinary degree of our limitations; on the contrary, out of fidelity to His

characteristic love and wishing to find some occasion for demonstrating His own

generosity, He awaits the contribution of what we have to offer."



St. John Chrysostom.



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"His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And

men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed."  Psalms 72:17

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!



"...there are and can be no circumstances anywhere on earth which could make

observance of the commandments impossible."



Archimandrite Sophrony.



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"O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to

direct his own steps. O Lord, correct me, but with justice; Not in Your anger,

lest You bring me to nothing."  Jeremiah 10:23-24

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!



"We often receive through prayer that which we have asked for, especially when

we pray for that which relates to the salvation of our soul; it is necessary to

ascribe this directly to God and His grace, and not to chance. How can there

possibly be any chance in the Kingdom of the Almighty God? Nothing can really

happen without His will, as 'without Him was not anything made that hath been

made' (John 1:3)."



St. John of Kronstadt.



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"How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand."  Psalms

139:17-18

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!



"Through her, the inhabitants of Heaven and earth made reconciliation, And the

two sides that had been at enmity found great peace. Through her, confusion of

face was removed from womankind, And the reproach passed away from all women of

all generations. By her the way to Eden, which had been blocked up, was found

out again; The serpent took to flight, and mankind passed over unto God. Because

of her, the Cherub withdrew his spear, no more to guard the Tree of Life, Which

of itself dropped down its fruit to those who eat thereof. She gave us the sweet

fruit filled with life, That we might eat of it and live for ever with God."



Mar Jacob, Bishop of Serugh.



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"Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in

whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the

same things."  Romans 2:1