Coptic Family
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COPTIC ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Cleveland, Ohio Focus On THE COPTIC FAMILY By Fr. Mikhail E. Mikhail, D.Min 2 Published By: St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church 2100 E. Pleasant Valley Rd. Cleveland, Ohio 44131 216 (642-7691) Fr. Mikhail E. Mikhail, Pastor of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, Cleveland, Ohio. B.Div. Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary, Cairo, Egypt 1972. M.Div, D. Min. Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland-Ohio, 1986. Cover Photograph: The Icon of our Lord Jesus Christ which miraculously seeped heavenly oil I.S.B.BN. 977 - 00 - 1426 - 5 . 3 Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ King of Kings and Lord of lords Icon designed by Dr. Youssef Nassief and Dr. Bedour Latif H.H. Pope Shenouda III, 117th Pope of Alexandria and the See of St. Mark TABLE OF CONTENTS I GENERAL INTRODUCTION II SELECNONS OF THE BIBLE READ ON SUNDAYS III THE WEEKDAYS AND HOLY FEASTS OF THE CHURCH The Head of the Church The Weekdays Lectionary The Body of the Church IV THE GREAT LENT V HOLY WEEK,OF PASCRA [Passion Week] VI HOLY PENTECOST BIBLIOGRAPHY 7 FOREWORD Although some books and studies have addressed the subject of the enhancement of the devotional life of the Copts living in the land of immigrants, none have approached this issue by making such extensive use of the Coptic Orthodox Lectionary (Katamaros). The importance of the spiritual growth of the family unit cannot be stressed enough. This can be clearly illustrated in the wonderful verse from the Bible: "I and my family worship the Lord" (Josh 24:15). Without having the Lord constitute a major part of the family unit, this family unit has a serious defect. There is no better way to encourage spiritual training and growth than by reading the Bible, daily and applying its principles to use. The Coptic Orthodox Church, is indeed, a biblical church, which relies on the Holy Bible, as the first source of teaching. The Coptic Orthodox Lectionary (Katamaros), containing readings for Sundays, the Weekdays, the Great Lent, Holy week, and the Pentecost Lectionary, is a comprehensive and thorough study of the various stages of our Lord's life on earth: the Annunciation, His birth, His baptism, His ministry, His suffering on the cross, His resurrection, His ascension and His Second Coming. By reference to the Saints and their Holy lives, we ensure a continuation of the Apostolic tradition. 8 The objective of this book is to provide an effective and concrete guide in the utilization of the Lectionary. It provides spiritual direction, offering a course of daily readings for each member of the family to follow. The book can be divided into five segments. The first segment includes the readings of the Sundays throughout the year which deal with the work of the Holy Trinity: The love of God the Father, the grace of the Son Jesus Christ, and the fellowship and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The second segment is a study of the lectionary for the remainder of the weekdays, which is based on the lives of the Saints. In the third segment, which deals with the Lenten season, the Lectionary sheds light on the relationship between the prophecies read in the Old Testament and their fulfilment in the New Testament. The fourth segment, an analysis of the lectionary for "Passion Week", is a close follow-up of our Lord's suffering day by day and hour by hour. Finally, the fifth segment is meant to be read for the Period of Pentecost where the lectionary portrays the Lord Jesus Christ as being indeed the Conqueror whose love is everlasting. It also brings out the blessings, and fruits of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I sincerely hope that this book will be a source of inspiration to you and that through the use of the 9 lectionary, your faith will be strengthened your spiritual life increased and your ability to achieve unity of spirit and mind in your family enhanced. May God be with you through the prayers and intercession of the Mother of God St. Mary, St. Mark the Evangelist, and His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. Glory Be to God forever. Amen. Fr. Mikhail E. Mikhail, D.Min. 10 GENERAL INTRODUCTION A. The Christian Family1 The first family on earth was not formed of two persons, a man and a woman (Adam and Eve) but it rather consisted of three, God, Adam and Eve. Any newly formed family consists initially of three members: God, and the two spouses. That is why, when a family begets a child he is the child of the two parents, and also the child of God, by baptism, thus belonging to the church. Marriage that does not have God as a member is not a holy family. God makes the two spouses into one when they receive the sacrament of marriage through the Holy Spirit. Hence, the Bible text reads: "Whom God joins, man cannot separate" [Mt. 19:61] The children that are the fruit of a marriage are called by the Holy Spirit: "The inheritance from the Lord". Marriage in our church is carried out inside the church the house of God - by the priest. Every spouse feels that he or 1. CF. H.H. Pope Shenouda III, El-Osra El-Masihya wa El-Kerat ElKanasia, Mary, Church and Monastery 1982, pp. 3-1 1. 11 she has received the other as a gift from the hands of God who blessed and sanctified their marriage. The Bible and the church history offer us many instances of good families living with God, according to His words. How wonderful is this biblical verse "I and my family worship the Lord" [Joshua 24:15]. We want our Christian homes to be a source of spiritual inspiration to our children where they receive the first lessons about loving God, and living the true Christian life. Parents should set a good example for their children to follow, in every good deed, and in living a righteous life. We want our families to conduct Bible studies in our homes, “a Servant and a Priest offer this handbook, therefore, to develop the devotional life of the Coptic family living as immigrants in this land through the utilization of the Lectionary (The Katamaros) of the Coptic Orthodox Church". B. The Lectionary The Holy Bible is our source of knowledge about the will of God; it illustrates to us God's plan for the salvation of man. The Holy Bible is the Word of God that announces to us the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, His death, resurrection, ascension, and His second- coming. It is therefore appropriate to say that the Holy Bible is the primary source in Christian education, and consequently our Church makes it of utmost importance to educate its 12 members in the contents of the Holy Book, and to interpret such contents to enable them to lead their lives accordingly. Moreover, our glorious Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit, has established a method of teaching the Holy Bible to its members by means of which a thorough and complete study is covered. The study comprises chapters from various sections of the Bible, mainly covering the various aspects and stages of our Lord's life on earth: the annunciation, birth, baptism, abstinence, His suffering on the Cross, the resurrection, ascension, and His second coming. The Chruch also mentions its saints on their holy days to remind the people of their model lives. The Church presents this method of study through its text readings in the Divine Liturgy to ensure the unity of mind and spirit among its members. Such a system is followed year after year not only to guarantee a thorough comprehension of its teachings by its members, but also to ensure the continuation of the Apostolic tradition without interruption. The Basis of this System: The Church selects out chapters from the Gospels, Acts, the Pauline Epistles, Catholic Epistles, Psalms and parts of the Old Testament (read only during the holy days of Jonah, Lent and the Holy Week). These readings recited in the Divine Liturgy are contained in a book called "The Lectionary", a Greek word literally meaning "a section for every day." It is an ecclesiastical book, which contains 13 sections from the Holy Bible, divided and assigned to each day of the year. Sections of the Lectionary: 1. For Sundays: present to us Jesus Christ in various aspects of His life, work, teachings and miracles. 2. For weekdays: present to us the Holy Saints of the Church and its martyrs. Such sections are divided into groups, each of which has its own special readings. 3. The Great Lent. 4. The Holy Week. 5. Pentecost. Truly, the Holy Bible presents to us a unique method to learn about the life of Christ without contradiction, making us able to live wholly. 14 MESSAGES READ IN THE SUNDAYS LECTIONARY There are forty Sundays in the Sundays Lectionary (the remaining Sundays of the year are included in the Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pentecost Lectionary). These Sundays are distributed as follows: 1. Four Sundays in each month of the following: Thuout, Paopi, Athor, Khoiak, Tobi, Mekher, Paoni, Epep, Mesori; these are 36 Sundays. 2. The two last Sundays of the month Pakhons. 3. One Sundays of the Month Nasie. 4. The fifth Sunday of any month all through the year the first and second Sundays of Pakhons and all Sundays of Paramhat and Baramuda are included in the Great Lent, Holy Week and Pentecost Lectionary. Sundays Rule: All readings of those forty Sundays talk about one subject: The work of the Holy Trinity.