The first feast in the Coptic Calendar is the feast of Nayrouz, and martyrs and confessors are commemorated within the Coptic Orthodox Church on that day. This calendar started as the tyrant Diocletian reigned and started persecution of Christians killing thousands of Coptic martyrs. Nayrouz is a Persian word means the new day. Rituals of the Coptic church celebrate this day and remind its people to live for the Lord in each year and throughout our lives. It has a philosophy to make our Lord, God and Savior Jesus the axis of time. This is the goal and the meaning of it. Therefore, Coptic history and calendar depend on God s saving covenant and the work of His grace. Copts were the first to write history and make calendars as they excelled in studying the astronomical sciences that characterized the pharaohs. This calendar was used by Pope Demetrius II of Alexandria to make the Coptic Calendar and to remind us that God is always with us bringing his salvation to his people.

Peace and building of the Church of the One God, the Holy Apostolic one, is granted by Jesus Christ. Its history tells the story of God s work and grants its bright future. The Church owner has promised he will not leave us orphans as the holy spirit will take care of it through its servants. Our Coptic Orthodox Church has many great saints including our fathers the saints Mark, Antony, Makarios, Arsanios, Didymus the blind, Demetrios, Athanasius, Cyril pillar of religion, Cyril IV father of reform, Pope Cyril VI and Pope Shenouda III. Our history is full of them and the holy spirit is working in his church to the end of days.

Archdeacon Habib Girgis is a well known name in the Coptic Orthodox Church for his great influence and he led educational renaissance in the Coptic Orthodox Church and worked hard for the ministry and offered his life for the church of God. Habib Girgis lived according the gospel of Lord Jesus Christ and his life was model for Christians in his era and till today. He was dean of the center of theology and founder of Sunday School. He also led consecration, teaching and writing in the Coptic church proving the important role of laity in the ministry.

She was born of the righteous parents Joaquim and Hannah whom were hoping for a male child like most of the people in the East. She was presented to serve at the temple, but when she became 12 years old, she had to leave. Mary was betrothed to Joseph and was awaiting the concluding rite of marriage when she conceived her son while still a virgin by the Holy Spirit. She suffered a lot by this birth starting with Joseph doubting she was a sinner and when she suffered the hardships of traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem to record the baby in the public census. She gave birth to the child in cowshed. Yet, she received heavenly condolences by angels who fill the cowshed.

God has created men and women as equal human being. This emphasis the company, unity and adherence between them as the essence of humanity. Adam was created from dust and Eve was taken from his rips to be made equal to him. This equality does not cancel that both Adam and Eve had different role and function. Therefore, Christ didn t choose a woman among his disciples and messengers. Neither the apostles nor their successors have ordained women as priests. St. Peter called men to (be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life). However, women had no priestly work in the Tent of Meeting of the Old Testament.

The electronics have invaded our lives and threatened our privacy. Seeking unlimited information, we became addicted to technology and fell like Adam and Eve who lost paradise seeking similar false knowledge away from God. We all lose time before modern technology seeking both information and entertainment. Many dangerous games are among our hands to provoke instincts and violence, and make our minds captive to their logic. Moreover, many people fall in sin thanks to social networks. This addiction has become a case of fall and captivity for thought and heart. Therefore, we lose our motivation to do good and show love to other people. Talking with millions of people on Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and Whatsapp should be accompanied by love. This love that we should receive from God first, but we have no more time to do so just like we don t have time to pray or minister.

The Church is not a political institution, and will never be. It is the kingdom of God and its righteousness and salvation in peoples. It works to start the Kingdom of heaven on earth. God is its ruler and owner, which is more important than any Caesar on earth. Yet, may God be obeyed above all men and let him be honest and every man a liar. As we are celibate citizens invited to live according to the Gospel of Christ, we share the concerns of this world and work for its peace and progress without isolation. We shouldn’t be enslaved to the world, but we give what is Caesar’s to Caesar; and what is God’s is God. Christ invited us to be patriot for our homeland since it doesn’t contradict with our faith. Therefore, the mission of the church through history has been to declare the truth, but such declaration can’t be declared without involvement of Christians in their community. Christianity has not formed a state yet, since Christ’s kingdom is not from this world. However, he ordered Christians to be honest, righteous, and do good to all. It is a message of goodness to all those who love His appearance.

After the Islamic terrorist groups attacked hundreds of churches and houses owned by Copts in Egypt after they looted them, they decided to attack Copts in Arish and force them to abandon their homes and lands to escape death fleeing from the intimidation and murder of identity. Therefore, we find it necessary that NGOs and the Church have to intensify their role in the immediate relief work. Everybody realizes that the displaced people may face delay in the service for many reasons including chaos in many aspects of life in Egypt, but such chops should not reach the pastoral care service related to the salvation of their souls. Today is very similar to the first ages of Christianity when our brothers suffered from kidnapping, looting, burning and martyrdom. Many people have been killed by those terrorists, and we should serve those who suffer by all means.

When the virgin Mary was born, her parents gave her to serve in the temple. Her parents may have wished to have a male child like most of the parents in the Middle East so that the baby may carry the father’s name for decades. She lived in the temple until she grew up. Then, she had to move to live with a man who takes her as wife. This man was Joseph. The young lady had to tolerate a lot of pain starting with being accused of committing adultery and passing by pregnancy.

In violation of the constitution and law, Copts are displaced on daily basis from their houses, villages and towns as part of collective punishment policy. Justice and law are subject to the will of the mobs and idiots. The innocent people have to leave in order to avoid fire, weapons and threats. We have many documents and videos for such attacks. They start by calls of fanatics to attack the infidels and then the actual attacks that may include looting, fire and destruction for houses of the Copts. Those who are displaced can’t defend their rights after they were targeted based on their religion. However, those who lead the attacks were supposed to take care of the Copts in Egypt.

When Diocletian issued decree to burn the churches and the demobilization of the Christians from work and confiscation of their property, St. George was a Christian prince in Cappadocia. He decided to declare his Christian faith and torn the king’s decree into pieces.

Since its inception, the Islamic rule in Egypt used sectarianism and linked between the Copts and any failure that faces the regime. However the opposition is not of a religious character; the regime plays with sectarianism that has been burning us for a long time. Several attacks against the Copts is described as individual Incidents, but they are in fact a systematic attacks and ethnic cleansing aiming to humiliate the religious minority starting with calling them infidels and contempt of Christianity and even burning of Bibles and churches in addition to kidnapping of Copts. Later, they call for jihad and start a whole new cycle of violence and make new massacres against the Copts.

Each year at the week of Christian Unity, we see many people who love our lord Jesus Christ. However we don’t expect to reach Christian unity so soon, we know that love can achieve such unity. This was stated by Pope Francis in the presence of Pope Tawadros when he said that dialogue and love can achieve full unity between Christian churches. He added that such unity may complete through the holy cross, studying the holy bible and prayers.

God created man and woman in His own image. “In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). She was taken from man’s side and was made equal to him. “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Any administration always needs to continuous update and development, or else it would become decayed. Church’s administration is not an exception and it needs management just like other business and organizational activities. That’s why Jesus Christ arranged the work of this foundation to be done and supervised by certain people who are called the clergy.

Our church is not based on absolute autocracy. People choose their priests, bishops and the Pope. They have the right to select while the Holy Synod has the right to appoint “Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over

Last Friday of the Great Lent is the last day of the biggest fast in the Coptic Orthodox church. Prayers of this day concentrates on the visit of God for humans in Jesus Christ promising the salvation of mankind; judging the righteous and the evil according to the deeds of every one.