Throughout its history, the Church has played an important role in supporting the community in times of crisis and spreading hope among its people. This role was summarized in the bible as Jesus Christ said: You are the light of the world, You are the salt of the earth. This was translated by the church for more belonging and love to the homeland. His Eminence Bishop Macarius of Minya in his article ‘The Church in the Times of Natural Disasters’, mentioned how monks lived together during epidemics. St. Bakhoumius who established the system of monks’ communion faced the epidemic of plague and moved from monastery to another to serve the sick people till he was infected and moved to the quarantine till he died. The epidemics were not far from the clergy and the monks, but rather affected them and killed some of them. We have to learn from them how they served others and faced the disease, which had nothing to do with holiness. it should be known that people will receive judgment at the doomsday, not through illness and epidemics.

I wonder why the Ministry of Interior insists on not returning the advising and counseling sessions, which will help get rid of such dilemma of families of the Coptic girls. They keep worrying about their daughters and never know if they are kidnapped or just decided to convert into Islam. The sessions are held in the presence of a Christen priest and a police man to advise and discuss the decision with the person who wants to convert. In many cases the person accepts the advise and changes his or her mind. This has changed after the story of Waffa Kostantine, wife of a Coptic priest. The extremist Muslims said she converted and became a Muslim sister, while the extremist Christians say she has never converted. Yes, she declared she will always be Christian and her story came to an end. However, the minster of interiors Habib Al-Adly, decided at that time to cancel the sessions. Ever since, the families never know if their daughters were forced by any means to convert since they suddenly disappear and suddenly appear in a video declaring their conversion. I was part of a team who filed a law suit to restore the advising and counseling sessions in 2005, but no court has issued a ruling ever since.

Sometimes you need to learn from others especially those who are simple and not complicated. Lately my sister was telling me a story about an old simple lady in upper Egypt who goes every day in front of the church and prays. I was just contemplating this story and asking myself how many people thought about this idea. We all may be thought to go to get groceries and make sure that we have enough for months, we all make sure that we do our work and all necessary staff, however, how many of us thought to go and just pray in front of the church a simple prayer.

In the time of fear of the Corona virus and with the suffering economic and health sectors, we need to take heed and commit to all precautionary measures, but we need also to spread hope along with awareness even if we are fed up with the curfew and social distancing. We do expect and hope that the vaccine and medicine will be discovered in order to restore our lives back. Yet, this may take longer than we think or hope and we may have to wait for months or even years. In fact, I think it is time to reopen schools and send our children gradually to their classrooms. We need our lives back. Let s smile and pray believing that God is able to put an end to our suffering very soon.

The joyous word relieves the troubles of people and gives them energy to face their distress. Thus, we should use the joyous word and get used to say it to the people. This is how the late His Holiness Pope Shenouda III told us in his article Be a joyful gospel explaining that telling nice word and smile for other people is the Bible s commandment revealed in the verse: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10: 15) Wen we cause joy for others, God will give us great joy as well. People are in dire need to encouragement and hate frowning faces that cause them to lose peace, which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The word (gospel) means joyous preaching, like the preach of the angel to the shepherds: Behold, I announce to you a great joy that will be for you and for all the people. Even Jesus Christ called the people to rest and joy saying: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Thus, if you can t give people rest, don t be a reason for them to suffer! Have a smily face and joyful heart that reflects your relationship with the Savior. Let them happy to meet with you as if they meet with Christ.

Corona virus that appeared in China last year and infected more than two and a half million people so far. On the other hand, few countries decided to try the collective immunity or what is known as the herd immunity. There is a debate about the morality of such policy, but in Egypt we are heading to the same policy after reducing the number of hours of the curfew. It is worth mentioning that a decent number of citizens are not abiding by the curfew especially in public areas and streets. The increasing number of infected people and the death tolls proves such negligence.

I feel concerned that Many Egyptians are taking the pandemic easy not realizing it may not be under control for a long time. Will they turn the blessing of the controlled situation into a curse through poor perception and underestimating the seriousness of the situation and not adopting the cautionary measures set by the government and local authorities! The government has proved it is able to manage the crisis with remarkable vigilance and unprecedented control, but the citizens are still playing catch me if you can game with the government. WHO representative Jean Jabbour recently explained the low number of coronavirus cases in Egypt in comparison with the huge numbers in Europe, US and South East Asia. Mr Jabbour’s said that the situation in Egypt, the Middle East and Africa reflected the level of acquired immunity of the people of these countries. This immunity, he said, was high because it was acquired in response to low levels of hygiene and healthcare, and high rates of pollution. In countries with better healthcare and hygiene conditions, Mr Jabbour said, the acquired immunity is not that high. The declined hygienic conditions, he explained, boosted the ability of people to fight infection far higher than that of populations of well developed countries. However, Mr Jabbour warned, it was not right to rely on this fact and overlook strict cautionary measures, because if the virus overtook the acquired immunity, it would spread like wildfire, almost unstoppable. I see several wrong deeds and bad attitudes like ignoring social distancing rules, rushing to buy food more than need, rejecting to comply with the necessary preventive measures of quarantine by some Egyptians returning back home. Sadly, they claimed that the conditions of their quarantine and the services provided to them were substandard, claims that were proved false. Another unacceptable behavior was the unreasonable reckless rush by some Egyptians who thought that the suspension of schools and universities and businesses that was an invitation for outings, partying and gatherings in gardens, beaches and touristic resorts. Others insisted on breaking the curfew hours set by the government. Shame on those who commit such acts not realizing that they may lead to a catastrophe.

Everyday we read about theories that announce the end of America as we are in a war against America not against “Covid19”. People still don t feel that we are facing a serious disease and instead to focus on fighting this pandemic we started to analyze what s after Covid19. People have the right to analyze the future after Covid 19 but not to wish and dream for America to die after this pandemic. It s well known that after any pandemic there are a lot of events that could happen such as famine, wars or changing regimes, however, this doesn t apply only to America but to each country.

Copts have celebrated the feast of the glorious Resurrection amidst churches closure due to the Corona virus. Coptic people suffered during the Holy Week and suffered also from social distancing and curfew. Women were indeed suffering the most since they are not able to visit the closed beauty centers and were not able to put on their pretty new clothes of the feast. These measures were taken to face the invisible virus in a war that is led by scientists and doctors, and not supported by many people who don t follow the rules and decisions to prevent the spread of the virus, and participate actively in risking the lives of everybody. In all cases the pandemic increased the doctor s value, and hopefully the scientists as well. I wish everybody many happy returns and safety and speedy recovery for the whole world

Resurrection offers hope for everything and stands before every tribulation and every problem. The picture of Jesus Christ who raised from the dead indeed gives hope that life is behind death and light is behind darkness, and every problem has a solution. Thus, Pope Shenouda III told us in his article The Resurrection is the source of hope. that Resurrection gives every person hope and joy that death is not the end. The church cites in funerals the verses of Psalm: The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I shall not die, but live, (Psalm 118). It even assures in the prayers that There is no death for God s servants, but traveling . Victory over death gives us even hope in every single tribulation and suffering since God has already triumphed over the worse and the most powerful, which is death. The resurrection raised the morale of man and made him believe that everything is possible with God, as the Apostle Paul said: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4: 13). Thank you, God, for the glorious gift of the resurrection, which gives us hope that you are able to relieve us of disease and the epidemic from the world

Sham al-Nasim is a pharaonic feast that has been celebrated for 4700 years. It is named after the Pharaonic word Shumu, which is a hieroglyphic word means to bring life back. Celebrating Sham El-Nessim has certain rituals, and ancient traditions that span thousands of years. Old Egyptians used to start a folk festival in the morning and to go out during the day and enjoy open areas and gardens carrying special food for the day, especially the colored eggs and special kinds of fish. The first celebration of Sham El-Nessim was nearly five thousand years, that is about 2700 B.C., under the rule of the Third Pharaonic dynasty, and it was embraced by the Egyptian people and celebrated each year till today. According to the discovered murals and papyri, the ancient Egyptian man used to give his wife a lotus flower and then go out with his family to visit open areas and finally participates in the great Spring Festival in front of the northern front of the pyramid before sunset. The sun rays penetrate the top of the pyramid, so the front of the pyramid appears as if split into two parts. This popular feast was being celebrated by all classes of the people until the Pharaoh himself and the senior statesmen. Shammoush feast of the Pharaohs represents the resurrection of life. The feast is associated with astronomical phenomena and the spring solstice, which is the day in which the day and night are equal. The British astronomer and mathematician "Bractor" recorded this phenomenon, and was able to photograph the moment of the split of the pyramid s façade in the year 1920, and it was also recorded by the French scientist Andre Bouchon in 1934 using infrared radiation. Many happy return to the Egyptians on this very spacial occasion.

With whats going on right now and everyone is quarantined at home, people have to seize this opportunity to think about others and look backward of who you should ask about and you didn t from long ago. While we are celebrating resurrection, we need to know that resurrection not only to celebrate that Christ raised from the dead but also to celebrate the chance to raise ourselves from any weakness we face or suffer from.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. This prayer was for those who crucified, insulted and whipped him, and he wanted to teach us forgiveness that we need while we are in the midst of this world which is dominated by fanaticism and hatred. HG Bishop Takla of Dishna in his article (tolerance and forgiveness) explained to us the need to acquire the virtues of tolerance and forgiveness, especialy as we celebrate the Holy Week. Violence and hatred can only be stopped by love, wisdom and tolerance. Thus, Jesus said: But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. (Matthew 5: 39) This is Love mentioned in (1 Corinthians 13) that is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. However, this doesn t mean to forget about your rights as Jesus refused to be beaten without cause: “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?”. Furthermore, St. Paul demanded his rights and appealed to Caesar. Tolerance is a virtue mixed with growth, and we are asked to use it for unlimited times and for all people, just as God forgives us. We need to pray for those who offend us and never offend back. May we learn from Jesus Christ who forgave those who crusified him.

Corona virus that killed thousands of men putting a challenge to all scientific, cultural and financial achievements of men. Man, who thinks of himself as superior to the rest of the creatures is powerless to stand up to the tiny virus. Under this tragedy, we find people refusing to allow a funeral of a doctor to pass by or to bury her body thinking she is too dangerous for their lives. However, it is known that the virus can only transfer through living people. In fact, the demonstration to prevent her burial is one violation of safety procedures to face the virus. We find other people demonstrating in Alexandria to face the virus, and now others are demonstrating to stop a funeral. We don’t give much concern to science, and follow superstition. The same people who prevented the burial of a woman don’t follow the most simple rules of social distancing and personal hygiene. It is contradiction that should be investigated before it is too late.

All human beings are honoring the praising the sacred role of doctors, nurses and pharmacists during the crisis of Corona virus. They have become the first line of defense in the battle. The White Army soldiers who are exposed to direct danger while facing the pandemic that plagued humanity in all parts of the world. We have to offer them the due appreciation and reverence for their great sacrifice, and they are indeed in dire need for our support in such exceptional difficult and extremely dangerous conditions in the face of a pandemic. On the other side there are inhumane, even immoral, and totally unjustified actions taken by some mobs who don’t appreciate such sacrifice. Those mobs who don’t represent the majority of the Egyptian people fear dealing with doctors and some of them refused to bury a doctor in the city’s cemetery thinking she could bring them infection. Such irresponsible acts can lead to the collapse of medical system. In fact, the world will not defeat the Corona virus except by showing mercy, forgiveness, compassion and cooperation with one another and with the government. All humans should also show respect for science and doctors who work hard to save human beings.

Christ is coming on a colt to visit our open hearts as churches are closed. Let’s offer our properties and pure hearts under his feet as the people of Jerusalem received him on Palm Sunday. We may avoid shouting crucify him with the Jews who were stupid enough to believe they are more important than Jesus Christ. Just like some people who visit the church on the feasts to be praised for doing so by church leaders instead of being humble and thankful to be allowed in the house of God. Those people were expelled by Jesus Christ from the temple since they trade on the house and its Lord. On the contrary, God opens his house and arms for the simple whose houses and hearts are opened churches at all times. It was written by Al-Maqrizi in the eleventh century when the ruler Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah closed the churches of Egypt for nine years, but one day he wandered around houses of the Copts to see how the decision affected their faith, but he heard praises and prayers coming out from all Coptic houses. The ruler said: Let them pray as they wish, because I wanted to close a church in each street, but today I discovered that my decision opened a church in every single house! The churches are now closed due to the epidemic, but the Lord will gather us shortly to wash us the legs and hearts since he loves Egypt and its people. Egypt was mentioned 560 times in the Old Testament, and 24 times in the New Testamenet. Many times were its people and its cities mentioned in the Holy Bible. Many Happy return to the blessed Egypt His people.

The whole world now has nothing to talk about except opening the economy, from what I read about different pandemic in the past that a lot of countries rushed to open the economy and that caused a lot of death to happen more than before. For Example, when the Spanish flu started, many states in the US rushed to open the economy and unfortunately that caused more death than the benefits people get from opening it.

A reassuring message is written in the bible in (Habakkuk 3:5). It says: Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. The book of Habakkuk sends reassurance in the souls that the epidemic, no matter how severe and powerful, it fades before God Almighty. His Eminence, Benjamin Bishop of Menoufia, said in his article The Epidemic and the Work of God explained to us that God is accepts prayers in the time of the epidemic, just like God stopped the epidemic spread in front of Moses the Prophet and Aaron. The high priest took incense and ran among the congregation. We need to trust in the power of the Lord and remember his promise: Surely he will save you from the fowler s snare and from the deadly pestilence. (Psalm 91: 3) Bishop Bemjamin made clear that the appearance of the pandemic has its medical reasons, as well as spiritual ones. For example, the lack of true worship and the spread of weak prayers and transcendence, self-love and hidden hatred and other misdeeds. This was the reason of the epidemic as stated in (Deuteronomy 28: 20) The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. The real solution is the necessity of repentance, and this is what we learn from the account of the Samaritan woman, the people of Nineveh, the blood-bleeder who has recovered, the daughter of the widow and the paralytic, the blind child, and many who have received the blessing of recovery mixed with repentance.

Visit Egypt from home is a slogan raised by the Ministry of Tourism in its campaign to organize virtual visits to archaeological sites with a 360-degree photography online technique. This comes under the precautionary measures taken due to the spread of the Corona virus in many countries of the world. The Ministry started this project in cooperation with foreign archaeological institutes, as it began displaying the Menes Cemetery, one of the nobles tombs in the Western mainland in Luxor, which dates back to the eighteenth family in cooperation with the American Research Center. Officials of the American Research Center showed on their official page the scenes of the cemetery in Luxor accompanied by the comment: A pleasant visit to this beautiful cemetery, and wait for more archeological sites every two weeks until the end of the summer season. The online tour offers an explanation in English for all the details of the cemetery that kept its colors over thousands of years. This technology allows the visitors to get closer to details of the cemetery. The ministry confirmed that this step came to promote Egypt in all countries of the world where this idea will develop in displaying some of the archaeological places during the coming period. A greeting to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and to everyone who contributed to the work of this initiative.

Despite the spread and the suffering of the Corona virus epidemic, many people are still wandering in the streets for no good reasons. Many women in popular areas allow their children to play in the streets as if they are in vacation. It seems that the story of people’s failure to adhere to moral standards and public procedures existed many years ago. It was documented in a social study by the researcher Yaqoub Fam, entitled ‘Studies in ethics of raising boys’. The study was prepared more than 70 years ago. The researcher says that individuals in developed countries makes every effort to make its residents comfortable. He mentions a story about his trip to the USA where he and his friend were riding a car and using a powerful torch to light the way. sometimes the writer pointed it at houses, but his friend rebuked him assuring that this mistake may annoy people and wake them up. The writer said that in developed countries people can’t do this or even use the horn at night for the same reason. It should be known that laws are not the only reason his friend wanted to respect others, since such laws come to assure what is already respected in the society. This should be reflected in the current crisis of Corona virus as people should care for the others, and not only for their own benefits.