In the Holy Gospel reading of the 1st Sunday in the Holy Great Fast (Matthew 6:19-33), His Grace reads for us the following:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven..."

His Grace also shares with us the words of St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory of Nyssa to remind us as we begin the journey of the Holy Great Fast to be wise and give alms as we lay up treasures in heaven.

St. John Chrysostom:
"Buy as much as you can. Do you have one coin? Buy the sky. Not because the sky is cheap, but because the Lord is a lover of mankind. You do not even have one coin? Give a glass of refreshing water. 'The one who offers one glass of refreshing water to one of the least of these for my sake will not lose his reward.' Heaven is a business and an enterprise, and we are negligent. 
Give bread and seize paradise. 
Give small things and grasp great ones. 
Give mortal things and take firm hold of immortal ones. 
Give corruptible things and capture incorruptible ones."

St. Gregory of Nyssa:
"the poor are our gateway to the Kingdom." He says, "These poor are the ones who store away the good things that we look upon. They are the gatekeepers of the Kingdom. They open the gates before the merciful and shut them in the face of the cruel ones who do not do good. They are the strongest accusers and the best defenders. They do not accuse and defend with words, but the Lord sees what is done to them. Every action cries out in a loud voice before God, the searcher of hearts."


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ABBA Give me a WORD

ABBA Give Me A WORD: Treasure in Heaven by HG Bishop Gregory

Pekethronos

Fraction for the Virgin and the Angels - Abouna Thomas (Arabic)

Kiahk Praises in English from St. Mary & St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church in Manhattan, NY

02 Psalms & Melody on The Hoos

2. Gregorian Liturgy Fr. Bishoy Demetry

Long Joyful Agios and Pachois: Feast of the Ascension Abouna Reweiss

His Grace speaks with us about the importance of Scripture and the words of God in our life and shares words from the book written by St. Athanasius on the Life of St. Anthony.

Whenever he received a imperial letter, he would gather together the monks who happened to be with him, and say to them, “You marvel, perhaps, that the kings and the princes should write epistles to us, but what need is there for wonder, seeing that it is only one man writing letters to another? But what you should wonder at is how God wrote the Law for the children of men, and how He has spoken to us through His only Son.” (Life of Antony by St Athanasius)

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ABBA Give Me a WORD: Letter from the King by HG Bishop Gregory

In today's gospel, we read the parable of the sower, but the word of God is much deeper than just a message, more than just scripture reading. Listen to this sermon, as Fr Daniel discusses how we can ensure that the word of God grows to maturity within us.

The Logos of God (Fr Daniel Fanous)

His Grace shares with us 5 points to help us to rely on God:
1) To know Him
2) To practice being in His presence for He is present in us
3) To sandwich our thoughts or solutions with prayers
4) Realize that the door of our weaknesses or trials the devil is trying to use to make us despair but use it as a door to enter into a relationship with Him filled with trust
5) Use expressions of trust and recall His promises in your prayers

Vespers Homily: It Is I, Do Not Be Afraid by HG Bishop Gregory

His Grace shares with us sayings from the Letters of St. Anthony the Great and the Desert Fathers about our choice regarding life and death and loving our neighbors.

From the Letters of St Anthony the Great
Letter 6:
"For they know  that our perdition is from our neighbour, and our life also is from our neighbour."

Letter 6:
"For this cause, therefore, he who sins against his neighbour sins against  himself, and he who does evil to his neighbour does evil to himself; and he who  does good to his neighbour, does good to himself."

From the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, saying #9 of Abba Anthony: 
He said also, "Our life and our death is with our neighbor. If we gain our brother, we have gained God, but if we scandalize our brother, we have sinned against Christ."

Series also posted on
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ABBA Give Me A WORD: Life, Death, and Neighbor by HG Bishop Gregory

Megalo + Apenchois Cantor Gad Lewis, Reda Barsoum and Chorus

The official SoundCloud and podcast for the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States under the auspices of His Grace Bishop Youssef.

ABBA Give Me a WORD: Letter from the King by HG Bishop Gregory

SUSCopts