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The Cross
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How many heavens?
there are three heavens, as well as the Heaven of
Heavens where Jesus is. The first heaven is the
heaven of the birds, or the sky; the second is the
galaxy of the stars and planets, or outer space;
the third heaven is Paradise where all the Saints
are in waiting for the Day of Resurrection, or the
Second Coming. It was Paradise that Paul the Apostle
saw, and then proclaimed that he saw things, which
cannot be described in words. The fourth heaven
is the Heaven of Heavens, and it is to this place
that the righteous souls will go to on the day of
Resurrection.
Bishop Mousa
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Saying of the fathers
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St. Isaac the Syrian When the body is weak by
fasting and mortification, the ýsoul is spiritually
strong through prayer.
St. John Chrysostom ý ý We seek solitude and submit
to fastings, vigils, toils, ýreading and all other
virtue: that through them we may be enabled ýto
prepare our heart and to keep it unharmed by evil
passions; and ýresting on these steps to mount
to the perfection of charity which is ýpurity
of heart.ý
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Saints
St. Mary, the sister of the Holy
Virgin St. Mary. |
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" St. Mary, the sister of the Holy
Virgin St. Mary. This Mary is the wife of Cloba or Helfi
and the mother of Jacob and Moses. She was among the
women who followed the Lord Jesus and loved Him more
than their earthly possessions. Our Lord Jesus Christ
chose her sons to become two of His twelve disciples.
She was among the Marys who carried the spices to the
tomb to anoint the body of our Savior. Mary lived all
her life loving God and was known for her pure faith
and her sincere love. She deserved to be the aunt of
our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh. "
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Q&A for youth |
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Why did Jesus Christ have to be the one to save us?
God knew from the beginning that man was going to sin,
and He was not only going to forgive them, but He was
also going to redeem them. But first we need to understand
what are the qualifications of a redeemer:
1- He must be man because humans who are sinners are
men (men meaning human).
2- He must die, because the wage of sin is death.
3- He must be sinless, because if he was sinful he also
will be in need of redemption.
4- He must be unlimited, because our sin is unlimited.
5- He must be a creator, in order to create a new nature.
To fulfil these requirements, God had to be incarnated
in the form of man, and dwell among men, and die - thus
He was the unification of humanity and divinity. Through
humanity He was man and died; and through divinity He
is unlimited and the Creator and He is sinless.
Why do we make the sign of the cross from left to
right, but the Greek Orthodox do it from right to left?
It is just a matter of local tradition. In our eastern
mentality, the left is considered the place of darkness
and dishonour, and the right is the place of honour
and righteousness. So when we make the sign of the cross
we are being taken from the place of dishonour to the
place of honour. In Greek tradition, the right is considered
distant from the heart and the left is the place close
to the heart, so when the Greeks make the sign of the
cross, they are being taken from the place far from
God, to the place close to God, and thereby they ask
the Holy Spirit to come and dwell within them. It makes
no difference either way because in both situations,
we are asking the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and
strengthen us.
H.G Bishop Moussa
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