The psalm for today says… I will praise You with my whole heart. This is an entirely life-giving aspiration. The heart represents in Scripture the fullness of the person we are. It means that we are to worship God to the very foundation of our being, and stand before him in that inward centre, that […]
I am priest of the Coptic Orthodox Church, but I am entirely English in my ethnic and cultural background. I see clearly that the essential character of the Orthodox Church is not bound by any one culture. I am, myself, an expression of that Catholic quality of the Church which insists that our Orthodox Faith […]
I was asked to speak on this subject for an audio conference with some folk serving in the missionary ministry under Father Daoud Lamie. It represents only a few introductory reflections, and there is much more to say on the subject. But as an introduction it is offered here as it is. The Lord bless […]
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.` The prophet Isaiah, speaking in advance of the birth of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, writes, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and […]
I have been an Orthodox Christian, a member of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, for over 21 years. I was born and brought up within a committed evangelical protestant household. A much of my time as a child, a teenager, and then a young man was taken up in activities associated with the congregation […]
I wrote this a little while ago and posted it on my old blog. It still represents my views. I have been very glad to spend time over the last couple of days in the Community Hub in Stoke, that our Coptic Orthodox Community of St Chad is supporting as best we are able. Being […]
I was in Stoke a week ago. This is one of the areas where I am working in the St George Orthodox Ministry to share our Orthodox Faith with British people. I was walking down the street towards the centre of the town when a young British woman came up to me. She was smoking […]
The priest turns to the congregation and hearing the words, Depart in peace, the people are released into the world after the service of another Liturgy. But was that the Liturgy, and had it ended as the agape meal began? The word liturgy comes from the Greek leitourgia, which had the sense of a public […]
In this process of losing weight and becoming more healthy, so that I can be of use in these last years of my life, I noticed that I am very concerned with the details of this project. I am making a note of everything I eat and drink, and doing all that I can to […]
Does it need repeating again? Theosis is not the changing of our human essence into the divine essence. No creature can become essentially divine. There can never be any addition to the Holy and Consubstantial Trinity. Our God, who remains beyond all knowing in essence, reveals himself to us by his uncreated energies. As the […]