There are people that you do not know personally, but you are so aware of and so influenced by, that you feel like you belong to them. It may be a grandparent, it might be your priest, it could be anyone. You feel insecure when they are gone. This is how I feel about Anba Serapamon. From the get-go, I want to make it clear that I am not pretending that His Grace (HG) and I were personally close. I have some personal experience with him, and I have seen the effect of him on many of his children (including my Bishop). It’s his very existence, however, that mattered to me and the whole Church.
Continue reading In Memoriam: Anba Serapamon (1937-2020)Tag Archives: coptic orthodox
Modern Elder: Remembering Abouna Benyameen el Baramosy
I was surprised and saddened recently when I heard the news of the departure of Abouna Benyameen. For those of you who visited St. Antony’s monastery in California in the early 2000s, and those of you who are Baramos sons, Abouna Benyameen is no stranger to you. For those of you who didn’t, you missed out. It’s clear to me already that I won’t be able to keep all the stuff about Abouna to one blog, so I’ll include some things here and save others for reflection on another time.
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On Sexiness and Chastity
I’ve participated in or witnessed numerous conversations about whether or not the Church talks about sex enough. Regardless of the answer to that, I think secular society talks about sex too much. It shows it too much. It plasters it all over the place too much. It makes us think about it too much. I want to talk about one particular aspect of purity, which is chastity.
Q&A: Can I have lab-grown meat during the fast?
Q: Is lab-grown meat acceptable during the fast? Is the “Beyond Burger” acceptable during the fast?
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5. Freedom
4. Purpose
Sanctify a fast!
Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God; and cry to the Lord.
(Joel 1:14)
Remembering Tunt Samira
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I thought long and hard about writing about our beloved “Tunt Samira” (Doherty), and I have refrained for a long time because I do not believe it is my story to tell. The closest to her spiritually, without any doubt, was our beloved Abouna Kyrillos Ibrahim, who I’ve dubbed “the beloved of the Saints” (they all seem to really like him). I have also refrained because I do not want to be misperceived as being closer to these holy people than I was. I was undoubtedly loved by Tunt Samira, but I cannot say that I was a loving and faithful son to her. It is in that context that I think perhaps I have something valuable to share with you from some of my own experiences with her.
CK Gillebaard
So, here we are again, expressing sadness at the abrupt passing of a son, brother, friend, comrade, and energetic man. Christopher Kyrillos Gillebaard, known to all of us as CK, flew his way to the heavens.
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Between joy and sadness: Hail New Martyrs!
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed′nego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnez′zar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.[a] 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.
Daniel 3:16-18
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