to tell the truth i wanted every1 / i hoped every1 would say that he was ur best friend...because my intention of the question to know what God is to you IN YOUR LIFE (what he is represented as in ur life, a spirit, father, friend, this person ect) ;D ;)
It goes MUCH deeper thean friendship...MUCH....it's love....
I know this might sound incomprehensible....it actually is, because our minds are limited....but it is well known that the relationship between Christ and HIS church is like between a loving bride and groom...actually MUCH higher....MUCH :) True....both the bride and groom are also best friends....but what is their base? LOVE...and not the lustful love....no, the giving, caring love...
Take the idea 10,00000000 times higher, and you have the relationship between the church (as in THE, or even your personal self as a 'church') and her Saviour....
It's an idea touted a lot by our fathers...it needs prayers for us to understand it...but once we start to do...we'll find God in us....as St. Augustine taught us....
God teaches us through His church....through His children the saints, our Fathers...besides, WHO would've thought about that alone? In one of Saint Paul's epistles, he talks about that, and specifically mentions this beautiful analogy...I don't remember which epistle though....
It's not being a monk or not....it's being close to HIM or not that depends on you....let being a monk or a married person to God...He'll choose the path....all we have to do is stick with HIM, through the church...so my answer is; I don't know, simply because it isn't time.
Love is truly incomprehensible to man, without the grace of God behind our thinking...and this will lead us in the end to love him more in ANY of the ways made accessible...marriage, monasticism, etc.
Besides....monks aren't people who just decided in a jiffy to leave the world due to problems in it, as if they're running away from them...the monk is a person who is honest with all the gifts God gave him/her and thus is relatively acheieving successes in his life, butbeacuse of his unparalleld love of God, he willingly ad happily chose to abadon everything for his/her eterenity
As Pope Shenouda taught:
"If you cannot actually leave the world, LEAVE it in its essece."
na jks jks...i liked what u said about the if you cannot LEAVE the world leave it in essence ...that was very beautiful...but it is very hard and still be in touch with what the world has to offer!! :(
But for me personally, I find that as always :( I deviate from the "big picure", as they say.
The big picture, as the fathers taught us, is this: Your eternity is ABOVE everything else...ANYTHING...it doesn't matter what this "thing" is...
But let's face it...is happens that this does not occur much for some people...because this "anything" may be wrapped in a religious coat, and thus still look appealing...how do I then know which is which? The FOC, masses, personal prayers...simple, but long....:D
It might sound hard....it might be hard in many cases...but in the end...God gives grace if one TRULY does not want to live in this world...He will guide his children...but let's just hope we aren't stubborn in listening to him...
god will help them through it....what church is that? how many people in the church? and how many priests do u already have? just want to compare to here!! :P
Well...the liturgy has the same tone as Easter Night Mass...extremely happy, even as the coffin is in the church...the church is extremely happy with her father that is in heaven now...
The coffin is open, so that all may see the father priest that toiled and toiled for his children...and so all may learn...
You know what...I didn't personally go (I was STUCK in a thesis project), but my friends told me that it made them think about their own eternities...are they like this father who REALLY toiled for his church? Am I?
I have been to St. Mary and St. Athnasios Church in Nasr City couple of times, six years ago. It is a beautiful Church and I am sure it has changed alot since then. It is right behing a Mosque in Mostafa Al-Nahas street, isn't it? My cousin goes there. I played a soccer game too ;D.
Ya u're absolutely right...and ya...it's a very beautiful church..even more now than then...and yes ;D soccer there is the prevalent sport, but that doesn't mean it's a weak church or anything...
And the people in the mosque sometimes give us troubles, but God prevails in the end....
[quote author=rf_zachari link=board=10;threadid=2630;start=90#msg42602 date=1132030679] u don't have many coptic christians in austrlia, as compared to Egypt...
Here, we have about 8 million Copts, in Egypt....
In HIS Name,
RFZ
definetly not! in all of aystralia is 20 million people....maybe at the most (n i mean exagaduration) 100 thousand...most only my name....however there are the other 20 kinds of orthodox ..maybe another 100 thousand....so...no we are not a majority in ANYTHING however , compared to egypt, our main religon is Catholics which isnt thatbad...at least they understand that every sunday we must go to church!! :D
well....I wouldn't agree to that anyways....:) The church isn't, to our way of life, a community gathering or rally point for the believers...it's God's home, so as to speak....
when one goes away from the church, he prays and says:
"May Peace be with the house of God....may peace be with the ouse of angels...may peace be with the house of the saints...o God, excuse me from your house, but from in front of you never remove me."
I'm saying this to show that the church is not such a simple building...
20 other kinds of orhtodox?? ??? I only know of two, wiht minor differences that are rapidly being reconciled, but not yet finished..the chalcedonian, and non-chalcedonian...if I am not mistaken.
Comments
RFZ
tadpole
marina
It goes MUCH deeper thean friendship...MUCH....it's love....
I know this might sound incomprehensible....it actually is, because our minds are limited....but it is well known that the relationship between Christ and HIS church is like between a loving bride and groom...actually MUCH higher....MUCH :) True....both the bride and groom are also best friends....but what is their base? LOVE...and not the lustful love....no, the giving, caring love...
Take the idea 10,00000000 times higher, and you have the relationship between the church (as in THE, or even your personal self as a 'church') and her Saviour....
It's an idea touted a lot by our fathers...it needs prayers for us to understand it...but once we start to do...we'll find God in us....as St. Augustine taught us....
In HIS Name,
RFZ
In HIS Name,
sry if i am annoying
pray4me
Love is truly incomprehensible to man, without the grace of God behind our thinking...and this will lead us in the end to love him more in ANY of the ways made accessible...marriage, monasticism, etc.
Besides....monks aren't people who just decided in a jiffy to leave the world due to problems in it, as if they're running away from them...the monk is a person who is honest with all the gifts God gave him/her and thus is relatively acheieving successes in his life, butbeacuse of his unparalleld love of God, he willingly ad happily chose to abadon everything for his/her eterenity
As Pope Shenouda taught:
"If you cannot actually leave the world, LEAVE it in its essece."
In HIS Name,
RFZ
na jks jks...i liked what u said about the if you cannot LEAVE the world leave it in essence ...that was very beautiful...but it is very hard and still be in touch with what the world has to offer!! :(
It is really hard....
But for me personally, I find that as always :( I deviate from the "big picure", as they say.
The big picture, as the fathers taught us, is this: Your eternity is ABOVE everything else...ANYTHING...it doesn't matter what this "thing" is...
But let's face it...is happens that this does not occur much for some people...because this "anything" may be wrapped in a religious coat, and thus still look appealing...how do I then know which is which? The FOC, masses, personal prayers...simple, but long....:D
It might sound hard....it might be hard in many cases...but in the end...God gives grace if one TRULY does not want to live in this world...He will guide his children...but let's just hope we aren't stubborn in listening to him...
and people....I do NOT know yet :)
In HIS Name,
RFZ
OK people...back to the main topic....what is God to other people....come on...I think "why" needed more ideas....
N.B.: People...plz pray a lot because our church will nominate two of its servants to become priests....pray for God to choose...
In HIS Name,
RFZ
marina
No. of Priests total: 6 in Western Countries...6 here in the church (one just died 3 days ago :'( ) and two new ones...on MONDAAAAY!
Total number of families....well...at least 10,000 families....
Praaaaaaaaay
In HIS Name,
RFZ,
omg did u know him be4?
may he rest in peace amen.
God bless
Anyways....he's in a better place now...with HIM...:)
By the way...the liturgy of "tagneez" for a priest is one of the deepest in the world....really...I cannot believe how it's sooo self-reflective....
In HIS Name,
RFZ
The coffin is open, so that all may see the father priest that toiled and toiled for his children...and so all may learn...
You know what...I didn't personally go (I was STUCK in a thesis project), but my friends told me that it made them think about their own eternities...are they like this father who REALLY toiled for his church? Am I?
In HIS Name,
RFZ
GBU
Toiling means trying very hard to bring his children to GOD...
Toiling means working very hard anyways, in the english language...:D
God bless you
In HIS Name,
RFZ
here in australia we have about 20 thousand....in allllllllll of australia.....the 6th largest country!!!
thats odd!!
Here, we have about 8 million Copts, in Egypt....
In HIS Name,
RFZ
And the people in the mosque sometimes give us troubles, but God prevails in the end....
In HIS Name,
RFZ
u don't have many coptic christians in austrlia, as compared to Egypt...
Here, we have about 8 million Copts, in Egypt....
In HIS Name,
RFZ
definetly not! in all of aystralia is 20 million people....maybe at the most (n i mean exagaduration) 100 thousand...most only my name....however there are the other 20 kinds of orthodox ..maybe another 100 thousand....so...no we are not a majority in ANYTHING however , compared to egypt, our main religon is Catholics which isnt thatbad...at least they understand that every sunday we must go to church!! :D
when one goes away from the church, he prays and says:
"May Peace be with the house of God....may peace be with the ouse of angels...may peace be with the house of the saints...o God, excuse me from your house, but from in front of you never remove me."
I'm saying this to show that the church is not such a simple building...
20 other kinds of orhtodox?? ??? I only know of two, wiht minor differences that are rapidly being reconciled, but not yet finished..the chalcedonian, and non-chalcedonian...if I am not mistaken.
In HIS Name,
RFZ
In HIS Name,
RFZ