Restoration of The Son

The father initiates the restoration of the son by running to the son, falling on his neck, and giving him the kiss of reconciliation.

Jesus' description of the father's actions is a portrait of complete and total grace, of unconditional love that comes to us in the Father sending his Son in the incarnation. Christ chooses those who stand. Here is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

He who hears you pondering in the secret places of the mind runs to you. When you are still far away, He sees you and runs to you. He sees in your heart. He runs, perhaps someone may hinder, and He embraces you.

His foreknowledge is in the running, His mercy in the embrace and the disposition of fatherly love. He falls on your neck to raise one prostrate and burdened with sins and bring back one turned aside to the earthly toward heaven.

Christ falls on your neck to free your neck from the yoke of slavery and hang his sweet yoke upon your shoulders.

St. Ambrose 

Light Manifest in Darkness

Light Manifest in Darkness

His Grace Bishop Angaelos
General Bishop - United Kingdom

In celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany, we remember that our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world as Light into darkness, a visible manifestation of God and a reminder that there is hope for humanity

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1: 4 - 5 NKJV

Setting aside His glory, our Lord lived a life of righteousness on earth, testifying to the love of the Father. Desiring nothing more than to restore humanity to its former glory, He offered Himself, through His as a means to reconciliation. Just as He became a means to reconciliation and hope, we too are called, as His disciples, to do the same in our daily interactions

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.. Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. Matthew 6: 16 NKJV

We can begin to shine and make manifest the love of God by sanctifying ourselves through constant communion with Him, through a life of prayer and partaking of the sacraments. Through these, we not only move towards developing a deeper relationship with God, but we also allow the Holy Spirit to work in us to transform our lives and the lives of those around us

@BishopAngaelos
https://twitter.com/BishopAngaelos


Al-Keraza Magazine - Coptic Orthodox Magazine Ϯⲙⲉⲧⲣⲉϥϩⲓⲱⲓϣ - Year 41 - Friday 11 January 2013 - Toubah Ⲧⲱⲃⲓ (Tobi, Touba) 1729 Martyrs - Issue 1 & 2

Touba Ⲧⲱⲃⲓ (Tobi, Toubah), is the fifth month of the Coptic calendar. Tobi is also the first month of the Season of 'Proyet' (Growth and Emergence) in Ancient Egypt, where the Nile floods recede and the crops start to grow throughout the land of Egypt.

The name of the month of Tobi comes from Amso Khem, a form of the Ancient Egyptian God Amun Ra

As we celebrate #Epiphany #Theophany, we pray that God does indeed continue to be manifest in the world, and may be seen through us daily
@BishopAngaelos - Tweet 19 January 2013
https://twitter.com/BishopAngaelos

1st Sunday - Sunday of Faith (Thomas Sunday)‏

Doubting Thomas

CHRIST is Risen- Truly He is Risen 
Khristós Anésti! Alithós Anésti!

Sundays of the Holy Fifties

Meditation on Church reading during the Holy Fifties:

The fathers of the church arranged and named Sundays of the Holy Fifties as they did with the Sundays of the Great Fasting.
The readings of Sundays of the Great Fasting, encourage us on doing the virtues and to repent. After the Passover (Pascha) when we are freed from the chains of sins and bondage, to walk in the Light of the Lord, "We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation".  (Romans: 5: 11)

After our true repentance we shall enjoy our spiritual resurrection on earth " Most assuredly I say to you, the hour is coming and now is when the dead will hear the voices of the Son of God; and those who hear will live". (John: 5: 25)

"But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1Corinthians: 15: 57).
The Glorified Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ awards us this:  

"For if we have united together in the likeliness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeliness of His Resurrection". 
(Romans: 6: 5)

The reading of the Sundays of the Holy Fifties focus on the rewards we get.

1st Sunday, Sunday of Faith (Thomas Sunday):

Thomas had doubt about the Glorified Resurrection of the Lord. It is a sin not to fully trust in the Words of God.  Satan tempted Eve to fall in this sin by introducing doubt in her thoughts by saying to her: "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree in the Garden'?" "You will not surely die". (Genesis 3:1,4)
This caused humanity to fall in the original sin.

Disciple Thomas also doubted, and today's reading shows us the reward of fully trusting and not doubting.
The Lord allowed His Disciple Thomas to doubt so that the Glorified Resurrection is confirmed to all His sons and daughters. Some fathers of the church prefer to call this Sunday (Sunday of the confirmation or Sunday of Faith).
The Lord Blessed  the true believers; "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John: 20: 29)

Have blessed Holy Fifty days,