وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة

[Mary Naeem]

By H.H. Pope Shenouda III

By the Ascension of the Lord, we mean His bodily Ascension.

Because in His divinity, He is everywhere, He does not ascend nor descend. Therefore, in the Liturgy of St. Gregory we say "And You ascended into the heavens in the body…." This ascension is evidence that His Glorified Body is not subject to the earth's gravitational laws. It is also evidence of His Divinity. He ascended before His disciples as they were looking. This scene strengthened their faith because the Lord not only resurrected using His Divine Power, but He also ascended into heaven in front of them.

[Mary Naeem]

By H.H. Pope Shenouda III

In His Ascension to Heaven, He did not leave His Church alone on Earth.

He told them before His ascension "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20
Christ stayed with the church, and they did not feel His material presence only, but also His spiritual presence … He appeared to St. Paul the Apostle more than once. He also appeared to St. John the disciple on the Island of Patmos and gave him letters to the Seven Churches.

[Mary Naeem]

By H.H. Pope Shenouda III

By His Ascension, He Sat on the Right Hand of His Father.

This is according to what was said in St. Mark's Gospel "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God." Mark 16:19
Sitting on the right hand of God fulfilled God's promise to Him in the Old Testament saying: "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'" Psalm 110:1
This event was witnessed by St. Stephen the Archdeacon during the time of his martyrdom: 'and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”' Acts 7:56
St. Paul the Apostle also spoke about this in his epistle to Hebrews
"When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." Hebrews 1:3
"We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." Hebrews 8:1
"looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

[Mary Naeem]

By H.H. Pope Shenouda III

His Ascension to Heaven, and sitting on the right hand of the Father, all that means the end of the statement "Made Himself of no reputation." Philippians 2:7

The statement, "On the right hand of the Father" means in the power and holiness of the Father. God who fills all does not have a right and a left side like limited beings. However, the right means the power and holiness: "The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly." Psalm 118:16 So, sitting on the right hand of the Father means ending making Himself of no reputation, and going back to the form of power that He gave up in His incarnation. The statement "Sat" means settled, meaning that He will not go back to being of no reputation again. Therefore, in His second coming He will come in power and great glory: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory." Matthew 25:31

[Mary Naeem]

By H.H. Pope Shenouda III

Moreover, The Ascension of the Lord Christ to Heaven makes us direct our sights to Heaven where He is and where He was before His incarnation.

The statement "To Heaven" means to the highest. So our sights rise up there when we pray. And so do the Church Towers, they aim for Heaven.

[Mary Naeem]

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


Sundays of the Holy Fifties

Meditation on Church reading during the Holy Fifties:Reading:
1 Peter 1:12

The fathers of the church arranged and named Sundays of the Holy Fifties as they did with the Sundays of the Great Fasting.

+ 1st Sunday of the Holy Fifty Days is the Sunday of Faith (Thomas Sunday)
+ 2nd is the Sunday of the Bread of Life.
+ 3rd is the Sunday of the Living water.
+ 4th is the Sunday of the True Light.
+ 5th is the Sunday of the Only Way.
+ 6th is the Sunday of the Joy of Spiritual Asking.
+ 7th is the Sunday the Pentecost.

[Mary Naeem]

6th Sunday - Sunday of The Joy of Spiritual Asking:
1 Peter 1:12


Our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified for our redemption and to restore our joy, by which we were born to a living hope. The sanctification of the Spirit that we got as redemption for Christ's sacrifice for us, to be born again by the resurrection from the dead .. Jesus said: "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:24
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." John 15:11

[Mary Naeem]

Our Lord Has given us hope by teaching us to rejoice even in sufferings and tribulation and also through the resurrection. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3

[Mary Naeem]

We are begotten .. again to a living hope in baptism. As Jesus told Nicodemus, we enter the Kingdom of God by being "born of water and spirit." John 3:5 This new birth in baptism unites us with Christ and His Resurrection "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" Romans 6:3

[Mary Naeem]

The following verses also confirmed to us this sacramental reality:

"Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them."
Acts 2:37, 38, 41