وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة

[Mary Naeem]

* قبلتني كثوبٍ يلتصق بك،
فأصير أبيضًا كالنور،
لأنك أنت شمس البر، صخرة حياتي!
لأختفي فيك، فأتقدس وأتمجد يا إكليل حياتي!

[Mary Naeem]

* صرت كالزق المملوء خمرًا،
امتلأت أعماقي بسخطك من أجل كبرياء قلبي!
لتنزع عني خمر غضبك،
وليسكن روحك القدوس فيّ،
فأسكر بحبك ولا أطلب آخر غيرك يا شهوة قلبي!

[Mary Naeem]

* حملني عصيإني إلى جبال العتمة!
اظلمت عينا قلبي، فلم أعد أعاين بهاءك!
أحاط ظل الموت بيّ...
من ينقذني غيرك يا مخلصي؟

[Mary Naeem]

* احملني إلى جبالك المقدسة،
إلى كلمتك واهبة الاستنارة،
اراك تظلل بجناحيك عليّ،
تقيمني من ظل الموت إلى ظلال صليبك واهب الحياة!
ترفعني إلى القمم العالية فأعاين سمواتك،
واشتهي شركة أمجادك!

[Mary Naeem]

* لتُقم مرثاة على أعماقي،
فقد تحطم مُلكي واُنتزع عزي.
من يقيمني ملكًا إلا أنت يا ملك الملوك؟!
من يجعلني كاهنًا روحيًا سواك يا أسقف نفوسنا؟!
من يردني من السبي،
ويدخل بي إلى العرش،
إلا أنت يا رب الجنود؟!

[Mary Naeem]

* أخيرًا أعترف لك:
لقد فسدت طبيعتي،
وصرت كالنمر يمتلئ جلدي رقطًا.
لتغير طبيعتي، ولتجددها بروحك القدوس!
أنت وحدك خالقي،
تقدر أن تعيد خلقتي،
وتمجدها فيك وبك يا إكليل نفسي!

[Mary Naeem]

أبنى الغالى .. بنتي الغالية
تفضل ساكت، ساكن، بتكبر في مكانك من غير دوشة
وده مش تضييع وقت، ده نمو لكيانك تحضيراً لمرحلة جاية
أنا مخططلك فيها خطط فوق خيالك فبلاش استعجال
الجاي مش بتاعك الجايي بحضَّره وبحضَّرك ليه لما ييجي وقته

[Mary Naeem]

تفضل ساكت، ساكن، بتكبر في مكانك من غير دوشة
وده مش تضييع وقت، ده نمو لكيانك تحضيراً لمرحلة جاية
أنا مخططلك فيها خطط فوق خيالك فبلاش استعجال
الجاي مش بتاعك الجايي بحضَّره وبحضَّرك ليه لما ييجي وقته

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

The Perpetual Virginity of the Virgin Mary



The perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is an old subject which was discussed by the Church Fathers of the second, third, fourth and fifth centuries.
In 1962, we translated a discourse written in 383 A.D. by St. Jerome, in which he defended the perpetual virginity of the Virgin Mary against the wrong teaching of a man called Helvidius. It appears that the arguments presented by our Protestant brethren resemble Helvidius’.
Summary of the opposing opinions attacking the perpetual virginity of the Virgin Mary

(1) The phrase ‘her firstborn Son’ (Lk.2: 7); (Matt.1: 25). Opposers think that the word ‘firstborn’ means the first of His siblings.
(2) The phrase ‘your wife’ which was said to Joseph of the Virgin (Matt.1: 20), and the word ‘woman’ in general wherever it refers to the Virgin Mary (Matt.1: 24).
(3) The sentences “...did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son” (Matt.1: 25) and “... before they came
together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit” (Matt.1: 18).(4) The verses in which the words ‘His brothers’ are mentioned, such as (Matt.12: 46; 13: 54-56); (Acts 1: 14); (Gal. 1: 18,19).
With God’s help, we will reply to all these objections in the following pages.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

The phrase “her firstborn Son”



(1) The phrase “her firstborn Son”
The Holy Bible clearly defines the meaning of the word firstborn. Prior to the establishment of Aaronic priesthood, the Divine Inspiration had said: “Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal; it is Mine” (Ex.13: 2). Every firstborn was consecrated to God; dedicated to Him, whether or not a brother was born to him later. The parents did not wait until they begot him a brother, nor did the owner of the livestock wait until another offspring was born before offering and consecrating the firstborn to the Lord! But from his birth the firstborn was consecrated because he was the first offspring of the womb. Therefore there was a great possibility that any firstborn was an only son.
Thus the Lord Jesus Christ was the firstborn and the only Son. St. Jerome was right when he said: “Every only son is a firstborn but not every firstborn is an only son.” The expression ‘firstborn’ does not mean that another is born after him but it means that no sibling was born before him. That is why the firstborn of the unclean animals could be redeemed when they were one month old (Num. 18: 16,17), and the first offspring of the clean animals were to be offered as sacrifices to God without waiting until the birth of another offspring. He is the firstborn, whether or not one is born after him, because he is the first offspring of the womb.
In the same way, the Lord Jesus Christ is the firstborn of the Virgin. For when the Virgin and Joseph offered a sacrifice forty days after His birth, the Holy Bible tells us: “Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, 'Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord') and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ‘A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons’ ” (Lk.2: 22-24).
It is clear that the law of the firstborn was applied to the Lord Jesus Christ forty days after His birth,
. Of course, there is no relation at all between the firstborn and the birth of siblings.
Here St. Jerome asks: “When God struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians, did He strike only those who had siblings or every male who opened the womb whether he had siblings or not?”