Holy Virgin Mary

Greetings,  you who are full of grace!    The Lord is with you!

الزهرة اليانعة

ام النور

دائمة البتولية

السماء الثانية

الإناء المختار

الحمامة الحسنة

بركتها وشفاعتها تكون معنا

 

'Theotokos', The Mother of God     ام الاله 

Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of Christ our Lord. Her title as such is in the Greek word “Theotokos, which from early centuries was confirmed by successive creeds, along with her perpetual virginity.  Even before the Council of Ephesus proclaimed the teaching of Mary as the mother of God, it was said that crowds, reflecting the belief of the general public, began marching through the streets chanting, “Theotokos, Theotokos! “

Saint Mary was from the tribe of Judah, of the lineage of David. Her father was Joachim, and her mother was Hannah, who was barren and vowed to offer her daughter to the service of God. When St. Mary was three, Hannah presented her to the temple where she resided. Her father died when she was six, and her mother died when she was eight. Mary had a sister by the same name, “Mary,“ who was the wife of Clopas, and the mother of James (James the Lesser, the cousin of our Lord, often referred to as the Lord’s brother according to the custom of the time).

Blessed Virgin Mary was betrothed to Joseph, the Carpenter from Nazareth, who was also of the lineage of David. The Archangel Gabriel was sent to Mary to announce God’s plan that she, a virgin, would bear a son who will be the savior of the world and who will redeem mankind. Her story in the scriptures is well known. Holy Virgin Mary pondered the Word of God and this plan in her heart. Filled with the Holy Spirit, she surrendered to her destined course, thus setting an example of courage, devotion, and obedience. The instant the Word became flesh in her womb, Mary was set aside and exalted above all women. The Bible portrays her as the most faithful, the most humble, the most tender and loving of women.

Although she was not under the law and the Jewish ordinances, she offered her firstborn son to God, and because she was poor, redeemed him by paying to the temple the redemptive offering of the poor. At the temple, Holy Simeon, the aged priest, received Jesus, and when he gazed upon Christ, the child, he praised God for the long-awaited salvation and was ready to depart the world, having seen the fulfillment of the prophecy. He also foretold to Mary that a sword of sorrow would pierce her heart.

As the most ideal mother, we see her from the Nativity to the circumcision to the flight into Egypt protecting her child, and then returning to raise him, and again, worrying when he was twelve years old and lost because he had been left behind at the temple.  Then she disappears and stays in the background until we see her present at Cana’s wedding, when Jesus begins his mission by performing his first miracle, turning the water into wine at her request.  Finally, we see her in her sorrow at the foot of the cross and anointing her son at the tomb. Beside the grieved mother, was her sister: "Mary the mother of James the younger, and of (Joses)" (Mark 15:40), "Mary the wife of Clopas" ( John 19:25). Standing also by the Cross of Jesus was Mary Magdalene.

Before her Son commended His Spirit to the Father, Jesus commended his mother to the care of his beloved disciple John. From that hour and through the days succeeding the ascension of Christ, Mary was among the disciples, and was in the upper room awaiting the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Ever Virgin Mary had an especially powerful impact on women in the early centuries of Christianity.  Women looked at virginity as freedom from subordination to husbands and the daily duties of the home.  They shunned marriage, became pious, imitating the Virgin Mary.  The asceticism of women grew to its peak in the 16th century.  Apocryphal acts, the early Christian writings, are full of women given the status of heroines.  They proved just as strong in faith as men, welcoming death as martyrs.  A new style of martyrdom by virginity was brought to the world because of the virginity of Christ and his mother.

Belief in the efficacy of her intercession and Mary’s answers to direct prayer to her are very old. Innumerable stories of healings and miracles have been recorded with authenticity. The grace of her apparition was not in doubt all over the world from Lourdes in Europe to Mexico to Egypt until recently. The miracles of her healings is incomparable. In the words of St. Ignatius (105 AD), “There is One Physician who is possessed of both flesh and Spirit . . . both in Mary and of God"

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مباركة أنت في النساء ومباركة هي ثمرة بطنك

Sermon on the Dormition of the Virgin Mary is on
Saint Gregory Palamas' page, Archbishop of Thessalonica
السلام لك يا مريم

TITLES  OF  HONOR

For St. MARY THEOTOKOS

In The Coptic Orthodox Church    Fr. Markos Hanna - 2004

1-THEOTOKOS (Ecumenical Council of Ephesus 431 AD).

The introduction of the Christian Creed was formulated in the Third Ecumenical Council, in Ephesus, in the year 431 AD. This Council was headed by the Great St. Cyril I, the 24th Pope of Alexandria-Egypt. He defended the Motherhood of Ever-Virgin holy Theotokos, St. Mary, who gave birth to God The Logos.

St. Cyril, along with the 200 bishops assembled in the Council, refuted the heresy of Nestorios, Patriarch of Constantinople, then, who was denying St. Mary’s right as a Mother of God! Saying, ignorantly, that she is the mother of the flesh not God Incarnate. The Council excommunicated Nestorios, and formulated an introduction before the Christian Creed, it says; “We magnify you, O Mother of The True Light, and glorify you Ever-Virgin, Theotokos, for you bore for us the Savior of the world..

2-THE GOLDEN LAMPSTAND (Exodus 25:31-40; Sunday Theotokia).

The pure golden lamp-stand is compared to St. Mary, and the lamp which she carries is the Sun of Righteousness. “The unapproachable Light of the world, that proceeds from the unapproachable Light, .. dwelt in your womb, O Virgin Mary, He gives light to every man, who comes into the world” (Sunday Theotokia, part 5).

3-HOLY of HOLIES (Exodus 30:10)

The Holy of Holiest was inside the Tent, and “Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by placing on its horns the blood from the offering made for atonement of sin. This will be regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the Lord’s supremely holy altar”. St. Mary became that holy Tent, and thus, holy of holiest, where God dwelt in her womb for the atonement of Mankind.

4-THE GOLDEN CENSER (Sunday Theotokia).

“You are the censer, made of pure gold, carrying the Blessed, and Live coal .. which is God the Word/Logos, Who took flesh from you, and offered Himself as incense, to God His Father” (6th part of the Sunday Theotokia).

5-AARON’S ROD (Numbers 17:8; Sunday Theotokia).

“And it came to pass, that on the morrow, Moses went into the Tabernacle of witness: and behold, the rod of Aaron, for the house of Levi, was budded and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds” (sprouted, blossomed and produced almonds) ; “You are called righteous, O St. Mary, .. wherein is placed the rod of Aaron, and the holy flower, of the incense” (Sunday Theotokia, part7).

6-THE BURNING BUSH (Exodus 3:1-3; Thursday Theotokia).

“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him-Moses-in a flame of fire out of the midst of a brush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed” (ex.3:2); “The bush .. is a symbol of St. Mary, the undefiled Virgin, which the Word of the Father, came and took flesh from her. The fire of His divinity, did not burn the womb of the Virgin, and after she gave birth to Him, she remained a Virgin”(Thursday Theotokia, part 1). This announce the perpetual virginity of St. Mary, which was compared to the burning bush, and also the woman in the Book of Revelation 12:1.

7-THE EASTERN GATE (Ezekiel 46:12; Wednesday Theotokia).

“.. one shall then open the gate that looks toward the east, .. then he shall go forth; and after his going forth one shall shut the gate”; “The door to the east, is the Ever Virgin Mary, the honored bridal chamber, for the pure Bridegroom”(Wednesday Theotokia, part 1).

8-TABERNACLE (Exodus25:1016; Sunday Theotokia)..

Was honored and blessed by God; such is St. Mary who had God within her.

9-THE OVERLAID ARK (Exodus 25:17-22; Sunday Theotokia).

“And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: and shall overlay it with pure gold, within and without shall you overlay it..”(Ex.); “And they made an ark, of wood that would not decay, overlaid with gold, within and without .. You too, O Mary, are clothed with the glory, of the divinity, within and without”.

10-THE ARK OF COVENANT (Exodus 25:10-16).

11-THE GOLDEN POT & THE VESSEL OF MANNA(Exodus 16:33; Sunday Theotokia).

12-THE STONE THAT DANIEL SAW (Daniel 2:34; Tuesday Theotokia).

13-JACOB’S LADDER (Genesis 28:12,13; Tuesday Theotokia).

14-THE RATIONAL MOUNT (Tuesday Theotokia).

15-THE LIGHT CLOUD (Isaiah 19:1).

 

St. Joachime & ST. Ann    Father and Mother of the Holy Queen

St. John Damascene

Ann was to be the mother of the Virgin Mother of God, and hence nature did not dare to anticipate the flowering of grace. Thus nature remained sterile, until grace produced its fruit. For she who was to be born had to be a first born daughter, since she would be the mother of the first-born of all creation, in whom all things are held together.

Joachim and Ann, how blessed a couple! All creation is indebted to you. For at your hands the Creator was offered a gift excelling all other gifts: a chaste mother, who alone was worthy of him.

And so rejoice, Ann, that you were sterile and have not borne children; break forth into shouts, you who have not given birth. Rejoice, Joachim, because from your daughter a child is born for us, a son is given us, whose name is Messenger of great counsel and universal salvation, mighty God. For this child is God.

Joachim and Ann, how blessed and spotless a couple! You will be known by the fruit you have born, as the Lord says: By their fruits you will know them. The conduct of your life pleased God and was worthy of your daughter. For by the chaste and holy life you led together, you have fashioned a jewel of virginity: she who remained a virgin before, during and after giving birth. She alone for all time would maintain her virginity in mind and soul as well as in body.

Joachim and Ann, how chaste a couple! While safeguarding the chastity prescribed by the law of nature, you achieved with God’s help something which transcends nature in giving the world the Virgin Mother of God as your daughter. While leading a devout and holy life in your human nature, you gave birth to a daughter nobler than the angels, whose queen she now is. Girl of utter beauty and delight, daughter of Adam and mother of God, blessed the loins and blessed the womb from which you come! Blessed the arms that carried you, and blessed your parents’ lips, which you were allowed to cover with chaste kisses, ever maintaining your virginity. Rejoice in God, all the earth. Sing, exult and sing hymns. Raise your voice, raise it and not be afraid.
 

 

MAGNIFICAT of the HOLY VIRGIN MARY,  quoted from manuscript of the monasteries by H. H. Pope Shenouda 3rd.

The Song of Mary

( And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of his maid servant, for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and Holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever ). (Luke 1: 46-56)

. . . .

You have grace and kinship more than the Cherubim and the Seraphim. Your request is answered more and better than whole of the heavenly powers and orders. You are the sanctuary of the Son by the Holy Spirit. You are the paradise of the Lord that God made since the beginning. You are the Holy Stream through which the Water of Life has poured and "whoever drinks of the water that He shall give ... will never thirst". (John 4/13).

You are the pure bride who is filled with meekness, sweetness and wisdom, the ornamented with hope, trustworthiness and love. Your purity is perfect. You are the planted tree in the Lord's House that borne fruit to us The Beloved Son Jesus Christ. The True word, He who scarified Himself for us, in order to partake of His Flesh and His Blood, and to live forever through Him.

Therefore, I supplicate You, O' Theotokos, The Virgin, O' My Pure Lady, Mariam to lend your ears to the voice of my invocation. I miserable servant, who is unworthy to be called Your servant, for I am cruel and wicked, ashamed of my countless and evil deeds, and scornful of my impurity. My sins are too heavy to bear that I was hurt and burnt by fire of lusts. Many times I have decided to repent, but I am revealed a liar.

O' My Lady, until when do I trespass? All the while I am not ashamed of your Beloved Son, Who knows everything. Until when does He grant me a postponement?, as I do not return from my wicked ways, I have lost hope in salvation, and have not boldness to raise my dirty face to heaven or to look up on high with my eyes for they are the cause of my fall in transgression. Likewise, my ears have deceived me through listening to vanities, and my tongue have spoken with lies that have troubled me. How my mind and heart have grieved me and defeated me with perishable lusts, that made my body sick and the sin has overcome me and I have been neglected like the dead, that I found neither any healer nor a helper.

..............

Now, I come to Your Luminous Icon, O' My pure Lady, Mariam, The Virgin, O' Theotokos the first pleader for mankind, may You take interest through Your merciful eyes in me.... So, O' My Lady, may you reach out and deliver me from those pains, 'for my life is spent with grief.'( Ps. 31/10) , and 'I am weary with my groaning' (Ps. 6/6), and my soul has languished under numerous distresses and temptations. I appeal to You to help me and to save me through your mediation....I adjure you with the Holy Good Tidings, that You deserved to accept from the Archangel Gabriel who announced to You, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women!... and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" (Luke 1:38-42) and through the Holy Spirit that poured upon You, and the power of the Highest that overshadowed You, and through coming upon of the Son of God in Your pure womb, and through the love of His Father to You who looked upon the human kind from heaven, that He found none like You. ... You conceived Jesus without sowing of a man, and grew in Your womb for nine months. Then He was born by You without suffering, nor corruption, and "wrapped Him in swaddling clothes" (Luke 2/7). You bore Him on your arms, took care of Him, kissed Him with your pure mouth, nursed Him at your bosom and put him at Your knees. ...

O' Our Lady, how could not Jesus forgive us our sins- except through Your pleading for us- while He bore all such troubles, hurts, and pains in His body for us. O' Our Lady and our intercessor, all those sufferings took place while You stood weeping by His Cross. ...

( Please refer to this wonderful  booklet of  H. H. Pope Shenouda III, Quoted from Manuscript of the Monasteries, Published by Sons of H. H. Pope Kyrillos the 6th., PO Box 9542 Cairo.)

تعظم نفسى الرب و تبتهج روحى بالله مخلصى   Lk 1:46

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 From Saint Amedeus of Lausanne (1108-1159), Cistercian monk, then Bishop
Homily on Mary, 4

“His mother kept all these things in memory.”

Often, it seems to us, Mary forgot to eat and to drink, keeping vigil in order to think about Christ, to see Christ in his flesh. She burned with love of him and passionately loved to serve him. She often did what the Song of Songs sings about: “I was sleeping, but my heart kept vigil.” (Song 5:2) Even when she was resting, she continued to dream of him who filled her thoughts throughout the day. Whether she was keeping vigil or resting in peace, she always lived in him, was always occupied with him.

Where her treasure was, there also was her heart (Mt 6:21); where her glory was, there also was her mind. She loved her Lord and her Son with all her heart, with all her mind, with all her strength (Mt 22:37). She saw with her eyes, touched with her hands the Word of Life (1 Jn 1:1). How blessed was Mary, to whom it was given to embrace him who embraces and nourishes everything! How happy was she who carried him who carries the universe (Heb 1:3), she who nursed a Son who gives her life, a Son who nourishes her and all beings on earth (Ps 145:15).

The one who is the wisdom of the Father put his arms around her neck, the one who is the strength that gives movement to everything sat on her arms. He who is the rest of souls (Mt 11:29) rested on her motherly breast. How gently he held her in his hands, peacefully looked at her, he whom the angels wish to contemplate (1 Pet 1:12), and he gently called her, he whom every being calls upon when in need. Filled with the Holy Spirit, she held him close to her heart… She never had enough of seeing him or of hearing him, whom “many prophets and kings wished to see… but did not see.” (Luke 10:24) Thus Mary grew ever more in love, and her mind was unceasingly attached to divine contemplation.

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"It was meet that she who contained Him that fills all things and who surpasses all should outstrip all and become by her virtue superior to them in the eminence of her dignity. Those things which sufficed the most excellent among men that have lived throughout the ages in order to reach such excellency, and that which all those graced of God have separately, both angels and men, she combined, and these she alone brings to fulfillment and surpasses. And this she now has beyond all|: That she has become immortal after death and alone dwells together with her Son and God in her body. For this reason she pours forth from thence abundant grace upon those who honor her - for she is a receptacle of great graces - and she grants us even our ability to look towards her."

 St.  Gregory Palamas.

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"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."  ( Lk 1:46 )                            هوذا انا امة الرب ليكن لي كقولك

FROM ST.EPHRAIM’S MARIOLOGY: A hymn:

By power from Him Mary’s womb became able to bear the One Who bears all.
From the great treasury of all creation Mary gave to Him every thing that she gave.
She gave Him milk from what He made exist.
She gave him food from what He had created.
As God, He gave milk to Mary.
In turn, as man, He was given suck by Mary. -Ephraim the Syrian, Hymns

St Ephraim the Syrian - Deacon and Doctor of the Church   (+ 373 ?)             
             Prayer to the Blessed Virgin
 Immaculate and wholly-pure Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Queen of the world, hope of those who are in despair; you are the joy of the Saints; you are the peacemaker between sinners and God; you are the advocate of the abandoned, the secure haven of those who are on the sea of the world; you are the consolation of the world, the ransom of slaves, the comforter of the afflicted, the salvation of the universe.

            We take refuge in your protection, dear Queen: 'We have no confidence but in you, most faithful Virgin.' After God you are all our hope. We bear the name of your servants; allow not the enemy to drag us to Hell. I salute you, great Mediatrix of peace between men and God, Mother of Jesus our Lord, who is the love of all men and of God, to whom be honor and benediction with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

السـلام لـك يـا مريــم

يا ابنه يواقيم  

As seen by one of the early Church Fathers
Saint Justin, Martyr

The parallels between the Gospel of John in the New Testament, and Genesis in the Old Testament are striking. St. Justin's dialogue with Trypho a rabbi, around 135 AD. in Ephesus resonates with that of John. Apostle John was the bishop of Ephesus where he lived with the Virgin Mary, and where Justin developed his Christian faith. His rich statement was:

"Christ (new Adam) became man by the Virgin, in order that the disobedience that proceeded from the serpent might receive its destruction in the same manner in which it derived its origin. For Eve, who was a virgin and undefiled, having conceived the word of the serpent, brought forth disobedience and death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy when the angel Gabriel announced the good tidings to her that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her, and the power of the Highest would overshadow her: wherefore also the Holy begotten of her is the Son of God; and she replied, "Be it unto me according to Thy word" (Lu 1:38). And by her has He been born, to Whom we have proved so many Scriptures refer, and by Whom God destroys both the serpent and those angels and men who are like him".

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“In her belly came and dwelt He Who is uncontainable. And by her breasts was nourished God Who sustains the whole creation. On her hand she carried God Who is carried by the Seraphim. And her knees became His throne.”        Saint John of Damascus

" بنات كثيرات عملن فضلا ، أما أنت ففقتى عليهن جميعا "  أم 31 : 29 "

April 2nd, Feast of Apparition of Holy Virgin Mary at Zeitun, Egypt 1968. Her picture below, as was seen by millions.

JUNE 1,  EGYPT COMMEMORATES THE COMING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST INTO EGYPT. This excellent history article followed the Holy Family trip to Egypt. See it in the life of Saint Joseph, first century.

THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION

"As the Mother of Life, if she should die as her Son , He would not leave Her lie in the grave till the end of the world? It is fitting to believe in the traditions of her falling asleep- or repose, it is also fitting to believe in her Assumption -ascension- to heaven".

The belief in the corporeal assumption of Mary is founded on the apocryphal treatise bearing the name of St. John,  which belongs however to the fourth or fifth century. It is also found in the book De Transitu Virginis,  and in a spurious letter attributed to St. Denis the Areopagite. If we consult genuine writings in the East, it is mentioned in the sermons of St. Andrew of Crete, St. John of Damascene and St. Modestus of Jerusalem and others. In the West, St. Gregory of Tours mentions it first. The sermons of St. Jerome and St. Augustine for this feast, however, are spurious. St. John of Damascene formulates the tradition of the Church of Jerusalem:

St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of    God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven.

Today, the belief in the corporeal assumption of Mary is universal in the East and in the West. According to Benedict XIV, it is a probable opinion, which to deny were impious and blasphemous.

Regarding the origin of the feast we are uncertain. It is more probably the anniversary of the dedication of some church than the actual anniversary of Our Lady's death. That it originated at the time of the Council of Ephesus, is only a hypothesis.

According to the life of St. Theodosius (d. 529) it was celebrated in Palestine before the year 500, probably in August (Baeumer, Brevier, 185). In Egypt and Arabia, however, it was kept in January, and since the monks of Gaul adopted many usages from the Egyptian monks (Baeumer, Brevier, 163), we find this feast in Gaul in the sixth century, in January . The Gallican Liturgy has it on the 18th of January, under the title: Depositio, Assumptio, or Festivitas S. Mariae. This custom was kept up in the Gallican Church to the time of the introduction of the Roman rite. In the Orthodox church  some kept this feast in August 15, while others in August 22. The feast is of Byzantine origin. In Rome, no feast was kept before the seventh century.  The feast of the Assumption, found in the sacramentaries of Gelasius and Gregory, on the 15th of August.  At the time of Sergius I (700) this feast was one of the principal festivities in Rome; the procession started from the church of St. Hadrian. It was always a double of the first class and a Holy Day of obligation.

The holy Jerusalem Patriarch Juvenal (420-458) attested before the emperor Marcian (450-457) as to the authenticity of the tradition about the miraculous assumption of the Mother of God to Heaven, and he likewise sent to the empress, Saint Pulcheria in 453, the grave wrappings of the Mother of God, which he had taken from Her grave. Saint Pulcheria then placed these grave-wrappings within the church. Traces of this church are no longer to be seen. In the IX Century near the subterranean Gethsemane church, a monastery was built, at which more than 30 ascetic monks practiced. Great destruction was done the Church in the year 1009 by the despoiler of the holy places, Hakim.

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بمناسبة صوم السيدة العذراء

تحتفل الكنيسة القبطية في هذه الفترة بصوم السيدة العذراء والمسمي بهذا الاسم نسبة الي انه ينتهي بعيد صعود جسد السيدة العذراء الي السماء بعد نياحتها حيث جاء السيد المسيح ومعه الملائكة وحملوا جسد الطاهرة البتول الي السماء

وعلاقة السيدة العذراء بالكنيسة القبطية او المصريين او ارض مصر كلها علاقة قوية جدا حتي من قبل ميلاد السيد المسيح حيث تنبأ اشعياء النبي

+ وحي من جهة مصر هوذا الرب راكب على سحابة سريعة و قادم الى مصر فترتجف اوثان مصر من وجهه و يذوب قلب مصر داخلها ( اش 19 : 1 )

وقد فسر الاباء ان السحابة هي السيدة العذراء حيث تحمل رب المجد وهي في طريقها الي ارض مصر

ومصر هي البلد الوحيدة في العالم التي زارتها وباركتها السيدة العذراء ومعها رب المجد يسوع المسيح والقديس يوسف النجار حيث جاءت العائلة المقدسة هروبا من الطاغية هيرودس الي ارض مصر وزارت اماكن كثيرة ومتفرقة بارض مصر بغرض مباركة ارض مصر كلها من شمالها الي جنوبها ومعظم الاماكن التي زارتها العائلة المقدسة صارت فيما بعد اماكن في غاية القداسة مثل اديرة وادي النطرون او مصر القديمة او اديرة الصعيد وغيرها من الاماكن الاخري ,

وتوجد رابطة قوية جدا بين الكنيسة القبطية والسيدة العذراء فهي ملجأ الكنيسة بشفاعتها لرب المجد في اوقات محن الكنيسة وقد مرت الكنيسة القبطية بالعديد من المنحن والمشاكل الكبيرة والتي حلت وزالت بشفاعة السيدة العذراء القوية وظهورات السيدة العذارء ايضا في هذه المحن كانت خير دليل علي الاستجابة وعلي ان السيدة العذراء تقف بجوار الكنيسة تصلي من اجلها وتحارب الشيطان والذي يريد للكنيسة كل شر وذلك في التاريخ القديم والحديث , ومن اشهر تلك الظهورات :

# ظهورها للبابا ثاؤفيلس البطريرك 23 وذلك عندما اراد تكريس كنيسة السيدة العذراء بالدير المحرق (جبل قسقام) فظهرت له السيدة العذراء واخبرته بان السيد المسيح بنفسه قد دشن هذه الكنيسة كما اخبرته برحلتها مع رب المجد في مصر والاماكن التي زارتها العائلة المقدسة .

#وبعد الغزو العربي لمصر مرت الكنيسة بأوقات عصيبة جدا ومحن عظيمة اراد الشيطان فيها تدمير الكنيسة لكنة بشفاعة السيدة العذراء القوية انتصرت الكنيسة علي الشيطان وإتباعه والتاريخ ملئ بمثل هذه الحوادث

# ومنها انه في ايام حكم الخليفة العباسي المأمون الذي تولي الخلافة في عام 814 م اراد والي مصر بأمر من الخليفة هدم كنيسة بأسم السيدة العذراء في مدينة اتريب (بالقرب من بنها ) وقد اعطي الكاهن مهلة ثلاثة ايام فقام الكاهن ودخل الكنيسة مصليا وصائما يتشفع بالعذراء مريم ان يحمي رب المجد الكنيسة من الهدم وفي اليوم الثالث ظهرت السيدة العذراء للخليفة في بغداد وامرته ان يرسل رساله الي الوالي ويختمها بختمه يمنعه من هدم الكنيسة ثم اخذت العذراء هذا القرار الي الوالي في مصر والذي اندهش كثيرا من هذا القرار وهكذا منعت السيدة العذراء ان تهدم كنيستها .

#معجزة نقل المقطم

تعتبر معجزة نقل جبل المقطم من اعظم المعجزات التي تمت في تاريخ الكنيسة كله وقد حدثت في عهد الخليفة المعز لدين الله الفاطمي والذي قام ببناء مدينة القاهرة وقد وشي الي الخليفة وزير له يهودي كان يكره المسيحيين قائلا له ان عند المسيحين في انجيلهم اية تقول لو كان لكم إيمان مثل حبة خردل لكنتم نقولون لهذا الجبل أنتقل من هناك فينتقل ( متى 17: 20) "

فجاء الوالي بالبابا ابرام ابن زرعة البطرك 62 وقال له انه يوجد جبل شرق القاهرة وامره بنقل هذا الجبل مستندا بهذه الاية وقال له ان لم تقوم بنقل الجبل فالويل لكم ايها الاقباط وكان هذا الطلب دليل علي صدق ماورد في الانجيل

فطلب الوالي مهلة ثلاثة ايام وامر بصيام في الكنيسة كلها لمدة ثلاثة ايام وقام ودخل كنيسة السيدة العذراء ألمسماه بالمعلقة بمصر القديمة صائما ثلاثة ايام وقد ظهرت له السيدة العذراء وقالت له ان الرب سيقوم بنقل الجبل عن طريق شخص بسيط يسمي سمعان الخراز وفعلا تمت المعجزة وتم نقل المقطم الذي سمي بهذا الاسم لانه قطم بعد هذا

 المعجزة وتم نقل المقطم الذي سمي بهذا الاسم لانه قطم بعد هذا المعجزة وخرجت الكنيسة من هذا الاختبار الصعب قوية منتصره وقد اضافت الكنيسة الي صيام الميلاد والذي مدته اربعين يوما الثلاثة ايام الخاصة بهذه المعجزة

ويوجد الكثيروالكثير من معجزات تمت بشفاعة العذراء

ومن ينسي في الوقت الحديث ظهورها الباهر في الزيتون عام 1968او في شبر عام 1986 او في اسيوط عام 2000 وفي كل مرة تظهر تاتي ومعها الكثير من البركات مثل معجزات الشفاء او تقوية الايمان او العودة لحضن الكنيسة وغيرها من الرسائل التي تظهر من اجلها السيدة العذراء ,

وهكذا نري السيدة العذراء شفيع قوي لكنيستنا القبطية ولبلدنا مصر علي مدار التاريخ لذلك نطلب من الرب بشفاعة السيدة العذراء ان يعطي كنيسته القوة والغلبة علي الشيطان وأتباعه وكل من يحاربون الكنيسة المقدسة كذلك ان يخرج مصر من محنتها ويحميها من ابناء الظلمة الذين يريدون ان يدخلوها انفاق الجهل والظلام ويبارك شعبها كله آمين

Essam nesim

"هوذا منذ الآن جميع الأجيال تطوبنى"

The holy Theotokos and ever-Virgin Mary

"It was in the way that God of old fashioned our mother, Eve, when He took the rib from Adam's already living side and guilt it up into the woman - for it was on account of this that He did not breathe on it, as with Adam, the breath of life; rather, with the part which He took from his flesh, He completed the whole body of the woman, and the first fruits of the Spirit already present in the living flesh He made into a living soul having indeed already created both as man at the same time - in just the same fashion, taking living flesh from the holy Theotokos and ever-Virgin Mary as a kind of leaven and first-fruit from the dough of our common nature - soul and body both - God the Maker and Fashioner united it with His own incomprehensible and unapproachable divinity. Rather, it was with our essence that He united essentially the whole substance [hypostasis] of His divinity, mingling unmingled the one with the Other, the human with His own, building it up into a temple consecrated to Himself. "Thus, without alteration or change, did the Creator of Adam become Himself perfect man."   St. Symeon the New Theologian

Where did the Holy Virgin Mary live:

After the Ascension of the Lord, the Mother of God remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian. During his preaching, she lived at the home of his parents, near Mount of Olives. She was a source of consolation and edification for both the Apostles and for all the believers. After the receiving of the Holy Spirit on the remarkable day of Pentecost, the Apostles remained basically at Jerusalem for few years attending to the salvation of the Jews, and wanting moreover to see the Mother of God and hear Her holy discourse. Many of the newly-enlightened in the faith even came from faraway lands to Jerusalem, to see and to hear the All-Pure, Mother of God.

In the years following the stoning to death of St. Stephen in 37 AD, when the persecution of Christians became severe, particularly in Jerusalem, During the time of the persecution, initiated by king Herod (Acts 12: 1-3), the Most Holy Virgin Mary together with Apostle John withdrew in the year 43 to Ephesus. The preaching of the Gospel there had fallen by lot to him. According to a vision of a German nun ’Anne Catherine Emmerich’ while on her death bed, she described the home of Mary and its location in Ephesus. As soon as the revelations were published in 1880, a mission left to Ephesus. They happily succeeded in discovering Mary’s home on Nightingale Mountain in Ephesus. (Mary’s House, by Donald Carroll, Christian Classics). It was not coincidence that the 3rd Ecumenical counsel convened in 431 AD to proclaim Mary to be the Mother of God- Theotokos -The counsel was held in the church of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus. The Mother of God visited Saint Lazarus (the Four-Days-Entombed) in Cyprus where he was bishop. It was said that she was also on the Holy Mount Athos. The respect and reverence of ancient Christians for the Mother of God was so great, that they preserved what they could about Her life, what they could take note of, concerning Her sayings and deeds. They even passed down to us the regards of Her outward appearance

The Holy life of the Mother of God.

According to tradition, based on the words of the Martyrs Dionysius the Areopagite in 96, Ignatius the God-Bearer in 107, Saint Ambrose of Milan, had occasion to write in his work "On Virgins" concerning the Mother of God: "She was the Virgin not only of body, but also of soul, humble of heart, circumspect in word, wise in mind, not overly given to speaking, a lover of reading and of work, and prudent in speech. Her rule of life offended no one, intended well for everyone, respected the aged, not envious of others, avoided bragging, healthy of mind, and loving of virtues. When did She ever in the least hurl an insult in the face of Her parents, when was She at discord with Her kin? When did She ever puff up haughtily before a modest person, or laugh at the weak, or shun the destitute? With Her there was nothing of glaring eyes, nothing of unseemly words, nor of improper conduct: She was modest of body-movement, Her step was quiet, and Her voice straightforward; such that Her bodily visage was an expression of soul, and personification of purity. All Her days She was concerned with fasting: She slept only when necessary, and even then, when Her body was at rest, She was still alert in spirit, repeating in Her dreams what She had read, or the pondered implementation of proposed intentions, or those planned yet anew. She was out of Her house only for church, and then only in the company of kin. Otherwise, She but little appeared outside Her house in the company of others, and She was Her own best overseer; others could protect Her only in body, but She Herself guarded Her character". Saint Ambrose wrote this discourse in exhortation to young women to conduct themselves maturely and with concern for the reputation of their good-name.

Falling Asleep, Repose, or Dormition:

At the time of Her blessed "Falling-Asleep", the Most Holy Virgin Mary was again at Jerusalem. Her fame as the Mother of God had already spread throughout the land, had aroused against Her many of the envious and the spiteful, who wanted to make attempts on Her life; but God preserved Her from enemies. The Most Holy Mother of God went often to the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord. More than once enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they besought of the high-priest a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord.

In one suchlike visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared before Her and announced Her approaching transfer from this life into the Heavenly life of eternal beatitude. In pledge of this, the Archangel entrusted Her a palm branch from the Paradise (other minority tradition in translation replaced the palm with a book of mysteries foretold by her Son in His Childhood). With these Heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem. She thereupon summoned Righteous Joseph of Aramathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose. The Most Holy Virgin prayed also, that the Lord would have the Apostle John come to Her, And the Holy Spirit transported him from Ephesus. The Mother of God took notice of a voice which meant the speedy arrival of the Apostles and the Disciples and the holy Bodiless Powers. The Disciples, whose number then it was impossible to count, flocked together, - says Saint John Damascene, - like clouds and eagles, to hearken to the Mother of God.

Seeing one another, the Disciples rejoiced, but Saint John the Theologian, greeting them with tears, said that the Mother of God had begun the time of repose unto the Lord. Going in to the Mother of God, they beheld Her augustly lying upon the cot, and filled with spiritual happiness. The Disciples gave greeting to Her, and then they told about their being miraculously transported from their places. The Most Holy Virgin Mary glorified God, in that He had hearkened to Her prayer and fulfilled Her heart's desire, and She began speaking about Her immanent end. During the time of this conversation the Apostle Paul likewise appeared in miraculous manner together with his disciples: Dionysius the Areopagite, Timothy and others from amongst the Seventy Disciples.

The Holy Spirit had gathered them all together, so that they might have the blessing of the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and all the more fittingly to see to the burial of the Mother of the Lord. Each of them She called to Herself by name, She blessed them and extolled them in their faith and hardships in the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, and to each She wished eternal bliss and prayed with them for the peace and welfare of all the world

The Burial, and the Miracle:

There ensued the third hour, when the Repose of the Mother of God was to occur. A multitude of candles blazed. The holy Disciples with song encircled the felicitously adorned sick-bed, upon which lay the All-Pure Virgin Mary. She prayed in anticipation of Her demise and of the arrival of Her longed-for Son and Lord. Suddenly the inexpressible Light of Divine Glory shone forth, before which the blazing candles paled in comparison. All that saw took fright. Sitting atop as though immersed in the rays of the indescribable Light, was Christ the King of Glory Himself come down, surrounded by hosts of Angels and Archangels and other Heavenly Powers, together with the souls of the fore-fathers and the prophets, formerly having foretold of the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Seeing Her Son, the Mother of God exclaimed: "My soul does magnify My Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God My Savior, for He has regarded the lowliness of His Handmaiden" -- and, getting up from Her bed to meet the Lord, She bowed down to Him. And the Lord bid Her come enter the habitations of Life Eternal. Without any bodily suffering, as though in an happy sleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave up Her soul into the hands of Her Son and God. The Heavenly gates were raised, and meeting the soul of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Cherubim and the Seraphim with joy glorified Her. The graced face of the Mother of God was radiant with the glory of Divine virginity, and of Her body there exuded fragrance.

Bewailing their separation on earth from the Mother of God, the Apostles set about the burying of Her all-pure body. The holy Apostles Peter, Paul, James and others of the 12 Apostles carried the funeral bier upon their shoulders, and upon it lay the body of the ever-Virgin Mary. Saint John went at the head with the bright palm-branch from Paradise, and the other saints and a multitude of the faithful accompanied the funeral bier with candles and censers, singing sacred song. This solemn procession went from the Zion-quarter through all Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane.

With the start of the procession there suddenly appeared over the all-pure body of the Mother of God and all those accompanying Her a vast and resplendent circular cloud, like a crown. To the choir of the Apostles was conjoined the choir of the Angels glorifying the Mother of God. This circle of Heavenly singers and radiance moved through the air and accompanied the procession to the very place of burial. Unbelieving inhabitants of Jerusalem, stunned by the extraordinarily grand funeral procession and vexed at the honors accorded the Mother of Jesus, denounced this to the high-priests and scribes. Burning with envy and vengefulness towards everything that reminded them of Christ, they sent out their own servants to disrupt the procession and to set afire the body of the Mother of God. An angry crowd and soldiers set off against the Christians, accompanying the procession but many of them were struck blind. The Jewish priest Aphthoniah out of spite and hatred for the Mother of Jesus of Nazareth wanted to topple the funeral bier, on which lay the body of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, but an Angel of God invisibly cut off his hands, which had touched the bier.

Seeing such a wonder, Aphthoniah repented and with faith confessed the majesty of the Mother of God. He received healing and joined in with the crowd accompanying the body of the Mother of God, and he became a zealous follower of Christ. When the procession reached the Garden of Gethsemane, then amidst the weeping and the wailing, only towards evening time were the Apostles able to place it in the tomb and seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone. For three days they did not depart the place of burial, during this time making unceasing prayer and psalmody.

..........

The feast of Dormition, and Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God is celebrated with especial solemnity at Gethsemane, at the place of Her burial. Nowhere else is there such sorrow of heart at the separation from the Mother of God and nowhere else such uplift, persuaded of Her intercession for the world. In August the fasting is observed in her honor, and the feast of Assumption is celebrated at all the Catholic and Orthodox churches, according to their own calendars. The Lord, God Almighty, The Word Incarnate, Who preserved the Soul and Virginity of His Mother, willed also to preserve Her most-pure body from earthly decay.

(Adapted from the OCA, the Catholic Encyclopedia, Oxford Ancient Tradition of the Virgin Mary’s Dormition and Assumption, Shoemaker and other sources)

V V V

The Miracles Of The Virgin's
Apparition At Zeitoun (Part 1)  

The Apparition of the Virgin has been accompanied by a number of miracles confirmed by the leading doctors. Those miracles still occur up to the present day.

Those miracles that accompanied the Virgin's apparition were mentioned in the magazines and books.

However, I find it necessary to record some of the miracles that happened in my time and which I witnessed after being ordained as a priest on the Apostles' Feast in July 1972. Those miracles have occurred since that time and up to the present day.

l. THE VIRGIN AND THE CHURCH'S CLERGY:
On the second of April 1968, the Virgin made Her apparition over the domes of the Church at Zeitoun, and was seen by the workmen at the garage facing the church.
His reverence Father Costantin the devout priest, saw the Virgin on the eastern dome on the 10th of April 1968.
While his reverence was praying in the Virgin's church at Kasryet El-Rihan (in Ancient Cairo), and while elevating the incense of the evening mass, light filled the church. That was on 21st August, 1969.
As for me, it was first suggested that I should take up holy orders in 1942, and was finally ordained in 1972, i.e. after 30 years, in the Virgin's church in particular. I had always refused to be ordained as I believed that I was not worthy of that honour until the Virgin finally attracted me.
During the first week after my return from the Virgin's monastery in El-Natroun Valley, and while I was giving a sermon at church, those present assured me that the Virgin was standing in front of the altar during the sermon, and in full glory. Those who saw the Virgin were so amazed that they did not utter a word.

2. THIS IS YOUR GROOM:
A wealthy young lady, who does not belong to the congregation of the Church, came to me at the church. She was accompanied by another lady from El-Dokki suburb. The young lady saw, in dream, the Virgin point to Christ and say, "This is your groom." The dream was repeated three times on three successive nights. The young lady told her family about the dream and asked me, with tears streaming down her cheeks, what she is to do.
What is stranger still, another girl came to me the next week, and she had the same dream. The Virgin spoke to her using the same words. Pointing to Christ, She said, "This is your groom!" The other girl, deeply moved, then asked me the same question, "What am I to do?"
3. THE VIRGIN AND THE VIAL OF OIL:
When the liturgy was over on Wednesday, and I was talking to some ladies in a side altar, a lady with a fair Complexion and round face, and of medium height, and dressed in white, offered me a vial of oil, bidding me to have a look at the vial. Strangely enough, I saw the figure of the Virgin on the vial.
The lady smiled, offered me some oil and then disappeared.
During a whole year, I went on looking for that lady. After each sermon, I used to ask for information about her, but no trace of her was to be found.
In a meeting with His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, may God preserve him, in his cell at the monastery, I offered him half the oil and kept the other half. I wonder, was it the Virgin?!

4. THE VIRGIN AND NECK CANCER:  O God! How this lady cried! It was almost a flood of tears! She was bitterly crying in the altar, and she went on crying heartily after everyone else had gone. So, I approached her and asked her what was wrong.
She replied that she had taken it to heart that the Virgin did not help her. According to her, "The Virgin mediates for a lot of people and cures them, and yet She leaves this malignant tumour in my neck... My young children are in need of me, and yet the doctors say that I have only forty days to live."
I assured her that, if she prayed fervently enough that night, and besought the Virgin's help, She would surely come to her aid. Then, I anointed her with holy oil.
That night, the lady prayed earnestly and insistently beseeching the Virgin to help her. She then fell asleep in tears. The Virgin came to her, and in a loving merciful tone reassured her saying, "Don't be afraid, I am going to cure you." The Virgin, touched the woman's neck with Her hand and extracted the malignant tumour, and placed it on a chest of drawers in the room.
The next day, the lady hurried to the church, in great joy, carrying the tumour in a handkerchief. I had her stand in the middle of the congregation and tell her story and narrate how merciful God had been to her!

5. SEVEN CROSSES AND THE WORD 'AVNOTI' IN COPTIC LETTERS:
The son had an incurable mental disease. So, the husband could not stand the depressing atmosphere at home, and deserted it with no intention of coming back. The mother gave way to her tears.
One day, the mother came to the church, feeling very bitter, and said that she believed in the Virgin and in God's mercy, though she was not a Christian herself. I answered her that God extended his mercy to everyone, and I advised her to make a round of the Church and to ask for the mediation of the Virgin that She might have pity on her and help her.
Before she left, she asked for some holy oil to anoint her mad son with.
After two whole months, the mother, escorted by her 15 years old son, came back to church and said that the boy had been completely cured and had become sane again. The husband, too, returned home. The family were reunited and they lived happily.
She said that her son's cure was effected thus. She asked for a paper and a pen and wrote something and showed it to me. I saw seven crosses with the Coptic word 'Avnoti' to their right and left. That was the beginning of his cure. May God's name be blessed!
I showed the paper to the congregation after the evening mass. But, O God! The people snatched the paper, and I saw it go from hand to hand until it finally disappeared!
How sorry I was! I should have liked to keep that paper with the seven crosses and Coptic word on it. But our people cannot help being emotional.

6. THE VIRGIN RESTORES HER SIGHT TO HER:
Mrs. S.S.T. has asked that this miracle should be mentioned, so that God's name may be glorified.
The lady grieved very much, and fell asleep, and when she awoke she found that she had lost her eye-sight.
The doctors could not help her. But she saw the Virgin in a vision, and She assured her that she would recover her sight at the end of the liturgy.
The Virgin made Her apparition on the church dome, and the sign of the cross over her eyes. The lady, in her joy tried to embrace the Virgin, but her hands held nothing. The lady went home, with her heart gladdened and her sight restored through the mediation of the Mother of the True Light. The above-mentioned miracle was published at the time when it occurred.

7. THE VIRGIN AND THE LOVE OF THE POOR:
The "Charity Committee" at the Virgin's church at Zeitoun bought a lot of heavy cotton material for the poor and orphans, for 300 pounds. That kind of cloth was hard to get at that time. So, one of the richer folk, who went to the church, offered to buy part of the material for himself, and of course pay the price.
Hardly had a day gone by, when the Virgin appeared to him in a dream, gently blaming him, and asking him to send the material back at once.
Blessed be our Lady, the Mother of our Savior, who is so kind to the poor!

8. A SERIOUS AILMENT IN THE EAR:
Mrs. A.F. had a serious ailment in the ear which the doctors could find no cure for. She was at a loss what to do as medicine was of no avail. She placed her ear on the Virgin's picture at her home, and with great faith, prayed the Virgin not to fail her, having resorted to the Virgin's help.
She felt faith and hope pervading her self. She slept and at night, the Virgin came to her saying, "I have heard your call and here I am.... I have come to cure you." The lady awoke, fully recovered.

9.THE BIBLE AND THE BULLET:
M.H. is the only son of a widow. He volunteered to join the army, and was sent to the battle-field during the October war (1973). The young man, who is also a deacon at the Virgin's Church, asked me to give him a Bible to place in his pocket to protect him from danger. I gave him one.
As God willed, he was hit by a bullet that could have reached his heart. However, its passage was stopped by the Bible, though it could have penetrated a wall. I followed the hole made by the bullet in the Bible and saw that it ended at the words: "And who is he that will harm you, if we be followers of that which is good?..... and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled" (1 Peter 3:13,14). I showed the Bible at all the churches where I gave sermons, and at the different monasteries and in various towns, other than Cairo. His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, may God preserve him, also showed it to the heads of the different sects and to his visitors.
Blessed be the Lord! How truly you keep us from all harm! "He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways," and "there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling."

10. THE CURE OF THE GENERAL:
General George Habib, at the head of his tanks and armored cars, rushed through the Ber-Lev line. So, the Jews hastened to flood the whole area with Napalm that gives forth a terribly intense heat--3000 degrees C.--; heat enough to let iron melt.
In the midst of the terrible fire, George cried out three times from the depths of his heart invoking the succor of Christ. He, then passed out. When he came to, he found himself outside the line of fire! Who dragged him to safety?
I visited him at the military hospital at Helmeya, and then at El-Maadi, and gave him Holy Communion. It was said that when they took off his helmet, they had to tear away the flesh of his head with it.
I asked him what he did while leading his troops.
He said that he was reciting Psalm No91 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the Shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust."
He had an exacerbation and serious complications. So, I hurried to visit him. He said, "Please, ask our Lady to come at once, before it is too late."
Thank God! The Virgin Came to his help. Through plastic surgery, parts of the skin of his thigh were fitted on to his head. He is now fully recovered, and has resumed his work, having undergone many surgical operations, and having been helped by the Virgin. He said that the Virgin used to come and change the dressings. She touched his leg, and it was cured. She came back and touched his back, and it became well. She finally returned and touched his head, and it healed!

The Miracles Of The Virgin's
Apparition At Zeitoun (Part 2)  

11. THE EYES IN THE VIRGIN'S PICTURE CLOSE AND OPEN:
Dr. S.T. from El-sinbelwien was highly diabetic and seriously ill. His wife brought him to the Virgin's Church seeking the Virgin's mediation. The family settled in Heliopolis to be able to visit the church from time to time.
The family resorted to prayer, and while doing so, they smelled incense. They were amazed to see the picture of the Virgin, that was on the opposite wall, close and open Her eyes very slowly for several times. The book of prayers became soaked with oil! The sick man was fully recovered.
The family still keeps the book of prayers and the oil up to the present day.

12. THE VIRGIN MAKES HER APPARITION ON THE BIBLE:
Mrs. Angele Habib had wished, from all her heart, to see the Virgin as She made Her apparition over the domes of the church. But that was not to be. So, she was greatly disappointed and cried bitterly.
She always had a Bible with her, placing it under her pillow when she went to sleep. One night, she begged, with tears, to see the Virgin. She woke up to find the Virgin's picture, with Christ in Her arms, imprinted on the Bible with oil.
The lady still keeps the Bible, and shows it to the Fathers. She says that she has shown it to his reverence Bishop Anba Agregaryous.
The Virgin never fails us, being our loving Mother. Blessed be thou, who art the pride of our race!

13. THE STORY OF THE PEBBLE:
Gayed Guirguis is a senior inspector at the Ministry of Education. While he was making his rounds, he had a meal and he suffered from food poisoning. He went on vomiting till his tongue got dry and stuck to his palate. He felt extremely exhausted and on the point of death. He was alone as he lived away from his family. He asked for the Virgin's help. In the midst of his prayers, he felt a figure get into his room, and sit on the edge of his bed. It was the Virgin, in full glory. She reached out Her hand to him, and beckoned as if She were expelling something out of his body, and then She went out. The patient felt as if an electric current had passed through his body restoring him to full health. By his side he had a pebble that fell to the ground. It broke into two halves. There, sure enough, the Virgin's picture was imprinted on the pebble. She had an angel standing at one side, and three persons kneeling near the hem of Her overflowing dress.
The Virgin has left Her picture as a clear evidence of Her visit.

14. THE VIRGIN GETS OUT OF THE PICTURE, BLESSES THE HOUSE AND GETS BACK:
Engineer R.A.B. has an ancient picture of the Virgin at home, a picture that dates to over a hundred years back. At 11 O'clock A..M. on Thursday 17/2/1972, he was reading the Pope's sermon that was published in El-Gamhoureya newspaper. His wife was at his side reading the Pope's sermon in Watani weekly paper... He saw the Virgin come out of Her picture and stand over the window-sill. She had all the dimensions of real life. He was so amazed that he could not utter a word for a minute or two. Then he controlled himself and drew his wife's attention to what he saw. The Virgin returned to Her picture.
On Friday morning (18/2/72), he went to Holy Communion. He told the Father, who received his confessions, what he saw. The Father counseled him to have the picture placed in a special shrine, without any glass, so that the picture may be a source of blessing. The engineer had side lights fitted in, and El-Mahabba Society prepared the shrine that had a glass screen. When the shrine was lit; the glass screen, which dimmed the picture, fell and broke into pieces.
The engineer, then carried the picture to His Holiness Pope Shenouda III who dedicated it to St. George's Church at Kotsika.
El-Mahabba Bookshop charged the engineer 10 pounds for the shrine. He paid that sum of money. On the same day, when he returned home, the postman delivered him a letter, sent by his bank, and announcing that one of his investment certificates had won 10 pounds.

15. THE VIRGIN SAVES A CHILD FROM UNDER THE WHEELS OF AN EXPRESS TRAIN:
The mother and her child had moved to visit the Virgin at Her Church at Zeitoun. So, they came from Alexandria especially for that purpose. When they were trying to get off the train, at a station seven kilometres off Cairo, they were pushed by the multitudes. The mother fell away from the rails and was not injured. As for the twelve years old son, he fell under the wheels.
The mother screamed and passed out.
When she came to, she found her son by her side calling: "Mother! Mother!"
In amazement, the mother asked him how he made good his escape. He replied that he found, by his side, a Lady in white garments and with light emanating from Her face. She placed Her hand over his head and he bent it. Seven wagons passed over him. The Lady reassured him saying, "Don't be afraid, I am your Mother, the Virgin." When the last wagon passed, he rose and saw the Lady disappear. However, he still feels the Lady tenderly touch his hand, and Her beautiful sight still haunts his memory.
Blessed be our Lady and the pride of our race. You take good care of your children, and hurry to their protection and help.
P.S. We made a recording of the story as told by the mother and her son, and took a photograph for the boy, with marks of the rails showing clearly on his back.

16. THE VIRGIN'S APPARITION IN GUIZA:
An elderly person entered the church, carrying a blade in his hand. He was in a rage and started threatening everyone that tried to stop him saying, "You Copts are causing me a nervous breakdown through the ringing of your church bells... The priest has got to be killed!..."
Poor man! He was suffering from his nerves, and his left hand was paralyzed. He entered the church full of rage and of spite. He was as strong as an excited bull, and the people found great difficulty in stopping him.
The priest had to hide in the altar. After much ado, that fellow was taken out of the church. As he went out, he waved his hand in a threatening manner saying that he would be back as the priest had to be killed.
The next day he returned. But this time, he was composed and calm. He wished to say 'a word of truth'. During the night, after he had excitedly entered the church, he saw the Virgin who blamed him in a gentle voice for his foul behavior. She touched his paralyzed hand and it immediately came to life. He added, "O Christian brethren, you are my folk, and you are dear to my heart... but where is the priest?"
-"What for? To kill him?"  -"No, but to kiss his feet." Here, the priest made his appearance, and the man actually bowed and kissed his feet. The two embraced each other.
O how strange! and it all took place through the mediation of the Virgin.

17. THE VIRGIN IN MANSOURA:
A needle pierced her hand, and was buried deep in the flesh. She was operated on twice to get the needle out, but in vain. Only one thing remained to be done, and that was to amputate the girl's hand, lest the needle should be carried by the blood stream into the heart.
The girl was told to pray, and to ask for the mediation of our kind-hearted Mother, the Virgin. The girl prayed, and then went to sleep, all the time repeating the one phrase, "O Virgin!"
In her sleep, the Virgin came to her. The Virgin asked her, in a tender loving voice, to reach out her hand. She then extracted the needle, placed it in a table-cloth, drew a blood cross, and wrote her blessed name, "Mary". She patted the girl and left her with a sweet smile.
I was invited to give a sermon in El-Mansoura. And there, at the entrance of the church, at Toreil, I saw a frame inside which were exhibited the table cloth, the needle, the cross in blood, and the signature of the Virgin Mary.
When this miracle was announced, a lot of people traveled to Mansoura, and saw the miracle for themselves.

18. THE BRAIN HEMORRHAGE:
She was extremely happy when she gave birth to that child. It was a God-send which she had to wait many years for.
Her happiness did not last for long. The child had a brain hemorrhage. The doctors lost hope though some advised the performance of an operation. The chances of success in that operation do not exceed 1%.
Here, the mother resorted to the Virgin. She came to me in the altar, and I counseled her to place the name of the child in the altar whenever she came to church.
At Christmas, and immediately before I gave the sermon, I received a letter that contained bills for thirty pounds. The woman who sent the letter said that she at last had a visit from the Virgin who had pity on her, and cured her child. That sum of money was part of the fees that could have been paid to the surgeons, had the operation been performed. The mother donated it to the poor. I told the congregation about the miracle and the donation. As for the lady's name and address, they are kept at church. She didn't like to have her name announced. May God's name be glorified, and our Mother the Virgin be thanked.

19. A MAN FOLLOWING ME:
On my way to the altar, to make the final preparations for mass, I went through the door leading to the baptism room. A man stood in my way wishing to have a word with me. I asked him to come another time as it was already late then. But he insisted, and gave me a sealed envelope which I took and placed on the altar and then forgot all about it.
So, a deacon gave it back to me. Then, I got into the administration room and left it there. So, Father Constantine handed it back to me. I cast a look at it and saw that it had a strange address:
"The Needy Families that cannot beg." Inside was the exact sum of money which I gave to the "unknown needy families"--which figure was a secret unknown to any one but me. It was already the first day of the month, and I didn't have, till that moment, the money which should be given to the needy families.
So, these questions still remain.... Who was that person who stood in my way and offered me the money?
How did he know?!
This incident strengthened in me the belief that: WHAT WE FORGET GOD REMEMBERS AND WHAT WE DISREGARD GOD DISPOSES.

20. HELP ME OUT OF MY DIFFICULTIES:
He worked in the field of education and he incurred a lot of expenses: those of the marriage of his two daughters. He became a bankrupt and had to sell the furniture of his home and the gold bracelets of his wife, and he ran in debt.
Then something happened which nearly put him out of mind: L.E. 500, in his trusteeship at school, were stolen. The next day might bring along with it an auditor who would certainly discover the loss and send him to prison. Scandal and disgrace were staring him in the face.
+ He made up his mind to commit suicide.
+ As a final resort, he came to seek the church's help and asked me to save him. "Help me out of my difficulties," he cried out desperately.
I asked him to wait till I came back from the sermon. It was Sunday evening, and more than a thousand attended evening mass. I placed a note in front of me so as not to forget that wretched person waiting in the administration room. Nevertheless, I concluded my sermon and forgot to ask the congregation to help him. The people left. When I remembered the man, my head turned round O God! Why have I forgotten?! What should I do?!
At that very moment I was told that a woman inside the altar was asking for me. She was dressed in white and looked extremely pious. Smiling, she gave me a sum of money and said something. Her words keep coming back to my ears till the present day. "Help someone out of his difficulties," she said.
O God! the very words of the man in the administration room! The sum that pious lady paid was L.E. 500, the very sum needed!
+ Who was that lady?!
+ As for the reason why I forgot...
It so happened that God might offer the solution Himself.

V V V

التطورالتاريخي لصوم السيدة العذراء

 

+ ارتبط صوم السيدة العذراء بأحد أعيداها الذى يعقب الصوم مباشرة ، وهو عيد تذكار صعود جسدها إلى السماء في 16 مسرى / 22 أغسطس . وجدير بالذكر أن هذا العيد سابقاً بزمن طويل للصوم الذى ألحق بها بعد ذلك بعدة قرون .

وأول إشارة عنه في الكنيسة القبطية نجدها عند القديس أنبا ساويرس ابن المقفغ أسقف الأشمونين في كتابه "مصباح العقل" حيث يقول : " والصيام الذى يصومه أهل المشرق ونسميه صيام البتول مريم ، وهو في خمسة عشر مسرى .

وبرغم أنها إشارة مبهمة إلا أنه يتضح لنا منها أنه صوم معروف فى الشرق المسيحي ، ولكن يبدو أن الأنبا ساويرس يتحدث هنا عن صوم يوم واحد في 15 مسرى يعقبه عيد العذراء في 16 مسرى .

+ وفي القرن الثانى عشر يأتي ذكر صوم العذراء في مصر صراحة لأول مرة ولمدة ثلاثة أسابيع ، ولكنه صوم كان قاصراً على العذارىفي البداية. وهو ما نقرأه في كتاب الشيخ المؤتمن أبو المكارم سعد الله بن جرجس بن مسعود (+1209 م) فيقول: "صوم العذارى بمصر من أول مسرى إلى الحادى والعشرين منه. ويتلوه فصحهم في الثانى والعشرين منه".

+ وفي خلال نصف القرن بدأ هذا الصوم يزداد شيوعاً بين الناس ، ولكنةكان بالأكثر قاصراً على المتنسكين والراهبات . فيذكر ابن العسال (+1260 م) في كتابة "المجموع الصفوى" عن هذا الصوم فيقول  " صوم السيدة العذراء، وأكثر ما يصومه المتنسكون والراهبات، وأوله أول مسرى وعيد السيدة فصحه (أى فطره)

ومع حلول القرن الرابع عشر نجد أن هذا الصوم قد صار شائعاً بين الناس كلهم، لأن ابن كبر (+1324 م) في الباب الثامن عشر من كتابه "مصباح الظلمةوإيضاح الخدمة" ينقل ما سبق ذكره عن ابن العسال ،ولكنه حذف عبارة "وأكثر ما يصومه المتنسكون والراهبات " .

ولازال صوم السيدة العذراء حتى اليوم هو أحب الأصوام إلى قلوب الناس قاطبة في الشرق المسيحى، الذى اختصته العذراء القديسة بظهوراتها الكثيرة المتعاقبة .

+ صوم السيدة العذراء عند الروم الأرثوذكس هو أيضاً خمسة عش