If One side heavier, the other become automatically lighter. So if one would sin 100 times a day, and after the fast 99 times a day, it is not that his fast has failed as he swears 99 times too much, but rather that person has become a better version of himself by sinning 1 time less a day. Keep fighting the whole fast and pray to get rid of that sin, or at least reduce it” Pope Shenouda III once said | What Is The Benevolence Of Fasting? [1] There are those who see fasting as an exercise in self-denial and Christian obedience that serves to rid the believer of his or her passions (what most modern people would call … Wasim particularly enjoys the Church History and practical/contemplative aspects of theology and apologetics. Baptism: Baptism is performed by immersing the baby three times in sanctified water. What is wrong with this type of thinking? This is because that person did in fact change some of his old(er) habits, thoughts or routines. What exactly does Paul mean by the duality of flesh and spirit inside us? Athletes do not go to a training camp in order to walk out of it as the best athlete in the whole wide world, but rather to come out of it as a better version of themselves. Christ himself taught us that not quantity but quality is important. It typically falls on the Sunday subsequent to the first full moon that follows the vernal equinox, and marks the end of the 55 day-long Great Fast. Besides eating vegan every Wednesday and Friday, the Coptic Church fasts for several periods in the year. Basil the Great #stbasilthegreat #gospel #fasting #god #jesus #sunday #love #joy #holylent #sunday #sundayreading #coptic #orthodox #bible #verses #matthew #nkjv ... 0 7th March 2021. Why so? He is a subdeacon in readers' order in the Coptic Orthodox Church and a theology enthusiast. The Coptic Easter is one of the most sacred Coptic Orthodox days observed by Christians in Egypt. For example; it is unrealistic to think that after fasting we are free of sin and will no longer sin. Besides eating vegan every Wednesday and Friday, the Coptic Church fasts for several periods in the year. In the Coptic Orthodox reality, the Church asks her believers to fast almost 2/3 of the year. Fasting is about becoming a better version of ourselves, even though the progress might be minimal. Apostles’ Fast: June 8 – July 11 (seafood allowed except Wed/Fri), St. Mary’s Fast: August 7 – 21 (seafood allowed except Wed/Fri), Nativity Fast: November 25 – January 6 (seafood allowed except Wed/Fri), Jonah’s Fast: February 22 – 24 (no seafood-what would the whale think?! We as humans, after our baptism and chrismation, have both these natures. Keep fighting the whole fast and pray to get rid of that sin, or at least reduce it” and “if you can’t sprint, you have to run. Paul teaches us that ‘’for we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin’’ (Romans 7:14) and for that reason ‘’the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh” where “these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish’’ (Galatians 5:17). Even if we would succeed, this still will only be a temporary ting. RCCG Fasting and Prayer Points 2021. We, then, can try to do this ourselves as we have the goal of becoming better at praying. Why is fasting essential? So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25). Ethiopian orthodox fasting dates 2020 Search. If you can’t run fast, you have to walk fast. The Coptic calendar, also called the Alexandrian calendar, is a liturgical calendar used by the Coptic Orthodox Church and also used by the farming populace in Egypt. Fasts Feasts Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Menbere Berhan Kidest Mariam St Mary Cathedral In Toronto . How is it possible that Christ did accept the widow’s two coins, but not the large amount of the rich? The 2021 Holy Synod Of The Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II Defends Western Coptic Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Bishop Serapion 2021 Festal Letter For The Glorious Feast of Nativity, School Sex Education: A kids Manipulating Engine, Coptic Bishop Anba Athanasius Of Bani Mazar Passed Away (1948 – 2021), Making Lent Great Again: Some Thoughts On Lenten Preparation, Coffee With Bishop Suriel: A Year In Review – 2020 [E#19], Coping With Loneliness | “My Soul, Wait Silently For God Alone”. This is a completely different view, which is a more motivating one. Our goals are often, without realizing it ourselves, black and white. About us. Click HERE for Previous Open Heaven Devotional. We have not changed any habits, thoughts, routines or something like that. So Christ teaches us that the woman may have given only two coins, but because that was all she had, she had given 100%. When the human nature becomes lighter, it gives more room for spiritual growth and this will lead to a lighter human nature and so the cycle continues. Tuesday Fasting Procedure. Ethiopian orthodox fasting calendar 2021. Netherland. Christ answers this question by teaching us that ‘’for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had’’ (Luke 21:4). Because of this we are completely focused on a certain sin and we can work on the entire fast, which also increases the chance of improvement because you are only concerned with one thing. Paul teaches us that with the help of Christ we can overcome our flesh by crucifying ‘’the flesh with its passions and desires’’ (Galatians 5:24). 10 min read. We must pay more attention to the progress rather than absolute achievements. Mangalvar Vrat or Tuesday fasting begins right from early in the morning on that day, and continues through the day till the evening. bible text(s): 2 corinthians 10:3-5, judges 6.2, 1 samuel 23.14, psalm 61.3, psalm 91:1-16 They work on a specific technique, skill or something else that they will be using in their (professional) careers. In the previous article we looked at several reasons why we should fast, and in this article we will look at the benevolence of fasting. They are trusted by our readers and followed by many Coptic Orthodox Christians worldwide. Copyright © 1988 - 2021 COPTICNN™ | COPTICNN Sans ™ & © Coptic News Network Association. Coptic Christian Beliefs . He means that our flesh wants the earthly and our spirit wants the heavenly, and therefore these two ‘’natures’’ are exactly the opposite from each other. By Subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy. They include Oriental Orthodox churches such as the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Fasting is a purely personal communication between the Orthodox Christian and God, and in fact has no place whatsoever in the public life of the Coptic Orthodox Church. H.H. The benevolence of fasting can be illustrated through the metaphor of a scale. A strict abstinence period, where no food or drink whatsoever may be taken, is encouraged for those who can endure it. What’s a good fast without an excellent feast? Cairo: Old Coptic City Tour (a partire da 40,80 USD) Tour giornaliero del Cairo islamico e cristiano con pranzo incluso (a partire da 33,05 USD) Tour privato guidato di mezza giornata nella parte copta del Cairo con pranzo (a partire da 60,00 USD) Vedi tutte le esperienze di Coptic Cairo su Tripadvisor If you can’t walk you have to stumble and if you can’t stumble you have to crawl. Fasting controlled the power of the fire and blocked the lions’ mouths.” – St. So one of the goals of fasting is progress. Angels are fully spiritual beings, whereas animals are fully earthly creatures. If you can’t walk fast you have to walk. “We must pay more attention to the progress rather than absolute achievements. Because even if someone crawls, then at least they move forward a bit, instead of standing still with no one ever moving forward. Should He not be happy with a great gift? Because he has not changed anything in his daily routine or in his habits.He just did something very extreme for a certain amount of time and eventually couldn’t keep up with it. The next day of each of these fasts is the corresponding feast: There are many other feasts, so check them out here: Coptic Fasts and Feasts (SUS Copts), Learning to trust God and love others in the lands of immigration. The Coptic Orthodox Church; History of the ... 2021. By Wasim Shehata. What is important is progress. Paul the Apostle describes this explicitly in chapters 7 and 8 from his letter to the Romans, as well as in chapter 5 from his letter to the Galatians. We may see the results, but we (almost) never see the struggle they had to endure to attain that level of spiritual strength. No matter the issue, they are always in the middle of our Christian discourse. Like holding our breath, we may persevere in holding our breath but eventually we will breathe again and when we will breathe again we will ‘’make up for the lost air’’. We can look at these ‘’natures’’ through another metaphor, namely of the angels and animals. So when we fast we should strive to make our ‘’spiritual side’’ of our scales heavier, to follow the same example as mentioned above. Coptic News Network Association (Organization) and Coptic News Network (Publications) “COPTICNN™” are the pioneer independent news information service network offered to Coptic Orthodox Christians and all interested followers. We often take on too much hay by wanting to work on everything at the same time, while the day still consists of 24 hours and we only have a certain amount of energy. I've been struggling to find a cool and enticing way to describe Coptic fasting, and I'm failing pretty miserably. We are often tempted to look at saints and their achievements, which we see in movies about them or read about in books. In general, Coptic fasting means adhering to a vegan diet, thus abstaining from meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and other animal products. Your voice, together with other COPTICNN Reporters, helps shape how and what COPTICNN covers every day. “the flesh with its passions and desires” [Galatians 5:24] | What Is The Benevolence Of Fasting? Influential, provocative, and engaging, our columnists provide insights and analysis that can’t be found elsewhere, making them a prime destination for WORLD readers. They range in their interests from orthodoxy, faith, politics, to world affairs, to business, to the arts, to the way we live. Here are the dates for 2020-2021: Apostles’ Fast: June 8 – July 11 (seafood allowed except Wed/Fri) St. Mary’s Fast: August 7 … It was something driven by radical enthusiasm and euphoria. The same is it. The rich have given much more, but because they had much more, their sacrifice was perhaps only 1%. Delivered to you by COPTICNN™ | Coptic News Network on 2020-12-29 from Kudelstaart. When we look at fasting like this, it first of all becomes more bearable but also more realistic, which means that the probability that we actually will see results will be (much) greater. The fasting period could also be seen as a training camp, where athletes train extra hard for a certain amount of time and for a specific goal. This is how we should see fasting, as a spiritual training camp where we should not leave it as the greatest saint of all times, but rather as a better version of ourselves. This will, obviously, not work because we are not even remotely trained to operate on such a high spiritual level. After explicitly illustrating the battle of the flesh against the spirit, he gives us hope by saying that ‘’who will deliver me from this body of death? If we count the weekly fasts of Wednesday and Fridays, the days before the minor and major feasts, personal fasting where you withhold yourself from breaking your fast in the morning up to a certain point, these add up to almost 200 days of the year, maybe more. Wasim Shehata believes that today our youth face many challenges, and we must answer all their questions as they strive to remain in the Orthodox faith. March 08, 2021. Those who cannot endure this length of fast are still encouraged to strictly abstain … By Subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions. COPTICNN™ | Coptic News Network & COPTICNN™ DIRECTORY | Christian Business Directory. So Christ teaches us that He looks at what we can give and how much we really give of it. This means that we either are completely free of sin, or else our fast has failed and there is no use of fasting at all. In the example of sinning 100 times a day, and 99 times after the fast, there is indeed progress. In Ethiopia, most holidays are centered around faith, family, and celebrations. If the maximum we can do is creep, and we creep ahead, then we give our full 100%, just like the widow, while it may not be a suggestion in the eyes of the people. Some may take food made of wheat and jaggery (cane sugar) for once during the day. Unrealistic expectations demotivate people and can lead to thoughts such as that fasting is useless because we see no fruits. As the Coptic Pope Shenouda III once said very nicely; “take one sin that bothers you most in your relationship with God, and make that sin the goal and subject of your fasting. Unrealistic expectations demotivate people and can lead to thoughts such as that fasting is useless because we see no fruits.” What Is The Benevolence Of Fasting? All Rights Reserved. The Lenten Fast Great Lent is the longest and strictest fasting season of the year. The practice of intermittent fasting (IF) seems to be here to stay. September 2021; 1 We: 26 Mesori 1737: 2 Th: 27 Mesori 1737: 3 Fr: 28 Mesori 1737: 4 Sa: 29 Mesori 1737: 5 Su: 30 Mesori 1737: 6 Mo: 1 Pi Kogi Enavot 1737: 7 Tu: 2 Pi Kogi Enavot 1737 When one side of the scale gets heavier, the other must get lighter as this is how physics works. If one side becomes heavier, the other side automatically becomes lighter and vice versa. The orthodox calendar co. Mawlid or milad marks the birth of the islamic prophet muhammed or mohamed in the year 570 of the gregorian calendar. Coptic and Ethiopian Easter Date in the current year: May 2, 2021 The majority of Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar or the Revised Julian calendar for calculating movable feasts. Often the problem lies in our expectations. Pope Tawadros II 2021 Feast Of Nativity Message, Coffee With Bishop Suriel: In Memory Of Pope Shenouda III – It Is Enough For Me To Just To See You My Father [E#18], President-elect Joe Biden Statement Celebrating Orthodox Christmas, Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej Dies Of COVID-19. We can neglect the Spirit and its works in us, and therefore be more like animals, or rather invest in our spiritual side and therefore become more like angels. Also, he is an extraordinary mental health advocate. “take one sin that bothers you most in your relationship with God, and make that sin the goal and subject of your fasting. These ‘’two natures’’ and their clash inside our hearts and minds is what Paul talks about here. BIBLE TEXT: Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Take part in the news with COPTICNN. The benevolence of fasting can be illustrated through the metaphor of a scale. Columnists: COPTICNN™ award-winning columnists are a fundamental pillar of our coverage. I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! By the example of the widow and the two coins. In 451 A.D., the Coptic Church split from the Roman Catholic Church, affirming the Nicene Creed but not agreeing with the Christological formulation of the Council of Chalcedon.Copts believe that Christ is one united nature stemming from two natures, divine and human "without mingling, without confusion, and without alteration" (from the Coptic divine liturgy). Coptic News Network; Because we have done something either out of a moment of euphoria, or wit temporary drive. The story is about Christ, who was when He was among the crowd ‘’and He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites’’ (Luke 21:1-2) and responded to this saying: “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all’’ (Luke 21:3). It is known as “the Great Fast,” and all animal products, including milk, butter, and cheese, are not to be eaten. rccg fasting and prayers 4 march 2021. topic: pulling down the stronghold of the enemy. The original tradition of the Church is for this period of abstinence to begin at midnight and last through sunset. But the 55-day Lenten fast leading up to Easter is the longest Coptic fasting period. On the other hand, someone who loses weight slowly but steady will in fact lose weight and not gain it again. Why so? Instead of dividing that amount of energy and time, it is better to concentrate them on one topic. I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! THE REDEEMED CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF GOD (RCCG) DIRECTORATE OF PRAYER 63 DAYS OF FASTING & PRAYERS PHASE 3 – 21 DAYS OF PRAYERS OF DEMAND FEBRUARY 22– MARCH 14,2021. Coptic Feasts for 2021. This will lead to a reduction in obstacles seen in our spiritual lives, as we continue to invest in our spiritual nature and the strength of it. This will automatically make the ‘’human side’’ lighter. The following is a list of Coptic Feasts, Fasts and other special occasions during the year of 2021. RCCG January 2021 Fasting and Prayer Points Guide 63 Days PDF RCCG NATIONAL PRAYER AND FASTING 2021* STREAM 1 (1st 21 Days) MONDAY 11TH JANUARY 2021 (DAY 1) Focus: Thanksgiving TEXT: Psalm 124:1-8 1 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say— 2 … We will succeed for a few days or maybe a few weeks, but afterwards we will fall because we can operate on such a high spiritual level. ), Great Lent: March 8 – April 24 (no seafood). Wasim is well-read into both the psychological and scientific aspects of, mostly, depression, anxiety, and panic disorders. The timing of eating matters for body weight and health, studies are starting to suggest. We should not forget that progress is still progress. However, as with any new habit you want to build, keeping track of your performance is a great way to make it a lot more successful. He did this in order for him to not be able to sleep, so when he would fall asleep he would suffocate and thereby wake up to continue his prayers. As long as you are moving forward there is progress, and that is what matters most”. How did Christ do this? Wasim Shehata's background is in Biomedical Sciences, and he is currently finishing his master's degree in Biomolecular Sciences. Our fasting is not merely a notion of avoiding certain foods but rather our fasting is to be able to say I choose to be like Christ and my Christ has died and has risen and overcame the world so I can also rise again through my fasting in Him and through Him. When Does the Coptic Church Fast? This can be compared to losing weight, somebody can lose 10 kg in a week, but will gain 15 kg in the following week. The sacrament also involves a liturgy of prayer and anointing with oil. For example, Abba Bishoy, the beloved of the Lord, who is a well-known saint in the Coptic Orthodox Church, used to pray with a rope around his neck. Powered by Restream https://restream.io/Tonight's Speaker : Pastor Dr. Pitter Smith The idea of fasting is, among other things, to invest more in our spiritual nature and thus to weaken our human nature and its will.