SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

took their oil thriftily. When they went to buy (some) and came back, the door was shut in their faces. And He said to them, I do not know you, be vigilant, for you do not know that day or that hour. (18r) Are, my brethren, our hearts (made) of stone or of iron, that they are not in awe or fearful or terrified neither by preaching nor teaching, nor commandments. And we hear God's words being recited for us at every time. And we resemble the insane people in our listening to God's words, and afterwards we become unto it forsakers. As He said in the Gospel, "He who hears the words of God and does not work with it, he resembles a man that built his house upon the sand without a foundation. When the winds blew, it struck that house so it fell and its fall was exceedingly great." How would our answer be before God, judge of the living and the dead, when the hidden things will be uncovered and the secret things will be revealed, that which we used to commit them and hide its abominable deed (18v) before the people, and we are not abashed from God and from His angels who are safekeeping us. Our Master, glory be unto Him, says, "What is hidden and would not be revealed, or inaudible and would not be declared. What you say in secret will be heralded upon the roofs." Woe and Woe to who delay repentance before the doors of mercy are closed and the doors of wrath are opened. As He said, "The door of mercy is narrow and few are those that enter it." He also said, "How wide is the way that leads to the destruction" Our Master, glory be unto Him says, "What benefits man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul, or what is he given in place of his soul." For the soul has no value that we can give in its place. If man lives (19r) a thousand of years he must depart his life and be judged by his deed and upon every idle word that he utters it. According to the saying of our Master Jesus Christ, "Every idle word, you will give an account for it on Judgment day." So how can our salvation be before God and we commit the major sins. The Catholic Epistles says, "He who keeps all the commandments of the

Law and falls in one of them, he becomes judged by all." So how can salvation be for us and we commit all the sins that we are warned about them by the books of the Law that are present in the God's church, Old and New (Testament); and their number is eight-eight books. Books of the Old (Testament) are forty-six, and (19v) the New (Testament) are thirty-six. And all that are in them caution and warn us against committing the sin, and unto it we are doing. Let us beseech (?) God regarding this forgetfulness and be diligent in what has our salvation. For neither is the riches remains for the rich nor security for the secure nor happiness for the ones living in luxury nor joy and gladness for the elevated ones. And neither in the rest of praised (?) things are our pride or our edification. For the world with what is in it will be destroyed and vanish. Then God will permit sending (?) and the declaration(?) and revive those who are in the tombs and rewards the righteous by taking (?) them to Paradise, and the evil ones by making immortal in Hades. One God, one Lord, and one creator. There is no God before Him or after Him and no creator but Him and no worshipped being except him. May He be praised (and) how exalted is (20r) His stature. We praise Him and glorify Him for the abundance of His mercy and His compassion upon the sinners. May God make you, O the Christians listeners who are gathered in this holy church, among those who traded and gained each, thirty, sixty and hundred. And (may He) make you hear the joyous voice which says, "I found you faithful in the little (and) I will appoint you over the plenty. Enter into the joy of your Master while rejoicing." May God keep you alive for a hundred year being well until this hour, and keep for us and upon us the life of the father the honored patriarch, unmatched(?) of his era, and unique(?) of his time, who is vigilant over his flock(?) our father (...). And keep for us the lives of our honored fathers, (the) priests of this church and all the orthodox churches and gather all the scattered ones and trample(?) (20v) the devil under the feet of the Christian people, gathered in

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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