The Commemoration of the Life-Giving Annunciation
On the Twenty Ninth Day of the Blessed Month of Baramhat, the church commemorates the Annunciation of our Lady, the Theotokos, and the Virgin St. Mary.
When the appointed time by God since eternity for the salvation of the human race had come, God sent Gabriel the Archangel to the Virgin St. Mary, who is from the tribe of Judah the house of king David, to announce her with the Divine con-ception and the Glorious Birth. As the Holy Scriptures testifies, now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS."
He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."
Then the angel gave her the proof of the validity of his massage: "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. "For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-36)
When she laid accepted this Divine Annunciation, the Only Begotten Son, the Word of God, who is One of the Three eternal Persons, came and dwelt in her womb. And straightway, He united with humanity, a complete unity inseparable and unchangeable after the unity.
This day then is the first of all feasts, for in it was the begin-ning of the salvation of the world, which was fulfilled by the Holy Resurrection of our Lord, saving Adam and his offspring from the hands of Satan.
We ask Our God and Savior graciously to forgive our transgressions and pardon our sins. Amen.
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Chicago Copts is dedicated to connecting members of the Coptic Community in Chicago, strengthening bonds within the community, and to promoting and preserving Coptic culture. Chicago Copts motivates Coptic Americans to become active in Coptic issues by empowering the community through education and social networking events. Chicago Copts is committed to reaching out to our Coptic brothers and sisters in Chicagoland and abroad.
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Words Of Thanks
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Proverbs 31: 8-9
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We wanted to thank all those who attended the lecture given by Fr. Mattias Nasr Mankarious. There was a great turn out. We also want to thank the following:
Fr. Isaac Tanios
St. Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church, Palatine
Fr. Yohanna Nassif
St. Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church, Palatine
Fr. Wilbur David Ellsworth
Holy Transfiguration Antiochian Orthodox Church
Pastor Rev. Raouf Boulos
The Moody Church
We especially want to thank Fr. Mattias for being our speaker. Fr. Mattias was eager to go back to Egypt and, as he said, to be next to his children
in their time of need. We want to thank him for being a beam of light for Christianity and standing up for the preservation of Christianity in Egypt.
The Bible teaches us in the Book of Matthew: " ...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who
is in heaven." (Matt 5:16).
Thank you Fr. Mattias for being the light for us to all see and for being the father teaching your children the love, peace, and mercy of Christ. We know
how hard it is for you to see your children murdered, but we know that you are consoled to know that in dying in the name of Christ, they will be saved.
These things I have spoken unto you,
that in Me ye might have peace.
In the world ye shall have tribulation,
but be of good cheer:
I have overcome the world.
(John 16:32-33)
To download the power point presentation, click here.
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