We see, beloved Brethren, that you have come together to-day as for a feast and that for this day you have gathered here in greater numbers than usual. We urge you to remember what you sang a moment ago; otherwise it will only mean that your tongue made some noise while your heart remained still. The sounds you have produced in each other’s ears, these it is for your love to reproduce with loud voice …

As we prepare to celebrate the Feast of Nayrouz, which is the feast of the new year beginning on September 12 in the Coptic Orthodox Church, we cannot help but notice the phrase, “Bless the crown of the year with Your Goodness, O Lord,” which is repeated throughout the hymns of the Church. This phrase is actually a quotation from Psalm 64:12 (LXX; 65 in the Protestant Bible), which reads, “Thou shalt bless the crown of …

As we conclude one year and begin another, it is fitting that we focus on our calling as Christians to a life of holiness, a calling that is especially pronounced for us as servants. Consider the words of the Holy Apostle Paul:But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we …