My beloved children in
the lands of immigration, both clergy and laity.
|
|
I congratulate you for
the Glorious Feast of the Resurrection, wishing you all that the Lord
returns it upon you with all goodness and blessing.
The resurrection of the Lord Christ was distinguished with an amazing power.
He is the only One who was victorious over death by Himself. In His
resurrection, He crushed death, and arose with the power of His Divinity.
Also, by His power, He came out of the closed tomb which had a great stone
upon it, without anyone seeing Him. Also with the same power, He entered the
upper room where the disciples were, while its doors were shut. After He
spent forty days with them speaking to them about matters pertaining to the
Kingdom of God, He ascended to the heavens with a great power, which is
against all the laws of gravitational force. Of course, it is the power of
His Divinity.
Therefore, St. Paul the
Apostle said about Him, in the Epistle to the Philippians 3:10 “that I may
know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His
sufferings...” This is why we also praised Him throughout the Holy Week,
confessing His power and saying to Him: “To You is the power ... Thok te tee
gom.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who arose with power, and ascended with power, also
grants us power. The Church started its history with power, when the Holy
Spirit descended upon the pure disciples. The Bible says: “And with great
power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And
great grace was upon them all.” - article from St-Takla.org
This power remained in the life of the Church. With great power, St. George
was able to tear the decree of the emperor. Even all the martyrs received
death with power, and they did not fear it. Instead, they reiterated the
expression “...having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far
better.” (Philippians 1:23)
Therefore, my beloved children and brethren, always be powerful. I mean,
that you have spiritual power by which you defeat Satan, all the power of
the enemy, all the wars of the ego, and all evil desires.
And in your victory, do not attribute this to your own personal power, but
to the power of God which works in you, now and always.
Lastly, be well and absolved from the Holy Spirit; and pray for me.
Signed
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
April, 2011
Send this page to a friend:
Bible | Daily Readings | Agbeya | Books | Lyrics | Gallery | Media | Links
https://st-takla.org/News/Coptic-Papal-Messages/Easter-Papal-Message-for-2011.html
Short URL (link):
tak.la/46jsjxf
