A DAY WITH THE LORD CHRIST

A DAY WITH THE LORD CHRIST

By

Saint Pishoy the Alexandrian (*)

(The Late Hegumen Father Pishoy Kamel)










Saint Philopateer Mercrius & Saint Abraam
Coptic Orthodox Church

3645 Torrance Blvd. Torrance, CA 90503
Church Tel: (310) 316-6997
www. Saintabraam.org



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Saint Pishoy the Alexandrian:
(*) This Title for father Pishoy Kamel was added by the typist as he loves to call him
† Introduction

1. This book by its nature is a way of testing our daily life. Its words are not to be read with their simple meaning, or just to be read. They’re supposed to have a practical meaning; word-by-word they’re supposed to be applied in our daily lives, which we want to live united with our Lord Christ. This booklet can be summarized by saying that it’s a way for us to train ourselves to live the life we preach as a helpful way to do all our daily activities with Christ, though Christ, and in Christ. This life is not a matter of freedom of will only, but it’s unity between freedom of will and prayer, guided by the mercy of God.

2. These first pages are an introduction to those who are willing to spend their day evaluating themselves by themselves without any human interference, where Christ himself is the only teacher. These self-reflections don’t have to be long, but they can happen when you’re by yourself or even when you’re surrounded by people. It’s enough for you to find a few minutes to read a few lines of a book and apply them in you daily life. There’s no specific routine for your day in this booklet. It just gives you the main guidelines to follow.

3. Some people may use this booklet as a way of forming a certain routine for their daily lives, which could be extended to the point where it looks exactly as a day in the life of Christ Himself.

4. This booklet can be especially helpful for those who live alone. As for those ho are married, they can use this book hover it fits them. This booklet is all Biblical words, so let Christ Himself talk

5. Congregational prayers (those said in the church) including dogma and sacraments are not mentioned in this booklet; however they are crucial and are important priorities, which we have to practice in our lives. The main point of this booklet is to find a way to connect our spiritual enlightening with our daily lives.

6. This attempt to unite with Christ may seem like something new. The trust is that many of our great fathers applied it in their daily lives. St. Basil in his writings expresses the application of our lives with the words of the Saviour. St. Gregory of Nazianzus also writes to us saying “ Our Christ slept to bless our sleeping, He endured many things to bless our action, and He cried to bless our tears”. Such writings of our fathers show how important this booklet is.
† Dear Reader,

This is the introduction, which was presented by the author to the readers and the church. We present to you this booklet to ask you to try life with Christ. The practical ways to do that is by memorizing the verses mentioned in this booklet and repeat them throughout your day. Your next step will be done through the help of the Holy Spirit by finding other verses from the Holy Bible and adding them to the ones mentioned here. Start by dedicating a notebook specifically for a verse that you read everyday and that you feel is related to our daily life. The church has previously presented to us a book names “The Prayer of Christ” to test the power of Christ’s name in your personal life. It has also presented a book named “ A Conversation with the Saviour” as an example of studyingthe world of God and meditating in it.
Now, as the church presents to you all these books as a small example, through the will of God, they will be a first step for a life of meditation and applying the word of God so that we can sing with David saying “In His law He meditates day and night.”
May the Holy Spirit drive every reader to live a life full of our Lord, which will keep moving forward until it changes from a source of living water to eternal life. May the Lord bless the life of this eastern monk who recorded his experiences. Through the intercessions of our Lady and Mother Virgin Mary, the prayers of our pope who sits on the seat of St. Mark His Holiness Pope Shenouda the Third. Amen. May the Lord bless the efforts of Dr. George Tadros for editing this book




The Church

Commemoration of the departure of
Fr. Bishoy Kamel
March 21, 2009




A Day with the Lord Christ


† When I wake up in the morning

“ I lay down and slept; I woke, for the Lord sustained me” (Psalm 3:5)

Before anything let’s give thanks to our God who covered us, guarded us and passed our night peacefully.

“I will rise and go to my father” (Luke 15:18)

Let us have our main goal and direct the whole day towards our Father so that we can live in His arms. We should go to him as sinners as we repent with the words of the prodigal son in our mouths saying, “I will rise and go to my father.” In going to our Father, we will find him lovingly waiting for us, knocking on our doors, waiting for a daily conversation with us in the morning.

“ The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold he stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, Gazing through the lattice” (Song of Solomon 2:8-9)

“It is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying, “Open for me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one…” (Song of Solomon 5:2)

“My beloved spoke, and said to me: Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away” (Song of Solomon 2:10)

This is an invitation for us to meet the Beloved, a meeting full of love and gentleness. We are invited every new morning to have a meeting and a conversation with our dear Christ.

“Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb” (Mark 16:2)
The rising of the Lord in the very early morning makes us direct our thoughts and emotions every morning towards the rising Lord, who conquered death and all the human powers. Let us go with the Marys with our little anointments and spices.


† When I’m washing my face

“Pure me with hyssop, and I shall be purified; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow”(Psalm 50: 2-3)

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though your sins are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18)

Water is the only means to purifications, and the cleanliness of the body is a symbol of the purification of the spirit. This way, God is providing us with the forgiveness of our sins and the purification of our souls we ask for it with faith from the depth of our hearts.

“I shall wash my hands in innocence; so I will go about your altar, O Lord” (Psalm 26:6)

After our repentance and the forgiveness of our sins, we must reach a stage of having a pure heart, which prepares us to get close to God during our prayer. This means that the purification of the heart is a necessity.

“For as many of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27)

“Are you able… to be baptized with the baptism that I’m baptized with?” (Matthew 20:22)

Every time we wash ourselves with water, we remember the mercy of the Lord, which renewed in us the sacrament of baptism. Let us use this opportunity to wash ourselves on the inside and obtain the blessing of baptism. Baptism is not only for the forgiveness of our sins, but it is also a way for us to put on Christ. Through it we share with him the baptism, which refers to His pain and His grief.


† When I’m Getting Dressed

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have a wedding garment. So he said to him ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment” (Matthew 22:11-12)

We are always the guests of the Heavenly King, invited to the feast of the eternal life or the wedding of the Son of the King to the entire human race… Do I have the garment that qualifies me to attend the wedding? Is my inside prepared for this wedding?

“But the father said to his servants ‘ Bring out the best robe and put it on him” (Luke 15:22)

Therefore, if we don’t have the suitable garment, let us go to our Heavenly Father with humility and humbleness, confessing that we don’t have the garment. This is when He will give us a garment, which is much better than the one we asked for… the ones we never expected. What better garment than the first one He gave us?

“ Which I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine. (Ezekiel 16:8)

Here the Lord himself, and not any of His servants, is covering me with His wing, and through this I become His own.

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as the brie adorns herself with jewels” (Isaiah 61:10)
The glory of God is a pleasure to my soul and gives it glory, because the wedding of the son of the King is MY wedding. Every new day I shall say to myself “here’s the day of your wedding with the Lord.” Every day my soul shall rejoice with this heavenly celebration.

“Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21)

The secret of the wedding outfit lies in the tunics that God made for the First Adam. He made it form a killed lamb, representing the Lord Christ who was killed for the salvation of the world.


† When I’m Eating Breakfast

“And looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes” (Matthew 14:19)

When we sit down to have our breakfast, we should sit down and eat it from the hands of the Lord after He had blessed it, and since it is the first meal in our new day, we should eat it with our eyes towards heaven.

“Lord, give us this bread always” (John 6:34)

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”(John 6:51)

“Whoever eats My flesh and dr8inks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:54)

“Jesus stood and dried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37)

Eating the body of Christ and drinking His blood is necessary for our lives. In addition, the invisible food, which is faith and love, is crucial for us to survive for the rest of our lives. With this determination, we can make breakfast and even every meal a time to spend with the Lord, the Bread of life.


† When you read the Bible:

“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 7:4)

As our bodies need the earthly food and our spirits need the body of Christ, we also need the word of God in our lives.

After saying that, I should start asking myself the following questions:
1) Do I read?
2) What am I reading?
3) How am I reading?
4) How prepared am I to read?

“Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I hat eaten it, my stomach became bitter” (Revelation 10:10)

This means then that we need to eat the word of God, and digest it in the stomach of our lives. This bitterness, which became in the stomach, goes back to the fact that the word of God is against our animalistic nature, unlike our human nature. Meanwhile, it tastes good in the mouth because of the benefits that we get from it. It tastes good to our tongues, which need to talk about what goes on in our minds in terms of the good things around us.


† Morning Prayer and the meditation:

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place”(Matthew 6:6)

“I will hear what God the LORD will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints.” (Psalm 85:5)

“If He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears…” (1 Samuel 3:9)

The Holy Bible assures us the importance of the silent prayer, which goes on directly between the Heavenly Father and His children. It is a two-way conversation rather than just a speech from one side. It is not just a prayer where one person is talking as much as it is us a chance for us to talk then listens to the voice of God and His direction.

“My son, give me your heart” (Proverbs 23:26)

The best prayer can happen if I give my heart completely to God. It is a secret gift that I can give God. It is an introduction to the continuous daily meditation although I am not really verbally saying anything. It is enough to just be silent but give myself… all of me to the Lord.




† Daily Tasks:

“I am not worthy to have You under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:8)

“I also am a man under authority” (Matthew 8:9)

“Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3)

“The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail” (Isaiah 58:11)

“Lord, what do You want me to do?” (Acts 9:6)

1) Letting God be in charge:
Ask God to be in charge of every single thing in your life, and every morning have a desire to receive from Him your schedule for you day. Make sure you record in that schedule the smallest tasks, which might seem unimportant such as you conversations, meetings… etc. When you ask God to be in charge, it is as if you are giving Him a present every day.

2) Obedience with humility
Be careful when your desires are against the divine will (orders) of God. It’s very important for us to live with complete obedience to the divine guidance rather than just saying so. Let us try to grow ourselves in that obedience which is only a part of our obedience to the Heavenly Father.

“Behold I have come to do your will, O God” (Hebrews 10:7)


† The Lord’s Prayer:

“In this manner, therefore, pray… (Matthew 6:9)

The Lord’s Prayer achieves its actual purpose when we pray as Christ meant it, and when he said “In this manner,” He meant exactly that manner and jot just the words. He meant the words as well as the way He was thinking when He said it. In other words, we need to pray with complete selflessness and submission to the will of God.



† At Work:

“My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” (John 5:17)

“Son, go, work today in my vineyard” (Matthew 21:27)

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

Every task, regardless of how small it is whether you clean the streets or cook food or are even a student at school… it is nothing other than a part of the transient work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: a part of the divine vineyard… a part of a great service in the body of Christ, directed by the Holy Spirit through our talents.

“And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of ours hands for us; Yes establish the work of our hands” (Psalm 90:17)

God’s hands help us and support us in our daily tasks, just like they did in His house in Nazareth. The more a task may seem insignificant the more you’ll feel God’s presence with all His beauty and eminence, as long as this task is in complete submission to the will of God, and as long as God is in your heart and your mind.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5-7)

“For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27)

Every task is “service.” This service is what makes us “servants” in the same image, which the ultimate Servant, Our Lord, drew for us in His service to everyone around Him. We should also rejoice for our unseen service without chasing any sort of fame or reputation.

“In Your light we see light.” (Psalm 36:9)

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13)

Our mental work has its own divine impression as long as its main purpose is good. Those of us who practice mental work on a daily basis need to have humbleness, asking for the assistance and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in whatever we do so that we can be guided by His shining light. People shouldn’t follow their minds to the point, which will make them lose their freedom in Christ. They need to resist any attempt by the enemy, which will interrupt that freedom of the spirit or stop it from being released to fly.


† At Noon:

Tell me, O you, whom I love,
Where you feed your flock,
Where you make it rest at noon.
For why should I be as one who veils herself
By the flocks of you companions? (Song of Songs 1:7)

Noon is usually a good time for us to get closer to the good shepherd who guides us to the green land so that we can eat from his hands… He himself is the one who guides us and feeds.

“Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet the and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favour in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant” (Genesis 18:1-3)

Noon is the time of clear vision… It’s a moment of ascension… The Father, the son and the Holy Spirit pass by us. Let us say with Abraham “My Lord, if I have now found favour in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant”

“Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied form His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (John 4:6-7)

When Christ got tired from looking for me and waiting for a long time, He went to wait for me by the well where He knew I will go to and drink
Here I am Lord… I came to listen to you and get the real water from you… there by Jacob’s well.
These few minutes that we have with good at noon are very important in our daily lives to help direct our thoughts.


† At the Table:

“But while they still did not believe for joy, and marvelled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate it in their presence” (Luke 24:41-43)
We should never sit at the table if we’re not sure that our eyes are full of that fait which can make us see Christ on that table. Let us eat and drink in complete union with Him when He was on Earth… in communion with the glory of His father… to be a part of His service for His brethren.

“They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (Psalm 69:21)

We should always keep this thought in our minds while we’re eating ot protect us from the lack of balance that happens to us when we’re full.

“For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink”(Matthew 25:35)

Every time we eat, we should remember the poor, so that we can do whatever we can for them and ask God to help them.


† Naptime and resting;

Our Lord Jesus Christ himself had some time for resting from all the exhausting tasks that He used to do.
He used some “alone time” every now and then where He used to spend His time meditation… looking at the animals and the birds… spending time with little children… participating in various activities. This is the real resting which was mentioned to us in the Holy Bible.
In spite of all the technology and the changes in our lifestyles today, this meditation time still has its value today. So now the question becomes “How do we spend our free time?”
“Is it possible to involve Christ in our free time?”

“And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place an rest a while” (Mark 6:31)

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:28-29)

“And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts” (Mark 1:13)

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them… And He took them up in his hands and blessed them” (Mark 10:13-16)

“On the third day there was a wadding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.” (John 2:1-2)

“And said to him, “Zaccheus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.” (Luke 19:5-6)

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children” (Matthew 11:19)




† Difficulty of the day:

“But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials” (Luke 22:28)

We are tempted and we’ll always be tempted, but our temptations and our tribulations are nothing but a part of the temptation of Christ, in Christ, and His passions in Gethsemane. This is the view that we need to have in orders to surpass our tribulations and elevate to the best meanings of a tribulation… later you will “continuously” become a part of Christ… and his tribulations.

“So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him. “o you of little faith, who did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:29-31)

From these verses we can learn that we should never look at the temptation or the person being tempted… instead, our sights should always be directed to “CHRIST”… Only look at Christ… this is the most necessary condition in order to surpass any tribulation.

“Have mercy upon me, O god, According to Your loving kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1)`

Due to the weak nature of our humanity, sometimes we fall even in the midst of that environment that we live in with Christ. When we fall however, we must arise immediately and repent… just remember that the look which the Lord gave St. Peter when he denied him... made him cry.
My brethren, we should always meditate and try to receive those looks, which the Lord gives during the fall and after.

“And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him” (Matthew 8:7)

“Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick” (John 11:13)

“By your patience possess your souls” (Luke 21:19)

In tribulation of sickness for example, the lord is capable of healing us.
We trust God’s ability to heal,
We trust His exceeding love,
We trust that He knows what’s best for us.
If he never grants us this healing in spite of our faith and our supplications and prayers… we need to surrender to Him. Not only that, but we should also thank and bless the will of the Lord.

“And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.” (John 11:34-35)

Christ shares our grief with us… He also cries for those who He loved unto death, when He was in the earthly flesh.

“When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:54-55)

When temptation comes, which are from envy or hatred to others, if we can, we should direct our eyes towards heaven at the moment of temptation. If we do, we’ll see the Lord Christ instead of looking at those who are giving us a hard time. This is the highest level of the heavenly blessing, which is given to us in the midst of all the deadly earthly storms.


† In the midst of the world- with friends:

“By night on my bed I sought the one I love;
I sought him, but I did not find him.
“I will rise now,” I said,

“And go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
I will seek the one I love.”
I sought him, but I didn’t not find him”
(Song of Songs 3:1-2)

Sometimes, we feel like Christ is not in front of our eyes anymore and we get tired of trying to find him. In these times, we should go to people and try to find Him. In these times, we should go to people and try to find Him in their midst.

“He appeared in another form” (Mark 12:16)

He was the Gardner… He was the one traveling to Emmaus.. He was the stranger who appeared to his disciples on the shore of the sea of Galilee… He was… but none His close friends could recognize Him.
Christ appears to us in “another from” in the form of those surrounding us to make it easier for us to see Him, as one of the people we live with.


“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to me.”
(Matthew 25:37-40)

That is the secret of discovering the presence of God in our midst today. This is how we test the presence of our God who rose from the dead in our lives today. This is how we can touch the wounds of the Lord and to see the scars of the nails in the lives of the people, who are the body of Christ, who suffer from the pains of this world.



“Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:3-4)

“And when this sound occurred, the multitudes came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.” (Acts 2:6)

This is how every person who lives with the Lord accepts the Holy Spirit. He can speak in many tongues. Not in human tongues, but He can speak to the emotions of others… share their pains and thoughts… He can find a way to everyone’s heart and discover their personalities and their natures.


† The Ninth hour:

“If anyone desires to come after me, le him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)

What does HIS cross mean? Our view of the cross can never be theoretical or general. What is that true determination and understanding that Christ is asking us to have now?
The point of this determination is for me to find Christ and accept Him for He is my own private cross as well as being part of Christ’s cross.



“Greater love has no one that this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Absolute love requires us to:To be ready to sacrifice our lives for others immediately and die for them.
If we can’t die from them at one point, then at least we need to die for them gradually with a spirit of sacrifice, which has a sole purpose of death.
There are n small crosses, there’s only one, which is the cross of Golgotha. This means that we need to practice all kinds of death in the spirit of death in Golgotha.



“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I know live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Absolute love can never be achieved unless the person of Christ replaces us and He becomes the centre of our prayers, desires, and even our existence. Therefore we need to lose the ego and be crucified with Christ to start a new life. We are mistaken if we think that we can take our Christianity lightly. Our Christianity is crucifixion, but the joy of that crucifixion is priceless. Every day is a new Good Friday before it’s a new Easter.



“ I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church.” (Colossians 1:24)

He suffered for us. Therefore, if we are crucified with Christ, then we are participating in His work of salvation. We should have a personal understanding of Christ’s mysterious body. At that point we can see in our lives the examples of sacrifice such as solitude, releasing all the desired of the world including riches and money, chastity and obedience. Giving up all of these things are considered nonsense to the world.



“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering.” (2 Timothy 4:6)

As we present ourselves as burnt offering, we are becoming in unity with Christ as He presents Himself… Are we truly ready for this?



“And laid it in His new tomb which he had hew out of the rock” (Matthew 27:6)



“He who dwells in the secret of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)

Quietness, secrecy, and the private life with Christ, as well as the life of meditation, are in the capability of any of us even if it’s within a few minutes of our daily schedule. These few minutes are the most precious minutes in our life in which we try to be invisible or insignificant in front of the others.



“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3)

Let us be a part of His crucifixion and His burial.
Let us stand with Christ next to the Father in silence and unity.






† Evening’s Song:

“And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.” (Matthew 14:23)



“My heart was hot within me;
While I was musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue.” (Psalm 39:3)



“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance f the cave.” (1 Kings 19:11-13)



“Today, if you will hear his voice,
Do not harden your heart” (Hebrews 3:7-8)



“You who dwell in the gardens,
The companions listen for your voice-
Let me hear it!”(Song of Songs 8:13)



“My beloved has gone to his garden,
To the beds of spices, to feed his flock in the gardens,
And to gather lilies”
(Song of Songs 6:2)



At that time, the quiet time of sunset, let’s keep some moments for ourselves with the Lord in which we meet Him in His heavens while listening to the quiet voice of the beloved..



† Supper with Christ:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (Revelations 3:20)


“But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to stay with them. (Luke 24:29)

Sometimes we approach Him, and sometimes He approaches us. Let us always have the desire to have supper with Him just like He has that desire.


“With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you.” (Luke 22:15)

His desire is not to only have food with Him, but to be a part of His feast. Every meal can become that spiritual, feast that internal food coming from the lamb, which was sacrificed for our sake and a commemoration of His last supper. Every supper should have its own sanctity, carrying all these meanings.


“If I do not wash you, you have no part with ME.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” (John 13:8-9)

The washing of feet is a preparation for the supper of the Lord. At the end of the day and before that supper with the Lord, we should be purified from all the dirt of the sin, which we received throughout the day. Let’s look with an eye of faith at the Lord Jesus Christ pouring water from a vessel on our feet to wash them then drying them for us. He is kneeling at my feet while I should have been bowing at His feet, crying like the sinful woman.


“AS He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him.” (Luke 24:30-31)

My dear Lord, let every time we break the bread become a time when we confess your presence among us. Let us also remember that breaking the bread should be with others. (“Breaking the bread” means our alms). In other words, wherever there is giving and offerings, that is where the Lord is and when we break the bread for His sake, that is when we can accept Him and live in Him.

“Now there was learning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved’ (John 13:23)

Every period of time that we have after our communion with the Lord is a period blessed with the truth. In that period, I can get into Christ’s bosom and whisper words that no one else will hear… it’s a conversation, which follows the supper of the Lord. It could be at least just silence… it’s the experience of the mysterious unity with Christ.


† Gethsemane

“Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives” (Luke 22:39)

“For Jesus often met there with His disciples.” (John 18:2)

“Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40)

Jesus wants to take u with him to Gethsemane if we want to. Let us join Him in His watch… Did we offer one hour to that sanctified watch? If we can’t do that, then at least we need to have some daily spiritual sessions at Gethsemane.



“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not
My will, buy Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Let us accept His cup and deny ourselves. Let us get attached to the will of God with complete unity with Christ… that is the fruit of Gethsemane.

In order for us to be able to go in the practical path, we need to offer real acceptable worship to Christ for His passion and His sweat, which dropped like drops of blood.

“Let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts.” (Jeremiah 27:18)


The spiritual moments in Gethsemane are the best moments for us to offer our desires. Our desires become one as the desires of Christ for the whole world through His passion. At the moment there’s no need for too much talking. We have nothing but to become one with Christ and He will offer all our human needs to the Father.



“And he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12)


He made a strong intercession for the sake of sinners… for all the sins which we commit during that night.


“Father forgive them”


“Let my prayer be set before you as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:2)

Let us offer sacrifice… Offer ourselves to God before we rest at night.
† Removing our clothes:

‘They stripped Him’ (Matthew 27:28)

Let us get stripped form everything in the world with Christ in His passions…
I give everything I have to my Savoir…
Remove everything from me… But do not be far from me, my Savior.


† Sleeping:

“ Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:36)

I don’t only offer what I have, but also myself… complete self-offering, which is the work of complete faith. With the last movement while awake before we sleep, we say the words that our Saviour said in His sacrifice on the cross.



“Having said this, He breathed His last.” (Luke 23:46)

Sleeping is considered a relative departure of spirit. My going to sleep is related mysteriously to the death of Christ if there is a foundation of our relationship between Christ and us. Departure of soul is not just a necessary act of nature, but it is rather a wilful presentation of our spirit to our Father in sleep as in death.



“But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.” (Mark 4:38)

Our sleep was blessed by the sleeping of the Lord in the flesh. In other words, when I sleep, I participate with Christ in his sleep. Let the sleeping of Christ be the same as ours.

“I sleep, but my heart is awake.” (Song of songs 5:2)
My heart can be awake while I’m asleep if I offer it in the hands of Christ.



“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!”(Matthew 25:6)
“Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.” (Mark 13:35-36)


If we wake up in the middle of the night, willingly or unwillingly, we should remember His coming. Not only the second coming full of glory, but also His coming at the moment when we give our last breath, and that every time I wake up I become closer to that moment of meeting the Saviour in person. Probably I’m very close to it.

Going to sleep is part of my human nature, but my lamp should be clean, have oil, and be ready just like the wise virgins.

The coming of Christ should be in every moment of our lives. He comes and comes in every moment… He comes in the moment of our departure, and he comes now and forever. Am I ready for his coming?

The one coming is not only the Master of the house… He is the bridegroom… He is the Beloved. Once more, it represents the strong relationship between Christ and the spirit, just like marriage. It is more than just friendship… and that is the great secret of a spiritual life. This is also why we should wait for the coming with eagerness, on that day we will go with Christ and all the voices of our eagerness will be silent.


“Make haste, my beloved,
And be like a gazelle
Or a young stag
On the mountains of spices.” (Song of songs 8:14)

“He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)


†

Creed of the Coptic Orthodox Church

In the daily prayers (1)

In order for the church to be able to follow the teachings of Christ, we need to pray all the time without boredom. This is why the church divided the twelve hours of the day into six parts. Then, it made for every part of the day its own prayer full of psalms, and a chapter of gospel in addition to certain parts of prayers. As for nigh, there’s one prayer divided into three parts.

This way, we are following the teachings of Christ by praying the seven hours, each in its own time. These prayers in the Agpeya represent the creed of a spiritual life, which is founded by and sanctified with prayers, self-discipline, and the expression of the continuous awakening of the heart. We pray these prayers while we wait for the happy ending which is the coming of the bridegroom as assured by the Lord.
“And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37) Therefore the seven prayers end everyday with the midnight prayer expressing the “awakening” until the coming of the bridegroom…(2)
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(2) From the Book: the Spiritual Pain
† Hours of prayers:

(1) The prayer of the First hour: 6 am.
(Or upon waking up in the morning)

This hour commemorates the resurrection of the Lord on that early Sunday morning, which is why we say “He rose from the dead on the third day and raised us up with Him.”

With it comes the light of the day, because the light represents the Lord Jesus Christ who is the true Light and this is why we say in the first piece after the gospel “O the true light who shines upon every man…” and in the second piece “As the daylight shines upon us, l the luminous senses and the bright thoughts shine within us, and do not let the gloom of paing hover over us.”

In this prayer, we assure that the Lord Christ is the beginning of every task for the whole day as we say in the Gospel “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God, everything through Him was made and without Him nothing was made that was made…”

(2) The prayer of the Third hour: 9 am

This hour commemorates the hour in which the Holy Sprit descended upon the disciples on the day of the Pentecost. In the pieces after the Gospel we pray “Your Holy Spirit do not take from me”…”renew a right spirit within me… a spirit of prophecy and chastity, a spirit of holiness.” Then we say “Cleanse us from all defilement, and save our souls.”

This hour also commemorates the hour in which Jesus Christ was convicted. At that moment the Lord was scourged 29 times with cruelty for our sins. And on His head (the holiest spot) was put a crown of thorns for the sake of our thoughts and the sins of our minds. In this hour, the verdict was the death of our Lord by carrying that cross which carries the verdict of my innocence in each of its corners.


(3) The prayer of the Sixth hour: 12 pm

This hour commemorates the holiest of the day, the hour of the ascension of Christ to the throne of crucifixion, the hour in which the nails were piercing His hands, and in it we pray “Put an end to our pains by Your life-giving and healing passion, and the nails by which You were pierced, save our minds from the thoughtless and worthless works and the lusts of this world, and turn our thoughts to the remembrance of Your heavenly commandments through You great compassion.”


Then we look at his arms, which are stretched on the cross
And say thankfully

“You made salvation in the mist of all the earth, O Christ our Lord, as You stretched Your pure arms on the cross. Hence all nations cry out, saying: Glory be to You, O lord… We worship Your incorrupt Person… For of Your own will, You were pleased to go up on the cross and save those whom You created from the bondage of the enemy… We give thanks to You, for You have filled all with joy, O Savior…”

In the gospel of this hour, the gospel says:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit…” Let us humble ourselves before the Lord.


“Blessed are those who mourn…” Let us mourn for our sins.


“Blessed are the meek…” Let us learn how to deal with our coworkers


“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” Let u always hunger and thirst for the presence of the Lord.


“Blessed are the merciful…” Let us do deeds of mercy all day.


“Blessed are the pure in heart…” Let us watch our lusts, our personality, the thoughts of our minds and watch for jealousy and anger.


“Blessed are the peacemakers…” Let us have peace as a purpose at work


“Blessed are those who are persecuted… rejoice and be exceedingly glad…” Let us bear the burden with our God who carried the shame of the cross without crime.


Then it says: “You are the salt of the earth… you are the light of the world.” Let us remember the reason why God put us where we work, and be aware of fear and complaints. Let us also understand what our mission is in that place which sometimes might seem like it is hard to live in… our mission is to glorify the name of the Lord by becoming the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

(4) The prayer of the Ninth hour: 3 pm

This hour commemorates the hour in which the Lord gave up His pure spirit on the cross saying “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.” In that hour we commit all the hardships of our day and all what we have in the hands of the Father.

Around that hour, the Lord was pierced with a spear in his holy side out of which can water and blood, which encourages us to take every reckless pierce of this worlds.

In that hour also, our Lord thirsted and said “I an thirsty.” He is thirsty for our lost souls… this thirst encourages us to bear all thirst, deprivation, and abstinence as a commemoration of that thirst. This is the hour until which the church ordered us to fast the great lent, every Wednesday, every Friday, and especially Good Friday as a commemoration of the thirst of our Saviour.

This is also the hour in which the Lord promised the right hand thief of his entrance to paradise, which is why we say “You guided the thief to join You in paradise, do not forget or reject me for I have strayed.”

In this hour also, the Lord descended into Hades through the cross “Having disarmed principalities and power, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15) Then He restored Adam and his descendants to paradise. That’s why we pray in the absolution of the hour and say “Accept us unto you, O our Lord Jesus Christ as You accepted the thief on Your right while you were hanging on the cross, cause Your light to shine upon us as you shone upon those who were dwelling in the darkness of Hades. Restore us all to Paradise…


We remember in this hour the suffering Mother, St. Mary, as we say with her “As for the world: let it rejoice in receiving Salvation, but as for me: my inward parts are burning with pain within me when I behold Your crucifixion which You are patiently enduring, for the sake of all, O my son and my God.” As we say this, we ask for her intercession, as we are sure of her love for us. As for the Gospel, it talk bout the power of the Lords and His responsibility to fill the materialistic needs of the multitude that come to Him for their spiritual needs. He announces to us that all the multitudes that He fed were full and that the twelve baskets were left over. This draws our attention to the fact that for every spiritual of materialistic imperfection in my relationship with others the Lord will complete it so that all are full.



(5) The prayer of the Eleventh hour: 5 pm

This hour commemorates the taking down of our lord’s pure body off the cross in fear and humbleness. It is the last picture of the cross on which the Lord bore all the shame, taking it until death. This is also t h highest level of self-sacrifice for the sake of man.


Sunset refers to the sunset in our lives, and that is why Agpeya prayers following the gospel remind us of the burdens and the heat of the day, but then it reminds us of the mercy of God who gave the labourers of the eleventh hour like he gave to those of the first hour.

The gospel talks to us about the sunset (the end of the day) when those were sick failed to treat their psychological, physical, and spiritual sicknesses… al those who had someone who was sick with various diseases gave them to Him. He put His hand one of them and healed them, which assures us that the healing of our sickness is done upon the touch of our Lord.


As for the psalms of this hour, they are greatly related to the spiritual sunset
“Woe to me for my journey has longed… Long did my soul live in a journey” … the whole life is a journey.

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills from which comes help… The sun shall not strike you by day.”

“The swollen waters would have gone over our soul”… The whole day is full, of swollen water, but the Lord is the one who passes them by without hurting us.

“The snare is broken, and we have escaped” … Think of how many snares have been broke around us, and we never knew about them.

“Those who sow in tears hall reap in joy” … This is the good fruit of those who sow spiritually.


(6) The prayer of the Twelfth hour

This hour commemorates the hour of Christ’s burial, which He went through to bury my sins, and He went into the tomb, which is filled with the darkness of our sins so that He can enlighten it with His pure body.

A man’s sleep represents his death, which is why the church chose the prayer of Simon the elder “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to you work; for my eyes have seen Your salvation.” The wish of a man with faith who has seen the salvation of the Lord, is to sleep in the hands of the Lord and to commit his spirit in the hands of Jesus Christ “Lord, into Your hands I commit my spirit.” One of the psalms in the prayers of this hour assures the fact that Christ would not give sleep to his eyes or slumber to his eyelids, until he finds a place for the Lord in his life “Surely, I will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the mighty one of Jacob.” (Psalm 131)

Sleep also represents to the ending of someone’s life, which is why it is good for one to look at the deeds he did throughout the day and say with the pieces of this hour “Behold, I’m about to stand before the just judge, terrified and trembling because of my many sins, for a life spent in pleasures deserves condemnation. But repent, O my soul… if your deeds and ugly evils were revealed before the just judge, what would you give for an answer?”

(7) The prayer of the Midnight Hour

We start this prayer by singing “Arise, O children of the night, let us praise the Lord of hosts…” This is because the night is the time for the children of light to arise… “Whenever we stand before you in the flesh cast away from our minds the negligent sleep. Gant us wakefulness, O Lord so that we may know how to stand before You at times of prayer… and win the forgiveness of our many sins.”

When we practice this prayer, we obtain grace and strength, which makes up for every fatigue or weariness we think we will have when we arise to pray at that late hour. It’s been known that there’s a special angel to provide us with that strength. In cases of staying late during work, there is no way for someone to be deprived from a few minutes to join the children of light to praise the Bridegroom… the prayer of the midnight hour represents the full awakening and meeting the bridegroom, in fact this really happens in a way that makes the ending of ever day a victory to meet the Lord. (1)
(A) The First Watch:
The prayers of this hour talk about the wise and the f9oolish virgins, and about the awakening to meet the bridegroom.

As for the gospel, it talks specifically about the coming of Christ in the middle of night… to assure the importance of staying awake and watching for the coming of the Bridegroom

The most serious position is that of the foolish virgins when they standing outside and the door was shut in front of them.

To sum up, the assembly with the Lord will happen between the heavenly Bridegroom and the soul whish is awake and waiting.


(B) The Second Watch:

The prayers of this hour talk about the sinful woman.

Our meeting with the Lord in the middle of the night is a meeting of a repenting man, just like that of the sinful woman

Our meeting with the Lord in the middle of the night is a meeting full of love, just like the sinful woman loved.
Our meeting with the Lord in the middle of the night is a meeting of tears (she began to wet His feet with her tears).

Our meeting with the Lord in the middle of the night is a meeting at the Lord’s feet (a meeting of self denial and kneeling).

Our meeting with the Lord in the middle of the night is a meeting of pouring perfume (a symbol of surrendering our life and submitting our life to God.) The last word that the spirit hears in that meeting is “Your fait has saved you; go in peace.”


(C) The Third Watch:

It is the conclusion of all prayers and talk about:
The complete submission of our lives to Christ “Sell all your possessions and give to the poor…” “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. The treasure of the true Christian on his journey on earth is in heaven

Staying awake waiting for the bridegroom

Service and the work of the true manager whom Christ will trust or his servants

The last thing we hear in the midnight prayer “Come to Me, you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the Foundation of the world” Yes, O Lord, prepare for us to be at that hour without fear.” AMEN!”

†

The times and the amount of prayer
And its relationship with the Cross of Lord

(1) The hour of every prayer is related to the passions of the Lord Christ and to important events related to man’s life. That’ why these prayers need to be prayed at their right time, so that we can remember what was done for our sake and what the Lord went through in these hours.

In the Morning Prayer, we remember the resurrection of the Lord on the early Sunday morning for our sake.

At 9am, we remember the descent of the Holy Sprit, the crown of thorns and the scourges… for our sake.

At 12pm, we remember the crucifixion of the Lord and his passions

At 3pm, we remember the death of the Lord… etc.

Our love to Christ increases as we meditate more into the cross. Just the standing of a sinner in front of the lord with the cross in his hand, asking for the forgiveness of his sins drops all his sins off of him, and its penalty is removed and its curse is detached, which is why it is important for everyone to carry his/her cross, and deny oneself during praying.

Let us all be sure that when we remember the cross of Christ, it is a moment of blessing and that we should try to remember this possibly even the whole day. It is a blessing to the place that we prayed in and even o those around us.

(2) The amount of prayers:

We are not required to pray all the prayers in terms of the quantity, but we should train ourselves to memorize the gospels of every hour and pray them at the assigned hour. Then we can teach ourselves to memorize the pieces and pray them with the pieces that we memorized… after that, we could add a psalm as much as we are given by the grace of God. Every one of these prayers will not take more than a few minutes, but we should pray the prayer of the first and twelfth hour as much as we can, depending on our circumstances. These are the prayers in which we need to go to our room and close our doors.

(3) The Importance of prayer every prayer in its hour:

It saves us from all the laziness, which may arise in the time between the prayer of the first and the twelfth hours (when we wake up and before sleep), which we spend without praying. Just remembering the Lord, even for a few minutes through the day because of all love and longing to be with God, will fill our heart with spiritual passion and protect us from temptation, in addition to giving us the grace of standing before God.

(4) It would be preferred if this spiritual exercise is practiced on a group level. For example, the whole family can pray the prayer of the twelfth hour together… a group of youth from Sunday school can meet for praying the prayer of the eleventh hour and the twelfth hour together… when a group of friends are visiting each other during the day.
My Lord, when will this spirit come back so that the church can go back to its first state… to become the Church of Prayer.

“And They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42)
“So continuing daily with one accord…” (Acts 2:46)
“Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.” (Acts 3:1)