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Bishop Karas
Hello I was wondering if you have anything i mean anything of Bishop Karas, besides his intro to the English Tasbeha...Anything , i mean pictures, audio, video-besides his ordination, please feel free to share...
May his presence be upon us all.
May his presence be upon us all.
Comments
St. Bimwa was telling , I'll let you know my brethren what happened one day. I heard a voice calling me three times, Bimwa, Bimwa, Bimwa. I paid attention. That voice was a voice from heaven, because that wasn't familiar to me. No one called my name several times. I raised my eyes to heaven and said, Speak out Lord, because your servant is listening. The voice told me, Get up Bimwa and hurry up to the inner desert, and you will meet Anba Karas. That you may take his blessing because he is precious to me more than anyone. My peace be with you. So I got up and left my church and walked to the inner desert alone with great gladness. I didn't Know the way for sure, but I knew that god, the one who ordered me, would lead me. Three days passed, I was walking in desert road alone. On the fourth day I reached one of the caves, the door was closed with a big stone. I walked toward the doorway, and I knocked on the door according to the monks custom and said, Aghabi. Bless me holy father. Immediately I heard a voice saying to me, It is good to be here today Bimwa, priest of the church of Gabal (the mountain of) Shehit. The one who was worthy to bury St. Hillaria, daughter of King Zenon. Then he opened the door for me and I entered and he kissed me and I kissed him. Then we sat talking together about God's glories and greatness. I asked him, Holy Father, is there any other father in the mountains who is like you? He looked at my face and sighed, then he told me, My beloved father there is in the inner desert a Holy Saint that the world isn't worthy of one of his footsteps. And he is Anba Karas. Right then I got up and asked him, so who are you? He answered me, My name is Samaan El-Kallaa, for sixty years, and up until today I haven't seen a human face. I eat every Saturday one piece of bread which I find out on the stone that you saw outside the cave. After I took his blessing I walked in the inner desert again three more days, between praying and praise until I reached another cave. I knocked on the door and said, your blessings on my holy father. He answered me, It is good that you came to us oh you saint of God, Anba Bimwa. The one who was worthy to bury the holy body of St. Hillaria the daughter of king Zenon. Enter with peace." I entered, we sat talking and I asked him, In this inner desert is there another saintly holy father who is like you?" He stopped and sighed saying, Woe to me, I'll let you know my father, in this inner desert there is a great saint whose prayer can stop the heavenly anger. Truly he is an angel. I asked him, "What is your name holy father? He answered, Abbamoud El-Kallaa, and I have been in this inner desert for 99 years. I live on that kind of palm trees that have dates. And I thank Jesus. After he blessed me, I left with gladness and peace. I walked for a while, and then I could not see road anymore and I could not walk. After a while I opened my eyes and found myself walking toward the door and I knocked and said, Agabi (Love or Peace) Immediately a voice from inside spoke to me saying, It is good you came today Anba Bimwa, God's saint, the one who was worthy to bury the holy body of St. Hillaria the daughter of king Zenon. I entered the cave and starred at him for a long time, because he was venerable and full of awe and fear. A very luminous person, and the grace of God was on his face. He was full of light and was average height. He had a long beard with only few black hairs. He was wearing a simple tunic. He was thin, had a very soft voice, and was holding a stick in his hand. He told me, "You came to me today and you brought with you death, because I was waiting for you for a long time you beloved one. Then I asked him, "What is your name holy father?" He answered and told me, My name is Karas I asked him, For how long have you been in the inner desert"? He answered, For 57 years I haven't seen a human face. And I was waiting for you anxiously and happily. I stayed one day. On the end of that day saint Anba Karas became ill with a high fever. He was crying and sighed and told me. And what I was afraid of all my life came to me. Oh, Lord, how can I escape from your face and how can I hide? Truly how fearful is that hour. According to your mercy oh my God and not according to my sins. The second day, when the sun rose, Anba Karas was lying down and could not move. A great light, greater than the sunlight was coming from the door. Then came a very bright person wearing white clothes as bright as the sun, and in his right hand was a luminous cross. I was sitting at Anba Karas' feet, I was afraid and surprised, when this luminous person stepped forward toward Anba Karas and put the cross on his face. He spoke with him a lot and gave him peace and left. I stepped toward our father Anba Karas to find out about this person, the one who had all this glory. He answered me with all gladness, This is our master Jesus Christ and this is his custom with me. He comes every day and blesses me, and talks to me, then he leaves. I asked him, Oh holy father, I desire to be blessed by his glory. He answered me and said, Before I leave this place, you will see the Lord Jesus in his glory and he will bless you and talk with you also. When we reached the seventh day of the month of Abeeb, I found Anba Karas raising his eyes up to heaven full of tears. He sighed deeply then he told me, There is a great pillar that fell in Upper Egypt and the earth lost a holy saint. The world was not worthy of one of his footsteps. He is Saint Anba Shenouda the Archimandrite. I saw his soul going up to heaven surrounded by angels singing hymns, and I heard crying in all of Upper Egypt's earth. The monks met around his holy body taking blessings from him and his body was luminous. When I heard that, I memorized the date and kept it in mind. It was on the 7th of Abeeb that Anba Shenouda (the Archimandrite) passed away. On the next day, the 8th of Abeeb, Anba Karas' illness worsened. In the middle of the day a great light appeared that filled the cave. The Savior of the World entered the cave and in front of Him were the arch-angels Michael and Gabriel., and many angels with six wings. The voices of prayer and hymns here and there, with the smell of incense. I was sitting at Anba Karas' feet! The Master Jesus in all his glory was sitting at the head of The saint Anba Karas, the one who held the right hand of our Savior. He asked Him for me, My Lord and my God bless him because he came from very far place and traveled long distance for this day. The Lord looked at me and said, May my peace be with you Bimwa, what you saw and heard, you will write it for the benefit. But as for you my beloved Karas, every human that knows your life story and remembers your name by heart, my peace will be with him. I will count him with the martyrs and the saints. And every human that presents wine, orban (offerings), incense, oil, or candles in your memory, I will reward him two folds in the kingdom of heaven. Any one who feeds the hungry or gives drink to those that thirst or clothes the naked or welcomes a stranger in your name's sake, I will reward him double in my kingdom. And who writes your holy story, I will write his name in the Book of life. And anyone who shows mercy in your memory day, I will give him that that eyes have never seen and ears have never heard and heart have never felt. Now my beloved Karas, I want you to ask me for something that I can do for you before your departure, Anba Karas asked Him, My Lord I was praying the psalms day and night and I wished to see David the prophet while I am still in the flesh. In the blink of an eye, David came holding his harp in his hand and was singing the psalm, this is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad .. (psalm 117:224). Anba Karas said, I want to hear the ten cords at once mixed with the tune and melody together. David moved his harp and sang, Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.(Psalm 117: ) While David was singing his psalm with his beautiful voice, the saint Anba Karas was pleased, and his soul departed from his holy body to the bosom of our Good Savior. The one who took it and presented it and gave it to the Arch-angel Michael. I, Bimwa kissed the flesh of The saint Anba Karas and buried him. The glorious Lord pointed to me to leave the cave. I left them. After, Jesus left with his angels in front of the spirit, with songs and hymns, we left the flesh (body) in the cave. The glorious Lord put His hand on the cave and it became as if it had never had a door that could be opened. All of them rose up to heaven in happiness. I stayed standing alone in that place until that beautiful view vanished from my sight. Then, I closed my eyes from the brightness of the light and the beauty of the view. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in front of the cave on Anba Abbamoud El-Kallaa. I stayed three days then left him and I went to Anba Samaan El-Kallaa. I stayed three days then I left him and returned to Shehit mountain where my Church is. There I met all the brethren and told them the life story of The saint Anba Karas the great Anchorite, and his sayings about Anba Shenouda, the Archimandrite's departure. After five days, we got a message from Upper Egypt saying that the Saint Anba Shenouda, the Archimandrite has departed on the same day that Anba Karas had seen. The blessings of the St. Mary the mother of light, and St. Anba Shenouda the Archimandrite, and Anba Karas the Anchorite be with us all. Glory be to God in all his saints. Amen.
is tis the anba karas you are speaking of?