lent is the busiest time for any abouna as everyone is busy confessing and getting their head sorted.
look out for it after easter!
and may God bless everyone as we are about to enter Holy week!
:)
you can certainly bow your heads, as it says in the liturgy 'bow your heads' after Holy Communion.
but actually kneeling down or prostrating (metania) is not appropriate.
you can get used to it, and just bow your heart as well as your head, leaving …
you have the Body and Blood of our Lord within you, so you do not bow down. He is in us in a really special way, so we bow before receiving Him, not after.
i learnt this after my first Holy Communion, where i got it wrong!
and thanks imikhail, i di…
also, i was just looking for the vespers Bible readings as it's liturgy tomorrow but there aren't any. i thought you have vespers when there is (or could be liturgy) and you don't have vespers when there is no liturgy.
can someone explain? i have ob…
about tomorrow, is it ok to prostrate in church on a saturday?
i know sundays u shouldn't do a full prostration and weekdays you can, but i am confused about saturdays.
yes, may God help you in your life and priorities, and thank God for your situation.
in loneliness, thank God for the absence of a nagging wife and screaming children, and those with families should thank God for the company and love, even when it i…
i understand, but i think that the good thing about the 50 days is that after we get used to being close to God, we continue that relationship without any external props like bowing, fasting, looking at our favourite icon etc. so that way, if we bec…
also it is useful if the piece you are given is bigger than your mouth.
i was in a church once that didn't always use any cloths and that's when i used my shawl as i always feel the need to use it. it's to make the distinction that it is not the sam…
you can still bow your head saying the 'kyrie eleison' and making the sign of the cross. and like father peter said, it's the attitude and the love for God that are important.
yes, that has been true in my experience as well.
it was a big shock to meet up with 2 of my old school 'friends' who used to ridicule me, after not seeing them for 13 years, to find they actually respected me and looked up to me!
i love the orthodox study Bible, it is very useful in personal study and when discussing things with friends, and i didn't find a better one so far.
there will probably be a better one coming out in the next few years, but don't wait.
as for the ot…
sometimes stories that re-tell events in the Bible make them too trendy, less real.
but this one moved me to tears.
a beautiful story of Good Friday, thanks so much.
good posts.
the more we can do this, the more our behaviour is a good example to others of how to pray. they may not seem to notice, but eventually it will make a difference.
the people making the noise (well, some of them, not someone coughing out …
yes, on those days we can bow our heads without making full prostrations.
1,200 prostrations?! wow, i can't even manage the Good Friday ones.
i imagine the desert fathers didn't have time to go on tasbeha forums...
;)
oops, that was in a different church and i may have remembered wrong.
but usually there is a gap of a few hours between the day service and abogalypsees (no idea how to call it in english, it's the all-night service that ends with Holy Communion). i…
copticstrength, i think you are doing well, and you just need to keep it up.
lots of times in life hard situations don't go away, and we need to just keep on praying and keep on trying to stay close to God. there were some good replies here too :)
…
i'm with Father Peter.
i think it's great that there are people preserving the beautiful coptic language, but it should not be compulsory for all people. some people feel culturally australian/british/whatever even if their grandparents were egyptia…
great posts. it's good to prostrate/bow often during lent, and if you don't your body as well as your spirit will not be very well prepared by Good Friday ;)
btw, at what stage in the Good Friday service do we do them? i seem to remember it's towar…
i was giving my friend a lift after wednesday mass, one day when i was off work. i was feeling very good and peaceful, and, on arriving at her house, squeezed into a really tight parking space at the first attempt.
without thinking (note that...) i …
whatever we call it, it's awesome, and i like it loud, it's really moving.
i also like the complete silence just before that and the chant and response 'lift up your heads, you gates' etc.
it is the most moving part for me in the church services, fo…
lovely post :)
i deal with dying people often (at work), and i used to just try to blank it out and not think about it a lot.
but this is how those who are not Christians cope; we have a better way.
now i pray at the start of each day, and i belie…