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I will give you another example of the [humble] way of the Lord, which has to do with His Mother, the Most Holy Virgin Mary. She was dedicated to the temple of God from a very young age, and in that temple the Mother of God lived in prayer and under instruction of the Law and the Prophets. In the temple she discovered her unity with the rest of mankind, and she began to intercede for the whole world in the Holy of Holies at a very young age. While she was instructed in the Prophets by the priests of the temple, she read the text of Isaiah which says, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel,” God with us. By the grace of God, her whole being was ignited by those words, and she began praying from that moment in this way: “Oh God of my fathers, make me worthy to be the servant of that woman who will bring Immanuel to the world.” And in the fervency of this humble prayer, to become the servant of the mother of Immanuel, the Archangel Gabriel appears and says to her, “Not the servant, but the mother.” That is why she says that God “has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden” (Luke 1:48). So, why did this happen? Because the Mother of God, prophetically put herself in the [humble] way of the Lord, and fulfilled, prophetically, the law which her Son was to give – that “those who will humble themselves shall be exalted” – she was exalted most highly, above the Cherubim and Seraphim. Because she placed herself prophetically in the Way of the Lord – and the Way is the Lord – the Lord was united with her and became her Son. So we see how important it is to know the [humble] way of the Lord. – Archimandrite Zacharias  

Church Announcements: 

• We are fundraising for the purchase of the neighboring church. To donate, click here.
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• Sermon:
  • I am Zion Who Always Needs God’s Visit (12/11) – Fr. Gregory

• Men’s Meeting
  • Thursday, Dec. 22nd with Fr. Gregory 

• Watch an Episode on Logos TV Coptic – Honoring, Understanding, and Collaboration between Two Theological Schools: The Catholic University of America (CUA) and St Athanasius & St Cyril Coptic Orthodox Theological School (ACTS) in Los Angeles.

  • Fr Gregory Bishay articulates a translation and explanation of the speech by His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion on ecumenical dialogues.

  • YouTube: https://youtu.be/rdvDxsazVNc  

This Week’s Schedule:

• Monday:
  • Midnight Praises: 8:00-9:30pm
    
• Tuesday:
  • Bible Study: 7:00 pm (In-Person & Facebook)
• Wednesday:
  • Liturgy: 8:00-10:00am
    
• Thursday:
  • Liturgy: 8:00-10:00am
    
  • GYP Meeting: 7:00-9:00pm
• Friday:
  • Liturgy: 8:00-10:00am
  • Deacon Meeting: 6:30-7:30pm
  • Youth Meeting: 8:00-9:00pm
• Saturday:
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  • Hymns: 5:00-6:00pm
  • Sunday School: 6:00-7:00pm
  • Vespers: 7:00-7:30pm
  • Midnight Praises: 7:30-9:30am
• Sunday:
  • Liturgy: 8:00-11:30am
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Thank you, God Bless