Just for Tns Crucifid With Christ MIGHTY CHAMPIONS MAGAZINE S pr in g 2017 VOLU M E 3 IS S U E 2
Just for Tns Mighty Champions Spring Edition 2017 Crucifid With Christ A PUBLICATION OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX DIOCESE OF THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES YOU CAN EMAIL US AT: mightychampionsmagazin@suscopts.org MATERIAL SUBMISSION 2 PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ASSOCIATE EDITOR ASSISTANT ASSOCIATE EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS LAYOUT & DESIGN SENIOR ADVISOR LAYOUT & DESIGN SENIOR EDITOR Almighty God H.G. Bishop Youssf Marilyn Ekladios Monastic Srvant Jrmiah Soliman Mary Soliman Trz Matta J.B. Ranya Botros STATEMENT ON HOSANNA SUNDAY MARTYRS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS TECH SUPPORT H.G. Bishop Youssf Angla Ayoub Gorg Makary John Habib Miriam Aioub J.B. SUBSCRIPTIONS MISSON STATEMENT http://suscopts.org/ mightychampions W, th magazin staff, hav a mission rgarding you, th radr: to ncourag you on your Christian walk and to strngthn you through articls, answrs, and mor about God s vry spcial plan for you. By submitting lttrs and othr matrials to Mighty Champions Magazin, you agr that th matrials submittd ar th proprty of Mighty Champions Magazin and will not b rturnd, and you agr that Mighty Champions Magazin, its assigns and licnss, hav bn grantd th non-xclusiv right to us and/or rproduc th matrials in any mannr and for any purposs.
My Blovd Youth, Crucifid with Christ is th gratst honor bstowd upon all Christians. Not only in th shdding of on s blood for our Lord, God, and Savior, Jsus Christ, but in rjcting to ngag in any act or languag that is offnsiv to th tachings of th Lord. H taught us to go byond th grat Tn Commandmnts by adding th commandmnt of lov. This commandmnt strtchs from your closst of kin to your ardnt nmy. I say to you, lov your nmis, blss thos who curs you, do good to thos who hat you, and pray for thos who spitfully us you and prscut you (Matthw 5:44). By stting our ys upon th cross, w ar rmindd of th Lord s immns lov for us, and our trnal lif with Him. Thus, whn you los sight of purpos in lif, and th concrns of th world ovrwhlm you, and you bgin to gt dsnsitizd to th vulgarity and violnc in th world, hold fast to your cross and rmind yourslf that you blong to Christ th King and rmain strong. Th articls in this dition of th Mighty Champions Magazin will uplift you with th joy and honor of th holy cross that ultimatly rsultd in th Lord s rsurrction, ascnsion, and sitting on th right hand of th Fathr. H carvd for us a plac in His hart and a sat bsid Him on His thron. Thus, bing crucifid with th Lord is our gratst glory and th sign of our salvation and rstoration, which th Lord Jsus Christ paid for with His own blood. God forbid that I should boast xcpt in th cross of our Lord Jsus Christ, by whom th world has bn crucifid to m, and I to th world (Galatians 6:14). God blss you, Bishop Youssf, Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocs of th Southrn Unitd Stats Official Bishop Youssf App bishopyoussfministry.com Official Instagram Account https://www.instagram.com/bishopyoussf/ Official Facbook Pag https://www.facbook.com/bishopyoussf.suscopts/ Official SoundCloud Account https://soundcloud.com/his-grac-bishop-youssf/tracks 3 Official Twittr Account https://twittr.com/bishop_youssf Official YouTub Channl https://www.youtub.com/usr/bishopyoussf
MIGHTY CHAMPIONS MAGAZINE CONTENTS S T N E T N O C DESIRES BY HE T G IN SS OF T S A T E N T E SWE - BEING TH GOD IFIED WI C R U CS T A K A RY CHRI BY GEORGE M 5 B MIRIAM AIOU Statmnt on th Hosanna Sunday Martyrs BY s U n I th g n r St s d o G 8 BY ANGELA AYOUB OUSSEF H.G. BISHOP Y in S f o cl y C Th BY JOHN HABIB 10 tos o h P s c o i D 4 & l b i B Holy ral Q & A Gn 12 9 11 6
MIGHTY CHAMPIONS MAGAZINE ARTICLES BY MIRIAM AIOUB DESIRES Thos who blong to Christ Jsus hav crucifid th flsh with its passions and dsirs. Sinc w liv by th Spirit, lt us kp in stp with th Spirit. 1 You may hav hard ths trms bfor: crucifying th flsh/body, crucifying our dsirs, tc. Is it asy to put asid your dsirs? Whn somthing you rally, rally wantd and workd vry hard for dos not go th way that you wantd it to, is it asy to lt go of th situation and put it into God s hands? I will spak for myslf I m a stubborn mul. I hav troubl putting things asid that I rally want. Whn you hav a dsir for food or physical contact, is it asy to put that dsir asid if th tim is not right? Dfinitly not! How many tims hav you bn sitting in class, your stomach doing somrsaults, and you cannot focus on what th tachr is saying bcaus of this raging dsir in you. Although it is not asy, it is important to b abl to put asid your dsirs if thy ar not fit for th prsnt tim. Lt m b clar: bing crucifid with Christ and crucifying your flsh/body/dsirs dos not man that you tak all joy out of your lif. Of cours not! God wants us to b happy and to njoy th blssings that H has givn us in th right tim. Crucifying your dsirs dos man accpting God s will in your lif. God s will for us includs whr w go to school, who w marry, tc. Part of God s will for us also includs what is good for 5 us and th avoidanc of what is bad for us. H wants all that is good for us. H is working th vnts of our lif for our good. How do w know what is good vs. bad? Simply put, His commandmnts. It is fascinating that, as w grow in spiritual maturity, w s mor and mor just how xactly prfct His commandmnts ar and how thy ar mant to protct us and to hlp us grow. Tak th command not to fornicat for xampl. Ar sxual rlations bad? No! Thy ar a vry bautiful part of God s cration. Howvr, in th wrong tim, thy bcom thft that is dstructiv to both you and your partnr. Can you crucify this dsir until th right tim? It is difficult, but with God s grac and som ffort on your part, you can disciplin ths dsirs until th right tim. And, that mans mor tim and nrgy that you can dvot to dvloping yourslf now! That can b in th form of xrcising, hymns, playing instrumnts, basktball, singing, football, rading, srving, basball th list gos on! Is it possibl to crucify and put away untimly or wickd dsirs? I bliv that it is. Evn if th only lif you hav known so far has bn indulging in ths dsirs? 100% ys. Ask St. Moss th Strong. H was a thif, a fornicator, a murdrr, and a glutton. Yt, h lft all this, crucifying his dsirs. Onc h found out who th tru God is, h undrwnt th gratst miracl known to man that of a hart transformd. Can you ovrcom that on sin that has bn your downfall for so long now? Challng yourslf. Christ thinks you can. 1 Gal. 5:24-25. 2 Livs of Saints. http:// copticchurch. nt/synaxarium/10_24.html#1.
Tasting Th Swtnss of God - Bing BY GEORGE MAKARY Crucifid with Christ I hav bn crucifid with Christ; it is no longr I who liv, but Christ livs in m; and th lif which I now liv in th flsh I liv by faith in th Son of God, who lovd m and gav Himslf for m. W oftn har of bing crucifid with Christ. So what dos it rally man, and how can w achiv it? How can it b that w, in our lowly stat, ris to th glorious and mankind-rdming stat of bing on th Cross with th Rdmr of th world and Crator of all? W ar crucifid with Christ whn w ar baptizd, but how do w maintain this lifstyl? To b crucifid with Christ is strif to b as much lik Christ as possibl. W bcom lik Christ by liminating, or, crucifying, th lmnts that drag us down from our glorious position as th childrn of God. Saint Ptr th apostl tlls us, For it is bttr, if it is th will of God, to suffr for doing good than for doing vil. For Christ also suffrd onc for sins, th just for th unjust, that H might bring us to God, bing put to dath in th flsh but mad aliv by th Spirit So how ar w crucifid with Christ? You could say that thr ar thr major human charactristics that w must crucify to attain a liknss to Christ and b crucifid with Him: th go, th flsh, and th slf. 1. Th Ego: To crucify th go is to, ssntially, put on th cloak of humility. Ego is slf-rlianc, a prid in which th individual thinks that thy know bst for thmslvs. Whn a prson s go is hightnd, thir mind is blurrd. Fathr Matthw th Poor xplains rgarding th go, 6 Your go might hat submitting to God. It might scap surrndring to Him. In th mantim, you would b making much of your own powr attributing your intllignc, virtu, and succss to yourslf. In this cas, God will dlivr you to continual disciplin; disciplin aftr disciplin, tribulation aftr tribulation, until you succumb and surrndr in broknnss. But if you rjct disciplin and cannot stand tribulation, God will forsak you forvr. W must, out of our own will, sacrific our prid and our go and trust in God s plans for us. W must always kp in our minds that H knows what is bst for us- H is our Crator and our Fathr, our Shphrd and our Protctor. it is no longr I who liv, but Christ livs in m. Whn w sacrific our prid and willingly submit to th will of H who knows all things, w xprinc Christ working within us, and ar abl to tast of His goodnss. W bcom on with Christ, and although our unity with Christ may rsult in ridicul or tribulation, i.. crucifixion, w ndur this crucifixion with our God and ar crucifid with Christ. By rmoving our own will from our mind w mak way for th will of God. It is through prayr that w continually ask for His guidanc, and with an opn mind H grants us His grac that w may b on with Him. Saint Habib Girgis th archdacon tlls us, If you subdud your will, quitd your go, and traind yourslf to b guidd by God, you hav achivd frdom and conqurd your dsirs and lusts, which ar alin to you. Doing so allows you to hav th imag of God rprintd in you along with His wisdom. His grac will ovrshadow you, and you will bcom a candidat for His divin dwlling, for God wants to captur your hart to fill it with pac, calmnss, and tranquility. 2. Th Flsh: Th flsh can oftn b anothr obstruction to our strif to bcom lik Christ, whthr it b occupation with slf imag, gluttony, or lust. On way w crucify th flsh is through fasting. As Copts, contrary to common thought, w ar actually blssd to b a part of a Church that givs us th opportunity to fast 210 days a yar. Fasting is not just for th sak of slf control- although slf control is a significant componnt of fasting- but also, th vry act of fasting is a sacrific, and whn God ss that w sacrific our dsirs for His sak, H is plasd. Whn God ss that w sacrific our nrgy and physical ability through prayrs, mtanoias, standing for xtndd priods of tim, and Church rlatd srvics, H is plasd by our willingnss to plas Him. W dny all arthly and bodily dsirs and run aftr th havnly. For on cannot b of th world and of God at th sam tim, h must chos on or th othr, and bcaus sin is sparation from God, w must cut off sin as much as is humanly possibl in ordr to achiv union with God through crucifixion. Abba Pomn onc said, As smok drivs bs away, and mn tak th swtnss of thir labor, vn so also dos th as of th body driv away th far of God from th hart, and it carris away all th good ffct of its labor. 3. Th Slf: Th diffrnc btwn th slf and th go is that th go rfrs to on componnt of th slf and its idntity, and th slf rfrs to th individual as a whol- thir lif, motions, intractions, and vrything that is or concrns thm. On must dny himslf, i.. all his comfort and lif, and dvot it to Christ. This dos not ncssarily man, howvr, that on must bcom a monk to dny himslf. St
g n i B d o G f o s s n t w S h Ta s t i n g T t s i r h C h t i w d i f BY GEORGE MAKARY i c Cru Athanasius of Alxandria stats, Th xprssion I liv, yt no longr I, was th voic of on dnying himslf, as of on who had laid asid his own lif and takn on himslf th Christ, in ordr that H might liv in him as Rightousnss, and as Wisdom, and as Sanctification, and as our Pac and as th powr of God, who works all things in him W ar calld by God to dny ourslvs, tak up our crosss, and follow Him. W rid ourslvs of our prid and throw ourslvs at th ft of th Pantocrator, asking Him to guid us with His mrciful hand to trnity with Him. W compltly plac our trust and our lov bfor His ft that wr washd with th tars of th sinful woman, and lik hr, w plad and bg for forgivnss and strngth to cast off th old man and to put on th nw, suprior on, fr from all cars for carnal plasurs. This is slf dnial. W tak up our crosss, accpt th struggl of bcoming lik Christ in a world full of sin and tmptation, and w ntr through th narrow path, baring not only our sins as did th grat Moss th strong, but also following in th vry footstps of Christ until w di, withstanding vry tribulation to th bst of our ability. W finally follow him, having full trust in His plans for us. Fr Matthw th Poor spaks about this trust and faith in God, Imagin you ar standing on th third story of a building, and I am on th ground and say to you, Jump! Would you? I don t think so. But now put Christ in my plac, and H tlls you, Jump! as H s standing blow with 7 opn arms. Would you? Crucifixion is a voluntary act of sacrificial lov. W sacrific th most significant and controlling lmnts that ovrtak th human natur and driv it into sin, and with a wholhartd ffort, w crucify it to b with God, to b crucifid with Him, to achiv His grac and His pac.
Hosanna Sunday Martyrs A Statmnt from His Grac Bishop Youssf rgarding th Martyrdom of Christians on Hosanna Sunday in Egypt. With palms in thir hands, hymns on th thir lips, and pac in thir harts, nw martyrs wr ushrd from thir churchs in Alxandria and Tanta into th Paradis of Joy on Hosanna Sunday, th day and fast of th Lord. To all Christians, know that you ar a light in th world, a sourc of good, and a mans for pac. Th whol world is undr sig by an idology of hatrd a cancr of th conscinc. Th sam hands that skillfully dsignd wapons of harm could hav discovrd tools for cur. This violnt act against Christians is bcaus vil cannot coxist with good, darknss cannot ovrcom light, and hatrd cannot bfrind pac, but dath cannot sparat us from God. H will swallow up dath forvr, and th Lord God will wip away tars from all facs; th rbuk of His popl H will tak away from all th arth; for th Lord has spokn (Isaiah 25:8). All our churchs and nobl citizns throughout th world ar praying for th pac and safty of all prscutd Christians, confssors, and martyrs. Holy Wk is a tim dvotd to th Lord s passion. At all tims, th Lord lovd. Evn whn afflictd and crucifid, H lovd. This is a tim for prayr for th ntir world. W rmain in prayr for th safty of His Holinss Pop Tawadros II, all th confssors of th Christian faith, th familis of th martyrs, and all th injurd victims. On bhalf of th Coptic Orthodox Diocs of th Southrn Unitd Stats, I offr our dpst condolncs to vryon afflictd by this sad day in Egyptian history. 8
God s Strngth In Us BY ANGELA AYOUB Oftn I hav trid to imagin what it was lik for our Lord, to knl in th Gardn of Gthsman and pondr th fatful hour to com. What was it lik to fl th kiss of his frind and btrayr upon his chk? What was it lik to limp through th strts, bloodid and brokn, trailing that hulking woodn cross? W ar told w ach hav our cross to bar, but what of th ultimat cross? Th cross w ach accptd whn w chos to forsak th world and instad liftd our ys to God th Fathr. Lik Christ w liv among thos who would mt our joy with mockry, our pac with provocation, and prayr with skpticism. Lt ths distractions b a sign of growth in faith, for vry obstacl ovrcom is an illustration of God s strngth in us. I can not go on. My grac is sufficint. 1 I am afraid. I hav not givn you far. 2 I fl all alon. I will nvr lav you. 3 I highly rcommnd th book Jsus Fraks: Storis of Thos who Stood for Jsus, th Ultimat Jsus Fraks. A collction of storis and mditations from mn and womn who hav bn crucifid with Christ. Popl from all walks of lif that did not shy away from prscution but found strngth in God to pursu th faith in th most harrowing of circumstancs. Expct a young Chins girl during th Rd Guard ra (1966-1969) who kpt th scrts of hr undrground church through continuous tortur, I rlid on th promis of Jsus: Blssd ar th pur in hart, for thy shall s God. I purifid my hart of th far of mn, and I larnd to s God. A man namd Rck from Romania c.1950s said to his torturr: You hav not bn cratd to b a torturr, a man who kills. You hav bn cratd to bcom lik 9 God, with th lif of th Godhad in your hart. ths words struck a chord with his captor who wnt on to bcom a Christian. Th storis of th saints and martyrs aid us in ralizing our potntial to stand apart from th world. Individuals who flt th sam struggls of far and dsir that w do. Lt th storis of ths saints giv us courag my frinds. Many Copts possss th small cross tattoo on thir wrist that is caus for much spculation by th civilian majority. An nduring symbol to mark us as othr and a tangibl, unapologtic way of saying, I know what I bliv. My mothr, lovly Egyptian woman that sh is, always rqusts I kp a cross on my prson (prfrably a goldn hirloom from Egypt). Howvr, what ar tattoos, goldn crosss, or vn th nam Christian without th action bhind thm? It was bautifully xplaind to m that a Christian is on who looks for th imag of Christ in vry soul thy mt. No doubt asir said than don. At tims I would lik nothing mor than to walk in th way of th world, to curs out thos who hav wrongd m and not look back. But whr would that lif lad? To a hollow xistnc, living off on immdiat satisfaction to th nxt. God calls us to a highr undrstanding than this, to choos th path of most rsistanc that would only vr b navigabl with Him. A path richr than all th trasurs of King Tut. If th world hats you, you know that it hatd M bfor it hatd you. 4 God told us w would b prscutd in His nam and although w mourn for th familis of th martyrs and th souls of th transgrssor, w count it a blssing that thos martyrs ar finally at pac with thir Havnly Fathr and ar spard th suffring of this world. W pray in thir intrcssions and mpathiz with ths popl who flt th sam gnawing hungr for God in this world that pulls at us lft and right. So considr th fling of discomfort in this world a blssing and vidnc that you sk a gratr connction. Th fling of isolation is hartbrakingly common for a world with so many social avnus. Anothr lost soul cannot fill that wanting insid of you. Uplifting popl ar a blssing and a ncssity to b sur, but at th nd of th day God wants you to lan on Him. Only H can supply that infinit lov and undrstanding that com from knowing vry thought, dram, and hartach of His childrn. Turning to th vry world that lft you with ths flings of lonlinss and dspair would b lik running back into a burning building bcaus th air outsid flt a tad stifling. I undrstand why our first instinct is to distract ourslvs with worldly ntrtainmnts, to distract us from motions w ar afraid or too xhaustd to fac. It is asir to grasp th tangibl smartphon in front of us than to spak our harts to what fls lik thin air. I can with full confidnc say that you ar not spaking to thin air. God knows vry word vn bfor thy cross your mind. I also know that somtims, to b told ths truths is not nough and th truth dos not rsonat until a momnt of clarity is had aftr bawling your ys out for fiv minuts, or Tasbha at 12:00 p.m. whr th world sms to stand still and His lov and grac sm to radiat from th soul. Whn confusions my companion and dspair holds m for ransom I will fl no far caus that I know that you ar nar. 5 1 2 Cor. 12:9. 2 2 Tim. 1:7. 3 Hb. 13:5. 4 Jn. 15:18. 5 Shouldrs for King & Country.
MIGHTY CHAMPIONS MAGAZINE Th Cycl of Sin BY JOHN HABIB My sin, my joy, Ths worldly ways Hav causd m to vr far Go astray I v lft th Captain bhind Mannd my own ship My lif, my futur, is within my grip I m on a mission to find my trasur Captain said that s also whr my hart will b But littl did I comprhnd I ndd His light to str and s I v brought myslf to th vally of dath Though in my mind it s th promisd land, full of richs and walth My illusion My dlusion My mirag My facad I lan on myslf instad of You as my rod Wandrd into th darknss dp Trrifid and trmbling on this mountain so stp Trying to rach th top to fl fulfilld But whn I rach my high I fl th chill Th chill from my choics, it s hardr to brath Bginning to suffocat, I cannot hav Loosing my footing I v lost my ground I m falling I v falln Without a sound Slowly I rmmbr th vanity And th lusts I rcall my prid Now acquaintd with dust I v falln Who hars th pain of a blding hart Th sound of tars falling bfor thy start I v hit th ground so hard No strngth in my soul Shamful as th on who dippd in Your bowl I likn th rain from this storm To th tars falling from my ys Saddnd I v brought upon myslf my own dmis I gaz bfor m in th puddl so clar I m Judas I v btrayd You Lord ar you nar You v got th rmdy Th powr To hal my ailing soul To sav m from th fir And from th dpths of Shol I nd rfug from this wrck From this sunkn ship I nd havn Giv m haling Rlas m from ths whips Of slf infliction, affliction Tormnt, vivid pain, Clans m with Your prcious blood As for th arth dos th rain Mak m whol Sw m up Rviv m So that I can onc again worthily sup With You in Your kingdom Full of bauty and wondr Your Powr roaring lik thundr Bring m back to You Your prodigal son, Your lost shp Plas accpt my pla Your Word, hlp m kp This is a cry for arnst rpntanc To hlp m avoid dath s final sntnc I can t do this alon, with You I will walk My faithful, unconditionally loving Shphrd and rock 10
Holy Bibl Q & A Q: What happns whn on is crucifid with Christ according to th book of Galatians? Answr: It is no longr I who liv, but Christ livs in m; and th lif which I now liv in th flsh I liv by faith in th Son of God (Galatians 2:20). Gnral Q & A Q: What sacrifics must I mak in ordr to b a Christian? Answr: Non! Christianity is a fulfilling faith. W lack nothing in Christ. W gladly and joyfully offr Him a sacrific of prais and a contrit hart. 11 Photo Crdit: Saint Mark th Evanglist - http://www.saintmaryhouston.org/
Diocs Photos St. Mary & St. Moss Abby - Corpus Christi, Txas 12 Prsbytr Ordination of Fr. Danil Ebrahim, St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church - Nashvill, Tnnss
Diocs Photos St. Stphn Coptic Orthodox Rtrat & Confrnc Cntr - Titusvill, Florida Middl School Girls from St Mary & Archangl Michal Coptic Orthodox Church from Ovido, Florida. - Titusvill, Florida 13
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