A Quiet Discussion on Abortion (7) - Special Human Cases
2- When the mother is exposed to radiation in early pregnancy or has mistakenly taken dangerous medications:
A Quiet Discussion on Abortion (6) - Special Human Cases
Special cases of abnormal pregnancies, which are naturally very few, are discussed here:
A Quiet Discussion on Abortion (5) The laws of Abortion in the Church - 2
+ St. Basil the great: He is one of the Fathers of the Church in the fourth century, he says in his second law: “The woman who aborts herself must be punished as a murderer. Justice must protect the child who is to be born as well as the woman that plotted against herself. In most instances the woman dies during these acts of abortion. Hurting the child is another murder. It is a duty to take their confessions without delay before death and accept them in the Church after a reasonable period of about ten years and offering remedies according to their repentance.” This means that the woman who kills her baby during pregnancy by using medicinal drugs is a murderer. The period of punishment was reduced to ten years instead for life, after which period the woman is accepted in the Church and offered Holy Communion. The priest may also reduce the punishment if he is sure of her repentance.
A Quiet Discussion on Abortion (4) The laws of Abortion in the Church
The Church from the beginning of Christianity considered abortion as intentional killing and outlawed it. The punishment was to cut off the woman from sharing in Church life and participation in the Holy Communion.
A Quiet Discussion on Abortion (3)
From our previous article, it is clear that abortion is killing of a living human being, even if they are not born yet. Now, what is the opinion of the Bible in abortion?
A Quiet Discussion on Abortion (2)
From all the Biblical texts we saw in the previous article, it is clear that the human life is precious from the womb, and God works in human's life even before their birth.
The Order of Nativity Events
The first period of Christ’s life on earth, starting from His birth in Bethlehem and ending by His living in Nazareth, was full of a successive group of events. In this article, I shall try to arrange these events from the Gospels of Luke 2 and Mathew 2 in chronological order by making use of some incidents proven in history.
The Supreme Essence and the Manger (Inspired by the Nativity Feast Hymns)
Christ, in the flesh, lived on earth for thirty three and a half years, and in the last three and a half years of this period He ministered by teaching, healing the sick, preaching the kingdom of God, and fulfilling salvation by His death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Throughout this period He was accompanied by His disciples, who were eyewitnesses to all the previously mentioned aspects of His ministries. The questions that we need to raise here are: How did those disciples perceive Him? Did they see Him as God incarnate during the period of His ministry? Did they think of Him as He truly is, fully divine and fully human in a perfect unity?
THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (LUKE 1:57-80) EXCERPTS FROM THE EARLY FATHERS
During the fourth week of Kiahk, the church readings pertain to the birth of John the Baptist. For this reason, I have selected some excerpts from the early church fathers to celebrate the life of this great saint.
Vital Vigils (2)
In the previous article, I mentioned several specific instances from the life and teachings of our Lord Jesus which promote the importance and necessity of keeping vigils. In this article, I would like to share with you some stories about the vigils of our church fathers and discuss how we can practice and benefit from vigil in our personal prayer life.
Vital Vigils
The Coptic month of Kiahk is characterized by extended versions of the midnight psalmody called “Seven and Four” (saaba wa arbaa in Arabic) which refer to the four canticles and seven Theotokias (i.e. hymns relating to St. Mary). During this month, children are excited to spend the night at church and adults are eager to chant some of their favorite hymns of year. I am astonished every year by those who brave the cold weather and long hours of this midnight vigil out of their desire to praise our awesome God and the beautiful Theotokos St. Mary. As we prepare to celebrate the glorious Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, I would like to share a few encouraging thoughts regarding the importance and necessity of keeping vigils.