Coptic youth asking & BishopMoussa answering
Q1-Youth:
What happens when we reach a certain level of spirituality, but every so often we all?
Q2-Youth asking: Why are the icons in the church anointed with the Myron oil?
Q3-Youth:
Is all the turmoil and violence and sin in the world today a sign of the Second Coming?
Q4-Youth:
What is your opinion (if the Incident which happened here recently of the woman whose hand was dripping oil and claimed she had conversations with St. Mary?
Q5-Youth:Are we to socialise only with Christian people?
Q6-Youth:If you have a dream about
killing someone you really hate, is that the same as committing murder?
Q7-Youth:You mentioned in your talk that while the Orthodox continued straight ahead, the Catholics deviated to the right andthe Protestants deviated to the left. Does that mean that they won't go to heaven?
Q8-Youth:How can we choose our partner in life?
Q9-Youth:Why are men given Holy Communion before women?
Q10-Youth:Are these the last days?
Q11-Youth:
I am under so much pressure and I can't stand it any it any more. What can I do?
Q12-Youth: Is the Holy Communion 100% Body and Blood of Christ? And if it is, why can't we see it as such?
Q13-Youth:
What should I do when constantly the same sins over again?
Q14-Youth:
I have tried to talk to my non Christian friends about God, but they never seem interested. What can I do?
Q15-Youth:Sometimes I feel pressured to have a boyfriend. Is it okay to have a boyfriend if I
don't do anything wrong?
Q16-Youth:What is the church's viewpoint on certain haircuts?
Q17-Youth: Can a priest tell others about a sin I confessed?
Q18-Youth:
I will only go to confession once 1 give up my particular sin. Is that okay?
Q19-Youth: Monastics dedicate all their time to prayer, but in the world there is not much time for prayer. What
Q20-Youth:
We hear in stories of the Wilderness Fathers that they may go without Holy Communion for a long time, even though our church says that 40 days without Holy Communion makes one spiritually dead. So what becomes of these father?.
Q21-Youth:
What is your opinion on near death experiences?
Q22-Youth:What is the church's view on birth control within marriage?
Q23-Youth:What is the importance of confession?
Other Important Issues
Q24- How Can I Choose My Life-Partener?:
Q25- Guarantees For Pure Living
ANSWERS
Q1-Youth: What happens when we reach a certain level of spirituality, but every so often we all?
Bishop Moussa:
Even though we may see our spiritual life as progressing in a zigzag, this zigzag is on an upward
trend. But each time we realize
we are falling, we must call out to the Lord to deliver us, and we must repent. We may look at our spiritual life as being up and
down, but God sees that we are improving. Each time I fall, I experience
three things: * the realization that I am weak so I must
be humble, * The fact that Satan is always attacking, so I must be careful, * How much God is always loving and caring and
forgiving. Therefore never feel despair or frustration
because of weaknesses. If your spiritual life is up all the time, it will lead to
much pride. For this reason, we do not want people to exaggerate in their spiritual lives by increasing the fasting and
prostration's and so on without the
guidance of their spiritual father, for if this happens they will be exaggerating out of ego
centrism to prove to themselves and to others that they are a hero, and not out of love and sincerity to God. In the Paradise of
the Fathers it
is written, "If you see a young man moving rapidly towards spiritual levels, pull him down lest he suffer from the
danger of pride." So in this sense, weaknesses are helpful because they keep one humble, even St Paul the Apostle
said that he
had a thorn in his flesh in order to keep him humble.
"St. Anthony the Great once said, 'This is the great work of man: always to take the blame for his own sins before God and to
expect temptation to his last
breath, for whoever has not experienced temptation cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, for
without temptation no one can be saved" (Sayings of the Desert Fathers).
Q2-Youth asking: Why are the icons in the church anointed with the Myron oil?
Bishop Moussa Answer:
The Myron gives the icon a spirit; it is a
declaration that this saint is living and is among us. The icon of Jesus Christ is also
anointed with the holy Myron oil. It keeps the mystery of the presence of the saint inside the church with us. We even
consecrate the curtains and
the walls and the vessels of the church in order to spiritualise them, because SPIRIT means life.
When we ask this saint to intercede on our behalf, they can surely hear us, and they can pray on our behalf.
Q3-Youth: Is all the turmoil and violence and sin in
the world today a sign of the Second Coming?
Bishop Moussa Answer:: You may consider it a sign, for there are many signs; but the coming of the
Lord will be a total
surprise. We do not have the capacity to determine an exact date. There is one sign that has not occurred yet, and this is the
conversion of the Jews to Christianity (Romans 11). We are not sure how this will happen.
Another sign is the coming of the
Antichrist; whether this be a religion, a person, or otherwise is not clear. What is required of me is that I be ready and alert and
repentant.
Q4-Youth: What is your opinion (if the Incident which happened
here recently of the woman whose hand was dripping oil and claimed she had conversations with St. Mary?
Bishop Moussa Answer HG:
Our church is not
fond of these types of conversations with the saints. In our Coptic Orthodox concept and spirit, whenever we
experience a miracle we hide it, or keep it restricted to only a few people, because we are always cautious of the intervention of
Satan in these types of situations. He can deceive us and even appear as an angel of light. Once we begin to advertise the
miracle, Satan comes inside and tries to pull us outside the goal of the miracle. Situations like this may start
out correct, but end
up Satanic because Satan comes to spoil everything. We tell, for example, of the miracles of the late Pope Kyrillos in order to
strengthen the people, but there is a big difference between this and advertising a
miracle for no clear benefit except self pride.
Q5-Youth: Are we to socialize only with Christian people?
HG :
Your spiritual love must be given to all people, and not be isolated to just Christians. There is a big difference between
friends and colleagues (acquaintances). Your friends should be Christian, to help you build your spiritual life, but
you can have
many colleagues in society at school, at university, at work, etc. When I say 'socialize with them', I mean be on good terms with
them, have pure Christian love for them, caring and sharing with them. If they are sick you
must visit them, if a family member
or friend has passed away, you must go and give your condolences, if they are celebrating a feast, such as Ramadan, you must
give them your best wishes. Therefore you must have pure Christian love
towards them, but do not have an intimate relationship
with them because they differ in their thoughts, their principles, their ideas, their philosophies and their practices. Have friends
from within the church, and have as many
colleagues as you like in society. Express your Christian love to them; go with them
when it is right, and withdraw from them when they do wrong.
Q6-Youth: If you have a dream about killing someone you really hate, is that the same as committing murder?
HG :Dreams make inner feelings more explicit, and what you cannot fulfill during the day in actions, is fulfilled in dreams at
night. Therefore this dream about killing someone shows
that there is something incorrect in your heart towards that person. So
instead of 'killing' him in your heart, serve him and win him as a friend by asking the Lord to help in the situation, and try to
come into contact with them; speak
to them, and communicate with them so that the two of you may be reconciled.
Q7-Youth: You mentioned in your talk that while the Orthodox continued straight ahead, the Catholics deviated to the right andthe Protestants deviated to the left. Does that mean that they
won't go to heaven?
HG : No. When we say they deviated, we are not condemning them. There are two levels firstly, the Christians - those who
believe
in the divinity and incarnation and redemption of Christ - basically, those who believe in the Christian creed. Secondly,
there are those Christians who are Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant. Each differs in details concerning doctrines, the
sacraments and priesthood and fellowship with the saints, but we agree on the major concept of Christianity which is the creed,
and therefore we are ALL Christians. But the orthodox way to the Kingdom of Heaven is the straightest and
the shortest, while
the others are a little zigzag. Therefore we must NEVER condemn other Christian denomi- nations that believe in the Lord,
saying that they are not going to heaven. This is not our capacity and is completely illogical,
because they believe in the creed
which is the essence of Christianity.
Q8-Youth: How can we choose our partner in life?
HG :
*Pray a lot, * Think a lot, * Feel a bit, * Ask for spiritual guidance. We are asking you to feel a bit' because the sound of
the emotions can be very loud, and it can hide the spirit and the mind. For example, because of emotions, one may
enter into a
relationship with a non- Christian person because they are intelligent, good-looking, etc., but they do not think about the future of
living with and raising a family with a non Christian partner. Therefore if we rely on our
emotions, it may cause our thinking to
stop and our spiritual life to be minimum.
Q9-Youth: Why are men given Holy Communion before women?
HG :
Simply because women are more humble than men! So I ask you to Please stay humble and accept this regulation. Out of
humility we do not think about who is first, but we Prefer who is last.
Q10-Youth: Are these the last days?
HG :
It is not important for us to concentrate on when the last days will be, but it is necessary for us to be ready at all times, by
always repenting and preparing ourselves spiritually, so let us leave the dates for the Lord.
Q11-Youth: I am under so much pressure and I
cannot stand it any it any more. What can I do?
HG :
For sure we have pressure coming from the outside- through the instincts, from the world and from Satan. But why do you
forget that through the Holy Spirit and divine grace and the Lord residing in you that you can have power over this
power that
power that you are feeling? The power which surrounds us in the world is limited and the power of God is unlimited. The problem
occurs when we are not regular in taking this spiritual power from God, then we feel weak. If you,
being limited, come into
contact with Unlimited, who is God, you will feel strong and victorious over these pressures around you.
Q12-Youth: Is the Holy Communion 100% Body and Blood of Christ? And if it is, why can't we see it as such?
HG : Because we are not infallible, it is expected that we may commit the same sins again, especially during certain stages of
life. But you must always struggle against this sin by
nourishing yourself spiritually in order to be victorious, and you must
confess your sins to the priest so that he may help overcome this sin by praying for you and giving you guidance.
Q13-Youth: What should I do when constantly the same sins over again?
HG:
Because we are not infallibe, it is expected that we may commit the same sins again, especially during Certain stages of life.
But you must always struggle against this sin by nourishing yourself spiritually in order to be victorious, and
you must cofess
your sins to the priest so that he may help you overcome this sin by praying for you and giving for you guidance.
Q14-Youth: I have tried to talk to my non-Christian friends about God, but they never seem interested. What can I do?
HG : It is better to talk to them through your example and not through words. If you are holy, and you pray for them and you
genuinely like them and care for them, a time will come for
talking to them. But first you must start by being a good example,
and then the Lord will open the door for them, on a certain day and in a certain way.
Q15-Youth: Sometimes I feel pressured to have a boyfriend. Is it okay to have a boyfriend if I don't do anything wrong?
HG : As His Holiness Pope Shenouda says, Have many boyfriends and many girlfriends, but if you are a couple, you may start
out clean and holy, but who can guarantee what may happen? Can you guarantee yourself, or your partner, or
Satan? Each day
we pray, "Lead us not into temptation..", but by having a boyfriend or a girlfriend we are leading ourselves into temptation. Let
your relations be in groups from within the church until the time comes for you to select
your partner for marriage.
Q16-Youth: What is the church's viewpoint on certain haircuts?
HG :
The church wants to cut the sins from your heart and mind and not the hairs of your head. But if you want to be
characterised, it is more preferable to be characterised and distinguished by your personality, rather than by a certain
haircut.
Q17-Youth: Can a priest tell others about a sin I confessed?
HG : NEVER! I assure you that a priest is not allowed to tell your secrets to anyone - this is just your imagination, because sins
are more or less the same, especially in certain
stages of life. Your secrets and your confessions are guaranteed, for if the priest
mentions your sins to others, he would in fact be committing spiritual suicide. Please do not hesitate to confess, for these
thoughts are just a war against confession from Satan.
Q18-Youth: I will only go to confession once 1 give up my particular sin. Is that okay?
HG :
NO! simply because you are going to commit this particular sin forever, and you are also going to commit new sins. Please
confess regularly, and never be discouraged when you repeat your sins, because through confessing, you will actually
be
improving, for the number of sins you commit will decrease. PLEASE, NEVER STOP CONFESSING!
Q19-Youth:
Monastics dedicate all their time to prayer, but in the world there is not much time for prayer. What.
Bishop Moussa Answer::
In the world, it is not a matter of calculation, but of depth. As a monk, I may pray for five hours to take
the blessing, but for one living in the world, they may only need to pray for five minutes for God to bless them because there is
limited time because of responsibilities and so on. Therefore, depth is the measure and not length of time.
Q20-Youth: We hear in stories of the Wilderness Fathers that they may go without Holy Communion for a long time, eventhough our church says that 40 days without HolyCommunion makes
one spiritually dead. So what becomes of these father?
Bishop Moussa Answer:
: For these Desert Fathers, the rule would surely differ because they
live in complete solitude for long periods of time. Some of
these fathers may have a small church inside their cave and occasionally, other desert fathers gather together and celebrate
the? Holy Mass. Yes, we must take the Holy Communion
regularly so that we may abide in the Lord, however, these Wilderness
Fathers are abiding constantly in the Lord, day and night, through prayer, praises, Bible reading, fasting, and contemplation. So
this will definitely compensate them.
Q21-Youth: What is your opinion on near death experiences?
Bishop Moussa Answer:
: There is a book called "Life After Life" which tells of the
experiences of people who clinically die and then come back to life.
They mention such things as travelling through tunnels and seeing bright lights and so on. We do not believe in the details of this
book, but these experiences would
definitely give the world and idea that there is another life after this life, and this is a good
support for Christianity.
Q22-Youth:What is the church's view on birth control within marriage?
Bishop Moussa Answer:
: The church never stands against birth control within marriage as long as the means of achieving this purpose are not killing the
embryo or hurting the wife or husband.
Bishop Moussa Answer:
: She can let someone adopt the child, for we as Christians do not accept abortion, because abortion means depriving the child of
life and it is not in our capacity to do this; it is the embryo's right to live. And as for our
precious Christian girls, surely they
would not put themselves in an attitude or situation to have this bitter experience, you must be cautious because it is a very
strange thing that in a world where there is complete sexual freedom,
some still resort to rape, however, there is a saying,
"whoever drinks of the salty water is always thirsty'. So take care, be cautious and do not give the green light to anyone. This
does not mean that you must be always suspicious, but
you must be as simple as the dove, and as wise as the serpent.
Q23-Youth:What is the importance of confession?
Bishop Moussa Answer:
: In confession we receive two
very important things: absolution for our sins and a solution to our problems through the direction
and guidance of our spiritual father. Confession is not only beneficial spiritually, but it is also beneficial psychologically, because
sometimes we just need someone to listen to us. Your spiritual father will listen to you in a spirit of fatherhood, and being guided
by the Holy Spirit, he will give you comfort, because the Holy Spirit is the comforter, "the Paraclete".
Confession is better
known through experience and not through description. Be regular in confession, not because of dogmatic teaching, but because
Of the experience.
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