Today, H.H Pope Tawadros II delivered his weekly sermon in Wednesday’s meeting from St. Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria; in the presents of a number of church’s pontiffs, the sermon was also broadcast on Christian satellite channels, The Official Website of the Coptic Orthodox Church and C.O.C channel of the Church’s media center on the Internet.

His Holiness started a new educational series entitled “The Concept of Marriage Union”, where he dealt with the first of its episodes today about “intellectual Union” through the fifth chapter of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians, which is read in the wreath prayers (the Sacred Mystery of Marriage).
His Holiness referred to the concepts of the formation of the Christian family through five areas of marital union:
Intellectual Union
Emotional Union
Spiritual Union
Social Union
Physical Union

His Holiness also referred to the requirements of intellectual union, through the beginning of the formation of the family through engagement, and the characteristics of the courtship period:
An invitation to a comprehensive union emotionally, spiritually, socially and physically
Link to prayer
God is witness to this relationship
holiness and purity
ecclesiastical publicity
Engagement contract
Exchange of thought in words, “My children, let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and truth!” (1 John 3:18)
How is a life partner respected?
Wisdom, by understanding differences, temperaments, longings and fears
Agreeing to cooperate
How to understand and share, and how to unite the vision for life
Get a family blessing for both parties

His Holiness explained the things that make the engagement wrong:
Extreme jealousy (selfishness)
The past, with all its experiences,
Material matters that cause conflict
This educational series comes in line with the launch of the “My Family is Holy” year, which came as a recommendation from the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church in its plenary session last Thursday, and in the consolidation of the principles and values ​​of a normal Christian family, as His Holiness mentioned at the beginning of the sermon today.

This post is also available in: العربية