This evening, at the Papal Residence at St Bishoy’s Monastery, Wadi El Natoun, H.H. met H.G. Discoros, Abbot of the monastery and the monks of the monastery.
H.H. commenced the meeting with a prayer and then welcomed H.G. and the monks. The monks then thanked H.H. for ordaining H.G. Bishop Discoros as the abbot of the monastery.
H.H. the read a part of Ephesians chapter 4, which is also prayed during the 1st Hour, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:1-5)
H.H. then referred to the five aspects of the monastic call:
1- To Love to the Holy Bible: that is the daily longing to read and understand the word of God and walking according to the Commandments
2- To Love of Prayers: this is enjoying the praises, psalms, Liturgies, personal prayers and sticking to the name of the Lord which is a strong tower, and for the monk to know that he is a man that prays continuously.
3- To Love the Repentance: that is to love the true repentance, and the Orthodox definition for repentance is the purity of the heart, thoughts and feelings, and the monks are a group of repentants.
4- To Love the Eternity: that to always be ready and to long for Eternity, “having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:23)
5- To Love Your Brethren: which without this love your work on the above points would not be accepted, as it is the cover and seal of the above points so a monk should strive to love his brethren.
At the end of the meeting, H.H. answered the questions of the attendees and gave them some gifts, then they took a memorial picture with H.H.
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