His Holiness Pope Tawadros II prayed Good Friday prayers at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbaseya. The prayers started early in the morning and ended around evening time. The prayers consisted of six prayers which are the first, third, sixth, ninth, eleventh and twelfth hours of Good Friday prayers, which goes moment by moment of the events of the day on which Christ was crucified, starting from when He was arrested, passing through the stages of condemning the Savior and from His Crucifixion to the tomb.
The cathedral was full of people who filled its both sides.
A number of general bishops of the dioceses in Cairo, priests of the churches, and deacons of the Theological College in Anba Rouis participated in the prayers.

H.H. delivered the sermon in which he indicated that the entire history of the world is confined to this day, through three stations of human life, namely:

1- The Garden of Eden: God created man in His image and likeness, in terms of potential, mind, tongue and heart, and this image is in order to communicate with God, He also gave him the commandment, but man listened to the voice of the serpent, and brought shame on himself, and we often lose reason and the enemy strikes us with forgetfulness, so the punishment was expulsion from Paradise and feeling guilty. Therefore, a person has a feeling of guilt once he falls into sin, and Adam continued to offer sacrifices to obtain temporary forgiveness, until the light came.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
‭‭(John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ -5)
The light shone in the birth and incarnation of Christ as an introduction to the work of the cross.

B- The Cross (Golgotha): The result of sin is that it saddened God’s heart, and man’s fate became eternal perishing, until Christ came and became the sacrifice on the altar of the Cross and bore all our burdens and sins. With the crown of thorns, nails, the spear, and the torments He was subjected to without committing a single sin, and with the cross He reopened Paradise, and the way to Heaven became open to man, through his confession of his sins and his faithfulness.

Also, the words of the Lord Christ on the cross teach us prayer, constant longing for Heaven, family loyalty, and remorse for sins, which gives us safety and peace.
“Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
‭‭(Revelation‬ ‭2‬:‭10)‬ ‭
3- Heaven: The striving Church has become a victorious Church, and man can reach Heaven through:
A- Sincere repentance and spiritual work
“Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.”
‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭8)‬ ‭
B- True love for every needy person.
C- Purposeful life and always glorifying the name of Christ.

This page is also available in: العربية