H.H. Pope Tawadros II prayed the Divine Liturgy this morning in St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbasiya, during which he ordained 24 new priests to serve in some areas of the See of St. Mark in Egypt and abroad, with the participation of some Church bishops and the general deputy of the Patriarchate in Cairo.
16 priests were ordained for the churches of Cairo, four for the churches of the new cities, and four other priests; one for each of: the Diocese of Mahala al-Kobra, Burundi (Africa), Asia, and New Jersey in the United States of America.
In his Liturgy’s sermon, Pope Tawadros spoke about “the integrity of priesthood,” where he pointed out that priesthood is a sacred sacrament and not just a profession. It is a straight faith and a holy life. Its goal is to glorify God, not self-realization. It is a heavenly work, but it is carried out on earth. Therefore, how awesome is this work! His Holiness referred to the fiftieth psalm which the Church always: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 50:10).
His Holiness mentioned a saying which states that the arabic letter for ‘A’ was a regular letter, but when it was straightened, they made it the first letter. He stressed that the service of the priest must be have integrity, through four qualities, all of which begin with the arabic letter “A:”
1- Fatherhood
2- Honesty
3- Diligence
4- Humility
He emphasized the need for the priest to:
• take care not to neglect his family
• take care not to neglect the value of time
• remember that the end is more important than the beginning
Pope Tawadros concluded with this recommendation: “Ask God for a good end and to complete the days of your service in peace.
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