Purpose – reblog
Tag: religion
Please pray for: Bishop Tawadros new pope of Egypt’s Coptic Christians | BBC
Peanut Gallery: Please pray for Bishop Tawadros who has been chosen the new pope of Egypt’s Coptic Christians, becoming leader of the largest Christian minority in the Middle East… to be enthroned in a ceremony on November 18.
“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” 2 Timothy 2.1-3 NKJV
Watch the moment in the ceremony when a blindfolded boy picked the name out of a bowl –
His name was selected from a glass bowl by a blindfolded boy at a ceremony in Cairo’s St Mark’s Cathedral. Three candidates had been shortlisted.
The 60-year-old succeeds Pope Shenouda III, who died in March aged 88.
He succeeds as attacks on Copts are on the increase, and many say they fear the country’s new Islamist leaders.
The other two candidates were Bishop Raphael and Father Raphael Ava Mina. They were chosen in a ballot by a council of some 2,400 Church and community officials in October.
Bishop Tawadros has studied in Britain
In God’s hands
Their names were written on pieces of paper and put in crystal balls sealed with wax on the church altar.
A blindfolded boy – one of 12 shortlisted children – then drew out the name of Bishop Tawadros, who until now was an aide to the acting leader, Bishop Pachomius.
Bishop Pachomius then took the ballot from the boy’s hand and showed it to all those gathered in the cathedral.
Strict measures were in place to make sure there was no foul play during the televised ceremony: the three pieces of paper with candidates’ names were all the same size and tied the same way.
Copts say this process ensures the selection is in God’s hands.
Bishop Tawadros will be enthroned in a ceremony on 18 November.
Morning Reading: Mark 12.28-31 NLT
One of the teachers of religious law… asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12.28-31 NLT
More on: Choosing a New Coptic Pope » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog
Peanut Gallery: I confess, I’m fascinated by the papal selection process of the Coptic Orthodox Church. It’s not so much the candidate vetting to narrow the final choices down to three. It’s the God-directed final selection by lot at the hand of a random child that I find both amazing and inspiring.
It’s so unlike the political lobbying and manuevering that I’ve witnessed in the church over the years. And this selection is so much more important in the total scheme of things… given the tenuous position of Christians in an emerging Islamic Egypt.
That’s why I’ve re-posted this article from First Things… to add additional information… and to encourage you to pray for the Coptic Church and their soon-to-be-revealed new Pope.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done
On earth, as it is in heaven!
See full article below –
Choosing a New Pope
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Mark Movsesian
In Egypt this weekend, the Coptic Orthodox Church will select its 118th pope. The new pope will succeed the late Shenouda III, who led the Coptic Church—a venerable and long-suffering communion, and the largest Christian church in the Middle East today—for forty years. The selection process, which is codified in Egyptian civil law, tracks ancient custom and is quite fascinating.
According to Eastern Christian practice, only monks—that is, celibate priests attached to a monastic brotherhood—may become pope. Continue reading “More on: Choosing a New Coptic Pope » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog”
All Saints Day – “For all the Saints who from their labors rest….”
Peanut Gallery: Please remember today the “saints” who have gone before us.
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!” Revelation 14.7 NLT
The Peanut Gallery 