Hegumen Abraam Sleman

In Matthew 25:1–13, our Lord Jesus Christ speaks to us through the parable of the ten virgins—a parable both beautiful and deeply serious, revealing the mystery of the kingdom of heaven. When the Bridegroom came, Jesus said, “Those who were ready went in with Him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.” (Matthew 25:10) These simple yet profound words— “those who were ready” —hold the key to our eternal destiny. The wedding feast symbolizes the heavenly joy, the eternal life prepared for those who love God. But to enter that joy, we must be ready. Readiness, however, is not achieved in a single moment. It is a lifelong journey—a way of life that begins with baptism and continues in faith, purity, humility, love, forgiveness, service, perseverance, and watchfulness . Let us reflect together on the qualifications for entering the heavenly joy , as revealed by our Lord in His teachings and affirmed by the saints of the Church. 1. Baptism — The Beginning of New Life Our read...

In recent years, the Church has witnessed the rise of various programs under the titles of Christian leadership training or Christian counseling , seeking to equip leaders for service. While many of these initiatives are well-intentioned, they often attempt to merge secular business strategies with spiritual principles, as though the Church could be strengthened by adopting the models of the corporate world. Such efforts, though appealing in appearance, risk undermining the very foundation upon which the Church stands — the leadership of the Holy Spirit. The Church Is Not a Corporation The Church of God is not an institution to be managed; she is the living Body of Christ — born of the Spirit, governed by divine wisdom, and sustained by grace. Leadership in the Church cannot be reduced to managerial efficiency or strategic success. When the examples held up before us are those of “Starbucks Coffee” or “Elon Musk’s corporation,” we must pause and ask whether such models truly refle...

يذكرنا الرسول بولس في رومية ١٢: ٢: "تغيروا بتجديد أذهانكم، لتختبروا ما هي مشيئة الله". ولا غنى عن هذا التجديد في طريقة خدمتنا في القداس الإلهي، الذي هو جوهر عبادة الكنيسة ونبع حياتها. فالقداس ليس واجبًا علينا أن نتعجل فيه أو نؤديه كواجب؛ بل هو هبة من الله، حيث تلتقي السماء بالأرض، حيث يرفعنا الروح القدس إلى شركة مع الآب من خلال الابن . الصلاة بالروح وبالذهن يكتب بولس في كورنثوس الأولى ١٤: ١٥: "أصلي بالروح، وأصلي بالذهن أيضًا. أرنم بالروح، وأرنم بالذهن أيضًا". في هذه الآية، يصف جوهر الصلاة الليتورجية. الصلاة بالروح هي أن نسمح للروح القدس أن يُلهم قلوبنا بالمحبة والرهبة والعبادة. أما الصلاة بالذهن (بالعقل) فهي أن نكون واعين، مُتأنين، ومنتبهين، مُدركين معنى ما نُعلنه. في القداس الإلهي، يجب أن يتحد الروح والعقل حتى تُصبح صلاتنا مُتقدة وعميقة، ذبيحة تسبيح حقيقية . حذر القديس يوحنا الذهبي الفم رعيته قائلاً: "عندما تصلون، لا تدعوا عقولكم تتشتت هنا وهناك؛ بل اجمعوها، وارجعوها، واحصروها في الكلمات التي تنطقونها. لأنكم تقفون في حضرة رب الكل، وتُخاطبون الله نفسه...

The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2 : “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is.” This renewal is nowhere more necessary than in the way we approach the Divine Liturgy , the heart of the Church’s worship and the fountain of her life. For the liturgy is not ours to rush through or complete as a duty; it is God’s gift, the place where heaven and earth meet, where the Spirit lifts us into communion with the Father through the Son. Praying with Spirit and Mind Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:15 : “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the mind also.” In this verse, he describes the essence of liturgical prayer. To pray with the spirit is to allow the Holy Spirit to stir our hearts with love, awe, and adoration. To pray with the mind is to be conscious, deliberate, and attentive, understanding the meaning of what we proclaim. In the Divine Liturgy, spirit...

أيها الأحباء في المسيح، إذا كنتم تقرأون هذه الرسالة بقلبٍ مثقل أو جريح - ربما مثقل أو جريح بالألم أو البعد أو الصمت في زواجكم - فاعلموا أنكم لستم وحدكم، ولستم بلا رجاء . يكتب القديس بولس : " وَلَكِنَّ الْكُلَّ مِنَ اللهِ، الَّذِي صَالَحَنَا لِنَفْسِهِ بِيَسُوعَ الْمَسِيحِ، وَأَعْطَانَا خِدْمَةَ الْمُصَالَحَةِ، أَيْ إِنَّ اللهَ كَانَ فِي الْمَسِيحِ مُصَالِحاً الْعَالَمَ لِنَفْسِهِ، غَيْرَ حَاسِبٍ لَهُمْ خَطَايَاهُمْ، وَوَاضِعاً فِينَا كَلِمَةَ الْمُصَالَحَةِ" (2 كورنثوس ٥: ١٨-١٩). قلب الله هو المصالحة. أرسل ابنه ليصالحنا ويعيدنا إليه. وبنفس النعمة، يدعوكم للسير معًا نحو المصالحة والشفاء والتجديد في زواجكم . زواجكم سرٌّ مقدس في الكنيسة، الزواج ليس مجرد اتفاق شخصي أو عقد قانوني. إنه سرٌّ مقدس، سرٌّ يُوحِّد اللهُ الرجلَ والمرأةَ من خلاله، ويُتوَّجان بالمسيح. في الزواج الكنسي، لا يُقدِّم الزوجان مجرد وعودًا شفهية لبعضهما البعض. بل يتلقَّيان المشورة الروحية من الكنيسة، ويُقادان إلى الاتحاد من خلال الصلوات المقدسة والبركات وطقس التتويج . يُختم هذا الاتحاد المقدس بنعمة...

Beloved in Christ, Today, I would like to present to you a message of encouragement and self-examination—one that I pray the Holy Spirit will use to confirm and awaken hearts to the beauty of the Christian life. Our Lord Jesus declared in Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” This verse reminds us that the Christian life is not merely about external appearances, but about inward transformation—a life shaped by the presence of God and the work of His Spirit. The signs we are about to reflect on are not in place of the holy sacraments, but rather the fruit that should flow from them. Through baptism, we are united with Christ in His death and resurrection; through the anointing with the holy oil (chrismation), we receive the seal of the Holy Spirit; and through the Holy Eucharist, we partake continually of the life of Christ, abiding in Him and being nourished by ...

Dear beloved in Christ, If you are reading this with a heavy heart—perhaps burdened by pain, distance, or silence in your marriage—please know that you are not alone, and you are not without hope. St. Paul writes: “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their transgressions against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” — 2 Corinthians 5:18–19 (LSB) God’s heart is reconciliation. He sent His Son to restore us to Himself, and through that same grace, He calls you to walk together toward healing and renewal in your marriage. Your Marriage Is a Holy Sacrament In the Orthodox Church, marriage is not merely a personal agreement or a legal contract. It is a holy sacrament—a sacrament through which a man and a woman are united by God and crowned in Christ. Unlike some traditions where the couple exchang...