St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church New Orleans - Louisiana Calendar and News December 1997

The Coptic Orthodox Diocese Of

The Southern United States

St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church New Orleans Louisiana

December 1997 Church News Letter & Activities Calendar

THE CONCEPT OF FREEDOM

First: God likes everyone to be free:

God created man with free will and said to him in the Book of Deuteronomy, "See, I have set before you today life and death, good and evilI call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life" (Deuteronomy 30: 15-20).

Second: Freedom necessitates accountability and responsibility:

A person or any being who has freedom is not accountable for his doings. On the other hand, freedom necessitates the accountability of man for whatever he does whether good or evil do that he might be rewarded for his good works and punished for his wrong or evil works. Adam and Eve were free and when they had God's Commandment; they could have obeyed or broken it. But they broke the Commandment and God inflicted grounded punishment on them (Gen. 3:9-19). A punishment for a wrongdoing of a person has discretion in double: on earth and in heaven. He may escape punishment on earth, but punishment in heaven remains in the other world not abolished except by repentance. (Luke 13:3-5). Likewise, the reward for a good doing of a person done by his free will is a double reward. Even though a person does not obtain the reward on earth, it is kept for him in heaven, "your Father who sees you in secret will reward you openly" (Matt. 6:4,6).

Third: You are not entitled to absolute freedom:

You are free to do whatever you want to provided that you do not encroach upon the rights or freedoms of others, nor break Good's commandments nor law and public order laid down for the comfort and peace of others. For example, you have no right to violate the traffic rules while driving your car and say that you are free to go wherever you want! Nor have you the right to raise your voice & make noise disturbing others because you believe that you are free to raise your voice as much as you like! You have no right also to cheat on exams and say that you are free to use whichever papers you want! As you ought to use your freedom in a way that doesn't harm others or violate public order, you should also use your freedom in such a way as not to cause harm to yourself. Your own self doesn't belong to you. It belongs to God Who created it and redeemed it. It belongs also to the community that cared for you and brought you up and thus you have obligations towards it. Therefore killing oneself in suicide is a crime which is punished by God and rejected by law. The same applies to whoever causes himself harm through smoking or drugs. Such a person cannot say that he is free, and he can smoke whenever he feels like it! He has no right to destroy himself nor deprive the community from his existence and from performing his duty towards it.

Fourth: Restrictions against freedom are for your benefit, not a curb on you:

Restrictions are useful in that they hold you back from doing harm to yourself, to others or to the community, and from breaking God's commandments. A river has two banks; they don't restrain its water course but preserve it. If a river has no banks, it will flow on both sides and inundate the land, turning it into swamps. I wonder if rivers object to their having two banks and say: Banks restrain our freedom! It is the same for you; the banks to you as God's commandments, laws, traditions, and perhaps religion and education. Both are for your benefit; for a child who refuses education and considers it restricting his freedom, or the youth who refuses the advice of his parents, his teachers, or his guides, seeing in them a restraint to his freedom, such a person will be corrupt and will go astray from the right path. Can straying be another name of freedom or a consequence thereof?

H. H. Pope Shenouda III

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
30 November	1 December	2	3 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 9:00AM-11:00AM	4 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 5:00AM-7:00AM Martyrdom of St. Mercurius Abu Syphon	5 Vespers & Bible Study Birmingham, AL.	6 Divine Liturgy Birmingham, AL. 9:00AM-12:30PM --------------------- Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
7 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	8 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 5:00AM-7:00AM Comm. Of Annunciation	9	10 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 9:00AM-11:00AM	11 .	12 Trip to Tampa, Florida	13 Trip to Tampa, Florida. --------------------- Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
14 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	15	16	17 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 9:30AM-11:00AM	18	19 Vespers & Bible Study Mobile, AL.	20 Divine Liturgy 9:00AM-12:00PM Mobile, AL. ------------------- Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
21 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	22	23	24	25	26 Vespers & Bible Study Tallahassee, FL.	27 Divine Liturgy Tallahassee, FL. 9:00AM-12:00PM ----------------- Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
28 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	29	30	31 New Years Eve Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:00AM-12:00PM New Year's Celebration 8:00PM-12Midnight	1 January New Year's Day Divine Liturgy New Orleans 9:00AM-12:00PM Spiritual Day 12:00PM-5:00PM	2 Vespers & Bible Study Birmingham, AL.	3 Divine Liturgy Birmingham, AL. 9:00AM-12:30PM --------------------- Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM

Church News:

Announcements :

The Coptic month of Kiyahk will begin on Wednesday, Dec 10; Kiyahk praises will begin on Saturday, Dec. 13th.
A kids camp will be held in Orlando, FL, on Sunday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Dec. 24. The cost will be $60 in addition to the transportation. For more information, contact Abouna Shenouda.
On New Year's Eve, a New Year's celebration will be held from 8 p.m. to 12 midnight.
On New Year's Day, a Divine Liturgy will be celebrated from 9 a.m. to 12 noon followed by a Spiritual Day from 12 to 5 p. m
Congratulations to Sarwat Gad, Nawal Ghobrial, Albert Minias, and Adel Sakla on being voted as the new Church board members. See Board of Deacon web page.
The church congratulate Mark Fleming on receiving the blessing of "Aghnostos" (Reader) on the hands of H.G. Bishop Youssef, The Bishop of the Southern United Diocese, May The Lord Keep His Live Very Long.

Condolences :

The Church expresses its condolences to Abouna Isaac's family in Houston for the recent departure of his wife Tasony Victoria Zakharias. May God be with his family as they go through this difficult time.

Happy Birthday :

Stephen Mounir Gindi ........................................ December 14th

Thomas Sami Matta (Tommy).............................. December 15th

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Created 7/24/1997, Last Modified 8/30/1997