+ The peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. I wish to thank you my brethren for all your kind contributions; truly your support helped us greatly in the service of the "Brethren of the Lord."

+ We continue now our discussion on how God rewards those who have merciful hearts toward the needy and poor by delivering them in their times of trouble (Ps. 41:1). Previously, we mentioned the examples of David the Prophet & King, St. Paul the Apostle, St. Abraam, Bishop of Fayum & Giza and St. Sarabamoun "Abou Tarha" (the veiled), Bishop of Monofia. Below, we mention two other examples.

The blessed sister S.M. in Cairo:

+ She is a blessed person who is full of love and mercy, and serves the Brethren of the Lord in complete secrecy. One moonlit winter night, as she was going to serve in one of the poor neighborhoods of Cairo, she was approached by three individuals who wanted to harm her. Since it was late and very quite, she could only lift her heart to her beloved God, asking for the intercessions of St. Mary. Suddenly, she saw St. Mary shining in the moon with objects in her hands, which she began to throw at the assailants. Immediately afterwards small rocks fell on the three men, who quickly fled in great fear. This merciful sister was greatly amazed on how God had dealt with her, and she heard the voice of the Holy Spirit singing in her heart saying: "Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble" (Ps. 41:1-2), "Behold, I am with you always and will keep you wherever you go" (Gen. 28:15). In her joy, she burst in tears praising the Lord and thanking Him saying: "I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest" (Ps. 55:8)... Praise and glory be to our Holy God forever amen.

The blessed brother W.N. in Lebanon:

+ This man is a wealthy Copt who lives in a beach house in Beirut. He is also a blessed man, full of mercy and compassion for the poor and helpless. It happened that one evening, as he was leaving his house to go to church, four armed men approached to steal from him. After giving them all he had, including his watch, one of the thieves suggested to kill him so he would not identify them. The man then felt that he was surely going to die and mixed feelings stirred in his heart. Yet suddenly his spirit was elevated as if he was standing in front of the glorious throne of God. In complete submission, he shouted from the depth of his heart with a loud voice saying: "My God, my God." Immediately the four men fled, and after he calmed down, he heard a beautiful song reciting in his heart saying: "Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble" (Ps. 41:1-2). Truly God delivered him in his time of trouble. My beloved brethren, be certain that the more merciful we are to the poor and helpless (the Brethren of the Lord), the more God is compassionate towards us and delivers us in times of tribulation. I imagine that each of you has many stories and experiences about how our gracious God covers us and saves us from many evils.

+ My beloved brethren, we have now concluded the first reward that God gives to those who consider the poor. God willing in future newsletters, we will speak of the second reward, which is "the Lord will preserve him." May our Lord compensate you with the incorruptible instead of the corruptible, the heavenly instead of the earthly and the eternal instead of the temporal.

Bishop Youannes
General Bishop and Secretary of H.H. Pope Shenouda III