| Vol. 3 No. 3 | March 2000 |
Table of contents
From
the words of St. John Chrysostom |
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Census
Reminder |
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From the Words of St. John Chrysostom...
On the definitions of poverty and wealth:
"Let us learn not to call the rich lucky nor the poor unfortunate. Rather, if we are to tell the truth, the rich man is not the one who has collected many possessions but the one who needs few possessions; and the poor man is not the one who has no possessions but the one who has many desires. But those who are satisfied with what they have, and pleased with their own possessions, and do not have their eyes on the substance of others, even if they are poorest of all, should be considered the richest of all."
On fasting:
"Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man, take pity on him. If you see a friend being honored, do not envy him. Do not let only your mouth fast, but also the eye, and the ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies. For what good is it if we abstain form birds and fishes, but bite and devour our brothers?"
On good deeds:
"When you practice virtue and people see you, they do not stop at praise of you; instead, when they see your good deeds shining and lighting up your face, they are moved to praise your Father in heaven. When this happens, we in turn are amply rewarded by the Lord, who bestows on us countless good things: 'Those who honor Me, I will honor' " (I Samuel 2:30).
Census Reminder
This month the United States government will be mailing this decade's census (a statistical survey of U.S. residents). Please be sure to write "Coptic" in response to the question asking you to indicate your ethnicity/nationality.The census is a great opportunity to let the government know how many of us belong to the Coptic Orthodox community in this country.
