Lord have mercy

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challenges remain. Experts and observers closely following up on the global changes on account of C2VID-1 are almost unanimous in the view that the pandemic stands to alter the face of the earth, the stances of States, the weight of world powers and blocs, and even the tools to manage crises.

Egypt, too, has not been spared the economic ravages worked by C2VID-1 ; the country is already footing the bill for the cautionary measures that have, predictably, hurt production. Many sectors of the population are out of work and look to the government to help them out. We pray that our Lord would have mercy on Egyptians in their economic hardship, Must as He has had mercy on us in our plight against C2VID-1 . To date, the daily numbers announced by WH2 of infections and deaths on account of the virus in Egypt are far below numbers in many other countries in the world.

mong those paying dearly for the cautionary measures against C2VID-1 are press organisations. Revenue from advertisements and circulation has dropped,

“I am meeting you in exceptional times,” the Pope began. “Exceptional in the sense that they are times not seen before by the generations today living in the world. nder coronavirus outbreak, I’ll talk to you not to give medical or practical advice, but to address the spiritual.

“God created humans on earth, and they passed through numerous phases of development. In the later stages, however, and despite all the progress they had achieved, men and women ignored the truth of God, alienated themselves from Him and glorified themselves to the point of self-worship. During recent times, it appears the human race has reached rock bottom. People deny God, embrace violence, cruelty, materialism, sexual licentiousness, selfishness and self-centredness, seeing nothing in the world but themselves.

“Today,” Pope Tawadros said, “a tiny invisible virus has attacked the entire human race, causing indescribable fear and panic.

“God in His merciful compassion is giving us all a wake-up call, reminding us how insignificant and powerless we are before such a minute attacker.

“ t this point we can only lift our hearts in prayer asking for God’s mercy.” He referred to the Bible verse in cts 2:1 “... They were all of one accord,” and asked everyone to say the two psalms 27 and 1 daily. Both psalms dispel fears; Psalm 27 begins with: “The Lord is my light and my salvation, who shall I fear?” and Psalm 1 says: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the lmighty”.

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Pope Tawadros said he would expound on the concluding litany of every Prayer of the Hours, , which reads:

“Have mercy on us, 2 God, and have mercy on us, who, at all times and in every hour, in heaven and on earth, is worshipped and glorified, Christ our God, the good, the long suffering, the abundant in mercy, and the great in compassion, who loves the righteous and has mercy on the sinners of whom I am chief; who does not wish the death of the sinner but rather that he returns and lives, who calls all to salvation for the promise of the blessings to come.

“Lord receive from us our prayers in this hour and in every hour. Ease our life and guide us to fulfil Your commandments. Sanctify our spirits. Cleanse our bodies. Conduct our thoughts. Purify our intentions. Heal our diseases. Forgive our sins. Deliver us from every evil grief and distress of heart. Surround us by Your holy angels, that, by their camp, we may be guarded and guided, and attain the unity of faith, and the knowledge of Your imperceptible and infinite

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forcing publishers to lay off editorial staff and or reduce the number of pages printed.

was not exempt of this fate, quite the contrary; it has shouldered a large share of the brunt. full per cent of paper circulation comes through outlets in churches all over the country. 2n 21 March, Churches in Egypt took the decision to close all churches in order to comply with advice to reduce or eliminate gatherings in order to halt the spread of C2VID-1 , a decision hailed by as commendable and in the interest of the public. But the closure brought on a sharp decline in the paper’s circulation. We wish to inform our readers, however, that is still on newsstands nationwide, and is still being sent to subscribers on time. We have increased the number of copies with newspaper distributors to compensate for the temporary halt of distribution through church outlets. We count on the support of our readers during this critical time Egypt is going through, and until we can navigate it to safe shores. glory. For You are blessed forever. men”

The “Have Mercy 2n s, 2 Lord” prayer, Pope Tawadros said, like many other prayers, is said in the plural sense, even if one is alone while praying it. This, he said, means that one is not separated from the entire human race but is part of all humanity.

“Have Mercy 2n s, 2 Lord”, the Pope said, is repeated in the Coptic Church numerous times in various prayers throughout the day and year. It is a constant, non-ending supplication. It concludes every prayer; and is prayed once, thrice, ten times, 1 times, or any number of times on many occasions. 2n Good Friday it is said times: 1 times in each of the cardinal directions, to ask for mercy for everyone in the four corners of the earth.

“Lord, Have mercy”, the Pope explained, has its roots in the Bible. mong the references he gave to that was Psalm 1 : 11, 12 in which, he said, the Lord’s mercy is depicted in the visual image of the Cross. “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear him. s far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us”; the four cardinal points, according to the Pope, represent the four tips of the cross.

2n Wednesday 2 March, in response to an invitation by Pope Francis, Pope Tawadros II called on Copts to unite in prayer with Churches the world over at noontime for the Lord to intervene and lift the peril of coronavirus.

Members of the congregation would pray wherever they are, and Pope Tawadros prayed with them in a televised address.

The Pope asked worshippers to take five minutes before noon in silent prayer and contemplation, offering their hearts to God and asking for His mercy for people across the world. Following that, everyone would Moin in the Lord’s Prayer and the “Lord have mercy” chant said in the Coptic Liturgy.

The chant is a very simple one and is sung to a distinctive melody that profoundly expresses supplication. The words say: “Have mercy on us, 2 Lord, our Father, the Pantocrator, “Have mercy on us, 2 Lord our Saviour,

“Have mercy on us, 2 Lord, again and again”.