Books published by St. Mary & St. Moses Abbey

This Orthodox Christian commentary is derived from a series of sermons given by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, where His Eminence has been serving since the early 90s. ABOUT THE BOOK: (COLOSSIANS) THE SURVIVAL OF CHRISTIANITY IN COLOSSE: The budding congregation of Christians in the city of Colosse was threatened by the temptation to relapse to paganism. St. Paul steps in by writing this letter to warn them against apostasy, as well as other philosophies of men (such as Judaistic ceremonialism, angel worship, and an improperly harsh form of asceticism). The singular message St. Paul wanted to impress upon them was: Christ is the fullness of God and is the all-sufficient Savior. (1 THESSALONIANS) KEEPING THE SECOND COMING IN MIND: St. Paul tries to remind the Thessalonians about the need to maintain their steadfastness in the faith, and he instructs them on how to live a holy life, worthy of their calling. He brings to their mind the Second Coming of Christ as a means of motivation and also comfort in light of the persecutions they had been facing. (2 THESSALONIANS) THE SECOND COMING-NOT JUST YET Having brought to their minds the Second Coming of Christ, some Thessalonians thought that the persecution they were enduring meant Christ was coming now (as in, in their lifetime), to the point that people quit their work! St. Paul corrects their misunderstanding and motivates them for continued spiritual progress.

15 years in the making, and after incorporating the guidance of several Orthodox scholars and theologians, this book gathers together a plethora of afterlife experiences of Orthodox Christians from all over the world, spanning 2,000 years of Christian history. The reader is taken on a journey from the moment of death to crossing over into the next existence, witnessing the afterlife through the eyes of others who beheld it and were able to tell us their stories. Each aspect of the afterlife presented in the book is grounded first on the Holy Bible, and then an array of early Christian writings is presented to provide a foundation upon which the reader may understand the experiences presented.The remarkable feature of this book, as one endorser put it, is that all the experiences ';are remarkably consistent. Far from speculativethey suggest an underlying and almost overwhelming unity with both Scripture and the Church Fathers.'The entire endeavor began when John Habib was in college and living a very worldly life. After being confronted with an Egyptian monk's afterlife story, his life was turned around and he then returned to the faith of his youth. From there, John continued to seek out what Orthodox Christianity really has to say about what happens after we die.This book delves into a treasure trove of Orthodox history to seek out answers to questions such as the following (and much more): What is death and what does it feel like to die? What will our spirits look like? What will we see immediately after death? What is the experience after death? Is it a journey, or do we directly find ourselves in some other place? What is Hades like? Is it really a fiery torment? Is everyone punished the same? What is Paradise like? How does it look? What does it feel like being there? What happens to infants after they die? Will we see God in heaven? Will we see the Father? The Son? The Holy Spirit? What will we do in the afterlife? Will it be enjoyable?

This Orthodox Christian commentary is derived from a series of sermons given by His Grace Bishop Youssef of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, where His Grace has been serving in this capacity since the early 90s. ABOUT THE BOOK: Corinth was a very important commercial center which made it easy for it to be a place for all sorts of vice and evil. Also, its closeness to Athens added the problem of intellectualism. Greece was known for its philosophers and philosophy. St. Paul established the church of Corinth during his second missionary trip. Unfortunately, the immoral environment found in the city adversely affected the church. In addition, pride caused division in the church and disruption in the services (1 Cor. 1-4, 11). Immorality and immodesty found its way into the church, which led to a bad reputation for the church of Corinth (1 Cor. 5). There was also the problem of the Christian brethren who were taking their personal problems with each other before the heathen courts instead of working them out among themselves (1Cor. 6). Other issues affecting the church included questions about marriage (1 Cor. 7), meats sacrificed to idols (1 Cor. 8-10), women praying and prophesying with their heads uncovered (1 Cor. 11), the use of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12-14), the resurrection from the dead (1 Cor. 15), and the collection for the saints in Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16). Reports of the problems within the church reached St. Paul's ears, and so he set out to answer these reports, correcting sinful practices and refuting false doctrine.