HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE

Pope Shenouda

هــــل تعلــــم

Did you know?

1.  أن البابا شـــــنودة كان مصــاباً بســــــرطان البنكرياس وكان يعالـــــــج بالكيماوى منذ ســــــــنوات

 1. That the pope was suffering from pancreatic cancer and was treated with  chemotherapy for years 

2.  أن البابا كان مصــاباً بفشــــــل كلـــــــوى وكان يقوم بغســــــــيل الكلى 3 مـــــــرات أســــــــبوعياً

 2. That the Pope was suffering from kidney failure and had dialysis 3 times a week

3.  أن البابا كان يعانـــى من آلام وأوجــــــاع شـــــــــديدة جــــــداً جـــــــداً بالعمـــــــــود الفقــــــــــرى وكان يعالــــــــــــج عـن طــــــــــــريق حــــــقن العمــــــــــــود الفقـــــــــــرى لتســـــــــــكين الآلام

 3. That the Pope was suffering from very very severe  spine aches and pains and was treated with injecting the spine to relieve the pain

4.  وبالرغم من ذلك كان دائماً مبتســـــــماً فرحاً بشـــــوشاً مبتهجاً وكان يحمل صــــليبه بفرح

شــديد

4. Despite all this he was always smiling, happy, optimistic and carrying his cross with great happiness

5.  هل تعلم أن البابا عندما حاصـره السلفيين بالكاتدرائيــة حاول الخروج لهم قائلاً لا تمنعونى من نوال إكليل الشــــــهادة إلا أن الآبــــــــاء الأســـــــاقفة الموجــــــــودين معــــــه منعــــــــــوه قائليـــــــن أنت عنـــــــدك أكاليل كثيــــــــرة جداً ولا تنتظــر إكليل الشـــــــــهادة ومنعـــــــــوه من الخــــــــروج

5. Did you know that the Pope when besieged by the Salafis (most fanatic Muslims) at the Cathedral he tried to go out saying don’t deprive me from receiving the crown of martyrdom, but the accompanying priests & bishops stopped him, saying you've got so many crowns and you do not need more!

6.  هل تعلم أن أول عظة للبابا بعد محاصــــــرة الســــــلفيين للكاتدرائيــــــــة كانت بعنـــوان إغفــــروا

6. Did you know that the first sermon of the Pope after the siege of the Salfis (most fanatic Muslims) at the cathedral was entitled “Forgive”.

7.  هل تعلم أن البابا كان يقضــــــى نص الأســــــــبوع بقلايته بالدير ولم ينسى يومــــــــاً أنه راهــــب

7. Did you know that the pope use to spend half the week in his private room at the monastery and not one day passed that he ever forgotten that he is a monk

8.  هل تعلم أن يوم الخــــميس كان يخصــــــصه البابا للفقراء والمحـــــتاجين وكان يفرح جداً جداً بـ أى فقير مســــــــلم ويلبى طلبه فى الحـــــــال ولم يكن يفرق يوماً بين محــــــتاج مسلم أو مسيحي

8. Did you know that the Pope devoted Thursdays to the poor & needy and he use to get extremely happy helping poor Muslims giving them what is needed and that he never differentiated between a needy Muslim or Christian

9.  هل تعلم أن البابا شـــــنودة منذ جلس على كرسيه حكم مصر 2 من الرؤساء هم السادات ومبارك

9. Did you know that since Pope Shenouda took his role Egypt was governed by two presidents: El-Sadat and Mubark

  .10هل تعلم أن حسني مبارك لم يكن بطيئاً فقط فى قراراته عند قيام الثــــــورة ولكنه كان بطيئاً أيضاً فى إتخاذ قـــــــرار بإلغاء قــــــــرار الســــــــــادات بمنــــــــع البابا من مغـــــــــادرة الديـــــــــر ولم يتخذ القرار إلا بعد 4 سنوات أى أن البابا ظل محبوساً بديرة بعد موت الســـــادات بـ 4 ســـنوات

10. Did you know that Hosni Mubarak was not only slow in taking decisions during the revolution, but he was also slow in taking decisions to cancel El-Sadat decision preventing the Pope from leaving the monastery – Mubark took the decision 4 years later which meant that the Pope was imprisoned in his monastery for 4 years after El-
Sadat death

 .11هل تعلم أنه بسبب سوء العلاقه بين البابا والســـادات ولولا قرار حبس البابا بالدير لحضر البابا العرض العسكرى الذى مات فيه السادات ولكن الذى حضــــــر هو الأنبا صموئيل وهو أحد الخمسة الذين إختارهم الســـــادات لتولى شــــــــئون الكنيسة وأيضاً هو أحد الثلاثة مرشحين الذين ألقيت عليهم القرعــــــــــــــــــة الهيكليـــــــــــــــــة التى أختيــــــــــــــــــــر منها البابــــــــــا شـــــــــنودة

11. Did you know that because of the bad relationship between the Pope and El-Sadat, if it was not for El-Sadat decision to imprison the Pope in the monastery that the Pope could have attended the military parade where El-Sadat was assassinated, but who attended was Bishop Samuel is one of the five who El-Sadat selected to take over the affairs of the church and is also one of the three candidates who have thrown into structural draw which chosen Pope Shenouda 

Spiritual : Mother's Day عيد الأم

Dear Lord, 

Bless all Mothers!

Bless all widowed mothers whom were left to bring up their children on their own.


Bless all single mothers whom took the single path due to separation or divorce and were left to bring up their children on their own.

Bless all the Wanna Be Mothers and make it possible to bring forth life to raise up as mighty men and women of God!

Bless all the Women who wanted to be Mothers but could not have Children of their own... bless them with Spiritual Children to raise up in Jesus!

Bless all the Grammas, Aunties, God-Mothers and Adopted Moms.

Bring love and peace and joy and favor into their lives and help us all to raise all the children around us to be Mighty Men and Women of God!

Thank You Lord! AMEN!

 

FOOD : Easter Bread (Greek) عيش/خبز عيد القيامه

Happy Easter 

كل سنه وأنتم طيبين بمناسبه عيد القيامه المجيد

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? 
Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
 Matthew 16:26

ماذا ينفع الانسان اذا كسب العالم وخسر نفسه؟ 
أو ماذا يقدر الأنسان أن يعطي بدلا عن روحه؟
أنجيل متي الأصحاح  ١٦ أيه  ٢٦ 

This Easter bread, with its mild cinnamon flavor, is not only tasty but also decorative. Fill the empty center with more colored Easter eggs and you will have a beautiful centerpiece for your holiday table. The bread is not hard to make at all...now braiding it is another thing...I never was very good at braiding LOL.

  عيش/خبزعيد القيامه ده، مع نكهة قرفة معتدله ليس فقط طعمه حلو/ لذيذ ولكنه أيضا شكله جميل/زخرفي. ضع في المركز الفارغ مزيد من بيض عيد القيامه الملون وسوف يكون لديك محور جميل لترابيزه الأجازه. الخبز ليس من الصعب عمله ... أما تضفيره فهو شئ أخر ... أنا عمري ماكنت شاطره في التضفير.  

1 packet (or 1 tablespoon) active dry yeast
½ cup warm water
¼ cup sugar
½ cup warm milk
2 eggs (at room temperature)
225g of butter (softened)
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
3 ½ to 4 ½ cups of all purpose flour
To decorate
6 dyed raw eggs (they bake in the oven)
egg wash (1 egg with 1 tablespoon water mixed) 
3 tsp granulated sugar 
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

 1 باكو (أو 1 ملعقة طعام) خميرة جافة نشطه

   كوب ماء دافئ½

  كوب سكر¼

 كوب لبن دافئ  ½

2  بيضه (في حراره الغرفه)

ج  زبدة (لينه)   225 

 ملعقة صغيرة ملح ¾

 ملعقة صغيرة قرفة¾

ملعقة صغيرة بهارات ¼

½ 3 -  ½4 كوب دقيق (لجميع الأغراض)  
للتزيين

 بيضات ملونيين غير مطبوخين  (سوف ينطبخوا في الفرن)6 

بيضة للتغطيه (1 بيضة مع 1 ملعقة طعام ماء مختلطة)
3  معلقه شاي سكر سنترفيش

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in sugar, and ½ cup flour; let it sit for 10 minutes. Add milk, eggs, butter, salt,   cinnamon and allspice, mix well. Add the rest of the flour (½ cup at a time) and knead (or use stand mixer with dough hook) until dough forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough should feel a little tacky, but not sticky.

تذاب الخميرة في الماء الدافئ أضيف السكر ونصف كوب دقيق وقلب الخليط جيدا وأتركها لمدة 10 دقائق. إضيف اللبن/ الحليب والبيض والزبدة والملح، والقرفة والبهارات، وأخلطهم جيدا. إضيف ما تبقى من الدقيق/الطحين (½ كوب في كل مرة) وأعجن (أو استخدم  العجان الكهربائي) حتى يشكل العجين كرة ملساء يمكن سحبها بعيدا من جوانب الوعاء. العجين ينبغي أن تكون قليلا مبتله، ولكن ليس لزجه

Put dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Punch dough down and let it rest for 15 minutes. Divide dough into 3 parts and roll each part into a long rope. Braid ropes together and pinch ends to form a circle. Place circle on parchment paper lined baking sheet and let it rise for 45 minutes. Brush with egg wash and gently push raw colored eggs down into dough at least half way, cover with granulated sugar & cinnamon. Bake at 180°c for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on rack.

ضع العجين في وعاء عميق مدهون بزيت أو زبده  وغطيه بغلاف بلاستيكي. أسمح للعجينه أن تختمر لمدة  ½1 الى 2 ساعة. ألكم العجين لأسفل وأسمح لها ترتاح لمدة 15 دقيقة. قسم العجينة إلى 3 أجزاء ودور كل جزء الي حبل طويل ثم جدل/ضفر الحبال حول بعضها وأطغط نهايتهم معا لتشكيل دائرة. ضع الدائرة على ورقة زبده علي صينيه فرن وأسمح لها أن ترتفع لمدة 45 دقيقة. يدهن الوجه بفرشه بسائل البيض ثم أطغط بلطف البيض الملون الخام لمنتصفه فوق العجين ثم رش السكر والقرفه. أخبز في  فرن درجة 

حراره 180 مئوية لمدة 35 إلى دقيقة. تبرد على رف سلك.

  

NOTE: After you color the eggs, wash and rinse them well or the dye will run, when it hits the egg washed dough. 
Natural brown eggs are also pretty to use.

   ملاحظة: بعد تلوين البيض أغسلهم وأشطفهم  جيدا وألا ألوانهم ستسيل لما البيض يلمس العجينه المغطاه بسائل البيض  

 لون البيض البني الطبيعي هو جميل أيضا للأ ستعمال 

NOTE: Some times the eggs crack while baking. If that happens, use a small sharp knife to remove the broken egg and replace it with another colored egg.

ملاحظة: في بعض الاحيان يشرخ البيض في حين الخبز. إذا حدث ذلك، استخدام سكين صغيرة حادة لإزالة البيضه المشروخه وأضيف واحده تانيه بديله  

NOTE: You can also make small (individual) braided bread rolls (or knots) and put egg into center.

 ملاحظة: يمكنك أيضا عمل خبز مضفر(فردي) صغير ( أو عقد) رول وضع بيضه في الوسط

SPIRITUAL : Earth Helical Motion حركه الأرض الولبيه

For the people who believe in evolution - if you are a tennis, squash or football player it is impossible to throw the ball to your aimed point say 100 consecutive times. Now think of 100s, 1.000s, 10,000s, 100,000s, million, billion, trillion balls all moving in amazing CONTROL. What kind of power CONTROLS the big mighty earth movement, the sun, the stars & the galaxies? obviously something bigger and more powerful who we are the believers call God. If God did not exist ... all these stars will be crashing at each other like fire works and if one star survives, will be moving with no plan, system, rhythm or pattern.

The earth does not only move around the sun in a circle, but in an oval shape ... not fixed circular path but in a HELICAL motion

watch the video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkWyM-M8o0c

The earth completes a rotation round it's access every 23 hours and 54 minutes, this rotation is counter clock wise with respect to the sun when observed from the north pole. The earth complete one revolution round around the sun once every 365.6 days - the north pole always points to the same direction in space - when observes from space the earth seems to move in a helical movement around the sun as the sun travels through our galaxy.

Valentine's Day عيد القديس فالنتين عيد الحب

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is a holiday observed on February 14 honoring early Christian martyr named Saint Valentine. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. 

The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

تاريخ عيد الحب والقديس فالنتين الراعي له يكتنفها الغموض ولكننا نعرف أن الغرب دائما أحتفل طول شهرفبراير بالرومانسية. عيد الحب، كما نعرفه اليوم، يحتوي على بقايا تاريخ مسيحي وروماني تقليدي وتاريخي. لذلك، فمن كان القديس فالنتين؟ وكيف أرتبط 
 أسمه بهذه الطقوس القديمة؟ تعترف الكنيسة الكاثوليكية اليوم بما لا يقل عن ثلاثة  قديسين مختلفين أسمايهم فالنتين أو فالنتينوس
وجميعهم أستشهدوا.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

تدعي أسطورة أن فالنتين كان قسيس خدم خلال القرن الثالث في روما. عندما قرر الإمبراطور كلوديوس الثاني أن الرجال يصنعون جنود  أفضل من الجنود المتزوجون وعائلين عائلات. فحظر الإمبراطوركلوديوس الثاني الزواج بالنسبة للشباب المتقدم للخدمه العسكريه - فرفض القديس فالنتين هذا الحظر الظالم وتحدى كلوديوس واستمر في أداء تزويج الشباب في الخفاء وعندما أكتشف الأمر كلوديوس أمر بأعدام القديس فالنتين.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

 قصص أخرى تشير إلى أن ربما يكون فالنتين قد قتل لمحاولته مساعده المسيحين الهروب من قسوه السجون الرومانيه حيث كانوا يتعرضوا للضرب والتعذيب في كثير من الأحيان      

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

وفقا لأحد الأساطير، فالنتين أرسل فعلا اول كارت تهنئه حب أثناء وجوده بالسجن, ويعتقد أن فالنتين وقع في حب مع فتاه شابه التي  قد تكون ابنة سجان بلاده - التي كانت تزوره أثناء احتجازه - ويزعم أنه قبل وفاته، كتب لها رسالة، التي وقعها "من فالنتين الخاص بك "، وهو التعبير الذي لا يزال يستخدم الي الأن. على الرغم من أن الحقيقة وراء أساطير فالنتين غير واضحه، الا أن القصص تؤكد  بأنه متعاطف وبطولي وأهم من ذلك، أنه شخصية رومانسية. فإنه ليس من المستغرب أن في العصور الوسطى، كان فالنتين أكثر  قديس معروف في أنجلترا وفرنسا

Food : Hot Cross Bun

History & Recipe

Ingredients

• 175ml warm water
• 1 sachet dry instant yeast
• 550g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 75g sugar, any sort
• 4 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 75ml milk
• 75g butter, cut into smallish pieces
• 150g raisins or 100g currants
• 150g chopped glacé ginger, or mixed peel
• Finely grated zest of an orange or lemon
• 1 large egg
• Sunflower oil or extra flour for kneading

Method

1.    Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/390°F/gas 6.

2.    Measure the water into a jug, stir in the yeast and leave it while you get everything else ready.

3.    Bring the milk to the boil then remove from the heat and add the butter, stir until it melts, then add the dried fruit, ginger or peel, and beat in the egg.

4.    Put the flour, salt, sugar, and spice in a large mixing bowl and give it a quick toss around to roughly combine it. Crumble any lumps of sugar finely with your fingers, but don't worry about any hard ones that won't break up.

5.    Stir the fruit and yeast mixtures together then pour this in with the flour.

6.    Stir everything together, or use your hands, and leave for 10 minutes. The dough should be a little sticky and soft.

7.    Lift the dough out of the bowl and onto the work-top then give it a good quick knead for 10-15 seconds. No, I don't mean minutes. By giving the dough a quick knead now and leaving it for 45 minutes it will be in perfect shape when we divide and shape the buns.

8.    Next, divide the dough into about a dozen equal pieces, just under 100g each. Shape each piece into a smooth tight ball - that's the tricky bit - and place them evenly spaced on a tray lined with non-stick paper. Cover with a tea-towel and leave somewhere warm for about 90 minutes until risen by about half.

9. Mix extra flour with water to a paste and pipe crosses on each. Bake the buns for 25 minutes. Finally, mix a tablespoon each caster sugar and boiling water and brush over the buns while they're still hot.

10. FREEZER TIP

Make the buns in advance an freeze them unglazed. When defrosted, put them in a hot oven for 2-3 minutes, then glaze them.

A hot cross bun, or cross-bun, is a sweet, yeast-leavened, spiced bun made with currants or raisins, often with candied citrus fruits, marked with a cross on the top. The cross can be made in a variety of ways including: of pastry, flour and water mixture; rice paper, icing & two intersecting cuts. They are traditionally eaten on Good Friday but in the UK they are now sold all year round.

In many historically Christian countries, buns are traditionally eaten hot or toasted on Good Friday, with the cross standing as a symbol of the Crucifixion. They are believed by some to pre-date Christianity, although the first recorded use of the term "hot cross bun" was not until 1733;  it is believed that buns marked with a cross were eaten by Saxons  in honour of the goddess Eostre (the cross is thought to have symbolised the four quarters of the moon); "Eostre" is probably the origin of the name "Easter". Others claim that the Greeks marked cakes with a cross, much earlier. 

History

Protestant English monarchs saw the buns as a dangerous hold-over of Catholic belief in England, being baked from the dough used in making the communion wafer. Protestant England attempted to ban the sale of the buns by bakers but they were too popular, and instead Elizabeth I passed a law permitting bakeries to sell them, but only at Easter and Christmas.  

Superstitions

English folklore includes many superstitions surrounding hot cross buns. One of them says that buns baked and served on Good Friday will not spoil or become mouldy during the subsequent year. Another encourages keeping such a bun for medicinal purposes. A piece of it given to someone who is ill is said to help them recover.

Other versions

Sharing a hot cross bun with another is supposed to ensure friendship throughout the coming year, particularly if "Half for you and half for me, Between us two shall goodwill be" is said at the time. Because of the cross on the buns, some say they should be kissed before being eaten. If taken on a sea voyage, hot cross buns are said to protect against shipwreck. If hung in the kitchen, they are said to protect against fires and ensure that all breads turn out perfectly. The hanging bun is replaced each year.


UK

In the UK, the major supermarkets produce variations on the traditional recipe such as toffee, orange and cranberry, and apple and cinnamon.

Australia

In Australia a chocolate version of the bun has become popular. They generally contain the same mixture of spices but chocolate chips are used instead of currants.

Czech Republic
In the Czech Republic mazanec is a similar cake or sweet bread eaten at Easter time. It often has a cross marked on top. 

Mazanec