First, I would like to congratulate you on the beginning of the Fast of the Virgin Mary, which starts tomorrow, Thursday, August 7, 2025 A.D. I pray that God will bless our country, Egypt, through the intercessions of the Virgin Mary, who holds great honor and exceeding love in the hearts of all Egyptians.
In the previous article, I spoke about the disciples of the Lord Christ: Matthew the Apostle, who was known for his extreme asceticism and was martyred in Ethiopia; James the son of Alphaeus the Apostle, the cousin of the Lord Christ, who was martyred in Jerusalem when the Jews cast him down from the pinnacle of the temple; then Lebbaeus/Thaddaeus the Apostle, who was martyred in Persia; and Simon the Canaanite the Apostle, who was martyred in Iran.
Matthias the Apostle
Matthias the Apostle was one of those who accompanied the Lord Christ from the beginning of His ministry until His ascension, and he was born in Galilee.
“Matthias” is a Greek name derived from the Hebrew name “Mattathias,” meaning “gift of God” After the ascension of the Lord Christ, the disciples wanted to choose a disciple to replace Judas Iscariot, on the condition that he had been a disciple of the Lord Christ: “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias” (Acts 1:21-23). And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Matthias preached in Judea, Samaria, and Cappadocia. He went to the land of the cannibals, where they seized him and cast him into prison. He interceded with the Virgin Mary, who came to him and prayed. All the iron in the city turned to water, and she brought Matthias the Apostle and those with him out of the prison. When the city’s governor heard, he asked to see the Virgin Mary. She came to him with Saint Matthias and healed his son of madness. Then she prayed, and the iron returned to its original state, and the people of the land believed. Then Matthias preached in Damascus, where they seized him, placed him on an iron bed, and lit a fire under it, but it did not harm him, and his face began to shine with light. They all believed in the Lord Christ, so he taught them and ordained priests for them. He then returned to Jerusalem, where the Jews stoned him, and he received the crown of martyrdom on the 8th of Baramhat (March 17th).
Paul the Apostle
He was first called Saul and was born in Tarsus. He was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin, of the sect of the Pharisees, and a teacher of the Torah, having been educated at the feet of Gamaliel, the most famous teacher of that era. Saul persecuted Christians everywhere, even guarding the clothes of those who killed the martyr Stephen. He also took letters from the high priest at that time to the Jews living in Damascus to arrest the Christians and throw them into prison. On the way, the Lord Christ appeared to him in a brilliant light, saying: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:4-6). In Damascus, he met Ananias the Apostle and was baptized by his hands. He spent 3 years in the Arabian desert (the desert opposite Damascus to the east). He then journeyed throughout the world, preaching in three missionary trips, and endured many sufferings, including being beaten, stoned, insulted, and imprisoned. He then reached Rome and proclaimed the faith, and many believed at his hands. During his preaching, he wrote fourteen epistles to the believers. Finally, Emperor Nero arrested him and tortured him severely, then ordered his beheading. He received the crown of martyrdom in Rome on the 5th of Abib (July 12th), which is the same day as the martyrdom of Saint Peter the Apostle, on which the “Feast of the Apostles” is celebrated.
And the conversation about “Beautiful Egypt” never ends!
The General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
