05-08-2011, 01:41 AM
Dear beloved Shamasha Deacon Paul, Berek Alaha and Msheekha is Risen!!! In the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches we greet oneanother with the greeting Christ is risen from Easter Sunday until the feast of the ascension.I wanted to say how beautiful it is that the COE will give the blessing of the Holy Eucharest to all baptised Christians.The Orthodox churches are so strict even between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox that communian isnt shared due to the tragic missunderstandings of the council of Chalcedon.This also tragically applies also to the tragedy of the council of Ephesus.It is very Christ-Msheekha like to commune all baptised Christians as the COE does.I have a very strong calling to the monastic life and pray there was a COE in Minneapolis where I live and a up and running COE monastery but alas there isnt one at the moment.I was contacted by Mar AWA however as he got my E-mail address from a COE Priest in Austrailia who sent him my address as I wrote of my deep spiritual connection with the COE and my strong calling to the monastic life.His grace Mar Awa said he truely felt the Lord has guided me to the COE and that there were plans for a monastery of the COE to be built in the USA in the next couple of years and said I would be very welcomed to be a part of it.What a tremendous blessing that would be.In the meanwhile I struggle to live the monastic life as fully as possible,following the traditional monastic typicon of daily prayer and fasting and await this great blessing.I continue to go to an Orthodox church as I'm a Deacon in the Oriental church but go to an Eastern Orthodox church as the liturgy is in English which I prefer.In Yashua,Deacon Michael.