Anba Abraam
Whoever
accepts "Our Lord Jesus," Who for our sake became poor (2 Cor. 8:9),
so that by his poverty we might become rich, does not cease from groaning
inwardly, longing to spend and be spent for every man(2
Cor. 12:15), especially those who are incapable of giving back what they
receive. Those would be willing to bear the burdens of all people, walking in
the way of Golgotha, following the steps of our Master, leaving everything
behind, suffering for the sake of all men and singing, "I have been
crucified with Christ."
Our
Father "Anba Abraam" experienced practical fellowship with the Lord,
so he loved the Lord's least brethren in a wonderful way. Whenever he went, he
was surrounded with them, for in him they found their comfort and felt his
loving fatherhood.
Once,
on an Easter eve, his disciple told him that Hanna (Bey) (a very honorable
title) Nakhla had sent various kinds of food and a turkey. The father blessed
the sender, and with a gentle sweet smile asked his disciple to put the food on
the tables, and call the poor people, the blind and the patients who were in
the first flour of his home to come and eat. He stood watching his children and
taking care of them as they ate. Yet he ate only radishes and some butter milk.
Our
Father, the bishop, asked a nun, the superior in a convent in Cairo, to be in
charge of the poor. Shortly there after, he decided to visit those poor people
while they were eating. He was surprised to find that the food offered to him
was a better quality than offered to the poor. This made him very upset and he
dismissed the nun at once.
Once
in an "agapi banquet" (the "banquet of love"), which
the bishopric held for the people, the cook made a table of fried fish for the
rich, and another table of cooked fish for the poor. When the bishop entered to
have his dinner with them, he saw the two tables, and he firmly ordered the
cook to mix the two kinds of fish. He said, "Who wants to eat from the
mixture, let him eat, for God does not separate the poor from the rich, all are
the same to Him." When his brethren, the "poor" heard this, they
rejoiced for his real fatherhood. The rich, moved by his love for his children
and his high degree of spirituality, also ate from the mixture. Once a poor
woman complained to him of her poverty, he reached his hand under the pillow
but did not find any money, he gave her a new shawl,
which one of his children had given to him. The next day the owner of the shawl
visited our father and asked him about it. He replied, "My son, the shawl
is above." Then the man presented it to him saying that he had bought it
from the poor woman to return it to him. "Perhaps you have oppressed her,
my son!" the bishop said. "No, my father, I gave her the whole price,"
the owner of the shawl replied. Mr. Leeder, the British writer, related to us,
about our father, the bishop, saying: "I have
spoken of the poor robe in which the old bishop was wrapped. It was literally
like the robe of an early Coptic recluse, one Abba Isaac, who maintained that
"the manner of the apparel which a monk ought to wear should be such that
if it were cast outside the cell for three days no one would carry it away...
A
rich layman just before my visit did not like to see his bishop in this
threadbare cloak, and so went out and bought a garment, soft and sable.
Returning to that upper room, he begged the bishop to discard the old robe;
here was a new one. With a wander smile the old man took the robe, and put it
under his pillow. Later on in the day, in the crowd which thronged him, he saw
a poor illclad fellah (farmer), shivering with cold. 'Ah!' he said, 'the
Lord has been mindful of you this day, for here is a cloak waiting for the
first man who is in need of it.' And when the poor man got out into the
daylight, he saw that such a cloak was unsuitable for a country fellah;
he would sell it and buy a coarse "gallabieh,"
then he would possess both a cloak and spare money to buy food. The man he
offered the cloak to was, by chance, the donor, who recognized his gift! Knowing
the bishop, he felt that remonstrance of any sort was useless, so he rebought
the garment, hoping that when the bishop found that he had done this, he would
be persuaded to wear it.
Again,
however, the cloak was tucked under the pillow; and again a poor man received
it as of the Lord. And now doubtless the threadbare cloak will persist till the
day when the bishop exchanges it for a glorious robe which time cannot
corrupt...
Here
in the twentieth century, the succession of those earlier followers of Christ
truly survives in the life of the bishop of Fayoum, to carry out in all their
literal simplicity the teachings of the Man of Galilee, who Himself having
nothing, sought as disciples only those who would sell all to follow Him."
It is said that the nobles of the bishopric saw the bishop's home was not
suitable, they agreed with their father, to renew and widen it. They collected
money for the bishop's house, and when it totaled about L.E. 200, a valuable
sum at that time, they brought it to him asking him to make an appointment with
a building contractor to agree upon the remodeling of the building. The bishop
looked at them saying, "My sons, I have already built, I have built."
"Where is the building. our
father?!! There is no change in the building !,"
they asked. "I have built a house for you in the eternal life,"
the bishop replied.
Mr.
Makar Ibrahim El-Barnashawi said, "One day a poor citizen went to his rich
relative. Mr. A. (Bey) A.A. asking for a contribution for his wife, who was
about to give birth to a child, but Mr. A.A.A. refused, and this sadly
distressed the poor citizen. The poor citizen vowed that he would ask for the
money from the bishops of the Nazarenes. He went to Anba Abraam and related his
story. The bishop said, "Is the bishop for the Christians only?" Then
he gave him the only pound which was under the pillow; its value was very high
at that time. As the poor citizen was leaving, he met the monk who was
surprised that his brother "the bishop" had given the poor citizen
all the money that he had, so, he took the pound from him and gave him an
Egyptian dollar (20 piasters). The citizen returned to the bishop and
complained to him. The bishop called the monk, took the pound from him, and
returned it together with the dollar to the poor citizen. Then he said to his
brother the monk, "When we left the house of our father late Gabrielle,
what did we possess?.. Is not all that we have now,
from the hands of Christ? Have we not taken from His hands for the sake of His
brethren? Then the bishop firmly sent him away.
After
three days the monk returned to the bishop with uncle
Makarious El-Barnashawi, to ask for his forgiveness, which the bishop did
grant.
At
that time a letter arrived, containing a money order and a bill of lading, then
the bishop called the monk and said. "See..." The monk bowed before
him modestly, saying..." I am not like you... Our Lord bestowed upon you
the gift of offering."
Fr.
Mikhail Astras the priest of St. George Church of Fayoum, related; "One of
the nobles visited the bishop, and handed him an envelope into which he had put
it an offering. The bishop accepted it and put under pillow. A
short while later, a poor man entered asking for help, the bishop gave him the
envelope, and when he opened it, he found ten pounds. A disciple
observed this, and hurried to tell the bishop, the bishop replied, "This
is his portion, for God knew his need and He sent someone to offer it."
The
bishop's contemporaries related that many persons were coming to Fayoum to
bring presents and offerings. The rich men were very generous in their
offerings, but he never looked at the amount of any offering, instead he put
all the money and gold under the pillow, so that when any person came to him
for help, he would reach under the pillow, and give whatever he found.
It
is said that in his time no one was poor in Fayoum, for they all found in the
bishop's house their own home from which they could get what they needed. One
well-known story is told about three young men who plotted to take advantage of
the bishop's love for the poor. Two of them approached the bishop saying that
the third had died, and that they had nothing to bury him. The bishop nodded
his head, and gave them an offering saying, "Take it and bury him..."
They left laughing, but they were astonished when they found their friend had
actually died.
They
tried to return the money asking the bishop for forgiveness. He forgave them
but did not accept the money, telling them to bury their friend with it.
A
Man of Prayer
The
mystery of the greatness in our father Anba Abraam is that he was a man of
prayer.
The
prayer in our church, is not a troublesome routine,
nor a hard law we are subjected to, but rather a taste of sweetness of our
being children of God, and a practice in fellowship with Him. Prayer is love!!
We converse intimately with Him, and also with love we blame Him kindly!!! In
fear we proclaim our repentance, and with joy we thank Him. We do not pray for
our own benefits only, but also for the benefits of the church and the whole
world.
Our
holy father devoted his life to prayer, as he loved his God, the Lord Jesus. He
was filled with power. He was accustomed to gathering all his children every
evening, at his residence, to pray the psalms and to read some chapters of the
holy Bible in order to help them to understand it.
The people who slept in the room close to his, related that he
used to rise up at midnight to pray the psalms and stay up until dawn. He used
to repeat the words: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and
right spirit within me," praying it with zeal. All who met him testified
that his prayers were very deep in spirit until his senility.
The
English writer "Leeder" said: "It was with deep emotion that I
looked into the face of this saint... To doubt his right to the title was
impossible for the power of a pure and beautiful soul made itself
felt at once, with a force that was almost overwhelming.
The
eyes looked out of a calm, grave face, fringed with a small white beard, which
in no way obscured the sensitive mouth. The turban was worn farther back than
usual, leaving the broad unwrinkled forehead to suggest that the ascetic, in
this case, had been governed by a fine intelligence. Taking the cross in his
right hand, and holding it closely over our heads, the bishop poured out,
mostly in the Coptic language, in tones of rapt devotion, the wonderful prayers
and blessings of his Church.
Of
the mere words, I of course recognized little, except the oftenrepeated
'Kyrie-eleison!' (Lord have mercy!) But I was thrilled
nevertheless by the childlike earnestness of the man who uttered them; never
had I heard prayer which seemed to establish a link with the throne of
Grace with such instant security; it seemed as if earth fell away, to
leave this man speaking in the clear presence of God Himself."
Late
Naguib (Bey) Erian said that some believers saw a beam of light coming out of
his window at night while he was praying. It is also said that in 1898 A.D, on
a Wednesday evening, during the prayer hour the gas lamp hanging from the roof
by means of a rope, broke down due to a sudden cut in the rope and caused a
fire to flame up. The bishop gave no attention to this matter, but he went on
praying. Later he told the people present who were much afraid of the fire:
"Why do you have such weak faith? Behold, the fire had been extinguished
and none was harmed!."
His
Faith
In
1902 A.D our father roamed in Egypt accompanied by his disciple Anba Mettaos,
the metropolitan of Abyssinia. At Abu-Kerkas, they were the guests of Adib
(Bey) Wahba, who was until that time without a son. He had only three
daughters, and his only son died. Adib Bey summoned the saint secretly saying
to him, "I have heard that you are a 'man of God' and God hears your
prayer. I beg you to ask God to give me a son to inherit my name." He
entered the bedroom, prayed on a cup of water and sprinkled the house, then he
anointed his wife with oil, saying to her "By God's will you will be
granted a son within a year." He blessed them and pointed at an open space
saying to Adib: "Who is the owner of this?" "It is mine,"
answered Adib Bey. "Make it a guest room for the poor," said the
bishop. After ten months God granted Adib Bey a son called "Wahbey."
The same thing happened with late Gawher, the preacher of the Copts in Tanta,
as God granted him the son "Youssef." We hear about too many persons
who came to Abbot Abraam, asking his prayers that God might grant them sons or
preserve their life.
We
would not be exaggerating if we said that hundreds but thousands of miracles
had happened through his prayers, for which there is no room here.
The
Christian pilgrim Yowakeem came to him from Cairo, after he had spent all his
wealth on doctors because he was dumb. In the evening, people gathered to pray
as usual, and when they began to pray "Lord have mercy," his tongue
was healed and he prayed with them. Mr. Fahmy, the son of the Rev. Abdel-Messieh
the priest of Sanouris Church, had epilepsy. Doctors were perplexed, but as our
father anointed him with oil and prayed for him he was healed.
Our
father Abdel-Messieh El-Baramousy El Saghier wrote that once he stayed a week
with the bishop. He saw many persons visiting him. One of them was a woman from
"Balout," a village near Manfalout, who was sick for a long time. She
spent all her wealth on doctors, but she was not healed from her lameness and
dumb... Four men took her to the bishop, and he prayed for her three days, then
she was healed and went back to her village, in the streets praising the Lord
and thanking Abbot Abraam.
Mr.
Ayad Abadir related that when he was transferred to El-Fayoum he saw by himself
a young man who was very sick, his relatives took him to the bishop, who made
the sign of the cross on him, and prayed for him, then
he was healed. When the engineer S.A.Y. was taken sick with cancer, he
accompanied his father to the saint, who told him to use some well-known
eyedropper in Egypt, called "The Seven Girls Eyedropper." He prayed
on it and put a drop of it in his eyes, at once the leukemia disappeared. In
1924, Mr. Mohammed Badr-Eldine, the secretary of the Public Prosecutor General,
at Alexandria, related to his colleague Mr. Labib Boulos that his only son was
sick and he did his best to get him healed, lastly he sent a letter to Abbot
Abraam, who replied to him stating the time when he would be healed, and this
actually happened.
Up
till now we feel the effect of his prayers for us. The son of the priest of
"Manzalet Demian" Church, in Minieh, was afflicted with Lameness. His
family visited the tomb of the saint. In the morning they found their son
running, and when they asked him about the matter he told them that a man
appeared to him, prayed for him and anointed his limbs with oil. Then he was
able to walk.
His
Asceticism
"I
discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to
others, I myself should become disqualified" (2 Cor. 9:27).
As
much as the heart is emptied from the mortal love of the world, it will be
qualified to be filled with heavenly things. And as far as it is filled with
the heavenly things, man will not desire any earthly thing. So our father
struggled, refusing everything in order to gain the Food of his soul
"Jesus Christ."
His
principal food was beans and lentils; and during nonfasting days it was the
milk without fat. Once he desired to eat a chicken. He asked his disciple to
cook it and bring it to him. When the table was prepared he prayed and asked
his disciple to take the chicken away and to bring it the next day. The same
thing happened on the second and the third days. And on the fourth day the food
was spoiled, he looked at it saying to himself "O
myself, eat from what you desired!" The same thing happened with his
disciple "Anba Marcus," the metropolitan of Esneh.
The
Modest Bishop
The
man of God, Anba Abraam, loved Jesus Christ, and had communion with God on the
basis of going on the way of Golgotha following the Cross, where he left
everything willingly. He was refused and humiliated from people for the sake of
the heavenly glory. He left all his personal dignity joyfully and without
grumbling. He was a loving kind father for the poor and the rich alike, and he
was never conceited.
Mr.
Leeder investigated everything about the character and life of our father after
he had visited him. He said that he always saw our bishop hiding his hands with
the sleeves of his garment in order to prevent anyone from kissing his hands.
He also said: "It is usual, I believe, in every Christian church to kneel
in receiving a bishop's blessing; but on no account would Anba Abraam consent
to any person kneeling before him. "To God
alone," he said, "was such homage due." He was distressed that I
felt obliged to kneel, but when I explained that my first reverence was to God,
and then to His good servant, he gently gave way."
One
of the best habits of our father is that he never permitted a priest or a
deacon to carry the Holy Bible while he was reading it, but in a very modest
way he went to the lectern and read it as any priest did. He never permitted
any of the deacons to say in his presence any statement, that
they usually said before reading the Bible to show their respect to him. He
absolutely did not distinguish himself from his people, and he never sat on a
chair different from that of his children. The bishop never permitted the
priests to burn incense infront of him.
Our
father Anba Abraam was very pleased when any of his children called him
"Our father, the bishop," and never permitted anyone to call him
"Our Master, the bishop." In the sanctuary he used to stand up all
the time during the liturgy, and when he got older and weaker he used to sit
down on the carpet whenever he got tired.
When
the Pope Kyrellos V wanted to give him the higher rank of
"Metropolitan," he refused completely. Anba Abraam did not change his
cross after becoming a bishop, but he kept the same old cross, and lived the
same life as before, without any slight change.
We
can clearly see the kindness of this bishop through the stories told by the
people: "Once, during the morning service of Sunday (matins) the bishop
noticed that the deacons were not keeping harmony in their prayers. After the
service had ended he remarked on that to the teacher (moalem). The
teacher misunderstood him and did not attend the vespers on that day. The
bishop inwardly feeling the teacher's anger due to his misunderstanding went to
his home asking for forgiveness. When the teacher saw him he wept saying,
"I beg you to forgive me." Then the bishop returned to his residence
late at night. As his fame spread, he did not leave his children and escape in
the desert, flying from vain glory, but he only refused to meet anyone coming
to him merely for honoring him. This is what the British writer witnessed;
saying: "The old man apparently had no liking for the idea of being sought
out by travelers on the purpose of venerating him; this was not his Master's
work. If the English man was (speaking about himself) poor, or sad, or sick, or
in need for any spiritual ministration, or counsel, then he would see him, but
not otherwise."
When
the Prince Serguios (uncle of Nicola the Tzar of Russia) and his wife, heard
about him they visited him in 1898. The governor received them, and the Coptic
noblemen of El-Fayoum tried to buy new furniture for the bishop's residence,
but the bishop refused completely. The visitors came and bowed infront of him
on the ground, and he prayed for them. When they offered him a bag full of
golden pounds he refused, and lastly he took one pound and gave it to his
disciple Rizk. The Prince said that he did not feel such as inspiring awe all
his life as at that moment when he was standing infront of this saint, Anba
Abraam.
Explaining
The Word Of Truth
Anba
Isidore said, "He was a scholar in the holy Bible studies, so that he
learned the extracts by heart and repeated them from memory. This was a result
of his studying the Scriptures at the Monastery of El-Baramous." Some
monks said that he read all the Bible every forty
days. It is said that he used to collect his people every evening for prayers,
and gave someone responsibility for reading many chapters of the Bible, and
then he would explain them. He encouraged the priests and preachers to deliver
sermons, and he himself used to attend those meetings, and to comment on
anything wrong they might say concerning the dogma or the rites of the church.
It
is said that nobody heard him speaking about earthly matters, but all his
speech was spiritual and concerning heavens. His life itself was a real sermon
for all. For in his days all were close to Jesus Christ, joining the church,
and no one dared to abduct any of the children of the church. On 1908 A.D
someone tried to spread some heresies in Fayoum, then
the father wrote a strong evangelistic letter to his people, so that they might
not deviate from the orthodox faith.
A
Christian girl once was seduced by a deceptive non-Christian
man who made her yield to him and despise her faith as a price for their
marriage. The authorities informed the bishopric office of her desire to change
her religion. The bishop did not send any priest, but went personally to the
police office to meet her, but she refused to accept his advice. The bishop angrily
said, "You don't desire the other religion but you only desire the youth.
Your aim is very wicked. Go out and God will do His will." As soon as the
girl left the room, she fell on the ground and all believed that she had died.
The policemen hurried to the girl thinking that the bishop had killed her. The
bishop full of courage approached the girl, blessed some water and sprinkled it
over her. She immediately arose and said: "I have seen with my own
eyes!" Then she changed her desire for marriage, and lived in
righteousness and modesty.
The
same story was repeated with a Christian youth who wanted to change his
religion for the sake of money. He refused the bishop's advice, who told him
that God would do His will. The youth died in the same day.
The
same thing occurred again with a wicked woman who was presented to the bishop's
residence, she had determined to deny the Lord, Jesus Christ. As soon as she
left the place she was afflicted with leprosy.
His
Firmness
Our
father was famous for his kindness and modesty, but he was also firm. Kamel
Saleh Nakhla related : "He speaks frankly, giving
attention to the truth itself, without taking into consideration to whom it was
told."
The
priest of St. Mark's Church in Cairo once did a wrong to a metropolitan. A
council was assembled to judge him. Our father asked the metropolitan to
forgive him but he refused. While they were praying, the bishop asked the
metropolitan to say the Lord's prayer. When the
metropolitan began asking God to forgive our sins as we forgive the sins of our
debtors, the bishop interrupted saying, "If you believe in this prayer
then go to your brother and kiss his head, or else you are deceiving God by
saying this prayer." The metropolitan asked the priest for his
forgiveness.
Once
the Pope sent for the bishop to attend a council held to judge a priest, who
was charged with allowing a bishop who was under the ban of the church, to
enter the church, gave him food to eat and, a place to sleep in. The council
was assembled under the presidency of the Pope and the charge was read. The
Pope announced that the priest must be excommunicated, then
he gave the written judgment to Kellini (Pasha) Fahmy to sign and pass to his
neighbor. The saint was sitting next to the Pasha. The bishop took the document,
read it and said, "I cannot know why this priest should be excommunicated.
Did not Jesus Christ command us to be considerate to the poor and
strangers?!" Then he declared that he would not sign the judgment. Kellini
Pasha said that the Pope had already decided, and the verdict was according to
the church law. The bishop replied answering the Pasha's words, "Why was I
called to this council if I am not allowed to express my opinion?!" One of
the members whispered to the bishop, "Do you know that the man you are
speaking to is Kelini Pasha Fahmy?!" "Who is Kellini Pasha?"
asked the saint, "Did not Moses speak to God Himself! Leave me in
peace!" Then he left the council room and went downstairs. The Pope sent
one of the members to him, but he said, "Blessed be the Name of God, I
will not go up the stairs of this house again all my life, unless that judgment
is brought to me over here and destroyed immediately." The Pope yielded to
him and the priest was forgiven.
A
Patriot
The bishop who had a loving spirit, was a patriotic man more
than others. He created the patriotic feeling in his children, offering to the
society good citizens, who fulfill their mission firmly and faithfully, not
motioned with fear or submissiveness.
The
church must not interfere in politics, for her Master told her, "Render to
Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."
At the same time she teaches her children to be honest in their work, suffering
for the sake of others, obeying the authorities, praying for the President and
all who have authority, and to be loyal in paying taxes etc.
It
is said that some people came to Anba Abraam asking him to pray for them so
that they would be exempted from the military service. He replied "If you
want to be exempted, who will guard the nation?,"
and sent them away.
His
Power In Exorcism Of Evil Spirits
God
saw that the bishop's heart was open widely full of love to the poor and rich,
to the faithful and unfaithful men, so he bestowed to him the grace of the
exorcism of evil spirits.
The
English writer said; "The bishop's power in exorcism of evil spirits has
perhaps brought him more visitors from distant parts than any of the other
gifts for which he is famous." The son of the singer (moalem) of
the Cathedral of Cairo, a very intelligent young Copt, who mastered the French
and English languages, and of high rank in the government, related to the
English writer about the large number of people, Moslems and Christians, who
were relieved from the evil spirits by the prayers of the bishop. The young
Copt also related in detail how the bishop healed his aunt of evil spirits.
Once a man called Abdel-Messieh was possessed by an evil spirit. The bishop was
very tired for the evil spirit did not want to go out of the man, and he
disturbed the neighbors by his loud crying. The saint asked the people who were
present to bring him to the church on Sunday. While the liturgy was being
celebrated, and the priest prayed the Sanctification, saying "He took
bread on His hands which are holy..., the man cried loudly and disturbed all
the church, so that the bishop was obliged to go out from the sanctuary and
command him, "In the name of Jesus Christ the crucified Nazarene, stop and
do not move!" The man was silent until the end of the service. Then he
summoned him in the bishop's residence and said to him calmly "In the name
of Jesus Christ come in." Then the man was very worried and the bishop
continued, "Why did you make this trouble in the church?" The man
replied, "Did you put me in the fire and ask me not to cry? A fire from
the heaven was sent down unto the table, and was about to burn me !" As the bishop rebuked him, the evil spirit went
out and the man was healed.
Mr.
Mansour Girgis said that when they were praying "Lord have mercy!"
and the bishop was praying, putting, his hand on the head of Masoud, a sick man
from Ekhmim, the sick man trembled at the beginning of the prayer and said,
"Neither you nor ten persons like you can drive me out!" The bishop: "May
God persecute you! Go out!" The evil spirits: "I do not know why you
are living until this moment!"
The
bishop: I live to fight you! What is your name?
Evil
spirit: My name is Abraam, the bishop.
The
bishop: May God rebuke you. Are there any bishop among
the devils?
Then
he put the cross on his head and the evil spirit cried: "The fire! The
fire! I will go out!," and he went out. Fr.
Philipos El-Makary said that in 1906 A.D. he saw the bishop exorcising a devil.
While he was praying, the devil said in deception, "Forgive me! Leave me
for my name is Girgis, a son of baptistery, and my age is seven days." As
the bishop did not give him any attention, but continued on praying, he said to
him " If you had not the fiery cross in your
hand, I could kill you." Then the person cried loudly and the devil went
out.
His
Departure
Fr.
Mikhail Saad conveyed to us a simple image of the last moments of our father
Anba Abraam before and after his departure. He formed it by the aid of the
contemporaries who are still alive.
The
wife of Late Nassif Mahrous said that before our father's departure he summoned
Fr. Abdel-Sayed and some deacons, and asked them to pray the psalms outside his
room and not to open his door before half an hour had passed. When they opened
the door they found him resting in Christ.
Mr.
Makar El-Barnachawi said that Mr. Selim Saeb the governor of Fayoum called his
wife and said to her "Oh! The bishop of the Nazarenes died... Look at
those horses and the people who are riding them, they are around him crying;
"Eqouab! Eqouab." Then he went out and met
Mr. El-Barnachawi asking him about the meaning of the word Eqouab." He
told him that it means "Holy, and it is the hymn of the heavenly
creatures.
In
the day of his death, all the people of Fayoum wept bitterly and many came from
all the provinces of Egypt. Someone said that those who attended the funeral
there were about twenty five thousands, and others
said that there were more than ten thousands.
Anba
Abraam departed from the world, but did not depart from the Church, for his
love has no end and he still works on behalf of the salvation of all. Now with
a wide heart he prays for us in Paradise.
All
what he left were:
1.
The material things were a simple mattress, a pillow, a quilt, a wooden seat, a
small bed and some old furniture.
2.
Lists of the monthly gifts offered to the poor families.
3.
He left us his glorious life, as a precious treasure.
With
The "Brigadier General"
A
brigadier general who was working at the province of
Fayoum, was to be brought for trial and he was very troubled. Before going to
the court he visited Anba Abraam, asking him for his prayers. "Don't be
afraid," said Anba Abraam, "You will only be transferred to another
province." The words of our father came true. This general was used to
visit him yearly and to offer him five pounds for poor people at a time.
Once he came as he was accustomed and asked the
doorkeeper: "Where is Anba Abraam?" The doorkeeper answered: "He is in the Monastery
of Azab." The general went there and asked the guard about our father, and
the guard told him that he was inside. He entered and found Anba Abraam
standing as if he was waiting for him. The general offered him the ten pounds,
his vow for two years. Anba Abraam asked him to give the money to the guard.
The general went to the guard and said to him: Anba Abraam asked me to give you
this money. The guard wondering, said: "Where is
Anba Abraam? He died! This is his tomb!" The general also was amazed, and
said: "I was speaking with him!" They entered together again, but
they did not find him!
The
same thing happened with a family from Assuit who came for his blessing. He
appeared to them, and when they wanted to offer him money as they were used to,
he said, "I don't need this money, but there are many poor families living
near the church," and mentioned them their names in order that they might
go and help them.
A
Light On His Grave
While
a some worker was digging his grave, sun had set. As
he couldn’t carry on, so he asked for light. Then behold, something like a
bright dove appeared that lightened the whole place until he finished the
saint's grave.
The
Repentance Of An Attendant
The
owner of the Book Store of El-Mahaba mentioned that when they put the
saint's icon on their annual calendar in 1957, an attendant who used to go to
some Christian families, to give injections to their patients, saw the icon in
all the houses he used to visit. He asked: "Who is the priest who had this
dull and black face, that I always see in the houses
of those Christian families?" At night he was awakened as he heard someone
saying: "Are you not pleased with my picture?" The voice was
repeated, and the man felt that his legs were paralyzed. He wept bitterly. Next
day St. Abraam appeared to him and told him that God had forgiven him. He stood
joyfully, praising God. From that moment he used to buy the calendar and
distribute it.
A
Summary of His Life
V In
the year 1829 A.D. (1545 Coptic) in a village called "Galad," 27 km.
south west of Mallawi, in the area of the diocese of Deirout, was born the
child Boulos Ghobrial. His parents were righteous and loving God.
V He
was sent to the "Kuttab," i.e., the church School. His teacher
Roufail took care of him, taught him reading, writing, arithmetic, the Holy
Scriptures, church hymns and the psalmody. He was very intelligent and anxious
to learn everything.
V
When he was eight years old, his mother was sick. A few weeks later she died,
and left her only child. As he loved praying and reciting psalms, he found in
God what satisfied his emotions and filled all his heart.
V
When he was fifteen years old, he became famous among his mates. The priests
recommended him to "Anba Youssab," the bishop of the diocese, who
ordained him a deacon during his visit to the village church.
V As
he loved the life of contemplation, so he was admitted to St. Virgin Mary
Monastery "El-Meharrak" at Assuit, when Father Abdel-Malek was the
president of the monastery. He was very decent, active, and he loved all the
monks. They recommended him and he became a monk when he was nineteen years
old, in 1564 C. (1848 A.D). His new name was Fr. Boulos El-Meharraki.He was
distinguished by:
1.
His patience and self-control.
2.
His interest in almsgiving.
Anba
Yakoubos, the bishop of Minieh, heard about him, he asked him to come to the
"bishop's residence" and to remain with him. Fr. Boulos worked day
and night, and he changed the "bishop's residence" to a shelter for
poor men.
V
His great desire for contemplation urged him to ask the bishop to allow him to
return to the monastery after he had spent four years helping the bishop. Then
the bishop ordained him a priest, and allowed him to return to the monastery in
1863.
V At
that time there was a problem regarding Father Abdel-Malek, the president of
the monastery, but Father Boulos did not interfere in this problem. The monks
chose him to be the new president of the monastery. He opened the doors of the
monastery for poor people, also young men heard about him and came, asking him
to teach them, and after a short time they became forty monks, among them:
1.
"Anba Marcus," bishop of Esneh and Luxor, who was born at
"Tasa," Assuit, in 1565 Coptic, 1848 A.D. He became a monk in 1586 at
El-Meharrak's Monastery, and he grew up under the leadership of Fr. Boulos, the
monastery's president. Pope Kyrilos chose him in 1592 C. to teach the new monks
at El-Baramous' Monastery. He met his spiritual father again after five years
absence, and he remained with him until 1595 Coptic, when he was ordained a
bishop for Esneh and Luxor. Up till now the people of Esneh still remember much
about his pure life, his holiness, deep love for prayer, his modesty, and his
special care for everyone, and about his renewing of old churches and
constructing new ones.
2.
Fr. Mikhail El-Behery. He was one of his students, and lived the same life of
his teacher. In 1925 Anba Lucas, bishop of Manfalout wrote a
book about his biography.
3.
Anba Mattaous, bishop of Ethiopia.
V As
usual the devil was furious when he saw that the monastery was opened for poor
people, and young monks were filled with love to Jesus Christ. He made some of
the monks think that Fr. Boulos was wasting the money of the monastery, and
they rebelled against him.
V In
1586 C. (1870 A.D) Fr. Boulos was asked to leave the presidency of the
monastery after being the president for five years. He went with four of his
students to Cairo to meet "Anba Marcos," bishop of El-Behera and the
acting Pope. They asked him to let them go to the Monastery of Anba Bishoy at
the "Natroun Valley," where they remained for a short period.
Afterwards they went to El-Baramous' Monastery in 1587 C. At that time the president
of this monastery was Fr. Youhanna (John) El-Nassekh, who became later Pope
Kyrilos. He was so glad to receive them and he offered them cells to stay in.
V
Fr. Boulos devoted all his time to praying and study, but his deep love to the
poor people did not end. So he loved the Arabs who were living in the area of
the monastery and he shared with them everything he had, even his clothes.
V In
1597 C. (1881 A.D.) the Ethiopian Emperor, John Kassa asked Pope Kyrilos to
ordain a metropolitan and three Bishops for Ethiopia, then he chose the four
fathers who were accompanying Fr. Boulos. They were:
* Fr. Ekladious El-Meiry who was ordained a
metropolitan of Asmara with the name "Anba Boutros" (Peter).
*
Fr. Ekladious El-Khaldy El-Moharreky who was ordained bishop of Addis Ababa
with the name "Anba Mettaous."
*
Fr. Solimon El-Delgawi El-Moharraky with the name of "Anba Lucas,"
bishop of Axum.
*
Fr. Mikhail El-Masry El-Moharraky, bishop of Kadgod, with the name of Anba
Marcus (Mark). At the same time Anba Isaac the metropolitan of Fayoum and Giza
departed, then the four bishops asked the Pope to ordain their father as a
bishop for that diocese. The Pope and the people agreed, and all the people of
Fayoum became very pleased and joyful on that day, for the ordination of their
new bishop "Anba Abraam," in Abib 1597 Coptic.
V
During his time, the diocese of Fayoum became a great vine, under which shadow
the poor and rich sat with great delight.
V
When the Khedive Tawfik visited El-Fayoum, a great feast was prepared. Anba
Abraam was sitting very near to the Khedive. He ate only salad, and when the
Khedive asked him about that he answered that the day was Friday, and the
Christians were to fast on all Fridays. Then he ordered fruits for Anba Abraam
and asked him to meet him again. He went to meet him at the railway station
before he left, and the Khedive welcomed him fervently saying to him "You
are a blessed man."
V The rulers and governors, even the tyrant ones found
comfort in his presence.
V The British High Commissioner heard about him and asked to
see him. The governor of the province of Fayoum, the responsible men and the
nobles were ashamed because of the poor furniture of the bishop's residence and
its old buildings. But the kneeling down of the British man in solemnity to the
father, and the kissing of his hands and the cross surprised them very much.
V
Mr. Wasif Boctor Bishara one of the noble of Keneh relates that around 1898
Mohammed Bey Nohey, the governor of Fayoum province was transferred to Keneh,
and there he had a welcoming party, I was one of the guests, and I remember
that the main conversation during the whole party was about the life of saint
Anba Abraam, his words and his good deed. During the conversation the governor
was deeply afflicted.
V In
the year 1902 he made a trip with his disciple Anba Mattaous, the metropolitan
of Ethiopia. They visited Upper Egypt and went up as far as Luxor. On his
return the governor of Fayoum, the commandant of police, the police men, the
nobles and all the people were joyfully waiting for him at the station.
V In
the year 1893 he had some trouble with his leg, that
made the doctors decide to have it amputated. When one of his spiritual
children told him about this he smiled as usual, and said "God will not
let this happen. I am sure He will let them down!" After two months he
recovered completely, and went out to the church, praising God. The bishop's
residence was very crowded. The people held palm leaves, and they were waving
olive branches with joy!
V
After he had spent 33 years, as a bishop, rich with deep fellowship with God
and real worship, serving everybody sincerely, tiring continuously for the
poor, using the gift of healing and exorcising of evil spirits, he was sick in
bed for a month. So the people gathered to get his blessings, specially when they knew that he refused to call a doctor
saying, "I am flying to the Lord Jesus." And it happened on Thursday
2 Baouna 1630 C., 9 June 1914 after sunset that our blessed father departed to
Paradise.
V
Those who attended his funeral were more than ten thousand persons. Some have
estimated them to be twenty five thousand, Christians and Moslems. But the
history of Anba Abraam has not ended. In every Egyptian house there is still a
lot to be told about him, for he was really a God's loving man.
V On
the third of Baouna 1860 C., 10 June 1964 the church celebrated the fiftieth
anniversary of his departure, under the care of Pope Kyrilos VI. The Holy
Council of Bishops decided that his name should be added to the saints in the
Holy Eucharist. For the heart that can hold love for the whole church never
stops love after this physical body is taken off, so that on the day of the
Lord it would be clothed with a spiritual and imperishable body.
May
the blessing of our blessed Father be with us. Amen
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