His Holiness Pope Shenouda opens his talk with a prayer and blessing for the new year, thanks the event organizers and participants, then explains that he came to listen and to give what the audience requests.

Love as the Essence of Faith
His Holiness stated that love is an outgoing of the self to meet the other, and that it is not only speech but constant action and work for the benefit of people; “we do not love by words nor by tongue but by deed and truth.”

Origin of Love and Its Source
Love originates from God because “God is love,” and God loved us before we existed, and every human gift is from Him. Therefore we must love people as God loved us and offer them giving and forgiveness.

Practical Manifestations of Love
Love appears in continuous giving without asking for return, like the sunrise that gives to all people, the tree that gives its fruit without discrimination, and the flower that gives its scent to everyone.

Types of Love and Their Differences
The Pope distinguished between a mother’s love (deeper) and a father’s love (more sincere), between the true friend who does not lead to evil, and between true love and lust which wants to take while love wants to give.

Christian Generosity and Giving
He urged that giving be generous and without ostentation: to give without counting and without pride, and to present our best (the first fruits) as generosity to God and people, and to give from our need not from our leftovers so true sacrifice is realized.

Stewardship and Responsible Accountability
He mentioned that we are stewards over what God gave us — money, time, health, senses — and there will be an accounting for how we used them; the happy person is he who abandons the world’s lusts and devotes himself to God’s kingdom.

Non-material Forms of Giving
He clarified that love is not only monetary, but also in a kind look, an encouraging word, advice, a warning given in love, and honesty in feelings; these non-material gifts comfort and build souls sometimes more than material giving.

Conclusion and Call to Practice
He concluded by calling the attendees to give their hearts to God and apply His commandments with sincere love and action, opened the floor for audience questions, and thanked them for their attentive listening.

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