New Year’s Eve

Main Idea

Pope Shenouda III speaks about the necessity of beginning the new year with a new heart and a new spirit, rather than merely changing the number of the year on the calendar. He emphasizes that true renewal means getting rid of the mistakes of the past and walking in the way of repentance with a different life and approach. This new heart is a gift from God, created within the person by His Holy Spirit; therefore, a person should hold firmly to God’s promise and ask Him for renewal.

Spiritual Message

The new heart is a heart filled with the love of God, longing for His kingdom, and filled with love toward all people and with pure spiritual feelings. Pope Shenouda warns against trying to keep the old heart alongside the new heart, because a person cannot live with God while at the same time holding on to a life of sin. Therefore, the whole life of a person should belong to God: thought, heart, will, and life.

Pope Shenouda connects the beginning of the new year with the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, because Christ came to offer the world a new life and new principles based on humility, gentleness, self-denial, love, and giving. He also presented a new understanding of the relationship between humanity and God: God is our Father and we are His children, and we can approach Him with love because God is present with His people and dwells in their hearts through His Holy Spirit.

Educational Lesson

Pope Shenouda presents the effect of Christ’s birth in renewing human life and the world, pointing out that Christ’s teachings introduced elevated principles concerning love, family relationships, humility, and forgiveness. He also emphasizes that Christ’s mission is not for one people only, but for the whole world, and that salvation and the call to God are directed toward all nations.

He also explains that Egypt received a special blessing through its connection with the life of Christ and the Holy Family, and that the Coptic Church became one of the oldest churches in the world, with its history connected to sacred events in the land of Egypt.

Practical Application

Pope Shenouda calls upon each person not to make the new year merely a new point in time, but a genuine opportunity for a new spiritual beginning. He asks people to get rid of their past mistakes, to ask God for a clean heart and a steadfast spirit, and to live in love, peace, virtue, and holiness. He also calls for this renewal to extend from the individual to society and the whole world, so that the world may become more loving, peaceful, and holy, with God’s will guiding human life.

At the end of the sermon, Pope Shenouda offers prayers for peace throughout the world, for Lebanon, the Palestinians, and Egypt, asking God to grant peoples stability, peace, and prosperity, and to bless and preserve Egypt.

For better translation support, please contact the center.