The poem “A Stranger” was written by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III around 1945–1946, during his university years. It reflects a spirit of detachment and inner peace — the feeling of being a stranger in a noisy, material world because of a deep desire to walk with God.

🌿 Main Idea:
The poem begins: “A stranger I lived in this world, a guest like my fathers.” He declares his spiritual alienation — not out of bitterness, but because his path differs from the world’s. He feels like a foreigner in his thoughts and desires, untouched by worldly pleasures or noise.

💫 Spiritual Dimension:
The poem reveals the heart of a spiritual pilgrim even in his youth. While others “surge in confusion and noise,” he chooses quiet solitude, finding joy in prayer and songs of praise, seeking communion with God rather than the distractions of the world.

🔥 Faithful Reflection:
He says: “My heart is free; I long for nothing from its dreams.” These words express perfect detachment — the soul’s freedom from worldly desires and the inner joy that only God can give. His “strangeness” is not sadness but a holy state drawing him closer to heaven.

💖 Final Message:
The poem is a hymn of the soul that lives in the world yet does not belong to it. It calls every believer to remember that their true homeland is heaven, and that peace is found not in earthly noise, but in the quiet presence of God.

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