عاش بطرس في القرن السادس للميلاد، ايام الامبراطور يوستينيانوس الكبير. كان قيّما على جباية الضرائب في افريقيا (الشمالية)، وكان غنيا جدا وقاسيا لا يرحم، ولا يتصدق على احد بشيء. في احد الايام كان بطرس عائدا الى بيته ومعه طعام، فتقدم اليه متسول وطلب منه حسنة، فانتهره بطرس وشتمه. الا ان المتسول اعاد الكرة وألح الى ان عيل صبر بطرس، واراد ان يرمي له بشيء ما ليصرفه عنه، فقبض سهوا على رغيف وضربه به، فأخذ المتسول الرغيف فرحا.
بعد ايام قليلة مرض بطرس، واشتد مرضه فرأى في الحلم انه مات وسيق الى الدينونة. واذا به يرى ميزان العدالة واعماله امام عينيه. وكان الشياطين بقرب الكفة اليسرى والملائكة بقرب الكفة اليمنى. أولئك يكدسون شرور بطرس في كفتهم، فيما الملائكة واقفين حزانى لانه ليس لبطرس حسنة واحدة، فتقدم احد الملائكة قائلا: “ليس لنا ما نضعه سوى الرغيف الذي رمى به بطرس للمتسول قبل ايام معدودة”. وما أن أُلقي الرغيف في الكفة اليمنى حتى تساوت الكفتان رغم ذنوب بطرس الكثيرة.
استفاق بطرس مرتعدا ومنذهلا وقال في نفسه: “لقد أراني الرب خطاياي منذ صباي. ولكن اذا كان رغيف واحد قد تساوى وذنوبي كلها، رغم اني ألقيته رغما عني، فكم من الخير سيكون لي اذا ما أكثرت من أعمال الرحمة، بإرادتي”.
ومنذ ذلك اليوم تحول بطرس الى اكثر الناس رأفة بالمساكين، فوزع خيراته كلها على المعوزين، وصار يُعرف ببطرس الرحيم. تعيّد له الكنيسة في الثاني والعشرين من شهر ايلول.
(Christ loved the church and gave himself for it) (Ephesians 5:25). (The church is one with the Lord. She is his body, his flesh, and his bones. The church is the vine […]
When the Apostle Paul contemplated Christ’s relationship with the Church, his union with her, and her incarnation of him, he exclaimed, “This mystery is great!” What if we […]
The aim of studying this material is: to become acquainted with the Orthodox doctrines, that is, the right truths of the Christian faith that the Apostles preached and taught […]
The “Church Fathers” acted not only as individuals, but as ecclesiastics, on behalf of the Church and in its name. They are the Church’s spokesmen, interpreters of its faith, guardians of its tradition, witnesses to its truth and faith, teachers…
The Orthodox Church alerts those who care for her and the world in which she lives that “the appearance of this world is passing away,” and calls on everyone (not just […]
Saint Dorotheos, Bishop of Tire, lived during the time of Diocletian's persecution of Christians, around the year 304, and he was very familiar with the Holy Bible. had to […]
Text: The Lord said: 31 “And when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 […]
Saint Epiphanius, Bishop of Constantine (Cyprus), said: “How can the Old Testament become useless and not valid for the New Testament?...And from there […]
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.