Miracles of the Church
God’s hand in the service of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Mexico “Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 13: 46-52)
Father Zakaria Albramousy loves these verses very much. When he reads it, he feels that Christ is flashing it towards him. Father Zakaria especially loves the verse, “I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”
Father Zakaria carried this verse with him to Mexico, and when he began his service in Mexico, he was not equipped with any language capabilities in order to communicate with the people. However, God gave Father Zakaria another kind of language. God gave him the language of love to the point that when people came to the church, they began to call it “the school of love.” The love that Father Zakaria speaks about is the love of the Holy Spirit. Whoever enters the church sees Father Zakaria as a caring, loving father. But now through Christ’s wonderful grace, Father Zakaria, in two and a half years, has been able to communicate with the congregation with a fluent tongue. He has also been able to translate the liturgy of our father St. Basil in less than two years.
Father Zakaria’s first liturgy was on January 1, 2006. There were only 19 people who attended, and the only two Mexicans that were baptized in the church were present. Through Christ’s wonderful hand, on the second liturgy Father Zakaria performed his first baptism. Through that baptism, Father Zakaria was able to see God’s hand at work right away.
The First Miracle
Father Zakaria teaches that the Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways during baptism throughout which, Father Zakaria prefers that no one takes pictures. During one of the baptisms for a young girl, Father Zakaria told an individual, “Please no pictures at this time.” However, the individual told Father Zakaria, “Father, the people here need to see our church in its purist state. Please allow me to take pictures.” Father Zakaria kindly allowed the individual to take the pictures.
After the man took the pictures, Father Zakaria went to look at them. Once he looked at the pictures, he was amazed. He saw that the child was completely lit up. (pictured above)
In the picture, Father Zakaria is holding the child; the child is so lit up to the point that it looks like Father Zakaria is holding a light bulb. Through his fingers we can see light coming out (please note that the light is coming out, not in), which means it cannot be the flash from the camera. Also, notice that the light is reflected off Father Zakaria, as well as off the mother.
The Second Miracle
Father Zakaria was baptizing a young girl, 4 years of age. As Father Zakaria was anointing the girl with the Holy Mairoon (a sacred oil taken from the body of Jesus Christ himself, that the church uses during baptism), someone took a photo. As Father Zakaria was anointing all 36 crosses on the child’s body.
The photo shows the Holy Mairoon lit up. On the young child’s forehead, it is clear that the Holy Mairoon is illuminated from the center cross on her forehead.
Father Zakaria Albramousy loves these verses very much. When he reads it, he feels that Christ is flashing it towards him. Father Zakaria especially loves the verse, “I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”
Father Zakaria carried this verse with him to Mexico, and when he began his service in Mexico, he was not equipped with any language capabilities in order to communicate with the people. However, God gave Father Zakaria another kind of language. God gave him the language of love to the point that when people came to the church, they began to call it “the school of love.” The love that Father Zakaria speaks about is the love of the Holy Spirit. Whoever enters the church sees Father Zakaria as a caring, loving father. But now through Christ’s wonderful grace, Father Zakaria, in two and a half years, has been able to communicate with the congregation with a fluent tongue. He has also been able to translate the liturgy of our father St. Basil in less than two years.
Father Zakaria’s first liturgy was on January 1, 2006. There were only 19 people who attended, and the only two Mexicans that were baptized in the church were present. Through Christ’s wonderful hand, on the second liturgy Father Zakaria performed his first baptism. Through that baptism, Father Zakaria was able to see God’s hand at work right away.
The First Miracle
Father Zakaria teaches that the Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways during baptism throughout which, Father Zakaria prefers that no one takes pictures. During one of the baptisms for a young girl, Father Zakaria told an individual, “Please no pictures at this time.” However, the individual told Father Zakaria, “Father, the people here need to see our church in its purist state. Please allow me to take pictures.” Father Zakaria kindly allowed the individual to take the pictures.
After the man took the pictures, Father Zakaria went to look at them. Once he looked at the pictures, he was amazed. He saw that the child was completely lit up. (pictured above)
In the picture, Father Zakaria is holding the child; the child is so lit up to the point that it looks like Father Zakaria is holding a light bulb. Through his fingers we can see light coming out (please note that the light is coming out, not in), which means it cannot be the flash from the camera. Also, notice that the light is reflected off Father Zakaria, as well as off the mother.
The Second Miracle
Father Zakaria was baptizing a young girl, 4 years of age. As Father Zakaria was anointing the girl with the Holy Mairoon (a sacred oil taken from the body of Jesus Christ himself, that the church uses during baptism), someone took a photo. As Father Zakaria was anointing all 36 crosses on the child’s body.
The photo shows the Holy Mairoon lit up. On the young child’s forehead, it is clear that the Holy Mairoon is illuminated from the center cross on her forehead.
The Third Miracle
Once again Father Zakaria was baptizing a young boy (10 years of age at the time) who, unfortunately, had kidney and skin cancer, along with leukemia. The day he was baptized, coincidentally, was the same day his parents were to take him to his doctor. Sadly, the young boy looked to be nearing the end of his days, according to his doctors. As Father Zakaria was about to baptize him, one of the deacons came to the Father and said, “This young boy has cancer in the kidney and the skin, and he has leukemia. So, Father, please be careful with the child.” In other words, the deacon wanted to tell the Father to be gentle as he baptizes the boy. So, the Father responded, “Don’t worry, after the baptism this child will have nothing at all.” The Father said such a statement, because, in the Coptic Church, we believe that baptism cures the body, spirit, and the soul. Once Father Zakaria put the boy in the water, the boy, of course, was in great pain. The mother could no longer stand to see her son in pain, so she left the room, weeping.
After the baptism, the mother took the boy to the doctor as planned. The doctor, in total amazement, started laughing and said, “What happened to the boy?” The mother said, “Nothing, we have been giving him all the medications.” (The medications that were given to the boy were all antibiotics, but nothing to cure his sickness.) Then the doctor told her, “Something supernatural happened, what did you do?” So the mother told the doctor about the Coptic Church and how she baptized the boy before coming. The doctor, astonished, said, “This is the reason your boy is healed. I can’t find any reason for you to bring him back.” The boy is 12 years of age now, and is better than ever.
After these families were baptized, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III published a photo of these baptisms in the Keraza (an official papal magazine).
After these baptisms, Father Zakaria could clearly see how God’s hand has touched his service and assured him that God is with him at all times.
The Fourth Miracle
One day an English man who was married to a Mexican woman came to visit Father Zakaria at the church. The wife was from the Roman Catholic faith, and he was an atheist (one who does not believe in God). The wife learned more about the church and became interested in it, and Father Zakaria anointed her with the Holy Mairoon. Father Zakaria visited them often, and he made sure that the husband was present whenever he visited. Father Zakaria had many theological conversations with the man and prayed for him often. One day when Father Zakaria was visiting them, he began to show them all the pictures from the baptisms (shown above). As the man started to look at the pictures, he told Father Zakaria that he is a professional photographer, and a professional analyst of photography. The man began to write a report in English that stated that these pictures are authentic, and that no outside source or effects were added to the photos. Through these pictures, the man believed and began to come to Father Zakaria and told him that he would like to become a Christian.
Exactly 28 days after the man was baptized. At 2 am one morning, Father Zakaria received a phone call. The wife was weeping, and told Father Zakaria that her husband was dying. So Father Zakaria called one of the deacons of the church, and went to visit the man. Father Zakaria did not know at the time, but the man was on life support (which means that a machine must keep the person breathing, but the body is not functional). All Father Zakaria did was pray the litany of the sick on the man and anointed him with Holy Oil, and inaudibly Father Zakaria said, “God, this man declared his faith not so long ago. Please, Lord, heal this man and do with him something unreal.” The next day, Father Zakaria went to visit the man. The doctors had already told his wife that the man was clinically dead, and that they will keep him on life support until she tells them to take him off. Father Zakaria, not knowing this, arrived to the hospital and greeted the wife, and asked the doctors if he could go in and see the man (please note the wife did not tell Father Zakaria anything). Once in the room, Father Zakaria said, “Peter” (the man’s name), and the man responded and sat upright. Suddenly, Father Zakaria found all the doctors and nurses running to the room. The doctor, in astonishment, needed to take a seat. Father Zakaria still did not know what was going on. All the Father said was his name, and the man responded. So, Father Zakaria asked for permission from the doctor to come visit him the next day. The doctor told Father Zakaria, “You may do anything you want.”
The next Sunday, Father Zakaria visited him, and they told him all that happened: how the man was clinically dead, and why everyone was in shock when he responded. Father Zakaria thanked God for His glorious work and gave the man communion. The next day (Monday), the man was out of the hospital without any sign of sickness. The first thing the man did once he was released from the hospital was come straight to church and thank God for His kindness towards him.
Once again Father Zakaria was baptizing a young boy (10 years of age at the time) who, unfortunately, had kidney and skin cancer, along with leukemia. The day he was baptized, coincidentally, was the same day his parents were to take him to his doctor. Sadly, the young boy looked to be nearing the end of his days, according to his doctors. As Father Zakaria was about to baptize him, one of the deacons came to the Father and said, “This young boy has cancer in the kidney and the skin, and he has leukemia. So, Father, please be careful with the child.” In other words, the deacon wanted to tell the Father to be gentle as he baptizes the boy. So, the Father responded, “Don’t worry, after the baptism this child will have nothing at all.” The Father said such a statement, because, in the Coptic Church, we believe that baptism cures the body, spirit, and the soul. Once Father Zakaria put the boy in the water, the boy, of course, was in great pain. The mother could no longer stand to see her son in pain, so she left the room, weeping.
After the baptism, the mother took the boy to the doctor as planned. The doctor, in total amazement, started laughing and said, “What happened to the boy?” The mother said, “Nothing, we have been giving him all the medications.” (The medications that were given to the boy were all antibiotics, but nothing to cure his sickness.) Then the doctor told her, “Something supernatural happened, what did you do?” So the mother told the doctor about the Coptic Church and how she baptized the boy before coming. The doctor, astonished, said, “This is the reason your boy is healed. I can’t find any reason for you to bring him back.” The boy is 12 years of age now, and is better than ever.
After these families were baptized, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III published a photo of these baptisms in the Keraza (an official papal magazine).
After these baptisms, Father Zakaria could clearly see how God’s hand has touched his service and assured him that God is with him at all times.
The Fourth Miracle
One day an English man who was married to a Mexican woman came to visit Father Zakaria at the church. The wife was from the Roman Catholic faith, and he was an atheist (one who does not believe in God). The wife learned more about the church and became interested in it, and Father Zakaria anointed her with the Holy Mairoon. Father Zakaria visited them often, and he made sure that the husband was present whenever he visited. Father Zakaria had many theological conversations with the man and prayed for him often. One day when Father Zakaria was visiting them, he began to show them all the pictures from the baptisms (shown above). As the man started to look at the pictures, he told Father Zakaria that he is a professional photographer, and a professional analyst of photography. The man began to write a report in English that stated that these pictures are authentic, and that no outside source or effects were added to the photos. Through these pictures, the man believed and began to come to Father Zakaria and told him that he would like to become a Christian.
Exactly 28 days after the man was baptized. At 2 am one morning, Father Zakaria received a phone call. The wife was weeping, and told Father Zakaria that her husband was dying. So Father Zakaria called one of the deacons of the church, and went to visit the man. Father Zakaria did not know at the time, but the man was on life support (which means that a machine must keep the person breathing, but the body is not functional). All Father Zakaria did was pray the litany of the sick on the man and anointed him with Holy Oil, and inaudibly Father Zakaria said, “God, this man declared his faith not so long ago. Please, Lord, heal this man and do with him something unreal.” The next day, Father Zakaria went to visit the man. The doctors had already told his wife that the man was clinically dead, and that they will keep him on life support until she tells them to take him off. Father Zakaria, not knowing this, arrived to the hospital and greeted the wife, and asked the doctors if he could go in and see the man (please note the wife did not tell Father Zakaria anything). Once in the room, Father Zakaria said, “Peter” (the man’s name), and the man responded and sat upright. Suddenly, Father Zakaria found all the doctors and nurses running to the room. The doctor, in astonishment, needed to take a seat. Father Zakaria still did not know what was going on. All the Father said was his name, and the man responded. So, Father Zakaria asked for permission from the doctor to come visit him the next day. The doctor told Father Zakaria, “You may do anything you want.”
The next Sunday, Father Zakaria visited him, and they told him all that happened: how the man was clinically dead, and why everyone was in shock when he responded. Father Zakaria thanked God for His glorious work and gave the man communion. The next day (Monday), the man was out of the hospital without any sign of sickness. The first thing the man did once he was released from the hospital was come straight to church and thank God for His kindness towards him.
