Ask An Orthodox Priest #14: Fr. John Mahfouz

Рет қаралды 8,071

Күн бұрын

Fr. John Mahfouz is the priest at St. Matthew Antiochian Orthodox Church in Torrance, California. Fr. John answers your questions that were submitted through KZfaq and Instagram.
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Пікірлер: 48

@johnsambo9379 Ай бұрын

Combat sports lead to discipline, determination and masculinity. For many they lead to a healthy mind and healthy body. Training in combat sports saved me from a life of depression and obesity.

@InamSifatyi 9 күн бұрын

I compete and I do not do it for fame or glory. Because you have never competed you assume it's for glory or fame no I just love my martial art and I love to compete and test my skills against worthy opponents. You don't understand the love and respect one feels for his opponent after a good fight, win or lose as I don't compete for money I don't feel any contempt after losing. I compete in Kyokushin full contact Karate.

@Gabriel-9194 Ай бұрын

What Fr said about spilling wine on ourselves was brilliant

@seeker2219 Ай бұрын

To the one feeling numb: You have trained yourself to not feel ashamed, you can re-aline yourself with gods help. And just because you might not feel shame atm, does not mean you are incapable of resisting that sin. We chose to sin, now choose not to. And re-train yourself, focus on jesus when it gets ruffer. Become better FOR God every day, or fight not to become lesser then yesterday. This world will do everything to make you fall, so grab unto our Lords hand and let him help you through it. Lastly, think of the story about the returning son. CHOOSE every day to be that son, and give God another victory.

@FamilieNetra Ай бұрын

No doubts! He’s full of Godliness. I want to meet him 😢

@respectkindness-oj6xz Ай бұрын

14:55 - 15:37 amazing analogy

@szudy76 Ай бұрын

I’m a Catechumen , leaving the Roman Catholic Church. So glad I went to see… it’s beautiful

@tonylewis9167 Ай бұрын

Thank You Father Mahfouz. You strengthen my faith.

@suioryuogami Ай бұрын

Father Mahfouz, thank you for these words. It was what I needed to hear today. To remember that I am a sinner who is fallible and will continue to trip from time to time. I must needs ask God how I can serve him and his people.

@suioryuogami Ай бұрын

I hope you know how powerful these words can be for some of us. How moving it is to know that God forgives and loves

@Dopio-io7bf 28 күн бұрын

That’s the priest of the church I’m going to, I want to be baptized

@respectkindness-oj6xz Ай бұрын

16:20 Saint Kosmas Aetolian/Aetolos (or however people referred to him) said some prophetic things too. St. Paisios Aghioritis too and many other more recent saints

@tomjull1106 Ай бұрын

Thank you for the reference to taking "radical action". Long before 12-step programs, Orthodoxy was the first "spiritual program of action".

@XPISTOS-ANESTH Ай бұрын

Τhank you so much for an other amazing video. Κυριε Ιησου Χριστε ελεησον με τον αμαρτωλο.

@NicoleDionne Ай бұрын

What about people who are abusive and you separate separate from? You can forgive someone and feel released from it but I couldn’t imagine someone going to their abuser to try to make amends. I’ve often wondered about this question. In modern Christianity this concept keeps people in abusive cycles. How does the orthodox church handle this?

@Saint_nobody Ай бұрын

Ever insightful, thank you, father & channel. God bless you and yours. 🙏🏻

@yecksd Ай бұрын

thank you, Fr Mahfouz

@justreal4379 Ай бұрын

no wonder we few orthodox in world , becuse is the truth ! THE PATH IS NARROW

@vladimirmarkovic8578 Ай бұрын

See the film..."Conqueror of the death!!!

@WisdomSeeker369 Ай бұрын

☦️🕊🔥📿🙏

@GregoryCampbellSwag Ай бұрын

Can we get timestamps for each question?

@MrAbc54321 Ай бұрын

Wish him to be a Mahfouz “guarded “

@Elohimists Ай бұрын

How do you become born again?

@tsiontewodros Ай бұрын

By being baptized (John 3).

@observer1242 22 күн бұрын

I wonder what church parish you serve at. I think I could be related to you. As far as the black family feeling ostracized is concerned tell them to listen to the KZfaq videos of father Moses Berry. Tell them to read about Saint Ciprian of Carthage and Saint Moses the Black.

@demographicrenaissance6613 Ай бұрын

I HIGHLY doubt this black family was ostracized on multiple occasions because of their skin color. As a white person- we aren't all super warm and outgoing towards each other. Just because people aren't extra open and acting happy thay you are there; people not fawning over your presence isn't dislike, hatred, or ostracization. It's called being normal people.

@bluetigerlozano59 Ай бұрын

If that is what you consider ‘normal’; that’s a sad statement. 😞 (You don’t have to “fawn over” someone or act like a “obsessed fan” to be friendly. We had a lovely woman years ago, her name was Vera. She and her husband Nick were from a small town in Pennsylvania and were two of the original founders of what is now a huge parish in Riverside California. Those who were there at the time all knew her and her husband. Vera was also warm and genuinely friendly and often gave people hugs just to welcome them- and always with a smile. It wasn’t ‘fake’ she genuinely cared. Even when I first came there to St Andrew, she always held my hand and gave me hugs. We became fast friends. When she passed so many mourned her. (She was of Russian background so I suppose you could say she was ‘white’). I get that most people aren’t that outgoing or welcoming- but to say “that’s normal” is sad. Christ called us to step out of our sense of ‘normality’ and become more like Him. Forgive me a sinner.

@kellyk8635 Ай бұрын

@@bluetigerlozano59 I think she meant "normal" in that we are all struggling with our sins and just because someone is rude to us doesn't mean that they hate our skin color or something about us in particular, but that they are in the process of healing from sickness, as we all are.

@phantomlord3280 Ай бұрын

No need to voice this opinion:) may God bless you with his wisdom

@Wedi-Newie Ай бұрын

I hope African Americans (and those within the Church) know that the Desert Father's, which the Church greatly venerates, were African and West Asian! So many of our Saint's are melanin blessed! 😊

@jovanhranisavljevic6111 Ай бұрын

You have an obligation as a Christian to smile from the bottom of your heart, to a guest, a newcomer. Don't call yourself a Christian if you don't have it in you.

@realcyberghost Ай бұрын

I don’t agree completely with his thinking on MMA. Jiu Jitsu is great, but if you need to defend yourself against multiple attackers you need to know how to box. But I also understand the problem with boxing or thai box, when not wearing headgear. Or when doing it professionally and get brain damage. So I think MMA is good for Christians as training but in a commercial setting it may drive people towards brain or other bodily damages which are not in line with Christian beliefs. I think MMA can serve God but also deny God, it depends on how you do it. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

@genete8037 Ай бұрын

Find an Ethiopian Orthodox Church if you are concerned about being ostracized because you are black. The church is the Lords house and everyone should be welcomed.

@sfappetrupavelandrei Ай бұрын

Except that they are not in communion with the Eastern Orthodox Churches so... no.

@matthewsiahaan1312 Ай бұрын

Combats sports are extremely dangerous and nothing good comes of them. Definitely inflames all passions for no good end.

@johnsambo9379 Ай бұрын

That's not true at all. They lead to discipline, determinations and masculinity. For many they lead to a healthy mind and healthy body. You statement is ridiculous. Jesus wasn't a pacifist wimp.

@EasternChristian333 Ай бұрын

@@johnsambo9379 Jesus wasn't a gymbro either. Masculinity is not tied into lifting weights and beating on other men. Rolling around on the floor with other men wearing nothing but shorts sounds pretty gay to me.

@kolepate7057 Ай бұрын

If my opinion means anything, I think that both the views in this thread of comments are valid. Combat sports are dangerous, but that doesn’t mean that sports that physically pit peoples bodies against each other are immediately off limits. Some combat sports help people sublimate physical energy they have an excess of, develop mental faculties, learn cooperation, and ultimately develop the body. Like football, lacrosse, wrestling, swordsmanship through LARP, and more. Other combat sports, while still giving an outlet to the bodies physical energies, are more individually focused and do not necessitate cooperation. Thus they are more focused on the individuals body, what it can do in specificity circumstances which can increase the risk of danger and egotism alike. Like MMA/boxing, professional bodybuilding, or even sprinting. But within both categories, whether it’s more geared to the higher nature (cooperation and natural athleticism which helps to control the body) or the lower nature (egotism and unnatural habits to build strength/downright fighting) there is a risk for danger and egotism. It’s all about how we relate to ourselves and others in doing the activities - what purpose it has.

@matthewnovak7351 Ай бұрын

@@EasternChristian333Who cares what you think, respectfully? What matters is the heart of the person who is doing the sport. There is no reason one can’t be a competitor to the glory of God

@matthewsiahaan1312 Ай бұрын

@@johnsambo9379 I am a BJJ purple belt and did Muay Thai for 10 years. I fought as an amateur. There are better uses of time. I am a monarchist so I believe is resisting evil by force, however pursuing combat sports generally does not have a productive end and only builds giant egos with traumatic brain injuries that do not serve God. Also the possibility of killing or maiming somebody in the ring is very real. What good can come of that?

@johnsambo9379 Ай бұрын

@matthewsiahaan1312 You are a monarchist? Then why are you living in America? Some people like to be sheep and have no say.