St. Mina and St. Abanoub Coptic Orthodox Church

The word 'Nauruz' is a Persian derivative from the second century AD. It literally means new day, from nau new + ruz. The Persian New Year's day is celebrated at the astronomical vernal equinox as a day of great festivity since it marks the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere.

On September 11, our Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the Nauruz (El Nayrooz) feast, the beginning of the Coptic New Year, in which we commemorate our fathers the martyrs who have shed their blood an offering on the altar of love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Martyrdom is the highest degree of testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ whereby a martyr accepts to shed his blood for the sake of proclaiming the right faith and testifying to his Savior who had shed His blood on the cross out of love for us. So, martyrdom is the most sublime application of the Lord's command to His disciples and us saying, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Martyrdom requires celestial power from above, that of the Holy Spirit. In order to attest to the Lord it requires work not of man but that of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the faithful granting the right words to utter, words that are anointed and accompanied by Him so they come out powerful and sharper than a double edged sword piercing to other souls, changing and renewing them.

Testifying to the Lord Jesus Christ is the responsibility of every believer. We are all called to stand for our beliefs before our families (Jerusalem), friends (Judea), and to everyone we come across (the ends of the earth).