So Many Years with the Problems of People Part 1

The history of questions with me is lengthy. Since I have been ordained a Bishop on September 30,1962, over twenty-five years ago, I adopted a specific method in teaching and preaching: to give a chance for the audience to introduce their questions and have them answered before the beginning of the main lecture.

This way thousands of questions accumulated before me during the thousands of lectures that I have given, in the weekly spiritual meetings, on Friday evenings; the Bible study meetings on Tuesday (1968-1972); the theological lectures on Wednesday; my meetings with the priests; with the Sunday school teachers and their conferences; the meetings of college societies; general meetings in Alexandria, on Sunday; the lectures that were given in the theological seminary in Alexandria and Cairo; or the spiritual meetings during my visits to churches and dioceses.

Even before my monastic life, I used to answer the spiritual questions of the readers of the Sunday school magazine and the questions followed me everywhere, even in the monastery.

The questions varied some around biblical verses, some about theology, doctrines, ministry, spiritual life or social relationships and many other subjects... I excluded what was repetitious, personal, or what I answered with one sentence or a joke.

I chose what was fit from the questions for publication, so the people would not have to ask the same questions again and to have almost uniform answers to such questions.

Pope Shenouda III