MOTHER OF THE POOR
Sunday, October 08, 2006
MOTHER OF THE POOR
(OM EL GHALABA)
The works and
service of Om
Abdel Sayed.
Born in 1910 in Souhag, Om Abdel Sayed manifested
spiritual maturity at an early age. She
lost her mother early and her father was harsh on her. When she was 7 years old she used to ran away
a far distance to pray. She trained
herself at an early age to fast for all Coptic
churches fasting. Even when her father would force her to eat meat or soup with
meat to break her fast she never obeyed him in this matter. She always wanted to be a nun. But she did not succeed even though she put
dust and sand on her eyes to be blind as her family told her that nuns are only
for the blind and the crippled.
Her father forced her to marry
an abusive and evil person when she was 14 years old. She stayed for 40 months being hit by her
husband with a fig branch full of thorns. While her body bleeds she was
kneeling and praying to God to forgive her husband and that God will show him
His way. God listened to her and on the
last days of his life her husband went back to God. God gave her the date of his death which she
prepared for even the coffin. She also
told her husband that he’s going to heaven.
Our God Jesus appeared to her
to become His servant in His name and her service was noticed in the inner part
of Egypt. She used to walk miles and
miles on foot talking about Jesus. Jesus
was walking in front of her always pointing out the houses needing to hear the
word of God and service. In the 1950s
she moved to Shopra, a suburb in Cairo where she
served the Coptic organization for years.
She used to serve with Father Akhnokh the
parish priest of St Mina. In Shopra with the fathers help she visited houses never been
reached by the church before. She took
care of the sick and people who live alone and have no one visiting them. In the early mornings she goes out to care
for the sick physically and spiritually.
She never worried about herself getting old and never worried how high
the houses she visited were. Even though she was old
her happiness came from caring for the sick and giving to the needy. One day she found a homeless person and
invited him to her house to care for him. But unfortunately he passed away and
she realized she will put herself into legal proceedings so she prayed until
the man rose from the dead and went in his own way. One day she asked God to stop the rain so she
could help give communion to a sick person with the priest. With her prayer she brought eyesight to one
and the cripple to walk. It was common
knowledge that a lady who cannot conceive after visiting her conceives. One day
a lady missionary who was working with her to visit a sick person on the7th
floor thought that the place was too high for her as she’s old but when they
entered the building she disappeared and the missionary found her waiting for
her in the room. The same thing happened
going down the building. Her famous words were God cures (whatever is the
person’s name) or God gives (whatever is the person’s name) what she needs. And when God listens to her and a miracle occurred
she says God did not do it for me but because He loves the poor.
Dear reader,
The poor and the needy have
especial place in God’s heart and the people who serve the poor and the needy
God always look upon them.
Remember me in
your prayers.
