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Daily Readings
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Sunday, 15th July 2012 --- 8 Abib 1728
Readings for Second Sunday of Abib
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 128 : 1 - 5
Chapter 128
| 1 | Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways.
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| 2 | When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
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| 3 | Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.
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| 4 | Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the LORD.
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| 5 | The LORD bless you out of Zion, And may you see the good of Jerusalem All the days of your life.
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Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Vespers Gospel
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint Luke the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Luke 16 : 1 - 18
Chapter 16
| 1 | He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.
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| 2 | So he called him and said to him, "What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'
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| 3 | "Then the steward said within himself, "What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.
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| 4 | I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'
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| 5 | "So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, "How much do you owe my master?'
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| 6 | And he said, "A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, "Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'
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| 7 | Then he said to another, "And how much do you owe?' So he said, "A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, "Take your bill, and write eighty.'
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| 8 | So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
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| 9 | "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.
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| 10 | He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
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| 11 | Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
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| 12 | And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?
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| 13 | "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
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| 14 | Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.
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| 15 | And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
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| 16 | "The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.
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| 17 | And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.
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| 18 | "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.
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And Glory be to God forever.
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Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 41 : 1 - 2
Chapter 41
| 1 | Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
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| 2 | The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
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Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Matins Gospel
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint Mark the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Mark 16 : 2 - 8
Chapter 16
| 2 | Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
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| 3 | And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"
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| 4 | But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away--for it was very large.
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| 5 | And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
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| 6 | But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.
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| 7 | But go, tell His disciples--and Peter--that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."
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| 8 | So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
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And Glory be to God forever.
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Liturgy Gospel
Paulines Epistle
Paul, the servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, appointed to the Gospel of God.
A reading from the Epistle of our teacher Paul to the Galatians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Galatians 1 : 1 - 24
Chapter 1
| 1 | Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead),
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| 2 | and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:
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| 3 | Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,
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| 4 | who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
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| 5 | to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
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| 6 | I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
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| 7 | which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
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| 8 | But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
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| 9 | As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
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| 10 | For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
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| 11 | But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
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| 12 | For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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| 13 | For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
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| 14 | And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
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| 15 | But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace,
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| 16 | to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,
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| 17 | nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
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| 18 | Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days.
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| 19 | But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother.
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| 20 | (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)
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| 21 | Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
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| 22 | And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ.
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| 23 | But they were hearing only, "He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy."
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| 24 | And they glorified God in me.
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The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. Jude .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
Jude 1 : 14 - 25
Chapter 1
| 14 | Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
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| 15 | to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
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| 16 | These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.
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| 17 | But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
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| 18 | how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
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| 19 | These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
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| 20 | But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
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| 21 | keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
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| 22 | And on some have compassion, making a distinction;
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| 23 | but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
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| 24 | Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
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| 25 | To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.
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Do not love the world or the things in the world.
The world passes away, and its desires; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Amen.
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Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us.
Acts 5 : 19 - 23
Chapter 5
| 19 | But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,
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| 20 | "Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life."
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| 21 | And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
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| 22 | But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported,
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| 23 | saying, "Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!"
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The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
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Synaxarium
Day 8 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Abib, may God make it always received, year after year, with reassurance and tranquility, while our sins after forgiven by the tender mercies of our God my fathers and brothers.
Amen.
The Eighth Day of the Blessed Month of Abib
Departure of St.Anba Bishoy
On this day, St. Bishoy, whose
memorial is honorable, the star of the desert, departed. He was born in
a town called Shansa in Egypt, and he had six brothers. His mother saw
an angel in a vision saying to her, "The Lord says to you, give Me one
of your children to serve Me." She answered, "Lord, take whoever you want."
The angel took the hand of Anba Bishoy, who was thin and his body was frail.
His mother told the angel, "My Lord, take one who is strong to serve the
Lord." "This is whom the Lord has chosen," answered the Angel. Later on,
St. Bishoy went to the wilderness of Shiheet and became a monk by the hand
of Anba Bemwah (Bamouyah), who also ordained St. John "Yehness" the Short
a monk. St. Bishoy struggled in much asceticism and many worships that
made him worthy to see the Lord Christ. Emperor Constantine appeared to
him in a vision, saying, "Had I known how great is the honor of monks,
I would have abandoned my kingdom and became a monk." St. Bishoy told him,
"You have banished the heathen worship and exalted Christianity, and has
not Christ given you anything?" Emperor Constantine answered him, "The
Lord has given me many gifts, but none of them is like the honor of the
monks."
During his days, an ascetic
old man appeared in the mountain of Ansena, who was reputed for his righteousness
and to whom many people gathered. But he deviated from the true faith and
the devil lead him astray. He taught that there is no Holy Spirit, and
many were deceived by his sayings. Anba Bishoy heard about him, and he
went to him and he had with him a weaved basket with three ears. When he
visited the old man and his followers, they asked him about the reason
for making three ears for the basket. He answered, "I have a Trinity, and
everything I do, is like the Trinity." They said to him, "Then, Is there
a thing called the Holy Spirit?" Then he started to explain to them from
the Holy Scriptures, from the Old and New Testaments. He indicated to them
that the Holy Spirit is One of the three Persons of the Trinity. He convinced
them, and they returned to the true faith. Then he returned to his monastery
in the wilderness of Scete (Shiheet). When the barbarians invaded the wilderness,
he left it and dwelt on Mount Ansena, where he departed. After the time
of persecution had ended, they brought his body with the body of St.Paul
of Tamouh to his monastery in the wilderness of Shiheet.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Piroou and St.Athom
On this day also, St. Piroou and St.
Athom were martyred. These two Saints were born in the city of "Sonbat",
of Christian parents who were righteous, loving works of righteousness
and charitable deeds. Their father's name was John and their mother's was
Mary. St. Piroou was blond with curled hair, tall in stature, with blue
eyes. St. Athom was tall in stature with white complexion, dark eyes and
black beard. When Piroou was thirty years old, and Athom was twenty-seven,
they attended church consistently during masses, and continued to give
alms and provide shelter for strangers. When persecution was incited against
the Christians, they took some goods and went to the town of El-Farma to
trade there. They found the body of a Saint called "Noua" with some of
the soldiers. They bought the body from them with silver, placed the body
in a marbled sarcophagus in their own home. They hung an oil lamb before
it, and many miracles appeared from the body. The two saints reflected
upon the vanity of the world, and the blessings of paradise. They distributed
their money among the poor, went to Alexandria and confessed Christ before
the Governor. He tortured them by beating and whipping them until their
blood poured out on the ground. They hanged them and put fire under them.
The Angel of the Lord came and brought them down and healed their wounds.
Then, the Governor sent them to El-Farma. When the Governor of El-Farma
saw their courage and the beauty of their appearance, he offered them the
worship of the idols. When they refused, he pulled out the nails of their
hands and feet. Then he put them on iron rods and lit fire under them.
During this, the wife of the Governor
died, and he asked the two Saints to forgive him for what he had done to
them. They prayed to God for her and God raised her from the dead. The
Governor and every one with him believed. He released the two Saints and
they returned to their town "Sonbat". They gave the poor whatever was left
of their money. They gave the body of St. Noua to a righteous man called
Sarabamon. They asked him to hang an oil lamp before it at all times. Then,
they went to the Governor and confessed Christ. He ordered them beaten
and dragged in the city until their blood poured out on the ground. A deaf
and dumb woman took some of the blood and anointed her ears and tongue
with it. Instantly she was healed. She glorified the Lord Christ and confessed
Him. The Governor ordered them all to be beheaded. They all received the
crown of martyrdom. The righteous Sarabamon, and some people from Sonbat
were present. They took the bodies of the two Saints, shrouded them, and
took them to their town. A church was built for them, where their bodies
and the body of St. Noua were placed. It was said that their bodies are
now located in the church of St. Barbara in Old Cairo.
May their prayers be with us, Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Balanah, the Priest
On this day also, St. Balanah
the priest, was martyred. He was from the city of Bara, of the diocese
of Sakha. When he heard of the persecution of the faithful and the slaying
of the saints, he distributed all his money to the poor and the needy.
He then went to "Antinoe" (Ansena), and confessed the Lord Christ before
the governor. He tortured St. Balanah much with different kinds of tortures
until he delivered up his soul in the hands of the Lord.
May his prayers be with us, Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Epime (Pimanon)
This day also, marks the
martyrdom of St. Epime (Pimanon) (Bima). He was the chief of the village
of "Panokleus" of the district of El-Bahnasa. He was rich and merciful
to the poor. The Lord Christ appeared to him in a vision and told him,
"Arise, go to the Governor and confess My Name, for there you have a crown
prepared for you." When he awoke from his sleep, he distributed all his
money to the poor and the needy. Then he prayed, and went to El-Bahnasa,
and confessed the Lord Christ. When he confessed that he was the chief
of the village, the Governor asked him about the vessels of the church
in his town, and offered him the worship of the idols. St. Bima answered
him saying, "I will not give you the vessels, and as for worshipping the
idols, I only worship my Lord Jesus Christ." The Governor ordered his tongue
cut off, and torture by the press and by burning. But the Lord saved and
healed him. The Governor then, sent him to Alexandria, where he was imprisoned.
Julius El-Akfahsi (the writer of the biographies of the saints) had a sister
possessed with an evil spirit. This Saint prayed for her and she was healed.
The report of this miracle spread out and many believed. The Governor became
furious and he tortured the Saint with the press and by pulling out his
nails. The Lord strengthened him and healed him. When the Governor became
weary of torturing him, he sent him to Upper Egypt. There he was beheaded,
and he received the crown of martyrdom. The servants of Julius El-Akfahsi
carried his body to his town.
May his prayers be with us, Amen.
Departure of Cyrus (Karas), brother of
Emperor Theodosius
Today also, St. Cyrus (Karas)
departed. He was the brother of Emperor Theodosius the Great. This saint
knew well the vanity of the world and its temporal nature. He left all
his possessions and went out wandering without a destination. God guided
him to the inner Western Wilderness, where he lived for many years alone,
without seeing man or beast. There was in the wilderness of Shiheet (Scete)
a holy priest called Bamwa (Pimwah) who shrouded the body of St. Hilaria.
This father longed to see one of the servants of Christ, the hermits. The
Lord helped him until he came to the inner wilderness, and he saw many
of the saints. Everyone of them told him about his name, and the reason
he came to the wilderness. But St. Pimwah asked each of them, "Is there
is anyone who lives further in the inner desert?" They answered him, "Yes."
He continued to walk until he finally arrived at St. Karas, the last one
of them. St. Karas called him from inside his cell, "Welcome, Anba Pimwah,
the priest of Shiheet." Anba Pimwah entered his cell, and after the greetings,
St. Karas asked him about the news of the world, the governors and the
faithful. At night, St. Karas prayed for a long time, then he knelt to
the ground and delivered up his soul in the hands of the Lord. Anba Pimwah
buried him in his cloak, then he returned glorifying God, telling everyone
about the Saint and his strife.
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to God forever, Amen.
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Divine Psalm
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet, and the Good King.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 119 : 1 - 2
Chapter 119
| 1 | Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD!
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| 2 | Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!
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Hallelujah.
Divine Gospel
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Matthew 18 : 1 - 9
Chapter 18
| 1 | At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
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| 2 | Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,
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| 3 | and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
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| 4 | Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
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| 5 | Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
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| 6 | "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
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| 7 | Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
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| 8 | "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.
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| 9 | And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.
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And Glory be to God forever.
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Acknowledgement
Opening page