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Daily Readings
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Thursday, 25th April 2024 --- 17 Baramoudah 1740
Readings for Monday of first week of fifty Joyous Days
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 96 : 10
Chapter 96
| 10 | Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously."
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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 John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
John 20 : 19 - 23
Chapter 20
| 19 | Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you."
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| 20 | When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
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| 21 | So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."
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| 22 | And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
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| 23 | If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
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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 97 : 1 - 2
Chapter 97
| 1 | The LORD reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad!
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| 2 | Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
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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 Luke the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Luke 24 : 1 - 12
Chapter 24
| 1 | Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
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| 2 | But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
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| 3 | Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
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| 4 | And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
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| 5 | Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?
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| 6 | He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
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| 7 | saying, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."'
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| 8 | And they remembered His words.
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| 9 | Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
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| 10 | It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
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| 11 | And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
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| 12 | But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
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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 Thessalonians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
1 Thessalonians 4 : 13 - 5 : 11
Chapter 4
| 13 | But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
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| 14 | For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
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| 15 | For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
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| 16 | For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
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| 17 | Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
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| 18 | Therefore comfort one another with these words.
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Chapter 5
| 1 | But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.
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| 2 | For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
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| 3 | For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
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| 4 | But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
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| 5 | You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
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| 6 | Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
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| 7 | For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
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| 8 | But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
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| 9 | For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
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| 10 | who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
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| 11 | Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
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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 1 of St. Peter .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
1 Peter 2 : 11 - 25
Chapter 2
| 11 | Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
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| 12 | having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
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| 13 | Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
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| 14 | or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
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| 15 | For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--
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| 16 | as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
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| 17 | Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
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| 18 | Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
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| 19 | For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
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| 20 | For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
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| 21 | For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
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| 22 | "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";
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| 23 | who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
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| 24 | who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.
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| 25 | For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
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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 3 : 1 - 20
Chapter 3
| 1 | Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
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| 2 | And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
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| 3 | who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
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| 4 | And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us."
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| 5 | So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
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| 6 | Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
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| 7 | And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
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| 8 | So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.
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| 9 | And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
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| 10 | Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
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| 11 | Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed.
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| 12 | So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
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| 13 | The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.
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| 14 | But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
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| 15 | and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
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| 16 | And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
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| 17 | "Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
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| 18 | But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
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| 19 | Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
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| 20 | and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
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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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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 104 : 24,31
Chapter 104
| 24 | O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions--
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| 31 | May the glory of the LORD endure forever; May the LORD rejoice in His works.
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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.
Luke 24 : 13 - 35
Chapter 24
| 13 | Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
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| 14 | And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
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| 15 | So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
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| 16 | But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
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| 17 | And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"
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| 18 | Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?"
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| 19 | And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
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| 20 | and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
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| 21 | But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
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| 22 | Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.
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| 23 | When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.
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| 24 | And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."
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| 25 | Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
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| 26 | Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"
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| 27 | And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
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| 28 | Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.
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| 29 | But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them.
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| 30 | Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
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| 31 | Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
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| 32 | And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"
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| 33 | So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
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| 34 | saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"
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| 35 | And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.
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And Glory be to God forever.
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Not to be read in the Church during this time of the year.
Synaxarium
Day 17 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Baramoudah, 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 Seventeenth Day of the Blessed Month of Baramoudah
Martyrdom of St.James the Apostle, the
Brother of St.John the Apostle
On this day, St. James the Apostle, the son of Zebedee,
and the brother of St. John, the Apostle, was martyred. After he had preached
the Gospel in Judea and Samaria, he went to Spain. He preached the Gospel
there, and its people believed in the Lord Christ. He returned to Jerusalem
and pursued his ministry. He always advised his flock to give alms to the
poor, the needy, and the weak. They accused him before Herod who called
him and asked him: "Are you the one that instigating the people not to
give the taxes to Caesar but to give it to the poor and the churches?"
Then he smote him with the sword, cutting off his head, and St. James received
the crown of martyrdom. Clement of Alexandria, from the fathers of the
second century, said: "The soldier that seized the Saint, when he saw his
courage, he realized that there must be a better life and asked the Saint
for his forgiveness. Then the soldier confessed Christianity and received
the crown of martyrdom (Acts 12:1-2) along with the Apostle in the year
44 A.D." Because Herod saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further
to seize Peter also. So when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison,
and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to
bring him before the people after Passover. (Acts 12:3-4) So on a set day
Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration
to them. And the people kept shouting, "The voice of a god and not of a
man!" Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not
give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. (Acts 12:21-23)
As of the body of St. James, the believers took it, shrouded it, and buried
it by the Temple. It was said that the body of St. James was translated
to Spain, where James the elder considered to be its Apostle.
May His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
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Acknowledgement
Opening page