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Daily Readings
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Thursday, 18th April 2024 --- 10 Baramoudah 1740
Readings for Thursday 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 97 : 8 - 9
Chapter 97
| 8 | Zion hears and is glad, And the daughters of Judah rejoice Because of Your judgments, O LORD.
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| 9 | For You, LORD, are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.
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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 Mark the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Mark 2 : 3 - 13
Chapter 2
| 3 | Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.
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| 4 | And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
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| 5 | When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."
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| 6 | And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
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| 7 | "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
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| 8 | But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?
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| 9 | Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, "Arise, take up your bed and walk'?
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| 10 | But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the paralytic,
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| 11 | "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
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| 12 | Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
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| 13 | Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.
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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 106 : 4 - 5
Chapter 106
| 4 | Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation,
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| 5 | That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.
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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 9 : 28 - 36
Chapter 9
| 28 | Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
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| 29 | As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.
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| 30 | And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,
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| 31 | who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
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| 32 | But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.
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| 33 | Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not knowing what he said.
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| 34 | While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.
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| 35 | And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"
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| 36 | When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.
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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 Ephesians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Ephesians 1 : 15 - 2 : 3
Chapter 1
| 15 | Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
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| 16 | do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
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| 17 | that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
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| 18 | the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
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| 19 | and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
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| 20 | which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
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| 21 | far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
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| 22 | And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
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| 23 | which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
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Chapter 2
| 1 | And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
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| 2 | in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
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| 3 | among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
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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 3 : 8 - 15
Chapter 3
| 8 | Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
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| 9 | not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
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| 10 | For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.
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| 11 | Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.
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| 12 | For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil."
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| 13 | And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?
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| 14 | But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled."
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| 15 | But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
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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 4 : 13 - 22
Chapter 4
| 13 | Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
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| 14 | And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
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| 15 | But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
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| 16 | saying, "What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
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| 17 | But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name."
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| 18 | So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
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| 19 | But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.
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| 20 | For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."
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| 21 | So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.
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| 22 | For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
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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 106 : 48 - 48
Chapter 106
| 48 | Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD!
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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 7 : 11 - 17
Chapter 7
| 11 | Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.
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| 12 | And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.
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| 13 | When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."
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| 14 | Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."
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| 15 | So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
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| 16 | Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."
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| 17 | And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.
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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 10 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 Tenth Day of the Blessed Month of Baramoudah
Departure of Anba Isaac, the Disciple
of Anba Apollo
On this day the holy father Anba Isaac the
Disciple of the great father Anba Apollo, departed. This holy man renounced
the world since his young age. He became a monk in the wilderness of Sheahat
(Scetis), and a disciple of Anba Apollo for twenty five years. He fought
a strenuous fight that weakened his body to kill his body desires, and
control his will. He mastered the virtue of silence and quietness especially
during the prayers and the Liturgies. He used to stand during the liturgy with his hands clasped and his head bent until the end of the
prayer then he returned to his cell, shutting his door, and did not associate
with any one that day. When they asked him: "Why do you not talk to anyone
who wish to talk to you during prayers or the Liturgy?" He answered saying:
"There is time for talking and there is time for praying." When his departure
drew near the fathers the monks gathered around him to receive his blessing
and they asked him: "Why did you flee from men." He answered them: "I was not fleeing from men but from
Satan. If a man hold a lighted lamp in the wind, it will be extinguished.
So, it is with us when our hearts and minds shine because of the prayers
and the Liturgy then we talk with each other, our hearts and minds become
dark." And this holy father having finished his good spiritual strife,
departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of Pope Gabriel II, the Seventy
Pope of Alexandria, who was known as Ibn Turaik
On this day also of the
year 861 A.M. (April 5th., 1145 A.D.) the great and holy father Pope Gabriel
II, the seventy Pope of the See of St. Mark, who was known as Ibn Turaik,
departed. This Pope was from the nobles of Cairo, and he was a writer,
scribe, distinguished scholar, with a commendable conduct. He transcribed
with his hand many Arabic and Coptic books, he retained its contents and
comprehended its interpretations. The elders of the people and the clergy
chose him for the Patriarchal Chair, and his enthronement was on the 9th.
of Amshir, 847 A.M. (February 3rd., 1131 A.D.). When he prayed his first
Divine Liturgy in St. Macarius monastery as the custom of the previous
Patriarchs, at the end of the Liturgy, he added to the profession after
the saying: "I believe and confess to the last breath, that this is the
life-giving Flesh that Thine Only-Begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior,
Jesus Christ, took from our Lady, the Lady of us all, the holy Mother of
God, Saint Mary," this sentence "He made it one with His Divinity." The
monks objected, lest it would be understood from that there was mingling
between His Divinity and His Humanity, and asked him to refrain from using
it. He refused saying: "This statement was added by a decree from the council
of bishops." After a great and lengthy discussion, they decided to add
this sentence: "Without mingling, without confusion, and without alteration,"
because of the fear of falling in the heresy of Eutyches, and he agreed
with them. During his papacy, he ordained 53 bishops and many priests,
he drew up Canons and laws concerning inheritance, and many other matters.
He never took any money from anyone, nor he touched the revenue of the
churches, or that of the religious endowments for the poor. When the governor
of that time asked him for money, the nobles and people collected three
hundred Dinars in gold and gave them to the governor on his behalf. He
remained on the Episcopal Chair for fourteen years, two month and two days,
then departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us and glory be to God forever. Amen.
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Acknowledgement
Opening page