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Daily Readings |
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Friday, 1st May 2015 --- 23 Baramoudah 1731
Readings for Friday of third 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 146 : 7 - 8
Chapter 146
| 7 | Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners. |
| 8 | The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous. |
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 Matthew the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Matthew 11 : 20 - 24
Chapter 11
| 20 | Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: |
| 21 | "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. |
| 22 | But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. |
| 23 | And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. |
| 24 | But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you." |
And Glory be to God forever.
Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 146 : 1,2,5
Chapter 146
| 1 | Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! |
| 2 | While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. |
| 5 | Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, |
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 Matthew the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Matthew 22 : 41 - 46
Chapter 22
| 41 | While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, |
| 42 | saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David." |
| 43 | He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him "Lord,' saying: |
| 44 | "The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'? |
| 45 | If David then calls Him "Lord,' how is He his Son?" |
| 46 | And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore. |
And Glory be to God forever.
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 Romans .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Romans 2 : 25 - 29
Chapter 2
| 25 | For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. |
| 26 | Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? |
| 27 | And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? |
| 28 | For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; |
| 29 | but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 1 of St. John .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
1 John 3 : 2 - 3
Chapter 3
| 2 | Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. |
| 3 | And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. |
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.
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us.
Acts 5 : 5 - 11
Chapter 5
| 5 | Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. |
| 6 | And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. |
| 7 | Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. |
| 8 | And Peter answered her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?" She said, "Yes, for so much." |
| 9 | Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out." |
| 10 | Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. |
| 11 | So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
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 86 : 12,10
Chapter 86
| 12 | I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore. |
| 10 | For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God. |
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.
John 8 : 31 - 39
Chapter 8
| 31 | Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. |
| 32 | And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." |
| 33 | They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, "You will be made free'?" |
| 34 | Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. |
| 35 | And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. |
| 36 | Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. |
| 37 | "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. |
| 38 | I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father." |
| 39 | They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. |
And Glory be to God forever.
Not to be read in the Church during this time of the year.
Synaxarium
Day 23 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 Twenty-Third Day of the Blessed Month of Baramoudah
Martyrdom of St.George, Prince of Martyrs
On this day, of the
year 307 A.D., the great among the martyrs St. George, was martyred. He
was born in Cappadocia; his father's name was Anastasius, and his mother's
name was Theobaste. When he was twenty years old, his father died, and
he went to Emperor Diocletian to take over his father's position. He found
that the Emperor had apostatized the faith and ordered the worship of idols.
George was sorrowful, and he gave all his wealth to the poor and needy
and set free his slaves. When he saw the edict of the Emperor against the
Christians, he became raged and tore it. They took him before the Emperor,
and he cried in their middest saying: "For how long you shall pour your
anger against the innocent Christians, and force those who know the true
faith to adopt the faith that you are in doubt of because it is fraudulent?
So, either you believe on this true faith, or at least do not disturb with
foolishness those who are steadfast in it." The Emperor asked Mephnanius,
one of his ministers, to pacify and persuade him. He asked him: "Who taught
you to be daring like this." The Saint answered: "It is the truth," then
started to explain it to him. The Emperor interrupted, reminding the Saint
with the ranks that he bestowed on him, and promised him with more if he
denied his Christ. The Saint refused with pride all these vain propositions.
The Emperor tortured him severely, but the Lord strengthened him and healed
all his wounds.
When the Emperor was weary of torturing him, he brought a magician, whose name was Athanasius, who gave the Saint a cup full of poison to drink. St.George made the sign of the cross over the cup then drank it. When no harm came upon him, the magician believed in the Lord Christ, and received the crown of martyrdom. The Emperor became raged and ordered to squeeze him until he delivered up his soul, and they cast his body out side the city. The Lord Christ raised him up, and the Saint returned to the city. When the people saw him, three thousand and seven hundred souls believed. The Emperor ordered to cut off their heads and they received the crown of martyrdom. When St. George stood before Emperor Diocletian, along with seventy kings that were sitting around him, they asked the Saint: "We wish you to make these chairs that we are sitting on to put forth leaves, and bear fruit." The Saint prayed to the Lord Christ, the Lord accepted his supplication and the chairs put forth leaves and bore fruit.
They took him once to a cemetery and asked him to raise the dead therein. He prayed to the Lord Christ. The Lord raised them and after they talked to them, they returned to their graves and died. A poor woman, brought her son, who was blind, deaf and dumb, he prayed to the Lord Christ then made the sign of the cross over him, and he was healed right away. Diocletain, during all that, went on torturing St. George, until he was weary and bored of that. He started to be pleasant to the Saint and promised to give him his daughter in marriage if he would offer the incense to his gods. The Saint pretended that he accepted his offer, and the Emperor rejoiced and brought him into the royal palace. While St. George was praying the Psalms, the Empress heard him and asked him to explain to her what he had said. He began to interpret to her all the events from the creation of the world to the Incarnation of the Lord Christ, and his words entered her heart and she believed in the Lord Christ, to Whom is the Glory. The Emperor ordered to call upon all the men of the city to gather, in order to see Saint George offering the incense to the Emperor's gods. When multitude gathered by the idols, Gawargios (George) stood and cried at the idols in the Name of the Lord Christ the Savior of the world. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed all the idols. The Emperor and all those who were with him were ashamed and he returned to his palace full of fury and wrath. The Empress told him: "Didn't I tell you not to oppose the Galileans, for their God is strong and mighty?" The Emperor was exceedingly wrath with her, for he knew that St. George had brought her also to his faith. The Emperor with rage ordered to comb her body with a steel comb, then cut off her head, and she received the crown of martyrdom. Finally, Diocletian decided to put an end to the humiliation that befell him, so he ordered to cut off the head of St. George, and he received the crown of martyrdom. A Christian took the body, wrapped it in expensive shrouds, and took it to the city of Lydda, his home town, and they built a great church on his name there.
May His intercession be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.