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Daily Readings
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Sunday, 24th August 2014 --- 18 Misra 1730
Readings for Third Sunday of Misra
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 5 : 7,11
Chapter 5
| 7 | But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
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| 11 | But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.
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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 11 : 27 - 36
Chapter 11
| 27 | And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"
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| 28 | But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
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| 29 | And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
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| 30 | For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.
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| 31 | The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
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| 32 | The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
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| 33 | "No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.
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| 34 | The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.
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| 35 | Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
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| 36 | If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."
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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 15 : 1 - 2
Chapter 15
| 1 | LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
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| 2 | He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;
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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 Romans .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Romans 16 : 17 - 20
Chapter 16
| 17 | Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
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| 18 | For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.
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| 19 | For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.
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| 20 | And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
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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 : 18 - 3 : 7
Chapter 2
| 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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Chapter 3
| 1 | Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,
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| 2 | when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.
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| 3 | Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel--
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| 4 | rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
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| 5 | For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,
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| 6 | as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.
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| 7 | Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
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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 2 : 8 - 14
Chapter 2
| 8 | And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?
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| 9 | Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
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| 10 | Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
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| 11 | Cretans and Arabs--we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God."
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| 12 | So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?"
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| 13 | Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine."
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| 14 | But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.
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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 18 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Misra, 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 Eighteenth Day of the Blessed Month of Misra
Departure of St.Alexander, Patriarch
of Constantinople
On this day, of the year 340 A.D. the
saint Abba Alexander, Patriarch of the city of Constantinople, departed.
He was an honorable saint who suffered many hardships from the followers
of Arius. When St. Athanasius the Apostolic, the twentieth Pope of Alexandria,
renewed the excommunication of Arius, he went to Constantinople. Arius
complained to Emperor Constantius, Son of the righteous Emperor Constantine,
about St. Athanasius' conduct against him. When the emperor refused his
petition, Arius asked the emperor to instruct Abba Alexander to accept
him in the communion of the church. The emperor sent to this father saying,
"Athanasius had defied us because he did not accept Arius, and you know
that we appointed you to this position, so you must not transgress our
command. Make my heart glad, and reinstate Arius." St. Alexander replied
saying, "The church does not accept him for he does not worship the Holy
Trinity." The Emperor said, "Arius had confessed his faith in the Holy
Trinity before me and that the Son is of one essence with the Father."
Then the saint answered, "If Arius had confessed that, let him write his
confession by his own hand." The emperor brought Arius and he wrote down
the faith with his own hand, contrary to what he had in his heart. Then
the emperor made him swear on the Holy Bible that was his faith, but he
swore falsely.
The emperor said to Abba
Alexander, "What do you have against him now, since he has written his
faith with his own hand, and taken an oath on the Holy Bible." Abba Alexander
replied, "Pope Athanasius renewed the excommunication of Arius, which was
signed by your father, Emperor Constantine along with the three hundred
and eighteen fathers, and expelled him and all his followers from Alexandria.
Wait for one week, and if nothing happens to him during this week, then
his profession of faith is sincere, and his oath is righteous. Then I will
receive him in the communion of the church." The emperor agreed to his
request. When the patriarch went back to his church, he commanded his congregation
to fast, along with him, for seven days and pray to God that He might save
His church from the sin of Arius. After the week ended, and on the eve
of Sunday, the heretics took Arius and started strolling with him in the
streets of the city rejoicing that their leader would be accepted in the
church. In the morning, Arius went to the church and sat down with the
priests in front of the altar. Then Abba Alexander entered the church,
being sad, and not knowing what to do. When he started the liturgy, Arius
felt a colic and had to run to the washroom, where his bowels poured out
of his body. When Arius delayed in returning, his followers went to the
washroom, found him dead, and they were ashamed. The faithful glorified
the Lord Christ, Who does not forsake His church. The emperor was amazed
at that, and realized that Arius was lying in his writing and in his oath.
He also perceived the holiness of Abba Alexander, the truthfulness of his
faith, and the erroneous belief of Arius. He glorified the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit, and confessed publicly that the Trinity is one
in essence. This Father having completed his life in a good course, and
arrived at a good old age, departed in peace.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Eudaemon, of Armant (El-Armanti)
On this day also, St. Eudaemon
(Wadamon), of the city of Armant (El-Armanti), was martyred. One day, he
had visitors in his house, who were heathen, and they were saying to each
other, "We have heard that a lady arrived to the city of Ashmonain carrying
a young Child who resembled the children of Kings." Others asked, "Did
this Child come to the land of Egypt?" and everyone was talking about this
Child. After the guests had left, Eudaemon rose up, rode his donkey and
went to the city of Ashmonain. When he arrived, he saw the Child Jesus
with his mother Mariam (Mary), and he kneeled before Him. As the Child
saw what Eudaemon had done, the Child smiled and said, "Peace be with you
Eudaemon, you have labored and come here in person to assert what you have
heard from your guests about Me. Thence I will stay in your home, which
will be a house for Me forever." St. Eudaemon marvelled and said, "O My
Lord I wish that You will come and live in my house and I will be Your
servant forever." The Child replied saying, "Your home will be a house
for Me and My mother forever. When you return home and the heathen hear
that you came to Me, they will be sorry and hurt, and they will shed your
blood in your house. Don't be afraid because I will receive you in My heavenly
kingdom forever, the place of perpetual joy, which has no end. You will
be the first martyr in Upper Egypt."
Then Eudaemon kneeled
down before the Lord Christ, the Child, Who blessed him, then he returned
to his home. Upon Eudaemon's return to Armant, the heathen heard about
his arrival. The news that Eudaemon had visited the Child Jesus, spread
in the city. They came to him in haste asking, "Is all that they say about
you true?" Eudaemon replied saying, "Yes, I went to the Lord Christ, Who
blessed me and said, 'I am coming to dwell in your house with My mother,
forever.'" The heathens shouted out as one person, drew their swords, and
killed him. Thus, Eudaemon received the crown of martyrdom on this day.
When paganism was abolished, and Christianity spread in the land, the Christians
converted the house of St. Eudaemon into a church, and named it after St.
Mary and her Son, to Whom is the everlasting Glory. This church is the
one called El-Gishouna, which means "the church of the living," in the
outskirts of Armant, which still exists now.
May God have mercy on us through the intercession of our Lady the
Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, and the intercession of the martyr Eudaemon,
the pure faithful, and Glory be to our 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 20 : 2,6
Chapter 20
| 2 | May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion;
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| 6 | Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.
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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.
Mark 3 : 22 - 35
Chapter 3
| 22 | And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."
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| 23 | So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out Satan?
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| 24 | If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
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| 25 | And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
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| 26 | And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.
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| 27 | No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.
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| 28 | "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;
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| 29 | but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation"--
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| 30 | because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."
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| 31 | Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.
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| 32 | And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."
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| 33 | But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"
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| 34 | And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!
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| 35 | For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."
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And Glory be to God forever.
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Acknowledgement
Opening page