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Daily Readings
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Saturday, 25th February 2017 --- 18 Amshir 1733
Readings for Saturday of first week of Great Lent
Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 119 : 57 - 58
Chapter 119
| 57 | You are my portion, O LORD; I have said that I would keep Your words.
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| 58 | I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word.
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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 Matthew the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Matthew 5 : 25 - 37
Chapter 5
| 25 | Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
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| 26 | Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
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| 27 | "You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not commit adultery.'
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| 28 | But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
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| 29 | If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
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| 30 | And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
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| 31 | "Furthermore it has been said, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'
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| 32 | But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
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| 33 | "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'
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| 34 | But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne;
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| 35 | nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
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| 36 | Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.
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| 37 | But let your "Yes' be "Yes,' and your "No,'"No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
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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 12 : 1 - 21
Chapter 12
| 1 | I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
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| 2 | And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
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| 3 | For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
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| 4 | For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
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| 5 | so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
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| 6 | Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
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| 7 | or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
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| 8 | he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
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| 9 | Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
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| 10 | Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
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| 11 | not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
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| 12 | rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
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| 13 | distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
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| 14 | Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
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| 15 | Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
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| 16 | Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
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| 17 | Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
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| 18 | If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
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| 19 | Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
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| 20 | Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
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| 21 | Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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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. James .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
James 1 : 1 - 12
Chapter 1
| 1 | James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.
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| 2 | My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
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| 3 | knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
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| 4 | But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
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| 5 | If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
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| 6 | But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
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| 7 | For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
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| 8 | he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
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| 9 | Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
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| 10 | but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.
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| 11 | For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
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| 12 | Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
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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 21 : 27 - 39
Chapter 21
| 27 | Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,
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| 28 | crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place."
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| 29 | (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
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| 30 | And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.
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| 31 | Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
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| 32 | He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
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| 33 | Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done.
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| 34 | And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks.
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| 35 | When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob.
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| 36 | For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, "Away with him!"
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| 37 | Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, "May I speak to you?" He replied, "Can you speak Greek?
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| 38 | Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?"
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| 39 | But Paul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people."
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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 Amshir, 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 Amshir
Departure of St.Malatius the Confessor,
Patriarch of Antioch
On this day of the year 381 A.D., St. Malatius
(Miltius) the Confessor, Patriarch of Antioch, departed. He was ordained
a bishop for Sebaste in the year 357 A.D. He left it because of the rudeness
of its people and lived a solitary life nearby the city of Halab in Syria.
In the year 360 A.D., he was chosen a patriarch for Antioch during the
days of Constantius, the son of Constantine the Great. He was an eminent,
learned and meek man, who was loved by everyone. When he entered the city
of Antioch, he resisted the Arians and kept them away from the churches.
When the Emperor heard that, he exiled him in the same year that he was
enthroned patriarch. The noble men of the city of Antioch, the bishops
and the priests met and wrote to the Emperor asking for the return of the
Patriarch. The Emperor returned St. Malatius in shame to them. When St.
Malatius came back in the year 362 A.D., he did not cease resisting the
Arians, excommunicating them and all those who believed in their doctrines.
He made clear to them their errors and explained to them their blasphemy.
He declared, preached and confirmed that the Son was of the same essence
as the Father, consubstantial with Him in essence and in Godship. The followers
of Arius returned to slander St. Malatius before Emperor Valens, who exiled
him again to a country further away than the one to which he was exiled
first. When he arrived to his exile, the bishops and the fathers that were
exiled from different countries came and gathered around and stayed with
him. St. Malatius did not slack in teaching and interpreting what was difficult
to understand in the Holy Scriptures. His epistles reached his flock, in
spite of the distance, confirming their faith in the Holy Trinity, preaching
the faith of the Council of Nicea and refuting the teachings of Arius.
He was in exile for many years until his return to Antioch in the year
378 A.D. He was present in the Council of Constantinople in the year 381
A.D. Then he departed in peace. St. John Chrysostom (Golden Mouthed) praised
St. Malatius on his feast day declaring his greatness and that he was not
in any less stature than the apostles in honor for what he suffered from
exile and humiliation for the sake of the Orthodox faith.
May His prayers be with us 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 5 : 1 - 2
Chapter 5
| 1 | Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation.
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| 2 | Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray.
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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 5 : 38 - 48
Chapter 5
| 38 | "You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
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| 39 | But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
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| 40 | If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
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| 41 | And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
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| 42 | Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
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| 43 | "You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
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| 44 | But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
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| 45 | that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
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| 46 | For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
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| 47 | And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
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| 48 | Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
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And Glory be to God forever.
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Acknowledgement
Opening page