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Daily Readings
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Sunday, 28th May 2017 --- 20 Bashans 1733
Readings for Sunday of sixth 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 145 : 1,2,10
Chapter 145
| 1 | I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
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| 2 | Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
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| 10 | All Your works shall praise You, O LORD, And Your saints shall bless 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 Mark the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Mark 12 : 28 - 37
Chapter 12
| 28 | Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"
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| 29 | Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
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| 30 | And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.
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| 31 | And the second, like it, is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
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| 32 | So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.
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| 33 | And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
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| 34 | Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that no one dared question Him.
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| 35 | Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?
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| 36 | For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: "The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'
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| 37 | Therefore David himself calls Him "Lord'; how is He then his Son?" And the common people heard Him gladly.
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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 147 : 1 - 2
Chapter 147
| 1 | Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
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| 2 | The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
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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 John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
John 14 : 8 - 14
Chapter 14
| 8 | Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."
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| 9 | Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, "Show us the Father'?
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| 10 | Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
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| 11 | Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
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| 12 | "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
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| 13 | And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
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| 14 | If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
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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 Corinthians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
1 Corinthians 15 : 57 - 16 : 8
Chapter 15
| 57 | But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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| 58 | Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
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Chapter 16
| 1 | Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also:
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| 2 | On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
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| 3 | And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem.
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| 4 | But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.
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| 5 | Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia).
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| 6 | And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go.
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| 7 | For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits.
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| 8 | But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost.
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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 1 : 2 - 12
Chapter 1
| 2 | elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
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| 3 | Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
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| 4 | to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
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| 5 | who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
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| 6 | In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
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| 7 | that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
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| 8 | whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
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| 9 | receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.
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| 10 | Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
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| 11 | searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
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| 12 | To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things which angels desire to look into.
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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 20 : 1 - 16
Chapter 20
| 1 | After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia.
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| 2 | Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece
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| 3 | and stayed three months. And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.
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| 4 | And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia--also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.
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| 5 | These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas.
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| 6 | But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
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| 7 | Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.
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| 8 | There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together.
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| 9 | And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.
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| 10 | But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, "Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him."
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| 11 | Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed.
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| 12 | And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.
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| 13 | Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot.
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| 14 | And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene.
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| 15 | We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The next day we came to Miletus.
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| 16 | For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost.
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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 147 : 12,18
Chapter 147
| 12 | Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
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| 18 | He sends out His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
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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.
John 16 : 23 - 33
Chapter 16
| 23 | "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
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| 24 | Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
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| 25 | "These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.
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| 26 | In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you;
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| 27 | for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.
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| 28 | I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."
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| 29 | His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!
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| 30 | Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God."
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| 31 | Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?
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| 32 | Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
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| 33 | These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
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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 20 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Bashans, 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 Twentieth Day of the Blessed Month of Bashans
Departure of St.Ammonius the Hermit
On this day, of the year 73 A.M. (357 A.D.), the holy
father Abba Ammonius departed. He was born in 294 A.D., in a village near
Mariot. He was, as St. Antony was, born to a righteous and rich Christian
family. He lost his parents while he was young and became under the guardianship
of his uncle. He longed for the life of purity, chastity, and holiness.
Nevertheless, his uncle forced him to be engaged to a rich girl against
his will. Since he could not disobey his uncle, he talked to his bride
to be, with a spiritual dialogue and through his holy life, he was able
to have a good influence on her. He made her long to the life of purity
and planted in her heart the desire to consecrate her self a bride for
the True Bridegroom Jesus Christ. Thus they decided to accept the marriage
but decided to live as a brother and sister. They remained like this for
seventeen years, keeping themselves pure and chaste, after which his wife
departed to the eternal bliss. The Saint saw in a vision St. Antonios calling
him to put on the monastic garb. When he woke from his sleep, he rose up
and went to St. Isidore, who put on him the holy Eskeem. He dwelt with
him for some time, after which he went to mount Tounah, where was St. Antonios.
St. Ammonius remained with St. Antonios for a while
and became his disciple, and studied on his hands the cannons of the holy
monasticism. He built for himself a cell in mount Tounah. He fervently
worshipped God there, and the devil envied him. He came to him in the form
of a nun and knocked his door. When he opened and asked the devil to pray
with him, the devil became like a flame of fire. Then the devil went and
dwelt in a woman and moved her to entice the Saint to fall in sin with
her. She wore the best of her clothing and came to him at dusk, and knocked
the door of his cell, saying: "I am a traveling woman, and I had lost my
way, and it is dark now. Please do not let me stay outside lest the wild
beasts kill me, and you become responsible for my blood." When he opened
the door and knew the snare of the devil who sent her, he started to preach
her and put the fear in her heart of the tortures of hell which is awaiting
the sinners, and indicated to her the delight and the bliss which is awaiting
the righteous. God opened her heart, and she understood what he said to
her. She knelt to his feet weeping and asked him to accept her and assist
her in saving her soul. She took off her apparel and he put on her a sackcloth
of hair. He cut off her hair and called her "The simple minded or the naive".
He taught her the way to righteousness and she excelled through many prayers
and fasting, and surpassed many saints by her fasting and perpetual prayers.
The devil tried to snare him again. This time in
the form of a monk who went around in the monasteries weeping and saying:
"Abba Ammonius the hermit had married and he kept the woman with him in
his cell. He had put the monks to shame and disgraced the monastic garb."
When Abba Apollo (Ebelo), who was like the angels, heard of that, he took
with him Abba Yousab and Abba Nohi (Bohi), and came to mount Tounah to
the cell of Abba Ammonius. They knocked on the door of the cell, and when
she opened to them they realized the matter. They entered and prayed together
as the custom and sat to talk about the greatness of God. At the end of
the day, Abba Ammonius told them, let us go to see the "Naive" for she
was baking some bread. When they went out to where she was, they saw her
standing in the midst of a great fire, and her hands were stretched out
towards heaven praying. They marvelled exceedingly and glorified God. After
they had eaten the bread, everyone went separately to sleep and the angel
of the Lord revealed the story of the "Naive" with St. Ammonius to Abba
Apollo, and that God brought them there to be present at the time of her
departure. About the third hour of the night, she became sick with fever.
She knelt down and delivered up her soul at the hand of the Lord. They
swathed her, and after praying over her, they buried her. Then Abba Ammonius
told them about her virtues, and that for the eighteen years that she stayed
with him, she never raised her face to look at him, and that her food was
bread and salt. After this, St. Antonios sent him to El-Natroun valley
to establish there new monasteries, and many believers followed him. He
organized for them their livelihood and directed them with excellence.
Soon after, this holy father departed in peace.
May His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
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Acknowledgement
Opening page