|
Daily Readings
|
|
Wednesday, 8th May 2024 --- 30 Baramoudah 1740
Readings for Martyrdom of St. Mark
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 30 : 5 - 7
Chapter 30
| 5 | For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
|
| 6 | Now in my prosperity I said, "I shall never be moved."
|
| 7 | LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
|
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 9 : 15 - 17
Chapter 9
| 15 | And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
|
| 16 | No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.
|
| 17 | Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
|
And Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 105 : 43,45
Chapter 105
| 43 | He brought out His people with joy, His chosen ones with gladness.
|
| 45 | That they might observe His statutes And keep His laws. Praise the LORD!
|
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 1 : 9 - 14
Chapter 1
| 9 | That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
|
| 10 | He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
|
| 11 | He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
|
| 12 | But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
|
| 13 | who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
|
| 14 | And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
|
And Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑
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 : 50 - 58
Chapter 15
| 50 | Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
|
| 51 | Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--
|
| 52 | in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
|
| 53 | For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
|
| 54 | So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
|
| 55 | "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"
|
| 56 | The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
|
| 57 | But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
|
| 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.
|
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 1 of St. Peter .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
1 Peter 1 : 10 - 21
Chapter 1
| 10 | Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
|
| 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.
|
| 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.
|
| 13 | Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
|
| 14 | as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
|
| 15 | but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
|
| 16 | because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
|
| 17 | And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;
|
| 18 | knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
|
| 19 | but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
|
| 20 | He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
|
| 21 | who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
|
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.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us.
Acts 4 : 1 - 13
Chapter 4
| 1 | Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them,
|
| 2 | being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
|
| 3 | And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
|
| 4 | However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
|
| 5 | And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes,
|
| 6 | as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
|
| 7 | And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?"
|
| 8 | Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:
|
| 9 | If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
|
| 10 | let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
|
| 11 | This is the "stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
|
| 12 | Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
|
| 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.
|
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
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 : 1 - 2
Chapter 106
| 1 | Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
|
| 2 | Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise?
|
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 2 : 12 - 25
Chapter 2
| 12 | After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.
|
| 13 | Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
|
| 14 | And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.
|
| 15 | When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.
|
| 16 | And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"
|
| 17 | Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."
|
| 18 | So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"
|
| 19 | Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
|
| 20 | Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"
|
| 21 | But He was speaking of the temple of His body.
|
| 22 | Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
|
| 23 | Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.
|
| 24 | But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,
|
| 25 | and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.
|
And Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Not to be read in the Church during this time of the year.
Synaxarium
Day 30 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 Thirtieth Day of the Blessed Month of Baramoudah
Martyrdom of the Great Saint Mark, the
Apostle, the Evangelist of the Land of Egypt
On this day, which coincided with the
26th. of April 68 A.D., the great apostle St. Mark, the evangelist of the
land of Egypt, was martyred. He was the first Pope of Alexandria and one
of the Seventy Apostles. His name was John, as the Holy Bible says: "He
came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where
many were gathered together praying" (Acts 12:12). He was the one that
the Lord Christ, to Whom is the glory, meant when He said: "Go into the
city to a certain man, and say to him, The Teacher says, My time is at
hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples" (Matthew
26:18). His house was the first Christian church, where they ate the Passover,
hid after the death of the Lord Christ, and in its upper room the Holy
Spirit came upon them. This Saint was born in Cyrene (One of the Five Western
cities, Pentapolis - in North Africa). His father's name was Aristopolus
and his mother's name was Mary. They were Jewish in faith, rich and of
great honor. They educated him with the Greek and Hebrew cultures. He was
called Mark after they emigrated to Jerusalem, where St. Peter had become
a disciple to the Lord Christ. St. Peter was married to the cousin of Aristopolus.
Mark visited St. Peter's house often, and from him he learned the Christian
teachings.
Once Aristopolus and his son Mark were
walking near the Jordan river, close by the desert, they encountered a
raving lion and a lioness. It was evident to Aristopolus that it would
be his end and the end of his Son, Mark. His compassion for his son compelled
him to order him to escape to save himself. Mark answered, "Christ, in
whose hands our lives are committed, will not let them prey on us." Saying
this, he prayed, "O, Christ, Son of God protect us from the evil of these
two beasts and terminate their offspring from this wilderness." Immediately,
God granted this prayer, and the two beasts fell dead. His father marvelled
and asked his son to tell him about the Lord Christ. He believed in the
Lord Christ at the hands of his son who baptized him. After the ascension
of the Lord Christ, he accompanied Paul and Barnabas to preach the Gospel
in Antioch, Seleucia, Cyprus, Salamis, and Perga Pamphylia where he left
them and returned to Jerusalem. After the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem,
he went with Barnabas to Cyprus. After the departure of Barnabas, with
the order of the Lord Christ, St. Mark went to Afrikia, Berka, and the
Five Western cities. He preached the Gospel in these parts, and believed
on his hands most of its people. From there, he went to Alexandria in the
1st. of Bashans 61 A.D.
When he entered the city, his shoe was
torn because of the much walking in preaching and evangelism. He went to
a cobbler in the city, called Anianus, to repair it. While he was repairing
it the awl pierced his finger. Anianus shouted in Greek saying "EIS THEOS"
which means "O, ONE GOD". When St.Mark heard these words his heart rejoiced
exceedingly. He found it suitable to talk to him about the One God. The
Apostle took some clay, spat on it and applied it to Anianus' finger, saying
in the Name of Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the wound healed immediately,
as if nothing happened to it. Anianus was exceedingly amazed from this
miracle that happened in the Name of Jesus Christ, and his heart opened
to the word of God. The Apostle asked him about who was the only God that
he cried for when he was injured. Anianus replied "I heard about him, but
I do not know him." St. Mark started explaining to him from the beginning,
the creation of heaven and earth, the transgression and fall of Adam, the
flood, how God sent Moses, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt,
and gave them the Law, the captivity of the children of Israel to Babylon,
and the prophecies that foretold the coming of Christ.
Anianus invited him to go to his
house and brought to him his children. The Saint preached and baptized
them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. When the
believers in the Name of Christ increased and the pagan people of the city
heard that, they were raged with anger and thought of slaying St. Mark.
The faithful advised him to get away for a short while for the sake of
the safety of the church and its care. St. Mark ordained St. Anianus a
Bishop for Alexandria, three priests and seven deacons. He went to the
Five Western Cities, remained there for two years preaching, and ordained
bishops, priests, and deacons. He returned to Alexandria where he found
the believers had increased in number, and built a church for them in the
place known as Bokalia (The place of cows), east of Alexandria on the sea
shore. It came to pass, when he was celebrating the feast of the Resurrection
on the 29th day of Baramudah, year 68 A.D., the same day coincided with
the great pagan Celebration for the feast of the god Syrabis, a multitude
of them assembled and attacked the church at Bokalia and forced their way
in. They seized St. Mark, bound him with a thick rope and dragged him in
the roads and streets crying, "Drag the dragon to the place of Cows." They
continued dragging him with severe cruelty. His flesh was torn and scattered
everywhere, and the ground of the city was covered with his blood. They
cast him that night into a dark prison.
The angel of the Lord appeared
to him and told him: "O Mark, the good servant, rejoice for your name has
been written in the book of life, and you have been counted among the congregation
of the saints." The angel disappeared, then the Lord Christ appeared to
him, and gave him peace. His soul rejoiced and was glad. The next morning
(30th of Baramudah), the pagans took St. Mark from the prison. They tied
his neck with a thick rope and did the same as the day before, dragging
him over the rocks and stones. Finally, St. Mark delivered up his pure
soul in the hand of God, and received the crown of martyrdom, the apostolic
crown, the crown of evangelism, and the crown of virginity. Nevertheless,
St. Mark's death did not satisfy the rage of the pagans and their hatred.
They gathered much firewood and prepared an inferno to burn him. A severe
storm blew and heavy rains fell. The pagans became frightened, and they
fled away in fear. The believers came and took the holy body, carried it
to the church they built at Bokalia, wrapped it up, prayed over him and
place it in a coffin. They laid it in a secret place in this church.
The prayers of this great Saint and honorable Evangelist be with
us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Acknowledgement
Opening page