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Daily Readings
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Sunday, 4th November 2018 --- 25 Babah 1735
Readings for Fourth Sunday of Babah
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 118 : 7 - 8
Chapter 118
| 7 | The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
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| 8 | It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.
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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 Matthew the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Matthew 14 : 22 - 36
Chapter 14
| 22 | Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
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| 23 | And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
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| 24 | But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
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| 25 | Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
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| 26 | And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.
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| 27 | But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."
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| 28 | And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
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| 29 | So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
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| 30 | But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"
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| 31 | And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
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| 32 | And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
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| 33 | Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."
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| 34 | When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.
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| 35 | And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,
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| 36 | and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.
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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 35 : 18,28
Chapter 35
| 18 | I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.
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| 28 | And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long.
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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 20 : 1 - 18
Chapter 20
| 1 | Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
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| 2 | Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him."
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| 3 | Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb.
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| 4 | So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.
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| 5 | And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.
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| 6 | Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,
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| 7 | and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.
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| 8 | Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.
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| 9 | For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
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| 10 | Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
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| 11 | But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.
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| 12 | And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
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| 13 | Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."
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| 14 | Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
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| 15 | Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away."
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| 16 | Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher).
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| 17 | Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."'
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| 18 | Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
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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 Timothy .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
1 Timothy 6 : 3 - 21
Chapter 6
| 3 | If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,
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| 4 | he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,
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| 5 | useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
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| 6 | Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
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| 7 | For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
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| 8 | And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
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| 9 | But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
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| 10 | For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
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| 11 | But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
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| 12 | Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
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| 13 | I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
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| 14 | that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,
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| 15 | which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
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| 16 | who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
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| 17 | Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
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| 18 | Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,
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| 19 | storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
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| 20 | O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge--
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| 21 | by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace 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 of St. James .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
James 4 : 17
Chapter 4
| 17 | Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
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James 5 : 1 - 11
Chapter 5
| 1 | Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!
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| 2 | Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
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| 3 | Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.
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| 4 | Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
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| 5 | You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
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| 6 | You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.
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| 7 | Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
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| 8 | You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
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| 9 | Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
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| 10 | My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
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| 11 | Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
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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 15 : 36 - 16 : 5
Chapter 15
| 36 | Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing."
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| 37 | Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark.
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| 38 | But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.
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| 39 | Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;
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| 40 | but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.
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| 41 | And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
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Chapter 16
| 1 | Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.
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| 2 | He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.
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| 3 | Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.
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| 4 | And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.
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| 5 | So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
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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 25 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Babah, 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-Fifth Day of the Blessed Month of Babah
Departure of the Saints Apollo and Abib
On this
day departed the righteous saints Abba Apollo, who was like the angels,
and Abba Abib, the fighter and worshipper. Abba Apollo was born in the
city of Akhmim. His father's name was Amone and his mother's name was Eyse.
They were righteous before God, walking in His way, and loving to the strangers
and saints. They did not have a son. One night Abba Apollo's mother saw
in a dream a shining man, who had a tree with him. He planted it in her
house and it grew and bore fruit. He told her, "Whosoever shall eat of
this fruit shall live forever." She ate from it and found it sweet and
she said, "I wonder if I would have a fruit?" When she awoke from her sleep,
she told her husband about what she had seen. He told her that he had seen
the same vision, and they glorified the Lord. They added to their works
of righteousness and to their striving. They fasted for two days on only
bread and salt. After a while she conceived, and she prayed fervently until
the child was born. They called him Apollo and they advanced in their piety.
When the boy had grown up and studied theology, he longed for the monastic
life. This longing grew when he met a friend called Abib. They went together
to one of the monasteries and became monks there. They practiced many ascetic
works. They lived a good life that was pleasing to God. The saint Abba
Abib departed on the 25th of Babah. Thereupon St. Apollo went to Ablug
Mountain and many gathered around him. He taught them the fear of God and
the acceptable worship. On the 25th of Babah they celebrated the commemoration
of the saint Abba Abib to fulfill the saying of the Holy Bible, "The righteous
shall be in everlasting remembrance." (Psalms 112:6) Abba Apollo lived for
many years after that and he had monasteries and many brethren.
He was a contemporary of
St. Macarius the Great who, when heard about St. Apollo, rejoiced. St.
Macarius wrote him a letter to comfort him and the brothers and to confirm
them in their obedience to the Lord. Abba Apollo knew by the spirit that
St. Macarius was writing them a letter. There were many around him speaking
the Word of God. He said to them "Listen my brethren, behold the great
Abba Macarius is writing to us a letter full of comforting and spiritual
teachings." When the brother arrived with the letter, they received him
with joy then read it and their hearts were consoled. St. Apollo was the
one who went to St.Ammonius and saw the holy woman who stood in the middle
of the fire but did not burn. When the Lord Christ wished to relieve him
from the labor of this world, he departed in peace.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all. Amen.
Commemoration of the Consecration of
the Church of St.Julius El-Akfehas
On
this day also was the consecration of the church of St. Julius El-Akfehas.
This saint was martyred in the city of Tewa. This took place after the
perishing of Diocletian and during the reign of Constantine, a short while
before he was baptized. When Constantine was baptized, the Christian kingdom
spread and the churches were built in the names of the martyrs that were
slain by the infidel Emperors. Emperor Constantine heard the reports of
St. Julius and how the Lord had chosen St. Julius and preserved him along
with his men to care for the bodies of the martyrs. He carried their bodies,
shrouded them, wrote their biographies and how they were finally martyred.
He sent each martyr to his home town. The Emperor praised the strife of
this saint and blessed his work. He sent much money to Egypt, and commanded
that a church be built for him in Alexandria. The church was built and
his body was transferred to it. The church was consecrated by the Patriarch
Abba Alexandros with some bishops. A feast was arranged on this day.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all, and Glory be to 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 79 : 13
Chapter 79
| 13 | So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, Will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your praise to all generations.
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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.
Luke 7 : 11 - 17
Chapter 7
| 11 | Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.
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| 12 | And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.
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| 13 | When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."
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| 14 | Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."
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| 15 | So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
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| 16 | Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."
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| 17 | And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.
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And Glory be to God forever.
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Acknowledgement
Opening page