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Daily Readings
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Sunday, 25th May 2014 --- 17 Bashans 1730
Readings for Sunday of fourth 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 117 : 1 - 2
Chapter 117
| 1 | Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!
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| 2 | For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!
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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 John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
John 6 : 57 - 69
Chapter 6
| 57 | As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
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| 58 | This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."
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| 59 | These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
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| 60 | Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"
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| 61 | When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?
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| 62 | What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?
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| 63 | It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
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| 64 | But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
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| 65 | And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."
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| 66 | From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
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| 67 | Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"
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| 68 | But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
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| 69 | Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
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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 118 : 28,21
Chapter 118
| 28 | You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.
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| 21 | I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation.
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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 8 : 51 - 59
Chapter 8
| 51 | Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."
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| 52 | Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, "If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'
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| 53 | Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?"
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| 54 | Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.
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| 55 | Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, "I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.
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| 56 | Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."
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| 57 | Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"
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| 58 | Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
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| 59 | Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
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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 Thessalonians .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
2 Thessalonians 2 : 13 - 3 : 5
Chapter 2
| 13 | But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,
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| 14 | to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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| 15 | Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
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| 16 | Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace,
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| 17 | comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
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Chapter 3
| 1 | Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you,
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| 2 | and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.
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| 3 | But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
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| 4 | And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.
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| 5 | Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.
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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. John .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
1 John 4 : 7 - 13
Chapter 4
| 7 | Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
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| 8 | He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
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| 9 | In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
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| 10 | In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
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| 11 | Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
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| 12 | No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
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| 13 | By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
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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 14 : 8 - 23
Chapter 14
| 8 | And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked.
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| 9 | This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,
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| 10 | said with a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet!" And he leaped and walked.
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| 11 | Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!"
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| 12 | And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
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| 13 | Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.
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| 14 | But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out
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| 15 | and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,
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| 16 | who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.
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| 17 | Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."
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| 18 | And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.
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| 19 | Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.
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| 20 | However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
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| 21 | And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
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| 22 | strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."
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| 23 | So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
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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 118 : 14 - 16
Chapter 118
| 14 | The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.
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| 15 | The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
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| 16 | The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
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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 12 : 35 - 50
Chapter 12
| 35 | Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
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| 36 | While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
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| 37 | But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him,
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| 38 | that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"
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| 39 | Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:
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| 40 | "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them."
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| 41 | These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
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| 42 | Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;
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| 43 | for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
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| 44 | Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.
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| 45 | And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.
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| 46 | I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.
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| 47 | And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
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| 48 | He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.
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| 49 | For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.
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| 50 | And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."
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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 17 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 Seventeenth Day of the Blessed Month of Bashans
Departure of St.Epiphanius, Bishop of
Cyprus
On this day, of the year 402 A.D.,
the great father St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, departed. He was born
to Jewish parents, his father died, and left him with a sister and their
mother brought them up well. His father left him an untrained donkey and
his mother asked him to sell it. He met a Christian man called Philotheus
who wanted to buy the donkey, but the donkey kicked Epiphanius in his thigh,
and he fell down on the ground unconscious. Philotheus made the sign of
the cross over the place of injury and Epiphanius was cured of his pain
instantly. Then Philotheus cried out over that donkey asking God that the
donkey would die God answered his prayer, and the donkey fell down and
died. Epiphanius inquired about the secret of the donkey's death and Philotheus
told him that it was the cross. He guided him to the crucified Christ,
the Son of God, Whom the Jews crucified in Jerusalem by His own will for
the Salvation of the world. This remained in the mind of Epiphanius. When
one of the rich Jewish men died and had no one to inherit him, he left
all his inheritance to Epiphanius. He used this inheritance to spend on
the teachers of religion and Law. Once, when he was walking in the road,
he saw a poor man asking for charity from one of the monks, and as the
monk did not have any money to give, he took off his garment and gave it
to him.
As the poor man took this
garment, St. Epiphanius saw a white dress coming down from heaven upon
the monk instead off the garment that he gave away. He was astonished and
went to the monk and asked him: "Who are you and what is your faith?" The
monk told him that he was Christian. He asked the monk to guide him to
the facts of the Christian faith. The monk brought him to the bishop who
taught him the law of the Christian faith and baptized him. Epiphanius
desired to become a monk, and the bishop sent him to the monastery of St.
Lucianus. He became a disciple to St. Hilarion, and the grace of God was
with him. He excelled in the church subjects, monastic virtues, and its
cannons. St. Hilarion prophesied that he would become a bishop and commanded
him to go to Cyprus, and not to refuse the office of bishop if it was offered
to him. When the bishop of Cyprus departed, it happened that Epiphanius
entered the city to buy certain necessities, and he had two monks with
him. A saintly bishop was inspired to go to the market place to choose
the monk that had two clusters of grapes, whose name was Epiphanius, to
ordain him a bishop for Cyprus. When the bishop went to the market, he
found him with the other two monks, with two clusters of grapes in his
hand. He asked him about his name and he knew that he was the chosen one
by God. He took him to the church and ordained him deacon, priest, then
bishop. He revealed to the people his vision about him and the prophecy
of St. Helarion was fulfilled.
St. Epiphanius followed
a right course of conduct in his diocese, which was well pleasing to God.
He wrote many books and discourses and he always preached about mercy.
It happened that John, bishop of Jerusalem, was not merciful, so St. Epiphanius
borrowed from him some of his gold and silver table vessels, and sold them
and gave its price to the poor and the needy. When Abba John asked him
to return them, he struck him in his eyes and he became blind. John asked
the Saint to pray to heal him, and he prayed, and God opened one of John's
eyes. In the year 402 A.D., Empress Eudoxia called Epiphanius to help her
to drive out St. John Chrysostom (Of the Golden Mouth) from Constantinople.
However, he tried to reconcile them together, but he failed. She threatened
him that she would open the temples of idols and close the churches if
he did not work on his removal. But since he could not reconcile the differences
between her and St. John, he returned to Cyprus and departed in the same
year. (His body was relocated on the 28th. of Bashans).
May His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
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Acknowledgement
Opening page