|
Daily Readings
|
|
Monday, 28th May 2018 --- 20 Bashans 1734
Readings for Monday, 28th May 2018 --- 20 Bashans 1734
Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 65 : 4 - 5
Chapter 65
4 | Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.
|
5 | By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off seas;
|
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 24 : 42 - 47
Chapter 24
42 | Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
|
43 | But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
|
44 | Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
|
45 | "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?
|
46 | Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
|
47 | Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.
|
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 37 : 17,18,29
Chapter 37
17 | For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholds the righteous.
|
18 | The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever.
|
29 | The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.
|
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 Mark the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Mark 13 : 33 - 37
Chapter 13
33 | Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.
|
34 | It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.
|
35 | Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning--
|
36 | lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.
|
37 | And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"
|
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 3 : 4 - 23
Chapter 3
4 | For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal?
|
5 | Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?
|
6 | I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
|
7 | So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
|
8 | Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
|
9 | For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.
|
10 | According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.
|
11 | For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
|
12 | Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
|
13 | each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.
|
14 | If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
|
15 | If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
|
16 | Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
|
17 | If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
|
18 | Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
|
19 | For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness";
|
20 | and again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
|
21 | Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours:
|
22 | whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come--all are yours.
|
23 | And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
|
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 5 : 5 - 14
Chapter 5
5 | Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
|
6 | Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
|
7 | casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
|
8 | Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
|
9 | Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
|
10 | But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
|
11 | To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
|
12 | By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
|
13 | She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.
|
14 | Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
|
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 18 : 24 - 19 : 6
Chapter 18
24 | Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.
|
25 | This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.
|
26 | So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
|
27 | And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace;
|
28 | for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
|
Chapter 19
1 | And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples
|
2 | he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."
|
3 | And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism."
|
4 | Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus."
|
5 | When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
|
6 | And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
|
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
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.
↑ 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 37 : 30 - 31
Chapter 37
30 | The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice.
|
31 | The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.
|
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 16 : 1 - 12
Chapter 16
1 | He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.
|
2 | So he called him and said to him, "What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'
|
3 | "Then the steward said within himself, "What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.
|
4 | I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'
|
5 | "So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, "How much do you owe my master?'
|
6 | And he said, "A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, "Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'
|
7 | Then he said to another, "And how much do you owe?' So he said, "A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, "Take your bill, and write eighty.'
|
8 | So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
|
9 | "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.
|
10 | He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
|
11 | Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
|
12 | And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?
|
And Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Acknowledgement
Opening page