Saturday 1 June 2024
24 Bashans 1740
Readings for Entrance into Egypt
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 105 : 23,27
| 23 | Israel also came into Egypt, And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham. |
| 27 | They performed His signs among them, And wonders in the land of Ham. |
Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, unto Him be the glory forever, Amen.
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to our teacher Saint Matthew the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Matthew 4 : 12 - 17
| 12 | Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. |
| 13 | And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, |
| 14 | that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: |
| 15 | "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: |
| 16 | The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned." |
| 17 | From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." |
Glory be to God forever.
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Matins Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 106 : 21,22,4
| 21 | They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt, |
| 22 | Wondrous works in the land of Ham, Awesome things by the Red Sea. |
| 4 | Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation, |
Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, unto Him be the glory forever, Amen.
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to our teacher Saint Matthew the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Matthew 12 : 15 - 23
| 15 | But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. |
| 16 | Yet He warned them not to make Him known, |
| 17 | that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: |
| 18 | "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. |
| 19 | He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. |
| 20 | A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; |
| 21 | And in His name Gentiles will trust." |
| 22 | Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. |
| 23 | And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" |
Glory be to God forever.
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Divine Liturgy
Pauline 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 Ephesians.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
Ephesians 2 : 1 - 22
| 1 | And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, |
| 2 | in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, |
| 3 | among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. |
| 4 | But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, |
| 5 | even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), |
| 6 | and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, |
| 7 | that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. |
| 8 | For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, |
| 9 | not of works, lest anyone should boast. |
| 10 | For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. |
| 11 | Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-- |
| 12 | that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. |
| 13 | But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. |
| 14 | For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, |
| 15 | having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, |
| 16 | and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. |
| 17 | And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. |
| 18 | For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. |
| 19 | Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, |
| 20 | having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, |
| 21 | in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, |
| 22 | in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. John . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
1 John 4 : 7 - 19
| 7 | Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. |
| 8 | He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 11 | Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. |
| 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. |
| 13 | By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. |
| 14 | And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. |
| 15 | Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. |
| 16 | And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. |
| 17 | Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. |
| 18 | There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. |
| 19 | We love Him because He first loved us. |
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. Amen.
Acts 7 : 20 - 34
| 20 | At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months. |
| 21 | But when he was set out, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. |
| 22 | And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. |
| 23 | "Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. |
| 24 | And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. |
| 25 | For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. |
| 26 | And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, "Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?' |
| 27 | But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, "Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? |
| 28 | Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?' |
| 29 | Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons. |
| 30 | "And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. |
| 31 | When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, |
| 32 | saying, "I am the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses trembled and dared not look. |
| 33 | "Then the LORD said to him, "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. |
| 34 | I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt."' |
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 24 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Bashans.
May God make it always received, year after year, with reassurance and tranquility, while our sins are forgiven by the tender mercies of our God my fathers and brothers. Amen.
The Twenty-Fourth Day of the Blessed Month of Bashans
Commemoration of the Entry of the Lord
Christ to Egypt
On this day, our Lord Jesus Christ
came to the land of Egypt when He was a two years old child, as the Bible
says in
(Mt. 2:13) that the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream,
saying: "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and
stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child
to destroy Him." This was for two reasons:
A. If He fell in the hand of Herod, and Herod
could not kill Him, he would have thought that His flesh was a phantom.
B. The second reason was to bless the people
of Egypt by being among them, so that the prophecy of Hosea
(Hosea 11:1) could
be fulfilled which says: "... out of Egypt I called My Son." And also the
prophecy of Isaiah (19:1) be fulfilled: "Behold, the Lord rides on a swift
cloud, and will come into Egypt, the idols of Egypt will totter at His
presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst."
The Lord Jesus came to Egypt with
Joseph, and His Virgin mother, and Salome. They passed in an estate called
"Basta" where the Holy Family drank from a well, and the water of the well
became a curing water for all sicknesses. Then they went to "Meniet Samannoud"
and crossed the Nile to the western side. In this place, the Lord Jesus
put His foot on a stone, and the trace of His foot appeared, and the stone
was called "Picha Isos" in Coptic (or The heal of Jesus). From there, they
went westward to Wadi El-Natroun, and St. Mary blessed the place, for her
knowledge that many monasteries would be built there. Then they went to
"Al-Ashmoneen" where they settled for several days, after which they went
to Mount "Qosqam", where the monastery of St. Mary was later built, which
has been known with the name "El-Moharrak monastery". When Herod died,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying: "Arise, take
the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those
who sought the young Child's life are dead."
(Mt. 2:20-21). They came back
to Cairo, and on their return they stayed in a cave which is today located
in the church of Abu-Serga in Old Cairo. Then they passed by El-Mataryia,
and they washed there from a well, and the well has been blessed since,
and a tree of Balsam grew beside it, from its oil the Chrism (El-Myroun)
is made which is used to consecrate new churches. From there, the Holy
Family walked to El-Mahama (Mustorod), and from there to Israel. We ought
to celebrate this feast spiritually with joy, for Our Lord Jesus honored
our land.
Glory to His Holy Name for ever. Amen.
Departure of the Prophet Habakkuk
On this day also, the prophet
Habakkuk departed. He was one of the twelve minor prophets, and he was
from the tribe of Levi. He was a singer using stringed musical instruments
as it is indicated in this verse: "The Lord God is my strength; He will
make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.
To the chief musician. With my stringed instruments." (Habakkuk 3:19).
He prophesied at the time of king Jehoiakim. He lived long enough to see
the return of the children of Israel from exile, and he prayed saying: (Habakkuk 3:2)
He prophesied about the Incarnation of Christ and His birth, saying: (Habakkuk
3:3). He finished his course, and departed in peace. A church after his
name was built in Bartsa - El-Behera in Egypt at the time of the Christian
Emperor Anastasius, and consecrated on the twenty fourth of Bashans.
May the prayers of this prophet be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of the Monk St.Bashnouna El-Maqari
On this day also, of the
year 880 A.M. (May 19th., 1164 A.D.), St. Bashnouna was martyred. He was
a monk in St. Macarius (Abu Maquar) monastery. During the fighting between
the men of prince Dergham and the men of El-Wazir Shawer in the Fatimid
rule, the monk was arrested. He was threatened with death if he did not
convert to Islam, but he refused. They burned him alive, and he received
the crown of martyrdom. The faithful took his bones and carried them to
the church of Abu Serga in Old Cairo, in the place of wax, and they buried
him there.
May his prayers be with us, and glory be to God forever. Amen.
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Divine Liturgy Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 105 : 36,38
| 36 | He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land, The first of all their strength. |
| 38 | Egypt was glad when they departed, For the fear of them had fallen upon them. |
Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, unto Him be the glory forever, Amen.
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to our teacher Saint Matthew the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Matthew 2 : 13 - 23
| 13 | Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him." |
| 14 | When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, |
| 15 | and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son." |
| 16 | Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. |
| 17 | Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: |
| 18 | "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more." |
| 19 | Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, |
| 20 | saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead." |
| 21 | Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. |
| 22 | But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. |
| 23 | And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene." |
Glory be to God forever.
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