Readings for Sunday 10 November 2024
1 Hatur 1741
First Sunday of Hatur
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 18 : 15,6
| 15 | Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. |
| 6 | In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. |
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 Mark the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Mark 4 : 10 - 20
| 10 | But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. |
| 11 | And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, |
| 12 | so that "Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them."' |
| 13 | And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? |
| 14 | The sower sows the word. |
| 15 | And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. |
| 16 | These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; |
| 17 | and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. |
| 18 | Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, |
| 19 | and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. |
| 20 | But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." |
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 65 : 9
| 9 | You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, For so You have prepared it. |
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 28 : 1 - 20
| 1 | Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. |
| 2 | And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. |
| 3 | His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. |
| 4 | And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. |
| 5 | But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. |
| 6 | He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. |
| 7 | And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." |
| 8 | So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. |
| 9 | And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. |
| 10 | Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me." |
| 11 | Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. |
| 12 | When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, |
| 13 | saying, "Tell them, "His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' |
| 14 | And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." |
| 15 | So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. |
| 16 | Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. |
| 17 | When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. |
| 18 | And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. |
| 19 | Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, |
| 20 | teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. |
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 Corinthians.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
2 Corinthians 9 : 1 - 9
| 1 | Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; |
| 2 | for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. |
| 3 | Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; |
| 4 | lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting. |
| 5 | Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. |
| 6 | But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. |
| 7 | So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. |
| 8 | And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. |
| 9 | As it is written: "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever." |
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 blessings be upon us. Amen.
James 3 : 1 - 12
| 1 | My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. |
| 2 | For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. |
| 3 | Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. |
| 4 | Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. |
| 5 | Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! |
| 6 | And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. |
| 7 | For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. |
| 8 | But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. |
| 9 | With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. |
| 10 | Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. |
| 11 | Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? |
| 12 | Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. |
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 10:37-48 Acts 11:1
| 37 | that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: |
| 38 | how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. |
| 39 | And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. |
| 40 | Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, |
| 41 | not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. |
| 42 | And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. |
| 43 | To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins." |
| 44 | While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. |
| 45 | And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. |
| 46 | For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, |
| 47 | "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" |
| 48 | And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days. |
| 1 | Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. |
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 1 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Hatur.
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 First Day of the Blessed Month of Hatur
Commemoration of St. Cleopas the Apostle
and His Companion
On this day is the
commemoration of St. Cleopas the Apostle and his companion who were traveling
to a village called Emmaus. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned,
that Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them. When they did not know
Him, He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in
all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered
these things and to enter into His glory?" Later, as He sat at the table
with them, He took bread, blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. Then,
their eyes were opened, and they knew Him, and He vanished from their sight.
(Luke 24:13-31)
These two Apostles were among the 72 Apostles.
May their prayers be with us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of St. Cyriacus, Bishop of Jerusalem and his Mother
On this day also, St. Cyriacus, bishop of Jerusalem and his mother, were martyred. He was a Jew from Jerusalem and his name was Judah. He witnessed the miraculous
appearance of the Holy Cross by the hands of St. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine. When they placed the Cross of our Savior on the dead man, he rose immediately, so he believed in the Lord Christ. He grew steadily in grace and spiritual stature until he was worthy to be consecrated bishop of Jerusalem by the name Cyriacus.
When Constantine II the son of Constantine the Great died, his nephew who was called Julian forcefully took over the rule of the government. He cherished idol worshipping, so he renounced Christ and was called Julian the Apostate (infidel).
Julian persecuted the Christians, forcing them to raise incense and offer sacrifices to the idols. When he heard about St. Cyriacus, bishop of Jerusalem, and he confirmed the Christians in their faith, he came in person to Jerusalem. He summoned Bishop Cyriacus and offered him to worship the idols, but he refused.
Julian tortured him severely and his mother was there comforting and encouraging him. He dismembered many parts of Cyriacus' body and threw them around. His mother took these parts and put them in their places and Cyriacus signed them with the sign of the cross and they were healed and became whole again. When Julian the infidel was tired of torturing him, ordered to behead him and his mother with the sword, so they received the crown of martyrdom.
May their prayers be with us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of the Saints Maximus, Nometius, Boctor, and Philopus
On this day also, the striver
Saints Maximus, Nometius, Boctor, and Philopus were martyred. They lived
in the days of Decius the Emperor. During his reign, the seven young men
disappeared in a cave in a mountain in Ephesus. These four saints were
from Africa, and they were brethren in spiritual love. The desire for Christ gathered them together. When Emperor Decius was torturing the Christians,
they agreed together to declare their faith. They went before the Prefect
and confessed that they were Christians and only worshipped and bowed to
Christ. He ordered them beaten, and they were many times, with whips and
sticks. Their backs were burned with red-hot rods. Their bodies then were
rubbed with rags made of hair steeped in vinegar and salt. In spite of
all this severe torture they remained steadfast in the faith. Some of the
people present believed in the Lord Christ when they saw their patience
and endurance. Finally, the Prefect ordered the heads of some of the saints
to be cut off and the sword to be used on the others. Thus they all received
the crown of martyrdom.
May their prayers be with us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of St. Anastasia the Elder and St. Cyril (Kyrollos)
On this day also, of the year 252 A.D., and during the reign of Emperor Valerian and the prefect Florus, St. Anastasia the elder and St. Cyril (Kyrollos) were martyred.
Anastasia was a Roman lady of noble descent. She lived in a house of virgins under the guidance of sister Sowa. The Emperor seized Anastasia when she was twenty years old and tried to make her forsake the faith in the Lord Christ. When he failed, he handed her to the prefect Florus to torture her.
He bound her with iron fetters and ordered to scourge her. When they tried to take her cloth off to flog her naked, she rebuked Florus with rigor for her decency and chastity.
Florus became furious with what she said and he tortured her viciously and inhumanly.
She endured patiently showing a great courage in accepting pain.
During her torture she asked for a little of water to drink. A man was standing called Cyril, brought for her a cup of water to drink. The soldiers apprehended him and cut his neck thus he received the crown of martyrdom for he fulfilled the command of the Lord: "And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." (Matthew 10:42)
When Florus saw his failure before her faith and steadfastness he ordered to behead her, so she received the crown of martyrdom. Sister Sowa carried her body, shrouded, and buried it. Later on, after the end of the era of persecution her holy body was relocated to the city of Constantinople.
May their prayers be upon us all, 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 65 : 10 - 11
| 10 | You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth. |
| 11 | You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance. |
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 Luke the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Luke 8 : 4 - 15
| 4 | And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: |
| 5 | "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. |
| 6 | Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. |
| 7 | And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. |
| 8 | But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" |
| 9 | Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?" |
| 10 | And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that "Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.' |
| 11 | "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. |
| 12 | Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. |
| 13 | But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. |
| 14 | Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. |
| 15 | But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. |
Glory be to God forever.
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