Readings for Saturday 11 January 2025
3 Tubah 1741
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 115 : 12 - 13
| 12 | The LORD has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. |
| 13 | He will bless those who fear the LORD, Both small and great. |
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 18 : 1 - 7
| 1 | At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" |
| 2 | Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, |
| 3 | and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. |
| 4 | Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. |
| 5 | Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. |
| 6 | "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. |
| 7 | Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! |
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 119 : 130,141
| 130 | The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. |
| 141 | I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts. |
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 18 : 10 - 20
| 10 | "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. |
| 11 | For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. |
| 12 | "What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? |
| 13 | And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. |
| 14 | Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. |
| 15 | "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. |
| 16 | But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that "by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' |
| 17 | And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. |
| 18 | "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. |
| 19 | "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. |
| 20 | For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." |
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.
1 Corinthians 13:11-13 1 Corinthians 14:1-4
| 11 | When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. |
| 12 | For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. |
| 13 | And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. |
| 1 | Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. |
| 2 | For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. |
| 3 | But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. |
| 4 | He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. Peter . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
1 Peter 1:25 1 Peter 2:1-10
| 25 | But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. |
| 1 | Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, |
| 2 | as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, |
| 3 | if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. |
| 4 | Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, |
| 5 | you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. |
| 6 | Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." |
| 7 | Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," |
| 8 | and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. |
| 9 | But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; |
| 10 | who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. |
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 9 : 22 - 30
| 22 | But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. |
| 23 | Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. |
| 24 | But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. |
| 25 | Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket. |
| 26 | And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. |
| 27 | But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. |
| 28 | So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. |
| 29 | And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. |
| 30 | When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus. |
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 3 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Tubah.
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 Third Day of the Blessed Month of Tubah
Commemoration of the Slain Children of
Bethlehem by the order of King Herod
On this day, in the second year of the
Advent of Christ, the children of Bethlehem were martyred. King Herod secretly
called the wise men and determined from them what time the star had appeared.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young
Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come
and worship Him also." When they had come into the house, they saw the
young Child with Mary, His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. When
they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense
and myrrh. When they were about to return to Herod, the Angel of the Lord
warned them in a dream that they should not return to Herod, and that they
should depart for their own country another way. When they had departed,
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."
Joseph arose, took the young child
and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 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." (Matthew 2:7-15) and
(Hosea 11:1) 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. Herod's intention was for Jesus to be slain among the children who
were slain. It was said that Herod schemed to achieve his evil objective,
by sending envoys to Bethlehem and all its districts saying, "By the command
of Caesar all the children two years old and under had to be counted."
They gathered 144,000 children in the hands of their mothers. He thought
that Jesus would be among them. Then King Herod sent a commander with one
thousand soldiers, who slaughtered all these children on one of the mountains
in one day. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet
saying, "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and a great
mourning. Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because
they are no more." (Jeremiah 31:15-16) For Bethlehem is related to Rachel,
and the children were killed nearby her tomb, which is located close to
Bethlehem.
(Genesis 48:7) St. John the Evangelist said in Revelation that
he saw under the altar the souls of those children that had been slain
for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried
with a loud voice saying, "How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, until You judge
and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
A white robe was given to each
of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer,
until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who
would be killed as they were, was completed."
(Revelation 6:9-11) St. John
said also that the new song that the four living creatures and the elders
were singing, no one could learn except the 144,000 who were redeemed from
the earth, who were not defiled with women for they are virgins. They follow
the Lord (the Lamb) wherever He goes, and He wipes every tear from their
eyes. (Revelation 14:3-4)
Blessed are they, and blessed are the wombs that carried them.
May Their intercession be with us and Glory be to our Lord, now
and 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 113 : 1 - 2
| 1 | Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, Praise the name of the LORD! |
| 2 | Blessed be the name of the LORD From this time forth and forevermore! |
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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