Saturday 12 May 2029
4 Bashans 1745
Readings for Saturday of fifth of of the Holy Fifty Days
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 135 : 19 - 20
| 19 | Bless the LORD, O house of Israel! Bless the LORD, O house of Aaron! |
| 20 | Bless the LORD, O house of Levi! You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD! |
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 14 : 1 - 6
| 1 | Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. |
| 2 | And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. |
| 3 | And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" |
| 4 | But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. |
| 5 | Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" |
| 6 | And they could not answer Him regarding these things. |
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 36 : 5 - 6
| 5 | Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. |
| 6 | Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast. |
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 John the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
John 7 : 37 - 46
| 37 | On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. |
| 38 | He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." |
| 39 | But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. |
| 40 | Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet." |
| 41 | Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee? |
| 42 | Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" |
| 43 | So there was a division among the people because of Him. |
| 44 | Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. |
| 45 | Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?" |
| 46 | The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" |
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 Hebrews.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
Hebrews 10 : 1 - 13
| 1 | For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. |
| 2 | For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. |
| 3 | But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. |
| 4 | For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. |
| 5 | Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. |
| 6 | In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. |
| 7 | Then I said, "Behold, I have come--In the volume of the book it is written of Me--To do Your will, O God."' |
| 8 | Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), |
| 9 | then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. |
| 10 | By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. |
| 11 | And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. |
| 12 | But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, |
| 13 | from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. |
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 5 : 11 - 21
| 11 | And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. |
| 12 | He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. |
| 13 | These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. |
| 14 | Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. |
| 15 | And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. |
| 16 | If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. |
| 17 | All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. |
| 18 | We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. |
| 19 | We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. |
| 20 | And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. |
| 21 | Little children, keep yourselves from idols. 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.
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Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us. Amen.
Acts 23 : 6 - 11
| 6 | But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!" |
| 7 | And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. |
| 8 | For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection--and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. |
| 9 | Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, "We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God." |
| 10 | Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks. |
| 11 | But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome." |
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 Liturgy Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 135 : 3,5
| 3 | Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant. |
| 5 | For I know that the LORD is great, And our Lord is above all gods. |
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 John the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
John 14 : 1 - 11
| 1 | "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. |
| 2 | In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. |
| 3 | And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. |
| 4 | And where I go you know, and the way you know." |
| 5 | Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" |
| 6 | Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. |
| 7 | "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." |
| 8 | Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." |
| 9 | Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, "Show us the Father'? |
| 10 | Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. |
| 11 | Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. |
Glory be to God forever.
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Not to be read in the Church during this time of the year.
Synaxarium
Day 4 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 Fourth Day of the Blessed Month of Bashans
Departure of Pope John (Youhanna) the
First, the 29th Patriarch of the See of St.Mark
On this day of the year 221 A.M. (April 29th.,
505 A.D.), Pope John the first, the twenty ninth Pope of Alexandria, departed.
This father was born in Alexandria to Christian parents, and was attracted
since his youth to the monastic life. He became a monk in the wilderness
of St.Macarius, and he was chosen Patriarch after the departure of his
predecessor Pope Athanasius the second. He did not accept but was taken
by force by the bishops, priests, and lay leaders and ordained him on the
first of Babah of the year 213 A.M. (September 29th., 496 A.D.). After
his enthronement, he gave special attention to education and preaching
for the edification and the steadfastness of the faithful in the Orthodox
faith. He was the first Patriarch to be chosen from among the monks. The
Roman Emperor in Constantinople, at that time, was the righteous Emperor
Zenon. For this reason the hand of the Patriarch was strengthened in spreading
the Orthodox faith in all of Egypt. The Emperor sent all the needs of the
monasteries from wheat, oil, wine and money to renew the buildings of their
cells and to restore their churches. All the days of this pope were days
of peace and tranquility. When he finished his good course, he became sick
for a short time, and then departed in peace, after he had been on the
throne of St. Mark for eight years and seven month.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of Pope Yoannis the Fifth,
the 72nd Patriarch
On this day also of the
year 882 A.M. (April 29th., 1166 A.D.), Pope Yoannis the fifth, the 72nd.
Patriarch of Alexandria, departed. He was John the monk from the monastery
of Abu-Yehnis (John). He was enthroned on the 2nd. of Nasie (Intercalary
days), year 863 A.M. (August 25th., 1147 A.D.) He was a holy, righteous,
and pure man. In his days, the Copts (El-Nasarah - Christians) were persecuted
by the Moslem governors (Emams) and Khalifas, and many were killed or sold
as slaves. A monk named "Bashnouna" from the monastery of St. Macarius
was martyred on the 24th. of Bashons year 880 A.M. (1164 A.D.) and his
body was burned for he refused to change his faith. The bones of this Saint
were preserved in the church of Abu-Serga. They also destroyed the church
of St. Mina in Haret El-Rome, and the church of El-Zohari and many other
churches in different parts of Cairo after they plundered what was in them.
But God permitted these churches to be rebuilt by the Coptic layman Abu
El-Fakher Salib Ebn-Mikhail. The Patriarch was arrested during the days
of El-Aadel Ebn El-Selar and was imprisoned because he refused to ordain
a Metropolitan for Ethiopia instead of its Metropolitan who was still alive.
The metropolitan name was Anba Michael El-Atfihi who was ordained by Pope
Macarius. The Pope was released two weeks later because of the death of
El-Aadel. During the days of this Patriarch, the words "Life-giving" was
added to the confession which became: "This is the life-giving Flesh that
Thine Only-Begotten Son, Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, took from
our Lady ..." He departed after he had been on the throne of St. Mark for
18 years, 8 month, and 4 days.
May his prayers be with us and glory be to God forever. Amen.
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