Friday 16 February 2024
8 Amshir 1740
Readings for Entrance into the Temple
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 116 : 16 - 19
| 16 | O LORD, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds. |
| 17 | I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD. |
| 18 | I will pay my vows to the LORD Now in the presence of all His people, |
| 19 | In the courts of the LORD's house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise 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 2 : 15 - 20
| 15 | So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." |
| 16 | And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. |
| 17 | Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. |
| 18 | And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. |
| 19 | But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. |
| 20 | Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Matins Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 66 : 13 - 15
| 13 | I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows, |
| 14 | Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble. |
| 15 | I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats.Selah |
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 2 : 40 - 52
| 40 | And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. |
| 41 | His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. |
| 42 | And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. |
| 43 | When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; |
| 44 | but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. |
| 45 | So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. |
| 46 | Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. |
| 47 | And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. |
| 48 | So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." |
| 49 | And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" |
| 50 | But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. |
| 51 | Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. |
| 52 | And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑
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 Philippians.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
Philippians 3 : 1 - 12
| 1 | Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. |
| 2 | Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! |
| 3 | For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, |
| 4 | though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: |
| 5 | circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; |
| 6 | concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. |
| 7 | But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. |
| 8 | Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ |
| 9 | and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; |
| 10 | that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, |
| 11 | if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. |
| 12 | Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. Peter . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
2 Peter 1 : 12 - 21
| 12 | For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. |
| 13 | Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, |
| 14 | knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. |
| 15 | Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. |
| 16 | For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. |
| 17 | For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." |
| 18 | And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. |
| 19 | And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; |
| 20 | knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, |
| 21 | for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. |
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. Amen.
Acts 15 : 13 - 21
| 13 | And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me: |
| 14 | Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. |
| 15 | And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: |
| 16 | 'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; |
| 17 | So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD. Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.' |
| 18 | "Known to God from eternity are all His works. |
| 19 | Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, |
| 20 | but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. |
| 21 | For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath." |
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 8 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Amshir.
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 Eighth Day of the Blessed Month of Amshir
Feast of Presenting the Lord Christ to
the Temple
On this day we celebrate the feast
of presenting the Lord Christ to the temple after 40 days of His blessed
birth. St. Joseph the righteous and His mother, the Virgin Mary, presented
Him in the temple, to fulfill the Mosaic Law. St. Luke the Evangelist says
that when His parents brought Him according to the custom of the law, the
just and devout Simeon the elder took Him in his arms and blessed God and
said, "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according
to Your Word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared
before the face of all people, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
and the Glory of Your people Israel." (Luke 2:29-32) Simeon was one of
the 70 elders who translated the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek. This
was in the time of Ptolemy Soter in the year 296 B.C., who was sent by
the will of God to Jerusalem. He brought 70 men from among the learned
Jewish teachers and scholars and commanded them to translate the Old Testament
from Hebrew to Greek. He put every two of them in an isolated place so
they would not agree on one translation, and to ensure a correct text after
comparing all of the translations. Simeon the elder was one of them. When
Simeon was translating the verse from Isaiah 7:14, "Behold, the virgin
shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel," he was
afraid to translate that a virgin would conceive, because the King would
mock him. He wanted to translate the virgin as a "young lady." He was disturbed
because of this inaccurate translation, and God revealed to him in a vision
that he would not die before he would see Christ the Lord born of a virgin.
This was fulfilled and he lived about three hundred years. When Christ
was born; he was very well advanced in age and his sight dimmed. When he
carried the child Jesus in his hands, his sight came back to him, and the
Holy Spirit told him, "This is the child that you have been waiting for."
He blessed God and said, "You are letting Your servant depart in peace
according to Your Word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You
have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation
to the Gentiles and the Glory of Your people Israel." (Luke 2:28-32)
May The prayers of this righteous man be with us, and Glory be to
our God forever. Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
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 50 : 14,23
| 14 | Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. |
| 23 | Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God." |
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 2 : 21 - 39
| 21 | And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. |
| 22 | Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord |
| 23 | (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD"), |
| 24 | and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." |
| 25 | And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. |
| 26 | And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. |
| 27 | So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, |
| 28 | he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: |
| 29 | "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; |
| 30 | For my eyes have seen Your salvation |
| 31 | Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, |
| 32 | A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel." |
| 33 | And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. |
| 34 | Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against |
| 35 | (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." |
| 36 | Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; |
| 37 | and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. |
| 38 | And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. |
| 39 | So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑