Readings for Sunday 16 February 2025
9 Amshir 1741
Second Sunday of Amshir
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 15 : 1 - 2
| 1 | LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? |
| 2 | He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; |
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 4 : 46 - 53
| 46 | So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. |
| 47 | When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. |
| 48 | Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." |
| 49 | The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!" |
| 50 | Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. |
| 51 | And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!" |
| 52 | Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." |
| 53 | So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household. |
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 24 : 3 - 4
| 3 | Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? |
| 4 | He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. |
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 3 : 17 - 21
| 17 | For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. |
| 18 | "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. |
| 19 | And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. |
| 20 | For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. |
| 21 | But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." |
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 7 : 1 - 17
| 1 | For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, |
| 2 | to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning "king of peace," |
| 3 | without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. |
| 4 | Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. |
| 5 | And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; |
| 6 | but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. |
| 7 | Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. |
| 8 | Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. |
| 9 | Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, |
| 10 | for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. |
| 11 | Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? |
| 12 | For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. |
| 13 | For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. |
| 14 | For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. |
| 15 | And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest |
| 16 | who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. |
| 17 | For He testifies: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." |
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.
2 John 1 : 1 - 13
| 1 | The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, |
| 2 | because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: |
| 3 | Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. |
| 4 | I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. |
| 5 | And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. |
| 6 | This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. |
| 7 | For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. |
| 8 | Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. |
| 9 | Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. |
| 10 | If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; |
| 11 | for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. |
| 12 | Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. |
| 13 | The children of your elect sister greet you. 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 18 : 9 - 12
| 9 | Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; |
| 10 | for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city." |
| 11 | And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. |
| 12 | When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, |
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 9 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 Ninth Day of the Blessed Month of Amshir
Departure of St.Barsauma, the Father
of the Syrian Monks
On this day of the year 458 A.D., the blessed father
Anba Barsauma, the father of the Syrian monks, departed. His father was
from Samosata. One of the saints prophesied about him before his birth,
saying to his parents, "There shall go forth from you a righteous fruit,
whose fame shall spread out every where," and this prophecy was fulfilled.
When Barsauma grew up, he left his parents and went to the river Euphrates
where he stayed with a holy man called Abraham. Afterwards, he lived a
solitary life in the mountain and many disciples gathered around him. The
water in this place was salty, and the saint prayed to God and the water
became sweet. He used to fast for a week at a time. God wrought through
him many miracles. St. Barsauma was a contemporary of St. Simeon the Stylite.
When St. Barsauma knew about him, he went to visit him and they blessed
each other. He was well known for his resistance to the heresy of Nestorius
and his followers. He attended the Universal Council at Ephesus at the
invitation of Emperor Theodosius the Less, who gave him a great honor.
Some accused St. Barsauma of eating, drinking and living a luxurious life.
The Emperor called him and saw for himself St. Barsauma's righteousness
and his ascetic living. The Emperor vindicated him and allowed him to return
to his monastery with great honor.
When Emperor Marcian called for the Council at Chalcedon,
the fathers asked the Emperor not to call upon St. Barsauma, for they knew
of the grace that was in him. When the council agreed on the two natures
of Christ, St. Barsauma resisted these heretic teachings and he was persecuted
by the Chalcedonians. When the Lord wanted to take St. Barsauma from the
world, He sent him an angel to tell him that 4 days were left in his life
on earth. He gathered his disciples and told them to go to the neighboring
cities to confirm its people in the Orthodox faith. He blessed them and
departed in peace. At the time of his departure, a pillar of light appeared
at the door of his cell which the faithful saw from afar. They came and
found that St. Barsauma had departed. They took his blessings and buried
him with great honors.
May His prayers be with us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Paul the Syrian
On this day also, St. Paul,
the Syrian, was martyred. He was born in the City of Alexandria to Syrian
parents who lived afterwards in the City of Ashmunin. They were very rich
merchants. St. Paul heard about the persecution of the Roman governors
to Christians. He gave up his money to the poor, after the death of his
parents, and prayed to God to guide him in the way that pleased Him. God
sent him His angel Soriel, who said to the saint, "The Lord has commanded
that I be with you and strengthen you, so that you should not be afraid."
The saint arose and came before the governor of Antinoe (Ansena) and confessed
the Lord Christ. The Governor ordered him to be stripped naked, beaten
with whips, and burned in the sides with torches. The governor tried again
to entice him with money, but the saint said to him, "My parents left me
a fortune of gold and silver, and I rejected them for the sake of the love
of the Lord Christ. How can I look to your money now?" The Governor became
angry to hear that and he tortured him with different kinds of tortures.
The angel Soriel came to him, healed and strengthened him. The Governor
ordered to release venomous serpents on him, but they did not harm him.
The Governor then went to Alexandria and took the saint with him and put
him in prison, where St. Paul met his two friends: Anba Esi and his sister
Teckla. His soul rejoiced when he saw them. God inspired him that he would
be martyred in Alexandria. When the Governor wanted to go back to his city,
he ordered that the head of St. Paul be cut off at the sea shore. The faithful
came and they took the body and prepared it for burial, and they kept it
in their possession.
May His prayers be with us and Glory be to our 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 96 : 7 - 8
| 7 | Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. |
| 8 | Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. |
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 6 : 5 - 14
| 5 | Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" |
| 6 | But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. |
| 7 | Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." |
| 8 | One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, |
| 9 | "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" |
| 10 | Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. |
| 11 | And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. |
| 12 | So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." |
| 13 | Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. |
| 14 | Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." |
Glory be to God forever.
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