Readings for Thursday 16 January 2025
8 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 110 : 4,7
| 4 | The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." |
| 7 | He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head. |
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 16 : 13 - 19
| 13 | When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" |
| 14 | So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." |
| 15 | He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" |
| 16 | Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." |
| 17 | Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. |
| 18 | And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. |
| 19 | And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." |
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 73:23,24,28 Psalms 9:14
| 23 | Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. |
| 24 | You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. |
| 28 | But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works. |
| 14 | That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. |
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 15 : 17 - 25
| 17 | These things I command you, that you love one another. |
| 18 | "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. |
| 19 | If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. |
| 20 | Remember the word that I said to you, "A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. |
| 21 | But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. |
| 22 | If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. |
| 23 | He who hates Me hates My Father also. |
| 24 | If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. |
| 25 | But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, "They hated Me without a cause.' |
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 Corinthians.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
2 Corinthians 4:5-18 2 Corinthians 5:1-11
| 5 | For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. |
| 6 | For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. |
| 7 | But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. |
| 8 | We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; |
| 9 | persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-- |
| 10 | always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. |
| 11 | For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. |
| 12 | So then death is working in us, but life in you. |
| 13 | And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak, |
| 14 | knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. |
| 15 | For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. |
| 16 | Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. |
| 17 | For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, |
| 18 | while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. |
| 1 | For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. |
| 2 | For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, |
| 3 | if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. |
| 4 | For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. |
| 5 | Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. |
| 6 | So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. |
| 7 | For we walk by faith, not by sight. |
| 8 | We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. |
| 9 | Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. |
| 10 | For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. |
| 11 | Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. |
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.
1 Peter 2:18-25 1 Peter 3:1-7
| 18 | Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. |
| 19 | For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. |
| 20 | For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. |
| 21 | For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: |
| 22 | "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth"; |
| 23 | who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; |
| 24 | who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. |
| 25 | For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. |
| 1 | Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, |
| 2 | when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. |
| 3 | Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- |
| 4 | rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. |
| 5 | For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, |
| 6 | as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. |
| 7 | Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. |
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 20 : 17 - 38
| 17 | From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. |
| 18 | And when they had come to him, he said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, |
| 19 | serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; |
| 20 | how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, |
| 21 | testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 22 | And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, |
| 23 | except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. |
| 24 | But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. |
| 25 | "And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. |
| 26 | Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. |
| 27 | For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. |
| 28 | Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. |
| 29 | For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. |
| 30 | Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. |
| 31 | Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. |
| 32 | "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. |
| 33 | I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. |
| 34 | Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. |
| 35 | I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."' |
| 36 | And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. |
| 37 | Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, |
| 38 | sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship. |
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 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 Eighth Day of the Blessed Month of Tubah
Consecration of St.Macarius' Church
On this day, the church
of St. Macarius, in the monastery known after his name, was consecrated
by the hand of Abba Benjamin, 38th Pope of Alexandria. This took place
when El-Moquakas was appointed as a ruler and patriarch over Egypt by Emperor
Heraclius. Both of them believed in the teachings of the Council of Chalcedon.
El-Moquakas started to persecute the Christians of Egypt (the Copts) because
they refused to follow him. He pursued Pope Benjamin, the legitimate Pope
of Alexandria, who took flight to upper Egypt. He moved from one church
to another and from one monastery to another, confirming his flock in the
faith. He did this for ten years, until the Arab conquest of Egypt and
the death of El-Moquakas. When Abba Benjamin returned to his throne, the
elders of the wilderness of the holy desert of Scete (Scetis) asked him
to consecrate for them the new church that they built there in the name
of St. Macarius. He went with them joyfully. As he approached the monastery,
the monks received him with palm fronds and olive branches, just as the
city of Jerusalem received Christ when He entered it.
When he was consecrating
the church and as he was starting to consecrate the altar, he saw the Hand
of Christ anointing the altar with him. He fell upon his face in great
fear, and one of the Cherubim raised him up and comforted him. Abba Benjamin
said, "Truly this is the house of the Lord and this is the door of heaven."
He looked to the west side of the church and he saw an elder standing there
with reverence and awesome appearance, and his shining face looked like
an angel. He said to himself, "Truly, if there a chair became vacant, I
would make this man a bishop." The angel told him, "Would you make this
man a bishop?, and he is St. Macarius, the father of Patriarchs, bishops,
and all the monks. He has come today in the spirit to rejoice with his
children, and this place will be forever filled with righteous monks, and
it will never be short of leaders and spiritual fruits." St. Benjamin said,
"Blessed is he and blessed are his children." The angel said, "If his children
obey his commandments and follow his orders, they will be with him in glory,
but if they disobey, they will have no share with him."
Then St. Macarius said,
"Do not decide, my lord, what would happen to my children this way. For
if one grape in a bunch remains, the blessing of the Lord will be on it.
For if their love for one another remains among them, I believe that the
Lord will never keep them away from His Kingdom." St. Benjamin was amazed
and marvelled at the abundant mercy of St. Macarius. He wrote what had
taken place and placed it in the church as a perpetual memorial. He asked
the Lord Jesus Christ that his departure might take place on a similar
day. This was fulfilled, and he departed on the eighth day of Tubah, after
he had been on the throne for 39 years. The altar in which he saw the Lord
Christ was named after him.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.Andronicus, the Thirty-Seventh
Pope of Alexandria
Also on this day, of the
year 617 A.D., the holy father Abba Andronicus, 37th Pope of Alexandria,
departed. This father was from a rich family of great influence and his
cousin was the chief of the imperial court at Alexandria. He was very well
educated and he studied the holy scriptures and excelled in their interpretation.
Because of his knowledge, his righteousness and his charity toward the
poor, he was ordained a deacon. By consensus he was chosen to be patriarch,
although he never lived in any monastery. He remained in Alexandria all
the days of his papacy, not intimidated by the authority of the Melkites.
Shortly after the ordination of Abba Andronicus, the Persians invaded the
East and crossed the river Euphrates. They seized Halab, Antioch in Syria,
Jerusalem, and many other cities. They killed and imprisoned many Christians.
They captured Egypt and went to the City of Alexandria, around which there
were six hundred inhabited monasteries. They killed all the inhabitants,
plundered their possessions, and destroyed the monasteries. When the people
of Alexandria heard what they had done, because of their fear, they opened
the gates of the city for them. The Persian King saw in a night dream someone
saying to him, "I have delivered to you the city. Do not destroy it. But
kill its heroes for they are hypocrites." He arrested the Governor of the
city, and tied him up in chains. He ordered the elders of the city to bring
forth the men, from 18 to 50 years old to come forward to give everyone
twenty denari, and to enlist them as soldiers for the city. Eighty thousand
men came forward and he killed them all by the sword. Afterward, the Persian
King went with his army to Upper Egypt. He passed by the city of Nikios.
He heard that there were some seven hundred monks living in cells and caves
around it. He sent men to kill them. He continued to kill and destroy until
Emperor Heraclius conquered him and drove him out of Egypt. As for Pope
Andronicus, he lived a virtuous life. He remained on the throne of St.
Mark for 6 years, then departed in peace.
May His prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.Benjamin, the Thirty-Eighth
Pope of Alexandria
On this day also, of the
year 656 A.D., the blessed and holy father Abba Benjamin, 38th Pope of
Alexandria, departed. This father was from the city of Barset (Barshout),
the province of El-Behiera. He was the son of wealthy parents. He became
a monk under the guidance of a holy elder by the name of Theonas in the
monastery of St. Knobus nearby Alexandria. He grew in virtue and memorized
the holy books of the church until he reached the level of Christian perfection.
One night he heard in a night vision someone saying, "Rejoice Benjamin,
for you will shepherd the flock of Christ." When he told his spiritual
father about what he had heard, he said to him, "The devil wants to hinder
you. Beware of pride." He increased in virtue. His spiritual father took
him to Pope Andronicus and told him about Abba Benjamin's vision. The Pope
ordained him priest and put him in charge of the church affairs, and he
excelled in his care.
When he was chosen to the
patriarchate, he faced many tribulations. The angel of the Lord had revealed
to him the hardships that the church was about to experience. The angel
told him to flee with his bishops. St. Benjamin celebrated the Divine Liturgy
and administered the Holy Mysteries to the people. He also commanded them
to be steadfast in the faith of their fathers and informed them of what
was about to happen. He wrote a circular to all the bishops and all the
heads of the monasteries, advising them to hide until the hardships were
over. Then he went to the wilderness of St. Macarius, then to Upper Egypt.
After the Pope had left Alexandria, the Chalcedonian El-Moquakas arrived,
and took charge over the country and seized the church with authority from
Emperor Heraclius. He persecuted the believers and arrested "Mina", St.
Benjamin's brother, and tortured him severely. Then he burnt his sides,
and finally killed him by drowning him.
Shortly after, Amr Ebn-Elas
invaded the land of Egypt and stayed there for three years. In 360 A.M.
(Anno Martyri), Amr went to Alexandria and gained control of its fortress.
Many evil men took the chance and burned many churches, among them was
St. Mark's Church on the seashore, and many other monasteries that were
surrounding Alexandria, and plundered their contents. One of the sailors
went to the church of St. Mark during this disturbance and he thrust his
hand into the sarcophagus of St. Mark, thinking that he would find money.
He did not find anything except a body. He stole the clothing that was
on it and took the head with him, and hid it in his ship and did not tell
anyone. When Amr Ebn-Elas knew about the disappearance of Pope Benjamin,
he sent a circular to all the cities of Egypt, giving orders that the Pope's
hiding place be safe and secure. He asked the Pope to come back to his
people and to take charge of the church. Pope Benjamin came back after
he had been in hiding for 13 years. Amr Ebn-Elas was courteous toward him
and honored him. He returned the churches and all their properties back
to him. When Amr was about to leave Alexandria, heading to Pentapolis (the
five western cities), one of the ships could not move and was unable to
leave. The captain of the ship was questioned and when they searched the
ship they found the head of St. Mark. They called upon Pope Benjamin and
he carried it and walked with the priests and the people while they were
joyfully singing hymns, until they arrived to Alexandria. The captain of
the ship paid a great amount of money to the Pope to build a church after
the name of St. Mark. This father was dedicated to converting the unbelievers
to the Christian faith. He departed in peace after he had been on the apostolic
throne for 37 years.
May His prayers 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 107 : 32,41,42
| 32 | Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders. |
| 41 | Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, And makes their families like a flock. |
| 42 | The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth. |
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 10 : 1 - 16
| 1 | "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. |
| 2 | But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. |
| 3 | To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. |
| 4 | And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. |
| 5 | Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." |
| 6 | Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. |
| 7 | Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. |
| 8 | All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. |
| 9 | I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. |
| 10 | The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. |
| 11 | "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. |
| 12 | But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. |
| 13 | The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. |
| 14 | I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. |
| 15 | As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. |
| 16 | And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑