Readings for Sunday 16 January 2033
8 Tubah 1749
Second Sunday of Tubah
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 98 : 3,9
| 3 | He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. |
| 9 | For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity. |
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 14 : 22 - 36
| 22 | Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. |
| 23 | And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. |
| 24 | But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. |
| 25 | Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. |
| 26 | And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. |
| 27 | But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." |
| 28 | And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." |
| 29 | So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. |
| 30 | But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" |
| 31 | And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" |
| 32 | And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. |
| 33 | Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." |
| 34 | When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. |
| 35 | And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, |
| 36 | and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. |
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 97 : 1 - 2
| 1 | The LORD reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad! |
| 2 | Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. |
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 Mark the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Mark 3 : 7 - 12
| 7 | But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea |
| 8 | and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. |
| 9 | So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. |
| 10 | For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. |
| 11 | And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God." |
| 12 | But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known. |
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 Galatians.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
Galatians 5 : 2 - 10
| 2 | Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. |
| 3 | And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. |
| 4 | You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. |
| 5 | For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. |
| 6 | For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. |
| 7 | You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? |
| 8 | This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. |
| 9 | A little leaven leavens the whole lump. |
| 10 | I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. |
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 3 : 18 - 24
| 18 | My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. |
| 19 | And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. |
| 20 | For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. |
| 21 | Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. |
| 22 | And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. |
| 23 | And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. |
| 24 | Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. |
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 15 : 22 - 29
| 22 | Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. |
| 23 | They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. |
| 24 | Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, "You must be circumcised and keep the law"--to whom we gave no such commandment-- |
| 25 | it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, |
| 26 | men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 27 | We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. |
| 28 | For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: |
| 29 | that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell. |
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 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.
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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 83 : 7
| 7 | Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; |
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.
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 65 : 2
| 2 | O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come. |
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 11 : 27 - 36
| 27 | And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" |
| 28 | But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" |
| 29 | And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. |
| 30 | For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. |
| 31 | The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. |
| 32 | The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. |
| 33 | "No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. |
| 34 | The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. |
| 35 | Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. |
| 36 | If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light." |
Glory be to God forever.
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