Readings for Sunday 16 November 2025
7 Hatur 1742
First Sunday of Hatur
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 18 : 15,6
| 15 | Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. |
| 6 | In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. |
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 4 : 10 - 20
| 10 | But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. |
| 11 | And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, |
| 12 | so that "Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them."' |
| 13 | And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? |
| 14 | The sower sows the word. |
| 15 | And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. |
| 16 | These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; |
| 17 | and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. |
| 18 | Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, |
| 19 | and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. |
| 20 | But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." |
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 65 : 9
| 9 | You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, For so You have prepared it. |
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 28 : 1 - 20
| 1 | Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. |
| 2 | And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. |
| 3 | His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. |
| 4 | And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. |
| 5 | But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. |
| 6 | He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. |
| 7 | And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." |
| 8 | So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. |
| 9 | And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. |
| 10 | Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me." |
| 11 | Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. |
| 12 | When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, |
| 13 | saying, "Tell them, "His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' |
| 14 | And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." |
| 15 | So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. |
| 16 | Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. |
| 17 | When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. |
| 18 | And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. |
| 19 | Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, |
| 20 | teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. |
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 Corinthians.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
2 Corinthians 9 : 1 - 9
| 1 | Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; |
| 2 | for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. |
| 3 | Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; |
| 4 | lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting. |
| 5 | Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. |
| 6 | But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. |
| 7 | So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. |
| 8 | And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. |
| 9 | As it is written: "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever." |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. James . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
James 3 : 1 - 12
| 1 | My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. |
| 2 | For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. |
| 3 | Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. |
| 4 | Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. |
| 5 | Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! |
| 6 | And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. |
| 7 | For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. |
| 8 | But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. |
| 9 | With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. |
| 10 | Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. |
| 11 | Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? |
| 12 | Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. |
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 10:37-48 Acts 11:1
| 37 | that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: |
| 38 | how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. |
| 39 | And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. |
| 40 | Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, |
| 41 | not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. |
| 42 | And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. |
| 43 | To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins." |
| 44 | While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. |
| 45 | And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. |
| 46 | For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, |
| 47 | "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" |
| 48 | And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days. |
| 1 | Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. |
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 7 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Hatur.
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 Seventh Day of the Blessed Month of Hatur
Martyrdom of St.George the Alexandrian
On this day, St. George
(Gawargios) of Alexandria, was martyred. His father was a merchant in the
city of Alexandria and had no son. It happened that he travelled to the
city of Lydd and attended the feast of the consecration of the Church of
St. George the martyr. He prayed to God, interceding with His great saint
that he might have a son. God answered his prayers, and gave him a son,
and he named him George. His mother was the sister of Armenius, the Governor
of
Alexandria. His parents died when he was 25 years old. George was merciful,
loving and kind to the poor and loved the church. He stayed with his uncle
who had only one daughter. One day she went with some of her friends for
an outing. While they were walking nearby a monastery outside the city,
she heard its monks singing sweet hymns. She was touched by what she had
heard and asked her cousin George about it. He replied that those monks
had forsaken the world to worship and he guided her to believe in the Lord
Christ. He told her about the share of the sinners of the final punishment
and the share of the righteous of felicity.
When she returned to her father, she told him that she was a believer
of Christ. He tried to reason with her, to dissuade her, and to lure her
with great promises. Then he threatened her. When she did not hearken to
his words, he ordered that her head be cut off, thus she received the crown
of martyrdom.
Later on, the Governor knew
that George was responsible for her conversion. He seized him and tortured
him severely. Then he sent him to Ansena where they also tortured him and
finally they cut off his holy head, thus he received the crown of martyrdom.
A deacon whose name was Samuel, took his holy body and carried it to the
city of Manf, El-Giza province. When the wife of his uncle Armenius knew
about it, she sent for the body and placed it with the body of her martyred
daughter in Alexandria.
May His prayers be with us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Nehrou
On this day also, St. Nehroua,
was martyred. He was from the district of Fayyum and he feared God. When
he heard the accounts of the martyrs, he went to Alexandria to die for
the Name of the Lord Christ. He was told in a vision that he must go to
Antioch. While he was thinking of how to go there and looking for a ship
to embark on, God sent to him His angel Michael, who carried him on his
wings from Alexandria to Antioch and set him down before Diocletian. There
he confessed the Lord Christ. Diocletian asked him about his name and his
country, and when he knew Nehroua's story, he marvelled at the manner in
which he had come. Diocletian offered him much money and many prizes to
turn him away from his faith, but Nehroua refused. Then Diocletian threatened
him, but could not frighten him. Therefore the Emperor ordered that he
be tortured in many different ways. One time they tortured him by releasing
lions to attack him, once by burning him in a fire, another by squeezing
him in the wheel, and still another time by casting him in a cauldron with
fire under it. Finally, they cut off his holy head with a sword and he
received the crown of martyrdom. St. Nehroua became a counterpart for those
from Antioch who were martyred in the land of Egypt. It happened that St.
Julius El-Akfahsee was present at the time of his martyrdom, so he took
his body and sent it with two of his men to St. Nehroua's country with
great honor.
May His prayers be with us all. Amen.
Departure of St.Mina, Bishop of Tamai
Today also, St. Mina, bishop
of the city of Tamai El-Amdid in Sinbelawain, departed. His father was
from the city of Samannoud. He was the only son of God-fearing parents.
They practiced the works of the monks such as fasting, prayers and asceticism
until their report was heard throughout the country. They made their son
marry against his will. But he agreed with his wife on keeping their virginity.
They remained so, doing many worships as practiced by monks, wearing sackcloth
and spending most of their nights in prayer and reading the word of God.
This saint longed to be a monk and he discussed it with his wife saying,
"It is improper for us to practice the monastic works while we are in the
world." She agreed with him, and he went to the monastery of Anba Antonius,
to be far away from his parents. They looked for St. Mina to return him
back to his wife and they knew not where he was. From there he went with
Anba Mikhail, who became later on the 46th Pope of Alexandria, to the monastery
of St. Macarius, where they became monks. That was during the time of the
two bright stars Anba Abraam and Anba Gawargah. Father Mina became their
disciple, he learned from them, followed the way of their worship and increased
in his angelic works until he surpassed in his worship many of the fathers.
Satan envied him for his strenuous fight and afflicted him in his legs
and he laid flat on the ground for two months. After that the Lord Christ
healed St. Mina, who overcame Satan with the might of God.
Later on, he was called
for the rank of episcopate. When the messengers of the Patriarch came to
him and he knew the reason for their visit, he wept and was sorrowful to
leave the desert. The fathers convinced him that this was the will of God.
He obeyed and went with the messengers to the Patriarch who ordained him
Bishop of the city of Tamai. The Lord granted him the gift of healing the
sick, the gift of knowing the hidden things and he knew what was in the
minds of people. The bishops of the surrounding districts used to come
to him for counselling. People from everywhere came to listen to his teachings.
He was the father of four Patriarchs and he laid his hand upon them when
they were ordained. They were: Anba Alexandros II, Anba Cosma, Anba Theodore,
and Anba Mikhail I. When the Lord Christ wished him to depart from this
transient world, He informed him. Anba Mina called the people of his diocese
and commanded them to be strong in the Orthodox faith and to keep the divine
commandments. Then he committed them to their true shepherd, the Lord Jesus
Christ and departed from this transitory world and came to Christ, Whom
he loved. The people wept and mourned the loss of their shepherd and their
father after the Lord, who cared for their souls. They buried him in a
fitting manner and laid him in the place, as he had directed beforehand.
May His prayers be with us all. Amen.
Consecration of the Church of St.George
of Cappadocia
Also
on this day, is the commemoration of the consecration of the Church of
the honorable saint and great martyr St. George in the city of Lydd. We
also commemorate the great wonders and signs, the Lord has done therein
which became known throughout the land and sea. When Emperor Diocletian
heard
the reports of this church, he sent Eukheius, the head of his army, with
soldiers to destroy it. Eukheius came with arrogance to where the icon
of St. George was and he began to scoff at the Christians and at the Saint.
He had a staff in his hand with which he struck the lamp, which was burning
before the icon of St. George and he broke it. A fragment of the lamp fell
on his head. Fear and great trembling came upon him and he fell prostrate
on the ground. The soldiers carried him, to take him back to his country,
for they knew that this had happened to him because of his mockery towards
this great martyr. Eukheius died on the way back with disgrace, and they
cast him into the sea. When Diocletian heard this, he became angry and
decided to go himself to this church and destroy it. The Lord bore no longer
with him to do what he had determined to do and He smote him with blindness
and the men of his kingdom rose up against him. The Lord took the kingdom
away from
him and placed Constantine, a righteous Emperor, in his place. Emperor
Constantine closed pagan temples and opened the churches. The churches
and the universe rejoiced, especially the church of the great martyr, the
star of the morning, St. George.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all, and Glory be to God
forver. 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 65 : 10 - 11
| 10 | You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth. |
| 11 | You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance. |
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 8 : 4 - 15
| 4 | And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: |
| 5 | "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. |
| 6 | Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. |
| 7 | And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. |
| 8 | But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" |
| 9 | Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?" |
| 10 | And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that "Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.' |
| 11 | "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. |
| 12 | Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. |
| 13 | But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. |
| 14 | Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. |
| 15 | But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. |
Glory be to God forever.
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