Readings for Tuesday 17 June 2025
10 Baunah 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 4 : 3,6,7
| 3 | But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him. |
| 6 | There are many who say, "Who will show us any good?" LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. |
| 7 | You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. |
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 10 : 24 - 33
| 24 | "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. |
| 25 | It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! |
| 26 | Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. |
| 27 | "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. |
| 28 | And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. |
| 29 | Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. |
| 30 | But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. |
| 31 | Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. |
| 32 | "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. |
| 33 | But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. |
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 113 : 1 - 2
| 1 | Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, Praise the name of the LORD! |
| 2 | Blessed be the name of the LORD From this time forth and forevermore! |
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 8:34-38 Mark 9:1
| 34 | When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. |
| 35 | For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. |
| 36 | For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? |
| 37 | Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? |
| 38 | For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." |
| 1 | And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power." |
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 Romans.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
Romans 8 : 14 - 27
| 14 | For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. |
| 15 | For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." |
| 16 | The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, |
| 17 | and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. |
| 18 | For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. |
| 19 | For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. |
| 20 | For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; |
| 21 | because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. |
| 22 | For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. |
| 23 | Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. |
| 24 | For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? |
| 25 | But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. |
| 26 | Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. |
| 27 | Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. Peter . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
1 Peter 2 : 11 - 17
| 11 | Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, |
| 12 | having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. |
| 13 | Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, |
| 14 | or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. |
| 15 | For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men-- |
| 16 | as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. |
| 17 | Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. |
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 19 : 11 - 20
| 11 | Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, |
| 12 | so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. |
| 13 | Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches." |
| 14 | Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. |
| 15 | And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" |
| 16 | Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. |
| 17 | This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. |
| 18 | And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. |
| 19 | Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. |
| 20 | So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. |
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 10 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Baunah.
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 Tenth of the Blessed Month of Baunah
Martyrdom of St.Dabamon
On this day, St. Dabamon,
was martyred. A man named "Warshenoufa" (Ouarshenoufa) was called upon
to be a bishop, but he fled to "kahmoun" (Tahmoun), diocese of Bana. There,
he found a lodging with two brothers called Dabamon (Eudaeman) and Bastamon
(Episteman). That night, the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said,
"Why are you asleep while the fight is on, and the crowns are prepared?
Arise and go to the governor and confess Christ to receive the crown of
martyrdom." When he rose up, he told the two brothers about his vision.
They all agreed to receiving the crowns. They went to the governor and
professed the Name of the Lord Christ before him. The Governor tortured
them, and put them in prison. Then, he took them with him from Benchileel
to Sanhour. He asked them to raise incense for the idols, but they refused.
The Governor tortured them again and the Lord sent his angel to comfort
them. Then he took them to Sa, where the priest of the idols told the governor
that a woman named Dabamon from Degwah had cursed the gods. She was a righteous
and charitable woman who had a daughter named Youna. They weaved fabrics
and painted beautiful drawings on them. They sold it and gave whatever
was left as alms. The governor sent an executioner named Eulogi. When he
saw her righteousness and her good nature, he refrained from killing her,
and took her with him to the governor. There she met St. Warshenoufa and
his two companions. The governor tortured her excessively and ordered to
squeeze her with the press. The Lord strengthened her and raised her whole
again. Meanwhile, Eulogi, the executioner that brought her, professed the
Lord Christ. He was beheaded, and received the crown of martyrdom. The
governor also ordered Dabamon to be beheaded outside the city. They took
her out, and the women were around her weeping, but she was rejoicing.
They cut her head off and she received the crown of martyrdom.
May her prayers be with us. Amen.
Commemoration of the Closing of the Pagan
Temples and Opening of the Churches
On this day also, of the
year 312 A.D., the righteous Emperor Constantine the great, issued his
Edict to close all the pagan temples, and open all the churches throughout
the whole Roman Empire. The news of the Edict arrived to Alexandria on
this day, and all the people rejoiced exceedingly along with the heavenly
hosts. All the Christians made this day a great feast day. This was at
the beginning of the enthronement of Pope Alexandros the first, the 19th
Patriarch of Alexandria.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.Yoannis the 16th, the
103rd Pope of Alexandria
Today also, of the year
1434 A.M. (June 15, 1718 A.D.), Pope Yoannis the Sixteenth, the 103rd Patriarch
of Alexandria, departed. This Pope was known by the name "Yoannis El-Tokhi".
His parents were Christians from Tokh El-Nasara, the diocese of El-Menoufia.
They brought their son, whose name was Ibrahim, with the best of care.
They provided him with the best of education. God blessed him from his
youth, thus he grew up in virtue and in a chaste life. When his father
departed, he forsake the world and desired the monastic life. He went to
the monastery of St. Antony in the wilderness of Araba, and became a monk
there. He put on the garb of the monk and attired with the holy Eskeem.
When he showed his dedication in worship and asceticism, the fathers the
monks chose him to be a priest. Pope Mattheos, the Fourth, ordained him
a priest for the monastery, in the church of the Virgin Lady in Haret Zeewailah.
He became more righteous in his new priestly rank, and increased his worship,
until his godliness, humility and meekness became well known. When Pope
Mattheos departed, the bishops, priests and lay leaders, met to choose
a good shepherd. They elected a number of priests and monks, among whom
was this father. They casted an altar lot after they had celebrated the
holy liturgy for three consecutive days, asking God to guide them to the
one who is fit to shepherd His people. When the lot was made, it fell on
this father. They knew and realized that God had chosen him for this office.
He was ordained on Sunday, the ninth of Baramhat, 1392 A.M. (May 5th, 1676
A.D.). He was called Yoannis the 16th. The celebration of his enthronement
was splendid and the joy prevailed everywhere in Egypt.
He gave his attention to
the restoration of the monasteries and the churches. He restored the holy
places in Jerusalem and paid off its debts. He renovated many churches
and monasteries which he consecrated by his blessed hands. He gave special
attention to the monastery of St. Paul, the first hermit, in mount Nemra.
The monastery was desolate for a period of more than one hundred years.
He opened it, restored it, reestablished the monastic life in it, and made
it better than before. He prepared books, veils, altar accessories, and
relics of saints for it, and consecrated it himself. He ordained many priests,
deacons and monks for it on Sunday the 19th of Bashans, 1421 A.M. (May
25, 1705 A.D.). He visited the monastery of the great St. Antony, the father
of the monks, in mount El-Kalzam, four times: the first was in the month
of Kiyahk, 1395 A.M. (1678 A.D.), accompanied by the head of the monastery,
and some monks. The second was in the 20th of Baramouda, 1411 A.M. (1695
A.D.) at the end of the holy fast. He was accompanied by Fr. John the Virgin,
the priest of the church of the Virgin in Haret El-Room and the honorable
deacon El-Moallem Girgis El-Toukhy Abu Mansour, and El-Moallem Soliman
El-Sarraf El-Shenrawi. The third time was in Misra 1417 A.M. (1701 A.D.),
and the fourth time was in 1421 A.M. (1705 A.D.) to consecrate the monastery
of St. Paul.
In the blessed month of
Abib, 1417 A.M., a great tribulation befell the Orthodox Christians of
Egypt, during the reign of the governor Mohammed Pasha. An accusation had
reached him that the Coptic Christians had built new buildings in their
churches. The Governor appointed an Agha, architects, and judges to go
and investigate the accusation. They came back with the evidence that there
were many new constructions in the churches. However, God did not forsake
His people by the prayers of this godly Pope. Many honorable people in
Egypt went to the Governor to intercede on behalf of the Christians. The
Governor ordered that a fine be paid as a penalty. The Pope met with the
lay leaders El-Moallem Youhanna Abu Masri, El-Moallem Girgis Abu Mansour,
and El-Moallem Ibrahim Abu Awad. They agreed unanimously that the Pope
would visit the Christians in their homes, and collect what needed to be
collected. The penalty was collected and paid to the Governor. The lay
leaders were able to pay it back to the people and every one rejoiced.
The churches were opened, and there was peace. The Pope took it hard going
to the homes of the believers asking for money, so he went to the monastery
of St. Antony on the 7th of the month of Misra, 1417 A.M. for a retreat.
In 1419 A.M., the Pope desired
to make the Holy Oil (Myron). The Lord answered his request, and moved
the heart of a Christian, the great lay leader, El-Moallem Girgis Abu Mansour,
the administrator of the churches of El-Muallakah and Haret El-Roum. He
was charitable to the poor and the needy, cared for the places of the saints
and martyrs. He participated in every good deed with the Pope. He prepared
what was needed (oil, spices, perfumes), and the Holy Myron was cooked
and consecrated by the Pope in the Church of the Virgin in Haret El-Roum.
The Myron had not been made for a period of two hundred and forty seven
years, during which, 18 Popes sat on the throne of St. Mark. He was also
the first to build the Patriarchate residence in Haret El-Roum, and dedicated
properties and revenue for it. In 1425 A.M. (1709 A.D.), this Pope visited
Jerusalem, with some of the bishops, many archpriests, priests, and laymen.
The honored deacon El-Moallem Girgis Abu Mansour El-Toukhy, paid all the
expenses of this trip. He also paid all the expenses for the renovation
of the church of the Virgin known as El-Muallakah in Old Cairo. The Pope
visited the churches, and monasteries. He also visited St. Mark church
in Alexandria. He traveled everywhere in both Lower and Upper Egypt. In
his time, he allowed the Holy Elements (the Body and the Blood of Christ)
to be taken to the sick and those who could not come to the church. This
Pope was loved by everyone, and he was honored and respected for his humility,
meekness, and his love for the poor. His door was always open to everyone
who would call upon him. The days of his papacy were quiet. The Lord was
with him, and delivered him from all his sorrows. He accepted his prayers
and supplications and he lived to a good old age. When he completed his
course, he became sick for a short time. Then he departed in peace, with
his friend the honorable lay leader Girgis Abu Mansour within one week.
Many mourned him, and the bishops, the priests, and the lay leaders attended
the prayers on his body. They carried him with great honor, and placed
the body in the tomb of the Patriarchs in the church of St. Mercurius Abu
Saifain in Old Cairo, in the 10th of Baunah, 1434 A.M., after he had been
on the throne of St. Mark for forty two years and three months.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Enthronement of Pope Demitrius the Second,
the 111th Patriarch of Alexandria
On this day also, of the
year 1578 A.M. (15th of June, 1862 A.D.), is the commemoration of the enthronement
of Pope Demitrius the second, the 111th Patriarch. This father was born
in the village of Galda, the governorate of El-Menia. He became a monk
in the monastery of St. Macarius. When the abbot of the monastery departed,
he was chosen to become the new abbot. He did well in managing the monastery.
For his good virtues, he was ordained a Pope to succeed the great Pope
Abba Kyrillos the fourth, the 110th Patriarch. He completed the construction
of St. Mark Cathedral, built many buildings in the patriarchate, and in
his monastery in the area of Atrees. In 1869 A.D., he attended the celebration
for the opening of the Suez Canal, and met many kings. He was well respected
by Sultan Abdel-Aziz. When this Pope came before him to greet him, the
Pope kissed the sultan on his chest. The Sultan was troubled, and the guards
asked the Pope why he did that. The Pope said, "The book of God says: 'The
king's heart in the hand of the Lord'
(Proverbs 21:1), when I kissed his
heart, I have kissed the hand of God." The Sultan was pleased with his
answer, and gave him many farm lands to help the poor and the schools.
The Pope traveled on a governmental boat to visit the churches in Upper
Egypt. He regained those who were lost and strengthened the faithful. After
he had completed in the papacy seven years, seven months, and seven days,
he departed in peace on the eve of Epiphany, the 11th of Tubah, 1586 A.M. (Jan. 18th, 1870
A.D.).
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to 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 66 : 12 - 14
| 12 | You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment. |
| 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. |
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 21 : 12 - 19
| 12 | But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. |
| 13 | But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. |
| 14 | Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; |
| 15 | for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. |
| 16 | You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. |
| 17 | And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. |
| 18 | But not a hair of your head shall be lost. |
| 19 | By your patience possess your souls. |
Glory be to God forever.
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