9 Bashans 1740
Readings for Friday of second of of the Holy Fifty Days
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 16 : 9
| 9 | Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. |
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 17 : 14 - 18
| 14 | And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, |
| 15 | "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. |
| 16 | So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him." |
| 17 | Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." |
| 18 | And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. |
Glory be to God forever.
Matins Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 16 : 10 - 11
| 10 | For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. |
| 11 | You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures 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 Matthew the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Matthew 16 : 21 - 23
| 21 | From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. |
| 22 | Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" |
| 23 | But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." |
Glory be to God forever.
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 1 : 19 - 21
| 19 | because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. |
| 20 | For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, |
| 21 | because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. John . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
1 John 2 : 11 - 14
| 11 | But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. |
| 12 | I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. |
| 13 | I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. |
| 14 | I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one. |
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.
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us. Amen.
Acts 4 : 19 - 21
| 19 | But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. |
| 20 | For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." |
| 21 | So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God. 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 9 : 10 - 11
| 10 | And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. |
| 11 | Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people. |
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 : 54 - 58
| 54 | Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. |
| 55 | For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. |
| 56 | He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. |
| 57 | As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. |
| 58 | This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." |
Glory be to God forever.
Not to be read in the Church during this time of the year.
Synaxarium
Day 9 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Bashans.
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 Bashans
Departure of St.Helena, The Empress
On this day of 327 A.D.,
St. Helena the Empress, departed. She was born in the city of Raha (Edessa)
for Christian parents about the year 247 A.D. They brought her up in a
Christian manner, taught her the doctrine of the church and the religious
ethics. She was very beautiful. When Emperor Constantius the First, Emperor
of Byzantium, came to the city of Raha, and heard about this Saint, he
sought her out and married her. She gave birth to Constantine who became
the first Christian Emperor. She raised him up well, and taught him philosophy,
wisdom and knighthood. During the reign of her son, she saw a vision at
night as if one said to her: "Go to Jerusalem and search carefully for
the Honorable Cross and the Holy places." When she informed her son about
this, he sent her with many soldiers to Jerusalem. She searched for the
wood of the Honorable Cross until she found it along with the other two
crosses whereon the two thieves were crucified. She wanted to know which
was the cross of the Lord Christ. St. Macarius, bishop of Jerusalem, told
her that it was the cross that was written on the top of it: "This is Jesus,
king of the Jews." She asked him that she wished to see a miracle to make
sure that it was the cross of the Lord. By the Will of God, a procession
of a dead man was passing by at that time. She placed the other two crosses
on the body of the dead man, but he did not rise. When she placed the third
cross, straightway the dead rose up. Her faith increased and her joy multiplied.
She built many churches as it is written under the 17th. day of the month
of Tut. She gave the needed money to build the churches to St.Macarius,
she took the honorable Cross and the nails and returned to her righteous
son Emperor Constantine. He kissed the Cross and placed it in a case made
of gold and decorated with precious stones, and placed some of the nails
in his helmet. St. Helena led a righteous life, and she endowed many endowments
for the churches, monasteries and the poor. She departed at age of eighty.
May Her prayers be with us all. Amen.
Departure of Pope Yoannis the Eleventh, the 89th Patriarch of Alexandria
On this day also of the year 1168 A.M. (May 4th., 1452 A.D.) Pope Yoannis the eleventh, the 89th. Patriarch of Alexandria, departed. He was known as Yoannis El-Maksi for he was from El-Maksa in Cairo. His name was Farag before his ordination. He was enthroned Patriarch on the 16th. of Bashans, 1143 A.M. (May 11th., 1427 A.D.). He sat on the throne of St. Mark for 24 years, 11 month, and 23 days. His residence was in the patriarchal cell in Haret Zewala. When he departed, he was buried in the tomb of the monastery of El-Khandak. The Chair remained unoccupied after his departure, for four month and six days. He was contemporary to the rulers El-Ashraf, El-Aziz, El-Zaher, and El-Mansour. He encountered many hardships that required the intervention of the kings of Ethiopia who threatened the Egyptian government to cut the flow of the Nile because of the persecution of El-Nasara (The Copts, the Nazarenes). The Patriarch was forbidden to communicate with the kings of Ethiopia and Nubia without the permission and knowledge of the rulers of the government.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.Gabriel the Eighth, the 97th Patriarch of Alexandria
On this day also of the year 1319 A.M. (May 14th., 1603 A.D.), Pope Gabriel the eighth, the 97th. Patriarch of Alexandria, departed during the reign of Sultan Ahmad the first, the Ottoman. He was from Meer, and became a monk in Anba Bishoy monastery in the wilderness of Sheahat (Scetis). His name was Shenouda, and was ordained Patriarch on sunday the 16th. of Baunah 1303 A.M. (June 20th., 1587 A.D.). The enthronement celebration was headed by Anba Zacharias, Bishop of Jerusalem, and Anba Kyrellos El-Khiami, in the church of St. Mercurius in Old Cairo. At the time of his ordination, the Copts were divided, and they chose for themselves four patriarchs, and they deposed him. He returned later on to his Chair at the time of Sultan Mourad the third, the Ottoman and his papacy was confirmed. It came to pass (As was written in a document in St. Antonios monastery) that he decreed that the fast of the Apostles must start on the 21st. of Baunah until the 5th. of Abib, and that there should be no fasting during the three days of Nineva, the Advent fast should start on the first of Kiyahk, and that the fast of the Virgin be left optional. All the Copts at that time approved what he had decreed. However, after his departure, they returned back to the old tradition of fasting. He departed in the monastery of the Virgin Mary known as El-Sourian, after he had been on the throne of St. Mark for fifteen years, ten month, and twenty four days.
May his prayers be with us and glory be to God forever. Amen.
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