9 Bashans 1745
Readings for The Feast of the Ascension
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 68 : 32 - 33
| 32 | Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; Oh, sing praises to the Lord,Selah |
| 33 | To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice. |
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 9 : 51 - 62
| 51 | Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, |
| 52 | and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. |
| 53 | But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. |
| 54 | And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" |
| 55 | But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. |
| 56 | For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village. |
| 57 | Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go." |
| 58 | And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." |
| 59 | Then He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." |
| 60 | Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." |
| 61 | And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." |
| 62 | But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." |
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 68 : 18 - 19
| 18 | You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the LORD God might dwell there. |
| 19 | Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation!Selah |
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 16 : 12 - 20
| 12 | After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. |
| 13 | And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. |
| 14 | Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. |
| 15 | And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. |
| 16 | He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. |
| 17 | And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; |
| 18 | they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." |
| 19 | So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. |
| 20 | And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. |
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 Timothy.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
1 Timothy 3 : 13 - 16
| 13 | For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. |
| 14 | These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; |
| 15 | but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. |
| 16 | And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. Peter . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
1 Peter 3 : 15 - 22
| 15 | But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; |
| 16 | having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. |
| 17 | For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. |
| 18 | For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, |
| 19 | by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, |
| 20 | who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. |
| 21 | There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, |
| 22 | who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. |
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 1 : 1 - 14
| 1 | The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, |
| 2 | until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, |
| 3 | to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. |
| 4 | And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; |
| 5 | for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." |
| 6 | Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" |
| 7 | And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. |
| 8 | But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." |
| 9 | Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. |
| 10 | And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, |
| 11 | who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." |
| 12 | Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey. |
| 13 | And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. |
| 14 | These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. |
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 24 : 7 - 8
| 7 | Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. |
| 8 | Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. |
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 24 : 36 - 53
| 36 | Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you." |
| 37 | But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. |
| 38 | And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? |
| 39 | Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." |
| 40 | When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. |
| 41 | But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?" |
| 42 | So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. |
| 43 | And He took it and ate in their presence. |
| 44 | Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." |
| 45 | And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. |
| 46 | Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, |
| 47 | and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. |
| 48 | And you are witnesses of these things. |
| 49 | Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." |
| 50 | And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. |
| 51 | Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. |
| 52 | And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, |
| 53 | and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen. |
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.
Reference