Readings for Tuesday 2 June 2026
25 Bashans 1742
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 : 34,39
| 34 | He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. |
| 39 | For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. |
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 8 : 5 - 13
| 5 | Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, |
| 6 | saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." |
| 7 | And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." |
| 8 | The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. |
| 9 | For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, "Go,' and he goes; and to another, "Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, "Do this,' and he does it." |
| 10 | When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! |
| 11 | And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. |
| 12 | But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." |
| 13 | Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. |
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 68 : 35,3
| 35 | O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God! |
| 3 | But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. |
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 12 : 4 - 12
| 4 | "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. |
| 5 | But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! |
| 6 | "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. |
| 7 | But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. |
| 8 | "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. |
| 9 | But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. |
| 10 | "And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. |
| 11 | "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. |
| 12 | For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." |
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 10 : 1 - 18
| 1 | Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. |
| 2 | But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. |
| 3 | For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. |
| 4 | For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, |
| 5 | casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, |
| 6 | and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. |
| 7 | Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ's, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ's, even so we are Christ's. |
| 8 | For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed-- |
| 9 | lest I seem to terrify you by letters. |
| 10 | "For his letters," they say, "are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." |
| 11 | Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present. |
| 12 | For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. |
| 13 | We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us--a sphere which especially includes you. |
| 14 | For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; |
| 15 | not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men's labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, |
| 16 | to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's sphere of accomplishment. |
| 17 | But "he who glories, let him glory in the LORD." |
| 18 | For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends. |
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 4 : 1 - 11
| 1 | Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, |
| 2 | that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. |
| 3 | For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles--when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. |
| 4 | In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. |
| 5 | They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. |
| 6 | For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. |
| 7 | But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. |
| 8 | And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins." |
| 9 | Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. |
| 10 | As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. |
| 11 | If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. |
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 12:25 Acts 13:1-12
| 25 | And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark. |
| 1 | Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. |
| 2 | As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." |
| 3 | Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. |
| 4 | So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. |
| 5 | And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant. |
| 6 | Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, |
| 7 | who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. |
| 8 | But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. |
| 9 | Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him |
| 10 | and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? |
| 11 | And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. |
| 12 | Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. |
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 25 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 Twenty-Fifth Day of the Blessed Month of Bashans
Martyrdom of St.Colluthus of Antinoe
(Known as Abu Colta)
On this day, St. Colluthus of Antinoe was martyred.
He was the son of God fearing parents. His father was a governor over Antinoe.
He was praying to the Lord Jesus to give him a son, and God gave him this
saint. He taught him the Christian principles and the church doctrine.
He was pure from his youth. His father wanted him to get married, but he
did not accept. However, his sister was married to Arianus who became the
governor after her father. When the Saint's parents departed, he built
a hostel for the strangers. He also studied medicine and practiced it to
cure the sick without charging them money. When Diocletian apostatized,
Arianus the governor followed him to keep his position, and started to
persecute Christians. Then St. Colluthus rebuked him for forsaking the
worship of the True God, and the Saint cursed the idols of the Emperor.
Arianus did not hurt him for the sake of his sister, but he sent him to
the governor of El-Bahnasa, where he was in prison for three years. His
sister meditated for his release until another governor took over who threatened
the saint and tortured him. The angel of the lord came to him to comfort
and strengthen him. At last, the governor cut off his head, and he was
granted the crown of Martyrdom. His family prepared his body for burial
and kept him in a place until the end of the persecution, when they built
a church for him. Many miracles appeared from his body. The saint has a
church from antiquity in "Refa" near Assuit. A memorial is celebrated every
year on the day of his martyrdom. The visitors who come are blessed by
the saint and his intercessions, For they are healed from their sicknesses.
It is worth it to mention that this church contains a stone which has a
great influence to keep scorpions away until this day.
May his prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of the most honored Layman
Ibrahim El-Gohari
On this day also of the year 1511
A.M. (1795 A.D.), the great layman Ibrahim El-Gohari, departed. He was
born in the eighteenth century, and his parents were poor. His fathers
name was Yousef El-Gohari whose trade was making clothing in Kalube. They
taught him writing and arithmetic, and he excelled in them. He used to
trans-scribe the religion books, and distribute them to the church at his
own expense. He brought the books to Pope John (Youhanna) the Eighteenth,
and 107th patriarch of Alexandria Who was enthroned from 1486-1512 A.M.
(1769-1796 A.D.) The many books presented to the church by Ibrahim El-Gohari
got the attention of the pope, together with the high cost of transcribing
the books and binding them. The pope asked Ibrahim about his resource,
and Ibrahim revealed to them his zealously and his godly life. The pope
blessed him saying:"may the lord uplift your name and bless your work,
and keep your memory forever." The relation between Ibrahim El-Gohari and
the pope became stronger from that time. When he started to work, Ibrahim
was a scribe to one of the mamalik- The pope mediated with Moalem Rizk
the chief scribe, and he took him as his private scribe. He continued in
his position until the end of Ali Bek El-Kebir when Mohammed Abu- El-Daheb
became the governor, and Ibrahim El-Gohari became the chief scribe of all
of egypt, a position which is equal to prime minister today.
Ibrahim El-Gohari became
more humble, generous, and charitable. He attracted to him the hearts of
all the people. Ibrahim then married a righteous woman who shared with
him his good nature and character. She helped him in his charitable deeds,
and encouraged him to build and maintain churches. A son was born to them
whom they called joseph, and a daughter whom they called Demiana. They
lived in a place called "Kantaret-ElDekka". When his son grew up, his father
prepared for him a private home furnished with the best of furniture, and
prepared for his wedding day. But God chose that his son be with him before
his marriage, and Ibrahim was greatly grieved. He then closed the home,
and it remained closed. The death of his son was the most shocking event
in his life, but his desire to help the widows, the orphans and the poor
intensely increased. Everyone was so astonished for his endurance, patience,
and his great control over his disappoint When his wife resented the will
of god, St. Anthony the great appeared to her in a dream, and comforted
her saying,"you must know that god loved your son, and he took him in his
youth, and he loves his father for a reason, to keep his name pure, for
the popularity of his father might have caused his son to shame him and
ruin his reputation. this is a reward from God to your husband for his
godliness and his righteousness. Be comforted, and continue in your good
deeds." St. Anthony also appeared to Ibrahim El-Gohari, and he comforted
him and strengthened his faith. When his wife rose up, and told her husband
about her dream, he told her that he also saw the same dream that same
night. They surrendered their will to god, and they changed their mourning
clothes , and put on regular clothes. Their hearts were filled with comfort,
and continued in their good and charitable deeds. Their Daughter Demiana
also died shortly afterwards and she was a young virgin.
Ibrahim El-Gohari remained
in his office until a coup occurred which forced Ibrahim Bek and Murad
Bek together with Ibrahim El-Gohari to flee to upper egypt. The new Governor
Hasan Qubtan persecuted the copts and forbade them to ride horses with
saddles, and forbade them to use moslems as servants in their homes, and
did not allow them to buy slaves. The Copts responded by hiding in their
homes and not leaving for many days. He also ordered to have an account
of the endowments that Ibrahim El- Gohary's wife hid herself in a moslem
home to which her had made great favors. But some of those who did not
honor his favors, betrayed him by telling his wile was hiding. the governor
forced her to tell him about the places they hied their possessions, and
they confiscated all the silver and gold utensils and their horses saddles,
and sold them for low prices. Some also Guided the governor to the house
of his son which was looked after his death, and they also confiscated
all its contents of furniture, and took them many days to sell them for
they were plenty. The governor was called back to istanbul, and Ibrahim
Bek and Mourad Bek returned to cairo on August 7, 1791 A.D. and Ibrahim
El-Gohari returned to his former position, but he did not continue for
more than four years, and he was loved by everyone. The people called Ibrahim
El-Gohari the "The Sultan of the Copts" as it is indicated on the iconstasis
of one of the churches in the monastery of St. Paula in the eastern desert,
and also in the "Katamares" kept in the same monastery.
The famous historian El-Gabarty
said about him: "He had made Egypt great by his capability which endured
for long time. He was one of the great world statesmen with a great decisive
mind. He treated everyone according to their abilities, and did things
that attracted the hearts and the love of the people to him. In Ramadan,
he used to send gifts to prominent and non-prominent moslems. In his days,
many churches and monasteries were built and maintained, and many endowment
of the best of land were given, with the necessary provisions and salaries.
Anba Yousab the bishop of Girga and Ekhmim said about him: "He was one
of the great people of his day, who was God-loving, giving all his possessions
to the poor, and caring about the construction of churches. He loved all
people of different religions, making peace with all, filling all the needs
of everyone without prejudice." His religious work is as follows: Ibrahim
El-Gohari was famous for his love of the construction of churches and monasteries,
and repairing what was destroyed by the evil hands. Because of his influential
position in the government, and his great favor to the moslem rulers, he
was able to issue regulations (Fatawi) to permit Copts to rebuild the destroyed
churches and monasteries. He also donated many endowment of good land and
money for the reconstruction, that amounted to 238 endowments as documented
in the patriarchate. He was also popular for the trans-scrubbing of rare
books, and giving them as gifts to the churches and monasteries. He was
the first to build St. Mark cathedral in El-Azbakiya. The Copts were not
allowed to build new churches or to repair the old ones, unless they get
permission from the government, which were rarely granted.
One of the princesses came
from Istanboul (Estana) on a pilgrimage to Mecca passing by Egypt, Ibrahim
El-Gohari made everything possible to her comfort during her stay, and
offered her many gifts. She wanted to reward him, and he asked her to get
an order from the Sultan (Faraman) to permit the construction of a church
in El-Azbakiya where he lived, and asked her about some other things needed
by the Copts. The Sultan issued the permit, but he died before the construction
of the church, and his brother Girgis El-Gohari completed it. In order
that the time of prayers be maintained in the church of the Virgin in Haret-Zoweila,
he built a small church after the name of St. Mercurius (Abu-Saifain) beside
it. This allowed him and the government Christian employees to attend the
services and return to their work as the government allowed. He also prepared
the materials for the oil of Chrism (Myroun) from his own money, and his
brother Girgis carried them to the Pope. In 1499 A.M. (1783 A.D.), Ibrahim
El-Gohari built all the northern wall of St. Antonios monastery, and built
a water wheel. He built before that the southern and the western walls
in 1498 A.M. The wall is known until today as El-Gohari's wall. He also
renovated the building of the church of the Virgin in Haret El-Roum in
1508 A.M. (1792 A.D.). He also built the church of Abu Saifain in the monastery
of St. Paula in the Eastern desert, and in the monastery of El-Baramouse,
he built the church of Sts. Apollo and Abib (The church was demolished
in 1881 A.D. to enlarge the church of St. John). He also built palaces
to the Lady Virgin in El-Baramouse and the Syrian monastery. He also built
an extension to the southern end of the monastery of El-Baramouse, with
a wall around it, and the extension was about 2400 square meter.
In summary, he built and
maintained many churches and monasteries. He took care of the monks, and
offered many offerings, candles, oil, veils, and church books to all the
churches of Egypt. He also distributed charities among the poor and the
needy everywhere, and gave them food and clothing. He gave special attention
to widows and the orphans who had no one to help them, and provided monthly
provisions for all their needs. his deeds were made known in his funeral
eulogy by Pope Youannis, the 107th. Patriarch. He departed to his eternal
home on Monday the 25th. of Bashans, 1511 A.M. (May 31st., 1795 A.D.) everyone
grieved his departure including the governor Ibrahim Bek who walked in
his funeral procession to honor him as he had honored him before his death.
Pope Youannis eulogized him for his great love to him. He was buried in
the private tomb that he built for himself beside the church of St. George
in Old Cairo which had an oil lamp that was lit day and night. He died
without leaving a posterity, but his memory lives forever. The society
for the revival of the Coptic churches in Cairo took action to renovate
his tomb in Old Cairo, and it has become a tourist attraction to all those
who have heard about Ibrahim and his brother Girgis El-Gohari. The biography
of his brother Girgis is under the 17th. day of the month of Tut. He departed
on the 17th. of Tut, 1557 A.M. (September 27th., 1810 A.D.)
May Their 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 45 : 3 - 4
| 3 | Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, With Your glory and Your majesty. |
| 4 | And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things. |
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 12 : 9 - 23
| 9 | Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. |
| 10 | And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--that they might accuse Him. |
| 11 | Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? |
| 12 | Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." |
| 13 | Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. |
| 14 | Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. |
| 15 | But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. |
| 16 | Yet He warned them not to make Him known, |
| 17 | that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: |
| 18 | "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. |
| 19 | He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. |
| 20 | A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; |
| 21 | And in His name Gentiles will trust." |
| 22 | Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. |
| 23 | And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" |
Glory be to God forever.
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