Readings for Sunday 2 November 2025
23 Babah 1742
Fourth Sunday of Babah
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 119 : 7 - 8
| 7 | I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments. |
| 8 | I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly! |
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 14 : 22 - 36
| 22 | Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. |
| 23 | And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. |
| 24 | But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. |
| 25 | Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. |
| 26 | And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. |
| 27 | But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." |
| 28 | And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." |
| 29 | So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. |
| 30 | But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" |
| 31 | And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" |
| 32 | And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. |
| 33 | Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." |
| 34 | When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. |
| 35 | And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, |
| 36 | and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. |
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 35 : 18,28
| 18 | I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people. |
| 28 | And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long. |
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 20 : 1 - 18
| 1 | Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. |
| 2 | Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." |
| 3 | Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. |
| 4 | So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. |
| 5 | And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. |
| 6 | Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, |
| 7 | and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. |
| 8 | Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. |
| 9 | For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. |
| 10 | Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. |
| 11 | But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. |
| 12 | And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. |
| 13 | Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." |
| 14 | Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. |
| 15 | Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." |
| 16 | Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). |
| 17 | Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."' |
| 18 | Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. |
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 Timothy.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
1 Timothy 6 : 3 - 21
| 3 | If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, |
| 4 | he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, |
| 5 | useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. |
| 6 | Now godliness with contentment is great gain. |
| 7 | For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. |
| 8 | And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. |
| 9 | But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. |
| 10 | For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. |
| 11 | But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. |
| 12 | Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. |
| 13 | I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, |
| 14 | that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, |
| 15 | which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, |
| 16 | who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. |
| 17 | Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. |
| 18 | Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, |
| 19 | storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. |
| 20 | O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge-- |
| 21 | by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. |
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 4:17 James 5:1-11
| 17 | Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. |
| 1 | Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! |
| 2 | Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. |
| 3 | Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. |
| 4 | Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. |
| 5 | You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. |
| 6 | You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. |
| 7 | Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. |
| 8 | You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. |
| 9 | Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! |
| 10 | My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. |
| 11 | Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. |
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 15:1-36 Acts 16:1-5
| 1 | And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." |
| 2 | Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. |
| 3 | So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. |
| 4 | And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. |
| 5 | But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." |
| 6 | Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. |
| 7 | And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. |
| 8 | So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, |
| 9 | and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. |
| 10 | Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? |
| 11 | But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they." |
| 12 | Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. |
| 13 | And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me: |
| 14 | Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. |
| 15 | And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: |
| 16 | 'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; |
| 17 | So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD. Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.' |
| 18 | "Known to God from eternity are all His works. |
| 19 | Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, |
| 20 | but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. |
| 21 | For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath." |
| 22 | Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. |
| 23 | They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. |
| 24 | Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, "You must be circumcised and keep the law"--to whom we gave no such commandment-- |
| 25 | it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, |
| 26 | men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 27 | We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. |
| 28 | For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: |
| 29 | that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell. |
| 30 | So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. |
| 31 | When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. |
| 32 | Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. |
| 33 | And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles. |
| 34 | However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. |
| 35 | Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. |
| 36 | Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing." |
| 1 | Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. |
| 2 | He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. |
| 3 | Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. |
| 4 | And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. |
| 5 | So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily. |
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 23 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Babah.
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-Third Day of the Blessed Month of Babah
Departure of St.Yusab the Fifty-Second
Pope of Alexandria
On
this day of the year 841 A.D., the holy father Abba Yusab, fifty-second
Pope of Alexandria, departed. He was the son of one of the rich nobles
of Menuf. When his parents departed and left him, certain believers raised
him. When he grew up he gave most of his money as alms, then went to the
desert of St. Macarius and became monk with a holy old man. When Abba Marcus
the Second became the forty-ninth Pope of Alexandria and heard about Yusab's
conduct, he called him. When Yusab wished to go back to the desert, Abba
Marcus ordained him a priest and sent him back. He stayed in the desert
for a period of time till the departure of Abba Simon the Second, fifty-first
Pope. The papal throne remained unoccupied until some of the bishops agreed
with some of the laymen of Alexandria to choose a married man who had bribed
them. When the rest of the bishops knew that, they detested their action
and prayed to God to guide them to whom He choose. The Lord guided them
to Abba Yusab and they remembered his good conduct and management while
he was with the father Abba Marcus. They sent some of the bishops to bring
him. They prayed to God saying, "We beseech Thee, 0 Lord, if Thou have
chosen this father for this honor, let the sign be that we find his door
open upon our arrival." When they arrived they found his door open, for
he was bidding farewell to some visiting monks. When he was about to close
his door, he saw them coming, so he received them with joy and welcomed
them to his cell. When they entered, they seized him and told him, "Axios"
(i.e He is worthy). He cried out and wept. He started to reveal to them
his shortcomings and sins. But they did not accept his excuses and they
took him to Alexandria and placed their hands over him.
When he sat upon the throne
of St. Mark, he greatly cared for the churches. He bought, with what remained
of his own income, properties and bestowed them on the churches. He continually
taught the people and did not neglect any of them. However, Satan became
envious and brought much sorrow upon him. The bishops of Tanes and Misor
(Cairo), angered the people of their parishes (because of the matter of
dues). Abba Yousab condemned their actions and asked them often to be merciful
to their flocks, but they would not accept his behest. Their flocks cried
out to him saying, "If you force us to obey them, we shall turn to another
denomination." He exerted a great effort to reconcile between them, but
it was in vain. He called the bishops from their parishes and told them
about these two bishops and repudiated their works. The bishops excommunicated
them. When they were excommunicated, they went to the Governor in Cairo
and brought a false accusation against this father. The Governor sent his
brother, the Prince, with some soldiers to bring the Patriarch to him.
When they came to the Patriarch, the Governor's brother drew his sword
to kill him. But the Lord thrust aside his hand and the sword struck a
pillar and was broken. The Prince became furiously angry, so he drew his
dagger and drove it with all his might into the side of this father. The
dagger did not do any harm to him other than cutting his apparel, and it
did not reach his flesh. The Prince realized that the Patriarch had divine
grace, and heavenly protection guarded him from being slain. He respected
him and brought him to his brother and told him about what had happened.
The Governor also respected and feared him. The Governor asked the Patriarch
about the accusation that was made against him. The Patriarch proved to
him the falsehoods of these accusations and informed him about the matter
of the two bishops. The Governor was convinced and honored the Patriarch
and ordered that no one should disobey him in any ordination or removal
of any bishops or in any other work concerning the church. He continually
preached to the sinners and admonished the disobedient, establishing the
people in the Orthodox faith which he had received from his fathers. He
interpreted to them what was hard for them to understand, guarding them
with his teachings and prayers. God made manifest great signs and wonders
through this holy father. Having finished this pleasing life to God, he
departed in peace after having sat on the throne of St.Mark nineteen years
and having been a monk for thirty-nine years, before which he had lived
about twenty years.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Dionysius the Bishop
On
this day also is the commemoration of the martyrdom of St. Dionysius, bishop
of Corinth, who became a martyr in the days of Diocletian and Maximianus.
He endured many severe tortures for the sake of his faith in Jesus, to
Whom is the Glory, until finally they cut off his neck, and he received
the crown of eternal glory.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all, 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 79 : 13
| 13 | So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, Will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your praise to all generations. |
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 7 : 11 - 17
| 11 | Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. |
| 12 | And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. |
| 13 | When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." |
| 14 | Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." |
| 15 | So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. |
| 16 | Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people." |
| 17 | And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region. |
Glory be to God forever.
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