Readings for Sunday 2 October 2022
22 Tut 1739
Fourth Sunday of Tut
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 33 : 4 - 5
| 4 | For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth. |
| 5 | He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. |
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 9 : 18 - 26
| 18 | While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live." |
| 19 | So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. |
| 20 | And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. |
| 21 | For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." |
| 22 | But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. |
| 23 | When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, |
| 24 | He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. |
| 25 | But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. |
| 26 | And the report of this went out into all that land. |
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 33 : 20 - 21
| 20 | Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. |
| 21 | For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. |
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 15 : 21 - 28
| 21 | Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. |
| 22 | And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." |
| 23 | But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." |
| 24 | But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." |
| 25 | Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" |
| 26 | But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." |
| 27 | And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." |
| 28 | Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. |
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 1 : 1 - 14
| 1 | Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: |
| 2 | Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 3 | Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, |
| 4 | who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. |
| 5 | For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. |
| 6 | Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. |
| 7 | And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation. |
| 8 | For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. |
| 9 | Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, |
| 10 | who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, |
| 11 | you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many. |
| 12 | For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. |
| 13 | For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end |
| 14 | (as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. John . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
1 John 3 : 8 - 12
| 8 | He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. |
| 9 | Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. |
| 10 | In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. |
| 11 | For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, |
| 12 | not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. |
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 9 : 36 - 42
| 36 | At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. |
| 37 | But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. |
| 38 | And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. |
| 39 | Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. |
| 40 | But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. |
| 41 | Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. |
| 42 | And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on 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 22 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Tut.
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-Second Day of the Blessed Month of Tut
Martyrdom of Saints Kobtlas and Aksu,
his Sister, and Tatos, his Friend.
On
this day was the martyrdom of Saints Kobtlas and his sister, Aksu, the
children of Sapor the King of Persia and Kobtlas' friend, Tatos. Safor
was a worshipper of fire and of the sun. He inflicted many tortures on
the believers, and no man throughout the country dared to mention the Name
of Christ. His Son, Kobtlas, had a friend named Tatos who was a ruler over
the country of Maydasayeen. Certain people laid an accusation against him
that he was a Christian. The king sent a governor named Tumakher to find
out the truth about what was said and if it was true, to torture him. When
Kobtlas the son of the king, heard that, he too went to that country to
his friend Tatos. When the governor arrived and found that he was a Christian,
he ordered his men to cast him in a furnace. St.Tatos made the sign of
the Cross over the fire and the fire died out. Kobtlas marvelled and asked
him, "How did you learn this magic, O my brother?" He replied, "This is
not magic, but it is through faith in the Lord Christ." Kobtlas asked,
"If I believed, would I be able to do this?" Tatos answered him that with
faith you can do more than this. Kobtlas, the son of the king, believed
in the Lord Christ, then drew near the fire and made the sign of the Cross
over it, and the fire backed a distance of twelve cubits. The governor
sent to the king to inform him what had happened, and the king had them
brought to him. He ordered his men to cut off the head of Tatos who thus
received the crown of martyrdom. But his son, Kobtlas, was tortured by
him in different ways. He delivered him to the warden to torture him. He
cast them in prison and sent for his sister Aksu, so she might persuade
him to return to his father's belief. Saint Kobtlas preached to her and
turned her heart to the belief in the Lord Christ, then he sent her to
a priest who baptized her secretly. She returned to her father saying it
would be a good thing if he had what she and her brother had, for there
is no other but Jesus Christ. The king became angry and commanded to torture
her, and they did so, until she yielded up her soul in the hand of the
Lord Christ.
Then they tied Kobtlas
to the tails of horses and dragged him over the mountains until he yielded
up his spirit and then they cut his body and they cast it out for the birds
of heaven to consume it. When the soldiers departed, the Lord commanded
saintly priests and deacons to bury Kobtlas, and they went secretly at
night and took the holy body which was shining as snow. They hid it in
a place until the end of the days of persecution.
May their intercession be for us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Julius El-Akfehas, the
Writer of the Biography of Martyrs
On
this day also was the martyrdom of St.Julius El-Akfehas, the writer of
the biography of the martyrs. The Lord Christ set him up to care for the
bodies of the holy martyrs, to shroud them and to send them to their homes.
The Lord brought blindness into the hearts of the governors, and no one
objected to him. They never forced him to worship idols. The Lord protected
him to care for the martyrs. He used three hundred young men for this purpose.
They wrote the biography of the holy martyrs and sent it to their homes.
But Julius used to minister to the holy martyrs by himself and dress their
wounds. The martyrs blessed him, saying, "You must shed your blood in the
Name of our Lord Christ, so you can be counted among the martyrs."
When the reign
of Diocletian the infidel came to an end, Constantine the righteous reigned.
The Lord Christ wished to fulfill what the saints had prophesied about
him to be counted among the martyrs. The Lord commanded him to go to Arkanius,
the governor of Samanoud, and to confess the Lord Christ. He went there
where the governor tortured him many times, but the Lord strengthened him.
When the governor ordered to bring him to worship the idols, this saint
prayed and the earth opened and swallowed up the seventy idols and the
one hundred and forty priests who were serving them. When the governor
beheld the destruction of his idols and their priests, he believed in the
Lord Christ. The governor went with the Saint to the governor of Athribis
who tortured Saint Julius with great severity, but the Lord Christ strengthened
him.
One day there
was to be a festival for the idols and they decorated the temple with ornaments
and lamps and with palm branches. They closed the gates till the following
day to start celebrating the festival. The saint asked the Lord to blot
out their idols and the Lord sent his angel who but the heads of the idols
and blackened their faces with ashes and burnt up all the palms, and all
the idols in the temple. On the following morning when the people came
dressed to celebrate the feast and saw what had happened to their gods,
they recognized their weakness. The governor of Athribis and a large number
of people believed in the Lord Christ. From there, the Saint went to the
city of Towa and with him were the governor of Samanoud and the governor
of Athribis, and they met with Iskandros its governor. First he refrained
from torturing them, but later he ordered his men to cut off their heads.
Julius and his two sons, Tadros and Yunias, his slaves, and the governors
of Samanoud and Athribis and a great many people were martyred. They numbered
fifteen hundred. They took his body with the bodies of his sons to Alexandria
for it was there that they used to live.
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 28 : 8 - 9
| 8 | The LORD is their strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed. |
| 9 | Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever. |
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 : 36 - 50
| 36 | Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. |
| 37 | And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, |
| 38 | and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. |
| 39 | Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." |
| 40 | And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it." |
| 41 | "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. |
| 42 | And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" |
| 43 | Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." |
| 44 | Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. |
| 45 | You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. |
| 46 | You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. |
| 47 | Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." |
| 48 | Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." |
| 49 | And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" |
| 50 | Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." |
Glory be to God forever.
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