Readings for Wednesday 21 February 2024
13 Amshir 1740
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 4 : 6 - 8
| 6 | There are many who say, "Who will show us any good?" LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. |
| 7 | You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. |
| 8 | I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. |
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 : 24 - 28
| 24 | Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. |
| 25 | For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. |
| 26 | For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? |
| 27 | For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. |
| 28 | Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." |
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 5 : 11 - 12
| 11 | But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. |
| 12 | For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. |
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 10 : 34 - 42
| 34 | "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. |
| 35 | For I have come to "set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; |
| 36 | and "a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' |
| 37 | He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. |
| 38 | And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. |
| 39 | He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. |
| 40 | "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. |
| 41 | He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. |
| 42 | And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." |
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 Romans.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
Romans 8 : 18 - 30
| 18 | For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. |
| 19 | For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. |
| 20 | For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; |
| 21 | because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. |
| 22 | For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. |
| 23 | Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. |
| 24 | For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? |
| 25 | But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. |
| 26 | Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. |
| 27 | Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. |
| 28 | And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. |
| 29 | For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. |
| 30 | Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. |
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 3 : 8 - 15
| 8 | Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; |
| 9 | not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. |
| 10 | For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. |
| 11 | Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. |
| 12 | For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil." |
| 13 | And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? |
| 14 | But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." |
| 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; |
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 19 : 23 - 41
| 23 | And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. |
| 24 | For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. |
| 25 | He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: "Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. |
| 26 | Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. |
| 27 | So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship." |
| 28 | Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" |
| 29 | So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul's travel companions. |
| 30 | And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. |
| 31 | Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. |
| 32 | Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. |
| 33 | And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. |
| 34 | But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" |
| 35 | And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: "Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? |
| 36 | Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. |
| 37 | For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. |
| 38 | Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. |
| 39 | But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. |
| 40 | For we are in danger of being called in question for today's uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering." |
| 41 | And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. |
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 13 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Amshir.
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 Thirteenth Day of the Blessed Month of Amshir
Martyrdom of St.Sergius of Atripe and
His Father, Mother, Sister, and Many Others with Them
On this day, St. Sergius, his father,
his mother, his sister and many others with them, were martyred. This saint
was born in the city of Atripe to a righteous father whose name was Theodore,
and a faithful mother whose name was Mary. When he was 20 years old, St.
Sergius desired to die for the Name of the Lord Christ. He presented himself
to Cyprianus (Cyprian), the governor, and confessed his faith in the Lord
Christ. The governor commanded him to be tortured with different kinds
of tortures and to cast him in prison. At night he saw in a vision as if
he was in heaven, and he saw the mansions of the saints. His soul was greatly
comforted, and the Lord Christ healed him from his afflictions. A priest
by the name of Mansoon heard about the labors of St. Sergius. Fr. Mansoon
came with two deacons to Atripe and confessed the Name of the Lord Christ
before the governor. The governor beat them with great cruelty. A multitude
of people watched the tortures, and moved with compassion toward the priest,
who could not do anything but to look at them, preach and command them
to be steadfast in their faith in the Lord Christ. He prayed and blessed
them and they all confessed the Orthodox faith. After they had been tortured,
they were all beheaded, and received the crown of life. However, the Governor
tortured the priest with fire, but the Lord saved him. The Governor sent
him to Alexandria where he received his crown of martyrdom.
As for St. Sergius, Governor Cyprianus
brought him and tortured him with excruciating tortures but the Lord healed,
strengthened and comforted him. They brought an idol and ordered him to
worship it. He kicked the idol with his foot and it fell and broke. Cyprianus
believed instantly and said, "The god that cannot save itself, cannot save
others." The captain of the soldiers "Ohios" continued to torture St. Sergius,
and ordered to skin him and to rub his wounds with salt and vinegar, but
the Lord gave him strength and grace. His mother and his sister came to
visit him and saw him in this condition, they wept bitterly, until his
sister died from her extreme grief, but God raised her up by the prayers
of the saint. St. Julius of Agfahs came, wrote the biography of St. Sergius,
and promised him that he would take care of his body and his burial. The
captain "Ohios" ordered that St. Sergius be tortured by pressing his body
through the pressing wheel (Hinbazeen), that his nails be pulled out, that
he be placed over an iron bed, with a fire under it, and that torches of
fire be placed in his ears. The Lord strengthened him through all of this
and healed him. When "Ohios" the captain was tired of torturing him, he
decided to behead him.
St. Sergius called his mother and sister
to bid them farewell. They came with the rest of his family and when they
saw him tied up with the bridle of a horse that was dragging him to the
place of his martyrdom, they protested to the Governor for his extreme
cruelty. He ordered to behead them all and they all received the crown
of life and the eternal bliss. There was a young boy among the crowd whose
eyes were opened by the Lord and he saw the souls of the saints who were
martyred carried by the angels, ascending to heaven. He cried with a loud
voice saying, "O My Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me." His parents
were afraid that the governor would hear him and destroy them because of
him. When they could not calm him down, they put their hands upon his mouth
to prevent him from screaming, asking the help of the Lord Christ, until
he gave up his pure soul at the hand of the Lord.
May Their prayers be with us all. Amen.
Departure of St.Timothy the Third, the
Thirty-Second Pope of Alexandria
On this day also of the
year 528 A.D., the holy father Abba Timothy III, 32nd Pope of Alexandria,
departed. His enthronement on the apostolic throne was in 511 A.D. He suffered
many hardships because he was steadfast in the Orthodox faith. In his days,
St. Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, came to Egypt escaping persecution.
The two saints traveled together to Egyptian cities and monasteries confirming
the people in the Orthodox faith. Because he did not agree with Emperor
Marcion with regard to the canons of the Council of Chalcedon, he was exiled.
On the day of his exile, the faithful opposed the enforcement of the order
of his exile, and many of them were killed, about two hundred thousand,
by the order of the Emperor. The saint departed in exile together with
St. Severus of Antioch, after he had been on the apostolic throne for 17
years.
May His 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 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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