Sunday 21 February 2027
14 Amshir 1743
Readings for The Fast of Ninevah
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 15 : 1 - 2
| 1 | LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? |
| 2 | He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; |
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 4 : 46 - 53
| 46 | So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. |
| 47 | When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. |
| 48 | Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." |
| 49 | The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!" |
| 50 | Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. |
| 51 | And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!" |
| 52 | Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." |
| 53 | So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household. |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Matins Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 24 : 3 - 4
| 3 | Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? |
| 4 | He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. |
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 3 : 17 - 21
| 17 | For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. |
| 18 | "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. |
| 19 | And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. |
| 20 | For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. |
| 21 | But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑
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 Hebrews.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
Hebrews 7 : 1 - 17
| 1 | For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, |
| 2 | to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning "king of peace," |
| 3 | without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. |
| 4 | Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. |
| 5 | And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; |
| 6 | but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. |
| 7 | Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. |
| 8 | Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. |
| 9 | Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, |
| 10 | for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. |
| 11 | Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? |
| 12 | For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. |
| 13 | For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. |
| 14 | For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. |
| 15 | And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest |
| 16 | who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. |
| 17 | For He testifies: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. John . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
2 John 1 : 1 - 13
| 1 | The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, |
| 2 | because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: |
| 3 | Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. |
| 4 | I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. |
| 5 | And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. |
| 6 | This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. |
| 7 | For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. |
| 8 | Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. |
| 9 | Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. |
| 10 | If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; |
| 11 | for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. |
| 12 | Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. |
| 13 | The children of your elect sister greet you. 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.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us. Amen.
Acts 18 : 9 - 12
| 9 | Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; |
| 10 | for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city." |
| 11 | And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. |
| 12 | When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God. Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Synaxarium
Day 14 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 Fourteenth Day of the Blessed Month of Amshir
Departure of St.Severus, the Patriarch
of Antioch
On this day of the year 538 A.D., the
holy father St. Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, departed. He was from Asia
Minor. His grandfather, whose name was also Severus, saw in a vision someone
telling him, "The child who is for your son will strengthen Orthodoxy,
and his name will be after your name." When his son had this saint, he
called him Severus. He was taught the Greek wisdom and church subjects.
Once, the saint was strolling outside the city, a shut-in saint came out
of his cave crying, "Welcome to you Severus, teacher of Orthodoxy, and
Patriarch of Antioch." Severus marvelled at how he called him by his name,
for he did not know him before, and how he foretold what would become of
him. Severus grew in virtue and became a monk in the monastery of St. Romanus.
The fame of his righteousness and his ascetic life spread out. When the
Patriarch of Antioch departed, the bishops had a consensus to ordain him
the Patriarch of the city in the year 512 A.D. The church was illuminated
by his teachings which spread to all the universe, and he was one of the
fathers who attended the Universal Council at Ephesus.
Shortly after, Emperor Anastasius died
and Justinian, who was Chalcedonian in faith, reigned after him. He called
upon this holy father and gave him great honors to persuade him to change
his stand and to follow the Emperor's belief, but the Saint refused. The
Emperor became angry, but the Saint did not fear his anger, and so the
Emperor ordered him to be killed. Theodora, the Emperor's wife who was
Orthodox in faith, knew about what the Emperor intended to do, so she told
the saint to flee from his face. St. Severus escaped to the land of Egypt
and traveled everywhere and visited monasteries disguised as a monk. He
strengthened the faith of the believers in the Orthodox doctrine. He dwelt
in the city of Sakha in the home of a holy lay leader called Doretheos.
God performed through him many miracles. He departed in the city of Sakha,
and his body was relocated to the monastery of El-Zugag.
May His prayers be with us. Amen.
Departure of St.James, the Fiftieth Pope
of Alexandria (St.Yacobus)
On this day also of the
year 821 A.D., the great saint Abba James (St. Yacobus), 50th Pope of Alexandria,
departed. He was a monk in the monastery of St.Macarius. For his holiness
and righteousness, he was chosen by a consensus to become patriarch after
Pope Mark, 49th Pope, had departed. He was enthroned in the month of Bashans
in the year 810 A.D. St. James renovated the churches and populated the
monasteries, and God granted him the gift of performing miracles. One of
the deacons in Alexandria dared to say to him rudely, "Pay what you owe
to the churches, or else go to your monastery." The Pope replied to him,
"You will never see me again from now on." The deacon went home, immediately
became sick and died shortly after. Another miracle: There was a lay leader
(Archon) named Macarius from Nabarouh who was very well advanced in years
and had no children. After a while, God gave him a son. He made a feast
to celebrate this occasion, and invited Abba James. During the celebration,
the child died but his father did not panic. He carried the child in his
hands and placed him in faith before the Pope, trusting that God would
hear His chosen one, and give life to his child. The Pope took the child
and made the sign of the cross on his forehead, his heart and his chest,
while he prayed, "My Master, Jesus Christ, the Giver of Life, raise this
child alive again by Your mighty power." He breathed in his face, and the
soul of the child returned to him, and he gave him to his father. When
he finished his good strife, Abba James departed in peace, after he had
been on the throne of St. Mark for 10 years, 9 months and 28 days.
May His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
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 96 : 7 - 8
| 7 | Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. |
| 8 | Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. |
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 6 : 5 - 14
| 5 | Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" |
| 6 | But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. |
| 7 | Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." |
| 8 | One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, |
| 9 | "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" |
| 10 | Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. |
| 11 | And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. |
| 12 | So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." |
| 13 | Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. |
| 14 | Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑