Readings for Sunday 21 January 2024
12 Tubah 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 42 : 1,6
| 1 | As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. |
| 6 | O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar. |
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 3 : 21 - 22
| 21 | When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. |
| 22 | And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." |
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 34 : 11,5
| 11 | Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. |
| 5 | They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. |
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 3 : 13 - 17
| 13 | Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. |
| 14 | And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" |
| 15 | But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. |
| 16 | When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. |
| 17 | And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." |
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 Ephesians.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
Ephesians 1 : 1 - 14
| 1 | Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: |
| 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, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, |
| 4 | just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, |
| 5 | having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, |
| 6 | to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. |
| 7 | In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace |
| 8 | which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, |
| 9 | having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, |
| 10 | that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him. |
| 11 | In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, |
| 12 | that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. |
| 13 | In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, |
| 14 | who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
↑ Top of Page ↑
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. Peter . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
1 Peter 3 : 15 - 22
| 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; |
| 16 | having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. |
| 17 | For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. |
| 18 | For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, |
| 19 | by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, |
| 20 | who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. |
| 21 | There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, |
| 22 | who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. |
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 8 : 26 - 39
| 26 | Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert. |
| 27 | So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, |
| 28 | was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. |
| 29 | Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot." |
| 30 | So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" |
| 31 | And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. |
| 32 | The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. |
| 33 | In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth." |
| 34 | So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?" |
| 35 | Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. |
| 36 | Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" |
| 37 | Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." |
| 38 | So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. |
| 39 | Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. |
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 12 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Tubah.
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 Twelfth Day of the Blessed Month of Tubah
Commemoration Feast of the Archangel
Michael
On this day, the church commemorates the honorable
Archangel Michael, the head of the heavenly host, the intercessor for the
human race, and the faithful steward.
May His intercession be for us. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Theodore El-Mishreke
(Of the East)
On this day also of the year 306
A.D., the church celebrates the commemoration of the martyrdom of the courageous
prince, St. Theodore El-Mishreke (Of the East). He was born in the City
of Tyre in 270 A.D. In his youth, he enlisted in the Roman army and was
promoted to the rank of commander. His father's name was Sadrikhos, "Adrakos"
who was a high ranking official during the reign of Emperor Numerianus
(283-284 A.D.), and his mother was the sister of Basilides, the minister.
When Emperor Numerianus died in the war against the Persians, his son,
Justus, was fighting in the west. The two officials Sadrikhos and Basilides
continued to run the affairs of the Empire, until the infidel Diocletian
took charge of the Empire, and started to persecute the Christians. At
that time, St. Theodore was in charge of the army that was fighting against
the Persians. He saw a vision at night: a ladder was extended between earth
and heaven, and at the top of the ladder the Lord sat on a great throne, surrounded by hosts of angels
chanting. He also saw under the ladder a great beast which was the devil.
The Lord said to St.Theodore, "Your blood will be shed for My Name's sake."
The saint asked the Lord, "How about my friend Lawondius?" The Lord replied,
"Not only Lawondius, but Banikaros, the Persian, also."
During a truce, between
the Roman and Persian armies, St. Theodore met with Banikaros, the commander
of the Persian army. St. Theodore guided him to Christianity and he believed
in Christ. Emperor Diocletian ordered that Prince Theodore be brought to
him. The prince came back with his army and with him were Lawondius and
Banikaros. When St. Theodore knew that the Emperor was going to ask him
to worship idols, he told his soldiers, "Whoever among you wants to fight
for the Name of the Lord Christ, let him come and join me." They all shouted
in one accord, "We die with you and your God is our God also." When he
arrived in the city, he left his soldiers outside and went alone to the
Emperor who received him well. The Emperor inquired about the war and the
army and he asked St.Theodore to worship Apollo. The saint answered in
great courage and faith, "I do not know any god that I can worship except
my Master, Jesus Christ." Diocletian commanded his soldiers to nail the
Saint to a tree and to brutally torture him. But the Lord was strengthening
and comforting him. Finally, he delivered up his pure soul into the hand
of the Lord Whom he loved. He received the crown of eternal glory in the
kingdom of heaven. The Emperor sent the priests of Apollo to the soldiers
of the saint, to call upon them to worship the idols. They all shouted,
"We have no king except our Master, Jesus Christ, Lord of Lords, and King
of Kings." When the Emperor heard what they said, he had them all beheaded.
They received the crowns of martyrdom and eternal bliss.
May Their prayers be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of St.Anatolius
On this day also, St.Anatolius
was martyred. He was born in Persia. When he grew up, he became a soldier
of the Roman Empire and was promoted to a commander in the army. He spent
fifteen years in the army until the reign of Diocletian. He longed to chose
the heavenly kingdom, preferring it over all the vain glory of this temporal
world. He came before the Emperor, took off his military attire and sword,
threw them before him and confessed his faith in the Lord Christ. The Emperor
was astonished at his boldness. When he knew that he was a Persian, the
Emperor treated him with kindness, then sent him to Romanos that he might
persuade him to change his counsel. Romanos failed to do that and he returned
him to the Emperor. The Emperor tortured him with all kinds of tortures,
sometimes by pressing his body, sometimes by beating him and casting him
to wild beasts, and other times by cutting his tongue. The Lord Jesus Christ
sent to him His Angel to comfort him in all his afflictions. He remained
under persecution for a long time and when the Emperor became weary of
torturing him, he ordered his head cut off. He received the crown of martyrdom
in the eternal kingdom.
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 104 : 1 - 2
| 1 | Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, |
| 2 | Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. |
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 1 : 35 - 51
| 35 | Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. |
| 36 | And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" |
| 37 | The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. |
| 38 | Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" |
| 39 | He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). |
| 40 | One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. |
| 41 | He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). |
| 42 | And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone). |
| 43 | The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." |
| 44 | Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. |
| 45 | Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." |
| 46 | And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." |
| 47 | Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" |
| 48 | Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." |
| 49 | Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" |
| 50 | Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, "I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." |
| 51 | And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." |
Glory be to God forever.
↑ Top of Page ↑