Readings for Sunday 22 June 2025
15 Baunah 1741
Third Sunday of Baunahh
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 6:1 Psalms 38:15
| 1 | O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. |
| 15 | For in You, O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. |
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 7 : 7 - 12
| 7 | "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. |
| 8 | For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. |
| 9 | Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? |
| 10 | Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? |
| 11 | If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! |
| 12 | Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. |
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 38 : 21 - 22
| 21 | Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me! |
| 22 | Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! |
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 24 : 1 - 12
| 1 | Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. |
| 2 | But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. |
| 3 | Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. |
| 4 | And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. |
| 5 | Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? |
| 6 | He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, |
| 7 | saying, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."' |
| 8 | And they remembered His words. |
| 9 | Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. |
| 10 | It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. |
| 11 | And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. |
| 12 | But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened. |
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.
1 Corinthians 4 : 1 - 16
| 1 | Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. |
| 2 | Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. |
| 3 | But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. |
| 4 | For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. |
| 5 | Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God. |
| 6 | Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. |
| 7 | For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? |
| 8 | You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us--and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! |
| 9 | For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. |
| 10 | We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! |
| 11 | To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. |
| 12 | And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; |
| 13 | being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. |
| 14 | I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. |
| 15 | For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. |
| 16 | Therefore I urge you, imitate me. |
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.
2 Peter 1:19-21 2 Peter 2:1-9
| 19 | And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; |
| 20 | knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, |
| 21 | for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. |
| 1 | But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. |
| 2 | And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. |
| 3 | By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. |
| 4 | For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; |
| 5 | and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; |
| 6 | and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; |
| 7 | and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked |
| 8 | (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)-- |
| 9 | then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, |
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 17 : 1 - 12
| 1 | Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. |
| 2 | Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, |
| 3 | explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ." |
| 4 | And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. |
| 5 | But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. |
| 6 | But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. |
| 7 | Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king--Jesus." |
| 8 | And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. |
| 9 | So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. |
| 10 | Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. |
| 11 | These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. |
| 12 | Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. |
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 15 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Baunah.
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 Fifteenth Day of the Blessed Month of Baunah
Turning Over the Relics of the Great
St.Mark the Apostle by the hand of Pope Paul the Sixth, Pope of Rome
On this day, of the year
1684 A.M., that coincided with Saturday the 22nd of June, 1968 A.D., and
in the tenth year of the papacy of Pope Kyrillos the sixth, 116th Pope
of Alexandria, the official delegation of the Pope of Alexandria received
the relics of the great St. Mark the Apostle, the evangelist of the Egyptian
land and the first Patriarch of the See of St. Mark from the hand of Pope
Paul the Sixth, Pope of Rome, in the Papal palace, Vatican City. The delegation
consisted of ten metropolitans and bishops, seven of them were Coptic and
three Ethiopians, and three lay leaders. The Alexandrian papal delegation
left Cairo on Thursday the 23rd of Baunah, 1684 A.M. (June 20th, 1968
A.D.) on a special plane accompanied by 90 of the Coptic personalities,
among them, seven priests. They were received by a delegation of cardinals
and priests delegated by Pope Paul the Sixth, and the ambassador of Egypt
to the Vatican, at the airport in Rome. Twelve o'clock, the morning of
Saturday the 15th of Baunah (June 22nd), was the appointed time for the
Alexandrian Papal delegation to meet the Pope of Rome and receive the relics
of St.Mark the Apostle. At the appointed time, the delegation went in headed
by Anba Marcus, metropolitan of Abu-Teeg and Tahta, and were received by
Pope Paul VI in his private office. Pope Paul greeted the delegation, commending
Pope Kyrillos the sixth, and the church of Alexandria. He congratulated
the delegation on the opening of the new St. Mark Cathedral and the receiving
of the relics of St. Mark. Anba Marcus, the head of the delegation, replied
with a short speech, in which he carried the greetings of his brother,
the Pope of Alexandria. Then he handed him a letter from Pope Kyrillos
the sixth, thanking him and introducing the members of the delegation.
Pope of Rome, along with
the head of the Alexandrian delegation, then carried the box that contained
the relics of St. Mark. They all walked in a procession to a grand room,
which was prepared to receive the Copts, accompanied by the official delegates
to witness this historical and joyful moment. The box containing the relics
was placed on a special table. The Roman Pontiff came forward and knelt
before the box and kissed it. He was followed by Anba Marcus, the head
of the Alexandrian Papal delegation, who was followed by the members of
the delegation. During the veneration of the relics of St. Mark the Apostle,
the Coptic priests and deacons present chanted appropriate ecclesiastical
hymns. Joy filled the hearts of everyone, Egyptian and foreign. An atmosphere
of spirituality and holiness filled the room. The Roman Pope then sat on
his throne, and Anba Gregorius, bishop of higher studies and scientific
research, gave a speech in English, representing the delegation. He expressed
in it the greetings of Pope Kyrillos the Sixth, and the joy of the Christians
of Egypt and Ethiopia for the return of the relics of St. Mark the Apostle
after eleven centuries. During which the body of St. Mark was absent from
the country in which he was martyred.
Pope of Rome, replied in
an official speech in French, that he read while sitting on the throne.
In it he exalted the history of the Alexandrian church, and its long struggle
in the field of dogma. He also praised its heros, and its learned people
such as Athanasius the apostolic, Kyrillos (Cyril) the Pillar of Faith,
Pantaenus and Clement. He hoped that the celebration of the day would be
a sign of love and a bond between the church of Alexandria and the church
of Rome. The Roman Pope asked in his speech also from the head, Cardinal
Doval, and members of the Roman Papal delegation to carry his greetings,
admiration, and appreciation to Pope Kyrillos the Sixth, the clergy of
the church of Alexandria, Egypt and its people. Afterwards, the Pope and
Anba Marcus, the head of the delegation, rose up to exchange the commemorative
gifts. Anba Marcus gave the Pope the presents which were sent by H.H. Pope
Kyrillos. Pope of Rome admired the precious gifts and asked Anba Marcus
to convey his thanks to H.H. Pope Kyrillos. The Pope in return gave the
members of the delegation commemorative presents. The Roman Pope, then
gave Anba Marcus, the head of the Alexandrian Papal delegation, an official
document dated May 28th, 1968 A.D. testifying that the relics were authentic
and belonged to St. Mark the Apostle, and were taken from their original
place with veneration. The document was signed by Cardinal Porfeer, the
deputy of Vatican City. Thus, the official celebration of handing over
the relics of St. Mark the Apostle ended, and the delegation went back
to their hotel.
May the blessings of St. Mark be with us all. Amen.
Consecration of the Church of Mari Mina
at Maryut
On this day also, is the commemoration
of the appearance of the body of the honorable saint, and great martyr
Mari Mina, and the consecration of his church at Maryut (Mareotis). Now,
the body of this saint was hidden, and the Lord wished to reveal it. It
came to pass that there was a shepherd, who pastured his sheep near the
place where the body of the saint was buried. One day, one of his sheep,
which was sick of a skin disease (mangy), dipped itself in the water of
a pond which was near that place. It then went out of the water, and rolled
itself in the sand of that place, and it was healed straightway. When the
shepherd saw this wonder, he marvelled, and took the sand of that place
and mixed it with the water of the pond. He smeared every mangy sheep,
or any that had a deformity, and they were healed immediately. The report
of this shepherd became widespread in all the regions of the empire, until
the emperor of Constantinople heard of it. He had an only daughter who
was leprous. Her father sent her there. She questioned the shepherd about
how she could get rid of her illness, and he told her. She took some of
that sand and mixed it with the water. She retired to her quarters and
smeared her body with the mixture and slept that night in that place. She
saw in a dream St. Mina and he told her, "Rise up early and dig in this
place and you shall find my body." When she woke up from her sleep, she
found herself healed. She dug in that place, and she found the holy body.
She sent to her father to inform him about what had happened. He rejoiced
exceedingly, thanked God and praised His Holy Name. He sent men and money
and built a church in that place which was consecrated on this day. When
Arcadius and Honorius reigned they ordered a city to be built there which
was called Maryut. The masses came to this church interceding with the
blessed Mari Mina. God had honored him by the miracles and wonders that
were manifested from his pure body, until the Moslems occupied the city
and destroyed it. The biography of this saint is mentioned under the fifteenth
day of Hatur.
May his intercession be with us 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 61 : 5,8
| 5 | For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. |
| 8 | So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows. |
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 12 : 22 - 37
| 22 | Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. |
| 23 | And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" |
| 24 | Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." |
| 25 | But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. |
| 26 | If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? |
| 27 | And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. |
| 28 | But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. |
| 29 | Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. |
| 30 | He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. |
| 31 | "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. |
| 32 | Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. |
| 33 | "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. |
| 34 | Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. |
| 35 | A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. |
| 36 | But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. |
| 37 | For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." |
Glory be to God forever.
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