Sunday 22 March 2026
13 Baramhat 1742
Readings for Sunday of of the Great Lent
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 39 : 12 - 12
| 12 | "Hear my prayer, O LORD, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were. |
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 18 : 1 - 8
| 1 | Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, |
| 2 | saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. |
| 3 | Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, "Get justice for me from my adversary.' |
| 4 | And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, "Though I do not fear God nor regard man, |
| 5 | yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."' |
| 6 | Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. |
| 7 | And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? |
| 8 | I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" |
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 102 : 1,2,12
| 1 | Hear my prayer, O LORD, And let my cry come to You. |
| 2 | Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; Incline Your ear to me; In the day that I call, answer me speedily. |
| 12 | But You, O LORD, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations. |
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 21 : 33 - 46
| 33 | "Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. |
| 34 | Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. |
| 35 | And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. |
| 36 | Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. |
| 37 | Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, "They will respect my son.' |
| 38 | But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' |
| 39 | So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. |
| 40 | "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?" |
| 41 | They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons." |
| 42 | Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'? |
| 43 | "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. |
| 44 | And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." |
| 45 | Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. |
| 46 | But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. |
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 Thessalonians.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
2 Thessalonians 2 : 1 - 17
| 1 | Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, |
| 2 | not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. |
| 3 | Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, |
| 4 | who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. |
| 5 | Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? |
| 6 | And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. |
| 7 | For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. |
| 8 | And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. |
| 9 | The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, |
| 10 | and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. |
| 11 | And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, |
| 12 | that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. |
| 13 | But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, |
| 14 | to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 15 | Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. |
| 16 | Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, |
| 17 | comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. |
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 3 : 1 - 18
| 1 | Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), |
| 2 | that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, |
| 3 | knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, |
| 4 | and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." |
| 5 | For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, |
| 6 | by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. |
| 7 | But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. |
| 8 | But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. |
| 9 | The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. |
| 10 | But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. |
| 11 | Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, |
| 12 | looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? |
| 13 | Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. |
| 14 | Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; |
| 15 | and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, |
| 16 | as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. |
| 17 | You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; |
| 18 | but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. 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.
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Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us. Amen.
Acts 26:19-32 Acts 27:1-8
| 19 | "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, |
| 20 | but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. |
| 21 | For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. |
| 22 | Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come-- |
| 23 | that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles." |
| 24 | Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!" |
| 25 | But he said, "I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. |
| 26 | For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. |
| 27 | King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe." |
| 28 | Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." |
| 29 | And Paul said, "I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains." |
| 30 | When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; |
| 31 | and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, "This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains." |
| 32 | Then Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar." |
| 1 | And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment. |
| 2 | So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. |
| 3 | And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care. |
| 4 | When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. |
| 5 | And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. |
| 6 | There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board. |
| 7 | When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone. |
| 8 | Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea. |
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 Baramhat.
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 Baramhat
Departure of Abba Dionysius, the Fourteenth
Pope of Alexandria
On this day (March 8th, 264 A.D.) the
great father Abba Dionysius, the fourteenth Pope of Alexandria, departed.
His parents were stare worshippers of the Sun (Sabians) and they put emphasis
on teaching him all the knowledge of that sect. One day a Christian old
woman passed by him, who had with her some pages of a book containing an
Epistle of St. Paul the apostle and offered it to him to buy it. When he
read it he found in it strange sayings and unusual knowledge. He asked
her: "For how much will you sell it?" She said: "For one dinar of gold."
He gave her three dinars and asked her to find the rest of the pages of
the book and he was willing to pay her double. She went and brought him
more pages. Having read them through he found the book to be still incomplete,
he asked her to search for the rest of the book. She told him: "I found
these quires among my father's books. If you want to acquire the complete
book, go to the church and there you can find it." He went and asked one
of the priests to show him what is called the Epistles of Paul. He gave
it to him, read it, and memorized it. Then he went to St. Demetrius the
twelfth Pope, who taught and instructed him in the facts of the Christian
faith then baptized him. He became well rehearsed in the doctrine and knowledge
of the church, and Anba Demetrius appointed him a teacher for the people.
When Anba Demetrius departed and Anba Heraclas (Yaroklas) was enthroned,
he appointed him as a deputy to judge among the believers and entrusted
him to administer the affairs of the patriarchate.
When St. Heraclas departed, all the
people agreed to appoint this father Patriarch. He was enthroned on the
first of Tubah (December 28th, 246 A.D.) during the reign of Emperor Philip
who was a lover of the Christians, and he shepherded his flock with the
best of care, nevertheless, he suffered much tribulations. When Decius
rose up against Philip and killed him, and reigned in his place, he incited
persecution against the Christians. Decius slew many of the patriarchs,
bishops, and believers. This father endured much suffering during that
time. Decius died and Gallus reigned after him, and persecution quieted
down during his reign. When Gallus died and Valerian reigned in his place,
he renewed the persecution severely against the Christians, and his men
seized Abba Dionysius and imprisoned him. They asked him to worship the
idols but he refused saying: "We worship God the Father, and His Son Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Spirit the One God." They threatened him, killed few
men in front of him to terrify him but he was not afraid. They banished
him and shortly after, they brought him back and told him: "We have been
informed that you consecrate the offering secretly by yourself." He replied:
"We do not forsake our prayers day or night" then he turned to the people
present around him and told them: "Go and pray and if I am away from you
in the body, I shall be with you in spirit." The governor became raged
and returned him to exile. When Sapor king of Persia overcame Emperor Valerian
and seized him, his son Gallienus, who was wise and gentle, took over the
empire. He released all the believers who were in prison and brought back
those who were in exile. He wrote to the Patriarch and the bishops a letter
to assure their safety in opening the churches. In the days of this father,
certain people arose in the Arabian countries saying: "That the soul dies
with the body, and on the day of Resurrection, it shall be raised up with
it." He gathered against them a council and anathematized them. When Paul
of Samosata denied the Son, a Council assembled against him in Antioch,
this Saint was not able to attend for his age. He wrote a letter to the
council, rich with wisdom, explained in it the corruptive opinion of this
heretic, and stated the true Orthodox belief. He finished his good strife,
and departed in a good old age on (March 8th, 264 A.D.), having sat on
the Apostolic Throne seventeen years, two month and ten days.
May His prayers be with us all. Amen.
Return of the Great Saints Anba Macarius
the Great and Anba Macarius of Alexandria from Exile
On this day also is the
commemoration of the return of the Great Sts. Anba Macarius the Great and
Anba Macarius of Alexandria, from exile on an island in Upper Egypt. Emperor
Valens the arian had exiled them to this island. The natives of this island
worshipped idols, and according to the orders of Valens the two Saints
were tortured severely for three years. It came to pass one day that satan
entered the daughter of the pagan priest of this island and tortured her.
St. Macarius the great came forward and prayed over her and the Lord healed
her and subsequently the priest and the people of the island believed on
the Lord Christ. The Saints taught them the facts of the Christian faith
and baptized them on the eve of the feast of Epiphany, 11th. of Tubah,
changed the temple into a church, and with a revelation from the Lord Christ
they ordained priests and deacons for them. When they wished to return
they did not know the way, so the angel of the Lord appeared to them, guided
them walking, until they reached Alexandria. From there they went to the
wilderness of Sheahat (Scetis). The monks of the wilderness came out to
meat them, and they were at that time about fifty thousand monks among
them were Anba John the short and Anba Bishoy, and they all rejoiced to
meat their fathers.
May The prayers of these Saints be with us. Amen.
Martyrdom of the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia
On this day also the holy
forty martyrs of the city of Sebastia were martyred. Emperor Constantine
the great had appointed his friend Lecius ruler for the east and commanded
him to treat the Christians well. When he arrived to his headquarter, he
ordered his subordinate to worship the idols but they refused and cursed
his idols. That night some of the soldiers and their children, from the
city of Sebastia, made an agreement among themselves to go to the governor
confessing their faith. While they were sleeping the angel of the Lord
appeared to them, strengthened them and comforted their hearts. In the
morning they stood before the Governor and confessed their faith in the
Lord christ, he threatened them but they were not afraid. He commanded
his men to stone them, but the stones came back upon those who stoned them.
He ordered to throw them in a nearby lake, which was icy. Their organs
were severed because of the excessive cold. One of them whose strength
was weakened, went out of the icy water and entered the bath house nearby
the lake. The heat in the bath house melted the ice that was on him but
he died quickly, and lost his reward.
One of the guards saw angels
descending from the heaven and in their hands crowns, they placed them
over the heads of the thirty nine martyrs and remained one crown in the
hand of the angel. The guard went down into the lake shouting "I am christian...I
am christian." He took the crown that was in the hand of the angel and
was counted among the martyrs. Among the martyrs, were young men, whose
mothers encouraged and strengthened them. Because they remained in the
lake for a long time and they did not die, the Governor wished to break
their legs, but the Lord took their souls and reposed them. He ordered
to burn their bodies and to cast them after that into the sea. As they
were carrying them out of the lake, they found a young man alive, so they
left him. His mother took him and tried to threw him on the wagon with
his mates but they put him off the wagon again for he was still alive.
His mother took him and he died in her bosom so she put him back on the
wagon. They took them outside the city and cast them into the fire which
did not harm them, then they casted them into the river. On the third day
those holy martyrs appeared to the Bishop of Sebastia in a vision and told
him: "Go to the river and take our bodies." He went with the priests, deacons
and the people to the river and found the bodies. They carried the bodies
with great honor and placed them in a beautiful shrine, and their strife
was heard in all the countries.
May their prayers 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 33 : 5 - 6
| 5 | He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. |
| 6 | By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. |
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 5 : 1 - 18
| 1 | After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. |
| 2 | Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. |
| 3 | In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. |
| 4 | For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. |
| 5 | Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. |
| 6 | When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" |
| 7 | The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me." |
| 8 | Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." |
| 9 | And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. |
| 10 | The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed." |
| 11 | He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, "Take up your bed and walk."' |
| 12 | Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, "Take up your bed and walk'?" |
| 13 | But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. |
| 14 | Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." |
| 15 | The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. |
| 16 | For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. |
| 17 | But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." |
| 18 | Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. |
Glory be to God forever.
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