Readings for Sunday 24 September 2023
13 Tut 1740
Second Sunday of Tut
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 7 : 10 - 11
| 10 | My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. |
| 11 | God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day. |
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 4 : 38 - 41
| 38 | Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house. But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. |
| 39 | So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them. |
| 40 | When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. |
| 41 | And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!" And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. |
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 8 : 1,4
| 1 | O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! |
| 4 | What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? |
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 Mark the Evangelist. May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
Mark 1 : 35 - 39
| 35 | Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. |
| 36 | And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. |
| 37 | When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You." |
| 38 | But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth." |
| 39 | And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. |
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 Timothy.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
2 Timothy 1:12-18 2 Timothy 2:1-10
| 12 | For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. |
| 13 | Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. |
| 14 | That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. |
| 15 | This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. |
| 16 | The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; |
| 17 | but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. |
| 18 | The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day--and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus. |
| 1 | You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. |
| 2 | And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. |
| 3 | You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. |
| 4 | No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. |
| 5 | And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. |
| 6 | The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. |
| 7 | Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. |
| 8 | Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, |
| 9 | for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. |
| 10 | Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.
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Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. James . May his blessings be upon us. Amen.
James 2 : 5 - 13
| 5 | Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? |
| 6 | But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? |
| 7 | Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? |
| 8 | If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; |
| 9 | but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. |
| 10 | For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. |
| 11 | For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. |
| 12 | So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. |
| 13 | For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over 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 11 : 19 - 26
| 19 | Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. |
| 20 | But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. |
| 21 | And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. |
| 22 | Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. |
| 23 | When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. |
| 24 | For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. |
| 25 | Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. |
| 26 | And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. |
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 Tut.
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 Tut
Departure of Pope Mattheos the Second,
Patriarch of the See of St.Mark
On
this day of the year 1182 of martyrs, departed the exalted father Abba
Mattheos the Second, the Ninetieth of the Popes of the See of St.Mark.
He was a monk in El-Muharraq monastery. His selection and ordination for
the papacy was in the year 1169 of martyrs and he sat on the throne of
St.Mark for thirteen years and then departed in peace.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all. Amen.
Commemoration of the Miracle made by
St.Basilius, Bishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia
On this day also is the
commemoration of the great miracle made by St.Basilius, Bishop of Caesarea
of Cappadocia with a young man who loved his master's daughter. Satan,
his enemy and the enemy of the human race, deceived him and made him resort
to a magician who made him write a covenant to deny the faith and to surrender
completely to Satan that he might grant him his wish. Satan kindled lust
in the heart of the girl, and she loved the young man exceedingly. She
asked her father insistingly not to object to her marriage to that young
man. Eager for his honor and fearing for her life, he married her to him.
When she had spent with
him many days, and had seen that he did not enter the church or partake
of the Holy Sacraments, or make the sign of the Holy Cross over himself,
she revealed to him her doubt about his faith and his love to God. He told
her what had happened to him, and how he had written to Satan a covenant
of obedience till death. She cried exceedingly and rebuked him for his
deed and straightaway, he took him to St.Basilius, Bishop of Caesarea,
who listened to his confession and saw his grief and desire to go back
to the life of worship, fellowship, and righteousness. St.Basilius asked
him to stay with him for a while in seclusion, fasting and praying. He
shut him up in a room near him for three days. On the third day St.Basilius
visited him and he made known to him that the evil spirits did not cease
disturbing and fighting him in many ways. He strengthened him, calmed him
down, gave him food and prayed for him. He asked him to keep staying in
seclusion for for praying and fasting. After a few days, he came back to
visit him again. The young man told him that he did not see any more but
he still heard their cries and threats. He fed him again and prayed for
him and left him to the life of seclusion to fight and pray, and the bishop
went to pray for him also. And this went on until forty days were completed.
When the Saint came to him and asked him about his state, he told him that
he saw him (the Saint) fighting against Satan on his behalf, and he vanquished
him and finally was victorious.
The Bishop gathered all
the priests and the monks and prayed for that young man all night. On the
following morning he led him into the church while everyone was crying,
"Lord have mercy upon us," and they continued to cry out until that writing,
which the young man had written as a covenant to deny the faith and to
surrender to Satan, fell down in the midst of all the people.
The Bishop, the young man
and his wife, and all the people were exceedingly glad. The Bishop blessed
that man and administered to him the Holy Sacraments. The man and his wife
departed to their house full of joy for their salvation, and exalted for
the remission of their sins. They praised God and thanked St.Basilius by
whose prayers they were saved.
May his prayers and blessings be with us all, 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 21 : 1 - 2
| 1 | The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! |
| 2 | You have given him his heart's desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips.Selah |
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 10 : 21 - 28
| 21 | In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. |
| 22 | All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." |
| 23 | Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; |
| 24 | for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it." |
| 25 | And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" |
| 26 | He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" |
| 27 | So he answered and said, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and "your neighbor as yourself."' |
| 28 | And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." |
Glory be to God forever.
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