Readings for Sunday 25 August 2024
19 Misra 1740
Third Sunday of Misra
Vespers Psalm & Gospel
From the Psalms of our father David the prophet and the king, may his blessings be with us all. Amen.
Psalms 5 : 7,11
| 7 | But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. |
| 11 | But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. |
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 11 : 27 - 36
| 27 | And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" |
| 28 | But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" |
| 29 | And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. |
| 30 | For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. |
| 31 | The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. |
| 32 | The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. |
| 33 | "No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. |
| 34 | The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. |
| 35 | Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. |
| 36 | If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light." |
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 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 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 Romans.
May his blessings be with us. Amen.
Romans 16 : 17 - 20
| 17 | Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. |
| 18 | For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. |
| 19 | For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. |
| 20 | And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. |
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.
1 Peter 2:18-25 1 Peter 3:1-7
| 18 | Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. |
| 19 | For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. |
| 20 | For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. |
| 21 | For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: |
| 22 | "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth"; |
| 23 | who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; |
| 24 | who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. |
| 25 | For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. |
| 1 | Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, |
| 2 | when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. |
| 3 | Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- |
| 4 | rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. |
| 5 | For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, |
| 6 | as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. |
| 7 | Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. |
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 21 : 8 - 14
| 8 | On the next day we who were Paul's companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. |
| 9 | Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. |
| 10 | And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. |
| 11 | When he had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, "So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles."' |
| 12 | Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. |
| 13 | Then Paul answered, "What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." |
| 14 | So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, "The will of the Lord be done." |
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 19 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Misra.
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 Nineteenth Day of the Blessed Month of Misra
Translocation of the Body of St.Macarius
to His Monastery in Scetis
On this day, the church celebrates
the return of the body of St. Macarius to his monastery in the desert of
Sheahat (Scetis). After the departure of St. Macarius, some of the natives
of the city of Shanshour (Shabsheer) came and stole his body. They built
a large church for him, and placed the body in it. Later on, his body was
moved to another town where he stayed for four hundred forty years, till
the time of Pope Michael V (Anba Mikhail V), the 71st Pope. When Pope Michael
went to the wilderness to observe the holy fast in the monastery, he sighed
and said, "How much I yearn that God would help us so that the body of
our father Anba Macarius be in our midst." Later on, the abbot of the monastery,
the Archpriest (Hegumen) Michael, went with some of the elders on certain
business of the monastery, and they thought of bringing back the body of
the saint to their monastery. They came to where the body was, but the
people of the town and the governor assembled against them with swords
and sticks and prevented them from taking the body.
The elders spent the night
in great sorrow. The governor saw that night a vision of St. Macarius telling
him, "Let my children take my body and do not prevent them." The governor
was frightened and he called the elders and gave them the body. The elders
took the body with great joy, and many faithful people followed them to
bid the body farewell. When the ship arrived in Mariot, they spent the
night. The next morning they celebrated the Divine Liturgy and received
the Holy Mysteries. Then they loaded the body on a camel to the wilderness.
Midway through the journey, they needed to rest, but the Abbot said, "As
the Lord lives, we do not rest until the Lord shows us the place where
the angel of the Lord held our father's hand." So they kept moving until
the camel knelt down and did not get up. The camel started to turn his
head around, licking the body and bowing his head down to the ground. Then
the elders knew that was the right place, and they glorified God. As they
reached the monastery, all the monks came out holding candles and singing.
Then they carried the body on their shoulders and went into the church
in a great celebration, and God performed many wonders on that day.
May his prayers be with us and Glory be to our 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 28 : 2,6
| 2 | Hear the voice of my supplications When I cry to You, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. |
| 6 | Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications! |
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 3 : 22 - 35
| 22 | And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons." |
| 23 | So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out Satan? |
| 24 | If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. |
| 25 | And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. |
| 26 | And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. |
| 27 | No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. |
| 28 | "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; |
| 29 | but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation"-- |
| 30 | because they said, "He has an unclean spirit." |
| 31 | Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. |
| 32 | And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You." |
| 33 | But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?" |
| 34 | And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! |
| 35 | For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother." |
Glory be to God forever.
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